Brentwood has visibly deteriorated over the last few years.
Although Mayor West racked his brains to try to turn things around, his ideas all yielded little results. Though caravans once visited in droves, none of them are willing to visit this forgotten town any more.
Everyone has been suffocating thanks to the ever-approaching war and the worsening situation in Londinium.
Two weeks ago, all of us gathered at the top of the town hall tower and saw a Catastrophe cloud rising into the sky in Londinium's direction.
Mayor West hesitated for half a day, and gave up on sending a team to Londinium to find out what happened. There were only the rumors that 'war has broken out.'
It was only when the Sarkaz came that the town regained its former 'vigor.' They hired all of us with food.
Everyone scrambled to line up for work day after day, and gave everything their all in exchange of the limited food there is. We're all very industrious. In a few short weeks, the thing that they had us build is already starting to take shape.
With the promise of survival dangling in front of us, we strained to forget how Mr. West died.
If there's no one working the farms anymore...
Then what is the harvest festival that everyone is so looking forward to actually celebrating?
Magdelene
Will, they're coming this way. Wake up!
Sarkaz Supervisor
......
Freda
Dammit, Will... I told you not to drink so much!
Freda
Sir, this man broke the rules. I'll be taking him to confinement to reflect on what he's done.
Sarkaz Supervisor
Looks like you enjoy the power we've granted you, Feline.
Freda
I... I just don't want anyone to break the rules we agreed on.
Sarkaz Supervisor
Hmph, I can tell you're trying to protect him. Childish tricks.
Sarkaz Supervisor
You'd best remember how your unlucky father died.
Sarkaz Supervisor
His Highness is willing to overlook your disrespectful attitude before. That alone is your greatest reward.
Sarkaz Supervisor
What we need now are honest workers. It's that simple.
Will
I... It won't happen again, sir. I swear!
Sarkaz Supervisor
That's right. Your legs should be shaking.
Sarkaz Supervisor
Don't worry. You'll live. If you were dead, I'd have to find a *Sarkaz profanity* to do your job.
Freda
I'll keep an eye on him. I promise there will be no delays.
Sarkaz Supervisor
Better not be. I don't care who picks up his slack, as long as one of you does.
Magdelene
......
Sarkaz Supervisor
Not you.
Sarkaz Supervisor
Now get back to your posts. I don't want the boss to chew me out.
Magdelene
......
Sarkaz Supervisor
Scram.
Freda
Magdelene, please. Let me take care of him. He'll sober up in confinement.
Will
I'm sober! I wouldn't dare fall behind on the schedule they set.
Freda
Wait till you can stand before you act tough. If you pass out at the work site, I won't be able to save you.
Freda
*sigh*... I shouldn't have given you the keys to the warehouse yesterday.
Freda
Are these flowers... for me?
Will
Hah, of course not.
Will
I got them to mourn Mr. West.
Magdelene
......
Freda
......
Freda
You didn't see the notice I put out today?
Magdelene
He had too much to drink yesterday, so...
Will
Sorry, Freda... I was only going to have a little sip—
Will
—but that bastard Tom started spouting nonsense. He says you're a haughty traitor riding the devils' coattails!
Freda
......
Will
We're managing to get by these days only because you kowtowed to the devils.
Will
Old Henk and I were proper pissed off. We challenged the bastard to some drinking games, but we got careless and didn't stop, *hic*—
Freda
What they think doesn't matter.
Freda
Never mind. Give me the flowers. Let me thank you in my father's place.
Magdelene
Maybe we could hold a ceremony for Mr. West in the warehouse he was secretly making his preparations in.
Magdelene
The Sarkaz rarely go there.
Freda
Thanks, Magdelene.
Freda
My guess is that you got the flowers. He's not smart enough.
Freda
But you should go back. I just heard... a group of outsiders appeared in the village a few days ago. Not the dukes' army, but they are armed.
Freda
The Sarkaz are afraid someone in town could help them. They'll start today's search ahead of schedule.
Magdelene
So early?
Will
What is she running that fast for? Is she in a rush?
Freda
For your own good, I suggest you stop bothering her so much.
Freda
She has her own troubles to take care of. Now go. Sober up in confinement. *sigh*...
Very good. That'll help you to remember your work hours and not to leave your post.
He's got mud on his hands.
Did he turn my daisies' soil?
