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<Back to chapter 3
Upon reading the Germonik scriptures, Ramza lost his faith in the
Glabados Church. It turned out that the legend of St. Ajora, the
Savior, was simply constructed by the Church. When Ajora Glabados, the
man, had been a fiery revoloutioary, the Church had been set up around
him as a way of gaining influence. However Ajora was finally killed by
the Yudora Empire after a tip-off from their spy, Germonik, who sold
the supposed Savior to the enemy. The Yudora Empire feared Ajora's
influence and ended his earthy life.
But his story didn't end
there. The Church had to expunge certain facts about him from history
and make him the 'Child of God' they had said he was for so many years.
Otherwise they would lose power once those facts were discovered.
The
Church created a story based off a familiar legend, that St. Ajora had
collected twelve 'Holy Stones' and killed a demon by resurrecting the
Zodiac Brave warriors of myth and legend. By propogating this story and
silencing those who would disagree, the Church of Glabados was able to
preach that St. Ajora had been a 'Child of God', and that he had
ascended into heaven.
Ramza realized that the Church would give
anything to prevent this material from reaching public knowledge. The
convincing text destroyed the Church doctrine at all of it's
fundamental levels, and all authority it once had would be lost.
Determined to use the Germonik Scriptures
Ramza travelled to
Dorter Trade City. He knew that someone in the Church structure would
realize the Germonik scriptures had been stolen from Orbonne, and if he
wanted to be found, Dorter was the place to be.
A few days
later, Ramza was approached by an exotic wizard that demanded that
Ramza appear at Riovanes Castle bearing the Germonik Scriptures, or his
sister would die. Resolved to somehow rescue Alma and stop thee Church
from continuining to pull the strings behind the Lion War, Ramza set
off to Riovanes.
Far to the east, the ruins of an old Zeltennian
castle stood on a high crested hill. Deep in Nanten territory, Queen
Ovelia was far from the lines of fighting. Wandering the old ruins, she
wondered how long she would be left alive. She knew now, that she was a
fake. Not even of royal blood. Simply a bastard of an insestuous plot
to ensure Prince Larg's relation to the royal throne.
Delita found her there, and Ovelia, barely even caring for her own life anymore, questioned him frankly,
"What are you going to do with me? I'm not real royalty, you
know. I'm worth nothing to you. Not even worth leaving alive."
She kept talking, not even waiting for an answer. All of her frustration and bitterness pouring out of her,
"What did my life mean all these years...? Raised as a
fake... Ha, ha...amusing isn't it? A Princess must live
her life quietly in a monastery away from the capital. I'd
often wondered why only I had to live like that. But if my
suffering would to keep Ivalice in peace, then I thought I
could endure it. What was all the grief and isolation I
suffered for?"
Delita sympathized, and answered her with more emotion that she had expected,
" You and I are the same... Miserable people forced to
live false lives. Always being used by someone... Try hard and
you'll be rewarded they say. Lies... Only those close to the
top are rewarded without trying, It's the way of the world.
Most people have to act the roles given to them... Then again,
most of them haven't even noticed they're even acting. No way
I'd do that. I won't be used. I'll be the one using! Those who
used me must pay for what they've done! Trust me, Ovelia.
I'll make a country worthy of you!
I'll make your life shine! Let me guide you!"
Delita
held Ovelia close, comforting her as she cried tears of long years
spent in righteous solitude for no reason. The sadness of realizing you
are only a tool to someone else, and nothing more. Ovelia asks Delita
if she can trust him. Delita said,
"I won't betray you. I swear by my dead sister,
Teta...... So, please don't cry..."
Ovelia
held him more tightly, finding comfort in the arms of the man who had
kidnapped her, saved her from the Hokuten, been present to hear of her
royal birthright, and who had delivered her safely into the hands of
the Nanten to the end of her becoming Queen. The Knight in gold armor,
Delita Hyral.
North of Lesalia, on his way to Riovanes, Ramza met a familiar face.
"We meet again."
Olan
Durai was accompanied by a large unit of knights...who bore the crest
of Nanten. Ramza thought for a moment that Olan was going to try and
capture him for being a heretic, but Olan had no plans to do so.
"Why would I do that? Our job's to catch deserters. No
need for us to be involved. But your brothers are after you.
Run before they come."
Ramza was about to leave, but couldn't stop from asking Olan a question,
"Why do you continue to fight?"
"As long as your brothers point swords at us, it'll
continue..."
"So if Larg quits, Goltana would too?"
"That won't ever happen."
