Operation story: ZT-4

Operation

Story

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Characters
Arturia Ebenholz Federico Micha (Michael) Lessing Viviana Fremont Gerhard Gesatzswächter Anxious Student Bewildered Student Flustered Student Gendarmerie Gendarmerie A Gendarmerie B Gendarmerie C Motivated Student Passing Student "Witch King's Echo" Strange Voice From a Sculpture
Backgrounds
1 2 3 4 5

Before operation

“

Viviana follows the Gesatzswächter to the school, just as Federico and Micha arrive at the same time. Viviana finds the elderly scholar who is the Empresses' confidant, only to discover that he is the man who wishes to summon the Genesis Horn through Ebenholz.

”

<Background 1>
Motivated Student	Sorry, Frau Giallo. I made another mistake.
Arturia	Why did you stop?
Motivated Student	I don't think I played the last bar on the last line very well...
Arturia	Your heart is in the right place. Don't let yourself be bound by the melody. Instead, guide it with your will.
Motivated Student	I can't help but think about what I did wrong though.
Arturia	Then don't hold yourself back. Music is the voice of your heart. It's a langugage to express yourself with. If you let yourself be caught up in the grammar before learning how to speak, then language itself loses all meaning. Your embarrassment, your self-doubt, and your thirst for the future... They're all real. So let them live in the sound of your instrument.
Motivated Student	But that's not what my Arts professor said. He said that Originium Arts is a rigorous field of study. That it's about uncovering the order within chaos, like putting together a mess of unrelated notes to form a beautiful chord. But I'm having too many distracting thoughts, and my sound is all over the place. That's why I can't control the energy of my Arts well.
Arturia	I taught another student just like you before. He was reserved, shy, and not very good at expressing himself.
Motivated Student	Wh-What happened to him?
Arturia	He became a very brave man. A shame that he couldn't live the longer, more beautiful life I'd hoped he would. But I was fortunate enough to hear his last performance. The cry of his instrument... was hardly inferior to the famed musician with whom he shared a surname.
Motivated Student	Oh, was he the descendant of someone famous?
Arturia	Herkunftshorn. Have you heard his work?
Motivated Student	Who... did you just say?
Arturia	People often call him the Witch King.
Motivated Student	Th-That Witch King? *cough*... People hardly ever call him by name.
Arturia	Really? But to me, he was first and foremost a musician.
Motivated Student	Uh... Everyone says he stopped performing with regular instruments toward the end of his life. His music... No, you could hardly call that noise music... They say it instilled fear in anyone who heard it.
Arturia	True. His rhythm was in no way harmonious. Every last measure far exceeded what his audience imagined based on the previous one. But I'd never felt such a strong... will.
Motivated Student	You really shouldn't talk about this on campus. I heard the Empresses' Voice and Gendarmerie keep a close eye on Ludwigs-Universität. You'd be in deep trouble if they were to catch wind of it.
[The school bells ring.]
Arturia	You should return to your dorm. Keep practicing this piece. No matter what commotion you may hear outside, focus only on your own rhythm.
[The student nods and walks off.]
Arturia	...
Strange Voice From a Sculpture	Arturia.
Arturia	So it's you. If you're here to speak to me personally, then I take it the show is about to begin?
Strange Voice From a Sculpture	Almost. Our guests are arriving as they should, one by one. Will you be performing everything that will happen today for me, just like you used to? I'd like to be present when the melody begins.
Arturia	You wish to listen from beginning to end? I'm afraid that would be a very long piece.
Strange Voice From a Sculpture	A lot of people will be hurt today. Some will even die. They will be sacrificed because of me, and I cannot allow myself to look away.
Arturia	Even though it hurts so much. You're far more determined than anyone. You... When my performance reaches the end of your life, what will I see?
<Background 2>
Viviana	Ludwigs-Universität. I've seen the name in more than a few books I've read. Most recently... in a leading publication on Originium Arts theory. But the name comes up as early as ancient scrolls engraved with secret Arts. The crest of that university shines brilliantly in the history of Leithanien's Arts.
Gesatzswächter	It's merely a variant of the Urtica family crest.
Viviana	But it remains Leithanien's oldest university. Once, I used to fantasize about life on a campus like this. Walking through a campus covered with red leaves, surrounded by friends of similar ages, with an endless buffet of books and literature in the library... Every day must be fulfilling here.
Gesatzswächter	With Their Majesties' permission, you are free to enroll in any school in Leithanien.
Viviana	Oh... have you noticed the eyes of the students walking around us? Their thirst for knowledge is enough for them to forget the divide between their upbringings. Yet before Kurfürst Ludwig chose to make his spire a "university," all knowledge was locked away by decree. So... how can I bring myself to use that very same authority to pollute such unique purity once more?
<Background Background fades in and out>
[Groups of Gendarmerie are marching around campus.]
<Background Background fades in and out>
Viviana	...The Gendarmerie?
Gesatzswächter	Your so-called purity has never really existed.
Viviana	Did you summon them here?
Gesatzswächter	I wouldn't need to. The eyes up on the Spires have never looked away from Leithanien's lands. And especially not from here. Before you lies the oldest spire in Urtica territory. The Witch King stayed in it for a decade, and often returned even after his coronation. The campus may seem peaceful from the outside, but every centimeter of this place can be traced back to the Witch King. And that includes the man we're looking for.
Viviana	Herr Gerhard Hoffmann?
Gesatzswächter	Nein. We will find his teacher first. He's the one most familiar with Ludgwigs-Universität. Since the era of the Witch King... No, since an even more distant past, he's never left this school's most ancient spire.
