A FEW DOZEN MINUTES BEFORE FREYA'S VISIT.
I HAVE JUST RETURNED, YOUR GRACE.
GOOD, ED. GIVE ME YOUR REPORT.
YES, SIR.
THE SEARCH WAS A FAILURE.
WE SCOUTED ALL SUSPICIOUS LOCATIONS,
BUT WE COULDN'T FIND A SINGLE CLUE.
THE MAGIC TOWER'S RESPONSE WAS SIMPLY THAT WHEN DARK MAGIC IS INVOLVED,
ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.
BASED ON THE CONTACT WE RECEIVED BEFORE RETURNING, WE ALSO CHECKED TERIDANA BEACH,
...BUT NO TRACES OF DARK MAGIC WERE DETECTED.
I AM ASHAMED THAT MY RESULTS WERE SO MEAGER.
I SEE. SO THAT'S HOW IT ENDS.
YOU'VE WORKED HARD FOR A LONG TIME.
WE WILL TERMINATE THE SEARCH NOW.
YOUR GRACE,
ARE YOU GIVING UP? THAT'S NOT LIKE YOU.
PERHAPS WE SHOULD CONTINUE THE SEARCH A BIT LONGER...
YOUR GRACE, IT IS NORBERT. MAY I ENTER?
COME IN.
UH,
UHHH... UHHHHHH??
UHHHHHH-?!!
HUH? WHAT? UH...? ACK??? NO, WAIT, WHAAA-??
WHAT'S WITH HIM? DID HE EAT SOMETHING BAD?
WHAT IS IT, NORBERT?
HUH?
WHAT?
!
YOUR GRACE, PLEASE GRANT ME PERMISSION TO CONVERT MY OFFICE IN THE TOWER OF BERDIN
INTO A PRIVATE TRAINING HALL.
YOUR REASON?
I MADE A PROMISE TO FREYA.
THAT IF SHE READ THE 'BOOK OF BALLOT RUNES' AND MEMORIZED IT IN A SINGLE DAY, I WOULD BUILD HER A PRIVATE TRAINING HALL.
IS THAT WHY HE BROUGHT ME HERE?
HE'S SAYING HE'LL TEAR DOWN HIS OWN OFFICE TO BUILD A TRAINING HALL
JUST TO KEEP A PROMISE HE MADE TO ME?
I DIDN'T REALIZE THE OLD MAN WAS SUCH A MAN OF HIS WORD...
BUT
WILL THE GRAND DUKE ACTUALLY ALLOW IT?
HE'LL DEFINITELY SAY NO.
IT'S A MIRACLE THE GRAND DUKE EVEN LET A SUSPICIOUS PERSON LIKE ME LIVE,
SOMEONE WITH NO IDENTITY AND NO MEMORIES.
WHY BOTHER?
DON'T TEAR DOWN A PERFECTLY GOOD OFFICE. GIVE HER THE FLOOR BELOW INSTEAD.
WHAT?!
YOUR GRACE, THAT FLOOR IS...
DO AS I SAY.
YES... THANK YOU, YOUR GRACE.
Just Like That?!
WAIT, MASTER. YOU DIDN'T EVEN CHECK IF I READ THE BOOK PROPERLY!
IF IT INTERFERES WITH WORK, I'LL REVOKE IT. MORE IMPORTANTLY...
WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GIVE YOUR THANKS TO HIS GRACE.
OH, UM... THANK YOU.
BUT WHAT'S THE TOWER OF BERDIN, AND WHAT'S WITH THE FLOOR BELOW?
GACK
YOUR GRACE, I APOLOGIZE. FORGIVE THE RUDENESS OF BRINGING HER WITHOUT NOTICE...
ENOUGH.
I'LL SPEAK WITH HER. THE TWO OF YOU MAY LEAVE, BUT LEAVE THE MAID.
BUT, YOUR GRACE...
LEAVE.
DAMN IT, MY BIG MOUTH.
I SHOULD'VE JUST SAID 'THANK YOU' AND LEFT IT AT THAT. WHY DID I HAVE TO ASK?
YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU'RE FREE ENOUGH TO BE ANSWERING QUEST- IONS LIKE THAT.
YOU'VE BEEN MOVING YOUR PEN NON-STOP EVEN WHILE RECEIVING REPORTS.
HE DOESN'T SEEM LIKE THE TYPE TO DUMP HIS WORK ON OTHERS LIKE SERHIN DID,
OH MY, SERHIN, THAT'S YOUR JOB.