Ramza considered for a moment, then remembered something his father had once said,
"If you see Orlandu of Nanten, let me know. The Chruch is
using Larg and Goltana for gain. We're in the palm of their
hands...They're the real ones to beat."
"Why Orlandu?"
"My father used to say he was his only friend..."
"Orlandu's my father-in-law. I'll tell him that..."
"Do you believe me?"
Olan looked at Ramza strangely for a moment, then answered,
"I don't know why they're trying to collect holy stones.
If it's for the people, I won't interrupt. But, if it's for
self gain, Orlandu won't allow it. He'll kill using his old name,
'Thunder-God Cid'.Listen we know about the High Priest's plot,
but there is no proof. We're investigating it."
"If we prove it, would you stop fighting?"
"Prove the Church is lying and shouldn't be trusted?
Prove that their authority is fake? If it could be done,
we would stop fighting. Do you have proof?"
"...No, I don't."
Olan's knights told him they needed to leave, but Olan shouted back one last thing as he rode away,
"Ramza, you're not alone! You have friends! Allies who'd
risk their lives! I'm one of them!"
Ramza's response was quiet,
"...Thank you, Olan."
Knowing that he had someone he could trust on the Nanten side, Ramza pressed onto Riovanes to rescue his sister.
The
town Ramza was quickly approaching was called Yardow Fort City. Within
it's two walls, an argument was raging between two siblings. One was
the exotic wizard whom had approached Ramza and told him to appear at
Riovanes. His name was Malak. His sister Rafa was also a wizard of
strange sorts.
Rafa was pleading with Malak,
"We're not tools for murder! If we stay here,
we'll be used as tools till we die!
Come on, Malak! Let's escape together!"
Malak was ashamed of hearing his sister say such things,
"Who helped us when we lost our parents in the war? If the
Grand Duke Barinten hadn't saved us, we'd have starved... he cared
about us... Now you're returning the favor with vengeance and mutiny?"
Rafa shook her head in disbelief,
"You've been deceived! Barinten took advantage of war and
burned the village! Why? To get the family skills only our
family knows. He burned a village to get my 'Heaven' magic and
your 'Hell' magic! He killed our parents!! Don't you see?!!
Malak slapped her,
"That's ridiculous!!"
"You know what he did! What he did to me! I KNOW you
know!"
"Don't you say anymore! Otherwise, I..."
But
just as Malak was about to defend their adoptive father Grand Duke
Barinten, a Riovanes asssassin approached him and told him Ramza had
arrived. Malak assembled his squad of warriors while Rafa continued to
plead with him to escape together. However, Malak only had eyes for
Ramza, who had just entered the street they were waiting one.
Seeing the futility in her actions, Rafa sprinted to join Ramza and hid behind him. Shielding herself from her brother.
Ramza prepared to defend them both and called out to Malak,
"You! You're that man! You're supposed to be waiting at
Riovanes Castle!"
"That was what Grand Duke said! I'll prove we can beat
you without the Shrine Knights!"
However,
Malak had not counted on Ramza being assisted by his sisters strange
Heaven magic and Malak and his men were forced to retreat.
After
the battle, Ramza and Rafa hid out in a small rundown storage shack in
the slums of the town. It was there that Rafa explained her story to
Ramza,
"We're Fifty Year War orphans. I'll never forget those
days looking through garbage and dead bodies for food...
That's when Barinten saved us. I believed in God then.
Barinten built orphanages for the war orphans. But, he
provided training to 'gifted' children to be professional
assassins... We were those children.
We, Galthanas, have 'secret skills' of the family.... My
Heaven skill and my brother's Hell skill. These two skills
differ from magic... Barinten wanted them. But the family
elder refused him. So he burned the village. He decided if he
couldn't have them, he'd erase them from this world. He
probably was excited when he found us among the orphans..
We yearned for him to be like our real father... But
even then..."
"What does Barinten want?"
"Barinten wants only one thing. To be the king. They call
him 'Weapon King' for making strong weapons and training many
wizards.
There are those who say the Grand Duke has royal rights.
Killing Larg and Goltana set the stage for him
to get what he wants...."
Ramza was about to question her further, when a small frog hopped in front of them. The voice of Malak emanated from it,
"Listen, Ramza! Hurry to Riovanes Castle! Or
your sister will be dead! Rafa, you're coming, too!
Resist and Ramza's sister'll die because of you!"
And
with that, the small magical construct exploded, leaving only silence.
Rafa and Ramza looked at eachother, they knew they had to get going.
On to chapter 5>
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