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Chapter 20
Belca runs off to investigate what he saw in the reflection, only to come upon a guard (in fact, one of Kiliko's men) killing an Amontel. The guard tells him to sneak back to his seat without being noticed but Belca demands an explanation which the guard says he's too busy to give. When Belca presses, the guard sternly tells him to behave and remember what Kiliko warned him about. Belca and Linna slink back to find guards discussing the situation, wondering how the Amontel even got past the guards. Linna suggests informing them about the plans for the concentration camp but, before Belca can respond, the Amontel strike, going right for Orcelito. Belca jumps in to save him, pushing him into Linna's arms and saying to keep him safe. The Amontel slash at Linna and kick Belca aside before the guards surround them from above. Orcelito is taken away (despite calling for Belca) and the Amontel are more than prepared to die on their feet. However, one of them suggests taking Belca as a hostage. The other Amontel protests because he's ready to die (not because they've literally done this before...?) but the main Amontel just grabs and heads out. The guards are ready to fire (it's not like Belca will be dead from a scratch, right) but they're shouted down, forced to lower their weapons rather than harm someone with royal blood.
So...back to Musca and Seamrog. They're stuck in a room for the ceremony. Musca expresses concern for the "maid" and Seamrog reminds her that she doesn't like Belca. Musca says she still doesn't...but she doesn't want him to die either. Then a guard comes in to inform Seamrog on the Amontel situation. Hearing about how they infiltrated, Seamrog immediately suspects Eco of being involved...
Meanwhile, Linna is being treated for his injuries...and he's a bad patient, wanting to leave immediately to get back to Belca. A guard comes in to tell him to settle down...after all, the guard is Eco.
He tells Linna that he's gonna cause a commotion. Meanwhile, he needs a favor from the former captain...
Outside, one of the guards explains that they closed down the gates to trap the Amontel inside but the guards should still be alert because the Amontel were able to break through the skylight to get in; they're not normal humans. Some black op guards get ready to go hunting while the Amontel are still arguing about why they had to take a prince. The guards end up surrounding them and they say that if the Amontel hand over Belca, they will be granted Amnesty and what they did today will be overlooked. Despite that, they are clearly prepared to pump the guys full of arrows, poisoned ones at that, at any moment. Then every one hears a sound, something that sounds like a landslide.
It's one of the worms from the waterway!
The Amontel use the confusion as a chance to escape.
Meanwhile, Sir Kiliko is off to see Prince Orcelito to tell him about how his brother was kidnapped yet again. Then he sees a guard in a restricted area, grabbing his shoulder only to find out it's Eco, who ends the chapter by calling him Nathanael only to correct himself to Kiliko.
They know each other.
Chapter 21
So Kiliko's real name is Nathanael and, judging by what he calls him, Eco's real name is Francesco.
So our boy is not only a runaway but he turns to be in line for succession to the house of Lagen. Kiliko wants to throw him out for that reason but Eco insists that he has no interest in the House anymore, being here for a different reason. He calls the house "bound by the archives of Rovisco, like a golem that can't move at all." Kiliko orders him seized, snitching that he's the mastermind behind the whole Amontel invading thing. Eco dodges, whining that he's no good at the whole fighting thing...but is actually biding his time for the "watchdogs of the waterway" to break through the floor and give him an opportunity to escape. He tells Kiliko goodbye amidst the latter's demands he tell him his plans.
Outside, the worms are attacking everyone while Linna watches in horror, wondering if he should even help. Being Linna, he does decide to help.
Meanwhile, Kiliko tells the guards that the Watchdogs are vulnerable to light, instructing them to unlock the storeroom and smear the blade with Cantharis and Arzenica. Kiliko easily figures out Eco is responsible for letting the Watchdogs escape but he doesn't know why he did it.
Meanwhile, Seamrog and Musca are inside with the latter frustrated that she can't see what all the commotion is about outside. Seamrog also wants to use the event as an opportunity to escape but he wants to bide his time more, telling Musca that a lady knows when to wait. Musca says she knows...but she's taking a break from being a lady. Seamrog feels like his hands are tied and tells the guard that Musca has a stomachache and they need to take her to the doctor.
We cut to Belca waking up in a cold damp place. At first he thinks he's back in the Fox's Cave...but then he realizes he's in the waterways, struggling to get himself thrown down by the Amontel. One named Saku wants to cut his head off and throw it into the castle but another named Taihaku stops him, wanting to ask his name first. Saku protests that they're not here to get names; they're here to teach the elite that the Amontel are not just insects that they can hunt down whenever they want. Also, they need to be punished for spilling the blood of the Kannagi (a priestess of some kind, according to the translator's notes). The other Amontel agree, wanting revenge for the kingdom for them wiping out the bloodline of the Kannagi from their village. They say if the Amontel are going to die, they should at least fight back against their exterminators. And right now, they want to teach them the pain of losing someone they were trying to protect. Belca then speaks up, asking if there's anyone there who can understand him. No one answers but one of them is killed by a thing moving too fast to be seen. Saku tells them to head to the end of the passage to escape it, dragging Belca with him...only for a guard dressed in black to approach from the shadows, assuring Belca that he'll save him from these "monsters".
Belca recognizes him as one of Kiliko's men and asks him if Orcelito and Linna are alright. The guard assures him they are fine and Belca tells the guard to take the Amontel as prisoners so that they can be judged according to the law. He's strong so he shouldn't have any trouble with them. The guard coldly responds that only "people" have the right to be judged by the law. Belca protests that the Amontel are people, calling them by the native name "Hokulea", much to the latters' own shock. The guard doesn't care...but he and his allies are set upon by the Watchdogs, complicating matters further.
Belca and the Hokulea get away in the confusion and Belca says the names Shingetsu and Tenrou, startling the Hokulea. He knows the name of their group and he knows "the siblings"...now they know who he is. Taihaku asks if he's Belca and Saku says he thought Belca was just an impostor pretending to be a prince. But if he is indeed royalty, he has a target on his head just like Hector did. Taihaku said since Belca risked his life to save them a while ago, they would lose their pride if they allow harm to come to him. Belca identifies himself and Taihaku apologizes on his group's behalf (before awkwardly remembering that Belca can't understand them). Belca cuts his finger and writes on a random parchment (that he just carries with him?) to give to the Hokulea, needing them to deliver the message to Shingetsu or Tenrou so that they know about Orcelito's plan.
Then the guards catch up to attack, implicitly warning Belca not to give them any reason to suspect that he's in league with the Hokulea. Saku pushes Belca away, telling him to give the cloth (oh, that makes more sense) to Saisei, saying he can trust him with it. He also thanks him for allowing his younger brother to return to the village. A child Hokulea takes Belca's wrist and runs off with Belca to exit the waterways...only to find their exit blocked off.
Outside, the guards are successfully driving off the Watchdogs and Linna breaks into the castle, ending the chapter at the start of his mission to find and save Belca.
Chapter 22
Linna starts us off by bemoaning that he's only ever been a burden to Belca, only wanting to get him a place where he can bask in the warm sunshine.