YOU DO IT TOO, SIA. I CAN'T BE THE ONLY ONE WORKING.
SO WHY DOES HE CARE ABOUT THIS!
I FELT IT WHILE WORKING TODAY,
BUT FOR A PLACE WHERE PEOPLE SUPPOSEDLY DIE CONSTANTLY,
THE MORALE AMONG THE GRAND DUCHY'S EMPLOYEES IS SURPRISINGLY GOOD.
DOES THAT MEAN THE GRAND DUKE'S CHARISMA IS JUST THAT STRONG?
SO.
WEREN'T YOU THE ONE WHO WANTED A PRIVATE TRAINING HALL?
...SINCE IT'S A SPACE I'LL BE USING, I WAS JUST CURIOUS.
DO YOU ALWAYS HAVE TO SATISFY EVERY CURIOSITY YOU HAVE TO LIVE?
PRETTY MUCH.
PRETTY MUCH?
THIS HEADACHE AGAIN...
UGH...
I GOT A HEADACHE EVERY TIME I MET THOSE EYES ON THE BATTLEFIELD.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S THE SAME EVEN THOUGH MY BODY HAS CHANGED.
...OF COURSE.
HONESTLY, I'M BARELY HOLDING BACK MY DYING CURIOSITY TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON INSIDE YOUR HEAD, YOUR GRACE.
BECAUSE I'M DYING TO KNOW WHO I AM.
...ARE YOU ILL?
NO, I JUST LACK PHYSICAL STRENGTH.
ANYWAY, FOR THAT REASON,
I'LL MAKE GOOD USE OF THE PRIVATE TRAINING HALL.
WHO SAID YOU'D BE USING IT ALONE?
THE FLOOR BELOW NORBERT'S OFFICE ALREADY HAS AN OWNER.
YOU OLD GEEZEEEER-!!
I WAS GOING TO GIVE HER MY OFFICE!
THEEEN, WOULD YOU MIND TELLING ME WHO THAT OWNER IS?
EACH FLOOR OF THE TOWER OF BERDIN CONTAINS A TRAINING HALL OR OFFICE FOR THE FAMILY'S VASSALS.
AND THE OWNER OF THE TRAINING HALL YOU'LL BE USING...
IS ME.
OH~ IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE NICE?
MASTER MIGHT HAVE A ROUGH WAY OF SPEAKING,
BUT LOOKING AT THIS, HE SEEMS LIKE A PRETTY KIND PERSON, ALLEN.
HE'S SURPRISINGLY WARM-HEARTED.
THEN I'LL BE WAITING OUTSIDE.
CALL ME IF YOU NEED ANYTHING.
...THE OLD MAN'S ATTITUDE SEEMS TO HAVE CHANGED SUDDENLY,
BUT IT'S NOT THAT STRANGE SINCE HE WAS THE ONE ORDERED BY THE GRAND DUKE TO LOOK AFTER ME IN THE FIRST PLACE.
THE GRAND DUKE PROBABLY KNOWS WHO THE OWNER OF THIS BODY IS,
SO HE'S CHANGING HIS ‘METHOD OF SURVEILLANCE’ TO TEST ME.
TO SEE IF I REALLY AM THE OWNER OF THIS BODY.
WELL, IN THE END,
I GUESS I SURVIVED THANKS TO 'YOU.'
...THANK YOU.
I'LL BE SURE TO PAY THIS DEBT BACK.
IF I BECOME A BUTLER AND EARN THE GRAND DUKE'S RECOGNITION,
I'LL BE ABLE TO FIND YOUR MEMORIES TOO.
ALL RIGHT.
IT STARTS NOW.
STARTING FROM THE BOTTOM...
IS THE SAME NOW AS IT WAS THEN.
IF IT'S A POSITION I'VE REACHED ONCE BEFORE—
THEN THIS SECOND CHALLENGE,
I WILL DEFINITELY SUCCEED.
2 YEARS LATER—
Shortly before Freya's visit, Ed gives the Grand Duke a report on the failed search; no trace of dark magic was found, and the search is concluded. Then Norbert arrives with Freya and asks for his office to be converted into a training hall, as promised in exchange for her memorizing the Book of Ballot Runes in a single day. The Grand Duke refuses to demolish the office and instead grants the floor below in Berdin Tower. Freya thanks him in surprise, and the Duke sends everyone out and speaks with her alone.
