Part 97: Edea Lee: Her Father's Successor or Genocidal Maniac?

Entry 89: Edea Lee: Her Father's Successor or Genocidal Maniac?

Partway through their takedown of the Black Blades, the party visits Eleanor in Hartschild.



Of course, she, like almost everyone else, has no idea what the party already knows about them.

I am Commander Goodman's wife. Please call me Eleanor.

My husband has told me to receive you and your companions as guests of the state, vestal. Please, make yourselves at home.

Eleanor tries to be the perfect wife and a stoic presence in the town, but she's secretly sad and lonely.



Her husband's away, and when pressed, it turns out their relationship has trust issues.

Oh, there's no need to go to any trouble for us.

Speaking of, where is the resident ninja? Not here apparently, so the party leaves for now.



Ah! I almost forgot the shopping list!

Datz and Zatz had some requests, too.

This must be Datz's list. Let's see here... "Coarsely ground sausage and Hart salami, two barrels each." All that for one person?

And for Zatz, let's see... "Cheese 'with holes in it.'"

Why am I not surprised?

And the proprietress? What does she want?

"One barrel of salted pork, one clump of Eisen rock salt, and five barrels of potatoes."

Come to think of it, that's an awful lot for us to carry all by ourselves.

There's more... "The gifts are for the commander's wife and any townsfolk that help you."

Gifts?

That's right. She gave it to me when we left Grandship.

A barrel chock-full of dried seaweed and dried fish.

The town is ringed by volcanoes and plagued by civil war. I'm sure they will be delighted to get some of the sea's bounty.

The proprietress sure thinks of everything.

How about we buy a gift for her this time?

Great idea!

The party takes their time doing their shopping, and eventually everything's done except the delivery to Eleanor.



Wait. That blue quest marker's new...



As expected, Goodman meets the party at the door.

Oh, Commander Goodman. Good to see you made it home.

I came as soon as I could when I heard the wind vestal was holding a banquet in my honor.

A banquet...?

My wife is also most pleased. You can see she's all in a bustle getting things--

Commander Goodman! Please call your wife in here at once!

What!? But why?

We've already been through this several times and want to move on to the next Eternian.



But before the party can move there's a familiar scream:

Aaaah!

We were too late!

Goodman runs off to Eleanor. Tiz starts to follow, but Ringabel holds out a hand.



Things go as expected.



The body is placed in the bedroom and everyone gathers in the main hall.



We believe a blow to the back of her head with a blunt object is what killed her, but we haven't found a weapon.

We've placed her body in bed for now.

I'm more concerned at the fact the front door--

Won't open, right. This is all feeling very familiar.

What do we do?

C'mon, Tiz. Like you really have to ask whether we should beat up the bad guy.



The party will first ensure the others aren't bumbling around, getting in the way of the carnage.

Commander Goodman, I must ask you and the others to stay here.

Alright. But...what is going on?

The party skips off to the bedroom, surrounding the body of the servant.



Rascals that they are, they decide to have some fun first.

Who could have done it!?

It could be the covert unit of the Black Blades... Perhaps one of them disguised themselves as the servant! Yah!

The servant's body rolls off the bed and hops to her feet.



As we thought.



Hah! Just as I suspected.

It is our second time around.

Ihaveyettoslaymymark.Trustthewindvestalandhertrooptoshowupattheworstpossibletime.Well,itseemsIhavenochoicebut

Yeah, we know... You can skip the speech, Konoe Kikyo.

Please.





......................

Here she comes!



Soon the party returns to the main hall.



Not much, to be honest. Kikyo was a pushover at this point.

Yes, indeed. Without an explanation, we are all in the dark...

Well, to put it plainly...

A ninja of the Black Blades had disguised herself as the servant Nastassja, and plotted to kill you all.

She used the wind vestal's name to get you here. We were able to stop her in time, though.

You know, before you embarrassed yourself with all that office gossip.



Completely fabricated.

How could this happen? The Shieldbearers almost suffered a tremendous loss.

How did you see through the enemy's ruse, Wind Vestal?

......

She saw a vision!



...

......Sure, why not.

Wait, Edea!

Let it go. It's not too far from the truth, after all.

Oh, one more thing, Eleanor.

Ah, yes?

You would do well to check the cellar. You may find Nastassja tied up down there.

I will!

I guess that's case closed, then?

Thank you so much, Lady Vestal. You have done us a great service.

And so, with minimum fuss and a very impressed crowd...



Kikyo Konoe's murder mystery comes to an end.

Yes, well...

With Kikyo down, there are only two Black Blade leaders left, both in the Swordbearer fort to the north.



Never found out what happened to all those canary boys and Egil, but likely the best thing we can do is wrap up this war.



