Liberi Reader

Wh-What the hell is that?

The Witch King's Spire...? Is that the Witch King's Spire?!

The Witch King is back. That terrifying tyrant... that evil caster... He's back!

Stop, don't turn back. Don't push—

Hahaha, where would you even run? This is the punishment that the great Herkunftshorn is laying down on us. Burn! Burn!

What are you doing? You're attracting the flames!

It's all over anyway. Why even bother lying to ourselves anymore, pretending to have dignity?

Put out the fire! Put it out!

In formation—

No, it's coming this way, the entire school is— There's no stopping it!

......

Herr Gesatzswächter, the curtain isn't going to hold.

The students are all trying to escape. We can't stop them. Everyone has seen the spire. Sooner or later, the news will spread. Should we...

Nein.

Lower the curtain. Concentrate all your energy on dealing with the black flames.

It's not working!

This assault was more than enough to decimate a vanguard of Kazimierzian campaign knights.

Herkunftshorn's enchantments are not so easily removed.

As the legend goes, the way he used Arts was fundamentally different from other casters. During the Battle of the Witch King's Spire years ago, only the Kaiserinnen were able to perform their melodies unimpeded. All other casters' Arts failed.

...That spire.

We must lay siege to it, and take care of the problem at its source.

Brandt.

Do you hear that? The lightning has stopped.

......

She's here! We're saved!

Everyone, defend.

Herkunftshorn's shadow will no longer be permitted to shroud Leithanian soil.

Especially not that of a fake.

We're certainly dealing with a fake, but... it's really quite remarkable how easily his expectations were shattered.

A shame she's just like her blond twin. Their souls were molded by Arts enchantments, and I'm afraid there are few ripples that I can perform with.

It's over.

What your plans were for the Gesatzswächter is now irrelevant. You have failed.

Is that so?

Federico, you are as impatient as ever. The climax of a piece is never its end.

I'll be waiting for you at the end of the stairs.

What... just happened? The chamber rose... and then...

I grabbed you and jumped.

That's right. You jumped without hesitation, without even checking on your poor old grandfather.

There's no way anything would happen to you.

You heartless little runt.

Grimmacht really didn't hold back with her sword. If I hadn't pulled you two out in time, you'd have been buried in the dirt alongside all those masked men.

What about Gerhard...?

Is he dead?

He ran.

But he won't get far. His body can't withstand Herkunftshorn's Arts. He will collapse in no time, like an Infected with rapidly deteriorating symptoms.

Huff... hah...

*cough*... Haha... so my body... really cannot become the Genesis Horn's vessel.

This sound...

Hello, Herr Scholar.

You were... waiting for me?

Correct. I visited this school just for you.

If you don't mind me asking... Would you be willing to allow my melody to accompany you, as you reach the end of your life?

Danke. To a Leithanian, there is nothing more romantic than... dying to the sound of beautiful music.

My only regret is that Grimmacht came too soon, and I didn't get to meet Herkunftshorn.

He didn't awaken, and there was no one to answer my question. If he was truly so great, then why... why was he killed by mere men like us? And why must I carry the burden of that decision?

In the end, you remain tormented by regret.

But Herr Scholar, you have never truly been free. Why must you feel regret over past decisions?

I'm... not free?

Your tattered, weary heart is now laid bare before me.

I can feel everything you feel. On the night of the battle at the Spire, your heart was filled with spite toward the tyrant. But aside from that... there was also doubt.

Of course. The man I was about to kill, Herkunftshorn, was the rightful ruler of Leithanien.

Then, what planted the seeds of that emotion?

You mean... what influenced me to think that?

Are you implying that someone was telling me to look up to Leithanien's king?

I've visited many places and collected a variety of music. I found that although each of them has a unique style, they all share some commonalities in their origin. And Leithanien's in particular is the most classical of them all.

This country was born... from a Movement. A melody blending together ten tribes with different cultures. When language proves to be a barrier, music is the only means to communicate.

But why is that? Why would different wills produce similar experiences from the same melody?

Is there some kind of... power, binding both you and us?

Right.

Why do conflict and crisis always repeat in an endless spiral...? Why is it so hard to change Leithanien?

I know. Your music is telling me that I've always known. It's just that that power... it keeps me from finding it!

The answer is in my hands. My teacher never lied to me.

......

The golden melody... Leithanien's will... All of us Leithanians are trapped!

Haha... So it's true. I've never really had a choice.

It wasn't my fault.

It wasn't my fault!

Thank goodness.

......

Stay quiet for a moment. I want to let his emotions... linger at my fingertips for a little longer.

I've heard that you call yourself an executioner. You've witnessed so many deaths, but have you ever truly touched the last bout of emotion that bursts forth at their final moments?

An executor is more concerned with the deceased's last testament.

You make the living believe that their wills will be carried out even after death, while I allow their most splendid emotions to live on in music.

Both of us substantiate the meaning of having lived. We just go about it in different ways.

