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Part Forty-Eight: Corrosion    : "That's right. Especially since we were so young, we've grown a lot in these six years. I was surprised. If I hadn't been introduced, I wouldn't even have remembered you." : "Really? I knew it was Battler right away. After he opened his mouth, I was sure." : "Uu-. Maria met him for the first time. Six years ago, didn't know him." : "That's right. Maria-sama was only three years old." : "When you say it like that, I'm the same. I only knew Maria when she was three years old, and since she's grown so big, I didn't recognize her."After lunch, we had all gone out to the beach to walk around, talk and take it easy enjoying ourselves. It had seemed that our parents were having a suspicious, complicated discussion, so we had decided to leave our seats. ...Just as you'd expect, since it had been six years, the conversation focused on me.  : "Don'tcha think? I couldn't even imagine that this was the same Battler as six years ago.": "I'm surprised at how everyone remembers so much about six years ago. My memory's all hazy." : "No surprise. You'll remember about us, it just might take a little time. Should I feel a little hurt?" : "Wait, this was six years ago, right? I'm the one who has it bad, being forced to remember...!": "...Are you saying that you can't remember well because it was six years ago? I can remember it as clearly as if it happened yesterday...": "That's because your memory is good, Shannon. You really do remember what kind of things Battler did and said, don't you?": "Come to think of it, that's right. Shannon's memory is surprisingly good." : "Uu-. Maria's horrible at remembering. Remembers fun things well but horrible at boring things. Uu-."We all laughed, saying that everyone was like that. : "Shannon. By the way, what was Battler like six years ago? Remember any interesting episodes?" Normally, this would be a pretty unremarkable line. Generic knight in shining armor thing, right? However, I offer an alternative possibility. Revelations, 6:2. “I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering and to conquer.” Is Battler secretly one of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse? Did he actually promise Shannon that he would make Rokkenjima his first stop when he rides forth to usher in the end times? As Battler has yet to don a crown or demonstrate any skill in archery, we can't say for sure. But given how many people on this island are turning out to be supernatural somehow, the odds are really pretty decent.   : "Gyaaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!! Sounds just like something you would say! I remember, I remember that you always used to be full of those stupid lines, Battler! Waaah-hah-hah-hah-hah-ha!!": "Hah-hah-hah-ha. It really does sound like something Battler-kun would have said back then.": "Uu-. Embarrassing? Embarrassing?" : "...Yeah. Horribly embarrassing... Maria, I'm sure that when you are in middle school, you'll want to say embarrassing things like that... When that happens, write it on the back of some leaflet, and read it three times before you say it out loud. If you don't, you'll definitely regret it...Still, everyone has to pass through that pitiful period... That's right, that's how you know your place, learn shame, and become an adult. That's right, this is a memory I want to disappear, the bittersweet kind of thing that everyone does in adolescence as they transition to becoming adults... Aaaaarrggh..." Anyways, it was just something I'd let slip out without thinking, so I hadn't remembered exactly what I had said. But when those words were recited to me, it was all so embarrassing. Recently, I had finally come to understand this weakness, and had worked hard to refrain from such careless outbursts... ...It looked like I was just born with the habit of speaking without thinking, and there was nothing I could do about it.   : "I don't remember anything about what I said off the top of my head. Please, don't make me remembe-r." : "...Uu-. Shannon's bullying Battler...? Uu-. You can't. You shouldn't bully people.": "Hahahahaha. She isn't really bullying him. Let's leave it at that, okay? But Shannon, you'll have tell me all about it sometime Battler isn't around. It sounds pretty interesting.": "Yes, certainly.": "N, no, you can't, Shannon-chaaaaaaaaaan...!!"For a while, George-aniki laughed at me, as though warming up for when Shannon-chan would tell him about more of my embarrassing misspeaks.   He was always frank with his cousins, but he usually took on a reserved, gentlemanly attitude when he came in contact with the servants. ...When I thought about it, I got the feeling that it was a little familiar, which seemed slightly weird. Maria started scribbling in the sand with a stick, and George-aniki and Shannon-chan joined in. This left me and Jessica off to the side, so I asked her secretively.  : "...Hey, Jessica. Is George-aniki, ...umm, going out with Shannon-chan?"Goddammit Battler, turn back! Find another topic! You know not what you do.  : "Ooooh? What the, how did you notice?! Battler, you're really good at seeing through people.": "Huh, ...whaaaaaaah?! I was just kidding, ... but they're actually going out?!": "Shhh! Your voice is too loud! ...It looks like they're keeping it secret for now, alright? It'd be better if nobody, especially Eva oba-san, heard about it.": "I, I see... Love with a servant... ...Y, yeah but, since when? Wo-w, a lot can happen in six years... But still, Aniki really is talented, and Shannon-chan is kind and brave, ...they might be a pretty good match." ...Does the family have some kind of genetic maid fetish or something? ...Which means that, the collection of my embarrassing lines that Shannon-chan had just held back on, ...probably had something to do with that... Aaaaaaaaaaarrghh, I can't take it... : "How long have they been going out?": "That depends on what you call going out, but I think it's been at least a year. But if you count the time spent when they both had one-sided feelings, it would probably be several years."Before I'd realized it, the two of them had separated themselves from the group, and were walking down the beach, talking about something. ...They looked calm, and rather than a light relationship between two lovers, it looked like a more serious relationship, as though they were already engaged. : "...Six years ago... That's a long time. What did these six years mean to me? I've just gotten taller. It was just a waste of time, six years I spent obstinately fighting with my dad." : "Aah, that's so you, Battler. But take your relationships with your female friends seriously. A community of girls with the wrong impressions can be scary. They could have some secret feud behind your back, and hurt someone or make them cry without you noticing it, right?": "That's so weird. I think I got the same bit of advice from one of the girls in my class just last week. ...What did she say? Why not have fun together with everyone? Did they really want to hook up with me that much?": "...It's probably because you have never had a partner like that, Battler. Well, you might run into girls like that every once in a while. You just have to wait patiently!": "What? It sounds almost like you've already found a partner like that. What about you? Have you gotten a boyfriend?": "Huh?! M, me?! No, err, wahahahahaha...": "Come on, that reaction's so easy to understand... From the looks of it, there's some boy who you're thinking about, but you haven't been able to confess that to them yet, something like that.": "N, no, umm, that's not, umm, uh! Sh, shut up, who cares about that...!" : "...W, well, umm. ...I did try, ...to confess once. Well, umm, I struck out pretty badly.": "Did they say sorry?": "No, umm, ...well, umm, it was really one-sided and I got confused, I guess... It was like they didn't view me that way.": "I can understand that. You talk just like a man. If you don't act a little more elegant, you won't be able to entice a man's heart, right?"Battler, stop being Krauss. We don't need two of him. : "I, i, is it really, ...is the way I speak, ...really that bad?": "...Hmm? Well, umm, how you talk isn't everything, but to people like you, who usually talk badly, if you quickly try to start talking seriously, umm, that might start really get some guys' hearts thumping.": "R, really...? I see..., ...yeah..."As Jessica thought about suddenly speaking meekly, she blushed faintly.  Six years. ...Six years of puberty are pretty important, and they had gone by pretty fast. As the typhoon approached, the clouds grew steadily grayer, and yet, even so, I had this really refreshing feeling. ...Maybe I'll start thinking about the opposite sex, more than just the size of their boobs... : "By the way, I know George-aniki is going out with a servant, Shannon-chan. ...Could it be that you are the same, Jessica?": "Huh, ...eeeeeeh?!?! W, w, w, w, why do you think that...?!": "Come to think of it, that young kid Kanon-kun, who greeted us in the rose garden... You really covered for him since he's bad at talking, right Jessica?": "N, no, that's not... Wahahahaha, you're too suspicious...!!": "Then tell me just this one thing. Right now, is the boy you're after somewhere within one kilometer?": "W, well about that, umm, ...I, I, I wonder..."Kanon-kun was the only boy on this island now who could possibly become her boyfriend. So judging by her reaction, I was right on.  Eva oba-san would probably become an obstacle to George-aniki and Shannon-chan's love. If Eva oba-san learned that the partner of her only beloved son was Shannon-chan, she would probably scream at her, as though a servant was the same as a cat who had snuck in. And a relationship between Jessica and Kanon-kun would probably be just as full of difficulties. Natsuhi oba-san was also very strict about that kind of thing. ...Anyways, Jessica's husband would probably become the head of the Ushiromiya family in the future. If that person had once been a servant working for the family, ...well, things would get complicated. : "Well, who you love depends on the person. Isn't everything fine as long as it's someone who's fun to be with? Being with someone doesn't require any permission as long as the two people accept each other. If you worry about your parents or your family, then you