Judge

Sorry, I'm late! (There was a bit of delay with the Inquisition. Not sure if I made it in time...)

No, you're right on time, captain. We were just preparing. We've got quite a turnout today. Let's bring our A-game!

Sure, I will do my best. Where do I get a repertoire?

You're going to perform Saint's Pilgrimage, Corolla for the Girl, and Fountain of Spring. Correct?

And you are? (She looks familiar...)

Hehe, pardon my manners. I'm a loyal listener of the choir, and in particular, a big fan of Nightingale. I was just passing by and took the liberty of chiming in.

I appreciate your enthusiasm, but the performance's about to begin. Please return to the audience.

...Okay, it's time. Since it's a bigger turnout than usual, let's dial up the sound amplification magic.

Okay, all set.

Amazing performance as always. Here, this is for you.

Flowers?

My family runs a flower shop nearby. I picked these especially for you. A little token of best wishes.

Flower shop... So the flowers that show up at the church door every month, that's you?

Yes, it's me. Been doing it for three years. You see, I'm a big fan of you.

Thank you for those lovely flowers. Really appreciate it. (Sorry, but I'm doing this choir thing for selfish reasons)

Hearing that makes it all worth it. Alright then, keep up the good work.

(Strange. Why would she pick today to tell me all this? ...Ugh, darn it, bad habit from working ''over there.'')

Anyway, the performance's over. Time to move on to the next task.

Who's the target tonight?

The people instigating the violent protest in town. Call themselves the ''New Scepter.'' Supposedly just a bunch of anonymous domestic residents.

I remember that organization. Just last week they caused fires and explosions near the residential area.

Yes, that's them. The Inquisition tracked down their liaison. He's somewhere nearby, unaware of our presence.

Our only concern is that he might meet up with other members of the organization. If we make the arrest right now, it might spook them... So, what do you think?

Make the arrest now. Once we catch the liaison, it might compel the New Scepter to reveal themselves.

Okay. Let's break in.

You guys focus on keeping him and his companions from leaving. I will do most of the fighting. Alright... let's do this.

The Inquisition! Damn lapdogs of the Church! The New Scepter will not go down without a fight!

Bark all your want. Let's see you stay conscious after this.

W-What are you doing?!

What an evil ''lapdog'' is supposed to do. Bring me the instruments. I'm gonna interrogate him myself.

...Did he pass out? But you barely hurt him...

My interrogation technique is of the mental kind. I hate excessive use of torture. The very moment I get the info I need, I stop.

...Interrogation is about using the right amount of fear to pressurize the suspect to talk. It should by no means be an outlet to vent your anger or show off your strength.

You're absolutely right. (Nightingale is indeed the strongest and best leader the Inquisition ever had...) So, what have you learned?

This place is the intel center of the New Scepter. He came here tonight to get three important intel files. I'm going to find them.

We'll do our best to help you. Take us to the possible location of the intel files. We'll do the searching and parsing.

We did a thorough search of the area as per your instructions and saw no signs of other New Scepter members.

Baphomet... Found these internal communication logs. Take a look.

...Attack locations...? And detailed operation schedules!

Three logs for three attacks. Two have already happened exactly as the logs say.

The last one is scheduled for tonight. We still have time to stop it.

But it says here that the last attack will happen in various locations in the city at the same time. We gotta split up if we are to stop all of them.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. I will handle this location. You guys attend to the rest.

But that will put you at risk of being spotted by the enemy.

I know what I'm doing. Alright, let's get to it.

Please wait!

Huh? What's up? Is there something else?

Your hand is bleeding... Did you get hurt while you were covering us?

Oh, it's just a scratch. It'll scab over in no time.

But you're a superstar from the Hymn Squad. You should care about the way you look. Let me patch you up!

(I don't really care about the wound... But this is not the time for an argument.)

Thank you.

...Stop! Not one more step further! This is private property!

For you people, this is where judgment shall be delivered.

As you can see, I am alone.

...Don't play dumb with me. You arranged for me to find that intel so that I would split up with the rest of the group.

You truly live up to your reputation as the Inquisition boss. But... do you know why you were singled out?

Cause I'm the leader. I was the most valuable target, which explains the attention you lavished on me.

So you knew it was a trap and you walked into it anyway. Was that courage or conceit?

...You're the conceited one here, for thinking you could take me on by yourself.

If I simply want to defeat you, I would have brought more people with me. But no, I have something else in mind.

...Do you remember the attack on the church three years ago?

...A few extremists stormed the church, took the praying worshipers and, demanded that the church reveal all its hidden magic.

How did it end?

The attackers refused to negotiate and detonated their bombs. Everyone there, including the hostages, was...

...Liar. The Inquisition had no intention of negotiating from the start. That's why it ignored their demand and got all the hostages killed!

...Now where did you hear that?

That's not important. I'm here to do one thing: avenge those hostages on the Inquisition... and make you pay for your decision back then,

Now is the time for judgment.

...Stop. You may be better than the rest of your kind, you're still no match for me. And you have been misled. We're still...

Heh, I never thought about defeating you. I just needed to get close to you.

