Part 34: Lesalia Imperial Capital

I'm still mad about it, yes.


I got tired of the novelty.


I also sell all these spiked shoes I have somehow obtained.


Fist gets a better gun. He's mildly useful now!


Eldena gets Sleep. Sleep lasts three times as long as Stop so it's really good.


Throw's range is the same as the Ninja's Move stat, so Ramza puts on his boots to fling things farther.


The seat of the royalty!

Except the king's dead, the queen's in prison, and the two heirs are safely behind giant armies that are killing each other quite rapidly.

Anyway, let's go see what old Monkey Bag is up to.



: I was surprised to know you're in Lesalia.


"She, like, won't stop bugging me about killing her best friend or something."

: Brother...
: What?



: What's the purpose? Beoulves have fought to protect the people, not royalty. But now, they're fighting for self-interest...
: You don't know anything!
: You don't understand, brother! This battle's someone's plot! Someone's using Larg and Goltana!!
: Using...? What are you talking about?
: I don't know much either... Dycedarg tried to kidnap the princess to keep Goltana from the throne. But someone took the Princess to Goltana. If she was killed then, Goltana would have been killed as a traitor.
: Dycedarg planned the kidnap? Ramza! You're saying your own brother came up with such a plot!?
: Don't you know anything?
: You fool!! Don't you trust your flesh? Get out! Go back to Igros!!
: Don't you believe me?!
: How am I supposed to believe an irreverent kid like you! I've cared about you being my half-brother but, after all bad blood is bad blood.


This is probably the most unintentionally funny line in the game that doesn't rely on a bad translation.

: ...Zalbag...



: I was told 'T.G. Cid' broke through Doguola Pass!
: What!? I thought they were at Bethla! We'll have an assembly! Tell everyone to join!! I'll be there, too!!
: Yes, Sir!

You know what? Screw monkey bag. We're going shopping.


For a giant axe.


Maybe they'll have something at Lionel.


Oh hey another battle that happens when you try to step off of the location.




And deployment screens that tell you nothing about the battle and have Ramza despite him cutsceneing it up.


Struttin' out like it ain't no thing.


Damn, caught.



: You won't be back, will you?



: What?
: Delita helped kidnap the princess.
: What does this all mean?
: I thought he joined Goltana to get back at us... But he seems to be involved more with someone else. Someone other the Delita saved the Princess from being killed for some scheme.
: Is it true Dycedarg was involved in the kidnapping?
: Yes. I'm sure he had his reasons, but I don't know them.


Alma covers her face with her hands, almost starting to cry when Ramza speaks again.



: I don't know who's behind Delita. But he's dangerous. Taking advantage of the war to achieve something vicious.
: Is Delita party to their plot?
: I don't know. He seemed to have his own ideas about things though.
: You're fighting against them?
: ...



: I want to prove what you're saying is true!
: No, no.
: I don't want to see another Teta!
: Alma...





: I order you to appear at a heresy hearing on suspicion of murder and heresy! You will follow us! Any resistance will force us to execute you immediately!
: Heresy examiner?
: Run! Brother!


In the Shakespearean sense, this would be the climax of Ramza's tale, the place where everything starts to go poorly. Romeo murders Tybalt. Hamlet murders Polonius. Caeser gets stabbed. Ramza is proclaimed a heretic.


Alma's a guest, and she comes with a pair of otherwise poach-only items and some neat shoes that increase Move and MA.


She has Wish in addition to the spells Ovelia had.


Well, ain't this dumb.


Zalmo himself is a fairly well equipped Holy Priest. His robe is two tiers above the Wizard Robe, and it halves fire, ice, and lightning damage. It's worth a steal if you like someone with Summoner main for the extra HP and MP.


He has a few high-end White Magic spells and Magic Sword spells.

Not Yin-Yang, Magic Sword. That's why he never casts them, he has a stick, not a sword.


Zalmo ends up interesting compared to other bosses. He resists lower level attack magic through his robe, he stops arrows, and his mantle gives him a 1/4 chance to evade all damage. His minions do the heavy lifting while he heals them with his magic.


Speaking of which these guys have Diamond armor, so they have some serious HP.


Ramza hurls an axe at Zalmo. A whole fucking giant axe. It hits the guy in the face.


Ramza, the appropriate response to being suspected for heresy is to not throw an axe at a member of the clergy.

That's, like, heresy or something.



: It's not too late! Repent! And your life will be saved!




: Don't be coy!



: That's a false charge! It was an 'evil stone' with vicious power, not like the legend. Further, the Cardinal became the legendary 'Lucavi' with its evil power!!
: You dare to hurt him too? Oh... for shame! You are a disgrace to the Beoulve name!



I love Teleport. Ramza probably would have to handle the whole battle himself if it weren't for Norma just poofing over the wall.



: Those he takes never return! Run! Hurry!
: You should run, Alma! Or you too, will be branded a 'heretic'! Hurry and run!!
: I can't leave you alone here!


She uses MBarrier on Ramza, I don't think I've seen her not do it.


It really helps the "handle the whole battle" thing.


I hope it works...!


Aw shit yeah!


WHONK!


He's charging a spell, so Fist shoots him. Fist would shoot Faram himself if that's what it took to be considered useful.


Oh, that's what he's charging. Okay. That's not much.


Ramza pummels him down anyway.




He teleports away.



: How'd the examiner find out about the Holy Stone? Maybe it was someone behind Delita or Glabados Church? But why would the church...?
: Holy stone? You mean the legendary Holy Stone?



: Promise to take me with you?


If the previous unintentionally funny thing wasn't the best, this is.

: NO! I won't take you!


Alma Beoulve is the daughter of the distinguished Heavenly Knight Balbanes Beoulve. She is 18.

: Come on, don't play games. You might get killed!
: It may be too late already. Because you disobeyed him. By now I'm probably a heretic, a fugitive like you. Dycedarg may desert me to protect Beoulve....
: He's capable of that.

Ramza catches himself, what is he saying?

: No, it's too dangerous. Explain it to Zalbag and get permission from the church!
: I saw it at Orbonne Monastery. Yes... a crystal with a carved Virgo crest.
: Virgo... Before it passes into their hands... Thanks for telling me. Now, go back to Zalbag!
: How do you get in Orbonne? You're a 'heretic'. You can't go into a monastery of Glabados. There's no way!
: Uh...



: Only as far as Orbonne, all right? Then you go back.
: ...alright.
: Promise me!

Immediately afterwards, Ramza takes her stuff. And Norma gets her shoes.


Alma Beoulve is the daughter of the distinguished Heavenly Knight Balbanes Beoulve. She is 18.