lose. Don't forget that. You can't go out with someone with incomplete feelings.": "...Heh... I can't believe you're saying something so philosophical-sounding when you haven't even been in love." : "...Hu, ...wah-hah-hah-hahahahahahahahaha!! George nii-san, Shanno~n, listen, liste-n! This guy, he's said another one of those lines!!": "I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything!! Waaah, don't make fun of me, don't make fun of me!!": "Maria heard it, Maria heard it! <See you aga~in>, <see you aga~in>!!"For a while, we forgot that the wind was getting stronger, and played around on the beach. ...I had grown a lot these last six years, and being able to celebrate my youth and meet with all of my cousins was truly refreshing. ...It was a little late now, but I realized that I should have gotten back together with everyone a lot sooner, and returned to the Ushiromiya family... : "It sure is nice to have all the cousins together every once in a while...": "Uu-! Maria also likes it when the cousins get together, it's fu-n!": "That's right. We're already old enough. It's not like we couldn't meet each other when our parents aren't around. ...It might not be a bad idea to gather the cousins together and play every once in a while." : "Hahahahahaha."George-aniki and Jessica laughed, but it felt just a little strained. ...Did I say too much? Judging by how our parents made quiet expressions and tired faces every once in a while during the boat ride and at the airport, maybe that was something I shouldn't have said. : "...That's right. Just like Jessica said. Let's always be friendly to each other.": "Uu-! Maria too! Everyone friendly!!": "That's right. Yeah. We'll always be together. We'll always be friendly.": "Heheh. Man, we've been saying some pretty embarrassing stuff. I feel kinda awkward.": "But I think that is very important. It's very hard for people to always be together, to always be friendly unless they desire it.": "That's right. You really can't take everyone being friendly for granted." : "Alright. Now the next embarrassing thing. Let's all swear to believe together, alright? That we'll all always be friendly, that we'll always be happy."As if we could become like our parents. As if we'd ever search for each other's weaknesses, going after Grandfather's fortune... : "Alright! We'll always be friendly and happy. And let's all believe that."As all of us cousins were trying nostalgically to have fun, dark clouds approached Rokkenjima. ...I wonder if the typhoon will pass and show us the refreshing sky before we leave this island. Who cares about what our parents expect? Who cares about the inheritance and the honor of our old family? As youthful as we were, we were renewing our old friendship. And we all believed together that we could all be happy. Therefore..., I wanted this day to end, without anything weird occurring, in peace and happiness, calmly... No, ...I didn't just want it to end. ...Please, let it end...!   Where the hell were you a couple pages back when the romance retread was in full swing?  : "drat iiiiiiiit!! Don't show up, don't appear!! Damndamndaaamn!!" : "Sorry to keep you waiting. I've finally made preparations for a new game. Come, let us begin this tale of tragedy! Come to me, winds, rain, typhoon! Cut this island off from the real world!! Throw Rokkenjima into another world, into the spirit world, into a world of fantasy!"  And so, the tale repeated for the third time. However, to an Endless Witch, what did it matter whether it was the first, second, or third time? It probably didn't matter at all. After all, this was a tale of fantasy, endlessly repeating until the match was settled. Would Battler surrender first, or would the witch?  And Maria could be seen in the rose garden, paying no mind to the rain that had started falling, going around in circles, searching for that single rose which should have been marked... We're three for three on Maria getting ditched out in the typhoon now. Truly, Rosa's lovely parenting is one of the fundamental constants of Umineko timelines.  : "...Not here... Not here... We marked it, ...Maria's rose isn't here...uu-. ...Uu-!!"Maria definitely remembered it. That rose had been in the flower bed right here. And yet, it wasn't anymore. She didn't know what to do with her irritation at not being able to find something which should have been there, and, moaning bitterly, she couldn't help but keep going back and forth in circles around the same spot.  The wind grew increasingly stronger, and the rain turned into cold, large drops. There was no way Maria could ignore this. However, if she couldn't find her rose here, it would surely disappear forever. ...Maria believed that. That feeling spurred her on to keep searching for a rose that she shouldn't be able to find... Just then, the cold drops of rain that were tormenting Maria were suddenly blocked. : "...Uu-?"Maria raised her head. ...When she did, she saw that an umbrella was opened there, protecting her from the rain...   : "Beatrice...!!" : "What are you doing so frantically in the middle of all this rain? You could catch a cold like this. Even witches have to care for their own health.": "Maria, ...can't find..., her rose... ...uu-. No matter how many times she searches, ...even though it should have been here, ...can't find it..."Maria told Beatrice about how there had been a slightly unhealthy, pitiful rose, and that she was sure they had marked it. : "Hoho. So you can't find it. ...If you are a witch's apprentice, you should use magic to search for the rose. I believe that searching with just your eyes won't be nearly enough.": "...Uu-. ...Can't find it. ...Maria's done her best, and tried to search with magic, but can't find it..." Maria knew. She knew that there was nothing Beatrice's magic couldn't do. So she was sure that Beatrice would be able to find the rose easily, even though Maria couldn't... Beatrice closed her eyes lightly, acting as though she was listening for something in all this wind and rain. Then she heard it, opened her eyes, and spoke.  : "...Hmm. All things in this world are transitory. Too bad, Maria. ...It seems that your rose couldn't withstand all of this wind and rain.": "Uu-... Then, Maria's rose...?": "It was uprooted by the wind, and is no longer of this world.": "...Uu-..."What Beatrice had said was quite appropriate. ...There was nothing odd about the flower being broken off at the stem in this strong wind. ...However, Maria couldn't accept this, and bitterly gave a low-pitched moan...  : "Hoh?": "...No no no! Maria's rose!! Maria's rose won't come back, no! Maria will bring it back to life with her magic. Beatrice, teach me how to revive a rose with magic...!!" : "Ha! It's much too early for an apprentice like you to learn the hidden art of Endless Magic. Know your place."Oh, come on Beatrice. How can you not see the potential here? : "...Uuuuuu."Maria wiped the tears from her eyes, full of regret. Beatrice shrugged her shoulders and laughed at the pity that Maria's expression invited. : "Very well. I will lend you power for the hidden art that can revive a rose."Revive a 9 year old's rose, and you make her happy for a few minutes. Teach a 9 year old how to bend the cycle of life and death to her will and you've secured entertainment for a lifetime. : "Really?!": "Hmm. ...Well then, concentrate the power of your heart. Close your eyes, forget the rain, forget the wind, search for the soul of the wandering rose with the eyes of your heart.": "...Uu-."Maria closed her eyes. Then, she repeated Beatrice's song-like words...   : "Don't look. Don't listen. And believe. ...Release the power of your soul from the cage of flesh that imprisons it. ...That's it. ...Good..."Around Maria, who was concentrating her power, her eyes tightly shut, small golden butterflies began to dance. ...Was this the manifestation of the magical power Maria held? : "Lost soul of the rose. Gather into one, and remember your form. ...Come, gather, remember..."The glitter of the gold butterflies began to strengthen, and their numbers increased. Then, Beatrice raised a finger up to the skies, and they began to gather at the tip of that finger... This was the miracle of the golden magic... And the gold butterflies began to condense into a single dazzling grain of gold. ...It was a single seed, glittering gold. It rode on the tip of Beatrice's finger, budded into a golden sprout, and opened into a golden leaf. It then slowly fell from that fingertip, sank into the mud of the flower bed, and began to grow steadily... ...Maria, who admired magic and the witch, really wanted to see this fantastical sight. However, as an apprentice, Maria was still not qualified to see it.  Then, the fully grown rose bloomed, creating one golden flower. And when Beatrice poked it with her finger in just the right way, the gold-colored sparkle scattered, just as if a golden soap bubble had popped, and what remained was a single beautiful rose. : "...Hmm. It looks like you've remembered a splendid rose. ...However, if we just leave it mixed in with these other roses, you won't be able to tell it apart. Shall I perform one last service?"Beatrice, for the sake of her cute apprentice witch who was moaning even more now in concentration, decided to use one more bit of magic. When she snapped her fingers, a single gold butterfly appeared, fluttered around, and landed on the flower that had just been revived. Then it suddenly burst open and disappeared, becoming golden lace and marking the rose... : "That is sufficient. ...Maria. You may open your eyes now." : "Wah..., you did...!! Awesome awesome awesome awesome!! Thank you Beato, thank you Beato!! Maria wants to become a witch quickly, a Great Witch like Beato!!": "And you can. Long ago, I too wished for that innocently, just as you do, and I have attained that level."Maria was ecstatic over the revived rose, clapping her hands and jumping around in joy. ...Watching that, Beatrice also smiled, looking fairly pleased. Now, if I tried, I could break and repair any soul, not just that of a rose, and kill and revive as I pleased. So, the barrier created by the storm had closed Rokkenjima off from the real world. Now was the time for Golden Witch Beatrice to descend, as an Endless Witch. Beatrice pulled from her pocket an envelope with the family crest, the One-winged Eagle, and gave it to Maria. Maria frolicked around at being selected to be the witch's messenger.     