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Chapter 9:

Just a reminder:

Because I am NOT typing it out again.

Anyway, Eco says that even if Dietrich put weird ideas in his head, he hopes his words would keep Belca safe for a while. He knows that Belca might be happier as Dietrich's puppet but...that'll be no fun for a little stinker like Eco. Then he hears a bunch of noise from outside...

But the Captain first! He can't relax in the mansion while the Amontel are attacking so he walks outside the room. Then he sees Belca confront the Amontels outside. When Belca is shot at, he manages to dash down and take the arrow for him, protecting his precious Mariebelle.

Then the captain sees his pendant, finally (actually) recognizing him. Tenrou thinks that, with Belca's fancy clothes, he's the young master of this place so he wants him to take him to where the slaves are. But Shingetsu tells him to wait, saying there's a signal from the bank of the lake and that means Dietrich's men already knows they're there. They do a Pincer attack on them, they're screwed. Tenrou says oh well, they got all the information they need from the maid. They can just take Belca as a hostage instead and get out of Dodge. The Captain tries to protect him but ends up with an arrow through his ankle, courtesy of Shingetsu. Belca tries to protect him but he's outmanned; they give him a choice: come with them or the captain and the maid dies. Despite that throwing a wrench in his "return to Orcelito" plans, Belca agrees, becoming a hostage.

Captain is thrown into the waters and the Amontels board a boat with their new hostage. They tell the maid to send a message: they're return with Belca later, offering his life for their comrades.

Later on, Dietrich gets word that Belca was kidnapped, the Amontels cleverly outmanuevering them by going someplace where they weren't expected to show up and thus taking advantage of the lack of guards there. Dietrich's attendant guy says that it's kind of a good thing that this happened before word was sent back that they have the prince in their custody. Dietrich says the prince must be rescued; he can't miss this chance to get a connection with Lord Lagen!

Shingetsu and Tenrou are greeted back at their meet-up spot by another Amontel, Belca in tow. Then the Captain walks up, having swam after them to save Belca. Then he passes out.

Back at the jail, a maid comes with Eco's blanket and heater (Oh, he was serious about that...). Eco recognizes her as Annette, a maid who's been working in the mansion for years. She's happy to be recognized and gives him his blanket...and his missing poem book, knowing how much he missed it. Eco is so happy...which is a feeling he'll want to hold onto as much as possible because Annette then tells him Belca was kidnapped.

Eco demands to be let out to rescue him but Annette says that's impossible. Dietrich has the keys and if she steals them, she won't just be flogged...she'll be subject to the experiments, just like the Amontel!

Wait, what?

Yeah, that's what Dietrich has been using the Amontels for, shooting them up with drugs and stuff like that. Eco asks if he's working with Lagen on that and Annette confirms it, asking how he knows about that. Instead of answering, he asks Annette to do him another favor...

Meanwhile, Hostage!Belca wakes up against a giant fox in a cave somewhere. Shingetsu greets him, currently dressing the Captain's wounds. Belca tries to push him away, thinking he's attacking him, only for Shingetsu to take out a knife and throw it at him...hitting the rat about to pounce on him. Apparently the rats in this setting are venomous...he then tells Belca that because he's their hostage, they're not gonna hurt him because they need him for the exchange. Until then, he should get some rest. His giant fox doesn't bite. Also, the captain's wound is (somehow) shallow and the shot was just meant to scare Belca. Some herbs have been applied on the wounds so he should be fine in 2 to 3 days. Belca is awed that these monsters are behaving in such a surprisingly rational manner. He still wants to leave...but the Captain has a fever so it's impossible to move him. He sighs and calls the Captain an idiot, asking why he had to pull such a dumb stunt for him...

Outside the cave, an Amontel named Izayoi comes in and is briefed on the situation. Then he finds the pendant the Amontel swiped from Belca, horrified that they KIDNAPPED THE FUCKING PRINCE.

Now, at the Royal Prefecture in Neue Favrille, Kiliko and Lagen's men are trying to locate pages from the Rovisco Documents as well as decipher them. Turns out Lagen's family are called the Guardians of History and this is their main duty. Then they find some controversial literature, including some text explicitly speaking out against the royal family. The missing pages were most likely taken out by someone who is against the crown which also means someone else knows about the secret backroom...

Tenrou stomps back into the cave when we cut back to Belca, demanding to know if the latter is actually the Prince. He then comments if he's Hector's brother, he's his exact opposite. That pisses Belca off and he charges him, screaming that it's the Amontel's fault that Hector is dead because he wanted to treat them as human beings and the elders killed him for it. The other Amontels are shocked to hear this...and so is the Captain who just woke up. Tenrou recovers quickly, glad that they can now do a hostage exchange with the Stone Capital's King. Belca laughs at him, saying there's no way that the kingdom will bargain for a troublemaker like him. Sure, the elders want him but that's only because he knows they killed Hector. The Captain tries to get Belca to stop talking but Belca goes on, saying they wasted their time and that the kingdom wouldn't want to negotiate with a bunch of evil disgusting creatures like them anyway.

The Amontel are about to fuck him up but Shingetsu stops them, wanting to ask Belca a question: did he see it? You know, when the Evil Deity that created the Amontel...did it? They were just minding their own business in the mountains and then the Stone Capital guys came in and started colonizing. Being hunted, treated as slaves, eaten like food...they keep calling the Amontel evil but the way the Amontel are treated is evil in of itself!

So...on the Western Trail at the Florel Town Outpost, Musca is being prepared for her stay. While there, she overhears rumors that Orcelito is indeed acting strangely and some think he has been replaced with someone else. Musca thinks to herself: her mom's dead, her dad's sick, Hector's "gone away" and Belca is missing...she's the only one who can save her older brother. But how is she going to get back to the palace?

Enter Ossan.

It's his last day in Florel and he's about to head to Lobnec Peninsula, having already submitted his resignation. The chapter ends with Musca seeing him...