The traveling merchant outside is selling a new weapon.



First, Qada's in his lab, but this time he's not alone. The party hides behind the wall to eavesdrop.



All's fair in war, I say! Victory must be achieved at all costs! That is what war is all about!

Right you are.

Hmph. "Show respect for the enemy"!? "The goal is not simply to kill"!? Bah!

Hmph, he's far too old to spout such childish nonsense. Pride and honor are merely shackles on the battlefield.



This brown-noser appears to be particularly stupid. Not a threat to the party, but no need to kill him if it can be avoided.

He seems to think that waving a sword around in battle makes him superior! What an outmoded concept!

If anyone deserves credit, it's you, Dr. Qada.

You treat not only your wounded allies, but the wounded Shieldbearers who fought against you. I have to admire you for that.

Oh hyah hyah. Do you really think so? Yes, you are quite right.

Is that by order of the swordmaster?

Of course not. He would never approve of such actions. I have used my own judgment in this case.

Really? But what if word gets out? You'd get in trouble, Dr. Qada.

Oh, do not worry about me. I merely seek to treat as many of the wounded as I can.

Boy, Qada really gets a kick out of having a fanboy.

Good thing the party's too wise to fall for tha--



Bless their hearts.

Yes. Not quite how it went last time.

Do you think he actually has a heart?

The soldier exits, leaving Qada alone. The party takes the opportunity to jumpscare Qada.



Wh-what!? Who goes there!?

My name is Edea Lee!



That aside, is it true that you've been treating wounded Shieldbearers, though you're an officer of the Black Blades?

Why!? Can it be that you truly have a heart? Do you seek to aid the masses? If so, then help us end this war.



This would be more surprising if he hadn't started with the "'The goal is not simply to kill'!? Bah!" line.

Hyah hyah, oh, that is rich. The very idea makes me laugh.

What?

You are somewhat misguided. Can you not understand that I need as many live bodies as possible for my experiments!?

Live bodies? Experiments!?

Exactly! I am Dr. Qada, salve-maker. From weapons of mass murder to tonics of resurrection... There is no salve I cannot make! But when it comes to testing my concoctions, there are many obstacles.

I cannot simply use wounded allies as specimens, can I? It is far cheaper and more efficient to use captured enemies. Do you not agree?

Mrgrgr...! I should have known you were the monster I always took you for! I've been thoroughly duped!

Where is the master sample of your deadly toxin!?



Unlike last time, there's no master sample in Grapp Keep.

Not to worry, though. I still remember the recipe right down to the tiniest detail. I can craft more when needed, and give those Shieldbearers another dose of my medicine. Nyah hyah hyah!

We must put an end to him now!

Of course!



The party takes Qada down...



But it's implied he's tricked them again and remains alive.



Kamiizumi won't be there to stop Qada, either, since we're taking him down next.



This time around, Kamiizumi doesn't appear here until after the Fire Crystal's been awakened, all the better to be disappointed in us.

So the Fire Crystal has been awakened. It has all been in vain. The war we started in this realm... The deaths of both ally and foe... And the demise of the fire vestal...

Do you not think so, you who resemble a disciple I once favored?



The next pair of scenes has several variations. If you haven't defeated Braev and spoken to the Gossipmonger in Eternia, you get scenes from Chapter 3/4.



But we've come prepared.

Yes...

So you could not have faith in his words... Your mother must have been saddened.

She knew the whole story, and urged me to follow my heart.

I see. That does sound like your mother.

Did you do all this for my mother, Master?

What do you mean by that?

I know the whole thing. That you and my father dueled many years ago over Mother...

That you answered Father's call to arms and seized the Earth Crystal...



This had never been mentioned before now, but okay. There seem to be a lot of important bits left out of cutscenes, which is pretty damning considering how wordy this game is.

Despite your pride in the way of the sword, you even started a war in the guise of a mercenary. And ordered the use of assassination and toxic weapons...

Don't forget turning a blind eye to the child slavery!



Knowing that Edea's birth is what wrecked Mahzer's body explains some things.

You fool!! Do you not see that your words demean both you and your mother!?

B-but...

I took up arms for the templar, a close friend, and the husband of the one I once loved.

Though he may lie defeated, with the ideals he held fading fast... I will fight to defeat any foe of his! Even you, Braev's daughter, and my favored disciple...

Master!

Draw steel, Edea!

Edea places her concern for her mother's condition above almost all else. She consistently assumes others do the same.



While Kamiizumi and Braev clearly care about Mahzer, the reasoning behind their life decisions is more complex -- something Edea, relatively inexperienced and probably obsessed with guilt over her mother, fails to grasp.



But that's just an easy guess.

