Sayram in the Choice With No Regrets Visual Novel
So, I've read the ACWNR Visual Novel and I came across this interesting part (starting with Isabel and Farlan dialogue):
"Just leave it to me, Farlan. I'll kick those titans' asses, one by one."
Farlan made a move to lecture Isabel for her easygoing lack of concern, but—
You bastards, stop screwing around! How unbelievable!"
Someone behind them suddenly yelled angrily in their direction.
"You underground thugs are getting too carried away! The titans, they aren't the easy prey you think they are!!"
The voice belonged to a soldier riding behind Farlan. It seemed that he'd somehow overheard their chatter and gotten riled up.
"How many soldiers do you think had gotten killed by the titans until now!? Even in the previous expedition, so many of our seniors were…"
"Hmph, don't clump us together with idiots who'd get eaten by those dim-witted titans."
"W-What did you say, you…!!"
The soldier, enraged by Isabel's words, moved to grab the blade handle holstered on his side.
Levi immediately rode between Isabel and the soldier, hand reaching for his own blade, and moved to stop his opponent's attack.
Flagon, who had noticed the brewing quarrel, stepped in and held the soldier back.
"Calm down, Sayram. Once they actually fight some real titans, they won't be able to talk like that anymore."
Flagon glanced at Levi as he spoke, with contempt and pity mixed in his gaze.
Even then, Levi only stared back at Flagon expressionlessly, with no particular hint of anger on his face.
As Farlan looked at the situation at hand, he thought about how, just this one time, it was the soldiers who were right.
No matter how strong Levi is, he's ultimately just a human. The titans are monsters—no, they're beings closer to natural disasters like storms and floods. Isn't Levi taking the titans too lightly…?
It did not take that long for Farlan to get an answer to his doubts.
Right then, the troops had the expedition's first encounter with the titans.
This is a very important part, escpecially which I bolded out. There’s lot to know about Sayram’s character – he only appears here in the visuel novel actually. So these are only guesses, but I’ll try my best.
1. The thug trio or at least Levi appears to not know who Sayram is, as before his name is mentioned, Levi mentions him as simply „the soldier”.
This means Levi do not know him or didn’t really paid him attention. Maybe the trio were only put together with him for the mission, but it’s not what we see in the manga, where Sayram is there almost in every scene where Flagon appears. So they must know him.
Maybe Levi didn’t really paid him attention, because he focuses on Erwin, but the thing that he only now notices Sayram, when he speaks out suggests that he was more or less unnoticeable – as for Levi. He was obedient, quiet, so, he didnt speak to them, therefore Levi didn’t „notice” him.
2. What makes now Sayram angry enough to grab his blades in order to attack Isabel – which is a real threat, considering Levi was on him in a second. What makes this quiet, composed boy lose his temper this badly?
In fact, what makes him even speak to them? They haven’t spoken to each other before, as it seems. What crossed the line so Sayram just HAD TO speak his mind?
It can’t be his temper – it must be something that hurt him, which Flagon seems to understand, seems to know about him.
"How many soldiers do you think had gotten killed by the titans until now!? Even in the previous expedition, so many of our seniors were…"
The loss of a comrade – several comrades maybe? Yes. It can be sad and tormenting and hurtful to hear something like this from a criminal who haven’t even seen a titan close up.
"Hmph, don't clump us together with idiots who'd get eaten by those dim-witted titans."
Imagine hearing this after losing several people – maybe your closest friends or people you looked up so much – superiors. And a short time after that, someone who haven’t even been outside the walls before, who is known to have made hideous crimes which was against the society you are protecting… call those friends and comrades „idiots who’d get eaten”.
I would lose my temper too.
So Sayram’s not rude, more like hurt and damaged. He still hasn’t gotten over the lost of his comrades, so it’s perfectly understandable from him to react to Isabel’s words this way. His actions may not be likeable, but he is right. Even Farlan thinks that the soldiers are probably right this time.
Tell me what do you think about this, here or on my other blogs:
1. anais-fromanotherplanet
dailybridgerton
janainaart
tangentwithtanner