After Kinzo flung the window of his study wide open, he took off the valuable golden ring which had been on his finger, and threw it into the darkness of the raging wind and rain... That ring was struck by lightning, and after twinkling gold for an instant, disappeared. Kinzo watched it go, grinning broadly and fearlessly.  : "I don't feel like losing. You are mine. Forever!!"The ring that Kinzo had thrown became a single gold butterfly, and fluttered around in the wind and rain.  (Click for video of Beatrice's demon butler) When it came down right in front of Beatrice, it burst open, and returned to its original form of a ring, flying through the air. The way it was going, you'd have thought that it would fall into a puddle of water, but it stopped suddenly in midair. ...Almost as if some transparent person had caught it. Somehow, this seemed unexpected even to Beatrice. However, she realized what, ...who it was, and grinned broadly at it.   There was no man like this among the servants who served the Ushiromiya family. Even so, Beatrice laughed as though it was someone she remembered fondly. : "Ronove, is it. ...It's been quite some time. It seems that you have remembered me. You were always a man who was serious about loyalty." : "It has been a very long time since you last corresponded... There hasn't been a single day that I, Ronove, have forgotten that I serve you, Milady. I was more fearful that Milady had forgotten about me. In any event, Milady is quite forgetful." : "*cackle*cackle*...! I see, yes, I do forget easily. I couldn't even remember your sarcasm until I heard it again.": "Milady, here."With an exaggerated yet elegant gesture, he bowed respectfully, and held out to Beatrice the head's ring that he had just caught.  : "So, how shall we play tonight? Shall I prepare the roulette immediately? Or shall I prepare some black tea first?": "I can't decide which, but for now, I need you to greet someone. I'm sure that guy has his mouth hanging open and can't shut it. Right, Battler?" : "See? His mouth's hanging open and he can't shut it, right? *cackle*cackle*!": "Isn't that obvious, another incomprehensible guy's just appeared!! Back when I was grumbling that goat-headed people would start doing the Bon dance, goat-heads started showing up in swarms, and since then, not only have those seven rear end nee-sans appeared, but now even a butler has shown up!! It doesn't make sense, cut it out!!": "By the way, Battler. Did you notice? Did you realize that meeting him is a true 'Devil's Proof'?": "Huh, Devil's Proof, you say...?! What do you mean...?": "He may not look like it, but this guy's name is amongst the 72, and he's a genuine demon. In other words, I've brought a demon right in front of you, which truly proves that they exist. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!! Ronove holds a noble rank in hell, the 27th highest ranked great demon. He's a pretty useful man. I summoned him at high cost and made him serve me."What, the Stakes don't count as demons? Asmodeus is even in the Ars Goetia too, as the 32nd demon and a King of Hell. And the first of them, another King of Hell called Baal, is possibly Beelzebub under a different name. : "It is an honor to be introduced to you. While my name is amongst those of the nobles of hell, I now serve as the head furniture of Beatrice-sama, the Great Witch with the standing of a vulgar human, from whom even demons can escape barefooted."I did a search to try and figure out what the hell that even means. Unfortunately, Google can't find it anywhere but in text dumps for this episode, so I've got nothing. : "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*. He's a very useful man, but he is impudent with his words. It's slightly frustrating that he sometimes forgets to respect his Master." Beatrice turned her back to him, cackling. After bowing once to her back, Ronove turned back to Battler and stuck out his right hand, showing off an innocent smile. Normally, this would mean that he was asking for a handshake. : "...Wh, ...what is this supposed to be?" : "I am also one who has been subjected to Milady's whims. In that sense, I am sure that we could become good friends. This is a handshake of friendship. ...Of course, it doesn't mean that you will be entered into a demon's contract, so rest assured.": "Sorry, but I'm right in the middle of a big fight with your master. I only shake hands with an enemy after we've beaten each other up in a rainy schoolyard and are all worn out, like one of those situations in adolescent dramas. Remember that."  : "I see. To shake hands with you, Battler-sama, I must create a fitting atmosphere in a suitable location, and exchange sweet words and physical language with you that rings true to your heart. When the opportunity arrives, I will prepare that location. You know, I also lo-ve those kinds of situations? Pu ku ku ku...!" : "Y, you're a creepy bastard... I see, just right for Beato's butler...": "It is an honor to receive such words of praise. I'm very confident in my tea brewing abilities, so please look forward to tea time. Baking cookies is one of my hobbies, so please feel free to request teacakes and such.": "Just what I would expect from a pair of the same gender. You've started to get along well very quickly. I'm jealous.": "My, my. I apologize for making you jealous, Milady. I will not stealthily snatch your guest away from you. Well then, I will leave for now to retake my post as head of the furniture and to greet the rest of the furniture. Please forgive my short absence.": "Hmm. Only the common goats and the seven sisters used for the ceremony have manifested themselves. You will be able to finish up greeting them with ease.": "Oh? Those lively seven sisters are here? I wonder whether those naughty girls have grown a little more graceful?": "...Ihihi. If that's graceful, I'd have to doubt the definition of graceful." : "If that's your problem, don't worry. They actually act perfectly fitting for their master...": "*cackle*cackle*cackle*! Even you have begun to say it! However, a conversation means that you accept your partner. Now that you have started to respond to my idle chatting, that is proof that you are gradually starting to accept my existence.": "Heh. That's because, even if the sun starts rising from the west, I will definitely, definitely definitely, never accept that you're a witch. You might want to consider a slightly more positive approach, like crying and kissing my shoes."Even if Battler was bluffing, he still spoke forcefully, a fearless expression on his face. The witch and her butler snickered together, realizing that their guest had regained more than enough of his willpower to attend to a new game, and that preparations were complete... After Ronove exchanged a few words with Beatrice, he bowed silently to Battler, scattered into several gold butterflies, and disappeared.   : "...I get how that unpleasant guy is really fitting as your butler. ...But tell me. Why has that butler only appeared now? You said something about how only the goats and the nee-chans of the seven stakes had manifested themselves. What did that mean...?": "Hmm. You still resist, but I am a fully-fledged witch. I am in contact with several nonhuman entities in the spirit world.": "I'm sure. No worthy people would relate with you. First some goat monsters, then those rear end nee-chans, and this time a demon butler's showed up. ...I hate to think about it, but the way things are going, I wouldn't be surprised if even more weird people showed up...": "Hah-hah-hah-ha! Among the furniture that work at my great golden mansion, how many demons do you think want to come over and play? They will keep coming. Many of them will appear. When the door to the Golden Land is opened, I will call back all of my furniture, and build my new castle here on Rokkenjima. Then I plan to invite all of my old friends, and we will drink and dance together for three days and three nights.” : "...So is this what you mean? That, since you lost your power for a long time, you couldn't summon them? ...And then, since your magic power gradually increased, you became able to summon more and more monsters, is that what you're trying to say?": "It is as you say. You barely stumbled at the very end, but your heart is already wavering, and you are unable to deny that I am a witch. That wavering in your heart has slightly restored my power as a witch.": "So are you saying that creepy butler appeared, ...because I started to surrender?": "That's right. Bit by bit, you are surrendering to me...! Didn't you submit to me in the last game so much that you received all of that humiliation? Wasn't it great when you had to sacrifice your back for my feet? *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*!!": "...D, ...damnit...I thought that, as long as I didn't accept you, I'd be able to keep on going. ...But apparently I was mistaken somehow." : "...And furthermore, you're giving it everything you've got just to help your king escape, and have lost several pieces to me, as well as a large advantage. It is only natural that further advances will lean in my favor.": "...drat...": “From now on, you will probably be frantic as you try to avoid my checkmate. ...However, as you do, I will steal your pieces from you one by one. In the end, you'll have lost everything but your king, and you won't be able to escape no matter how much you try. Then you will receive a true checkmate."  And there's the official convention for bits of English in the original. Or some of it, at least.   According to the Ars Goetia, Ronove is a Marquis and Great Earl of Hell, with 20 legions of demons, teaches linguistic stuff to his summoner, makes people like them, and hooks them up with useful minions. Pretty boring stuff, really, most of those are things offered by like a dozen other Goetic demons. Umineko's version offers a much more interesting array of services, however. You know how many other lords of Hell list “can whip up a bitchin' batch of cookies for the summoner” among their provided services? Zero. I can take or leave poo poo like talking to birds, philosophy tutoring, or magic pets, but I would summon the hell out of a cookie demon. Next time: The gauntlet is thrown a third time.
