story_siege_1_1

Once we clear these abandoned plates, the Exemplars will be able to reach Londinium's walls.

Ever since we broke through the pass at Silverrock Bluffs, the Nachzehrer forces have been in full retreat. And here we thought the Sarkaz would be waiting to ambush us in the ruins, but...

There isn't a single one in sight.

That strange crimson color in the sky has also started to dissipate.

To be honest, my nerves are still a little shot. The battles in the past few days have been nightmarish.

Too many fought with their lives for this victory, pushing through all the pain and hardship...

Anyway, this is a victory that belongs to each and every one of us.

Our home is just around the corner.

Let's pick up the pace, and—

Suddenly, a massive roar fills the air, and the entire building begins to tremble.

A strange, piercing howl comes from deep inside the building, shattering the few remaining intact windows.

Knew it wouldn't be that easy!

All other teams, fall in!

What was that howling sound? The sound of steam?

Vina, can it be––

'Victoria.'

Notify the other teams and have them evacuate the building immediately. They are to stay on high alert, find cover, and be ready for anti-air operations.

Our team will proceed in a defensive formation while looking out for any potential attacks.

Vina, when you left the Mausoleum of Kings, you all said the Steam Knight had gone mad!

But he helped us in the battle at Silverrock Bluffs, didn't he? Everyone's talkin' about how Victoria's glory has returned!

Then, what's his deal now...?

Indeed, Siege can still remember the moment she was lifted by that massive armor, as well as the dull roar coming from it.

'Glorious—Victoria!'

She could not tell if the sounds from that armor were identical to the ones she had heard inside the Mausoleum of Kings. After all, the steel armor made all echoes sound similar.

Is it possible that the one inside the armor is...

Siege shakes her head, dispelling those ridiculous thoughts.

That man's courageous decision to face his own fate should not be tainted by any unrealistic fantasies.

Let's go.

We'll have the answer when we see him.

He should be here. At least, he was before.

The walls and the ground are scarred with traces of flames and blades, forming massive gashes that stretch deeper into the building.

It is not the first time she has seen such traces. They were also there along the corridor in front of the gate of the Mausoleum of Kings, where the statues of bygone kings stood...

According to Victorian canticles, what spews forth from the Steam Knights' blades is unyielding valor.

What about now?

There are Sarkaz corpses here.

By the looks of things, this is where the Sarkaz planned to besiege and kill the last Steam Knight.

Siege recoils in horror. She has heard these words before.

A hand tugs at her sleeve.

...Siege.

Dagda looks at her. The two have experienced the very same thing in the Mausoleum of Kings.

The burial ground of glory.

He is the last Steam Knight.

If he chooses to stand in our way again like in Londinium...

It's alright. I know we'll have to face him sooner or later.

...Dagda.

He has his duty, and we have ours.

Duty.

Someone once told her that the purpose of her entire life in Londinium was merely to fulfill a duty.

Indeed...

But she has long decided not to acknowledge that anymore.

We should cast aside all these duties and save him. Simple as that.

Do we... have the right to do that?

Better to act first and apologize later than to stand here worrying about it.

Let's go.

Siege ruffles the short girl's black hair and steps into the room first.

Charred corpses are everywhere, and these are pieces of the Steam Knight's armor.

It should have been more of an encounter battle than a proper ambush. By the looks of things, the Sarkaz weren't prepared to face such a tough opponent here.

I've taken a look around. No Sarkaz survivors.

The only place left to search is the space deeper inside.

Behind the broken wall, the other half of the room is shrouded in thick darkness.

Not a single sound or breath can be heard from within as if the sound of steam from earlier was just an illusion.

You all stay here and be ready to evacuate.

Siege slowly approaches the darkness deeper inside the room.

Perhaps, she would be greeted by a torrent of steam and smoke.

Perhaps, her face would soon be illuminated by the light of a blazing longsword.

Siege can't help thinking about the best outcome. Perhaps...

The friend whom she thought she had lost might be leaning next to a massive steam armor, sound asleep.

How are things on your side, Vina?

Nothing here.

The Steam Knight is already gone. The gushing and crashing sounds earlier we heard were probably the sounds of him breaking through the wall and leaving.

Maybe, he's already back in Londinium.

Let our troops outside know that the alert has been lifted. We'll continue forward in ten minutes.

Sure. I'll make the call.

Everyone feels relieved.

Yet, Siege only sighs.

Vina, you...

Don't worry about it.

Let's keep moving.

She does not speak a word of what she discovered.

It doesn't prove anything.

Or rather, everything has already been proven.

The Exemplars have arrived at the designated location at the scheduled time. Londinium's walls are now within sight.