Meanwhile, the guards close in on Belca and the Hokulea who's guiding him when they're blocked by the wall, creepily smiling while asking why Belca is trying to run when they're only trying to help. Belca needs to get his message delivered but he hits a brick wall when the guards spot his cloth, accusing him of having a friend in the Hokulea. He's screwed...but then the walls open, revealing themselves to be gates and letting the light through to blind the guards. He gives the message to the Hokulea kid, telling him to get the message to the siblings while he holds off the guards. One of the guards aren't exactly a fan of this plan and they respond by slashing at the kid, cutting him. They try to finish him off despite Belca's protests...only for Linna to parry them.
Eco told him how to get to the waterways while he steals a horse to pick them up with. When they get him, it's up to him to decide whether or not he stays in the castle or not.
The guards put back on their noble act, saying they admire Linna's dedication to the Prince and ask him to come closer with Belca in tow so that they totally won't stab him or anything. Linna instead tells Belca of the plan, asking if he wants to leave the castle, saying he'll go with him wherever. Instead, Belca tells him to take the kid out so he can deliver a message on his behalf to Shingetsu and Tenrou. Linna accepts this mission and Belca takes the kid's knife, putting it to his throat in front of the guards so that they will let Linna and the kid go. The guards are reluctantly forced to obey...only for the gate to suddenly close, Belca being snatched to the other side by Linna. Belca thanks him for saving him but here's the problem: he wasn't snatched, he was pushed.
Linna himself was impaled by the gate as it fell down.
Belca tries to get the gate off of him but it's useless. Linna tells him to go to Eco, saying he'll be fine. After all, the guards say that they will treat his wounds. Belca doesn't want to leave him behind but Linna points out that he is the King's son, and if the Hokulea are people, they are the King's people and Belca has an obligation to protect them. Belca shouts back that Linna is the only person who has ever treated him like the King's son. He was never a prince until Linna treated him like one. Linna says that's not true, saying there are others who care about him. In his last breath, Linna begs him to save everyone...then asks for a kiss. For total hetero royal reasons. Belca gives him his hand and Linna uses his bloody mouth to kiss it.
Eco runs up on horseback, shouting for Belca to get moving because he's being chased and he can't stop. Belca carries the kid out and the guards try to stop him, absolutely prepared to fuck him up a tad to keep him from escaping. Then Taku, bleeding and barely standing, shows up to hold them off. Picking up the boys, Eco solemnly notes that Linna isn't following.
Meanwhile, everyone's favorite siblings Shingetsu and Tenrou are robbing a guy to take his horse while Eco and Belca are still being chased on horseback. The siblings save our idiots with arrows, apologizing for their kin giving them trouble. They notice Linna isn't with them and asks Belca if he's alright. Belca says he is...because Linna is always gonna be with him.
So, Musca is searching for Seamrog but quickly hides from the guards, overhearing them talking about a "Great Plague" returning...
Chapter 23:
So about the story from a while ago...
The person who kept the prisoners on the ship together was a prisoner himself, Number A-778-25. The captain goes down to his cell to tell him that because of a malfunctioning accelerator furnace, their homeland Tri Cantina is gone. Now the captain's original mission was to transfer them to the island prison but, because of Tri Cantina being wiped off the face of the Earth, they can no longer survive on the island. So, the Captain gives A-778-25 a choice: either consent to being taken to the island and die a slow shitty death or work together with the crew to find a new place to live. To show that he's serious, he removes their cuffs and collars. The prisoners say, "Aren't you worried we're going to take over your ship?". The Captain answers they can try it...if they know how to pilot a ship. Since he can't call them by numbers, he asks them their names. A-778-25 says he can call him Reitz the First. The name comes from a fairy tale about a knight king who led seven knights to save the Lady of Light from the Hokulea. Anyway, the Captain's name is Rovisco and he'll be working with them.
After two weeks, they get attacked by a giant octopus. Running low on fuel and ammunition, Rovisco orders the ship be sailed to the edge of the world and to descend down the waterfall. They never returned...but they were brothers.
Anyway, Belca is telling this story to Eco before he asks him to tell him the rest because that's where Hector left off. If this is the origin of Azelprade then he needs to know.
Eco tells him that the world below the waterfalls was a peaceful place with trees and ground. One of the former prisoners asks Reitz that since they're on solid ground and all, is it okay to let the crew live? Reitz orders that since they still don't know about where they are, the crew has to survive for pragmatic reasons (the one female doctor included). The prisoner asks if it's because he likes them and Reitz gives a vague answer of "Who knows?".
In that land, there lived dark-skinned folk called the Hokulea and fair-skinned folk called Concolor. The Hokulea had strange powers and the Concolor respected them for it and learned from them. Rovisco and the others followed suit. However, there were members of the crew who were against the whole miscegenation thing, Reitz included among them. He accuses the Hokulea of being the Amontel from the fairy tale while Rovisco says they are just different humans and they need to learn from them to survive. Reitz is creeped out by their powers, however, and the crew ends up splitting into two factions. The normies go to live with Hokulea and Concolors and the racists live on the ship.
Soon, winter came and Rovisco goes back to the ship to deliver some supplies to Reitz's faction, not wanting them to starve or die of cold despite his crew trying to warn him that weird shit has been happening on their side. Reitz, oddly friendly, invites Rovisco into his Captain's Quarters which has clearly been wrecked. He tells Rovisco that he was born in a damned place and he has lived a damned life. He thought God had abandoned him...but no. God led him here to give him this land.
Rovisco tries to reason with Reitz, saying there's no such thing as God. Reitz disagrees, saying God created everything, including the both of them. He then tell Rovisco that he has everything: popularity, position, power, women...so he wouldn't mind if he takes it for himself, right?
Later that day, Rovisco's crew comes to pick him up...and discover Reitz stabbing his bloodied corpse, thus beginning the Holy War... The "Hero King" Reitz I, freed the land from the clutches of the descendants of the evil deity, the Amontel. This is how the Kingdom of Azelprade was found.
So...at the Royal Prefecture at Neue Favrille, Musca is introduced to her new servants. She asks what happened to her maid and she is told she was held responsible for what happened in Florel and she was relieved of her duties. In tears, she asks for Seamrog and she's gently told the "Watchdogs" probably got him. Musca, sobbing, screams she doesn't want a new maid and runs off to her new room, pissing off her current maid. Upset that she can't see her big brothers or Seamrog, she sneaks out in disguise. After all, she is still on break from being a lady.
Sneaking by a window via ledge, Musca overhears her new maid bitching about her, revealing her old maid was executed because Musca ran away from Florel. The maid's not just being a bitch for no reason; she's ensuring her survival because she doesn't want to end up like the last one. Musca ends the chapter running off, refusing to believe what she heard.
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 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 26
So Eco is falling...
And Belca catches him, cursing him out for following along when he's not prepared for it. Eco's huffing is interrupted by Tenrou pointing out snow leopards are following them (in a European setting) so they need to camp for the night. In their camping cave, Tenrou calls Belca over to see about Eco...because he's worried that Shingetsu might want to marry him.
Apparently, this is the first she's spoken about bringing a man with them on their travels. Clearly, this whole thing is a test of eligibility. Tenrou accuses his sister of wanting someone who's her opposite and that while Eco is fun, he cannot have him for an older brother. So there's only one logical solution...Belca has to marry Shingetsu so that he and Tenrou will be brothers! Shingetsu hits Tenrou and apologizes for her brother's jackassery. She does drag Belca off to talk about Eco though...
