Valse 'Mask'

Try anything funny, and we'll bind your arms and legs with Arts.

My apologies, but Grimmacht has forbidden anyone from meeting with Arturia.

Not even an Empresses' Voice?

No exceptions.

Then what about... Ewigegnade's envoy?

...Ewigegnade sent you?

Was that not clear enough?

Now this is a surprise.

To think you'd be the first to come and see me.

This is the second time we've met, Arturia.

Oh, more than that, I would think.

How many times have we met, in the sound of music?

I see your words are as mysterious as your music. And yourself.

Me? Mysterious?

On the contrary, I'm far more open and frank than most.

So an Empresses' Voice, a paragon of law and order, has come to meet with a dangerous felon alone. Even going as far as to fake an empress's orders to do so... That must have taken quite a bit of determination.

You knew I wasn't sent by Ewigegnade?

There's nothing she could possibly want to ask me. But you, Viviana, your face is full of question marks. So what would you like to know, from your former enemy?

......

Allow me to guess... you want to know the truth behind your father's death.

Ja.

That said, I'm not used to answering questions.

Do I need to offer you something in exchange?

A trade, hm... How about you simply open yourself up to me, and allow me to search your heart?

That's...

Oh, pardon my impertinence.

Then let's tell a story together, as usual.

Once upon a time, there was a child who lived on top of a tower in the middle of a storm.

Until the age of nine, she never left her little room in the tower.

You know my—

Oh, don't give me that look. Like I said, this is simply a story we're telling together.

Imagine that you're a part of it, and... reach out to yourself.

...Very well.

Tell me, what is it about the tower that left the deepest impression on the child?

The window.

It was a small room. The window was small, too. You could reach out and touch the cold, wet clouds.

The storms rarely abate in Sturmland, do they?

Ja. Dark lightning often knocked at the window. My mother would hold me, telling stories and reading me poems in a soft, gentle voice.

What about your father?

He... One night a week, he would come to the spire where I lived, bringing me books and teaching me to play instruments.

You looked forward to these meetings. Did you leave your room and wait for him at the top of the staircase, when it was almost time?

When I was little. But I stopped.

What happened?

The skies were very dark that day. It had been a long time my father's last visit. I was out of candles, and I wanted to find some, so I went further than I usually did.

I saw so many children and adults. The music combined with their laughter was louder than the thunder.

That's when you realized that not every child had to stay in their room like you did. That they could hold their parents' hands, and dance and sing to their hearts' delight.

...Ja.

Did you see your father there? Did you look for him?

I wanted to, but my mother pulled me back. She covered my ears, and tried to cover my eyes too... It hurt a bit, but I didn't dare say anything.

She brought you back to your little room. Did you look up?

Nein. I... I kept my eyes closed. I heard my mother crying, but I didn't dare look at her.

Didn't dare?

...Ja. I didn't dare go down the stairs. I didn't dare look for my father anymore.

I never looked up again, even after my mother passed away, when my father sent me away from the spire.

Why not?

My father was a Kurfürst. He and my mother weren't married. My existence was a secret that would hurt my mother and make things difficult for my father if anyone found out.

No, that's not what I'm asking. How did you feel?

Me...?

You were the one trapped in the spire. You were the one forbidden to recognize your father. You were the one who watched your mother waste away. You were the one sent away from home.

When you went to Kazimierz and decided to become a knight, you held a sliver of expectation.

After all, the stories of your childhood, the stories about knights, had long been your source of comfort.

But you soon realized you were no more than a puppet of the General Chamber of Commerce.

Even your childhood in the spire was boiled down to an exotic label. 'The Leithanian.' An advertisement destined to sell in the markets of both countries.

You left the arena after getting on the wrong side of the KGCC. You thought you would finally have some peace and quiet, only to be summoned back to Leithanien by a letter from your father.

Once again, you find your fate written by another. Illegitimate child, competition knight, Empresses' Voice. You never chose any of these identities.

And it all started on that spire, at the top of those stairs.

...You're right.

It's been so many years, but sometimes I feel like I'm still there.

Like I never left it.

Once again, think back to the memory that left the deepest impression.

That day, when your father took your hand and descended the seemingly endless stairs... You didn't look up.

I couldn't.

