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The Cuore of Truth Brings Good Fortune - Episode 3
⭠ last episode | Episode 3 | next episode ⭢
Rubble from the chaos had fallen straight onto Snow and White's piping hot plate of churros, right before they were about to take the first bite.
Naturally, Snow and White were incensed.
They summoned not just their magical tools but Oz as well, and then there was a giant windstorm over the manor.
Mithra: In the first place, that's too extreme a reaction to some squashed churros. They would taste the same anyway.
Owen: No, they wouldn’t. The texture won’t be the same.
Mithra: No?
Figaro: Alright, that's enough from you two. You wouldn't want to be brought within an inch of your life by Oz and the twins sensei for two days running, would you?
That’s why Snow sama and White sama ordered me to chaperone and keep an eye on you lot. I'm supposed to report to them if there’s another fight.
Bradley: Hmph. I'd rather be beaten to a pulp by the twins than be under your thumb.
Akira: (Unsurprisingly, the Northern Wizards are in a foul mood.)
(We might need to rely on their strength this time, so if it’s possible, I'd like to keep them in good spirits...)
Nervously, I watched over our party as the scene unfolded.
Figaro scratched the back of his neck, as if he were in a bind.
But his gaze was keen. His eyelids fluttered shut briefly before his attention swiftly turned to Shylock.
Figaro: Welp, if that’s how it’s going to be… Man, and I had gone out of my way to prepare a particularly nice reward to get you all to cooperate too.
Shylock: ...... You mean to give that away? Yesterday, you'd spent quite some time ruminating over it.
Mithra: 'That'? What's 'that'?
With his curiosity piqued, Mithra asked his question.
Coyly, Shylock cast his gaze downward. He spoke in a whisper, as if he were revealing something of utmost secrecy.
Shylock: It's the Lady of Ruin, an item I had secured for Figaro sama.
Owen: The Lady of Ruin?
Bradley: ... Man, you gotta be kidding me. You? That fabled liquor?
Figaro: Yes. As much as I’d hate to give away top tier alcohol, I’m willing to make use of it as an enticing reward. I’d rather not spend my time coaxing you three all day and night.
Arthur: The Lady of Ruin certainly is quite the name. I'm not too familiar with liquor myself, so I must admit, I'm curious what it's like.
Murr: To give you a reeeaally basic idea of what it is, it's an ultra-rare whiskey that's rarer than even gold! It’s super good, and its flavour is unforgettable!
One sip of it will lift your spirits and give you strength. If you’re a wizard, it might even empower you to use strong magic! Like maybe you’d become able to control the weather!
That means, naturally, people went and fought wars and spilled blood just to get their hands on even a single bottle of this whiskey. And that’s how the Lady of Ruin got its name!
Shylock: It’s been a long time since I’ve last served this renowned goddess. As the master of the bar, I shall do my utmost to make sure it’s an unforgettable night.
Figaro: Alas, there’s only enough whiskey for one. Let's see — how about we give the bottle to whichever one of you three that contributes the most to this mission?
Bradley & Owen & Mithra: .........
[ Bradley CG ]
Bradley: ... Aight, I'm in. I wanna say though, it sucks that Figaro gets to run this thing.
But the situation’s different now that there’s a chance of meeting this goddess at the western pipesmoker’s bar. There’s no liquor connoisseur in the world that’d let this opportunity pass them by.
Mithra: I'll go as well. I now feel like drinking that liquor.
Owen: I want to toss out that bottle of liquor without even taking a single sip right in front of Bradley's face. I wonder what expression he'd make?
Akira: (T-These three weren't keen moments ago, but now they're fighting to participate... How amazing...)
The trio started squabbling with each other as they tried to stop each other from participating. Seizing his chance, Figaro sidled up to Shylock.
Figaro: Thanks for playing along, Shylock. With this, they're more likely to be obedient.
That said, that's one heck of a find you've got there. The Lady of Ruin? You should've told me earlier.