Back at the royal palace, Lord Dien's carriage is ready, him wanting to get the fuck out of Dodge before The Plague hits. He would go to Orcelito for help but the latter's more concerned about Belca. But Belca should be dead anyway, right? Another lord tells them to watch their mouths since Orcelito, until they got Belca's dead body, is not the last remaining blood heir for the throne. Hell, their using poison to expedite the process is a show of them rushing to promote their own rank. Lord Lagen walks in, saying he can't believe "The Knights Of The Round Table" are talking like this. They're knights, they don't need underhanded tactics...like Kiliko's ass. Luckily, the very present Kiliko takes it as a compliment.
Outside, Lord Lagen points out to Kiliko that as soon as a cure for The Plague, he is to return to the kingdom immediately. Belca needs to come back alive because no one's sure if Orcelito wants to have heirs to the throne (assigned gay by the kingdom). Kiliko agrees but expresses his surprise that Lagen is not making a fuss about the royal bloodline. That's when Lagen figures it's time to tell him something...the Lagen's secret.
Meanwhile, Musca sneaks into the inner palace where she finds a small house. Still in denial over her maid's death, she ventures over to find her only to have to hide from a passing noble. She walks in, discovering her maid is not there...but in good news, Linna is recuperating in bed!
Musca recognizes him and hides under his bed when Kiliko comes in to drug him. Why drug a wounded man? He needs to interrogate him. Kiliko tells Linna that Belca is outside the castle gates and that they don't want him to stop Orcelito from ascending to the throne. Kiliko doesn't want to kill him so he asks Linna to get him to come back. If Belca does come back, they will ensure his needs are met in the palace. If he doesn't want to stay in the castle, they can arrange for him to live outside of the walls. Linna tries to talk back but the extent of his injuries and the drugs fucking him off causes him to writhe in agony instead, forcing the interrogation to be cut short. Kiliko tells him he'll come back later and says Linna is the only one who can save Belca. Linna becomes lucid as soon as Kiliko leaves, Musca crawling out from under his bed. He knows what they're planning him and grabs a nearby set of scissors to pierce his throat so that they can't use him against Belca. Musca stops him and he mistakes her for one of the healers. He tells her he knows they'll use the drugs to control him but Musca says who cares? She wants to be together with her maid, not get a new one. She leaves to go tell Seamrog, telling him not to try to kill himself again.
Finally back at the mountain, Belca reveals to Shingetsu that Eco saved his life and that he doesn't think he's a bad person. Shingetsu says even if that's the case, he has used underhanded methods like manipulation and poisoning in order to help him out. Is he helping him out of the goodness of his heart or for revenge or even glory in helping the prince? Belca tells her that Eco wants to write a song about him and she says she can't understand that reasoning, adding that while she tolerates trickery because she engages in it herself, if he points that weird shit towards the sacred lands or the Hokulea, she will personally kill him. Belca says that Eco would never do anything like that...then thinks "...Would he?". He's a weird dude and he knows a lot even for a scholar. Eco knows him but Belca doesn't know anything about Eco, like what he really wants. When they reach the sacred lands, can he trust him?
The next day, the group moves through a blizzard only to hit a dead end at a cliff...
Meanwhile, south of Main Street, the chapter ends with The Plague hitting the town, the mayor fretting about the roads being closed off if word reaches the castle.
Chapter 27
So off to the Sacred Lands!
That dead end? Invisible bridge. Test of faith, you know how it works. Its snow obstructing the view of the bridge to be clearer, as Belca finds out. On the non-invisible bridge that the invisible bridge leads to, Belca again considers leaving Eco behind because he can barely be trusted before Shingetsu gets hollered at by the young gatekeeper. Belca introduces himself to ask for an audience with the shaman. The gatekeeper says it's fine...but he needs to shower. So he can eat him. Joking! He needs to shower to warm himself up from the cold.
Meanwhile, all but one of the guards are dead and the ones on their tail say they have to "save" their highness...even if they have to kill a bunch of Hokulea non-combatants to do so.
At the palace, Kiliko tells Orcelito the letter to Ujita has been sent. Now, another letter from Lord Taine's region, Lobnec says that his son Altruing and his family have gone missing at the maintainence shop. That's a problem because Altruing is better at handling the region than his predecessors so they kind of need him alive...
Meanwhile, the nobles are discussing Rovisco and the whole "war of the elders" thing, noting it's gotten out of hand. They think Lord Ruebelli's is the sneakiest among them, always walking around with a scowl on his face...Kiliko and Orcelito watch on, listening intently to the gossip with Kiliko's plant somewhere among them. Anyway, thanks to the "Guard Dog" incident, the Investiture is going smoothly. The remaining problem is Belca...Orcelito really shouldn't have treated his own brother so lightly...
Speaking of, Belca and Eco are warming up in a hot spring, Eco no longer whining about the cold. Belca takes this time to ask why Eco sings about history. He also asks himself, out loud, if bringing him here was the right decision. Eco responds by thanking him for bringing him along, saying that while he keeps a lot from him, he has never lied to him. He promises to be more open in the future and says that if he dies on this journey, it'll be worth it if he gets new material for songs. Belca tries to press him for details but an attendant comes in to fetch them, saying the shaman did not sense any ill intentions from them and they are allowed to see them. Leaving the bath room, Belca and Eco follow Tenrou and Shingetsu who will be translating for the Shaman. Eco hears singing but it's just the gatekeeper, going off to kill the snow tigers (the snow "leopards" from the last chapter was apparently a mistranslation).
The four approach the Shaman, a young woman who already knows who Belca is. She says he gives off a slightly different air than Hector, causing Belca to reveal it's because they have different mothers. Eco then has to introduce himself only for the Shaman to reveal that "Eco" is not his real name. Eco, speaking the Hokulea's language, asks how she knows. He says he heard the Hokulea were more in tuned with nature but he doesn't believe in magic. The Shaman answers that all living things have spirits and the Hokulea can communicate with them; that is their "magic". The power may have faded with time but the Hokulea ensured that the abilities remained within the bodies of the Shaman. The Shaman before him is the High Priest. Hearing all that, Eco asks a different question: he starts by revealing his real name, Francesco, and disrobing to reveal a nasty scar on his side, the price of not abiding by the rules of his house. Belca is listening to all of this...but the chapter ends with attendants bursting in, shouting that there are intruders.
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...
Chapter 29
At Lord Ruebelli's territory named Seon, he receives news from a "comrade" who tells him that Lord Taine has joined up with the Lagens and that considering that he's already been interrogated, he should be more careful around Lord Lagen. And it's the fifth letter he's got. His nephew tells him not to be bothered by these rumors, reminding him he went to school with Lord Altol. Lord Rebelli says he has to go back to the castle...
Back at the sacred land, Belca looks over the wounded Eco, ruefully noting he couldn't do anything. Then he hears a voice that sounds like Hector from outside and rushes out to the doorway...only to be met by Hector's former attendant, Yan Yashuka Koal. In these lands, he's known as Tenko. Acting according to Prince Hector's final wish, he did not attend his funeral and instead went directly to the Hokulea to protect them. He thought the whole situation was fishy but he couldn't disobey his orders. Thankfully, things have been going good since Lord Taine is the only acting officer for defense and his power cannot reach the sacred lands. Belca thanks him, for honoring his brother and protecting the Hokulea. Tenko notes that Belca sure has changed since he last saw him and that he's sorry for what happened in the spire, having already entrusted that territory to a trustworthy person. He himself came here to protect the High Priestess. He also apologizes for what happened to Eco but Belca stops him, saying that it happened because he wasn't stronger. Tenko tries to assure him that there was nothing he could do but Belca says he still has a bunch of questions for him so he needs to talk to him for a while. Tenko agrees.
