Liberi Reader

...The rising of the Urticas' secret chamber destroyed the original plate of Ludwigs-Universität. Coupled with the influence of Herkunftshorn's Arts, the school can no longer function normally.

For now, the Empresses' Voice have taken over the cleanup operation from the Gendarmerie. Unaffected students and faculty have been relocated to neighboring Ostendorfhof.

The cleanup will take about a week. Thereafter, they will be able to return to campus...

No need. Ludwigs-Universität's library will be relocated to Neuleopoldshof and fall under the purview of the Reichsmuseum. The other campuses and faculties will be merged into the Reichskunstakademie in Bachshof.

The Gesatzswächter will be in charge of disposing of all of the remaining plates belonging to Urtica.

But then Ludwigs-Universität will—

Ludwigs-Universität will become history.

Your Majesty...

Are you surprised?

When I received the summon, I thought—

You thought I would be Lieselotte.

My apologies.

You did well. Lieselotte thinks very highly of you.

Danke schön, Your Majesty. If you hadn't graced us with your presence yesterday...

It's behind us, no need to speak of it again.

Your Majesty... there is one other thing.

Oh?

Arturia... the wanted Sankta, I bumped into her, and she mentioned my father.

I would like to know if she had something to do with his death. If you would permit me...

We've been over this, Hochberg.

The case of the Witch King's remains stealing a copy of the Güldenesgesatz has been closed.

Brandt.

Your Majesty, you are here as well.

Have you come to see Cora?

She is currently rehearsing the Güldenesgesatz. The delay caused by the Witch King's remains has us all worried about tomorrow's performance.

Rest assured, the Movement is flawless at all times.

Cora said the same. How long have you gone without a break? Why not take a vacation after the Celebration?

You could go back to Sturmland together. Not as a Reichsorchester tuner and Gesatzswächter, but as Cora and Brandt.

......

This is a reward, not a punishment. For mopping up the Witch King's remains. You and Viviana have done fine work, and I've taken notice.

Just remember that... opportunity does not last forever. Some things must be said before it's too late.

Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reminder.

And another thing, I'll need at least twenty Gesatzswächter for tomorrow's Celebration.

What?

Does Grimmacht know about this...?

Every year, Das Kaiserinnensfest begins with Reichsorchester's performance of the Güldenesgesatz, and ends with my duet with Hildegard.

I wonder.... This year, will the people still appreciate our performance?

...I have no doubt, Your Majesty.

Could I ask you a question, Brandt?

By all means.

Assume your most prized possession has a crack in it. Would you... turn a blind eye to it? Pretend you didn't notice?

You're going to leave Zwillingstürme?

Arturia is under control. I will return to Laterano and report to His Holiness the Pope. We will subsequently seek formal legal cooperation from Leithanien.

Alright. But I should remind you... tomorrow is Das Kaiserinnensfest.

Zwillingstürme will be very lively. Young people from other regions, even other countries, will all join in the merrymaking.

Correct, I had noticed an increase in foot traffic.

And so, I want to ask... Herr Executor, won't you stay just one more day?

Please explain why I'd do that.

Um... Arturia has been apprehended, the copy of the Güldenesgesatz has been recovered, and the Witch King's remains have been more or less wiped out. It seems like everything's all taken care of, but I can't shake this uneasy feeling.

Grimmacht says I have a unique sense for danger... I mean, of course, it might just be my imagination.

For matters pertaining to internal Leithanian affairs, I suggest you confer with your empress.

She's been too busy to see me today.

So that's why you have time to escort me out of the city? I had assumed this was an official duty.

A duty? No, it's not my duty to monitor you.

And, err, having come all the way to Zwillingstürme, wouldn't you like to stay a bit longer? Make some new friends? See the sights?

Friends and sights...

Are you looking at... that coffee shop?

I could try the drink Loris recommended before I leave.

H-Herr Sankta!

You are Yulia's brother, Jan. Do you work at this coffee shop?

Ja, I need to save money so I can study abroad when I'm ready. I thought I'd never see you again.

I've heard that the executors of the Lateran Notarial Hall carry out the wills of Lateran citizens, is that right?

An acceptable summary.

And you also... solve cases?

So long as it is part of a binding document, I will do everything in my power to carry it out.

Wunderbar! Loris left me a key before he died. He said there were clues about my sister's case in his house.

But I'm not a detective after all, and wasn't sure who to give the key to.

This is the residence of Loris Bordin.

This is a home in Zwillingstürme! You've barely known Bordin for an afternoon and he left you his entire house?!

What he left me are clues to a case.

Look—The wall, the table, the drawers, everywhere.

These are all clues regarding Yulia Schüler, the girl who disappeared over ten years ago.

And... a letter.

...