Shylock: Now now, it's a liquor that lives up to its name of bringing misfortune and ruin. I was still thinking about when would be the best time to tell my clientele about it.
Arthur & Riquet: ... Huh?
Akira: So, Figaro, when you said you'd treat them to something good, it was all a lie... or, well, to put it another way, it was something you made up on the spot?
Figaro: You could put it that way. Weren't Shylock and I great at playing our parts?
Murr: Well, we don’t know that Bradley didn’t suspect we were up to no good! But if you’re telling tall tales about good vintage, then Shylock doesn’t even need to play pretend.
Figaro might have started things up with a lie, but in the end, Shylock could offer a real bottle of the Lady of Ruin as a reward. As long as the reward is real, then it makes sense for Bradley to play along with you two, right?
Nonchalantly, the other two smiled.
So did Murr. After all, he too had figured out the game that was afoot.
Akira & Arthur & Riquet: ... Wh ...
Whoa......
Figaro: Ahaha, thank you, thank you. You learn how to conspire a little as grown-ups.
Ernest: Whoa, um, that's one heck of a quarrel... Oh, I must have kept you all waiting!
Ernest had very cautiously taken the long way around the Northern Wizards to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of their squabbling.
Ernest: Thank you so much for meeting me here today. Sorry to trouble you.
Figaro: It's no problem. We're the ones troubling you to lead us to the place.
Ernest: Not at all! I needed to come here to get more medicine anyway.
Alright, shall we get going? We’re heading out to the countryside. It takes about half a day of walking for a grown—
Figaro: Hmm, that's a bit too far to walk. Let's make it quick.
Hey, Mithra, enough of that for now. Could you take us there faster?
Mithra: Say no more. For I am a useful man.
Mithra: « arsim »
[ Mansion of Lucky Items ]
[ Event theme song BGM ]
And so we arrived at Ernest's mansion.
Ernest: We ... sure got here faster.
Mithra: (soft, satisfied laugh) Even if you wish to go to the ends of the world, I can bring you there faster than anyone. After all, my speciality is transpatial magic.
Arthur: All things considered... This is an amazing collection of items.
At Arthur's comment, I glanced around the room I was in.
The room was filled with all sorts of expensive decor, but what stood out the most were the strange dolls, currency notes, and countless other mysterious objects.
Everything was so densely packed, like an altar with countless offerings to a deity. It was daunting and overwhelming no matter where I looked.
Murr: What a collection! Nearly all of these are good luck charms and protective amulets!
Figaro: Is this all part of your relative's collection?
Ernest: Y-Yeah, well, something like that...
Owen: Okay, who cares, go fetch us tea and biscuits. I’ve worked up a thirst from being so rudely forced to come out to this backwater place.
Riquet: I should think you are thirsty because you were squabbling with Mithra and Bradley up till our departure.
Ernest: Oh, uh, my apologies! I'll be right back then. If I find Elmo, I'll bring it here too.
Ernest bowed repeatedly at us as he left the room.
In want of something to do, Murr and the rest started poking around the amulets.
Murr: Look at this tacky protective doll! It used to be all the rage way back when. It still looks just as tacky a hundred years later!
Shylock: Murr, behave yourself.
Owen: A wolf fang, to avert disasters. Subjected to a fate of being no more than a display item — how pitiful. I'll take you with me.
Akira: Owen, we shouldn’t be taking things from the house...
Riquet: Come to think of it, everything here is either a protective amulet or good luck charm... Ernest's relative must be very passionate about superstitions.
Bradley: Passionate? More like obsessed. Or the idea of having a bad break scares him shitless...
[ Crack. ]
Akira: Eep! What was that noise?
Mithra: That came from the urn I accidentally dropped. It crashed onto the floor.
Akira: It what!? T-Tell me you didn't crack it or anything...!?
I turned pale and was about to rush over to Mithra, when—
Riquet: Ahh! Something dashed in!