<Background 3>
Micha	...Why are there so many gendarmes on campus?
Federico	You said earlier that I was a wanted criminal.
Micha	You think they're here for you? No way... Besides, we've been very careful on the way. There's no way we got their attention.
[The loud footsteps of the Gendarmerie draw near.]
Micha	Quick. Find a place to hide!
<Background Background fades in and out>
Gendarmerie	Team 5, Team 6, move up. Team 4, search the whole spire. Do not let any suspicious characters through.
Bewildered Student	Stop! You can't just run around and use Arts like you own the place. This is a university. A lot of the research we do here requires a stable environment. Even the slightest disturbance could cause irreversible damage to the sophisticated equipment and complicated Arts that have cast.
Gendarmerie	Seize him.
Bewildered Student	Why? I didn't break any laws.
Gendarmerie	Your name.
Bewildered Student	Louis. Louis Schnitzler—You haven't answered my question!
Gendarmerie	The Schnitzlers of Fortsgard? Take him to the classrooms.
Bewildered Student	I don't understand...
Gendarmerie	Keep searching. Take any commoners to the courtyard, and lock the nobles in the classrooms. Take control of anyone and anything related to House Urtica.
Bewildered Student	I'm only a Schnitzler by name! My father didn't even inherit the title. What gives you the right to do all this over something that happened decades ago—
Gendarmerie	Because we're investigating what happened decades ago. Young Herr Schnitzler. As long as you behave yourself, I assure you nothing will happen to you.
Bewildered Student	My family will be participating in the celebration soon! I'm going to have an audience with Their Majesties! Ludwigs-Universität is the most historic university in Leithanien! Not even the Kaiserinnen's armies dared damage a single brick of this spire twenty-three years ago! What gives you the right to trample on knowledge and the arts, on Leithanien's traditions?!
Gendarmerie	The Kaiserinnen's orders, young Herr. The culprit who murdered your commander is hiding in this school. If you want to protect it, then tell all your classmates that they'd better report anything they know about a strange Sankta and the Witch King's remains.
[The Gendarmerie troops leaves, taking the student with them.]
Micha	The Kaiserinnen's orders...? No way... ......
Federico	You seem surprised.
Micha	Surprised? No, I'm just an idiot. Given her personality and disposition, how could I have thought she'd keep herself at arm's length? I can't waste time chasing after Arturia anymore.
Federico	I thought she was the target of your mission too.
Micha	Only part of it. My... client wants to understand the reasoning behind her actions, in order to prevent her from getting in the way of our plans. But now there's a bigger problem. I can't let this ruin the plan itself.
Federico	......
Micha	You...
Federico	I have no further questions. As you are Leithanian, I will not be required to execute your will.
Micha	Forge it. Not like I was expecting anything resembling a goodbye from you. Herr Executor, the case Arturia is involved in is far more serious that you could every imagine. Even your pope has no right to interfere. Here's some advice: abandon your mission before the Gendarmerie make it here. Leave Zwillingstürme.
[Micha leaves.]
Federico	... I've completed my assessment. Abandoning this mission is not an option.
<Background 4>
Gesatzswächter	We've arrived, Droste. You'd best wait outside.
Viviana	Hm? I sense no danger...
???	Don't move.
Viviana	...What?
???	You're blocking my pipe. Yes, the one puffing out smoke to your left. If you move, I can't guarantee that your left hand will remain after the smoke ring passes.
Viviana	You use a smoking pipe as a wand?
???	This? A wand? Don't be ridiculous. I smoke to relax. Who'd want to think about serious matters while smoking? I simply wanted to run an experiment, and see if this smoke ring could float all the way to the top of the twin sheep's spire.
Gesatzswächter	...We're here because we have important matters to discuss, Herr Fremont.
Fremont	What a killjoy, Reiner. If only you were as well-behaved as the lovely little doe next to you.
Viviana	I'd also be interestedi n seeing if a smoke ring could float for dozens of kilometers.
Fremont	No, distance isn't the important factor. What matters is... not being blinded by that uselessly shiny armor of yours.
Gesatzswächter	......
Fremont	Alright, so you've ruined my mood. Now tell me, was it the gloomy sheep or the boastful sheep that asked you to come find me?
<Background fades in and out>
Fremont	So you're telling me a copy of the Güldenesgesatz was lost. The one stored in Sturmland. Do we pay you to sit around all day?! You're the Gesatzswächter, and you can't even keep an eye on the Güldenesgesatz. What good is that fancy getup of yours, other than being hung from the top of the Spires as an ornament? Seriously, that Grimmacht. "It's safer to keep it far away from the center of the whirlpool"? Apparently, some of your idiocy rubbed off on her! Maybe the bigger your horns, the stupider you get! And don't get me started with that punk in Sturmland! Honor his vow with his life? Like hell he did!
Gesatzswächter	Kurfürst Werner has passed. Before you stands his daughter.
Viviana	It's a pleasure.
Fremont	My condolences, if you want them. But that doesn't change the fact that this whole farce is the height of stupidity! Especially the fact that Grimmacht waited until now to tell me!
Viviana	Is this stolen Güldenesgesatz really so special?
Gesatzswächter	Twenty-three years ago, when Kurfürst Werner returned from Zwillingstürme to Sturmland, he had it on his person. Aside from the Kaiserinnen and the Kurfürsten, no one wanted to be near it. My guess it, like many of the Arts devices from the era of the Witch King, his Arts still remain in it.
Fremont	The Witch King's Arts... The Witch King's Arts! The entrance of Ludwigs-Universität has that fool's Arts too. They could have all the armors lining the streets start breakdancing right this moment—but is there a point? Did Grimmacht never mention it? Those are no normal, frivolous Arts. They're Arts devices that Herkunftshorn himself spent his life developing, all to defeat his greatest foe!
