So let's go see what they've gone and done with Lucia. The following content is going to be incredibly confronting, even if I'm not entirely sure on the words to describe how.
It seems that withdrawal wasn't as panicked and unprepared as Geoffrey thought.
You know, I've seen some people comment on the fact RD has some light swearing (I know there's a "Damn" in the main story text of Part 3), but someone literally brought out the gallows. I feel like this was part of the game's rating at some point in the judgement process.
Another appearance of that "mark" thing. Sounds like "half an hour" sort of thing at this point.
...I don't think we have a trick this time.
...
Do... what, exactly?
Well, obviously...
Are you going to charge in there blindly and hope that they don't drop the platform? Lucia doesn't have the noose around her neck on the map, but I'm not 100% sure that's reflected in the narrative?
- Geoffrey:
- ………女王陛下、
どうか私に
反乱軍追討のご命令を。
- Elincia:
- ！！
- Geoffrey:
- 姉の命は、すでにないものと
お考えください。
- Elincia:
- …ジョフレ……
- Geoffrey:
- 以前、私たちは宣誓致しました。
いかなる苦難があろうとも、
エリンシア様とともに生きると。
姉も私も、それを胸に刻んでおります。
しかし…国と引き換えにしてまで
命を永らえたいとは思いません。
死して祖国の礎となることこそ、本望。
もし立場が逆であれば、姉も同じことを
陛下に申し上げたことでしょう。
……姉を思ってくださるのならば、
どうかご決断を。
Geoffrey knows him going out and attacking the rebels will kill Lucia. Both Delbray twins would rather die and become the foundation of Crimea than live to see it fall. If Lucia was in Geoffrey's shoes, she'd make the same call.
...I notice that's the exact opposite message we got. Of course.
I want to do several nasty things to this man, but I'm not sure which one doesn't give him the satisfaction of victory.
Now why has he started this whole mess in the first place?
Start talking.
It's one of the things you don't want to hear, but this is very true. This is Elincia's biggest shortcoming by far.
A more competent queen would've shut this shit down much faster, if perhaps a little messier.
Not a blink frame. In avoiding conflict, it seems Elincia just got even more of it.
ほう……
ご自分でも薄々は
気づいていらしたという顔ですな。
しかし、それでもあなたは
私を生かして捕らえた！
敗走する兵を追おうとはしなかった！！
追撃をかけていれば、
あるいはルキノ殿を救うことも
できたかもしれないというのに。
Ludveck points out her mistake. In letting the fleeing rebels go, she allowed them to assemble this hostage situation with Lucia. Even now, she's still too merciful.
Now why would she go and do a thing like that?
- Elincia:
- 私が王にふさわしくないと思うなら、
なぜ私だけを狙わなかったのです？
このように民を巻き込む必要は……
- Ludveck:
- 貴女を殺めるのは実に容易い。
我が女王は誰にでも簡単に気を許し、
信じておしまいになる。
刃を隠し、あるいは毒杯を用意して、
耳に心地よい言葉を囁きながら、
近づけばよい。
貴女は息を引きとる間際まで…
私を疑ったりはせず、
微笑んでくださることでしょう。
しかし、それでは
クリミアはふたたび混乱する。
諸外国は王位簒奪者である
この私を倒すとの口実で、
クリミアに攻め入ってくるでしょう。
それを防ぐためには、現女王
御自らのご意思によって退位していただき、
私を時期国王にご指名いただくしかない。
Elincia asks why Ludveck didn't assassinate her and get it over with. Ludveck said it was because it would only be too easy. But if Elincia dies, that's Crimea in turmoil all over again. Crimea will be easy prey for Daein and Begnion. And Ludveck would be known as a usurper, and he wouldn't be much help. If Ludveck wants a Crimea worth ruling, Elincia must abdicate the throne freely to him.
The music cuts out here.
Ludveck is amazed at Elincia's reaction.
Elincia cannot deny the bastard has a point.
But, well, what kind of King gives his people false directions to lead them to their deaths?
Ludveck would be a tyrant no better than Ashnard. At least he gave commoners a chance.