Loris claimed to have accepted defeat. But actually, he never gave up on the case.

I almost forgot that you're a case-solving machine. Even if they made you a Graf and granted you the tallest spire in Zwillingstürmeshof, you'd hardly blink, would you?

A false premise, that is. There is no precedent for a Lateran saint being conferred a title by another country.

And what do you have to do with Lateran sainthood...? Are you suggesting that you, Herr Executor, bear the title of Saint?

Yes.

Like the Founders and the Popes?

I am unclear on what you mean by 'like' in this context, but nominally yes.

...I may need to reevaluate our need to monitor you, Herr Saint.

You are an 'executor' to an empress. I had assumed you had some familiarity with my background.

I thought I did too.

Do not worry. Whether or not I hold the title of saint is not particularly relevant to my work in Leithanien.

My executorial duty is to capture Arturia, as well as executing the wills of Lateran citizens.

As the Arturia case is on temporary hold, fulfilling the will of Loris Bordin is my next objective.

......

Was that... hesitation? I've never seen you hesitate before!

I still have questions about the Arturia case.

What questions?

I need to think.

It's done.

What do you mean...? What's done?

I've removed the Voice of Mundane from your head.

But...

But nothing happened, is that it? It could never summon the Genesis Horn in the first place!

It's like watching a crowd of people nervously gathering to light a fuse and blow Zwillingstürme up, only to hear a soft pop like a gloompincer's depressing fart.

But didn't you say the melody of the Witch King could open the door to the Genesis Horn?

Yes, the right melody. Do you think you can open a locked door with any old key?! Don't compare my research on Herkunftshorn with the pile of rubbish they stuffed into your brain.

Those idiots and their Infected bombing couldn't manage a thing!

Ha, 'The Voice of Mundane'... Do the people who come up with this stuff even know the difference between a proper creation and a belch?

Was it Gerhard who filled your heads with all this? Would you mind if I dug him up and knocked him around a bit more?

But they told me the Voice of Mundane housed the Witch King's avatar.

Avatar? Haha... avatar.

That'd be like me rolling my soul into a ball and tossing it into the amphitheater beneath the spire for you stupid lambs to kick about. You really think that can be done?

That's enough, boy. I'm in a bad mood, a positively rotten one. I thought by doing this one last favor for Grimmacht, I'd be able to take my things and finally be rid of this wretched place.

Who'd have thought those masked morons would make a fool of me... No, they made me a whole circus!

I should have Ermengarde look me over, see if a Lich's age has any effect on his brain.

...

He said... The Voice of Mundane is just noise.

It is certainly a melody left by the Witch King, that's true. But Gerhard and his men misunderstood its power. It isn't the key to the Witch King's legacy.

Then what about the... voice in my head?

I don't understand the Arts behind it.

The problem of the Voice of Mundane has been resolved. You may still suffer headaches and hallucinations, but I expect they won't be so bad going forward.

Just to be safe, you should stay here and rest a while. Then leave Zwillingstürme after Das Kaiserinnensfest.

So, the voice is just my imagination then?

All these years, and all of my struggles were just in my head? In the somewhat more figurative sense?

Apparently, I have nothing whatsoever to do with any grand plans of those lofty conspirators.

And to speak of killing myself before I went mad... Hah, I've been mad for a long, long time.

I don't have time to discuss this with you.

...Right.

You grandfather says that the rubbish in my head tainted the research on Herkunftshorn. So why care about me, an inferior product? Particularly after we've known that none of his power lies within me.

I can't summon a Catastrophe cloud with a wave of my hand, nor can I cleave a spire with a swing of a sword—

What do you want?

The power is still there. Since you've removed the Voice of Mundane, why not... kill me?

The Voice of Mundane is not the key, meaning I'm of no use to the Twin Empresses. Why not burn me and mine to ashes, like all the experiments of the Witch King era?

Because there is no...

...No need? Is that it?

Then what about my brother? He died. He died because of a stupid plan like... To borrow a phrase, like a gloompincer's depressing fart. Such nonsense... such irony!

He was grateful, you know, right up until he died... Grateful for our meeting, grateful for the instructor who taught him the cello.

But our meeting was exploited by Gertrude. The teacher he admired was mixed up with the Witch King's remains.

Hah, and now you tell me... you tell me the Voice of Mundane was all a wacky misunderstanding the entire time!

So we lived, died, met, parted, all for what? Where is the meaning in any of it?

Alright, if you want an answer, I'll tell you.

You're right. There was no meaning in any of it.

Set aside the Urtica name. Without the Voice of Mundane, you're nothing but a self-absorbed, self-harming, self-destructive empty shell of a pretty boy.

Perfect. You finally did it.

Now take up your Arts Unit.

Why not unwrap the bandages on your sword? That would make this execution go even smoother.