Once upon a time, when the heavenly spire was built, there was said to be five High Priestesses but it's just Master Renju (The Gatekeeper) and Master Subaru (The Shaman). Master Subaru serves as the eyes and ears of Master Renju, still being in training but possessing immense power as well as the ability to sing. The latter point is important because there are no history books recording the history of the Hokulea. Their history is kept through oral tradition in the form of singing and folk songs. If that's the case, should there be a song about the incidents regarding Reitz the First? Wondering that out loud is how Tenko finds out he read "that book" (hidden in that porn). Turns out singing the song of history is a difficult task, so difficult that Renjou's body is too weak to sing it and Tenko has never heard it before. When Eco recovers, both priestesses might sing it for both him and Belca. Tenko asks if he can listen to it with them. Belca says it's fine...then he hears shouting from the underground prison.
Shingetsu is seriously about to fuck up Izayoi, saying he betrayed them for the people of the Stone Capitol. Izayoi says that there are people like Prince Hector, Prince Belca and even Prince Orcelito promised that a law would be passed to keep the Hokulea from being hunted. He believes that they can fully put their differences behind them one day. That's why he can't work with Shingetsu because she only thinks about fighting. War begets more war...everyone's just gonna end up being killed just like Taihaku and his group. Shingetsu says that she might not be right but what he did was stupid, Belca rushing down to stop her before Renjou beats him to it. Izayoi begs Belca to tell Shingetsu that Prince Orcelito has already agreed to help the Hokulea and Belca...doesn't? He just recognizes him.
Renjou, walking off with Shingetsu, says Izayoi isn't alone in his feelings; everyone's tired of this. Of course, there are still those who want to go to war. Renjou then mentions that they were saved by a virus, causing Belca to ask Tenko what became of the soldiers. Tenko says they fear it's The Plague.
Going to visit them as they're being treated (the Hokulea are more resistant to The Plague than the Azelprade people), Tenko explains The Plague is the result of the squirrel mouse contracting the disease and spreading it to humans. The climb through the mountains probably lowered the guards' strength to combat the disease. Belca asks if they're going to die. Tenko says he doesn't know.
Meanwhile, Orcelito is lying in bed, angsting. He thinks he's no different than the elders now, having strayed from his path. Kiliko comes in with tea and tells him not to feel bad about Kamino, given it's forbidden to wander around during The Plague. Orcelito says he keeps acting really familiar with him considering he killed his brother and Kiliko basically responds, "Old news.". Orcelito says he was just feeling nostalgic so Kiliko moves in on him, saying it's time for a little chat...
So on the roads on the West Raka Street, Lord Ruebelli arrives at a VIP hotel. He wants the special room but it's already been taken by a guest. He demands to know who...and of course, it's Lord Lagen. Lord Ruebelli goes in to confront him and asks if it's because of The Plague that everyone in his territories have left to go to the kingdom. Lagen coldly excuses himself and Ruebelli notes that he always acts like he's so much better than him...he goes to his room, drinks and burns it down with him inside it. Meanwhile, Kiliko tells Orcelito his family's secret close enough that the private guards don't hear...
So Belca tells Eco about the priestesses' situation and he then says he has no choice to press forward, using everything from others to his own body as chess pieces to achieve his goals. Belca says he chooses to believe him.
The two go to see the siblings and it's time for the performance. They'll be using the flow of music a.k.a. the words passed down from different generations and weaving them into the music, making the lyrics sing of prophecy and time. The chapter ends with everyone waiting...
Chapter 30
In March, at Kutsukuranto South Highway Road at Vieza Kamino, medicine and fruit are being handed out. Belca and Tenko are there. Belca talks to a doctor who thanks for letting him operate without reporting The Plague, saying doing so would have doomed every person there. Belca says that the doctor is doing the real legwork and the doctor brushes it off, saying he didn't believe he would see the day where The Plague would finally be cured. If only they weren't racist towards the Hokulea...the day would have come sooner.
Eco then forces the medicine on Belca, saying if he dies, everyone in Kamino will be upset. The medicine tastes awful but hey: everything can't be fruit gummies and Flintstone Vitamins. Speaking of, you're probably wondering why they're in Kamino and not in the Sacred Land, considering it has not been established that they have had their X-gene activated and developed teleportation powers. Well...
At the Heavenly Spire, they heard the song. The Song of The Men Who Came Up From Beyond The Waterfalls. The song that describes Rovisco's and Reitz's story. However, that story had a missing part: there was a woman named Konalia who informed the Hokulea and the people on their side of Reitz's betrayal, causing them to take up arms to fight against him for themselves and the Hokulea. They lost. Bad. The Hokulea were forced to go into seclusion, Konalia's son Muruko being advised to leave and go to the Stone Capital. Muruko says he will leave...but he will never forget the lives that were taken and the vengeance that they're owed. The Hokulea elder tells him to forget it, saying time heals everything but Muruko refuses, disappearing after being given the names of "Robeena", "Kirie" and "Balbareous". These names are only remembered through the song.
Belca says that means that Captain Rovisco's descendant is still alive somewhere. Eco reveals that's how the Lagen family chooses their names; he's only surprised that the tradition stretches that far back. Belca, remembering that Eco's real name is Francesco and that Francie is Azapurade's main port, starts to piece something together...but Eco continues, saying the current head of the Lagen family is Balbaresko who adopted the child of his lover, the only child of Adien, who had his name changed to Kiliko. Belca finally points out that the family that abandoned Eco was the Lagen family, which Eco confirms. Eco says that the family was born from hatred.
Eco says he wrote down all the songs in his poem book so if anyone looks at it, he can just say it's material for his songs. Then he says that all he wanted to do was see if the legend that his family believes was true and, having found that out, he's fine with ending his journey right here. Then Subaru comes up and calls Eco Suisei (comet) and Belca Akatsuki (Red Moon), telling Belca those are their names that she and Renjou came up with yesterday. She then reminds them that besides the Hokulea, no one is allowed to leave from the Sacred Lands before saying those are their new names because THEY CAN NEVER LEAVE.
Neither Belca nor Eco are bothered by that, Belca instead trying to take the opportunity to ask if Hector got a name like that before Tenko interrupts, saying he checked with the pharmacist and a few of the soldiers have been recovering.
In the present, the doctor says he can't believe the soldiers were just going to watch an entire town die and he's grateful to Renjou and Belca for helping them. Belca notes that the crown prince's territories belong to Orcelito but they are still loyal to Hector. Belca then prepares to head to the Western Clinic, hoping to make the people's day by showing up like John Cena does for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Everyone does like seeing him, even letting Shingetsu beat up Eco for being annoying.
Two weeks earlier in the same place, in front of the city gate, the gate guards were ready to shoot anyone to keep them from leaving quarantine. Then Belca arrived on horseback, showing off Prince Hector's flag. He then orders them to let him in. The guards, while horrified, note he did not say let anyone out and he's a royal so...they obey. The people see Belca coming, thinking he's there to kill them. He assures them he's not, the opposite in fact: he's there to declare The Plague was no longer incurable. The people are like, "Okay...but why are The Hokulea with you? Are they going to use black magic on us?". But they recognize Hector's flag so they let him speak, Belca saying he's there to continue his older brother's work.
