Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Lord Lagen writes his son a letter if Orcelito doesn't recover, Prince Belca---

Anyway, Lord Lagen says The Plague has a cure and Belca needs to be separated from his territory in order to be used as a pawn. Also, keep using the drugs that don't kill people. Kiliko answers the Sparrow Hawk that if he opposes Belca's group now, they will not have access to the cure so he will handle the matter by himself. Sparrow Hawk politely tells him they do not have time for that and asks him to make Lord Lagen's wish a priority. Kiliko tries to protest but Sparrow Hawk puts his very sharp nails to Kiliko's throat, ominously saying that he will not trouble his father. Kiliko asks if that's a threat and Sparrow Hawk denies it, disappearing in a gust of wind (?!) while telling Kiliko not to hesitate to call. Kiliko then reflects that the allies he has are his guys in Adin, the Crows, and Lizelotte the countess/duchess. A guard comes in and says they couldn't find any clues about the scholar and Kiliko informs him that Lord Lagen is still alive. They need to hide Belca from Sparrow Hawk...

Meanwhile, Ramses the not-guard complains about Lilia fucking up while riding with his scholar buddy. He's only helping for the history, us nerds being willing to betray our entire country if we're given the possibility of having something interesting to read. So it's off to Theon's mansion...

Paige and Musca are traveling to Shize before Paige spots a familiar face outside the carriage, getting worried...as she should be, because that familiar face is "Ramses" with his scholar buddy. Musca and Paige, outside the carriage, bump into them intentionally so that Paige can confirm her suspicions. That's when Musca points out the scholar was reading a book with weird letters...

Meanwhile, Lizelotte's carriage is stopped by guards who have to search around, subtly creeping on her in the process. A few hours ago outside of Neue Favrille, Belca's group debates their next course of action. Shingetsu says they can't save Orcelito as long as they're there so they'll have to reach him through the underground tunnel in the Stone Fort. Belca is worried about them getting lost so three knights offer to accompany them. Back in the present, Belca is hit with the ol' nostalgia as he finally gets inside Neue Favrille after nearly half a year outside the walls. It's not even unstable anymore...although, he has be called Marie Belle while he's in disguise. Lizelotte is informed of the theft at the archives and is told she will be escorted by the King's Sword.

At the Hierarchy Gate, they have to show their identification papers because of the kingdom being on high alert. They manage to get through but there are six more doors ahead of them so they're not confident about their future success. Belca complains they should have used the underground cave too...and Tenko promptly takes them to another one, Belca having just reminded him of its existence. It's the "Gardener's Secret Passage" and it leads to the cathedral. They walk through and someone cuts them off from up ahead...

Meanwhile, turns out our captive maid wasn't as captive as we thought, escaping in a guard's disguise...well done, Lilia.

Orcelito comes upon two guards and asks them for the key of the stone cave that leads to the cathedral. Glad that their Prince is feeling better, they lead him away...followed closely by a disguised Lilia.

They open the door and prepare to give him his rites against evil...and he walks past them. They call for him to come back but Orcelito tells them to close the door and to tell Kiliko to finish things up with that cure. He's the prince; gotta obey him.

Back to Belca's group, the guy that cut them is the attendant for the priest who shows them a secret room...while offering them food!

They sit at a table and are greeted by the High Priest. He then implies he knows about Reitz...and what happened to Hector.

At the Neue Favrille's Land at the Theon Street Mansion, the chapter ends with the scholar revealing to the Lord inside the real secret of the Rovisco's journal. Namely, it's not what's written but who wrote it...King Reitz himself.

Chapter 24

So to sum up, Reitz the First killed Captain Rovisco, claimed the Hokulea were monsters from a fairy tale to justify killing and enslaving them and the entire history taught to the kingdom has all been a lie.

Eco postulates the theory the whole story could have been made up by the author to discredit King Reitz but if that's true, why would Prince Hector go through all the trouble of hiding the pages and entrusting them to Prince Belca? Belca remembers Kiliko telling him that Hector wasn't stopped, the kingdom would have been ruined so he was probably referring to the records they have in their possession. Eco suggests they might just laugh and call it a good story...that is, if it were released under normal circumstances. If Prince Hector released it, however, then people would be more liable to believe it. I mean, they had him offed for a reason. Belca says Eco doesn't look too surprised and Eco is about to explain why before Shingetsu walks in, saying the Hokulea elder and priestess wants to hear their story.

Meanwhile, Musca is on her own and hearing some nobles talking shit about her older brother, is about to fuck them up before a guard catches her, mistaking her for a noble due to the emblem on the hat she swiped. They even think she's a little boy. She sneaks off only for a piece of a windmill to fall on top of her...only for Seamrog to show up out of nowhere and rescue her.