Viviana	The Witch King's greatest foe... Do you mean Corsica I of Gaul?
Fremont	A mere emperor, leading a mere army. Do you really think transient might like that would have meant a thing to Herkunftshorn in his heyday? The enemy he defeated all those years ago was the will of Leithanien.
Gesatzswächter	...The Güldenesgesatz.
Fremont	Apparently you aren't a complete moron. Ever since the birth of the Leithanian Empire, the Güldenesgesatz has changed only once. All on his own, Herkunftshorn issued a challenge to Leithanien's forebears, as well as to all the Arts masters who put their energy into composing the Güldenesgesatz.
<Background 3>
Gerhard	How do you feel?
Ebenholz	My head... hah... It doesn't hurt as much anymore.
Gerhard	I'm afraid normal healing Arts won't help you very much. Your pain isn't caused by physical injuries.
Ebenholz	I know. There's an evil old fart shouting my ear off. That's all.
Gerhard	You... You can actually hear him speak?
Ebenholz	Occasionally.
Gerhard	That must be unbearable. Like his melodies, the Witch King's voice holds a power that is difficult to endure. If he wanted, he could kill a man simply by humming.
Ebenholz	You've met him?
Gerhard	My teacher, Herr Fremont, was once the Witch King's closest friend. When he sat atop the Witch King's Spire, there were once thousands of casters prostrating themselves before the steps to the throne. And I... I was one of them.
Ebenholz	So you're also... Ugh!
Gerhard	Is your head hurting again? Don't worry, I betrayed him in the end. I joined the resistance, and charged into the Spire under Grimmacht and Ewigegnade's leadership. That day, the steps I once kneeled before were... redder than even the leaves in the Ludwigs-Universität campus.
Ebenholz	It must have been a difficult battle.
Gerhard	For every ten companions I fought beside, only one survived... Every last one of us was among the most capable in the country. If they had been as fortunate as me, they would have gone on to become even more outstanding scholars, even greater casters.
Ebenholz	No wonder you visited Forest Park that day. I should salute you and those who sacrificed their lives.
Gerhard	Don't waste your strength... I'm not worth it. If it hurts, though, feel free to lean on me.
[Lessing suddenly appears, stopping them in their tracks.]
Lessing	Let him go.
Ebenholz	Lessing...?
Gerhard	I knew you'd come after us. Where's Professor Fremont?
Lessing	He's very disappointed in you.
Gerhard	I'm sorry, Lessing. I don't want to hurt you, nor do I want to make an enemy of my dear teacher.
Lessing	Then why stop us?
Gerhard	The Genesis Horn should not arrive like this.
Lessing	We're not pursuing any evil causes. We're simply retrieving what belongs to us and destroying what hinders us. You know that.
Gerhard	The Witch King's relics... Who do they belong to? And who decides that? You're a smart fellow, Lessing, and an honest one. You should think about these things, lest you regret all this in twenty or thirty years. I see you as my favorite student, which is why I don't want to see you makke the same mistakes.
[Lessing unsheathes his giant sword.]
Lessing	I once... saw you as a dear mentor too.
[Lessing charges forward at Gerhard, but the latter dodges using his Arts.]
Gerhard	I still remember. You weren't even half as tall as you are now when Professor Fremont handed that sword to you. Yet in the blink of an eye, you're as old as I was when I stormed the Witch King's Spire. In school, time really does fly right by, doesn't it?
Lessing	My fear is that not enough time has passed. That I'm not strong or worthy enough to raise my sword for those I want to protect.
[Lessing charges again, but Ebenholz casts his Arts at him.]
Ebenholz	I'm your target, remnant of the Witch King. And I have only one thing to say to you: Get out of my way.
[Ebenholz casts more Arts at Lessing.]
Gerhard	Classes are almost over. Come, this way!
[Gerhard and Ebenholz flee.]
<Background Background fades in and out>
[The school halls become crowded as students pour out of their classrooms.]
Passing Student	Maeyer, what are you doing standing here? Not auditing any lectures today? Ahem... Why are you holding a sword in the school building? You reall love training, don't you?
Lessing	...He chose this path on purpose.
Passing Student	Have you heard? A large group of gendarmes barged into the school today. They're searching everyone they're coming across, especially commoners from Urtica territory— Hold on, why are you running so fart? Even up the stairs? The school administration doesn't allow that!
<Background 2>
Gerhard	Are you okay? Why waste your strength on me? I'm much older than you. I should be the one protecting you.
Ebenholz	Haa... Haa... Well, I'm the one he's after. Besides, I don't want to see any more blood spilled on my account.
Gerhard	Considering Lessing's abilities and temperament, he'll catch up to us soon. We need to take a safer route.
Ebenholz	Are we inside a school?
Gerhard	Ludwigs-Universität. You are of the Urtica bloodline. If the Witch King hadn't fallen when you were born, you would have studied Arts here.
Ebenholz	...I'd really wish I weren't.
Gerhard	The Urticas have prodcued more than one Leithanian ruler. Aside from Herkunftshorn and the other Kaisers... Ludwig. Known as the Scholar, he was the Kurfürst of Einwald, and he too almost became the Kaiser of Leithanien. And he was also your ancestor. He wanted everyone to "gain the most supreme knowledge," so that the land would "never again impede Leithanien." When he insisted on opening up his family's spire to all of Einwald's citizens, many thought he'd gone mad.
Ebenholz	Mad... Heh. I suppose a lot of our family get called that.