Next, we will continue northeast until we reach the outer plate. All vehicles, please confirm your coordinates...

The sunset, now no longer tainted by that vile crimson shade, forms a spectacular sight. However, Siege's mind is elsewhere.

The golden afterglow reminds her of her teacher's magnificent mane and the longsword that has been part of countless legends in her hand...

As well as––

Vina, what are you looking at?

Nothing in particular.

Siege clenches her fists in panic, then chuckles self-deprecatingly.

I'm not acting like myself, am I?

She hesitates for a few seconds before opening her palm.

There, in her hand, is a tattered red cloth with burned edges.

The cloth begins to flutter in the blustery wind. Delphine hurriedly tries to grasp the cloth before the wind carries it away, but Siege loosens her grip, letting it fly away until it disappears into the distance.

What was that?

Something I found in that abandoned plate.

It might've been just another piece of clothing lying around. It might've been there all along and had nothing to do with the Steam Knight.

(Red clothing...)

Do you think Allerdale Cumberland might still be alive?

There are many people whom I hope are still alive. However, such wishes are meaningless—it's like wishing I were still a street thug back in Norport, and that none of this ever happened.

I heard from members of the Self-Salvation Corps that Allerdale Cumberland was their former leader. She never returned from the mission to retrieve the Sighs of Kings.

She sacrificed herself for us.

But that's not the whole story, is it?

You know what my old job was.

Back in Londinium, the kind of intel I was chiefly responsible for gathering, apart from the movement of the Sarkaz, was about secret agents like me.

The Duke of Cumberland is no more, but his heir still moves freely about in Londinium. We all know what that means.

Vina, I have no intention of influencing your opinion of her, but there is no unconditional kindness and support among the Victorian worthies. I must say that––

She approached me with an agenda.

I know. We... had a heart-to-heart talk. She worked for Caster, helping her to seize the Sighs of Kings.

And despite all that, you still hope to see her alive.

I... am still willing to see her as a friend.

This is a dangerous decision driven by your emotions, Vina. An army can't maintain itself without discipline.

I know, Delphine. Allerdale and I know this is an irreparable and unforgivable sin.

Still, I regret not being powerful enough to save her... and many others.

I've never had any direct dealings with Lady Cumberland, only seeing her a few times in Londinium from a distance. She put a lot of effort into maintaining a dignified appearance.

I can imagine the price she had to pay for that.

I might come off as insensitive to say this, but I've met many people like Lady Cumberland. That's just the way the game is played in this country.

She was just another actor on the stage, and her fate was not in her own hands.

I might be able to break free from that... because I met you.

Because of all of you, I have the option to break free from the inertia of depravity and to stop playing a pitiful, supporting role at the worthies' gatherings.

But Lady Cumberland? She was alone and helpless back then.

Allerdale... I always saw her as one who faced her fate with her head held high. She was not some loser who decided to give in.

Is that its own kind of laziness—to blame each and every tragedy on cruel fate, Delphine?

It's a form of laziness I've grown accustomed to.

Many things cannot be achieved through sheer hard work, Vina. We use 'fate' to describe these vast and intangible forces because they cannot be defied.

Hah. The 'inertia of depravity,' right?

Those who step out of line will be culled—gently, yet decisively—just like the Steam Knights.

Just like... Alistair, my father.

Vina...

Don't worry, I have no interest in raising a stink in his name. To be honest, I never even knew him that well.

Funnily enough, when I was young, my adoptive parents used to tell me stories about my father, the great 'King Alistair,' all the time...

But they passed away too early that I barely remember those stories anymore.

It wasn't until Allerdale mentioned the King's name to me again that all those fragmented memories started to rush back. Rash, ambitious, determined to accomplish something big...

Haha, I'm not sure what similarities we share beyond our blood ties. He was a monarch hanged for his failed reforms, offending nearly all the nobles.

As for me, I'm just a Norport gangster. The only place I'm familiar with, besides the bar and boxing gym, is the police station.

We share the surname of 'Victoria,' but that's about it.

The Duke of Windermere's duty has always been to safeguard the border between Victoria and Leithanien. We've never paid much attention to the political struggles taking place in Londinium.

But... it's true that my mother spoke very little of the coup and King Alistair.

I think she deliberately avoided talking about it. I actually analyzed the situation before—

There wasn't anything she could do, and I understand that. Delphine, you don't need to feel sorry for me. That's just how the rules of the game are in Victoria—beneath the calm facade, everything has already been decided.

Regardless of what my mother thought at the time, I don't think the people were at fault for seeking change.

Change is something we all want, isn't it? It's just that... nobody knows how to go about it.