Bradley: Woah. If that ain't a rag.
Mithra: It looks more like a broom with its handle removed.
Akira: What on earth is this dog... Wait, it might be a large cat...?
It was a living creature, this black, raggedy, furry thing. It held itself regally as it strode into the room.
Its appearance was similar to a medium-sized dog, but it held itself in a proud and refined way that felt more like an oversized cat.
Its eyes were beady and intelligent, and it peered at us through matted clumps of fur.
Arthur: The fur makes it hard to notice, but if I look closely, I can see bandages...
Figaro: This must be the Elmo that Ernest mentioned.
Elmo sat in the doorway, prim and proper. The way it sat was both elegant and adorable. Somehow, we naturally gathered around Elmo as if it had beckoned to us.
Elmo: Kyuu...
Murr: It makes noise!
Riquet: How cute! Do you like sweets? How about I give you some sugar?
Akira: (Riquet's right. Something about it makes you want to give it something. Appearance-wise though, most people wouldn’t think this sort of animal was particularly cute…)
Elmo remained calm even though we were abuzz about it. It looked like a king from ancient times, used to basking in admiration from its audience.
Owen looked at it for a moment, then he smirked.
Owen: ... Oh? Says you.
Shylock: Owen, I believe you understand the speech of animals. Would you mind interpreting for us?
[ Owen CG ]
Owen: Sure.
'What do you wizards want, coming all the way out here to this mansion?'
Arthur: Huh...?
Elmo: Kyuu, kyuu. Kyu~un...
Owen: 'No wizard is worthy of my trust. You must be here to eat me, or perhaps to capture me. Begone.'
Akira: D-Did it really say that? Owen, it feels like you've inserted yourself into the role, or something...
Owen: You wound me. I would do no such thing. This thing acts as if it's a mighty king. ‘You cretins,’ and such.
Akira: That’s…
Riquet: And it had a cute little puppy bark too…
We exchanged glances.
Elmo, still seated imposingly in the doorway, turned its snout up in a prideful hmph.
Episode 4 ⭢
Rubble from the chaos had fallen straight onto Snow and White's piping hot plate of churros, right before they were about to take the first bite.
Naturally, Snow and White were incensed.
They summoned not just their magical tools but Oz as well, and then there was a giant windstorm over the manor.
Mithra: In the first place, that's too extreme a reaction to some squashed churros. They would taste the same anyway.
Owen: No, they wouldn’t. The texture won’t be the same.
Mithra: No?
Figaro: Alright, that's enough from you two. You wouldn't want to be brought within an inch of your life by Oz and the twins sensei for two days running, would you?
That’s why Snow sama and White sama ordered me to chaperone and keep an eye on you lot. I'm supposed to report to them if there’s another fight.
Bradley: Hmph. I'd rather be beaten to a pulp by the twins than be under your thumb.
Akira: (Unsurprisingly, the Northern Wizards are in a foul mood.)
(We might need to rely on their strength this time, so if it’s possible, I'd like to keep them in good spirits...)
Nervously, I watched over our party as the scene unfolded.
Figaro scratched the back of his neck, as if he were in a bind.
But his gaze was keen. His eyelids fluttered shut briefly before his attention swiftly turned to Shylock.
Figaro: Welp, if that’s how it’s going to be… Man, and I had gone out of my way to prepare a particularly nice reward to get you all to cooperate too.
Shylock: ...... You mean to give that away? Yesterday, you'd spent quite some time ruminating over it.
Mithra: 'That'? What's 'that'?
With his curiosity piqued, Mithra asked his question.
Coyly, Shylock cast his gaze downward. He spoke in a whisper, as if he were revealing something of utmost secrecy.
Shylock: It's the Lady of Ruin, an item I had secured for Figaro sama.
Owen: The Lady of Ruin?
Bradley: ... Man, you gotta be kidding me. You? That fabled liquor?