Gerhard	Madness goes hand-in-hand with greatness. This has always been the way of House Urtica. Even the Witch King was a benevolent ruler of unsurpassed talent, before he succumbed to his madness.
Ebenholz	"Succumbing to madness" has far more frightening connotations when it happens to a tyrant rather than a commoner. If that's another Urtica tradition, then I'll have to find somewhere to bleed out before it happens to me.
Gerhard	From the moment I laid eyes on you, I saw the bravery in you. But your life is precious, and self-destruction has never been the only path open to you. Franz... May I call you Franz?
Ebenholz	You know the name I threw away?
Gerhard	You won't ever be alone again. Let me help you.
<Background 4>
Fremont	...Gerhard Hoffmann. Of all my students, he's the one who knows best what the Güldenesgesatz really is. If only he were here. Then I wouldn't need to waste my energy explaining all this.
Viviana	How did you know our purpose here?
Fremont	Purpose?
Viviana	The Witch King's remains killed my father, as well as two more who participated in the coup twenty-three years ago. We suspect that their next target is Herr Hoffmann.
Fremont	Hoh, you came just at the right ti, then. Just fifteen minutes ago... Wait, what did you just say? Gerhard is involved with the Witch King's remains? The same "remains" that experimented on Herkunftshorn's great-grandson simply to blow up a dime-a-dozen music hall?
Gesatzswächter	...I suppose so. They may not be the exact same group, but they're working under a similar banner. But how do you know so much about even the finest details of the Vyseheim Incident? ...... This energy fluctuation... It's a sign that Arts were cast to maintain structural integrity here. The same kind of Arts used by Einwald's caster army.
Fremont	Don't mistake my Arts for their child's play. Forget the Einwald of today, even when Herkunftshorn was still around, I was the one who taught all his lackeys their spatial Arts!
[Brandt grips the hilt of his sword.]
Gesatzswächter	Stand back, Droste.
Viviana	...
Fremont	Why are you reaching for your blade? Stay away from my instruments. It's been centuries since this spire was last repaired, and it can't withstand being knockked around.
Gesatzswächter	...Herr Fremont. Is the experiment you were just conducting related to the Voice of Mundane?

After operation

“

Federico insists on climbing the spire to find Arturia and clashes with the Gendarmerie. The scholar leads Ebenholz to safety, with Lessing chasing after them. The Gesatzswächter identifies the elderly scholar as a Sarkaz Lich. Ebenholz hides in House Urtica's chamber, only to find himself ambushed by the Witch King's remains.

”

<Background 3>
Gendarmerie	Quick, upstairs! I heard from a student just now. The Sankta we're looking for is hiding there!
<Background fades in and out>
Federico	A pipe organ. The entire spire is designed in the shape of an enormous pipe organ. It matches the distinguishing characteristics of the background in the cello piece we heard earlier. There's a very high chance that the wanted criminal Arturia is hiding here.
[Federico continues climbing up the spire.]
Strange Voice From a Sculpture	Will you keep going up?
Federico	Originium Arts that use sculptures to synchornize voices. The very same kind I heard at the site of the attack at Karl Schmidt Street. So you started working with the "Witch King's remains" after all, Arturia.
Arturia	If I told you... I never cared who they were, and had no interests in Leithanien's political turmoil, would you believe me?
Federico	The resentment of individuals has never been a motive for your cimres, and I see power struggles and profit as even less likely candidates.
Arturia	Oh, Federico. You really do know me better than anyone. Everyone else's minds are tainted with thoughts, while you... boring as you are, you and I are alike. All these years, I've walked amdist chaos simply to find an even stronger soul. This journey was no different. I simply accepted the invitation of a few Leithanian acquaintances. That's the only reason for my visit. Even without my assurances, you should already know in your heart that, no matter what becomes of Leithanien tomorrow, it will have no immediate effect on Laterano.
Federico	Perhaps.
Arturia	Then, can I ask of you the same thing the Lupo boy did? That you ignore what you see here?
Federico	You're upstairs.
Arturia	Hm. You guessed right. I suppose I could give you a reward and let you see me. How about this? Once my wish comes true, I will be waiting for you at the city gates on the day I leave Zwillingstürme. When the time comes, if you still want me to go back to Laterano with you, I promise you I'll think about it.
Federico	An arrest is not a request. You do not have the right to "think about it."
Arturia	My lovely baby brother, you really... don't know when to give up.
[The Gendarmerie are rapidly catching up to Federico]
Gendarmerie A	Target spotted!
Gendarmerie B	It's the Sankta who was at the scene of Captain Bordin's murder! Everyone, surround Sonata Spire immediately!
Federico	......
[Federico keeps climbing upwards]
<Background fades in and out>
Gendarmerie A	The suspect didn't stop! He ran upstairs!
Gendarmerie B	After him!
[The Gendarmerie quickly chase him.]
<Background fades in and out>
One floor after another. Leithanien's spires are always so, so tall. There are more and more pursuers by the second. Shoes of various ages step on the stairs, each producing a different sound. The pipes that form the spire's walls are vibrating even more powerfully now. The sound of the organ and the footsteps blend together to form a unique piece, with the squads meandering up the spiral staircase as the performers. At the front, Federico maintains a steady pace through the entire process. Even his heartrate remains unchanged. His eyes do not see any pursuing soldiers. All he can see is the target before him. A decade has passed, but as though only a day has gone by, nothing has changed. The last floor. By leaping past the few dozen steps before him, he will reach his target.
<Background fades in and out>
Gendarmerie C	D-Don't move! You Sankta... Don't tell me you can actually fly! Just how fast can you run?! Good thing the students told me about another shortcut up here... I'm beat!
