SO THIS IS WHERE THE SHAMAN IS SUPPOSED TO BE?
I'M SCARED...
YEAH, BOSS.
ONE OF MY INFORMANTS SAID HE SAW AN OLD WOMAN IN THESE SLUMS SPEAKING THE ANCIENT LANGUAGE.
SHE ALSO HAD WHAT LOOKED LIKE THE SHADEAH TRIBE'S SYMBOL ON HER BELONGINGS.
DON'T GET YOUR HOPES UP, CESARE.
EVEN IF THIS REALLY IS A SURVIVOR OF THE SHADEAH, THERE'S NO TELLING IF SHE CAN EVEN LIFT THE CURSE.
THERE ARE A LOT MORE ALLEYS HERE THAN I EXPECTED.
CAN WE EVEN SEARCH THROUGH ALL THIS IN A DAY?
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ME?
YOU'RE LATE. WITH SO LITTLE TIME TO BEGIN WITH,
I THOUGHT I WOULD BE THE FIRST TO PASS ON.
MA'AM, DO YOU KNOW WHO WE--
ARE YOU THE SHAMAN OF SHADEAH?
HEHE...
DARK STAR...
ALAS, SUCH A VILE THING HAS COILED ITSELF AROUND YOUR FATE.
THE PRIMORDIAL DARKNESS IS CRUEL AND TENACIOUS. IT WON'T LOOSEN ITS GRIP EASILY...
NOT UNTIL YOUR VERY BREATH IS EXTINGUISHED...
DO YOU KNOW HOW TO REMOVE THIS CURSE?
I KNOW YOU ONCE LED THE SHADEAH TRIBE.
HELP ME, AND I WILL RESTORE YOUR FALLEN PEOPLE.
HEHE... BOLD WORDS... JUST LIKE THE GREAT STAR.
IN ANY CASE, THERE IS A WAY.
YOU ONLY NEED THE TEARS OF DAWN.
WHAT ARE THE TEARS OF DAWN, MA'AM?
THEY ARE THE SORROW THE GODDESS LEFT BEHIND IN THIS LAND.
WHEN SHE FIRST DESCENDED INTO THIS WORLD,
IT WAS FILLED WITH CHAOS AND DARKNESS.
MOVED BY PITY FOR THE LIVES CRUSHED BENEATH THE DARKNESS, THE BENEVOLENT GODDESS SHED TEARS,
AND HER TEARS WASHED ALL THE DARKNESS FROM THE LAND.
WHERE CAN I FIND IT?
OH, DARK STAR...
UNFORTUNATELY, IT DOES NOT EXIST WITHIN YOUR ORBIT.
MA'AM, ARE YOU OKAY...?
IN THE END... YOU WILL NOT FIND THE TEARS.
FATE HAS NOT PERMITTED IT--
BUT... THERE IS STILL... HRGH... HOPE...
THAT'S ENOUGH. SAVE YOUR STRENGTH.
LET'S GET YOU TREATED FIRST...
DON'T FORGET!
THE GOLDEN STAR OF BALDINA CAN SAVE YOU.
THAT IS THE ONLY--!
HRGH, KEGH...!
MA'AM!
THE STARS HAVE FINALLY... COME TOGETHER AGAIN.
THIS TIME... PLEASE...
SHE'S DEAD.
JUST LIKE THAT? BUT WE JUST FOUND HER...!
I THOUGHT WE WERE FINALLY GETTING SOMEWHERE,
BUT SHE'S LEFT US WITH NOTHING BUT RIDDLES...
THE GOLDEN STAR OF BALDINA CAN SAVE YOU.
CARLO, SEND WORD TO KAZHEN. LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE STAYING IN BALDINA A LITTLE LONGER.
AH, ALL RIGHT!
THE GOLDEN STAR OF BALDINA...
Episode 18
THAT WAS REALLY STRANGE.
I DEFINITELY HEARD PEOPLE FIGHTING, BUT WHEN I WENT TO CHECK, THERE WAS NO ONE THERE.
THE ENTIRE ALLEY WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY.
I SEE... IT'S AS IF WE'D BEEN BEWITCHED BY SOME FOREIGN SHAMAN.
ANYWAY... IT WAS AROUND HERE, WASN'T IT?
YES, ACCORDING TO MASTER'S NOTE...
TELL ME! WHERE DID YOU HIDE THEO?!
WHERE DID YOU STASH THAT BASTARD?!
AHHHH!
I TOLD YOU, I DON'T KNOW! I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF HE'S ALIVE OR DEAD!
HA! NOT EVEN AN IDIOT WOULD FALL FOR THAT.
KEEP THIS UP, AND I'LL SELL YOU OFF FIRST.
GET OVER HERE!
NERIL.
YES, YOUR HIGHNESS.
?!
W-WHAT?! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM FROM--?!
EEEK...!!
D-DAMN IT!
YOU'LL REGRET THIS! I'LL BE BACK!
TH-THANK YOU FOR SAVING ME!
DIRTY
SHABBY
I HEARD THEY'RE THE CHILDREN OF A DECEASED VETERAN...
SO THE TWO OF THEM HAVE BEEN LIVING IN A PLACE LIKE THIS ALL BY THEMSELVES...
YOUR BROTHER'S NAME IS THEO, RIGHT?
Y-YES. HE'S MY TWIN BROTHER.
I REALLY DID FIND THEO.
OVER THERE! THE PRINCESS IS ESCAPING!
GET HER!!!
SO THEY'RE TWINS... NO WONDER SHE LOOKS LIKE HIM.
THE PEOPLE WHO RAN OFF JUST NOW WERE LOOKING FOR YOUR BROTHER. DO YOU LIVE HERE ALONE?
YES.
THEO LEFT HOME THREE YEARS AGO.
HE CONTACTS ME SOMETIMES, BUT... HE SAYS HE CAN'T COME BACK RIGHT NOW...
THREE YEARS AGO... THEN HE MUST HAVE ALREADY JOINED THE REBELS.
AND IF HE'S WILLING TO RISK CONTACTING HER, HE MUST CARE ABOUT HER A GREAT DEAL.
Y-YOU'RE THE PRINCESS FROM THE ROYAL PALACE, AREN'T YOU?
I HEARD HER CALL YOU "YOUR HIGHNESS" EARLIER!
PLEASE, TAKE ME WITH YOU!
IF I STAY HERE, I'LL END UP BEING SOLD OFF!
EVEN IF YOU DIDN'T FOLLOW ME, I WAS STILL GOING TO ARRANGE A PLACE FOR YOU TO STAY. FURTHERMORE,
I DON'T KEEP JUST ANYONE BY MY SIDE.
I KNOW YOU CAN'T EASILY TRUST SOMEONE LIKE ME.
BUT I LEARN QUICKLY, EVEN WHEN IT’S DIFFICULT. I’LL DO ANYTHING,
EVEN THE THINGS YOU WOULDN’T WANT TO ASK YOUR KNIGHTS OR ANYONE ELSE TO DO!
YOU MAY COME TO REGRET CHOOSING ME AS YOUR MASTER.
IT’S ALL RIGHT. THIS IS MY CHOICE.
THEN COME WITH ME.
THANK YOU!
In Chapter 18 of The Crown I Will Claim, Cesare and his team face a critical turning point regarding the curse while searching for the Shadeah shaman in the slums. The old woman they tracked down through the informant tells them about the primordial darkness coiled around the Dark Star and says the only cure is the Tears of Dawn. As the prophecy points to Baldina's Golden Star, the shaman dies; afterwards, the princess rescues the twin sister who is attacked by men looking for Theo.