- Ludveck:
- だから甘いというのだ！
王に求められるのは、目的のために
非情になれる強さなのですよ！！
- Elincia:
- 公は、この国を守るために
乱を起こしたと言いましたね。
ですが、国とはなんですか？
民のことではないのですか？
今回のことで、何人の民が
犠牲になったと思っているのですか！？
- Ludveck:
- ふん 青臭い理想論を。
民を利用して何が悪い！？
民など勝手に増えるもの。
青人草とは、よく言ったものよ。
そのような有象無象の生き死にが
国に何の影響があるというのだ。
しかし、王は違う。
王がいなくては国は立ち行かぬ。
国には王が必要なのだ。強き王がな。
Ludveck kinda digs his own grave at this point. He doesn't really understand what Elincia's going on about here, and that's why he'll never become a good King.
If Elincia is to give up her throne, it will sooner be to a hundred worthier candidates than Ludveck.
And if that's the price Elincia must pay...
Elincia would shoulder it.
Her people matter more than her childhood friend. As much as it will hurt for the next few decades.
Ludveck is amazed.
But he's calling her bluff.
Elincia makes her final decision.
As painful as it might be.
- Elincia:
- 私はクリミアの女王。
この国に害をなそうとする者と
取引することはありません。
反乱軍は即刻武器を捨て、
降伏するよう命じます。
さもなくば王宮騎士団と全軍をもって
追討します。
- Crimea Rebel:
- はっ！ 弱腰の女王の犬どもなど
恐るるに足らぬわ！！
まったくお優しい女王様だ。
自分の保身のため、これまでさんざん
尽くしてきた臣を見殺しにするとは。
この女もかわいそうになあ！
Elincia orders the soldiers to surrender into the Royal Knight's custody. The Rebel points out that's not much of a threat right now.
Lucia seems pretty proud of that one.
I'm sure it will.
Lucia pulls one last trick out of the bag and shills Elincia with her final words.
I'd really recommend watching this one first.
I have no idea how that dirt got on her face, but I can only imagine she had a rough time of it before they brought out the gallows.
I'm not sure who we're counting on for a final throw, but I think we can expect to find them in this tree.
Our plan is to literally shoot the knot.
Not that this archer seems to have the most confidence in it.
Stage fright seems appropriate.
Although, as a personal quibble, perhaps this wasn't the greatest time. Considering the cinematography of the ensuing moment, I feel like what's about to happen is supposed to be a surprise, and they would've done that a lot better if they didn't reveal there's two Greil Mercs hiding up here.
Shinon pulls out his bow.
He says this, but there's like two seconds between him drawing his bow and firing it.
Neat of Lucia to fall backwards. I'm no expert on the hangman's noose, I'm not sure about whether she had to put effort into this.
And coming to the rescue is none other than our trusty hero.
...In motion, this shot is more of a reveal than the above one. This is part of the reason I hope you watched the cutscene in motion first.
No one was expecting Ike! No one!
And, Skill/Speed penalties be damned, he's coming out swinging.
The rebels mobilise to deal with the sudden threat.
Does this look like a man who is the slightest bit concerned by this situation?
The Royal Knights have been upstaged rather thoroughly in the "dramatic rescue" department. I wonder if this was by design.
"Ooh, a defenceless mage!"
Yep, Mia's here too. I knew there was a reason we hired her.
She fit right in.
I'm fairly sure we're supposed to think this line is being said by the soldier on screen, and if that's the case, sir, I think "the Greil Mercenaries escaping" is the least of your concerns.
It might be a Greil Mercenary saying it off-screen, but it's definitely not Ike, and I can't see any of the other GMs having the baritone for it.
New game, Titania has been pushed right back in to overpowered territory. These rebels never stood a chance.
Titania, Boyd and Oscar only vocalise through grunts, and as such they are still using their JP voices. If you're the sort of person who listens to a lot of undubbed audio, you might've been able to notice simply by the sorts of noises they make.
Rolf's gotten over his nerves awfully quick. Although his archery is much slower than Shinon's.
You can see the crowd throwing rocks, but I have to wonder which side they're booing. They did show up to see the Queen's sister get lynched.
(Looking closely at the cutscene, if you watch the commoners during Mia's scene, there's a lass who starts applauding. I think they're on the GM's side? Then again, there's no reason to assume everyone here is in agreement.)
Mist and Rhys have gotten her to the safety of... the middle of this crowd. The immediately adjacent people are looking in curiously.
I think she'll be just fine. The shock will pass when she's not two minutes out.
Geoffrey is ecstatic.
