Echocalypse: Scarlet Covenant story · Themed biography
Purgatory
Brown frequently moves between the political circles of Eastrise and Bifrost, hoping to promote a trade route connecting the north and south. However, beneath the surface enthusiasm, Brown is also secretly planning his own agenda.
8 scenes, 150 lines
1. Rare guest
6 lines
Lord Cera, welcome to the Golden Castle~ You are truly a rare guest.
Sniff, sniff.
What's wrong, sir?
It seems my nose is right; you also have the scent of bread on you.
What smell? You're acting strange, sir...
Occupational hazard, please don't mind... Please lead the way, I'd like to see Miss Audrey.
2. Security Check
13 lines
Clang clang - esteemed guest, please stay.
Is that Nyla? Long time no see.
I used to see you every time I accompanied Lady Audrey to the cathedral for sermons. You always carried yourself with such calm authority.
After all, it's the job of a gatekeeper...
Due to recent break-ins at the Golden Castle, security measures now include body searches upon entry.
Of course, as the Pope's special envoy now, you have the right to refuse an old friend's search.
No need, I'm acting on orders and have nothing to hide. Feel free to search me.
Search complete! I must say, I quite like the decorations you have on you.
As the Pope's guards, appearance is quite important too...
However, it has been quite some time since Her Holiness the pope has given a public sermon...
Cera, do you know what Her Holiness has been busy with lately?
Well, Your Holiness must have more important tasks at hand.
There are some things I can't disclose, so please understand...
3. Honey Cake
13 lines
Cera, your presence at the Golden Castle truly graces our humble abode.
Your humble abode is even more magnificent than the grand cathedral...
It just so happens that I have other guests here today, so we can all enjoy afternoon tea together~
Other customers?
Lord Cera, hello...
Are you... the young lady of the Campbell family?
Okay.
(Such a cute little girl, she seems quite shy.)
Come on, everyone, try our new dessert...
Does it seem familiar? This is a traditional honey nut cake from the Empire, you know.
We've improved the honey variety, which is now rich in Echo Crystal particles, making it more suitable for baby Cases to consume!
4. Childish remarks are innocent.
27 linesIt's really delicious... By the way, Audrey, has anyone been buying a lot of food from your store recently?
Hmm, recently the food production in the Empire has been unable to meet demand, and our food will sell out regardless of the price.
It's hard to say if anyone is buying food in bulk.
(Answering smoothly without asking the waiter, it seems you were well-prepared.)
I agree... the current situation in the Empire is not very promising.
My aunt is constantly busy collecting information on heretics and smugglers, making it difficult for me to even see her.
Ever since the last time I went to Bifrost on a mission and encountered the Yulia rebellion incident, my aunt hasn't let me go out much.
Always saying how dangerous it is outside, and that there are many bad people and such...
The outside world is indeed very dangerous.
I can't even move freely in my own country, let alone go abroad!
In the capital, those nobles and bishops gather daily, boasting and talking endlessly.
While praising the Pope's boundless virtues with their lips, their minds are filled with thoughts of luxury items and concerts.
No one wants to stay in their jurisdiction to manage the disaster-stricken people; instead, they seek the Pope's trust by singing praises in the capital.
Eh? Did I say something too harsh? I apologize, I almost lost control of my emotions again. I'm truly sorry!
No worries, it's said that the bloodthirsty state is a hereditary trait within the Campbell family bloodline.
Did even Lord Cera find out? Last time in Bifrost, I went berserk, and it was thanks to the help of Parvati and Beam who were with me.
It's been so long, I wonder how she's doing now.
...?
Miss Parvati? Is she that adorable cat Case? What a coincidence, I've encountered her recently.
She seems to have received a task to deliver food to the disaster-stricken area.
Indeed, Miss Parvati never fails to impress with her beauty and kindness.
What a coincidence, I recently met Miss Parvati too.
Emissary Lord?
In the disaster-stricken area, Parvati, as a member of God Eaters, is distributing food produced by the Victoria family.
Give me an explanation, Audrey?
5. Press the advantage
28 linesIs Miss Parvati a member of the God Eaters?
...
So that's why Her Holiness has been unable to do anything about the God Eaters; it turns out they have the backing of powerful nobles like you.
Audrey, what is your goal? To overthrow the Church's rule and restore your family to the throne?
My sole purpose is to save the people in the disaster-stricken area.
Must the salvation of the people in the disaster area be carried out through the hands of the God Eaters? Don't you understand that your supplies will become the capital for their proselytizing?
If donations are made through official channels, the supplies will be withheld before reaching the hands of the people.
If the Victoria family were to directly intervene, we might be accused of overstepping our authority and trying to win people's favor.
Moreover, many of these aid supplies were smuggled in from Eastrise and Bifrost...
Miss Audrey spent a fortune on this and also had to bear the burden of breaking the law.
Can't it be transported in through customs normally?
Both Bifrost and Eastrise governments strictly control the trade of strategic materials like food.
With the current political instability in various countries, getting large-scale trade deals approved quickly isn't easy. Our refugees can't afford to wait that long.
Recently, Ziz, the head of the Norman family, has been secretly meeting with the Pope, and I can't reach her to help us resolve our predicament.
In any case, we have our own difficulties, so please understand, Emissary.
...If everything I've seen and heard along the way wasn't true, I definitely wouldn't let you off the hook.
