To Reach the Crown

...I'm sorry, Crownslayer, but we cannot approve your application to join us in Ursus.

Why not?

Dr. Kal'tsit left very specific instructions in case you ever brought this up.

I know Ursus better than anyone!

Precisely. You know it too well.

What's that supposed to mean?

She said that if you got angry about this, that would prove her judgment correct. She made a special note on your transfer requests—you can go anywhere except Ursus.

And why does she get to decide that for me? I'm not the little girl hiding behind her coat anymore. This isn't about revenge either!

I just want to go home and find out how exactly my father died, and what exactly that damn Sarcophagus is! What's wrong with that?

Nothing at all. Here, she left you a recording.

......

Lyudmila, when you find yourself standing before the machine that devoured your father, when you find your childhood drawings... what do you plan to do then?

You want the truth. But the truth is in the past; it belongs to history. What are your plans for what comes after?

Naturally, you'll say you wish to become a slayer of crowns. But where exactly will you point your blade?

If all you seek is an answer, then await my return, and I will tell you everything I can.

While there are still some matters that I cannot tell you, I can nonetheless guarantee that this will be more informative for you than any trip to Ursus.

I expect this promise will be enough to dissuade you from returning to Ursus. Assuming you don't have something else in mind.

If you do, I wish you luck in convincing Amiya.

I—

I'm sorry, Crownslayer. But just so you know, this wasn't just Dr. Kal'tsit's decision. The Doctor and I agreed with it as well.

You have too many ties to the country, and I can't risk letting those interfere with Rhodes Island's operations.

But I promise you, once Dr. Kal'tsit returns—

Fine, I get it!

So she's always off who-knows-where, letting this little bunny speak for her!

Saying I'm not qualified? Hah! I know what she's implying. She thinks I'm courting death. She doesn't get me at all.

Yeah, our Lyudmila's no coward! Without you, Pitt would've been a pile of ash ages ago!

You know it! Does that Kal'tsit lady even know how to drive a truck? Does she have any idea what it takes to make it as a trucker?!

Didn't you say you know her secret or something? She's just afraid of you! She's scared of you spilling it next time you go back.

Hmph, exactly!

Who gives a damn about those big-company paper-pushers anyway? They don't even see you as a person!

Yeah! C'mon, Lyudmila. Don't even waste your energy getting angry about it. Here, take this!

Thanks, Joe... This apple's pretty crunchy.

'Course it is. Traded for it straight from the farm just a little while ago.

A farm? When did we start working with farms?

While you were gone. We hooked up with some villages in the wastes. Relax, it's all legit.

Everyone's been talking about holding a barbecue today, and actually, we wanted you to be in charge—mostly so Eirene doesn't burn all the meat again.

Yeah... I'm thinking you guys just wanna steal some of my salt soda.

Heheh. But for real, Lyudmila! Stay and party with us for a bit. Forget all about that rotten Rhodes Island!

That—

Talking behind my back, are we?

Just telling the truth, Eirine. Your BBQ skills can't hold a candle to hers.

How about you get back to work then? Unless you're telling me your soda party here is because you're already done for the day?

Fine, fine, I'm going.

So how long are you planning to stay this time, Lyudmila?

I've got a short field op coming up, so I'll be heading back in a few days.

Can't you stay any longer?

Don't worry, I'll be back. Not like I have anywhere else to go these days.

Here.

This is... a trucker's union 'Special Associate Agreement'?

'...As per this agreement, the Agenzia per la Sicurezza dei Trasporti will provide Lyudmila Ilyinichna a residence in Nuova Volsinii along with identification documents...'

You...

I know your situation's a little special. I've been thinking about this ever since you left last time.

Don't think of the contract as a chain, but as insurance.

Sign it, and you'll have a tie to Nuova Volsinii. Then, no matter what Rhodes Island does, you'll always have a truck and a bed here, if you want them.

Personally, I want you to stay. Not as a dispatch operator, but as family.

Family...

So why hesitate? Is it because...?

It's too good a deal.

Lyudmila?

...Grazie, Eirene. Really.

