act29side

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.

The shadows of the Twin Spires stretch as the sun sinks towards the horizon.

They swallow up the shadows of the musicians, of Cora, of Viviana herself.

She has never felt her power unleashed like this.

She is reminded of that flickering candlelight in the spire.

It was a tiny flame that only illuminated a corner of the bed. Leaving the other corners, the spiral staircase, and the night beyond the spire in total darkness.

There was a time when she couldn't admit that the darkness would linger in her eyes longer than that tiny speck of candlelight.

...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 <i>him</i>. 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 black Arts orb rises from his hand and into the air, exploding into a reddish black shadow.

It is quickly buried by even more brilliant rays of Arts.

Rays created by various Originium Arts interweave in the clouds.

Both the melody and the Arts come from the people on the ground, all focused on performing the music belonging to Leithanien alone, using instruments that also serve as Arts Units.

Even the buildings resonate with the Twin Spires, turning the empty space around the Kaiserinnen's towers into a true amphitheater.

The colors penetrating the clouds continue to shift with the splendid melody, as though the crowd is performing the color of the sunset in the sky.

It is a feast of sight and sound, woven together by Arts. The ultimate expression of Leithanien's classical aesthetics and mastery over Arts.

It is a grand spectacle visible from any corner of Zwillingstürme, and beyond.

Tears begin to fill Ebenholz's eyes.

He remembers standing atop the spire of Urtica, gazing down at the plate below.

There were many bell towers in the Grafschaft, which sang every day at dusk.

The people would leave their workshops after a long day of work, and the sound of wheels rolling over metallic roads would echo with the music filling the city.

He could see the green-black wilderness, if he stood on his toes. Einwald was filled with forests, and caravans brought ripe fruit into the city whenever they were in season.

Farmers often amplified their scents with Arts to attract customers. He could always smell the best fruits, even from his high perch.

The maid who sympathized with him would sneak a few back from the market, as long as no other nobles were watching.

The fruits were ripe and fresh, unlike the carefully selected, dried and withered food served on the long, old table.

He could not remember what became of the maid. Did she go join her beloved in the south? Or did she find a new job at the instrument workshop beneath the spire?

And, when he left Urtica... did he ever look back?

'Let the dark clouds scatter.

let the morning sun shine;

praise be to Leithanien,

home of the free.'

Yes, he had once loved this place from the bottom of his heart.

Leithanien, the land of divine music, cradle of the Arts.

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.