"Imperial Nelpha." "A large, historic land located to the west of the Roland Empire." "They used to fight frequently with Roland, but the current Nelphan emperor, Gread, has worked towards domestic enrichment and has built a solid reputation as a good king." "Within the land are many ruins from past ages." "Among them are many which are believed to hold connections to hero relics." "There are too many." "I can't do this!" "So tired..." "Sleepy..." "Hungry..." "I can't spot any dango shops." "["dango" = rice dumpling]" "Hey, you." "Go buy me some dango." "Why should I?" "Because the stock I brought is starting to crack." "That's not an answer!" "Besides, I've had it." "No investigating ruins or dango for me." "Let's get some rest in one of these inns." "An inn?" "!" "Aha." "So that's your modus operandi." " Eh?" " I've read all about it." "A man invites a woman to an inn." "It goes like..." ""I won't do a thing, okay?" "I'm just a little tired, so I'm getting some sleep."" ""Really?" "You really won't do anything?"" "Then, when they reach the inn, the man becomes a wild beast, and goes..." ""Mwahaha!" "Time to eat!"" "He runs rampant and wild!" "I think your imagination is what's running wild." "Indeed." "A master degenerate like you who attacks women both young and old would never take such a roundabout approach." "Who are you calling a master degenerate?" "!" "Now then, playtime is over." "We're visiting the Nelpha Royal Library, aren't we?" "That was... play?" "Just now?" "Yup." "I just got played." "Staying asleep" "Losing sight of you" "It makes me want to break everything right now" "If I can't hear the words I yearn for again" "I'd carelessly offer my life" "Desires that cuddle" "With a fading light" "It's lonely" "Will the morning sun come before me?" "Answer me" "Is there a love that binds us?" "Stand and face the despair we invited" "The wills of the people" "Born and destroyed" "Choose the future and open the lock" "This is a pretty impressive place." "It should be full of good material about hero relics." "Quite." "Get your searching done quickly, then." "Now, hold on!" "Can't you offer some words a little more encouraging than that?" "I mean, even if visual appeal is all you've got..." "Er, uh..." "Gosh, I suddenly feel incredibly motivated!" "I swear I'll kill her one day." "Wait!" "Hey, you barbarians!" " Barbarians?" " Darn right!" "There will be no permitting of barbaric, dangerous people entering this sacred font of knowledge!" "Well, I suppose she doesn't exactly dress like the library type." "Well, I suppose if a sex fiend was armed, they would be extremely dangerous." "I think your outfit is posing more of a problem here." "A beautiful person may wear whatever they like without posing problems." "Just kidding." "You pass!" "You pass!" "For beautiful people, there are no problems." "Come, come inside!" "Hey!" "Why is it only okay for her?" "You little brat!" "What are you doing?" "That little brat was the one who ran into me!" "Now my suit's all dirty!" "I want some compensation!" " Let go!" " Let go of Brother Toale!" " Ibel, Telura, run!" " Get out of the way!" " Thank..." " Phew, that was close." "Ah, there it is!" "That thing you're holding." "That's the book I wanted to look up." "That was a close call!" "What's your problem?" "!" "Say." "That book, could you..." "That was close, little girl." "That man is a habitual criminal, an abductor of young girls." "You little..." "Who are you people?" "L-Lord Toale!" "Wow, this is great." " Toale, get me all the books on that shelf." " Understood." "Now then, let's get this done..." "That hurt, Ferris!" "Hey!" "What nerve, ordering him around so casually!" "Don't get uppity!" "Lord Toale is the grandson of Lord Gread Nelphi, Emperor of Imperial Nelpha himself!" "Oh, Toale." "Get that black one up there, too." " This one?" " Yeah, that's the one." "That should be everything." "Are you even listening to me?" "!" "Please just leave it at that, Uncle Gainel." "B-But, if you let random nobodies order you around like this, it will bring shame to the name of Imperial Nelpha!" "Not showing gratitude to a rescuer would shame the Nelpha name far more." "Besides, I was born after my father's dalliances here and there." "I'm an abandoned child." "I'm not someone who needs to be elevated." "Because my mother was of lowborn descent, my siblings and I are confined to a single estate." "That's the kind of people we are." "B-But, sir, everyone in the land considers Nelpha's future and finds you far more suited than Sir Starnel to..." "Speak no further, Gainel." "First off, I am no such vessel." "Ryner, are there any other books you need?" " Sure." "Just get that shelf there." " Yes, sir." "Hey, this book up here!" "All right, come on." "Up you go." "I see what you mean." "He does seem a little like Sion." "Such a shame..." "Lord Toale and his siblings are all abandoned, without even proper parents..." "I doubt that." " Okay, what we're looking for starts here..." " At the very