But it's a lot to consider. I... I'll have to mull over it.

No problem! I know it's a big decision. Keep the contract, and come find me whenever you're ready.

Now, let's go get some coffee. Old Sam just brewed a fresh batch. With extra sugar.

Sure.

Oh right, and we also got some new business partners.

Joe was telling me about that earlier. What about them?

How do I put it... Something about them worries me a bit.

What's that supposed to mean?

They said they came from a farm far away, so I did a background check. No problems there, and they're polite enough.

But some of their people reminded me of you. So I wanted to ask you to take a look.

How am I supposed to take that? Well, whatever, fine.

Let's see... The list is all daily necessities—nothing out of the ordinary.

As for the goods themselves... all above board.

Is this the delivery address?

'Susie's Groceries'? Sounds normal enough

—?!

...Red? Why are you...? Don't tell me—

I should be asking that.

What've you done to the truckers, Lyudmila?!/What've you done to the grocers, Red?!

......

......

You're the driver?

You're the client?

......

......

Those goods... They're ours.

I'll help you.

Oh, and long time no see.

You too.

I'd heard the AST had this amazing Reproba who was away on a business trip, but I didn't think it'd be you.

Sounds like your journey home went well. Nine will be happy to hear that.

Nine, huh? So what's with the farm?

It's a farm.

And Nine's there?

Yup. With the others.

And Talulah?

...You'd probably kill someone if I didn't tell you. Yes, she's there too. Nine's watching her.

So this shipment is stockpiling for—

We're preparing for the future.

Which is why we need so much.

Neither the Kazimierzians nor the Leithanians wanted to trade with us, so we tried our luck here. Never expected that judge or Commissioner Eirene would be so willing to help, though.

Because you hid your identities.

And do you go around advertising your past in Reunion, Lyudmila?

......

We're just a group of farmers living by the Ursus border. That part's no lie.

But... why?

......

What's your angle here, Red?

Almost done moving the goods.

I saw the inventory list, and there weren't any problems with the order. Thank Eirene for me.

And I doubt we'll be seeing each other again anytime soon, so thank her for treating us so well, too.

Red!

It's for your own good. You're no longer part of Reunion.

Or are you implying you want to come back?

If so, then come with me. I'm sure Nine would love to see you again.

You can think it over, Lyudmila. Reunion's different now. This time we're going back to help people.

But are you still the same? Are you Lyudmila the truck driver now, or someone else?

Do you actually want to come back to us, or are you just looking to hitch a ride like last time?

I was never hitching a ride!

If you say so.

Well, if you haven't already made up your mind, then we'd only be sending a lost ghost back to the ruins of Chernobog.

I'm leaving. Keep your distance, lest you get run over.

Wait! Red!

That bastard...

I'm back, Maestro.

Maestro... you told me not to go back to Ursus for revenge. That I was too weak, and knew too little.

But how do I know when I've got the strength and knowledge to be ready?

You're angry. Because Kal'tsit rejected you? Because Red saw right through you?

Or are you thinking Eirene chose the worst possible time for her offer?

Kal'tsit doesn't know me at all! She thinks I'm just eager to die, that I have no goal in mind. And Red, what does he mean I'm just a hitchhiker?!

They're right. You were Reunion's 'Crownslayer'. Wherever Talulah pointed, you went.

Then you became a 'delivery expert'. Wherever Eirene needs something delivered, you drive.

Lyudmila, you're always jumping between different cars before any of them have reached their destination.

Reunion's, Rhodes Island's, and the truckers'...

Shut up! I spilled blood for those goals!

You spilled blood to prove you're part of a story. Because you're afraid that once it ends, or once you're out of the picture, you'll be nothing.

You fear that without the labels of 'avenger' or 'driver', you're just a gaping void.

I just want to know the truth. I want to pay my respects at my father's grave!

Your legs are your own. If you really wanted to, who could stop you?

I—

Yes, you want the truth. You want to sweep his grave, and also to find the Sarcophagus.