Royal Court Junior Officer
I didn't give my subordinates permission to muck around with your greenhouse—
Royal Court Junior Officer
Hmph, you might as well just search out in the open. No need to be so cautious about me.
Royal Court Junior Officer
Or are you trying to look for these?
Magdelene
......
Phew, good thing it's just those seeds.
Royal Court Junior Officer
These seeds are not on my list of approved transactions.
Royal Court Junior Officer
I don't care how you got your hands on these, but I suggest you knock it off with the stupid ideas.
Royal Court Junior Officer
From today onwards, we'll deal with any suspicious individuals directly.
Royal Court Junior Officer
Why am I even telling you this?
Royal Court Junior Officer
Anyway, you'd better stay in line. Don't do anything stupid.
It's so quiet, it's eerie.
Should I turn around and look?
Royal Court Junior Officer
I like the flowers you're growing, these 'roses.' We don't have them in Kazdel.
Royal Court Junior Officer
There's a battle. I need to leave town, and I won't be back so often anymore.
Magdelene
......
Royal Court Junior Officer
You must be happy about that.
Royal Court Junior Officer
Send these flowers to my tent later, Gardener. This coin is my down payment.
Magdelene
......
Royal Court Junior Officer
One last word of advice. Don't go near the work site at the center of the town.
These scary men are interested in such fragile flowers?
Magdelene
Oh! My roses...
The white petals are stained in red blood.
Was his hand pricked by the roses' thorns?
He didn't feel any pain?
Weird Sarkaz.
Magdelene
Oh no!
Magdelene
It's safe now! Are all of you okay?
Feist
Phew—Free at last. It's such a tight squeeze inside!
Rockrock
Easy. You were just about ready to fight him, weren't you?
Feist
I know we can't bring trouble so soon—
Magdelene
Sorry, Rockrock...
Magdelene
And...
Feist
I'm Feist.
Magdelene
I didn't expect them to start looking so early today. I heard there's a group of... 'armed militants' outside the town.
The two of them look at each other.
Rockrock
We're sorry for all the trouble.
Rockrock
Magdelene, right? Things here are a little not like what we expected.
Rockrock
The situation is a bit... awful, I suppose? But there's a surface-level 'peace' maintained here.
Rockrock
Do the villagers serve the Sarkaz?
Feist
Rockrock!
Although the face of the young man named Feist shows many signs of battle weathering, I can nonetheless see a fearless courage in his clear eyes.
Rockrock seems to be his partner. I can imagine the two of them fighting alongside each other.
It's been some time since I saw such zealous vigor in this town.
Magdelene
It's not a problem. It's true... Our town is working for the Sarkaz. Normal for Rockrock to be having doubts.
Magdelene
You told me you were refugees...
Magdelene
I'm guessing you must be more than refugees who escaped Londinium, seeking supplies?
Feist
Sorry about that. We didn't tell you who we were before.
Feist
We're with the Londinium Citizens' Self-Salvation Corps.
Magdelene
Londinium... But what are you doing here?
Rockrock
Hm, it's a long story, and we'll have time to talk more about that.
Rockrock
But first, could you tell me what the Sarkaz are building in the center of the town?
Rockrock
Kal—Our consultant is worried about what's being built here. Feist and I have tried getting closer to the area, but the Sarkaz are guarding the place very tightly.
Feist
We could only see a giant blood-red crystal.
Feist
It's much bigger than all the other ones that we've seen in both scale and complexity.
Magdelene
You mean... the thing we are building here isn't unique to this place?
Rockrock
We believe this is one of the Sarkaz's combat Arts Circles, but Brentwood's might be more special than that.
Feist
Our forces are planning to strike this place. Our fighters are... not in the best of shape right now, but with your help—
Magdelene
......
War.
Ever since the news came that the dukes have made it here, more and more of the town's residents have been talking about that ever-distant war.
But they only ever let their imaginations run wild lamentably away from the Sarkaz's view.
They only ever boast in their drunkenness, that the dukes' fleets will follow the routes they whimsically draw on maps to save Victoria.
They fantasize about how the Sarkaz will run away from Brentwood as they shout their rallying cries.
But what exactly is war?
I can't see any of it whatsoever in this quiet, Sarkaz-controlled town.
I don't want to ever see it, either.
Magdelene
The Sarkaz... are going to be leaving very soon. There's nothing that they could want in our town.
Magdelene
Feist, Rockrock, you two should be on your way soon. It's dangerous for outsiders to be here.