least, to those kids..." "What do you know?" "!" "What do you know?" "That should do it for the Saeles River flood control works plan." "The problem is Lord Beryl's territorial development..." "Sir Astal!" " What's wrong, Fiole?" " Don't "What's wrong" me!" "How many hours will you continue working?" "You still haven't touched your meal at all!" "Sorry, sorry." "By the way, how is the issue with Lord Kriade's tax payments coming?" "I've already drawn up a report on it." "However, I will certainly not show it to you until you eat this meal!" "You're quite good, Fiole." "I knew I was right to call you here." "That's because it's the best way I have to repay you." "If I hadn't met Your Majesty then, my sister and I would both be..." "I sometimes wonder if someone of my low standing deserves such happiness..." "That's where you're wrong." "It has nothing to do with standing." "People should all be equally happy no matter who they are." "Of course, such a world can never normally come to pass." "But what's most important is to never give up." "To never give up?" "Just because your standing is low..." "Don't give up so easily." "No matter who looks down upon you, you're never alone." "You're certain to have many allies." "I am truly glad that you became king of this land." "Wh-What's this, all of a sudden?" "Come now, please." "Eat your meal, and have a nap." "After all, there's a ball tonight!" "All right." "But Fiole, take this weekend off." "But, I'm..." "For your sister." "Go see her." "Thank you very much." "Hey, now." " What's with the brooding face?" " Claugh." "Mingling with the nobility is one of the king's biggest jobs, isn't it?" "You just want to go, yourself." "Claugh is certainly a handful, with his love of women." "Calne." "Why don't you go pay this so-called Mrs. Pearl a visit?" " What?" "!" " Okay, I get it." "Go wherever you like." "Sir!" "Those two, I swear..." "They could stand to learn from Fiole, just a bit." "Your Highness!" "Don't stay in such a little cranny." "Come out towards the center!" "Ah, Lord Beryl and Lord Pearl." "I hope you're enjoying yourselves?" "I am as dazzled as always by the splendor of the parties Your Majesty holds." "This must be yet another of our young king's natural talents." "Not at all." "My seat on the throne is thanks to all of your strength." "Count Klausberr and Duke Stearied." "Those at the heart of the anti-king faction send their henchmen at me and refuse to come out themselves." "Sion." "Claugh." "What is it?" "A report just came from a guardsman." "Fiole's been... murdered." "Fiole?" "Oh, yes." "Wasn't he the commoner Your Majesty recently appointed as secretary?" "A murder, of all things!" "Well, on the bright side, at least the one killed was a commoner." "Quite right." "After all, if a noble were to be killed, it would be a major problem!" "Sion..." "I suppose so." "It truly is a relief that the one killed was a commoner." "Wretches." "It's my fault." "It's my fault!" "Again, because my power isn't enough!" "Stop it, Sion." "I'm sorry." "I won't do it again." "Eslina..." "Sorry for taking so long to respond." "But your brother is relieved to see you doing so well." "When I receive letters from you, I always feel inspired to do better." "Besides, I'm blessed with the boss I have." "Sir Astal, the King, is incredible." "He deals with commoners like me on equal terms." "He truly puts this kingdom first in his mind." "Claugh." "Take care of the funeral and burial arrangements." "Calne, see to Eslina's safety..." "before the nobles reach her." "Sir." "What a fool you are." "Don't praise me so highly." "Not when I have such little power..." "Not when I can't protect anything..." "Fiole..." "Sorrow." "Hatred." "Anger." "Regret." "Revenge." "Giving up." "If you desire retribution, I'll assist you." "Shall we slaughter them all?" "I'm quite good at that, you know." "No, not yet." "Now is not the time." "Can you endure until then?" "I'll endure." "Besides, if I chose retribution now..." "Wouldn't you have killed me?" "After all, there's no need for an incompetent king, a king who doesn't grasp the times, or a king with a weak heart." "I swear..." "The two of you, on your carefree journey..." "It makes me a little jealous." "Brother took my candy!" " Give it back!" " No way!" "Come on, now, no fighting!" " Hey, no running!" " Sorry about this, Toale." "Crashing at your place like this, I mean." "Oh, it's fine." "You can see how we are here." "One or two more people is no big deal." "Hm?" "What's this pie?" "The lady at the general store brought it." "She said to do your best and not to lose against that fool of a crown prince." "You get it rough too, huh?" "Everyone seems to have their own views, but we're doing fine just the way we are." "Between Sion and Toale, it's tough all over for royalty..." "You wild beast!" "Prepare yourself!" " Wait!" " I'll protect my sister!" "What are you doing?" " Sister!" " Iris?" "Sister, Iris came to save you!" "You went missing all of a sudden, it