Federico	......
Gendarmerie C	I don't care how amazing you are. If you take another step, I'm taking you down!
Arturia	So what will you do? Will you declare war on the Leithanian Gendarmerie? They, too, are enforcers of the law, much like your countless coworkers at the Notarial Hall. However, unlike you, they hesitate before plunging themselves into battle. They feel fear. When you charge ahead in pursuit of your target with no regard for anything else, do you lay eyes on these ordinary men and women for even a moment?
Gendarmerie C	What's that sound? Is somebody talking to you? Are they your buddy? You have friends here, don't you? Did you lure us into an ambush?!
Federico	She is not my friend.
Arturia	But I am a fellow Sankta. We both have the same halos above our heads and the same wings on our backs. We're even related by blood. How will you persuade them that you came all this way not to aid me, but to arrest me?
Federico	The misunderstandings of others have never been a reason to waver.
Gendarmerie C	My teammates will be here soon. You won't get away!
Federico	......
Arturia	Surrender. Approach those who misunderstand you and end this pointless pursuit. Clearly explain your position and motives to them. And then, accept the fact that you have failed once again.
Federico	You're right in front of me. I have unearthed evidence of your Arts.
Gendarmerie C	Drop all your weapons! Back away from the talking sculpture!
[The Gendarmerie casts his wand at Federico, but misses.]
Federico	I ask that you please calm down. I am not your enemy.
Gendarmerie C	That's what all smooth-talking criminals say! I trust nothing but my eyes and my Arts Unit! You'll pay for what you did to Captain Bordin, Sankta!
Federico	I was not responsible for Loris Bordin's death.
[The Gendarmerie casts his wand twice, with Federico sidestepping the attacks.]
Arturia	They're already under the thumb of their most irrational emotions.
Federico	Your music is affecting everyone in the area.
Arturia	Is this really my doing...? Perhaps this is what they've always wanted, deep down? I told you long ago. Much like our society, most people's minds are filled with chaos. You ignore this fact. The only thing on your mind is to sidestep the chaos and find the most efficient shortcut to resolving the issue at hand. Poor Federico. Have you still not noticed why you've never managed to catch me, even though you've pursued me all these years? How is a man who's sealed off his own perceptions—unwilling to touch the chaos—supposed to reach chaos itself?
Federico	That doesn't concern me. And you are not chaos itself. You are a criminal, and your actions beget chaos. Which is why you must be stopped. Like right now— I have you now, Arturia.
Federico raises his gun.
The bullet pierces the speaking sculpture opposite him and continues in a straight path until it shatters the wall.
<Background fades to white>
The black-haired Sankta is standing on a balcony not far away. With her back facing the setting sun and a bow in her hand, she smiles faintly. Meanwhile, beam after beam of Arts light finally reach the executor.
[Explosions ring loudly up the spire.]
<Background 2>
Flustered Student	What's going on? I just saw a bunch of Gendarmerie surrounding Sonata Spire!
Anxious Student	Haven't you heard? It's the Witch King's remains! They're hiding among us in the school, researching Arts used to hurt people! It's so scary! How come none of us even noticed?!
Flustered Student	I... I don't believe it. How can you be sure they aren't lying? Their Majesties have long seen the school as a thorn in their side. It's probably an excuse to destroy Ludwigs-Universität—
Anxious Student	How dare you doubt Their Majesties?! Oh, I get it. You're under the Witch King's remains' influence yourself, aren't you? No, you might even be the one who led them here in the first place. You're one of them!
Flustered Student	How could you slander me like that? We've shared a room ever since we started school! I even took you to my family's villa by the lake every summer!
Anxious Student	Hah! And how many of your family's fine possessions in that villa were rewards from the Witch King? Like that set of Arts crystals in the basement, used to observe Catastrophes! They were refined from the ashes of the Infected, weren't they?
Flustered Student	What did you just— Defame me all you like, but don't you dare drag my grandmother into this! She was the greatest Catastrophe scholar in Einwald, and she died for Leithanien on the northern Sturmland battlefield!
[The flustered student casts his Arts at his friend's face.]
Anxious Student	My eyes... I'm reporting you and your family to the Gendarmerie and the Empresses' Voice! You wretched... Witch King's remnant...
Flustered Student	What does that make you? An idiot who crawled your way here by clutching the hems of the Twin Empresses' dresses? If your family didn't so happen to have been on the right side, the lot of you would still be boatmen ferrying the nobles! What do you even know? Did you even learn to truly respect knowledge? You don't even know which instruments to use for different occassions.
Anxious Student	Of course, I always knew you looked down on me! Come on! Fight me!
[Lessing suddenly intervenes, standing between the two.]
Lessing	......
Anxious Student	What are you doing protecting him Maeyer? Your family used to serve to the nobles too. Aren't you itching to take this chance to beat up these haughty snobs?
Lessing	The university forbids Originium Arts duels between students.
Flustered Student	When a pack of wild beasts gain knowledge, that doesn't mean they've become civilized. All they've learned is how to use it to hide thier fangs. We should be ridding ourselves of this brutish rubble. They'll only tarnish the elgenace and values of Ludwigs-Universität!
Lessing	Shut up. We worked for centuries to earn the right for commoners and nobles to sit in one classroom together. Neither Ludwigs-Universität or society as a whole should regress.
Flustered Student	Out of the way, Maeyer, or you're my enemy too.
Anxious Student	Hah, you aren't much better than him, Maeyer! The old fart who raised you has been stinking up this place longer than anyone else, hasn't he? I heard he's lived for hundreds of years, and he keeps extending his life with the bones of the dead! Maybe he put you together from bones too?