They did all they could but they only managed to save half the population. Still, the people regard them as heroes. But The Plague has been fought, at least...still, Spring is coming and the snow on the mountains will melt. The Stone Capital will most likely launch an attack on the Hokulea. Tenko says that even though they can't leave Kamino whenever they like, they can still communicate with birds. He also reports that there has been no headway on the investigation on the relationship between Lord Lagen and Lord Ruebelli and the Succession Ceremony has yet to be performed. Eco says it serves them right. Belca ends the chapter wondering what exactly is going on in the palace...
Chapter 31
King Reitz the First, racist backstabber extraordinaire, is looking around a room before finding a book with Rovisco's handwriting in it. It's a notebook that Rovisco wrote about his travels...which Reitz makes fun of him for, calling him "sentimental". He goes out, ready to present himself as a god to his townspeople...but we skip forward years later, where Reitz is significantly less ballin and more bawling, revealing to his group he intends to confess to what actually happened in the records. His inner circle disagreed...via stabbing him to death. Forced into maytrdom, Reitz remembers the time Rovisco saved him from falling overboard after Reitz himself saved the ship. In the medical room with a painful wound in his leg, Rovisco gives him a star in lieu of the anesthesia they don't have, telling him it's a Stella Mallis, a star that protects the voyage. Reitz grumbles that he's not a sailor but Rovisco laughs it off. Reitz dies wondering if he should have died at sea.
So Kiliko is telling Orcelito all this along with all the history we already know. The important thing we learn is Lagen's family are relatives with Rovisco's descendants. Rovisco's child, Marco (apparently the correct pronunciation of Mukuro) left the Hokulea village and struggled in Caluone region. He settled down eventually next to and showed his grandchildren to the neighboring princes to be engaged. When enough trust was built, the doctor was allowed to marry his daughter and be entrusted with his domain. Even after they became noble class, the descendants of Marco ran away from their family name but Kiliko and a bunch of scholars found out about them by rooting through a bunch of old archives. The scholars got in contact with the descendants and over time, the duke gain ownership of the Caluone region, which led to a lot of infighting among the duke's sons. Other sons were adopted and the older dukes handed over their titles and the Caluone region. This is how the Lagen ascended to power. Kiliko tells Orcelito that he was ordered to protect his bloodline and to extend it no matter the cost. So that's that.
So The Plague is still a thing and Orcelito and Kiliko are still mad about that. Oh and Orcelito got a letter from Belca. It says that he and the boys have saved half the population of a kingdom and he wants to meet up. Kiliko points out that this is similar to what happened last time. Orcelito is convinced Belca is being used in Kamino, refusing to believe that medicine can cure The Plague. Kiliko is a little bit more reasonable about the situation but Orcelito doubles down by saying the Spirit of Favrille's Divine Protection saved the people. The main point he doesn't believe the medicine can help them and if word of a "cure" reaches other regions...Orcelito just hopes the whole thing will blow over.
In the Regia Solaris guest room, Linna is getting dressed. And Musca scares him from inside the fireplace. They chat for a bit before Linna sends Musca off, Kiliko entering the room shortly after. They wanna talk about Belca...
Musca runs off but ends up bumping into the High Priest, who almost recognizes her but she covers by saying she's her own substitute.
Seamrog is off to Kamino and the chapter ends with Kiliko telling Orcelito that he needs to stop Musca's "game" already, with Orcelito agreeing. He says he'll arrange things so that she can't leave the castle.
Chapter 32
A guard is talking with Belca, convinced that he's deluded or brainwashed into supporting the Hokulea, saying he can get him out of there lickeity-split. He reaches for Belca, Belca calls for Tenko and Tenk engages the guard in "banter".
He demands to know what he wants with Belca and the guard says "Geez...chill" and apologizes to Belca before jumping out a window to escape. Tenko says that was definitely one of Kiliko's men and that he made it deliberately easy to follow him. almost as a "come and get me", indicating his skill.
Meanwhile, at Neue Favrille, Linna is walking down a tunnel with guards. It's called the Gardener's Escape Route and it used to be connected to the Royal Palace but now it's used as an onsen (Hot Spring) for noblemen. They have a whole-ass glass ceiling in the place too. Anyway, a carriage arrives for Linna, having received permission to enter the castle gates. Somebody set it up to make meeting with Orcelito a lot easier...
Well, Orcelito gets word that Linna was kidnapped from Kiliko and it was likely the church that did it. The carriage is already gone so it'll be a lot harder to follow but then, to add to the fun, a guard runs in screaming that several of his fellow guards are infected with The Plague, indicating the disease has made it inside the castle.
So on the main road to Kuckland and the outskirts of Kamino, the guards have gathered the refugees to send them back to their own cities. Shit gets stirred up real fast with the refugees screaming for Belca to come and save them before the refugees catch onto a horrifying fact: the guards aren't just getting rid of the dead, they're taking away the sick to kill them before they infect the others, condemning them before they can even die.
At the palace, a nervous Kiliko rides in a carriage while remembering how when he last talked to Linna, he broached the topic of teaming up with Prince Belca which he can only do if Linna talks to him about it first. He then tells him to focus on resting up and healing before saying that he totally thinks that this country should be taken back from the Elder Council and given to the Royal Family again. Linna knows he's bullshitting but if there's the faintest hope of seeing Belca again...
Back at Kamino, Tenko follows Belca outside, saying he should stay because the guard is still at large. Belca snaps back that he's being an annoying puss-puss before calming down and saying they can't accomplish anything if they're on edge so they should do what they can. They have more guards on watch and the palace guards are not allowed to go out alone. The rate of victims to The Plague have decreased so a lot more Hokulea are free to join the search. Also, he's getting the Bad Thoughts being cooped all the time so he needs some air to clear his head. Bad Thoughts include: how the people of Kamino are very much still dying from starvation and sickness and how Linna was killed because of him...
Then Shingetsu drops down to tell Belca that things are going well when it comes to reconstruction efforts, which she's backed up on by Tenko. The priests are waking up so Belca wants to use the opportunity to talk to somebody. Shingetsu offers to help him but Belca says there are things he has to do alone.
Belca talks to the priests, who introduce themselves as Carrel Dio and Luis Dio, advisors to the high priest. They thank Seamrog (who is also there) for saving them from their injuries (nearly exposing Musca's spy activities in the process). It's revealed that Prince Belca and Orcelito were marked to be killed by the high priest so the advisors came to Kamino to protect him. They were planning to hide Orcelito in the neighboring city of Tida but...that guard? Freaking jerk. He's gonna save the day, no matter what.
At the castle district (the 12th district specifically) near the Stone Capital's Chapel, Kiliko is informing the High Priest on quarantine procedures. He leaves coolly, ending the chapter with a veiled threat to the church.
Chapter 33
A Hokulea watches the cargo leave Kamino, happy. Then he's not happy when he sees something!
At the road south of Kuckland, in Londonlea district office at the Orubas Mansion, refugees are gathering outside, begging Lord Orubas to save them from The Plague. One of the guards tells them to fuck off, saying Lord Orubas isn't there. The refugees say he ran off and, with their situation getting increasingly worse by the day, they gather their farming tools, ready to take manners into their own hands...