He says he was planning on escaping but the payment she gave him was too much. So he'll stick around for a while longer...

Back at the village, Belca tells them they need to escape from the mountains before the Stone Capital try to take it from them. The head of the Hokulea says they have based their entire lives around the mountain and they can't just leave; in fact, Belca needs to go so that he won't get hurt. However, they are grateful for his information and invites to spend the night, have a banquet and then he can go home. Belca then asks if Rovisco and Tri Cantina ring a bell. The leader answers in the negative.

Eco and Belca sulk outside, saying that's all they can do. Eco says Belca can come with him on his bard adventures. After all, Linna would want him to be happy like that. Then Belca gets jumped by a friendly male villager...then Shingetsu tells Belca that even though the head of the Hokulea says they can't leave, he will tell the villagers the situation. The siblings are going to talk to the priestess tomorrow so there's nothing to worry about! Belca goes to his quarters to eat and think of Linna...but wait, he remembers what Shingetsu said about an ancient bloodline...looks like some more reading needs to be done.

Leaving early in the morning, Belca stops Shingetsu and Tenrou to ask if he can see the priestess too. Shingetsu says the sacred lands is off-limits to outsiders; if he goes with them, he can't come back alive. Belca says he understands but he won't just stand there and let himself get killed. Funnily enough, that response was the exact same thing Hector said when he was in the same situation. The chapter ends with Shingetsu letting him come, saying if his determination is half-baked, the journey itself should kill him.

Chapter 41

We open on Captain Rovisco about to set sail despite his bosses' misgivings, his lover coming with him. Turns out there's a mysterious disease going around on his home island that affects the genomes and reduced the life expectancy by 60%. The birth rates have also declined due to the genes responsible for reproduction going with the corpses. People have been developing artificial limbs and organs to increase their life expectancy, though something called the acceleration furnace cannot be invented because...reasons. The reasons being it was caught in a literal goddamn tornado and disappeared. A conversation between Rovisco and Reitz reveals that Rovisco is shocked that Reitz is completely flesh and blood, no machines needed to keep him alive. When they get to the Hokulea's place, they feel like they've found the Promised Land.

Then Reitz kills him. End of (incredibly short) chapter.

Chapter 25

Orcelito receives word of the Great Plague from Kiliko, a plague that wiped out over 30% of the kingdom the last time it appeared. Oh and it turns out Eco is Lord Lagen's real son, you know, stuffed into a conversation about what went on. Kiliko, lying bitch that he be, has told Orcelito that Eco was responsible for Belca being taken away which has led Orcelito to not be a big fan of the black sheep. However, when the elders saw Belca protect Orcelito during the ceremony, it caused an upturn in his popularity in the court. Since Belca is gone again, Kiliko hopes those good impressions will fade away. I mean, no one actually wants him to be king, do they?

Orcelito and Kiliko walk out to see one of the elders, Lord Taine, to give him a pardon for what he pulled in his territory a few days ago.

But screw that, back to Belca and the Hokulea. Eco wants to come to see the High Priestess but he gets turned down despite him just wanting to learn about the Rovisco Records, having even studied the Hokulea written language just for that goal. Belca says no because the journey is too dangerous telling him to wait in a town for him until he returns. Eco says he's mean. Belca says he doesn't care. Then Saisei, the Hokulea child from the cave, calls Belca over to apologize, holding himself responsible for Linna's death. Belca mentally acknowledges that yeah, it's true that if they hadn't come, Linna would still be alive...but they wouldn't have come at all if it wasn't for how badly they were fucked over by rewritten history so he tells Saisei to not worry about it.

Then a squirrel drops on Belca's head. Wouldn't be strange if it wasn't for the fact that the particular species is alien to this specific area so it shouldn't be here. That's when Eco points out the animal is probably a scout; there are Azelprade guards nearby.

Back at Neue Favrille, Musca is still sneaking around while remembering that Seamrog told her he can't come back with her to the castle despite being her knight because if he were to return, he would have his head chopped off. He'll have to support her from behind the scenes...and Musca will have to be a cool mercenary girl!

So as a cool mercenary girl, she runs around in the castle looking for the corpse of somebody.

Meanwhile, guards are indeed looking for Belca with the Hokulea hiding from them. Naturally, it's around this time that the Hokulea figure out that Eco is the weird guy that led them into a trap for the purpose of saving Belca. Eco defends himself by saying that he was threatened into taking them to the palace and he kept details to himself because be honest, would you tell the people who are there to kill the royal family that one of the members of that family was a friend of yours? The Hokulea go "fair enough" and prepare to split into three different directions, Shingetsu letting Eco come along for whatever reason as the chapter ends.