Flustered Student	I've also heard rumors. They say even the Twins were molded by Fremont with his witchcraft.
Anxious Student	Nonsense! Fremont and the Witch King were the best of friends! I bet he's the leader of the Witch King's remains!
[The two unhinged students attempt to cast at each other, but Lessing knocks them both out first.]
Lessing	—Both of you should get some rest.
His longsword, wrapped in clotch, blocks the Arts flying toward him from both sides. Lessing single-handedly stops both of them. He then lifts his head to find even more beams of Arts being flung toward one another. Firelight, ice crystals, strange energy balls, frenzied flowerbeds, and upside-down fountains. Every spell ever taught in lectures is now interwoven with one another, all at once. There is a thunderous rumble. A golem running around has knocked over a road sign. "Ludwigs-Universität." The shining school crest falls into a cloud of dust.
<Background 3>
Gerhard	*pant*... *pant*... I'm really getting on in years. It's only been such a short distance, yet it feels as though I've climbed hundreds of steps.
Ebenholz	I think I heard the sounds of a fight aboveground. Are the Witch King's remains fighting with those from the university?
Gerhard	You're too weak. Leave the war to the others for now.
Ebenholz	But suppose this war started because of me. I'd have no reason to hide.
Gerhard	You feel guilty. It's only natural. Fate chose you over the others to live, and that is not necessarily a mercy. I know better than anyone how that feels.
Ebenholz	Have you experienced a similar suffering?
Gerhard	I was gravely injured during the final battle, and spent the better part of a year in a confused state. It was Professor Fremont who spent the time and effort to cure me. That day, when I finally woke up from my nightmare of being bound to those blood-red steps, the first thought that entered my mind was that... my classmates, friends, and even my lover were all gone. In my despair, I climbed to the top of the Sonata Spire, wishing to leap from it. He found me up there, and I asked him: Was everything I did for Leithanien truly meaningful?
Ebenholz	What happened next? Did you find the meaning you sought?
Gerhard	He gave me a number of books on the Güldenesgesatz. He told me that whenever I can't answer my own questions, history can. So I started studying the Güldenesgesatz, how Leithanien came to be, and the direction it should go. I researched these topics for twenty years.
Ebenholz	And... what answer did you come to?
Gerhard	The problems facing Leithanien have always existed, ever since the birth of the Güldenesgesatz. The cultural differences between tribes, the rifts between nobles and commoners, etc. All these have existed for over a thousand years. History has proven how difficult it is to change Leithanien, to give its citizens new lives, and to end the endless sacrifices. You must possess both absolute power and unbreakable resolve. Luckily, such power wasn't completely lost, and we're on our way to find it right now.
Ebenholz	So this power you speak of is hidden somewhere on this old campus?
Gerhard	Ja.
Ebenholz	And by obtaining it, we'll be able to resolve the predicament before us, eliminate the threat of the Witch King's remains, and... change my fate, all at the same time?
Gerhard	It was only my confidence in it that gave me the courage to go against my teacher.
Ebenholz	Come, Franz. It's right up ahead.
[Lessing suddenly leaps down on the stairs behind them.]
Lessing	Nein.
Ebenholz	You again?
Lessing	Don't follow him any further. You shouldn't go there. Come back with me.
Ebenholz	...So you can strap me to a table again and make me a vessel for summoning the Witch King's legacy? In your dreams. Let the dregs of the past be buried by time, and vanish from Leithanien entirely.
Lessing	They will. I'm doing what I can to ensure that happens. But before that—
Ebenholz	There's no "before" anything. I've thrown away even a guarantee from the Kaiserinnen. Do you really thinkk I'd listen to the promises of a remnant of the Witch King?
Lessing	All I want is to obtain the Witch King's legacy. The people you're talking about—the ones who want to summon the Witch King—are my enemies too.
Ebenholz	...Not this again. Is always denying your involvement really that fun for you people? Or are you fighting over who gets credit for what, all to crawl ever closer to that rotten throne? I'm sick of all this. Can't you pick some other trophy... and stay away from me?!
[Ebenholz casts his Arts.]
<Background starts shaking>
Lessing	Hm—The stairs beneath us are... vanishing?
Gerhard	This school is much older than you can imagine. Don't resist the power of history. Give up.
Lessing	No—!
[Lessing tries to stop the moving staircase with his longsword.]
Gerhard	Lessing, not even you can fight a transforming staircase on your own. You'll only hurt yourself.
Lessing	Ugh—Ah!
Ebenholz	Are you this cruel to yourself, too?
Lessing	Look, I don't know what Gerhard told you, but don't listen to him.
Ebenholz	Rather than someone who claims to be grateful to the Witch King and wants to lock me away in a lab... I'd rather trust someone who once stood against the Witch King and saved my life.
Lessing	The advent of the Genesis Horn is extremely unlikely to hurt you in any way. The old man and I triple-checked that. The process may be painful, but not unbearable.
Ebenholz	But you aren't me. What right do you have to make that decision for me?
Lessing	I don't, but everyone has a responsibility that only they can bear. Stop running away. If neither the Voice of Mundane nor the Urtica bloodline are things that you can change, then all you can do is accept them.
Ebenholz	Accept them? The ones who killed my parents and forced the Voice of Mundane into me gave me that same excuse. The ones who almost turned me into a bomb to blow up a city—the ones who killed my brother—said nearly the same thing! Why do you people always have these self-righteous justifications? Is that really enough for you to ignore all the screams you're creating?!
[Ebenholz angrily fires his Arts at Lessing.]
Lessing	Ugh...