If I did, he would see the tear stains on my face, and the tears in my eyes...

Anger.

'I already lost my mother. Why are you pushing me away like this?'

Ja. I had... nothing.

Why abandon me?

I already lost my mother. Why did I have to lose my father too?

Why couldn't you have waited in Marigold Alley just a little longer?

Why did you write for me to come back, only to leave me again once I'd returned with hope in my heart?

That's enough storytime.

Kurfürst Werner was my friend, Viviana.

Our meeting was so ordinary that it's hardly worth mentioning. He was a high noble, but also a sensitive and romantic artist. We often spoke about music.

A few months ago, his envoy found me while I was traveling.

He knew his days were numbered. All he wanted was to see his beloved again, through my music.

He wanted to see Mother?

Not just Lucinda, but you as well.

Werner did reminisce about his romance with Lucinda, but he spent even more time in that little room on the spire.

Those nights with you and your mother were his only comfort in those painful early days as Kurfürst.

That's how I knew your story.

So it wasn't...

No, I did not use Arts on you.

I'd already met you countless times, through Werner's mind's eye.

You must hear this often, but you really are so much like your father.

I know.

But it was only when I saw you in person that I realized...

You're more than just that flickering candle.

More than... what?

You're so much stronger, so much tougher than a candleflame.

......

Now, I've told you everything I could.

Kurfürst Werner died over the copy of the Güldenesgesatz. On that matter, you know as much as I do.

...You told me he knew his end was coming. Which means he knew how he would die.

Correct.

Protecting the Güldenesgesatz was his vow to the Twins, and his duty as Kurfürst of Sturmland.

Whether it was the Movement or its loss, the responsibility and blame lie solely on Sturmland.

Only by giving his life for it could he protect his loved ones and House Hochberg, all while ridding himself of a ticking time bomb.

It was all for the Güldenesgesatz?

I think... I understand.

One last bit of advice, to thank you for your trust and sincerity.

When I first saw you, I also saw the shadow behind you.

But now, it's growing, filling the entire staircase outside.

...

Danke, Arturia... for the answers.

My dear Viviana... How pitiable, how noble...

Will you be swallowed by the shadow?

Whew, made it.

You move so quickly, Herr Erich, I could hardly keep up.

Pardon my excitement. I thought I wouldn't be able to leave Sturmland, but the Empresses' Voice delayed the visit.

Kurfürsten succession ceremonies rarely take this long, not since the reign of the Witch King...

Stop worrying. While in Zwillingstürme, what could be more important than seeing Their Majesties?

Hurry, and we may even secure a seat closer to the Twin Spires before anyone else arrives... Hey, why is that man not moving?

Guten Tag!

......

Are you here for Das Kaiserinnensfest too?

I suppose so.

Where is your instrument, then? What are you going to do for the ensemble?

The ensemble?

The ensemble of the Güldenesgesatz! The most important part of the ceremony, bathing in the glory of both the Golden Melody and Leithanien!

This is my master's first time attending. I have his flute with me.

Ah, of course. Do forgive my nosiness. Which Kreis do you hail from?

Does it matter?

Oh, no, I don't mean to pry, only that it's customary for those from the same Kreis to stand together.

I see. Please, go ahead. We will follow.

Oh, very good then! I mean, danke, meine Herr. May Grimmacht's glory and Ewigegnade's blessings orbit you like the sun.

...

Seeing the Twin Empresses' spires for the first time?

The white dress of Ewigegnade, the Eternal Grace.

The black blade of Grimmacht, the Austere Authority.

Their two spires resemble them so very much.

The Twin Spires are Zwillingstürme's namesake. They're the pride of Leithanien.

No matter how beautiful, they're no more than two elaborate cages.

An apt metaphor.

Das Kaiserinnensfest... They say it's for all Leithanians, but only nobles are allowed to join in the ensemble at the amphitheater.

It is, in effect, a performance of an Arts ritual.

A ritual?

Did you see the bridge connecting the spires?

That's where the Twin Empresses play every year. The sound of the pipe organ and violin are amplified by the resonance between the buildings, spreading to every corner of Zwillingstürme.

So it's some kind of... Arts.

The old man told me that it's the work of Herkunftshorn. He turned Vedunien into a massive Arts device, with the bell tower of Weinshof at the center.

