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I should write that down somewhere.

Must be tough being a Trilby Asher. Looked like he was about to jump down from the top of the head himself, but then Degenbrecher sent him flying with a mean kick.

Poor guy.

Now that I think about it, those other fellows that Degenbrecher fought. I wonder if they felt the same way as this Trilby Asher?

Knowing that you are not truly a match, but with no other option but to struggle for your life, unsure if you'll have the opportunity to get out in one piece?

Until finally you realize that there really is no such opportunity.

No.

Those with more mercenary motivations for battle are much weaker than him.

Are you satisfied?

Yes?

You seemed to be quite pleased while you were watching us give the statue a light trim.

Is it to your liking now?

It's not bad, I'd say.

Good.

Where are you going?

Despite the fall, he is not the type to die so easily. He will be back soon enough.

I'll resume keeping an eye on him.

You're certain he won't best you next time?

He was no match for you during that fight earlier, but I fear that if he had truly put his heart into it, he would have proven the victor quite easily.

Moreover, there's hardly a guarantee that he's not bait, correct?

I will leave that sort of thinking up to Enciodes.

Enciodes cannot be here at the moment. Surely you know that better than me.

Allow me to take the lead.

You?

Or, to be more precise, allow the Saintess.

Kjarr buzzes the communications terminal in her hand.

Did you get all that, Saintess?

Allow me to take the lead.

You did well, Degenbrecher.

My pleasure.

Will you be coming to the bonfire banquet tonight?

I'm afraid not. I'm not fond of busy parties.

What a shame.

What did you have in mind?

I would like you to watch over a foreign envoy. I believe diplomacy will prove more effective than force in this case.

He might not actually be a foreign envoy.

He might very well be.

Alright. I am in your hands, Saintess.

Uh, you know the exit's in the other direction, right?

I know.

Whew, he should be able to pull through, right?

Alright, stop rubbernecking, clear the way. Let's think of a way to get him out of that hole first.

Based on his clothes, he looks like some kind of foreigner. I don't think even we could handle water that cold...

Hey, mind if I ask what's going on here?

Some poor fellow just flew on over here from the island in the middle of the lake. Smashed a hole right through the ice.

What?! Tsch—

Alright, coming through, make way, excuse me, thank you.

Harold squeezes his way through the crowd, and the moment he sees what all the fuss is about, he cannot help but laugh.

A perfect circle has been punched through the frozen surface of the lake, and in the center of that circle floats a 'corpse'.

And so it fell to him to come to the rescue.

This water, brrrr— These old bones ain't spry enough to handle that.

Excuse me, anyone got some kind of stick or the other on hand? He's a friend of mine and I'm here to get him out of there.

Hmm, nothing like that over here. Maybe you can head over to the nearby finning village, ask someone there if you can borrow a finning pole?

No need, I've got something that can help!

Nice, thanks—

Eh?! Rosalind?

Hey, dedushka. Fancy meeting you here.

I'll lend you my weapon. Let's get that guy out of there.

Cheers.

We'll help too!

Using Rosalind's weapon, the people work together to dredge the 'corpse' up and out of the hole.

Looks like he still hasn't kicked the bucket.

I probably shouldn't be saying this, but if he really had died, I would have had a whole lot of beastshite on my hands.

Thankfully the one who did this had the same idea, so they held back a bit.

Let's get this fellow somewhere warm for now.

Yep.

Ho, shopkeep, allow us to borrow your fireplace for a spell.

Sure.

Isn't this John? He should be up the mountain. How'd he get his ass kicked down here?

Up the mountain? You've met him before?

Yep.

I met him up there...

And then what?

Ah, no, nothing. It'd be a pain to explain.

What about you, dedushka? What're you going to do these next two days?

Me?

Haha, I'm just here to clap at the Kjeragandr statue unveiling ceremony tomorrow, as a Victorian delegate. After that, I guess I'll be heading back home straight away.

If I manage to find one last opportunity before I go, I'd like to walk about and buy some souvenirs for the wife and kid back home.

Sounds like you've got a lot of free time on your hands, dedushka.

When you're young, you feel like you have a thousand and one different things that you need to get done. But when you get to around my age, you'll learn that some free time never did any harm.

*cough* *cough* *cough* *cough*

Ah, the 'dead' rise.

Bluggh—

How's it hanging, 'John'?

Madam Larina? And the Lord Viscount?

Good, good. I was just about to have a chat with my dearly-departed grandfather.

The hell happened to you anyway?

It's a bit of a long story.

Are you getting along with your father?

Eh, alright enough, I guess.

Father? Did I miss something?

It's a bit of a long story.

Seriously, what happened, 'John'?

You've managed to become chummier with Rosalind than me, right under my nose.

Finally found you.

Eh?! Saintess?

The Saintess?

Pramanix?

Ah, Leto! You're here too, perfect.

Me?