Meanwhile, Orcelito is being served a meal, ruminating on the fact that despite the lessened death toll, no one's happy. Families don't get to bury their dead...maybe they have found a way to cure the plague in Kamino? No, no that's ridiculous! Kiliko comes in with news from a subordinate, saying that Belca has ignored another of their summons. Orcelito is in disbelief but Kiliko says facts are facts. Belca has changed and so has Orcelito...or was the innocent boy who knew nothing of despair always like this? In another report, the death toll in Kamino has ceased, the cure that has lemon in it is apparently working. But there is some bad news outside of Kamino...in the whole area outside of Kuckland, around Rondalea, there is an outbreak of The Plague. Orcelito asks about Orbus and Kiliko tells him that the Lord wasn't feeling well so he retired to his villa for the time being. A lot of rich folk are leaving their estates for the mountains, actually. Orcelito is outraged, asking if they're abandoning their own people. Kiliko simply answers that since the nobles have left, riots have broken out in their territories. The guards are calling for reinforcements. Reinforcements from the king's own army. So the army is reduced to being mere bodyguards. It's a punk-out on a massive scale.
Meanwhile, with Linna, his guide and him manage to enter Londalea despite the blockade. His guide says it's because of the fact that he's the high priest's attendant. They stop at the monastery so that they can leave early the next day to reach Dita before night. The attendant is about make them open the gate before Linna notices something, pushing the attendant out of the way of a slash from our favorite Elite Guard member answering the door. Kiliko's men have already beat them to the area...
The Hokulea spots the thing, thinking it's a kidnapping, and leaps down to confront them. He identifies them as the "Demons of the Capital". Linna tries to warn him but Red (one of the guards) instigates the battle, confident in his number's advantage with the other guards. He just so happens to have a perfect way of dealing with groups, however, taking out razor sharp wire to take them on. Another named Black impales him with ease though...
At Kamino, everyone is still chill because Belca is there. But then a familiar face shouts at Belca, shocked to run into him: it's the landlord from the mountains! His wife lives in Kamino and is sick so he had to stop here...but hey! Belca is here! Everything will be alright! His reunion with Eco is a lot less cozy, however...
Several guards approach Belca, saying soldiers outside have been encircling the barrier and want to speak to him alone. At the back gate. The injured Hokulea named Amahara informs him that he found a very much alive Linna before escaping from the guards by jumping into the river. Belca asks why hasn't his wounds been treated but the guards say no: no person can get in through the gates...but, given Hokulea are not people, he can let him in with no reprecussions. Belca thanks him, asking for his name but the guard instead gives him a letter. Reading it, Belca finds out about the riots. And the army is being sent to deal with them.
Talking to Shingetsu, Belca says they need to send another message. Shingetsu says just go to Linna like he wants. Belca tells her to focus and she responds with the quote that ends the chapter: "If you let a bird's tail grow too long in order to make it beautiful, it won't fly properly and it will die.".
Chapter 34
Shingetsu and another Hokulea watch a procession of soldiers go by near Orbus' mountain villa. Orbus himself is all dressed up and waiting for the army to come to his rescue. That'll teach them peasants to get uppity. Still, he says it's a problem that Eco's song is drawing more people's hearts towards Belca, meaning he has to now choose who to throw his support behind for the coronation of the crown: Belca or Orcelito.
Anyway, the refugees get word that the army has come to their town. They panic before a guy tells them to shut up, saying if they split up, they'll die but if a large army is gathering in one area in order to attack then...
Orcelito is currently being served citron tea by Kiliko, just to be on the safe side. Orcelito admits that Eco's method for helping Kamino is probably better compared to his plans so he should be learning instead of dismissing. He tells Kiliko to prepare lemons for the people and Kiliko says he'll see what he can do, even though the season isn't really good for it. Also, they need to prepare for the Plague in the Stone Capital itself. It's time to show some mettle...after all, there's no point in being king of the dead.
Then he gets sick.
At Vieze Kamino, Belca is gathering information on how to fight the army at the checkpoint. Seamrog says they have no weapons so they need to stop the people from fighting a losing battle. They need to reach their feelings, perfect work for the group's bard, Eco. It's showtime soon (and Akage, the gay Hokulea who I keep forgetting to mention, is there too).
Later, Belca is told by Tenko that he is making Hector's dream come true...then in Rondarea territory, on the outskirts of Tiida at Neue Farville Nunnery, Linna and the attendant are being held hostage by Kiliko's Knights. Black tells Linna he and all the other monks here will be fine...but when they leave, the whole building is being burned down. He leaves the beaten and bloodied attendant in the room with Linna, where the latter apologizes for getting Linna mixed up in this. Linna is bummed out...but also understandably confused. He was impaled by a freaking gate. How the hell did he survive that? More importantly, can he still help Belca like this?
At the Gates of Vieze Kamino, the doors are opened, confusing the approaching army. The guards walk out peacefully...
Meanwhile, Linna has had enough with his hostage situation, freeing himself of his bindings in front of the attendant. He's still injured but he grabs the attendant and helps him escape, telling him to steal a horse from the barn. He goes to the food storage where he's confronted by a guard. Praising Linna for his ballisiness, he tells him he'll let the attendant go. Linna is quickly captured and yelled at for defying Kiliko. Linna shouts back that they need to stop bringing in unrelated people from the monastery and they tell him to shut up, saying that Kiliko said he needed to be treated like he was a guest but if he was going to keep "antagonizing" them, they're at their limit. They send for "that", a drug that happens to be the same one that killed Hector. Before he's forced to ingest it, the guy in charge says that Belca is has led an army to Kamino to stop the uprising so Linna should give up on fixing anything there. Linna, knowing Belca's will will break if anything were to happen to him, bemoans his fate...before the monastery is attacked by Hokuleas...who are led by BELCA.
And he's dressed as Marie Belle!
The chapter ends with a scribe discovering something underneath the skin of the front binding of a book...
Chapter 35
The peasants are about to attack at Kamino but the main guards of the city are facing off against The King's Sword. The King's Sword forces the peasants back, the commander saying that an extension of the king's will, they have a reputation to uphold, especially considering the disaster at the coronation ceremony. However, they're up against a group that has managed to hold the line despite the lack of morale, making him wonder what would happen if the gate was demolished. He then orders the rebels destroyed.
Meanwhile at the nunnery, Tenko mentally notes that the nuns are gone and the Hokulea are missing. The whole raid itself is kind of weird upon inspection...
Anyway, the priests figure out quickly that the crossdressing young man is in fact Belca while Linna begs for him not to get hurt on his account. However, the priests say that there is no way royalty would crossdress as a nun to save a lowly guard and order Belca seized. The priests descend on him...only to be stopped by a guard. He then bows before Belca, asking why he's dressed like that. One of the priests, calling him Crow, asks how does he believe that's Belca? As Belca and Linna heartwarmingly get ready to brawl in the background, Crow tries to talk to them too only for Black to dart out, screaming that something's coming before Hokulea break through the door...
A flashback to 2 days earlier in Kamino, Tenko turns out to be the one who talked Belca into taking a detour to save Linna. Belca tried to argue that stopping the riots was more important but says "His Highness is not my puppet.". He says he's been using Belca to help the Hokulea; now it's Belca's turn to use him. Shingetsu, overhearing, says the Hokulea will help too; always nice to have someone who can see in the dark. Belca is still reluctant until Tenko says the King's Guard are going by that place anyway.