And the Twin Empresses have built upon the Witch King's Arts.

To avoid making the same mistake as him, they set the Twin Spires as the center of the resonance, effectively tuning the entire city and making it virtually impossible to assail the Spires from the outside.

Anyone wanting to attack the Kaiserinnen will either need to destroy the entire palace area where the Spires are located, or work from within.

Spoken like someone who's given some thought to planning such an attack.

......

Wait, don't tell me you actually—

If we see the Gendarmerie or the Empresses' Voice, remind me to run faster than you.

...Quiet.

The celebration is about to begin. People are coming, try to blend into the crowd. Don't just stand there like earlier.

What about when the ensemble begins? We didn't bring any instruments, unless your sword is a fair bit more versatile than it looks.

If the ensemble begins.

I met that distant relative of yours.

Exactly as you predicted, she offered a generous lead.

Perhaps we really are trapped in some kind of illusion they created.

What if the Witch King's remnants aren't trying to use the Güldenesgesatz to get to the Witch King's legacy, but to use the Witch King's powers to tamper with it?

What if their goal has never truly changed?

...What are you still doing here, meine Dame?

All the Empresses' Voices in Zwillingstürme have been summoned to the amphitheater.

Ah, I was... I'll be on my way.

Hm, this cell holds a dangerous felon, and it is quite far from the amphitheater. I'll need to contact Grimmacht's...

I would not recommend that.

A Sankta?! What's a Sankta doing here?

...Sorry.

I was about to ask your opinion on how to handle this.

So if I weren't here, you would have simply done it yourself?

My presence here already violates diplomatic protocol. An additional rule being broken is of little consequence, other than in terms of the subsequent clean-up.

You are an Empresses' Voice. Michael has told me of your circumstances.

I appreciate your kind gesture.

...Huh?

It was my own decision to visit Arturia.

I didn't want my father's death to be meaningless.

I didn't want to keep my head down and pretend nothing had happened.

I wanted to fight for something, to finally seize my own fate with my two hands.

...You chose to let Arturia perform your heart's music?

Nein.

The melody was always there, echoing in my heart. I just chose not to listen to it until now.

I believe she's telling the truth that the Güldenesgesatz is at the heart of the problem.

The Imperial casters have recovered the copy of Güldenesgesatz.

However, I have learned that Arturia has an accomplice with whom she was in close contact. The available evidence indicates that this person may not have been the mastermind behind the Ludwigs-Universität incident.

Hm... then we can assume that the Witch King's remnants have already obtained the Arts recorded in the copy.

The Güldenesgesatz will be performed by over ten thousand people at the amphitheater.

If the Witch King's remnants are in that crowd... the consequences will be unimaginable.

I would like to share our current findings with Michael.

Sure. He might be able to persuade Grimmacht.

But that's not enough. We must take action ourselves... even without Their Majesties permission.

The musicians and instruments are in position, Frau Löwenstein.

Very well. Give me a moment while I double-check the amplification Arts.

You're back, Amelie? Did you forget something?

No need to be nervous. This is your first public performance as part of the orchestra. Just hold your instrument steady and focus on the melody. Pay no mind to anyone watching.

Oh... it's you.

Adjust the direction of that Arts Unit, will you? Turn it counterclockwise 15... 17 degrees.

Ja, that's how it should sound. But why are you here at this hour? Is Ewigegnade still concerned about the effect on the performance?

Frau Löwenstein... where are the other musicians?

At the amphitheater.

The performance of the Güldenesgesatz will begin in ten minutes. The Reichsorchester needs a good start under the direction of the Kaiserin.

Only ten minutes?

The Kaiserin's weather casters have forecasted the exact time of today's sunset. As per custom, the performance of the Güldenesgesatz will conclude just as the last ray fades.

The rehearsal schedule has been hard, but we'll be able to rest once we get through this evening.

You too, Viviana. I've been thinking... You'll need to find a long-term residence in Zwillingstürme, if you're to remain by the Kaiserin's side when this all over.

Mm...

Would you like to stay at my place?

I have a little mansion in Bachshof. I just had the walls repainted.

Brandt planted some vines, which he says goes well with the walls. But to be honest, I'd like a second opinion before I commit.

Frau Löwenstein... Cora.

