Approaching Blizzard

So I take it you had the fortune and privilege to tour Londinium with the Duke of Normandy?

Alas, the Duke is forbidden from entering Londinium by law. Of course, he is a fine gentleman, so he would never be so presumptuous as to invite himself in, so we instead enjoyed dinner on a ship together in the Londinium countryside.

What kind of a hero is the Duke?

Well... he is the most gracious and erudite of nobles. His views in economics and politics are unique and unparalleled. Not only that, but my understanding is that he is well-trained in music, and he possesses an impressive art collection, testament to his respect for the arts.

It is because of heroes like him that Victoria remains prosperous as ever!

Despite not having a ruler for the past dozen or so years, Victoria has managed to maintain its stability.

But the truth is that the Dukes were getting in each other's way behind the scenes, and that's not all...

If so many Victorian nobles actually fell victim to food poisoning and hunting accidents, then the country's noble rule would've crumbled to dust long ago.

And three years ago, your father nearly experienced that first hand.

Yes...

His leg is actually injured.

There is a noble who is an academic enemy of my father. They were at a cocktail party together, and he made his move after the party.

That must have been well disguised, if it was thought to be an accident.

My father had a few leads, but he didn't want this affair to get in the way of relaying intelligence.

How many of Thomson's men are there in this manor right now?

A lot of them, such as the ones you were talking to earlier... They also paid my father's villa a visit before tonight's party.

Richard was quite critical of your father just now...

Ahaha... I suppose he spoke much of it from his heart... He has had quite the rivalry with my father for the past several years...

Yet they still assemble around Thomson. Your father is a good leader.

Not without your guidance, Lady Kal'tsit.

Who could have thought back then... that the Laterano cleric who came to visit Victoria would become our most trusted mentor?

Our goals are one and the same.

Kal'tsit. They will get out of this unscathed... We will get out of this unscathed, will we?

Heidi...

You need to look around with your own eyes. If you truly wish to step into this world, then you cannot allow civilization's facades blind you anymore... You need to see this world yourself.

Comforting words are meaningless. You will grow up one day.

Now, unpleasant as it may be, I must say I heard a rumor from the lesser nobles and ruffians...

My, did they upset you?

Right... As you can see, it was the Dukes' graciousness that forged the peace and prosperity enjoyed by our country today.

However, and this is something that even the traitors in Columbia are aware of, we also cannot deny that it has been a long time since Victoria has seen a rightful ruler ascend its throne.

And what of it? Does that not go to show we are becoming ever more powerful through our own means?

You are correct, Richard, but there was also this opinion... It was naive and absurd... There was this crowd of men there each with their own goals...

They asked if Victoria truly needed a new ruler.

They all said Uncle Vincent's too much of a coward...

We're near the border, but we are being so complacent, not making any progress... This is our chance to fight for our rights... yet all Uncle Vincent knows to do is throwing parties in the manor.

Even this trip to Londinium. It hardly achieved any meaningful results.

This isn't your father's opinion. Thomson is not so foolish as to let radical atmosphere get to his head.

But that's how the adults always complain to my father.

No foolish nobles would ever receive an audience with a real Duke.

Do you think that the Duke of Normandy really didn't intimidate Vincent with any harsh demands?

Toron is near the border, and there are few people here. In other words, this place is not under the influence of any major forces.

Uncle Vincent...

This nobleman may seem uninterested in anything except celebrating this false peace with music and shows, but he is actually doing his best to uphold Toron's peace. That's despite the peace here... is fragile and easily broken.

His arrogance and temperance are just at the right level to hide his thoughts well, and those who actually understand his true intentions are few and far between.

Thomson would never place so much trust on a count severely lacking in courage, insight, and judgement. They may seem like they are heading down different paths, but these paths will lead them to the same destination.

Hehe... It's nice to hear you say so.

Kal'tsit, are you not going to look at your mail?

From Londinium to Toron, these letters have made it halfway across Victoria.

How many hands has the letter passed through, and how many of them know of the whole truth of these events?

There are lots—

Workers, newsboys, popcorn hawkers, park gardeners. They knew nothing of the letter's contents. They didn't even know who these words ultimately belong to.

But now this letter has made it to Thomson, and now me.

There is nothing to worry about.

I see...

But what about the other one? The one from 'Kazdel'...

It was handed straight to Thomson by a Sarkaz Messenger.

I told him how to contact Thomson himself, but if things had gone according to plan, he would've handed this straight to me.

Yeah... but when that Sarkaz made it to Victoria...

Father did not know how the Sarkaz honor their heroes' death, so all we could do was cremate his body according to our traditions and scatter his ashes in the nomadic city's waterways.

I can't tell you his real name, but, at the very least, he died as a Messenger, and I will bring his story back to his homeland.

He won't be forgotten.

Kal'tsit... Is this how you treat everyone?

Why do you ask?

No, I was just thinking... Ah... Aaah...

Achoo!

Oh! P-Pardon me... How unbecoming of me...!

The snow is getting heavier. Let's head back inside.

I will pay Thomson a visit once this party is over.

I am sure Father will be happy.

......

Should I perhaps hold your arm? That way no one will be suspicious of us.

If you think that is necessary.

Okay... Hehe, you're so much taller than me.

You haven't grown at all, Heidi.

Take a look outside, Kal'tsit. The snow is so heavy. I haven't seen this much snow in a very long time.