Yes. Everyone back then knew something was wrong, just as they do now.

This war indeed is reshaping Victoria, but in what direction?

But... are we truly getting any closer to the future we hope for?

We've just witnessed Wellington's betrayal, as well as the indecision of the dukes. These are things that've happened time and again.

Delphine, what do you think is the reason behind everything we're facing and what our country is going through?

Do you really want my opinion?

Simply put, it's because we've been deceived by the brutal and cunning Sarkaz.

All Victoria needs is time. I could easily come to the same conclusion as every noble reading newspaper in their manor.

But we've seen it firsthand.

Our 'glorious homeland' is short-sighted, arrogant, and reckless. It is filled with greedy nobles, incompetent bureaucrats, a weak parliament, and landowners or factory owners who exploit their workers...

The problem is that Victoria might always has been this way, even during what people consider as her golden age.

––All of these things are the sources of Victoria's former glory, yet they are also the inertia that we so despise.

But then again, we have a team now. It might be time to do more.

What do you mean?

Ah. It suddenly dawned on me that I might share another similarity with my father.

Both our enemy is 'Victoria.'

He might've been too reckless, but I might not be any better than him either. Maybe... I'll even meet the same end as he did.

But it's still worth a shot, isn't it?

Vina—I mean, Alexandrina Vina Victoria—do you know what you're saying right now?

Indeed, we've found ourselves some companions, and the Exemplars have created a miracle in this battle...

But this is just Londinium, a single city! How many cities are there across of all Victoria?

The soldiers and officers involved in this war see you as a hero because the dukes—

The dukes need a hero to cover up their failures. We are just icons they use as a front. I'm well aware of that.

But, so what?

We're already here.

Everything that has driven Victoria's 'inertia,' the obsession with glory, the worship of splendor, the monarchy, and the puppet Parliament...

Must end here.

You want to change all of that?

More than just change.

I will wage war against them.

It certainly won't be an easy task. We might need to fight against everything that makes up this country, including ourselves. It might take a long, long time, up to a decade or even two...

But if I want to make sure what happened in Londinium today never happens again, this is the only way.

I need to vanquish the Victoria of the past until I'm the only one left in the ring.

I...

That's a distant dream. And, rationally speaking, it might never even come true.

There's no shortage of reformers and even revolutionaries in this country. Some succeeded, while others failed.

Yet, all their efforts invariably ended up lost in the mists of Londinium. And Victoria has never changed.

But... Vina, you'll treat this as a ring, won't you?

That's right. Regardless of what I face, there's only one thing I can do—give it a good 'slobberknocker'.

*sigh*.

Just to be clear, I have no intent on stepping into the ring with you.

But... if you do manage to land a few good punches, I'll be cheering for you.

Sounds good.

It's time to let the people of Londinium know that the Exemplars are on their side!

We... are home.

Siege catches a glimpse of a golden figure flashing from the corner of her eyes.

Her adoptive father once told her in a hopeful tone that her teacher was the very symbol of Victoria.

With him at her side, she would lead the country until all suffering was banished by the light of glory.

What would her teacher be thinking now?

His strides are always so quick, and his appearances are always unpredictable.

His golden mane protects her from the wind and keeps her warm through the coldest nights.

He exudes an aura that resembles the sun.

But... he has not been seen for years.

'Wait for me, Teacher!'

Vina.

The coffin was too big, and my hands felt sore. Even with the help of adults, carrying the coffin into the cemetery was a laborous task.

My adoptive father was buried right next to my adoptive mother. They both shared the same gravestone.

Those visitors who used to frequent my place when I was little didn't show up. They must have given up already. After all, it's been so long.

'Teacher.'

'What... should I do next?'

You've gained knowledge, learned to fight, and equipped yourself with survival skills.

There is nothing left for me to teach you.

'But...'

My teacher seemed to let out a gentle sigh. He turned around, his golden mane coming close to my face.

As always, it smelled like sunlight.

But, my child, you do not know where to go.

You do not know what to do with the things you've learned from me.

'They always said that the reason I can see you is because I have a duty.'

No, there's no such thing as duty.

It applies to both you and me.

Only the shackled call their chains their duty.

If you're finally ready to step forward...

Then, I—

One minute, I'm getting a new message—

Understood. Please continue the investigation, and ask Rhodes Island for help if necessary.

What happened?

Our technicians have detected a signal that has been listening to our conversations.

Is it the duke? Or the Sarkaz?

Strangely enough, neither.

According to the signal analysis... the perpetrator's name is one that I've never heard of before...

The people of Londinium seem to call her 'Millscar'.