Ja? What is it?

How might one stop the performance of the Güldenesgesatz?

Why do you ask? This performance has been the most important part of Das Kaiserinnensfest for the last twenty-three years. So many people are waiting in the amphitheater in front of the Spires.

I've almost gotten to the bottom of these tragedies.

I'm sure the enemy's plan has something to do with the Güldenesgesatz. They cannot be allowed to succeed.

And how did you learn this? Have you told Ewigegnade?

I don't know who to trust... I can't stop thinking about who killed my father.

You suspect Their Majesties? You're an Empresses' Voice, Viviana!

Who's there?

A friend. He's keeping watch.

The empresses' casters are coming.

So soon?

It will take more than ten minutes to neutralize them.

The performance of the Güldenesgesatz is about to begin.

Don't fight them.

......

I'll be with you, Viviana, no matter what you do.

You believe me?

Do you even need to ask? Besides, I can't let you put yourself in danger.

You want to stop the Reichsorchester from playing the Güldenesgesatz, right? I'll take you there.

...They've gone out.

What?

The candles on the stairs. The room is so much darker now, don't you think?

What are you doing? Stay away from the door.

There are less people out there now.

Have they... gone after that lovely Empresses' Voice?

Frau Hochberg is suspected to have fallen under your influence. She will be taken into custody until the conclusion of the celebration.

It was a mistake to allow her to meet with you.

A mistake, you say?

You knew the new Empresses' Voice was the daughter of a Kurfürst, and had the favor of Ewigegnade.

Compared to working in Grimmacht's dark Spire, you clearly show more interest in its twin, the white Spire.

So you let the empress's new favorite come in without the proper checks, just to curry favor with her.

Wh-What are you babbling about?!

But you soon realized the danger. Let me guess: Viviana did something unbefitting of her status after she left, didn't she?

Now you're afraid. Grimmacht and her executors will not tolerate such a gross error. You would lose any chance of promotion, perhaps even your freedom.

So why did you make a second mistake, then?

Wha... music! How can this be?!

Grimmacht, please... Nein, spare me! I-I can't listen...

Too late. There are just too many instruments in Leithanien. Your Arts Units, like your souls, are laid bare before me.

Your kn-knocking...

You dared not carry your instruments with you in my presence, so you left them outside the door. But in your haste, you forgot the protective Arts.

You forgot that vibrations can be transmitted.

The tiniest tremor of a string, and you're hearing my music.

Check my crown, would you?

Ja.

Your fingers are cold.

Sorry. How about this? That better?

You've been clutching your sword all day. Its chill has rubbed off on you.

...It's time. We should head to the bridge.

Hildegard...

Ja? What is it?

Am I pretty today?

...

As always.

Grimmacht!

...Ewigegnade.

Your wolf cub is here.

Go first, Lieselotte. The people are waiting.

We've always walked out onto the bridge together.

Nothing is obliged to stay the same forever.

I'll find you before the performance begins.

So why are you here? I thought you preferred it down below.

I have an urgent matter to report.

Bring my violin. We'll talk on the way.

Nein!

Please, you must order the celebration to be halted. The Witch King's remnants are in the crowd, planning a massive attack!

Proof?

...Please, just give me a little time. I'll find the proof.

You didn't use to be so brash, Michael. That reckless Sankta has changed you.

Federico... the Lateran executor believes that a larger incident is in the works, and it has something to do with Arturia. We should interrogate her!

What does she know about the Güldenesgesatz, who are her supporters, what are she and her accomplices planning... As long as the performance of the Güldenesgesatz can be delayed, I can—

I see you believe the Celebration to be a mere festivity.

Er...

The 'Kaiserinnensfest' first took place twenty-three years ago, on the day we killed the Witch King.

But there were no empresses, and no celebration, only soldiers fallen in battle, and a tired and frightened people.

We defeated the Witch King in the early dawn, and spent the next few hours cleaning up his followers. At dusk, Lieselotte and I descended the Spire, walked down its bloody steps, and—

Announced our victory with a duet.

Today, the ten thousand people of the ensemble come from every Kreis, from all four corners of Leithanien.

Every Leithanian, every friend of Leithanien, and every enemy of Leithanien has their eyes on the Twin Spires. On Grimmacht and Ewigegnade.