Figaro: Yes. As much as I’d hate to give away top tier alcohol, I’m willing to make use of it as an enticing reward. I’d rather not spend my time coaxing you three all day and night.
Arthur: The Lady of Ruin certainly is quite the name. I'm not too familiar with liquor myself, so I must admit, I'm curious what it's like.
Murr: To give you a reeeaally basic idea of what it is, it's an ultra-rare whiskey that's rarer than even gold! It’s super good, and its flavour is unforgettable!
One sip of it will lift your spirits and give you strength. If you’re a wizard, it might even empower you to use strong magic! Like maybe you’d become able to control the weather!
That means, naturally, people went and fought wars and spilled blood just to get their hands on even a single bottle of this whiskey. And that’s how the Lady of Ruin got its name!
Shylock: It’s been a long time since I’ve last served this renowned goddess. As the master of the bar, I shall do my utmost to make sure it’s an unforgettable night.
Figaro: Alas, there’s only enough whiskey for one. Let's see — how about we give the bottle to whichever one of you three that contributes the most to this mission?
Bradley & Owen & Mithra: .........
[ Bradley CG ]
Bradley: ... Aight, I'm in. I wanna say though, it sucks that Figaro gets to run this thing.
But the situation’s different now that there’s a chance of meeting this goddess at the western pipesmoker’s bar. There’s no liquor connoisseur in the world that’d let this opportunity pass them by.
Mithra: I'll go as well. I now feel like drinking that liquor.
Owen: I want to toss out that bottle of liquor without even taking a single sip right in front of Bradley's face. I wonder what expression he'd make?
Akira: (T-These three weren't keen moments ago, but now they're fighting to participate... How amazing...)
The trio started squabbling with each other as they tried to stop each other from participating. Seizing his chance, Figaro sidled up to Shylock.
Figaro: Thanks for playing along, Shylock. With this, they're more likely to be obedient.
That said, that's one heck of a find you've got there. The Lady of Ruin? You should've told me earlier.
Shylock: Now now, it's a liquor that lives up to its name of bringing misfortune and ruin. I was still thinking about when would be the best time to tell my clientele about it.
Arthur & Riquet: ... Huh?
Akira: So, Figaro, when you said you'd treat them to something good, it was all a lie... or, well, to put it another way, it was something you made up on the spot?
Figaro: You could put it that way. Weren't Shylock and I great at playing our parts?
Murr: Well, we don’t know that Bradley didn’t suspect we were up to no good! But if you’re telling tall tales about good vintage, then Shylock doesn’t even need to play pretend.
Figaro might have started things up with a lie, but in the end, Shylock could offer a real bottle of the Lady of Ruin as a reward. As long as the reward is real, then it makes sense for Bradley to play along with you two, right?
Nonchalantly, the other two smiled.
So did Murr. After all, he too had figured out the game that was afoot.
Akira & Arthur & Riquet: ... Wh ...
Whoa......
Figaro: Ahaha, thank you, thank you. You learn how to conspire a little as grown-ups.
Ernest: Whoa, um, that's one heck of a quarrel... Oh, I must have kept you all waiting!
Ernest had very cautiously taken the long way around the Northern Wizards to avoid getting caught in the crossfire of their squabbling.
Ernest: Thank you so much for meeting me here today. Sorry to trouble you.
Figaro: It's no problem. We're the ones troubling you to lead us to the place.
Ernest: Not at all! I needed to come here to get more medicine anyway.
Alright, shall we get going? We’re heading out to the countryside. It takes about half a day of walking for a grown—
Figaro: Hmm, that's a bit too far to walk. Let's make it quick.
Hey, Mithra, enough of that for now. Could you take us there faster?
Mithra: Say no more. For I am a useful man.
Mithra: « arsim »
[ Mansion of Lucky Items ]
[ Event theme song BGM ]
And so we arrived at Ernest's mansion.
Ernest: We ... sure got here faster.
Mithra: (soft, satisfied laugh) Even if you wish to go to the ends of the world, I can bring you there faster than anyone. After all, my speciality is transpatial magic.