I am here to execute my mission and nothing more. I have no need to listen to a sinner's sophistry.

*sigh* We're family, and haven't seen each other for so long. Can't you at least hold a proper conversation, Federico? Who's to say I won't die tomorrow?

You intentionally put yourself in danger. It would not be entirely surprising if you did.

I wouldn't find it surprising either.

We're all bound to die. When we do, our bodies give nutrients back to the land and become a part of new life. This is the meaning of our flesh. It's the circle of life.

But what about the meaning of our wills? When our consciousness fades, they will return to chaos.

So what separates the living from the dead, one person from another, and us from the sunset and the breeze?

It's our emotions, Federico.

If there is meaning to our lives outside of our bodies, if there truly is something that can resist the destined chaos...

Then it is only this very moment, all that I feel, and the melody transmuted from those feelings.

That's why, as long as I still breathe, I can't stop playing.

I am required to apprehend wanted criminals, but if necessary, I can also pull the trigger.

Oh, I don't doubt that.

It'll happen one day, and there's no doubt that it will be Federico Giallo who kills Arturia Giallo. But do you think that daylight can kill the dark night, order can kill chaos, and reason can kill emotion?

Layering metaphors cannot cover up the essential truth.

You are a criminal, and I am an executor. I pursue you in order to fulfill the contract that is my duty.

You believe uncertainty to be a kind of emotion. That's why you're always seeking answers through rational analysis. But it's not your rationality that's led you to me again and again. It's your confusion.

You saw and heard it yourself. Today, countless lives were lost in chaos.

If only you'd followed my advice and given up on me, instead lending your aid to that envoy of the Empress... With your skills, and how sharp you are, you could've easily found the one hiding in the shadows, manipulating the chaos.

But again and again, you choose to prioritize looking for me.

You are where my duty lies. I will not regret my decision.

I know you won't.

But look. Now you've caught me.

So... satisfy my curiosity, Federico. Do you feel no satisfaction, right this very moment?

......

Seize her.

So you people came too.

Recover the Güldenesgesatz as well.

Arturia is my target.

Herr Federico Giallo, Executor of the Lateran Curia's Fifth Tribunal.

It's extremely likely that the Sankta before you has committed what amounts to the highest offense in Leithanien. She must come with us for our investigation.

I thought the Gendarmerie was in charge of the upcoming inquest.

It's the Kaiserin's orders to take Arturia.

Does that mean that you cannot guarantee Arturia will be dealt with according to the law?

As I said, these are the Kaiserin's orders.

I have sent a total of twenty-seven explanatory letters, in addition to repeating my mission objective to the now-deceased officer-in-charge, Loris Bordin.

In that case—

Frau Jonas.

Would it be possible for Herr Executor to participate in Arturia's interrogation?

That's not part of my orders. To Leithanien, Arturia is a most dangerous criminal. No one is to be allowed anywhere near her without Her Majesty's explicit permission.

Then I—

That includes you.

What?

Let's go.

Will we meet again, Federico, before my consciousness fades away?

......

Jonas... They call her the cruelest executor in Grimmacht's Spire.

How did she get here so fast? Did Grimmacht... I'll talk to her. I...

Herr Executor... Don't you want to chase after them?

If Leithanien can ensure that Arturia will never commit a crime again, my highest priority mission objective will be considered complete.

However, as she said, I feel no satisfaction in this.

......

Frau... Droste?

Pym? Why are you still here?

Ha... Haha... I'm in pretty bad shape. At least this way I won't be a bother to the kids.

You were burned by the black flames. Half your body is...

It's fine.

I'm glad I got to see you again. By seeing you, I can at least confirm that I haven't turned into some kind of monster that walks even in death.

The disaster's been averted, right?

The Empresses' Voice, the Gesatzswächter... they're all here, right? Are the Witch King's remains all dead, and the students safe?

I suppose so.

Hm. It's strange. I saw the captain just now.

Herr Loris Bordin...?

He said I did pretty well, and did the Gendarmerie proud. Once the ceremony's over, my mother will get the Kaiserin's black-gold medal.

But that's only for those who've fallen...

It's hopeless for me, right?

I don't want to lie to you.

Meine Dame, when I see you looking at me like that... It doesn't hurt so much anymore.

Your candlelight... is so warm.

When I first got to Zwillingstürme, I nearly gave up. I couldn't keep up with how exhausting the training was, day after day. Only when I saw that tiny light you held in the arena, lighting up every one of my... my...

......

Auf Wiedersehen, Pym.

May this candlelight accompany you as you drift into eternal slumber.

Grimmacht's envoy said she's just up ahead.

Step aside, Cora. Let me take care of the rubble here first.

Let me do it. You've already...

Wait. These footsteps...

Viviana!

Frau Löwenstein... Herr Reiner...

...Good.

......

Meine Herr?

Let him get some rest. Raising the curtain by force took its toll on his body.

But... he's still standing.

He'd never let himself collapse in front of so many.