Elincia needs to sit down for a while.
And Elincia gets to have a chat with Ike after all is said and done, and we're introduced to Ike's new design properly.
When it comes to the costume, surprisingly little has changed. The belts over his shirt have been rearranged and his cloak is a less vivid red, but side by side, the two costumes are pretty similar. Well, that and Ike's massive shoulderguard that he hasn't given up from his Lord days. The real change in Ike's sprite, though, is in his appearance. He's got some serious muscle now, and his face definitely got a huge touch up for someone who was already (mostly) an adult in PoR- he was 17, but biologically, 17 -> 20 isn't a huge leap compared to some of the other characters. I imagine being a main character gave him a lot more time on the drawing board.
He pays in full and on time. A good employer.
Did you really think Bastian had no plan in mind when he went to Daein and left Elincia alone with the Delbray twins? He was one step ahead of Ludveck the whole time.
But he had a different plan in mind. The rebels would remain hidden, resentful, and toxic while he was on their case. He had to tip the playing field.
- Ike:
- そうだ。
フェール伯は、クリミア諸侯の一部が
ひそかに反乱を企てていることを
以前から知っていたんだ。
だが、有力貴族のフェリーレ公を
表立って糾弾するのは難しい。
- Elincia:
- ええ、そのとおりです。
そのために私は、
反乱の動きを知った後でも……
決定的な対策をとれずにいました。
- Ike:
- しかし、放置する期間が長いほど、
反乱の触手はゆっくりと国内を這い回り、
クリミアを蝕んでいったはずだ。
だからフェール伯は
早期に事を収束させたかった。
あいつ、俺にはこう言ってたぞ。
『我輩がクリミアを離れれば
フェリーレ公らは必ずや動き出すはず。
膿を引きずり出す絶好の機会だ』ってな。
All of this is a little more explicit in this script, but they also point out that Felirae is a particularly difficult Lord to shift, which contributed to the problem- but it still needed a solution.
If nothing else, his tactic seems to have had quite the effect on Elincia.
Way back in PoR Chapter 2, I commented that I didn't know if the lesson Ike learned ever got paid off later. Since then, it has been pointed out to me- and I happen to agree- that this is the payoff: Ike did what Titania was trying to do back then.
As for this, though... I think the stress from having to make that decision was good enough to forge Elincia into a stronger queen. I don't think it was necessary to have Lucia killed to fully hammer that point home. And even if they did... Lucia is a solid spymaster, even if she has a little growing left to do herself. Crimea can't really afford to lose her.
Now that the plot has gotten less tense, I would like to address the fact that Lucia got a haircut. This is a permanent change for Lucia for the rest of the plot- RD's timescale just isn't enough to let her grow it back out, and they don't backspace it magically. I feel like quite a lot of people will find her even hotter like this, but I would suggest that Lucia at least trim the ends a bit so it doesn't look so much like she got it hacked off by a lunatic to use as a kidnapping note.
A good queen knows when to make tough sacrifices. A great queen can make sure it never comes to that. Elincia will bear the crown well.
- Elincia:
- …………………
………ルキノを奪われることは…
自らの半身を奪われるのと同じことです。
今こうして傍らにいてもらうと、
どうして彼女を失うという決断ができたのか…
不思議でなりません……
- Lucia:
- エリンシア様……
- Elincia:
- だけど…… もし再び
同じ状況に陥ったとしても……
私はまた同じ決断をするのでしょう。
ルキノ１人の命と国を守るということを
秤にかけることはできません。
クリミアの女王である私は、
その責任を全うせねばなりませんから。
- Lucia:
- もちろんです。
この度のエリンシア様のご決断、
私は喜びこそすれ
恨む気持ちは微塵もありませんでした。
Elincia has a bit more of a personal moment with Lucia about these general topics. Honestly, the main reason I'm sharing it, other than as demonstration, is that the first part felt kinda sapphic with the whole "losing Lucia is like losing half my body". I am probably exceptionally biased.
And she'll get a chance or two to demonstrate later.
And first, we'll start with this lot.
This has to be done. The rebels got so far because they spread their rhetoric across the people. Elincia can't let it blow up again.
Ike agrees, incidentally (which is probably more of a shock), and throws in a quick ad.