had me so worried!" "I see." "I apologize for that." "Sister?" "So this is Ferris's little sister?" " Isn't she pretty like me?" " Ooh, ooh, and Brother Sion..." "He said that you had been taken by a wicked wild beast, and that you were on a journey to find the greatest dango of all!" "So Iris, um, became Brother Sion's special person in charge of carrying information!" "So basically, this girl is our point of contact with Sion?" "Iris is great, right?" "Right?" "Quite." "But you're missing something." "I know!" "Here." "A Wynnit dango combination set!" " 100 points." " Hooray!" "Iris scored 100 points!" "Isn't that great?" "Isn't it?" "Ah, sure." "That's great, huh?" "Oh, no!" "I forgot that talking to a wild beast would get me pregnant!" "That's right." "I'm sorry, Iris." "I..." "I held a conversation with that wild beast..." "No!" "You'll pay for this!" "This is for my sister!" "A visit to Imperial Nelpha?" "Yes, sir." "With the sudden changes in Roland with its new king, there is heightened tension in neighboring kingdoms." "As such, in order to share the disposition of the new king of Roland and to show that Roland desires peace, it may be wise to first pay a visit to historic Imperial Nelpha." "There is a growing number of internal matters which must be swiftly dealt with." "I cannot give you a decision immediately." "Yes, sir." "I will be satisfied if you can simply keep it in mind and give it further consideration." "It's a trap." "If you went out on carefree trips, you'd be killed without a doubt." "Perhaps there are some in Nelpha connected with the nobles of the anti-king faction?" "It's highly possible." "After all, even those in the anti-king faction can't lay a hand on you inside Roland." "Instead, they got Fiole..." "I beg your pardon." "There was no one here, so I made myself at home waiting." "Who are you?" "I am Miran Froaude." "As the son of Marquis Karlal Froaude," "I currently hold the position of lieutenant colonel in the Roland Imperial Army." "What does a noble's son want with the king?" "I heard that His Majesty is secretly gathering talent in order to counter the nobility." " You..." " Wait." "I know about you, Miran Froaude." "You became a second lieutenant at the young age of 17." "Your outstanding talent had you promoted to lieutenant colonel in the blink of an eye." "You are Marquis Froaude's son, but..." "You were originally an orphan purchased by House Froaude." "Furthermore, did the late Fiole Folkal not report that I would resort to the foulest of measures to achieve a mission and that I would do anything for a promotion?" "And what does one such as yourself want with me?" "Well..." "Claugh." "Step out for a moment." " Sion!" " I wish to speak with him." "You just have to hear things out, huh?" " Thanks." " Watch yourself." "Well?" "What do you want with me?" "You're the one who wants something, aren't you, Lord Sion Astal?" " What?" " It is because you need me that I came here." "Lights are gathering around you." "Radiant, shining lights of hope." "They offer strong power with which to change this country." "However, that alone is not enough to get that which you truly desire, is it?" "Will you continue bearing the darkness by yourself?" "You cannot." "You are king of this land." "You have to be everyone's light of hope." "In which case..." "Allow me to take your place, and bear the darkness." "So that you may gain that which you truly seek." "You would claim to know what I seek?" "Of course, I am aware." "Oh?" "Then say it." "Right now, the Roland Empire remains little more than a single kingdom on the Menoris continent." "However, you can raise the flag you bear over the entire continent..." "The flag of the Great Roland Empire." "That's quite an outrageous dream!" "I hate to disappoint you, but all I desire is a kingdom with no war, where the people can live happily." "But of course." "Regardless of what may dwell in one's heart, a king must proclaim just such things." "I shall bear the darkness that remains." "For that purpose, I would even be willing to dispose of my own father personally." "Please, place me at your side." "You're the one who wants your father dead, aren't you?" "That's quite the jest." "Very well." "You shall work for me." "You have my deepest gratitude." "When I close my heart" "To the scent of impending darkness" "A refrain of a far-off day of resurrection" "Seeking to overcome resounding pain" "For that transparent future I saw with you" "Off in the sweeping emptiness" "If you stay by my side..." "I'll stretch my hand out" "Towards the soaring skies of our oath" "I want to be the light that protects" "Your fleeting dreams, your tears" "Break free from your cruelty-stained destiny" "I believe in it" "The other truth of my destiny" "To another world" "Guarding really sucks." "Well, with a king that atrocious," "I guess he'd be targeted by tons of enemies." "So do something about it yourself, geez!" "Don't rely on me!" "This sucks." ""The legend continues... right?""