Ebenholz	Verdammt... Still not letting go, even after that blow? Are you really so eager to be torn to pieces by the ancient Arts on these stairs?
Lessing	I'd rather die than see you fall into their hands. This has always been about more than just you... More than me, as well. When Leithanien's future is at stake, any sacrifice is...
Gerhard	Franz, come. We need to keep going.
Ebenholz	...
[Ebenholz casts his Arts on Lessing.]
Lessing	This energy enveloping me... Did you save me?
Ebenholz	I didn't do it to save you. I just can't stand people like you, obsessed with sacrificing themselves.
Lessing	Franz... ...Ebenholz. Don't walk right into a trap.
[Lessing leaves.]
<Background stops shaking>
<Background 5>
Gerhard	Come on, Franz.
Ebenholz	What is this place...?
Gerhard	This is where the key I mentioned lies. The key capable of fundamentally changing Leithanien. A thousand years ago, sages from the various tribes came together and signed an alliance, witnessed by an all-powerful, immortal caster. This pact laid out the relationship between the tribes, established the Kurfürsten system, and set the foundation for Leithanian morality and appreciation of the arts.
Ebenholz	ou mean... the Güldenesgesatz.
Gerhard	Ja. In the centuries that followed, the Güldenesgesatz ensured Leithanien's stability. That is, until a century ago, when the Siracusans became the first to turn their backs on the Güldenesgesatz and seek independence from Leithanien. It was... a bloody conflict, lasting several years. With one part of the choir gone, the Movement became destabilized, and many regions fell into chaos. Leithanien was on the brink of collapse. In those dire circumstances, a man stepped forward. He realized that the Güldenesgesatz had to be amended. Only by removing Siracusa from the score entirely could the reborn movement unite the nine remaining regions.
Ebenholz	...The Witch King.
Gerhard	Correct, my child. What you see before you is the most mysterious chamber of Ludwigs-Universität, where House Urtica's Arts—circulated for centuries—are gathered. And where Herkunftshorn rewrote the Güldenesgesatz.
<Background 4>
Gesatzswächter	I cannot agree to your methods. Even if I were willing to believe you that the Genesis Horn truly exists, it is incapable of descending upon Zwillingstürme as it is now.
Fremont	Hmph, this is exactly why I didn't bother notifying you people. The Gesatzswächter have heads even harder than their helmets.
Gesatzswächter	Your so-called safe and controllable plan to summon the Genesis Horn has already failed. The Witch King's remnants are hiding within the campus, and with all the relics of the Witch King stored here, they will bring forth a disaster of unprecedented scale. And for now, there is only one efficient means of stopping them.
Fremont	I refuse.
Gesatzswächter	We'll evacuate all the students and university staff.
Fremont	Ludwigs-Universität contains much more of value than just its students and instructors! I've had tenure here for centuries! Can you even imagine how many precious Arts devices and enchantments there are here?
Gesatzswächter	I understand, but I ask that you please prioritize Leithanien's safet—
Fremont	Absolutely not. You say you understand, but that's far beyond your meager capabilities.
The old man's voice calms down. His habitual tongue-lashing comes to a halt. As he stares at the man in front of him, the shadow of his skinny body on the wall suddenly grows very tall, like a spire covered in vines.
Fremont	These spires are not for you to meddle with. If you dare suggest destroying them again, I'll throw all of you out at once.
Viviana	...Something isn't right. The sunset outside the window... disappeared?
Fremont	The sun's not the only thing that's gone.
[Viviana uses her Arts to touch the black area that is supposedly Fremont's shadow.]
Viviana	Ugh...
Fremont	How very brave of you.
[The old man's shadow seems to split apart into multiple copies of itself]
Fremont	However, don't even try to touch my shadow again, unless you wish to be dissolved by it.
Viviana	Herr Fremont's shadow... It's fractured into... innumerable silk strings...
Gesatzswächter	Droste. Lower your Arts. Do not probe those shadows. His true form is hidden inside. You're not yet strong enough to stare directly into his soul.
Fremont	Oh? So you've figured out who I am? Then you must also know that no one who's been thrown outside by me has ever managed to climb back alive. If you're brave enough, feel free to see for yourself. There is nothing out there whatsoever. I assure you that were you to leap outside, you wouldn't even have time to scream. Your mouths, vocal cords, and limbs would all perish in the darkness.
Viviana	I've never even heard of Arts like these.
Gesatzswächter	..."Exile." I've heard it spoken of in legends, but was never sure how much truth there was to it. Until today. You've been hiding in Leithanien for so long now. Why choose now to reveal your identity? Herr Lich?
Viviana	A Lich? You mean... Herr Fremont is a Sarkaz?
Fremont	Hoh, a Sarkaz. Aside from the immortal bastards of the Royal Court, very few these days have been able to deduce my identity. You say I've been "hiding"... That's a good way to put it, little lamb. When you put it like that, I've stayed in this country for far too long, haven't I? I never meant to hide my true identity. It's only that I've grown used to being cooped up this spire, with my head buried in the literature here. It's you people who forgot who I was. And all of you keep bothering me with Leithanien's messes. Sometimes it's the wolves bickering with the lambs. Other times, it's two deer locking antlers. Haven't you wasted enough of my time? Now scram, and tell Grimmacht that I don't care anymore. Once I've recovered what I loaned from the Genesis Horn, the Liches will be gone from Leithanien for good. And if it's not too much to ask, get the hell out of here and never set foot in my holy temple again!
Gesatzswächter	The Genesis Horn cannot be allowed to descend.
Fremont	Did you not understand a word of what I just said?