よく決断したな。
…その役目、よかったら
俺の傭兵団に依頼しないか？
今回ぎりぎりまで助けてやれなかった分、
無償で請け負うが。
Not much of an ad- apparently Ike offers to do it for free to make up for having to put Elincia through the wringer of nearly ordering Lucia killed.
Elincia entrusts the duty to Geoffrey, Marcia and Astrid.
Elincia can't keep relying on the Greil Mercenaries. If she is to be a respected ruler, she must demonstrate that she is willing to back up her ideals.
ですが、それは
私たちが受け入れるべき傷です。
アイク様のご好意にすがり、
汚れ役を押し付けることはできません。
私は甘んじて受け入れます。
それが国を統べる者の
責務であると思いますから。
Elincia also doesn't want to sully Ike's hands with a duty that will make the Crimeans start to resent him more. I think this is more "I am a Queen, I shouldn't put this responsibility on someone else's shoulders" than anything else.
I guess that means Ike can leave?
Queen Elincia doesn't need him anymore.
Although there is that thing Elincia wanted to bring up, back in 2-P...
- Ike:
- じゃあ、久しぶりに
砦に帰還するか。
- Mist:
- ぜったい、また蜘蛛の巣だらけよ。
帰ったらまず、全員で掃除だからね？
- Ike:
- 掃除ぐらいしなくても
死にはせんだろう。
寝床は雨風防げれば充分だ。
- Mist:
- お兄ちゃんは平気でも
わたしは嫌なの！
- Titania:
- 私もごめんだわ。
- Soren:
- …アイク、
エリンシア女王がお見えです。
- Ike:
- どうしたんだ？
わざわざ見送りに来るほど
暇な立場じゃないだろう。
Ike has a short conversation with the "permadeath-proof" crew before Elincia catches him. The Greil Mercenary Fortress is going to need a thorough spring cleaning after their long absence, although Ike is going to be happy as long as his bed hasn't been messed up by wind and rain. To Mist's chagrin.
About a very particular individual.
The game actually dwells on the narrative parallels of PoR and RD Part 1.
Daein had an Elincia and an Ike. If nothing else, this is a powerful position to be in, whether or not the pair can exploit it.
Bastian's worried about someone having their hand in the whole affair. This seems like a random suspicion, but honestly, I think there's a bit of truth to it in there.
We later find out that Bastian has an ulterior motive other than this, so I wonder how much of Bastian's decision was influenced by trying to figure out why the Daein Revolution went the way it did and how much was him trying to do his ulterior objective.
And, of course, something Ike really needs to hear.
His rival is back.
Honestly, I have my doubts, but yeah, he's the one Ashnard trusted most.
He presents a striking figure for a man without a name. He doesn't need one.
The Black Knight crawled out of the grave and helped Daein return to its feet.
Ike distinctly remembers defeating the Black Knight in the Moment of Fate.
And then follows up with pointing this out, for the people who couldn't manage the job. Ike winning against the Black Knight is definitely canon, because of the whole "Nasir is still alive" thing, and also the Black Knight mentions it multiple times before and after now.
Mist and Titania actually say these lines instead of Ike in the Extended script.
Because of course Bastian did. Maybe he just wanted a souvenir for the journey.
Then again, if the Black Knight was armour-less, who would recognise his corpse? Well, OK, quite a lot of people, probably.
This doesn't come to pass. The Black Knight is no more a threat to Crimea than Daein in general. Yes, he participated in the Mad King's War, and Elincia probably guesses he shares Ashnard's policies that caused the invasion in the first place, but the Black Knight isn't the sort of person to pursue them.
Ike, though? The Black Knight's one personal ambition is to prove himself Gawain's superior. No matter the outcome of the climactic duel at Nados, the Black Knight is going to want to hunt Ike down and call for a rematch.
- Elincia:
- アイク様…
あなたはどうなさいますか？
- Ike:
- …俺もデインへ向かう。
- Elincia:
- アイク様なら
そう仰ると思っていました
どうかお気をつけて。
Ike's plan to act on this information is to go to Daein and meet the Black Knight himself.
And Ike prepares to set off on another great adventure.
That's the end of Part 2. So what can we expect next time?
A bloody truth comes out. The laguz and the beorc march into battle once more, neither side content with the surrender of the other. A war that could reshape the continent forever is brewing, and chaos reigns supreme...
There isn't actually a Turn Bonus for this map.
Next time: So what does Ike get up to?
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