Now you will taste the despair my parents experienced back then! [Magic Bomb]!

What?! What's that tattooed on your body...?

Healing magic.

(Cough!)... How come you survived my magic-powered bomb...?

After that church attack, I had a protective magic array tattooed on my belly. It automatically triggers when I use magic.

You never cease to amaze me... Looks like... I have come in full circle...

You are badly torn inside and beyond saving. My healing magic can only keep you conscious for a little while longer.

Heh... So why are you doing this? To prolong my suffering?

...Your parents, were they among the hostages during that church attack?

Ah, I remember mentioning that a while ago... So what if they were? My revenge failed anyway.

We examined the bodies of your parents and other hostages and found traces of the same self-destruction magic you just used. In other words, all those hostages were suicide bombers.

...No, that's... impossible! They couldn't... My parents... They...

Even to this day, the Inquisition hasn't figured out whether those hostages were complicit or under duress... My failure to save them has always been a regret of mine.

Please tell me where you heard the rumor and who taught you the self-destruction magic. It could lead me to the real culprit! That way, I can at least...

...Don't bother... I got the self-destruction magic from the black market... Spent a fortune on it.

...About the church explosion, accounts differ... Some... fit with your story... But I refused to believe them...

Ah, I see... I chose... hatred over truth... In fact... I abandoned truth long ago...

...Any last wishes?

(Cough)... I... have never seen your face... What... a... shame...

...Thank you, for those flowers.

Nightingale?

I haven't seen you since your defection from the church... By the looks of it, you're not planning on fighting me.

I heard an explosion and came here to check... That girl, is she dead?

She used self-destruction magic on me. I... couldn't stop her in time. Do you know her?

She was the leader of the New Scepter. I was trying to approach her and talk her out of her violent protests. Looks like it's too late.

...Tell me something. Does the public think the Inquisition is evil beyond redemption? That it's okay to protest against us in unlawful ways?

Remember the church explosion three years ago? There was a large-scale protest afterward. But turned out it was leveled against the religious tax rise.

This country, I mean, the church is held together not by order, but by fear, fear administered by the Inquisition. And when there's fear, there's hatred. Hidden, indelible hatred.

When the hatred builds up to a certain point, it will find an outlet. When it does, it gets released in a violent blast hurtled toward you people... Just like this girl.

I get it. The Inquisition's objective tonight is to crush the revolt instead of catching the traitor. You can go now, Cardinal Guinevere.

...Okay. If you wish to dispel the shadow in your heart, first you have to pull yourself away from the darkness of the Empire. I hope when we meet again, you will have thought this through.

We're counting on you today, captain.

...Mmm. (That person is not in the audience anymore, just as expected.)

The first song, Daylight Requiem... This goes out to all those who have passed in accidents and disasters.

Captain, your voice... Is there something wrong with the sound amplification magic?

...No, that was on me. I didn't sing it out loud.

(...Once I realized the vanity of all this, I could no longer sing.)

A one-use communication device? No explosions or chemical reactions. Let's activate it and see what happens.

Nightingale, sorry to contact you at this hour, but I need your help with something personal. In return I will grant you one request. Any request.

Anyway, please head alone to the coordinates provided in the footage. I assure you, this meeting will be kept a secret and will not bring you any trouble.

Guinevere needs my help? Is this a trap? No, not necessarily. I should go find out.

It's been a while.

Miss Gryph... So, you did leave the church with Guinevere at the first chance. Where's she? Can we go see her now?

Hold your horses. We still have some formalities to go through. First, throw away your signal transmitters. All five of them.

...(Throws away).

Good. Now put on this bracelet. Oh, this is to conceal your magic energy. It will not affect your performance in combat.

...What are you trying to do?

...Just watch!

You want to continue?

...Mmm, you passed.

Sorry, that was just me testing your fighting skills. 'Cause the thing I need your help with involves a lot of fighting.

I haven't decided to help you yet.

Hmm, Guinevere also wants you to hear the whole plan before you decide. Come with me.

Huh, if it isn't Miss Nightingale!

...You're... with one of the three noble houses...

The name's Audrey T. Victoria... So, Miss Guinevere, is she the ''trump card'' you want to get hold of?

Personally, I very much hope Nightingale will be on board with our plan. But that's for her to decide, not me.

Plan...? Is this what you need my help with? Tell me more.

We're trying to steal from the Prophecy Book from the pope, something that has been passed down in the church over generations.

... Why are you asking?

It's an ancestral relic, one that can predict Calamities. I'm certain of its existence, and I know it's kept in the pope's personal collection.

...Even if that's true, to make it through the layers of security and get to the treasure vault in the church's inner sanctum, that's an impossible task.

Yes, that's why I'm trying to get all the help I can so that we can brainstorm a realistic plan.

Miss Nightingale, would you like to join us on the ''stage'' and topple the Church of Augustus once and for all.

Adjustment complete. Now provide the simulation prototype for building the intelligent humanoid.

Now to inject my magic energy.

My Doppelganger is thus completed. It will come in handy in stealth operations.