Gesatzswächter	I am no match for you. But that doesn't mean Leithanien's Gesatzswächter will give up so easily.
Fremont	And what about you, my lovely doe? Do you also seek death?
Gesatzswächter	Let her leave.
Viviana	Herr Fremon. Surely there is still room to negotiate?
[A young boy suddenly barges into the room, readying his Arts.]
Micha	You can stop trying.
Viviana	Hm? It's you.
Micha	Hello, Droste... Nein. I should call you Frau Hochberg. Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Michael, the personal envoy of Her Majesty Grimmacht.
Viviana	So you're another Empresses' Voice?
Michael	I am not. An Empresses' Voice serves both Kaiserinnen at once. While I belong only to Grimmacht.
Viviana	...Can I take that to mean that we're enemies?
Michael	The last time we met, I already told you that we might walk different paths.
Fremont	What are you dawdling around for, wolf cub? Hurry up and throw them out of here!
Michael	...Right away. Herr Reiner, Frau Hochberg. These are Grimmacht's orders. I am to assist Herr Fremont and ensure that the Genesis Horn makes its advent on Zwillingstürme.
Viviana	But why?
Michael	First, because this was Grimmacht's promise to Herr Fremont. As a show of gratitude to the Liches' contribution to Leithanien over the past millennium, and to foster a continued, long-lasting friendship, we will help Herr Fremont retrieve what once belonged to him. Second, if there's anyone who has the right to use the Genesis Horn, it can only be my liege.
Viviana	Your liege. Singular.
Gesatzswächter	...Don't let him get to you, Droste. It doesn't matter if it was Grimmacht or Ewigegnade who wished for this. There's no reason for you to get involved. House Hochberg has already sacrificed too much for the conflict between the Witch King and the Twin Empresses, and for the Güldenesgesatz. I will see you out of here safely... even if I must put my life on the line.
Viviana	......
<Background starts shaking>
Michael	What's going on?
[The building starts to creak loudly.]
Michael	Why is the spire... shaking?
Viviana	It's not the spire that's shaking. It's the ground beneath us. The shadow is fracturing. Something is trying to make its way through.
Gesatzswächter	Is there something underneath the campus's plate?
Fremont	House Urtica's secret chamber... Those stupid sheep barged into my underground space! Fremont, you fool! You've been in Leithanien for far too long. You've contracted the stupidity of these bighorn sheep!
<Background stops shaking>
<Background 5>
Gerhard	Thank goodness... The legends were true. The old man was telling the truth. All these enchantments and Arts devices... Every last one perfectly preserved. This is living history! Not even the greatest history books were able to go into such fine detail about the situation!
Ebenholz	Wait, this is...
[The Witch King remnants slink in the shadows.]
A silhouette emerges from the darkness. Followed by another, and another. Their robes, hoods, and masks have not changed at all in the past twenty years. A silhouette he could not be more familiar with emerges from the nightmare that's plagued him for his entire life, and steps right in front of him.
[A member of the remnants step forward.]
"Witch King's Echo"	Welcome back to your territory— —Graf Urtica.
[Ebenholz briefly freezes, then casts his Arts at the figures before escaping.]
Ebenholz	Professor Hoffmann!
Gerhard	What is it, Franz? Look what I just found... This is an Arts scroll that's been missing for ages! And this! It can't possibly be the brass instrument used by Herkunftshorn himself, can it? There are treasures here far more valuable than I ever imagined!
[Ebenholz suddenly winces.]
Ebenholz	My... My head... It hurts, verdammt! Why now, of all times? When it's the most dangerous...? No, I can't fall here. Professor... Hoffmann... Please go... I... I'll... protect you...
Gerhard	Franz? What in blazes are you talking about?
Ebenholz	Lessing was right. I can't keep running away. All this time, there's always been someone protecting me. All the people by my side... first it was that lady, then the respectable Gendarmerie, then Herr Czerny, and... him. All of them, more willing to sacrifice themselves than I. But this time, I'll do it. I'll kill myself here. I still have the Voice of Mundane they love so much... That should be more than enough to blow this chamber of evil to smithereens. Grab what you want... while you still can... Go... Hurry...
Gerhard	It's time you got some rest, you silly child.
Ebenholz	What... did you say?
Gerhard	My life's work is about to be realized, but how am I supposed to accomplish all this without you?
[Gerhard hits Ebenholz on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.]
<Background black>
This is the second time. Someone holds a brass instrument up high and violently strikes his head.
"Graf Urtica." Many years ago, he woke up to find himself shackled to that chair. In the ten years since, he was granted this name. He never wanted the title of Graf, and he despised the name Urtica more than anything. Even the name Franz, an old-fashioned name used by countless noble children, is something he has always loathed. In that spire standing tall in the center of the Urtica Grafschaft, he tried to escape that chair again and again. After all, it was never him that the nobles reporting on the affairs of the Grafschaft truly cared about. They knew each other well, which is why the guards only ever came early in the day, to drag him from the curtains to the chair. After a long time, he would finally be allowed to roam the spire aimlessly. Not even the guards noticed him then, until the next morning arrived. The days went by in that vicious cycle.
<Background zooms in>
If he hadn't tried to run even farther afield, hadn't thought about the other person suffering a similar fate, hadn't tried to resist, and hadn't been shown any hope whatsoever... Then perhaps he would have been bound to that chair his entire life. But then, today, he finds himself caught once again. And behind him is yet another familiar chair. Its shadow is simple, elegant, and entwined with thorns. At a single glance, it feels as if his eyes, brain, and heart have been pierced with intense pain. Even the cheers around him are similar.
It's just that, this time, they call him— "Witch King."