"What is this?" "It seems to have shown up in Runa territory, a forest close to Roland's border." "There's no mistaking it, huh?" "Yes, sir." "Surviving Runa soldiers have witnessed it." "They finally resort to forbidden magic?" "The Roland spy." "Perhaps you could ask that woman about it." "Looking up at the door of reminiscence" "The faraway whispering I was listening to" "Guide me, labyrinth of the soul" "To the path of the flakes of light" "The pain that pierces me is an innocent trick" "I want to believe that I'm not alone" "This place is a paradise of wandering" "With wings that dye the heart white" "If I can reach your eyes" "Embrace me with a smile" "Know the meaning behind being born" "Gazing at one another, the destiny legend begins" "Ryner..." "Please..." "Your promise..." "I've decided not to run any longer." " Huh?" " Maybe he's not in yet?" "That's ridiculous!" "It's already well into the day!" "There's no way he wouldn't be on the job!" "For that matter, it wouldn't be surprising for him to pull an all-nighter!" "Indeed." "When you put it that way..." "Hey!" "Sion, I know you're in there!" "Sion!" "Hey, Sion!" "What the hell?" "Goodness gracious." "You took long enough getting back." "I grew tired of waiting." "Hey, what is all of this?" "Thanks to a certain someone's absence, a ton of work has accumulated." "Wait, don't tell me..." "Until this mountain of documents is properly handled, no sleep for you." "Oh, and don't worry." "I also have some work prepared for you, Ferris." "This... isn't funny!" "I agree!" "This is going to seriously cut in on my dango-eating time." "You think I could do this crap?" "It won't open." "Its key is custom-made." "Now then, I'd like you to get right to work." "Ferris?" "Yes." "Oh, no!" "I handed my sword to the guards!" "You tyrant!" "Dictator!" "Devil!" "I'm glad." "Truly glad... that both of you came back." "Welcome back, Ryner." "More importantly..." "Hurry up and open the door." "I have a mission I must fulfill!" " A mission?" " I'm going to ascertain that the taste of dango in Roland's domestic dango shops hasn't changed." "That's just a food tour!" "How could you say that?" "!" "It's an important mission entrusted to me by the Dango God himself!" "Ryner..." "You've really come back for good, haven't you?" "Sion?" "What's wrong?" "Are you feeling ill?" "No, it's nothing." "That voice..." "Ryner?" "Ryner, is that you?" "Hold on, I'm coming for you now!" "You're..." "Lord Sion Astal?" "I just want to die." "The spell Froaude placed on her has been removed." "She should wake up shortly." "Then I'll go see Kaiwel..." "No, I've already reported it." "There seems to be no need for concern about the Ryner Lute matter as well." " Ah, Captain Milk is awake!" " Idiot, the Captain is still recovering!" "Don't yell out so loudly!" "Moe..." "Lach." "Where am I?" "Are you all right, Captain?" "!" "Lach, use your indoor voice." "But, come on..." "You've slept in quite late, Princess." "Luke..." "I..." "That man!" "Why did he come after me?" "There's no need to worry." "It's over now." "More importantly, are you hungry?" "I'll make whatever you like today, Captain." " Okay!" "I'll have some curry!" " He said whatever the Captain likes!" "The Captain's still recovering..." "Then, how about some porridge?" "It's a special occasion, so let's make it a porridge party!" "What's so special about it?" "We couldn't hold the Captain's birthday party." "Right, Sir Luke?" " I can't argue with that." " All right!" "They're all hiding something from me." "The spell Froaude placed on her has been removed." "She should wake up shortly." "Then I'll go see Kaiwel..." "Kaiwel?" "That's Major General Calne Kaiwel." "Major General Kaiwel works closely with Lord Astal." "Why would such a person's name come up?" "Is there some connection between my abduction and Lord Astal?" "It doesn't seem like Luke and the others would tell me even if I asked, though." "Who else would know about this?" "Father!" "House Callaud is nobility, so maybe he knows something about His Majesty!" "Ow!" "Forgive me!" "It hurts!" "Stop!" "Stop!" "Ow!" "Help me!" "I-It can't be..." "Father!" "Mother!" "The Duke and Duchess Callaud have both passed away." "As you surmise, they were killed." "Why?" "!" "You're such a kind person, Captain." "In this country, nobles buy up orphaned children and raise them to be soldiers." "They send them into battle in place of their real children, to elevate their own status." "For nothing more than that." "You would grieve over the death of such parents?" "But..." "Even still..." "They raised me for this long." "You are truly..." "Luke, you knew and kept quiet, didn't you?" "To avoid hurting me..." "But... tell me the truth." "What is going on right now in this country?" "!" "Crimson Fingered Claugh, sporting a black arm?" "Pathetic, huh?" "Are you really leaving the hospital?" "I'd like to get accustomed to having a new arm." "I can't do any decent training here." "The doctor said that you should get a little more rest first." "Bah, don't worry about me." "Besides I can't sit around taking it easy forever." "You're going into war again, aren't you?" "It won't be immediately." "I'm a soldier." "I'll be making preparations to fight." "That's all it is." "It's cold, isn't it?" "No, it's warm." "It's your arm, just as it was when we met." "I was right not to bring Eslina along!" "It's too hot for children in here!" "Fool!" "What are you talking about?" "!" "Then, I shall be off first." "See ya." "She's wasted on you!" "Shut up!" "So, any signs