Back to the present, the nuns are escaping in the confusion while Black is being run ragged trying to gain a hold on the situation. Then he has to go up against Tenrou...
Belca and Linna try to escape but are cut off by Crow, only for Shingetsu to hold him off with an arrow. Seeing that Belca and Linna got away, the Hokulea give themselves permission to retreat. String Boy has most of them tied up but the Elite Guard break out through the window. Belca and Linna talk outside, Belca revealing that a man in the mountains should be meeting up with the nuns along with the priest that helped Linna. The priest also got Belca his disguise! Belca takes it off when Linna calls him sweet as honey.
It's time to go but Shingetsu sees something ahead. A royal ninja has caught up, realizing they were making a diversion for a rescue...
The peasants, upon seeing the King's Sword, freeze when they realize they can't win. One kid grabs a sword and dashes off, calling them pussies and saying they're all gonna die from the Plague anyway. Seeing and hearing that, they are inspired to fight with him. Before the forces can clash, they are interrupted by Tenko on horseback who says more bodies won't solve anything. The peasants are overjoyed; Belca has come to help them! The chapter ends with Tenko correcting them; Prince Belca is not here.
Chapter 36
The peasants are reacting predictably to the news Belca didn't show up:
The King's Sword's leader approaches Tenko, saying if the peasants will not surrender, they will attack. And if that happens, they'll fight Tenko too.
We get a flashback to Tenko planning the whole day out, even knowing what The King's Sword will approach from...then we cut back to Tenko spilling the beans that Belca went off to save one of his servants so what do they think he'll do for all of them? He then tells them to trust Belca and lower their weapons. The peasants are still reluctant but then Eco sings his song about Belca...and then Belca shows up.
Eco and Seamrog chat after the song, saying that they see their heroics as transactional and they're only helping out to get something. Eco hopes that he plays nice with Belca, he'll get some riches...but Seamrog doesn't have to worry about that because he got a big gem from Musca already. Eco points out that that's the jewel the royals give their future spouses. Seamrog has the appropriate reaction:
Back at the palace, Kiliko says the herbs have been gathered for the cure but they still don't have enough citron. It's not a usual crop in the area so they had to plant more. The royal family will be among the first treated. He leaves Orcelito along with a bell to call him and Orcelito goes to bed, noting he's turning out like his ancestor Reitz. He wonders if it's right for a guy with tainted blood like his to rule over a kingdom...
Interestingly, Belca is a bastard and doesn't even have the same hair color. Would he be better? Hmm...nah. Orcelito has already decided to take the kingdom back from the elders. Slowly, of course. Can't rock the boat too much...but he dozes off thinking he speed things up a bit.
Meanwhile, Kiliko's Elite Guard, led by Black, are taking down the Hokulea before Belca and Linna jump in to help. After a battle, Crow stops the fight and asks for Belca to return with them. Belca asks how he thinks being a violent dick to his allies was going to make him come back with him only for Crow to say The Plague has been claiming lives in Neue Favrille. And Orcelito is worried so...
The priests come by to yell at Crow to hurry up and capture the Hokulea. When Crow won't work as fast as he likes, he orders his own men to seize him...
So Crow slits his throat.
Crow says he wasn't fit for the job anyway.
He apologizes to Belca for showing him something so unsightly only for Tenrou to call out, "Damn! His own crew!" (paraphrased). He ends the chapter by revealing more Hokulea, saying he just brought the reinforcements.
Chapter 37
It's fighting time.
But Belca says no, stepping forward between the two forces.
He asks Kiliko's men if the story they told him was true. When Crow says yes, Belca says he will go to Neue Favrille. However, he can't go with them at the moment. He and his crew need time to prepare ingredients for the cure and, to secure the cooperation of the Hokulea, the Stone Capital need to overturn a law that was passed the other day. Crow says he hears him but he can't promise the whole "stop the law that's actively harming Hokulea" thing. But Kiliko will hear Belca's answer and they will contact him. They've already sent a messenger bird. Belca cuts his hair and gives it to Crow as proof that the two have spoken. Then Kiliko's men retreat.
Later, the men ask Crow if it was alright to retreat like that. Crow says with the amount of Hokulea there, there was no way they could get Belca out of there while ensuring his safety. If they want things to go smoothly, they need to ensure Belca's cooperation...no matter how many of their own messengers they have to kill.
Tenko talks with the leader of the King's Sword, the latter incredulous that the peasants want to take on the royal fucking army. But meanwhile, maybe Orbus' mansion can be used as a medical center during the stalemate. Whatever happens, they cannot give up at the very beginning. The leader walks off, telling his second-in-command that they've already wasted tons of food and provisions waiting around; they can't go back home empty-handed.
The other gang is taking Belca back to Kamino on a cart, Belca waking up and wondering if the whole night was a dream. Then he sees Linna.
Then they catch some fish.
At the palace, Kiliko slaps a maid to the ground when he learns that she was keeping information of her fellow workers dying from the Plague from him, asking if she was trying to kill the entire castle. He threatens to kill her if Orcelito has one problem because of this. The maids are given a "vacation" as Kiliko stomps off. The head maid goes to check on Musca, who thinks about how complicated things have gotten...and still hates her new wet nurse. She sneaks out to join up with Orcelito, running past his guards and pounding on his door. Orcelito, or rather Orcelito's voice, tells her to go away as Kiliko comes over. He ends the job, telling her to go back to her room.
Chapter 38
Prince Belca is greeted by the populace as he returns to Kamino.
And he's wearing Hokulea clothes!
Tenko welcomes him back and offers to fix his hair later. He then greets Linna and gives him and Belca horses to ride. Looking on as they ride through the city, Linna notes Belca's not just his prince anymore...
Belca gets back to headquarters and asks if there were any changes since he left. Tenko starts off by saying the herbs for the cure are being gathered and food is being passed out but Shingetsu snatches Linna away to take some of the Hokulea to a medic, saying he should come too. Linna says his wounds are almost healed but Belca orders him to get someone to check him out.
While getting his check-up, Linna tells Shingetsu about the "Dzintars". He says it means "golden stone" and Shingetsu says it's a beautiful name. She's glad he's alive but Linna is still frustrated that he can't do anything here Shingetsu then asks if Linna has been preparing the medicated soups with Belca before saying they don't need them anymore...
Meanwhile, some Hokulea named Kentyuu has a tiny bottle of medicine fall out of his pocket while he's getting looked at...it's the same bottle of poison they were going to give Linna.
Also, Lord Orbus gets a letter from Neue Favrille. He's happy about the army being deployed at first only to then find out Orcelito has fallen ill. So this would be an excellent opportunity for him to push Belca on the throne. 'Course, that just leaves the Round Table Knights to take care of...
At Neue Favrille's Regis Solaris, Orcelito is still overlooking Rovisco's documents. Kiliko calls from outside, saying he wants to come in. Orcelito says talk to him from outside but Kiliko says it's really important. Orcelito, still sick, says Kiliko is his arms and legs so he can't risk him catching The Plague only for Kiliko to reveal that he has a letter from Prince Belca. Orcelito tells him to take the amulet from his shelf to feel safer (MEDICINE!) and come in.