Master!

......



Kamiizumi is fading fast...



...and is gone before he can give an answer.

Master...



To get the previous scene required a very specific circumstance: Not only do you have do Braev and the Gossipmonger first, you must have all four crystals awakened.

If not all crystals are awakened but the other requirements are complete, you get this scene instead:



Master... Why!?



Answer me! Master!

Edea... My...disciple...

......

Either way, it's the end for Kamiizumi, the Black Blades, the Swordbearer's war...



And our sidequests.

Before heading back to the Holy Pillar, there are a couple last things to wrap up.



After defeating Kamiizumi and Braev, Edea gains the courage to speak to her mother about the past.

What is it, child? You look troubled.

Oh, it's just... I've heard some things. About when Father and my master were young...



Poor Mahzer's spent a couple decades or so being the hottest gossip in town.

Is it true what they say? That Father and my master dueled over you?

No, that is not the case. They are both poor with words. They merely let their blades do the talking.

For three days and nights?

I suppose it can't be helped that people thought it was a duel.

They said my master went to confess his love for you after he won...

They have that wrong, too. I still remember the day he came to my village like it was yesterday.



"He let me win, the scoundrel!" He looked furious. "You only have eyes for the templar. It must be you who tells that stubborn fool."

Then your heart was Father's from the beginning?

Yes... I had been infatuated with him since we were children.

Soon after Kamiizumi left the village, your father came. Then, he told me of his love. It was a joyous day... He and I were betrothed, and I moved to the city of Eternia.

Sir Kamiizumi had already left on a journey to master the art of the sword. That upset your father greatly. He hoped for his blessing more than any other's.

I have struck him down, Mother... Master...

And Father, too...

Boy, that gossip's going to just love Edea taking down her father and mentor. What a grimly juicy conclusion to the drama!



Your father's blood courses through your veins, and much of Sir Kamiizumi has rubbed off on you. Like them, you settle your problems with the blade. That is something you can likely never change...

......

But remember... It is thanks to your master that we survived the Great Plague. You would not be here if not for him.

I am alive today only because Sir Kamiizumi stood by your father when he needed aid. The same Kamiizumi who instilled the way of the sword within you.



It's nice to think of Kamiizumi looking down from heaven or wherever, smiling at Edea's decision to murder whenever she has a disagreement with anybody.

......

I know, Mother.

The party decides to make a trip out to Gravemark Village, the very town where Edea's father proposed to her mother.



Edea insists they spend the night, one last bit of quiet before heading to the Pillar of Light.



As they settle in, Edea pipes up.

Really!? But, Edea, last time you acted as if you'd never seen this place before.

Well, heh heh... That's what I thought, but...

Have you remembered something?

Umm...how many years ago was that? I was still quite young. I'd finished my lessons and was returning to Eternian Central Command from the city when I got hopelessly lost.

Here in these passages? That must've been awful.

It was. I walked and walked, but nothing I saw looked familiar. I finally fell to my knees and began wailing like a baby.

That's when my father found me. He was running, and covered in sweat. "You had us worried to death," he said.

A loving father desperately searching for his dearest daughter...

It was already late, so we settled down in a small cottage for the night.

Here in this village? Isn't this where your mother and father were born and raised?

That's right. And the next day I received a good scolding. Heh heh...

He told me how he had Master Nobutsuna and even Einheria out looking for me.

Ha ha ha. I imagine that was one epic scolding, alright.

But why are you remembering all this now?

That Eternian sweet bean bun jogged my memory.

Eternian sweet bean bun? You mean that pastry we had back in the city?

That enormous sugary monstrosity?

Yes, I wasn't supposed to waste my money on sweets, but I bought one anyway. It was so big, it cast a shadow over my head! Anyway, I was walking along stuffing my face...

...when suddenly I realized I had strayed far to the east of the Central Passage.

A ha ha ha! That's just like you, Edea!

But I'm surprised the grand marshal was able to find you.

About that... I found out later my father had done something much the same when he was a child.

Ha ha ha, like father, like daughter!

That's what Master Nobutsuna and Einheria said the following day.

Hee hee hee, your master and fellow student know you all too well.

That is just like you, Edea, to have food jog your memory like that.

Heh heh...


Next: Onto bigger and brighter things!

--

Event Viewer
Sub-Scenario:
Commander Goodman's Residence
Tragedy at the Banquet?
The Jig is Up
You are the Culprit!
The Vestal's Vision!
Qada has a Heart?
Thoroughly Duped!
A Strong Resemblance
For My Mother?
Do You Still Love Her?
Because I Am Her Daughter?
The Truth of the Matter

Party Chat:
Shopping in Hartschild
Edea Remembers!