And you want me to suspend, even cancel, the ensemble based on the hypothesis of a Lateran executor who has already caused his fair share of trouble in our country.

......

Perhaps I expected too much of you.

You should have known I would respond like this before you even spoke. And if you truly believed in your judgment, you should have acted on your own.

On that account, the daughter of Werner von Hochberg is far more resolute than you.

...What?

How long have you been with me, Michael?

Seven years.

It's time to let you go.

What? Why would you say that?

There comes a day when one must shoulder more responsibility, for the sake of Leithanien's future.

Bring me my violin. It's time I went to the bridge.

The orchestra is ten meters below us.

The sun has... painted the clouds red.

Three minutes, fifty seconds until the performance begins.

I will fire a blank. The noise should cause some of the musicians to scatter and interrupt the performance.

The musicians of the Reichsorchester are all Arts masters, each one the equal of an Empresses' Voice. We would be drowned in Arts the moment you showed an intent to attack.

The equivalent of ninety-seven Empresses' Voices, then.

Plus two squads of approaching casters, for a total of one hundred twenty.

...I can give you three minutes.

You must secure the remaining twenty-three seconds on your own, Seniora Hochberg.

Three minutes? But if this is the only way...

Delay the casters. Leave the rest to me.

...Success.

I cut off the connection between some of the musicians and their instruments.

What's going on? We're being affected by somebody's Arts.

You... Frau Löwenstein? Are you being held hostage?

You could say that.

...Nein.

I'm sorry, Amelie.

You're in league with each other?!

I made my choice, and I will not hesitate.

Could you please... just put down your instrument for a while?

There are fluctuations of Arts energy coming from below the Twin Spires... and some commotion from where the orchestra is.

The Witch King's remnants?

Possibly.

Strange. There should be Gesatzswächter in the area, but I don't see any. Why?

...I see.

The Kaiserinnen knew that something terrible would happen here. They're prepared to abandon the Twin Spires if necessary. They'll even abandon all the—

Meine Herr!

...You were from Sturmland, ja?

Why do you look like someone spooked you? The ensemble is about to begin. Here, I have an extra flute. You can borrow it.

A flute?

This performance is not to be missed!

Nein, you can't be here.

Go! Leave the amphitheater!

You'd like a better position? I suppose we could squeeze—

I'm not—Do not you see these?

See what?

The dice I'm holding! My Arts Unit!

What are you doing? You'll give yourself away!

Does it even matter, at this point?

Look around. There must be ten thousand people here... No, we can't even worry about that now. All we can do is save as many as we can. Even just one more...

It's too loud here!

I can't hear a word you're saying!

Look at me.

Look at my Arts. Do they remind you of anything? I am an Urtica. My Arts come from the same lineage as him. You should be afraid! Run!

Amazing! Do you hear that? The Imperial musicians just played the first note!

The performance of the Güldenesgesatz has begun!

......

The performance has begun.

It sounds so harmonious, even without the strings.

There's a theory I've heard, though I've never tried to verify it.

The Güldenesgesatz contains the will of Leithanien.

It represents order, harmony, and beauty.

The golden melody is deeply rooted in the soul of every Leithanian, and is not so easily damaged.

That sounds like a form of Originium Arts. It shares some characteristics with our law, but works on different principles, and on a different target.

So... the Güldenesgesatz is actually a kind of complex Arts affecting the cognition of every Leithanian who hears it?

Cast by... more than ten thousand people in ensemble.

So we can't disrupt the performance, but what about the enemy? What's their plan?

The enemy's plan is undoubtedly the opposite.

They want the music to continue. Therefore, there is only one place they can be hiding.

Wh-What are you doing?

I put down my cello as you asked!

Frau Hochberg and I have not prevented any musician from leaving.

Your colleagues are either resisting her Arts, or chose to avoid confrontation due to Frau Löwenstein's presence.

You are the only one to have stayed behind.

......

Very astute, Sankta.

We have waited far too long to hear the music that truly belongs to Leithanien.

The other Witch King's remnants are amongst the musicians?

Stay away from them, Cora!

......

Are you... crying?

...Ja.

I'm listening to the Güldenesgesatz.

The Movement?

It's just so beautiful.

It reminded me of how much I used to love Leithanien.