So Kiliko tells him what happened at the monastery and shows him Belca's hair, saying that he'll return some day. Kiliko says he can punish his men for overlooking him but Orcelito says they don't have the time for that. Orcelito then asks if Belca is coming back, is Eco coming with him? He still thinks Eco is after the throne. Kiliko points out if that was the case, Eco wouldn't have helped when the Royal Government caught The Plague. Also, he knows the tradition. If he disliked it, he would have left the Lagen family. He has his reservations but he has one person in Kamino; he'll have them spy on Eco to see if he stops Belca or not.
Outside, Ingrid the maid is dropping dishes all over the place because she's terrified of The Plague and she heard Orcelito has it. The other maid tells her to just switch to another job and, when Ingrid who would do her job, the maid answers she'll do it. In exchange, the maid asks Ingrid to take her letters to the archives where a friend of hers works. She doesn't them to worry about her, you see. Ingrid agrees happily.
Oh and Orcelito gets another message from the king's army: there was a massacre. Orcelio thinks Linna, Seamrog and the Hokulea are using Belca but he's cut off by nearly coughing himself into passing out. Looking at the hair he's holding onto, he notes Belca's hair looks like Kiliko's. It's then he explains Belca's mom came from Adin. She was invited to a party because the king was looking for a new concubine (Basically, medieval Flavor of Love). She was called upon as an Adine (dancer) for entertainment. She was hot and the king, just looking to make an heir in the first, immediately chose her. The thing though is that she also became close with the Queen. And apparently it wasn't the king's idea to send Hector to boarding school. Anyway, most of the Lagen's family members are black-haired and so is Belca. He suspects there might be a connection there but a clearly shaken Kiliko says that can't be; his father would never do something like that. Also, the Adines always have black hair. Orcelito says that if Belca has Rovisco's blood...he can't finish because he went into another coughing fit. He then says he will take all the elders with him before The Plague does him in. Kiliko accuses him of breaking his promise to leave the country to him. Orcelito tries to get Kiliko to help Belca but Kiliko says that Orcelito must lead the country, moving on him and threatening to get sick with him if he doesn't nut up, despite Orcelito's protests.
Kiliko says if that upsets him, he needs to live. Orcelito wonders why is he being so supportive considering he's the one who killed Hector. He answers that if this world is built upon hatred and resentment, he's another victim of it who kills for selfish reasons. If there is still light in the world, he wants to see it. He may be a gear for his family but this way, he can choose to be Orcelito's gear.
In Kamino, Eco is playing music.
Linna has to tell him to shut up because he's basically playing Pornocore but Eco complains he made the song for Linna. Belca comes over to gag him, telling Tenko that it's a miracle The King's Sword and the peasants didn't fight. Tenko agrees and says for now, they should focus on treating The Plague which they will need the support of the nobles to do. Tenko will persuade them because if they help and Belca gets more popular, they get more power. This will also get them medical assistance so it's two birds with one stone. Eco says if he's trying not to make enemies, he's sucking at it because Lord Orbus is not going to sit on his hands during that...but fuck it, party! Shingetsu tells Linna the attendant he saved is alive and Linna is happy about that. Rat Snitch Eco the Good Time Ruiner reveals the small bottle of poison that fell out of Kengyuu's pocket, revealing it's not poison at all but basic sleeping medicine that the Lagens use. They then talked about the guy that killed the guy in front of Belca whose name is Echo. He's none other than Kiliko's right-hand man. He's the guy who does the wet work for the Lagen family and his name isn't Crow as I've been calling him; his group is called the Crows. He's practically a super-solider due to the medicines he takes and his name used to be Irya when he was recognizably human. Seamrog says if Kiliko wants to work with Belca, all is well. However, Tenko drops a drama bomb: that Plague in Neue Favrille is probably a fake.
Belca says okay...party time! Then they can go to Neue Favrille to handle this nonsense.
The chapter ends with a messenger from Orbus arriving to Kamino to see Belca, only to hear he has left for Neue Favrille.
Chapter 39
A few days ago in Vieze Kamino, Tenko straight up jumped Linna.
Meanwhile, everyone is listening to Eco play the medieval equivalent of "WAP" at the banquet. Belca wonders if it's alright to take the Hokulea back with him to the Stone Capital; sure, they're accepted in Kamino but they're called Amontel back home. The Hokulea are the only ones who can administer the cure properly; if it was a matter of following a treatment plan, this wouldn't be a problem. He tries to ask Tenko for advice...but Tenko isn't there. Discovering Linna isn't there either, he runs out to find them.
Linna is fighting off Tenko to the best of his ability but he's quickly disarmed. Tenko says it's a shame he's not at full health or they might have had a better fight. Belca sees them and freaks out while Tenko asks Linna why he doesn't stay in Kamino to heal himself. He can't protect Belca like that. Linna says he swore he would always be by Belca's side but Tenko says in Linna's current state, he's a liability. Belca's gonna care about him even if he's not with him; he's soft like that. Tenko then makes Linna Belca's First Squire; not a fancy position but should give Linna what he wants. Tenko himself is content being a specter of Hector's will. He warns Linna not to become like him. Belca sneaks off after hearing all that.
At the Tein Dukedom Lobnec in the Eastern Highlands City Wilhem, the couriers are delivering medicine! At the Southwest, at the Lobnec Taine Villa, a lord says he hasn't given permission for that. At the Ruebelli Dukedom, territory of the Theon Government, the lady there is mad too. She explains how royalty works, from earls to dukes to viceroys (Cheat Sheet: Kings-Presidents, Viceroys-Senators, Earls-Mayors).
At the Orbus Dukedom Rondalea, in Duke Orbus' Villa, Orbus thinks that Kiliko is behind the medicine thing and he's panicking because he might lost control of Orcelito. Now Orbus definitely needs Belca on his side. Good news for him: his niece is coming over. Better news: a spy in the castle says that Orcelito and Kiliko (The Girls) are fighting...
Meanwhile, Musca is eating while worrying about her mercenary career. The head maid arrives to take her away and tell her that Musca will go to Shez Villa. Musca asks if Orcelito will go with her but the head maid tells her that he will be heading there for one day only the day before. Musca says she doesn't want to go and the head maid coldly tells her that it's already been decided. Musca throws a tantrum and the head maid reminds her that she promised she would behave if she taught her how to read. Musca ignores her and the head maid says if she keeps disobeying her, her promises will mean nothing. Musca tells her to fuck off and she'll do what she wants. The head maid snaps and says she's been getting in trouble for Musca screwing up and that she'll be executed if Musca keeps it up. Musca finally calms down, saying she doesn't like the maid but that doesn't mean she deserves to die on her account. She'll protest within reason...like a lady.
In Orcelito's room, Kiliko is gloating over his plan working and leaves telling Orcelito the books he's trying to research are being recovered and saved.
Musca and her lady-in-waiting (Head Maid) bribe another maid so that they can scheme. While out, the lady-in-waiting is confused when they bump into another maid who has jewelry...and can read...
On horseback, Belca catches up to Eco and the old man, everybody riding to the Stone Capital to take on the army. They leave Rondelea to approach the border.
Lord Orbus is about to set sail on his boat only for him to stopped by one of his messengers. Duke Melfar has been caught in a landslide and is missing! End chapter!