But as for the God Eaters, I must apprehend them. Can you tell me where they are now?
The God Eaters have always been in one-way contact with us, and I don't know their whereabouts...
Really? Can I search the Golden Castle then?
Hm...
The main castle area is open for visitors, but the showroom and side rooms contain numerous artifacts...
Don't worry, I'll be discreet. What about the basement? The hidden attic? As far as I know, the Golden Castle is large enough to hide an entire army.
The key to the hidden attic disappeared after the last ball...
Hmph, I don't believe it... Now it's my turn to investigate you, Miss Nyla!
At last, I found it! I didn't expect Nyla to hide the key in such a private place. I apologize for the intrusion.
Hmph...
6. Friend
22 linesMiss Nyla, please take me to visit the secret attic.
Nyla, this...
As a friend, I really advise you to stop here and not investigate any further...
What's going on? Is there something terrifying in the dark tower? Could it be the legendary ghost of the Golden Castle?
The spirits of the Golden Castle have finally found peace...
(Do ghosts really exist after all?)
But reality is far more brutal than ghosts. As for the things in the hidden attic, I really have nothing to say.
Even if the God Eaters' members were lurking in the shadows, it doesn't necessarily mean they could kill me.
As long as I can protect Levia, I'll brave even hell itself!
Precisely because of that, I shouldn't let you go on.
Apologies, Cera, but let's spar like we did in our childhood!
Nyla-chan... I'm sorry for offending you!
What an exciting duel!
Perhaps a smaller engraving would be better...
You're going soft, Nyla.
Fighting the Pope's envoy with force is unrealistic... Nyla, let me take Cera to the hidden room.
Lord Cera, this choice may change your entire life, both past and future.
(What secrets could be hidden in this dark room?)
Now that the arrow is on the string, I'll face whatever awaits me.
For Your Holiness.
...
Sometimes I really don't know if involving you is right or wrong. But please, come along with me.
7. Journey into the Night
12 linesThe hidden chamber was filled with stacks of thick letters and scrolls.
Here are various documents compiled by the Victoria Family over the course of centuries.
Then, the secret you're referring to is...?
You'll find out eventually, so I won't waste your time.
During the last Golden Ball theft case, Teslovik's detective found several notes from my father. Some of the information about Vivi caught my interest.
Vivi?
Later, I sorted through all the relevant information in the darkroom and uncovered some... dark truths.
The information is right here, whether you read it or not is up to you, Lord Cera.
Of course... I need to know.
The world underwent drastic changes after the disaster, and we're like travelers searching for a path in the darkness of night.
No matter how we chase the stars and the moon, the night only grows darker...
But knowing the truth is better than blindly entering the darkness.
8. Black Night
29 lines[Top Secret Files: Fundamental Research on the Origins of Augustus]
This seems to be a topic that was frequently discussed among the clergy in the past. However, now the interpretation of the Heavenly Voice is in the capable hands of Her Holiness Levia.
Since taking power, the Victoria Family has been conducting fundamental research on the Church of Augustus, attempting to control the people by simulating the Heavenly Voice through Echo Crystal technology.
Although all information about the Heavenly Voice was destroyed or transferred after the family's decline, Levia continued this research through the artificial human, Holy Lady Vivi.
However, multiple sources confirm that Pope Levia is not someone capable of hearing the Heavenly Voice.
According to historical records, the influence of the Church of Augustus has been present in the northwestern region of Noneuia for thousands of years, which is now the prototype of the Empire.
This is because even the Church's saints can only receive Heavenly Voice's decrees in the northwest region. There are no records of other parts of the world ever hearing the Heavenly Voice.
In the past, people often believed that the northwest was the chosen land of the Heavenly Voice. Later, the construction of the Bird Cage by the church indeed protected the people of the northwest.
However, this also suggests that if there is an origin for the Heavenly Voice, it's most likely within the Empire's territory.
...
The reason the Church's saints can hear the Heavenly Voice is not due to their pure faith or abundant virtues.
On the contrary, listening to the Heavenly Voice is a gift, so many saints of the Church of Augustus discovered their talent first and then turned to the faith.
As a result, throughout history, there have been countless morally corrupt sages who were unworthy of their positions.
As a result, until the outbreak of the Echo Crystal disaster, the Church had not truly held real power in the nation for thousands of years.
The Church could only consolidate its power by supporting the ascension of a king from the Victoria family.
...
Modern biotechnology analysis of the saints' remains reveals that those who could hear the Heavenly Voice share common genetic markers in their ancestry.
It's safe to say that the Heavenly Voice selects its listeners through genetics.
...
The Echo Crystal disaster has long been prophesied by the Church. However, after the disaster, the Church's guidance in everyday life has almost vanished.
After the disaster, the only three Listeners of the Empire found themselves lost in both their work and personal lives.
In the end, Levia, a powerful figure who cannot hear the divine voice, consolidates power and is elected as the Pope.
...
The last note still came from the late Earl Nicholas Victoria.
As the diviner said, the organization has infiltrated the Heavenly Voice Church's affairs, which concerns the organization's core interests.
The truth about the Heavenly Voice cannot be revealed to the public, but it can be confirmed as a man-made creation. The ancient gods are the only true deities in this world.
Oh my gosh..
Levia must have realized this, hence the devotion to the development of the W2.0 plan...
Unable to accept the disillusionment of her faith, she sought to replace it and become the true, supreme Heavenly Voice.