Brandt's really worn himself out, all these years.

Before the battle, he saw me as my father.

That's always weighed heavily on his mind.

Twenty-three years ago, House Hochberg suffered great losses at the Witch King's Spire, and because of his position as a Gesatzswächter, Brandt wasn't able to come to their aid in time.

Because of that, Ernst, his closest friend and the heir to the Hochbergs, perished in battle... That's also why your father Werner had to succeed him as Kurfürst.

The remorse he felt toward Ernst and Werner has been eating away at his soul all this time. And today, when forced to choose between destroying Sonata Spire and saving you, he chose you.

I never imagined...

I knew he'd make that choice.

I'd have done the same.

I was so scared back there... I'm prepared to make any sacrifice, if necessary. But you... Not you.

I'm glad we didn't lose you.

...I'm one of the lucky ones. On my way here, I came across many who've passed away.

I did my best, but I wasn't able to rescue everyone.

The casters will figure out how to eliminate the black flames. The victims will be taken care of.

Things will get better.

They won't have suffered for nothing. This place will be completely different tomorrow.

I'll make sure you get to see that for yourself, Viviana.

I promise.

What a beautiful sunrise.

(Humming)

Barrier.

Mm... Mmm? Hm...

We know a thing or two about your Arts, Meine Dame.

Now, neither you nor your cello are capable of making a sound.

—

(Silent humming)

You made up your mind.

The Voice of Mundane... I've been dying to have someone take it away. If you've no plans to use it as a bomb, then be my guest.

So you finally believe me?

I... admit I owe you an apology. And a word of thanks. If it wasn't for you, then I might not be Ebenholz right now, but some other thing.

But please, spare me all this nonsense about 'trust' or what have you. I'd rather not see you pounce on me and knock me out with your sword the moment I spit out the words 'I trust you.'

I wasn't planning to. For now.

...Well, that's nice.

Someone's playing the cello.

They're mourning the victims with music.

It was just like this when I first met Gerhard.

He told me that... through music, the wills of the dead are carried on through us.

He was so quiet and gentle. I really thought he was...

I'm an idiot, aren't I?

I couldn't even see through their masks. I couldn't even see... who was controlling my life.

How I wish I could be more like... No matter how many obstacles he encountered, he never lost hope. He even smiled as he...

...

This piece...

What's wrong?

Who's playing the cello up there?!

The dormitory isn't far. Maybe a student?

That's impossible.

Calm down. We can't expose ourselves yet.

It's exactly the same... How could it be exactly the same?!

......

Where did you learn to play like that?

Huh? I'm nothing special, really.

Not your technique, you fool, your emotions! Where did you learn to play this cello piece almost exactly like he did?!

I...

No one else played like him. I checked over and over. After he died, I've been to so many places and listened to even more musicians play that same piece!

Who was your teacher?!

Um... Arturia. My teacher's name is Arturia.

Is she a Sankta? A Sankta with very long hair, who dresses plainly?

Do you know her too? I saw her just today. She told me to keep practicing here, without worrying about the sounds outside.

...Without worrying about the sounds?

That Sankta... Is she a remnant of the Witch King too?!

N-No, that's impossible. She's very kind.

Where is she? I need to see her. I need to question her myself! I...

Ugh!

Another headache?

Did you know, Lessing? He and I... Everything in our lives was given to us by others. Our pain, our joy... our despair.

So if even our hope...

Even our hope...

I don't know if I actually want that answer.

Have you thought it through?

Hohoh, what is there to think about? The school was burnt down by Herkunftshorn's embers. I could miss it all I want, but that wouldn't bring it back.

I've forgotten... How long have I been in Leithanien? Five hundred years? Longer?

When I first got here, there was nothing. No nomadic cities, no spires, no nobles. Hah, back then, everyone lived in the forests by the lakes. They lit fires to eat, and used rocks to shelter from the wind.

To us, a few decades are more than though for a city to rise and fall, a man to go from young to old, or a pair of close companions to have a falling out and go their separate ways.

That's right. It's been but an instant since this place went from Vedunien to Zwillingstürme. I wonder what the city will be called next.

And when that lamb with the rotten luck and a brain full of nothing but melodies is taken care of, I'll fulfill my promise to you. After that, I think I'll take a stroll around town.

And once that's done...

We'll leave.

Tell the nobles they can have a good night's sleep, for once.

I've already explained it to them, long ago.

Explained what? That Liches aren't like Vampires and don't get involved with Military Commission business, so they can rest easy that this place won't be the next Londinium?

Do you really believe they simply don't understand, Grimmacht?

And are you really so whimsically unaware of who stands behind those nobles that want to chase the Liches out?

......

You two can deal with the fallout afterwards.

The Liches have indeed stayed here for far too long. Knowledge should never have taken the side of any one nation or race.

Do you even know how many Leithanian terms our brats use in their writing these days? It's absolutely outrageous!

We should've left when Herkunftshorn bought the farm.

This... is just a belated farewell.