Part 44: London, part 3

London, part 3


Back at the hideout, Joshua is making about as much sense as your average six-year-old.

To celebrate, I'll show you my special items! First of all this! It's a strange goblet. It's the goblet of a king who sold his soul to Death! It decorated a church once, but now it's mine. But I don't need it, so you can have it!

Received a strange goblet from Joshua.

You've received Oath Grail.

This item is related to the good ending in the game. I'll explain how when I do the next mini-update of the new items.



Ever since he came back, he's been acting strangely and he won't talk. I wonder what could have happened to him?

Where is Halley, anyway?


Ah, there he is.



......

Let's go home. Everyone has been worried about you.

Chris is "everyone" now?

......

Okay, now this is getting annoying.

What is it? Your mom's dead and now you're just gonna fall apart like a baby!?



What did you say to me!? You wouldn't understand! My mother was taken from me--right before my eyes! She was trapped in that god-forsaken place for three years! I thought I finally rescued her! Well...



You bastard!


Halley takes a swing at Yuri...


...who is more than happy to return the favor.



Maybe you should figure out why your mom is at that monster's beck and call.

...Then decide what to do yourself.


I'm more than a little surprised that Alice didn't yell at Yuri for laying Halley flat.

I was wondering what Halley's mom's words meant. The man calling himself Bacon...

That's what I need to check on. I'll go to the ends of the earth to reveal his true identity.

The man calling himself Bacon...

......

Can it be!?


...?


Aw, I don't wanna see this. Do I have to see this?

And he said he was going to go and meet Cardinal Simon... Has he not shown up yet?

...Not yet. Father, is that person really going to come?

Yes, he'll definitely come. He's the only one capable of defeating Roger Bacon...


A familiar shape steps out of the shadows.

Hel...



Heh heh heh... Pleased to meet you. I'm Roger Bacon.







Huh!?

Hello? Earth to Alice!! Is anyone up there?!

Yuri! I'm going to go to Rouen again! There's something I need to make certain of!

Huh?! Right now?? I'll go with you.

No. I'm going by myself this time. I know I'm being selfish...

But please let me go...

Hell no! There's no way Yuri'd let her go all by herself!


Goddammit.

What was I supposed to do? You wouldn't believe how stubborn that girl is.

She said she'd be back soon. I think we should just wait for her.

Hmm, it's unusual for that girl to do something so rash...

Yuri is a bad influence.

But why would she be going to Rouen now? What could it be about?

Who knows. All we can do is pray she comes back safe.



I heard about what happened to your parents.



My parents? Who did you hear that from?

From Zhuzhen.

Arrg! So now the old man is Mr. Sensitive?! How could he!

Careful, Halley. When people reach the end of their lives, they get all talkative and heartfelt. Yech. So as far as I'm concerned, old farts should just go...

Yuri! Yuri... You helped me because of what happened to your own mother, right?

So I'm saying old folks are just...

Someone is avoiding the topic of conversation.

Once Alice comes back, you're going somewhere else again, right?

Huh? Yeah. I'm going to find this Old Man of Wales that your mom was talking about.

I wanna go with you.

Halley, thou hast not won even once.

Why the hell does everyone keep saying that!?

PLEASE! Not for your mother. For myself. Just as your mother did whatever she could, now I...I want to do whatever I can. Please? It's ok, right?



...Okay, I got it. We'll go together.


Meanwhile, Alice is breaking into the church in Rouen.


You have to do a Ring Test to get in again. This time it's a Push Ring where you have to get the indicator to stop in the green area.





...That day, I was praying here myself and then I went outside the back way. Father went to call on Father Doyle who was closed up in the confessional...


So our next stop is the far confessional booth where Yuri pretended to be the priest.

I wonder what Father Doyle was doing here...

Why didn't he go with us to see the Cardinal...

...Maybe he didn't want to meet Cardinal Simon?! Cardinal Simon?




Alice notices something, and we get another Ring Test. This one is a Spin Ring 3, where the indicator goes around three times and you have to keep hitting the red areas.



Doyle Letter: I have committed a terrible, heinous act... I sold my best friend, Elliot, and his daughter to demons to protect my own life... I will never be able to purge this sin, no matter if I burn myself a thousand times... All I can do now is repent my sins alone to God every day... But I know who Roger Bacon really is. How long is he going to leave me alone? I'm going to be next... Next...

There's a photograph between the papers.






We met him that night...

Cardinal Albert Simon!!

Alice rushes out of the confessional.



Heh heh heh... Looks like you're onto us...

Bye Alice. It was nice knowing you.




Huh.



I have no intention of harming you. I just wish to speak with you a little.

Oh is that so...Roger Bacon. Or should I say...

Cardinal Albert Simon.

That's right. That's my true name--though you may call me whichever pleases you.

Father Doyle knew your secret from the beginning, didn't he. That Cardinal Simon and the dark warlock, Roger Bacon, were one and the same. That's why you concealed your identity from us by using Olga, to kill my father...

This raises the question, though: If this Roger Bacon is actually Albert Simon, then where is the REAL Roger Bacon, and does he know someone's been running around pretending to be him?

Exactly so. You see...I just had to have your powers. Only one person every hundred years or so is born with powers like yours. But now I have obtained a different key.

You mean Koudelka?

Soon I will begin final preparations. With her help. And I'd prefer that nothing stands in our way. Neither you, nor any of your friends.

That's impossible. As long as you continue in your wicked ways. But...why are you so insistent in using magic you know is forbidden? Why is it that you want to destroy the world?

Alice...Do you think things are right in the world?

Huh?



In fact, the blood and tears of the poor are sacrificed daily by a handful of elite power-mongers. No matter how far science and technology advances, repression will never cease. We're only human. Whenever the calls for revolution turn into concrete action...

Instigators are met by the full resistance of the elite, who stop at nothing to keep their power.



But then...

Then why do you...

Do the exact same thing that he seems to be angered by?

I am motivated by...revenge.



Revenge...?

Yes. Revenge. Revenge against the dead who have lost their very souls.

I'm glad to have been able to talk today. Thank you, sister. Unfortunately the next time we meet it will be as enemies. Please give my regards to the others. Well then...





Sometime later...


So, he said he was beginning his final preparations, right?

Yes.

If he's serious, then we don't have any time to waste.

We'd better head to Wales too. I wonder what's waiting for us there.

Wales, huh...?

What's the matter?

My mom told me about an incident experienced in Wales...

A scientist was trying to raise the dead in a monastery he bought. I heard that the dead turned into horrible monsters.

What the...?! It's just like the orphanage!!

Maybe there's some connection with Cardinal Simon...

Well, I guess we're off to Wales.

There's a dungeon in Wales, but there won't be any voting this time. Yuri and Alice have to go, and Yuri already promised Halley he could come, so I'm taking him as well.





It's so cool!! Take a look.


There's now a board connected to the walkway, letting us go to the other side of the room.


And now the Pit Fights for Europe are open!

Knowledgable Carl: Her ability isn't very stable yet, though...



The old man made me a room, so that the monsters can come out. So, hey!


We're suddenly thrown into a fight, but it's just against the same monsters that were in Calios.


Right now, Sharon can only summon once, but after a while, we'll be able to do a complete round of ten fights here. For now, it's on to Wales!


Next time on Shadow Hearts: the ruins of Nemeton.


London, part 3 on Viddler


NPC Scorecard