Chapter 46

The castle chefs greet Lilia, you know, due to all being spies. She tells them about Orcelito's whereabouts and they discuss what's taking Lobnec so damn long. So they'll stay the course and cooperate for now...

Kiliko, with a guard, reviews that Belca is not with Eco and that Eco is probably still alive despite the whole falling from a bridge thing. He is led into a garden which leads into a cave...

While that's happening, an attendant leads some guy around and they reveal they're planning on making a church...much to that guy's pleasure. He's the king and that's the origin of the garden according to the high priest talking to Belca. Then, before the king (Reitz) fell ill, he left the monk there his records for the Judgement Day that will inevitably come.

The High Priest has been safeguarding the books for generations but it has recently been inherited after it was brought out of the royal palace. Why is the High Priest telling Belca about this? Because Hector showed interest in the book. Belca asks that when The Plague is under control, may he see the book? The High Priest agrees...and Kiliko, listening outside the door, has heard everything. Now he knows how Reitz really felt...welp, time to barge in!

Meanwhile, Tenrou, Shingetsu and the knights are fighting monsters in the sewers! Shingetsu holds the main knight's hand because the lamplight freaks him out. Tenrou gets mad, the knight gets an erection.

Anyway, Kiliko greets Belca, apologizing for the trouble the Crows have been causing him. Belca is pissed but forces himself to calm down, saying he'll play nice if he and his group are provided with weapons. Also, don't fuck with the Hokulea. Kiliko agrees and says he'll help out...then he whispers to Belca that his father's men are coming for him.

Belca crossdresses, Orcelito bumps into the elders' men below the caves, Musca informs others about the symbols and...Sparrow Hawk snitches that Kiliko isn't on his side anymore.

Speedy wrap-up. Next chapter will be longer.

Chapter 28:

It's a party at the castle and everyone's gossiping. Orcelito comes out to do some politcking only to return to his room with Kiliko in tow, exhausted with people's bullshit. Kiliko then gives him a report from the Private Guards telling Orcelito that Count Meteola of the Third Brigade has been making deals with the Mana Guild (a clan of slave-dealing merchants) who oppose the creation of concentration camps for the Hokulea. Kiliko then tells him the Third Brigade wants to join the search for Belca. Orcelito is scared that they'll try to hunt the Hokulea and Kiliko says that's a strong possibility because of the proposed ban on hunting them.

The guards are already at the Sacred Place and have already taken down several attendants, already bragging about conquering the place. Then one begins to complain about the area being a bit hot...

Back with the Shaman, she tells those gathered that the guards have invaded and are armed with poisoned arrows. They need to follow her to Iwaya. An attendant protests because Belca and Eco are from the Stone Capital but the Shaman says the High Priestess have recognized them. The siblings leave to hold off the guards and Belca wants to help, saying the guards are there because of him but Shingetsu tells him he needs to stay behind to protect the High Priestess. She doesn't trust Eco so it's up to him. Belca, absolutely picking up what she's putting down, leaves with the others, thinking he wants to trust Eco but...

On the way to the Iwaya, the group is cut off by the guards who are prepared to shoot the Hokulea down. Belca runs in front and orders them to put their weapons down at once but a guard denies it's him since he's dressed in the clothes of the Hokulea, saying it's one disguised as him. It's back to razing! Belca is forced to fend them off with a knife as the siblings discover the passed out guards from earlier, thinking the cold got to them. The gatekeeper comes down to inform them that the other guards are falling to the same fate; they might be able to win! He runs off to tell the others but Tenrou is distracted by something...

At the bridge to Iwaya, Belca notices the guards' moves are getting more sluggish and predictable. At first, he thinks they're making fun of him before he suspects they have fallen under a curse of some kind. The guards blame the shaman for cursing them and break through Belca's guard to kill her. Eco protects her with his body and the guard is prepared to kill him for allying with the Hokulea before the Gatekeeper throws his spear, knocking his dagger out of his hand. Oh yeah, the Gatekeeper is a girl (take a shot!) and she is another High Priestess. And the Hokulea besides her is wearing the same outfit that the one who accompanied Hector into the kingdom was wearing. Then the guards pass out...but the Hokulea didn't do anything to them. The attendant to the Gatekeeper High Priestess checks one of them, saying he has the "illness"...

The chapter ends with Shingetsu chasing Izayoi, one of the Hokulea who accompanied them, and says that he led the guards here...