But you met Talulah, and you met Eirene. You regret failing to discover Talulah's fall to evil, and you promised Eirene you'd never let it happen again.

Why? Do those things have anything to do with the truth of the Sarcophagus?

No, they don't. But they have to do with you. With 'Crownslayer' Lyudmila.

Think about it. What did your master say the last time you expressed your interest in Ursus?

She... she laughed.

At your naivety.

She said: 'Lyudmila, killing an emperor honestly isn't much harder than killing a fowlbeast. If he bleeds, he can die.'

'...But what comes after taking his life?'

That's right. What comes after that?

Who will sit on the now-empty throne? Throw the nation into chaos—who will govern after? When a new tyrant ascends, will you kill again?

And will that spilled blood fill the hole in your heart?

I...

You've never thought about these things. All you care about is the 'slaying'.

Because 'slaying' is easy. A discrete action with a defined endpoint. Blade goes in, target falls down. Mission accomplished.

It's the same with your trucker work. Deliver the goods, sign the papers. Mission accomplished.

You like that feeling. Hit the mark, and you don't have to care about whatever mess you leave behind. Never have to think about where to go next.

You reduced yourself to a blade, because blades don't have to think about the future.

...And that's why I'm so lost.

Exactly. I know that the moment I set foot on that frozen soil, there's no way I'll stick to finding the so-called truth, or that it'll simply end with me crying at the laboratory ruins.

I grew up there. I know what life in Ursus is like. And as I followed Reunion, I saw how the people suffered.

So it's impossible for me not to care about the locals. But what I fear most is that when I meet those people and see their situation, I'll still feel powerless.

Is my revenge only for father's misfortune? Is my anger only because I don't have the truth?

Can I still only tell myself I am the 'Crownslayer', that my blade exists only to topple the throne?

Killing a king is so simple. Killing the crown though—well, that's a different story.

So I considered relying on Rhodes Island, or Reunion.

I'm not hoping to use them as a shield. I'm hoping they can help me fight off the wind and snow of the tundra, together.

But... obviously, I already know which answer I'll choose.

Lyudmila! Where have you been? You were missing all afternoon.

Look, the vodka you wanted! Not as good as the stuff in Ursus, but it's the best you can find in Siracusa.

Eirene.

Hm? What's up? Why so serious?

Did you decide to sign? Here, pen's all ready!

I'm leaving.

To where? Did Rhodes Island call you back already?

No. It's my own decision.

I'm returning to Ursus.

Now? But... it's cold up north.

Did we... let you down somehow? Or maybe those farmers—

Neither.

You said you'd watch over me. You're breaking your promise.

It's because I've been watching you that I know how much effort you've put in to make the truckers' union what it is today.

And what I learned from both you and that other person is that I can't expect someone else to achieve my goals for me. I need to take control of my life, from square one.

...It'll be a tough journey.

That's why I've been putting it off for so long.

...But you still have to go, don't you?

I have to.

Alright. I won't stop my homesick friend from going back.

But listen, Lyudmila. No matter what you find or fail to find there...

If you're ever tired, just remember that our door is always open. I'll keep the contract for you.

It's a promise.

Who's there?

It's me.

What? So you decided to come with us? Or are you here to see us off?

So what's up with 'Susie's Groceries'?

...Borrowed the name of a friend.

You've changed, too.

I'll help you guys deliver this batch to the border.

...Why?

Call it paying my fare in advance. And also... I need to return the final favor I owe Reunion.

Sure.

So where are you headed?

To Rhodes Island to collect my luggage, and then to Ursus.

Alone?

Alone.

Then we might actually meet again.

If the opportunity presents itself.

You're hiding a lot of things from me, aren't you?

What I deem it necessary to, yes.

So you'll only tell me what you think I should know, right?

I won't deny that.

Then I don't need you.

Regardless, Rhodes Island will not permit you to go to Ursus.

I'm just visiting my old home. I was born there.

I'll go alone. Neither you or Rhodes Island can stop me from walking there on my own two legs. You don't have the right.

I'll take a look, maybe do some things.

I might even meet some of your operators there, but we'll see.

That's all.