The man before me is unworthy of it.

Even now, you just have to humili—

Then fight back. Prove me wrong by your actions.

Ugh...

You loathe the bloodline of the Witch King. But have you ever sought out the victims of his persecution? To make amends, to help them, to compensate them?

You loathe the title of Graf Urtica. But have you ever looked into the safety of the commoners? Taken note of the decline of your domain, caught between the Twin Empresses and the Witch King's remains?

You lament being the only survivor. But you have not been cherishing the life ahead of you. Instead, you constantly throw yourself into danger.

You say you were a prisoner of your spire. But who, in the end, has never looked beyond his cage at anyone else?

Blood, title, duty, everything was forced upon me by fate.

I tried! I stood against it! And in the end, you tell me there was never any need to!

Why? Why did I have to go through all this when I'm nobody at all?

Our fight against fate never belonged to any of us. And so, what does the suffering we've endured... even count for?

I never received a noble's education, and I don't throw around words like 'fate.'

I only know that all the suffering is real.

I've seen street hawkers beaten by the Gendarmerie in the alleyways. I've seen old men freeze to death on the roadside after losing their farmland to the rural nobility.

They'll never see the Witch King, the Twin Empresses, or a Kurfürsten in their life. They'll never have the time or energy to contemplate fate, suffering, or meaning.

That's life in the shadow of the spires, for the great masses of Leithanien.

No one can overcome an abstract concept. If you want revenge, choose a concrete target. The Witch King, the Twin Empresses, the still living remnants.

We fight to survive. And we don't stop until our own blood or that of our enemies runs dry.

Fight...

The Witch King's legacy still exists, wherever it is. Enemies shrouded in darkness may find it at any moment, and use it to unleash suffering on the great masses once again.

You can stay in this spire and continue lamenting your 'fate,' or you can challenge me again and die by my hand.

Or... you can join me in seeking the Witch King's legacy. Help me find the true culprit, who may still be alive in some form.

Choose.

...

Would you kindly pass me my Arts Unit?

Why aren't they here?

Frau Hochberg, what is it you're looking for?

Sketches... Frieda Seemann's drawings.

Since Herr Reiner and I left, has anyone else been in this room?

Um... no suspicious individuals, meine Dame.

After you and Herr Gesatzswächter left, the Imperial casters carefully inspected the entire alley.

After confirming no traces of the Witch King's remains, and no dangerous witchcraft or items, they left.

Are the drawings you're looking for involved in some important case?

A case?

......

No.

It's merely personal. Frau Seemann's work is incredibly beautiful. It always evokes some... marigold memories in me.

Please don't alert the others though. I don't want too many people to know I've been here.

Of course! Rest assured. The Gendarmerie will never disclose your movements.

......

So lovely. Marigolds, sunlight... such beautiful things tend to inspire creativity and nurture emotion.

No wonder so many Leithanian artists love this alley. Werner von Hochberg... He was obsessed with it until the day he died.

Might you be... Frau Giallo? Weren't you taken away by Grimmacht's casters?

I'm certainly not here.

And you didn't really bump into your father back there either.

This is all in your imagination.

Is this also an effect of your Arts?

You're rather skilled in Originium Arts yourself. What do you think?

I... haven't noticed anything unusual.

People often misunderstand my Arts. The truth is, I can't do very much at all. People are just ignorant of their own hearts. Or even if they do know, they're unwilling to face themselves.

I told you the first time we met. My melodies resonate with the emotions deep inside the human heart... and once they ripple, they are hard to ignore.

It's you who wants to change your father's fate. The one talking to you now, well, I'm afraid it's you yourself.

...Is that so?

You yearn to know the cause of your father's death.

You fear that the conspiracy of the Witch King's remains is not yet through. You suspect that the farce performed at Ludwigs-Universität was just a diversion.

You wonder... if perhaps the Kaiserinnen wanted to kill the Kurfürst?

Nein.

Ah, but you see, you can't hold back the birth of this thought.

If your father were standing here, what would he do?

My father...

He wouldn't do anything.

He would accept fate's plan, and turn away.

Even though he would go on to live with endless pain and regret.

And so, what about you? Would you... do the same?

He and I...

Frau Giallo?

Do not mistaken me for that distant relative of mine. There is no need for you to brandish your Arts Unit in my direction.

...This whole area is encircled by Leithanien's finest Gendarmerie.

Who are you, Herr Sankta?

I am an executo— I work with Michael.

Michael is a good boy. I guess... I can trust you.

That went surprisingly well.

At Michael's suggestion, I would like to provide a clue regarding Arturia.

What is it?

There is a high probability that she is planning an even more serious incident.

Seniora Viviana von Hochberg, it is my hope that we can cooperate, and put a stop to her plans.