Arthur: All things considered... This is an amazing collection of items.
At Arthur's comment, I glanced around the room I was in.
The room was filled with all sorts of expensive decor, but what stood out the most were the strange dolls, currency notes, and countless other mysterious objects.
Everything was so densely packed, like an altar with countless offerings to a deity. It was daunting and overwhelming no matter where I looked.
Murr: What a collection! Nearly all of these are good luck charms and protective amulets!
Figaro: Is this all part of your relative's collection?
Ernest: Y-Yeah, well, something like that...
Owen: Okay, who cares, go fetch us tea and biscuits. I’ve worked up a thirst from being so rudely forced to come out to this backwater place.
Riquet: I should think you are thirsty because you were squabbling with Mithra and Bradley up till our departure.
Ernest: Oh, uh, my apologies! I'll be right back then. If I find Elmo, I'll bring it here too.
Ernest bowed repeatedly at us as he left the room.
In want of something to do, Murr and the rest started poking around the amulets.
Murr: Look at this tacky protective doll! It used to be all the rage way back when. It still looks just as tacky a hundred years later!
Shylock: Murr, behave yourself.
Owen: A wolf fang, to avert disasters. Subjected to a fate of being no more than a display item — how pitiful. I'll take you with me.
Akira: Owen, we shouldn’t be taking things from the house...
Riquet: Come to think of it, everything here is either a protective amulet or good luck charm... Ernest's relative must be very passionate about superstitions.
Bradley: Passionate? More like obsessed. Or the idea of having a bad break scares him shitless...
[ Crack. ]
Akira: Eep! What was that noise?
Mithra: That came from the urn I accidentally dropped. It crashed onto the floor.
Akira: It what!? T-Tell me you didn't crack it or anything...!?
I turned pale and was about to rush over to Mithra, when—
Riquet: Ahh! Something dashed in!
Bradley: Woah. If that ain't a rag.
Mithra: It looks more like a broom with its handle removed.
Akira: What on earth is this dog... Wait, it might be a large cat...?
It was a living creature, this black, raggedy, furry thing. It held itself regally as it strode into the room.
Its appearance was similar to a medium-sized dog, but it held itself in a proud and refined way that felt more like an oversized cat.
Its eyes were beady and intelligent, and it peered at us through matted clumps of fur.
Arthur: The fur makes it hard to notice, but if I look closely, I can see bandages...
Figaro: This must be the Elmo that Ernest mentioned.
Elmo sat in the doorway, prim and proper. The way it sat was both elegant and adorable. Somehow, we naturally gathered around Elmo as if it had beckoned to us.
Elmo: Kyuu...
Murr: It makes noise!
Riquet: How cute! Do you like sweets? How about I give you some sugar?
Akira: (Riquet's right. Something about it makes you want to give it something. Appearance-wise though, most people wouldn’t think this sort of animal was particularly cute…)
Elmo remained calm even though we were abuzz about it. It looked like a king from ancient times, used to basking in admiration from its audience.
Owen looked at it for a moment, then he smirked.
Owen: ... Oh? Says you.
Shylock: Owen, I believe you understand the speech of animals. Would you mind interpreting for us?
[ Owen CG ]
Owen: Sure.
'What do you wizards want, coming all the way out here to this mansion?'
Arthur: Huh...?
Elmo: Kyuu, kyuu. Kyu~un...
Owen: 'No wizard is worthy of my trust. You must be here to eat me, or perhaps to capture me. Begone.'
Akira: D-Did it really say that? Owen, it feels like you've inserted yourself into the role, or something...
Owen: You wound me. I would do no such thing. This thing acts as if it's a mighty king. ‘You cretins,’ and such.
Akira: That’s…
Riquet: And it had a cute little puppy bark too…
We exchanged glances.
Elmo, still seated imposingly in the doorway, turned its snout up in a prideful hmph.
Episode 4 ⭢