You are right. A snowstorm is coming.

Kal'tsit?

...

............

Black snow...

Huh? I'm not seeing any...

Heidi, tell everyone to keep the party venue under control.

I need about an hour's time. Don't let anyone near the garden...

I can do that... but what's going on with you all of a sudden?

We've got company.

What...?

We may be on the border, but this manor belongs to a Victorian count! Who would—

—Heidi, if I don't come back to the manor, you and your father need to keep this secret.

Do not dig any deeper into this.

But—

This is a warning as well as an order.

—!

Be safe.

...

To the north of Sami and Ursus and to the south of Sargon... Those lands yet untrodden by man...

Whether the demons and monsters that dwell there are normal creatures is yet unknown, but they are far older than any country we know.

Humans have fought them for a long time. Indeed, this is a proposition worthy of further notice.

Until now...

Humans can now be the masters of their own countries.

The ancient Sargon king and the powerful Kheshigs hit it off right away, and the Nightzmora's Khagan strove to conquer all lands unexplored by civilization.

The results were impressive. No non-human threat ever set foot in Sargon territory again.

Sami has used countless witchcrafts and sacrifices to create their Snowpriests, and, one generation after another, the sorceresses lost themselves as they battled the enemies from beyond their borders.

And Ursus—You deployed the strongest elites to simply tear them to shreds. Wendigos in heavy armor or veteran war Casters.

And the Empire's ambitions are without limit. Your kind did not merely tear them to shreds.

You used the shreds of power left behind by those non-humans.

Show yourself.

The will of Ursus drove you here.

You are far underestimating Victoria's might. The aura of demons lingers in your footsteps. Have you ever given any thought to where your responsibility lies?

Your mind can't already be taken by the demons, Royal Guard.

I can smell the fear in you, traitor.

It took you a while to find me.

If it wasn't for the uprising and its aftermath, I would've come to lay down your punishment long ago.

The imbeciles allowed you to escape. This has been an embarrassment, and they have already been executed for their incompetence.

Perhaps I should remind you again. The snowstorm here can bury entire cities, but they cannot erase the footsteps of a Royal Guard.

You are in Victoria, and there stands the manor of a Victorian count not a hundred meters behind me.

Do you understand the consequences of your actions—

—Consequences?

Your threat is weak and empty. Wherever I stand, the earth beneath me belongs to the Empire of Ursus.

You never had the right to address me, traitor, not before the word 'demon' left your lips. Soon, I will beat out of you how you came to know this secret...

Your understanding of the 'demons' does not grant you a dialogue. You murdered an Ursus Grand Duke, and you know of our darkest secrets.

Your countless crimes... are worthy of a thousand deaths.

It seems we won't be convincing each other for the moment.

Though that applies only to... your evaluation of the situation on hand.

Beast, bare your fangs!

You can't fool me!

Mon3tr...

(Impatient braying)

Mon3tr, do not underestimate him.

He's no normal human.

You hid a device here in the garden... No... a creature...? *Hiss*...

You know of the 'demons,' and you have a monster serving you. One that Ursus's vast knowledge is yet unaware of.

Perhaps your crimes have far exceeded my expectations.

Or perhaps I managed to make an impression on a Royal Guard.

*Hiss*...!

I won't deny it, traitor.

But you have my curiosity. What drove you to betray our homeland...? No, no... Perhaps... my investigations did not fully uncover your entire past.

And it looks like that is indeed the case. Unlike the criminals who escaped to Sami, it appears you still have a trick up your sleeve.

Do not get the wrong idea... It is hardly a difficult matter... to kill you.

I suppose it's why you are staining this area around us?

You needn't concern yourself. I know what I am doing.

—Mon3tr!

(Wailing)—

*Hiss*... I did not expect it to be this hard.

If your own flesh and blood is also as hardened, then, indeed, it makes you a formidable foe.

Mon3tr, come back. Don't chase after him.

Avoid the black mist. That's not mist at all.

This is far beyond the normal realm of Originium Arts... It looks like it has really been too long since I last dealt with the Emperor's Blade. You and your men have made remarkable progress.

......

You know this much about our secrets...?!

Even the most senior Ursus scientist would never be allowed to meddle in the Royal Guards' ancient ritual...

Ancient rituals. Yes, only the ceremonies of your crazed, self-proclaimed spiritual leaders could adorn your kinds with your demons.

You're a survivor of the Valley of the Setting Sun.

*Hiss*...!

The Empire's will is always focused and unswerving, yet your goal seems to stray from your motherland's. At the very least, you are not that young.

You should not be fighting me, Royal Guard. Both you and I know that the job I finished was one that you and your men should've done yourselves, but never did.

Don't be mistaken about where that right lies, traitor. You do not represent Deity Grypherburg's laws and prestige.

If you truly witnessed the whole uprising, Royal Guard, then you should understand this more so than anyone. The Empire's rise and fall has never truly been affected by dignity and honor.

......

Let me ask you this, then. Did the last emperor ever truly look down on Victoria from the bottom of his heart?

......

Perhaps I do not give you enough credit, traitor.

I will give you one last chance. Reveal your secrets, and I will grant you a dignified death.

Alas, given this death would have nothing to do with my own conviction, dignity was never on the table.

Mon3tr.

(Elated braying)

*Hiss*... *Huff*...