Magdelene
You can take the alley behind the greenhouse. The Sarkaz don't patrol that area.
Feist
Even though Brentwood isn't at the forefront of the conflict between the dukes and the Sarkaz... the situation here isn't normal at all.
Feist
Whether it's the change in the movement of supplies to Brentwood for the last couple years, the almost intentionally ignored geographical location, and the enormous Arts node you're building.
Feist
Where are these Originium crystals from? How did the Sarkaz come up with such a detailed plan in such a short time?
Feist
This is a little embarrassing, but we still don't know what exactly the Sarkaz are trying to do.
Feist
That's not a good thing...
Feist
Magdelene, if you could help persuade everyone to help, we still have a chance to stop them.
Feist
Even if it's just helping us figure out the situation of the Sarkaz garrison stationed here—
???
You can stop hiding.
Freda
Hello, Self-Salvation Corps.
Rockrock
(Feist, the evacuation route we were planning to take is still open.)
Feist
(Let's see how this plays out. We can't give up on this chance to get them on our side.)
Feist
(If Dr. Kal'tsit's right, what the Military Commission is planning here... has to be extremely important.)
Freda
Relax. I was just passing by, and thought I would thank my friend.
Freda
Magdelene, Will said he forgot to say thank you, and asked me to thank you in his stead.
Magdelene
......
Freda
*sigh*... He's always had those unrealistic fantasies ever since he was a kid.
Rockrock
(This doesn't feel quite right.)
Rockrock
(It sounds like Will is the drunkard who almost opened the cupboard we were hiding in?)
Feist
(Shh... Let's not get into that.)
Magdelene
*cough*... Freda, I'll leave these two Self-Salvation Corps members to you.
Magdelene
Do you need me to fill you in on their situation?
Freda
No need. I heard everything outside.
Feist
Freda... the mayor—
Freda
The Mayor of Brentwood was my father. He's dead.
Freda
Fortunately... he's the only one who lost his life in this town so far.
Freda
But I'm afraid I have to turn down your request.
Magdelene
......
Freda
I respect your bravery to stand up against them... but I can't put all of the town's residents at risk.
Freda
My father had the same idea, and he's already paid the price. Resistance would only bring unnecessary sacrifice.
Freda
The Sarkaz camp is not far from the main entrance to the greenhouse. For your safety, please leave quickly.
Freda
Brentwood will take care of its own.
Freda
Peace doesn't come easy and... I... I'm afraid of breaking it once more.
Rockrock
Freda, don't you see the problem in that?
Freda
They made me a promise. They'll leave as soon as their plan is completed—
Rockrock
You trust the Sarkaz's word?
Freda
I have to.
Rockrock
......
Feist
Rockrock, let's go.
Rockrock
Feist!
Feist
Mayor Freda, we'll working in the surrounding area. We... We're waiting to rendezvous with our other teams.
Feist
If you need assistance or... if things take a turn for the worse, you can find us there. That's our promise.
Freda
Self-Salvation Corps...
Freda
Magdelene, I...
Freda
No, never mind.
Freda and I don't actually know each other too well. She has always been fairly asocial.
If it wasn't for Will making all kinds of excuses to drag Freda here to buy flowers from me, I likely would never have even known her.
Perhaps, like everyone else, I would've seen her as a crazed lunatic who's slaving away for the Sarkaz and dragged everyone else into that along with her.
I could even have forgotten that she's the same age as me.
Magdelene
You did save all of us after Mr. West gave his life.
Freda
Hmph, I traded everyone's freedom for it.
Freda
Someone has to be the villain.
Freda
I'm too afraid to give up, even if it only buys everyone a small chance to survive.
Freda
At the very least... the Sarkaz's leader here... the officer who comes to your greenhouse doesn't kill for fun like the Sarkaz in the rumors. And so, I'd rather keep things the way they are.
Freda
To be honest... I don't know what I should believe myself.
Freda
Magdelene, I'm really jealous of you.
Freda
Please forgive Will's stubbornness. He's just being childish.
Magdelene
I've never been mad at him.
Freda
Have you received the seeds I secretly bought for next year's celebration?
Magdelene
There were some setbacks, but I have them.
Freda
That's good. Hopefully they will lead to the most beautiful flowers by the time the next year's harvest festival is here.
Freda
Father planned for this festival for a long time, and I don't want to see his efforts go to waste.