of movement since then?" "The details of the murder of the Duke and Duchess Callaud remain as yet unclear." "Right now, in Roland, nobles who voice objections to Sion's way of doing things are being purged, one after another." "The Duke was an earnest military man." "He would never have acted just in his own self-interests." "Even people like that are being killed relentlessly." "Silencing them, huh?" "Yes." "They must have learned things they were never meant to know, concerning something." "Is it Froaude's suggestion?" "Actually, it doesn't seem as though Froaude is involved in this matter." "He's been doing his own snooping into things." "What does this mean?" "Something's on the move in this country." "Who could it be?" "It's already past morning, isn't it?" "Damn that Ferris." "My strength has run dry." "I'll be back after I buy some late-night dango!" "Going on about that, then running off." "You said that a little while ago." "If this keeps up, I'm gonna die, I bet." "One all-nighter won't kill you." "You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" "!" "You devil!" "For crying out loud..." "Do you always work alone like this?" "There are tons of things that need to get done." "Things haven't completely settled down in Estabul." "I'm concerned about movements from Nelpha, Runa, and Gastark." "And..." "I also have to secure the Magic Eye bearers that you met." "This world does have deep-seated prejudices." "But we have to make this succeed." "For Roland's future, as well." "Sion..." "You..." "Which all means I'd like for you to do your job well, okay?" "You really are a devil!" "For that matter, if you keep things up this way, you could seriously end up dead, you know." "If I did, would you become king in my place?" "I'd be wrong for the job." "I'm pretty lazy." "Is that right?" "I think that's a perfect reason to do it." "Then let me rephrase that." "No way in hell would I ever be king." "It's way too much of a pain in the ass!" "It is certainly a pain in the ass." "Maybe I could quit." "Yeah, quit your job!" "Then you could have afternoon naps every day!" "Afternoon naps every day, huh?" "That sounds..." "It sounds nice." "Maybe, one day..." "You push yourself a little too hard." "But... if you went to sleep before me I'd probably never be able to sleep." "R-Ryner?" "Was I asleep?" "How long was I out?" "Beats me." "Maybe two or three minutes?" "Two or three minutes..." "I've had enough." "I'm too tired to think." "Ryner..." "I'll take a three-day nap and come back again." "Don't look for me." "Come back again, huh?" "Ryner, why did you come back?" "I'll..." "You'll be..." "Will you kill Ryner?" "I promised him that I would change this country, this world." "That's right." "You promised him." "That's why you'll..." "Be silent!" "I won't have that one, Ryner Lute, killed." "Be silent!" "It won't go the way you want." "I'll..." "I'll..." "Ryner will be..." "Your Majesty." "What's wrong?" "Do you intend to continue to allow Ryner Lute to live?" "Truthfully, I wanted to have him killed at Sergeant Luke Stokkart's hands, but..." "That would be the same as me killing Ryner." "People live by consuming others." "The one who commanded the purge of the nobles was none other than Your Majesty, was it not?" "There have been acts that were kept secret even from myself." "As you are now, Your Majesty, you must already be well aware." "Will you kill Ryner?" "Yes." "Allowing him to live would not be good for you, Your Majesty." "Ryner Lute is living proof of your kindness, of your weakness." "The moment he is killed would represent the completion of you..." "Of the king named Sion Astal." "Of the great king who spares no sacrifice, who clings to no ideal, who reigns supremely over the world!" "I won't allow it." "Suppose I said that?" "I shall accept my punishment after I kill him." "You mean to say you will disobey my orders?" "Are you testing me?" "I believe that, deep down, you think Ryner Lute needs to be killed." "Ryner Lute will not be killed." "Your Majesty!" "Say what you will, I..." "Ryner Lute will not be killed." "That is what I have decided." "It is not up for you to debate." " But..." " Be silent." "I will not be silent!" "If this keeps up..." "Be silent, worm!" "If you speak any further, it will only reflect your own incompetence!" "You say to kill Ryner Lute?" "You understand nothing." "Do you think that the world always resides on the pitiful little map you drew?" "Your Majesty..." "What are you?" "Very well." "I shall show you darkness and light and the truth!" "The truth of the world, and our true enemy!" "Ugh, I'm beat." "But I can't dump everything in Sion's lap, either." "And here I'm supposed to be the guy who hates the phrases "Hard work" and " Guts."" "Still..." "I've got to hang in there." "Ryner." "You couldn't be!" "Too slow." "Welcome back, Ryner." "Vestiges of that day I had forgotten" "Faint in the direction of the sky" "Our hearts should have been connected" "The trembling eyes don't answer" "No matter how much I believe" "No matter how much I want to convey" "This voice won't reach" "Filaments of light" "Carve everything into my body" "From here where I set out walking" "Memory segments" "Untie the strings of fate that now bind me" "I want to grow strong" "So that when we meet again" "I can give you more protection" "Yes!" "I've finally reached a world where nothing sucks!" "Hey, seriously, isn't this bad?" "What is this place?" "It doesn't look like Heaven." "Am I totally in for it now?" ""The legend continues on forever...""