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Jul 17, 2014 12:19
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 04:46 |
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The best piece of furniture is here  All that bodybuilding must really have messed up Battler's memory, goddamn.
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Jul 17, 2014 14:43
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Ronove. Ronove is voiced Tomokazu Sugita, who ends up working with Daisuke Ono(Battler's Voice Actor) in a lot of stuff. One of the more famous roles the pair had was Kyon and Itsuki Koizumi from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. So of course with Battler's voice actor they bring in Sugita for this guy.
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Jul 18, 2014 10:45
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I'm pretty happy about the arrival of a cookie demon.
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Jul 20, 2014 02:36
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If he's a Great Demon, what sort of compensation can Beatrice possibly offer him in exchange for a contract? 
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Jul 20, 2014 03:49
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Mecca-Benghazi posted:If he's a Great Demon, what sort of compensation can Beatrice possibly offer him in exchange for a contract? You know how you use dough to make cookies and all that? You know how Beatrice can revive things to kill them again? You know how cooking dough into cookies is sort of like killing them? She's totally giving him Unlimited Dough Works. 
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Jul 20, 2014 04:24
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Amusement, I assume. Seems like the only reason powerful other-worldly beings do anything in 07th Expansion games. Either that or the dude just legit loves baking. Demons got hobbies too, y'know?
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Jul 20, 2014 06:45
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Maybe he played one of her games with his service at stake and lost? It seems like the kind of way Beatrice would recruit.
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Jul 20, 2014 20:55
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Part Forty-Nine: Have None Of These People Actually Read The Epitaph? (Section A)   : “Tonight, I ask that you enjoy your battle of wits with Kinzo-sama to the fullest. I sincerely pray that this night will be both intellectual and elegant. ――Beatrice the Golden."When Maria finished reading the letter that Beatrice had handed her, everyone was at a loss for words for a while. And then, they all broke the silence at once...  : "R, ridiculous. What a worthless, vicious prank!" : "Seriously. There is no way that Father gave up the head's ring. Beatrice? Ha! What a transparent prank, hoping to confuse us just by bringing up that name." : "Hey hey, who was it that filled this dessert up with a little too much punch? I want to applaud and admire you, so come clean, alright? Rosa?" : "O, of course not...! I wouldn't pull a prank assuming Father's name!" : "Then Aneki?! Aniki?!" Krauss beat the table and stared at everyone. ...Since that included the children too, he scared most of them...  : "...A letter from a mysterious person who claims to have been given full rights to Father's assets. And if you think about how this family conference is all about discussing that, ...I think it's too hasty to call this just a prank." : "I don't understand. It might really be one of Father's vulgar pranks... He might've planned this to shock us a bit, since we've been discussin' the distribution of his inheritance without him...": "If Father was the one who planned this, ...then we can't take what Maria-chan just read aloud as a joke, right...?" : "...That's right. If you interpret the contents literally, ...then this is a test from Father. The epitaph of the witch has been displayed in the hall for quite some time now, so that any one of us could solve it. There was plenty of notice. That means he was saying that the first person to solve it would be handed the inheritance along with all of his wealth, right...?"  : "It's nothing like that!! It is an unshakable fact that my husband will become the next head of the Ushiromiya family!!" : "Doesn't this letter shake that!? This letter is a message from the person who was given full rights to all of Father's wealth! Nii-san's right to become the head has returned to a blank slate. The person who solves the riddle, ...the person who finds Beatrice's gold will become the next head of the Ushiromiya family!!": "Ridiculous...! Do you think we can trust the meaningless words in that letter? That the seal was the real thing? There's no way we could trust that!!": "Then let's try to go and ask Father directly! We aren't at the level where you can get away with saying that his mood's bad or that he's feeling bad, right?! The sealed wax clearly shows that it was from Father's representative! If you doubt that, then show some proof, Nii-san. Show that this letter does not contain Father's will!!": "V, very well. It is just as you say. It no longer matters whether Father's in a good mood or not... Let us go up and ask him directly.": "Let's do it. We'll ask Father directly. Father is Father, why would he act in such a roundabout way? Well, that is a little like Father!" : "Stupid Rosa!! Isn't it obviously Father's letter?! That letter was Father's!! Isn't it obvious that he's giving the four of us an even chance to become the next head?!! Die, you brainless idiot!!" : Rosa really is dumb. Why doesn't she just give up and die...?An excellent question, incorporeal teenage Eva.  : "I, I'm sorry...! Th, th, that's right..., I'm sorry..."In the beginning, the adults had all doubted the credibility of the letter, but after just now realizing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the three siblings other than Krauss in the struggle for the inheritance, Eva had changed her position, and had claimed that the letter was authentic. Rudolf and Rosa also realized that, and agreed. : "Seriously!! How could adults like you take such a worthless prank this seriously...! Even though I am not Father, I understand his shock!!" : "Nii-san. Take responsibility, and just get him to say that he doesn't know about the letter. This isn't a time to get scared just because he's in a bad mood, right?!": He's still scared of Father at his age, that idiot. Why doesn't he just give up and die...?Yeah, Eva? In this case, you're the idiot for not maintaining a healthy fear of Kinzo. : "Ah, aah! You really are trying to paint things as black and white. He's probably in the middle of eating in his study now. He isn't going to put down his chopsticks for a while to talk to us...!" : "It's decided. Let's go! Kyrie, wait here for a while. We'll go to check whether it's true or not and come back quickly." : "...Thank you. I will wait patiently for Gohda-san to bring the dessert." In the middle of all of this was Maria, who looked a little scared at the adults' sudden change. ...However, judging from her appearance, she didn't look like she realized the full meaning of the contents of what she had just read.  : "...What in the world, ...was that all about...? I don't get it...": "...They're all bastards. Do they really want the inheritance that much...?!" : "...Everyone, this is our parents' problem. It has nothing to do with us. So you mustn't worry about it.": "Even if you say that...they were so obvious...": "I misjudged them...! Showing off their greed...!" : "...Haah.": "...I feel horrible..."We couldn't accept it at all, but we laid down our arms for the time being. ...We had known vaguely how filthy the family conference was going to be this time. ...However, after that six-year blank, I couldn't help being shocked... When he saw that the children were completely dejected, Doctor Nanjo cleared his throat uncomfortably.  : "...It's an adult discussion. It has nothing to do with all of you young people. Let us forget about it." : "I would if I could...!" : "...No matter how much you ask us, Kyrie-san, ...it's hard.": "If you explain it that way, ...that's not something us kids can do...": "Uu-! Everyone happy-!! Can't get da-rk!! Belie-ve! If everyone doesn't believe we can be happy, that happiness will get away! Everyone has to believe! Uu-uu-uu-!!" : "...That sounds good. I'll believe too. That we can be happy.": "Uu-! Kyrie oba-san, thank you!! Battler and Jessica also believe! Beatrice is also always saying that the magic won't have any power if you don't believe. Uu-!"Kyrie-san rose from her seat quietly, went over to Maria, and crouched down so that their eyes met. : "...Uu-. Kyrie oba-san believed. Now, Battler and Jessica have to believe.": "Those two really are strong. They'll feel better soon and do that.": "Yes.": "More importantly, ...I want you to tell me."When Kyrie-san said that, Jessica, George-aniki, Doctor Nanjo and I all listened closely. ...It looked like our parents were so concerned with the inheritance problem that Grandfather filled their minds, but we wanted to ask Maria about something simpler.   : "The witch drawn in that portrait...?": "Uu-! She gave me this letter and an umbrella! And she used magic to fix Maria's rose that was broken! Beatrice is an awesome witch who can do anything!!": "...Would you mind telling us the details...?"  I'd thought I'd just get all the letter talk into one update. I'd regret it for forcing this one to be a two-poster, but I'm pretty sure the same thing would have happened to that update if I'd left it in, so eh.  I heard that, in the end, our parents were unable to get Grandfather to respond. ...Well, it sounds like Grandfather's feeling pretty good about himself. He was probably pretty satisfied with how his strange letter had given his children a good shock, since they had all been so infatuated with the distribution of the inheritance while Grandfather was still alive. I also felt like our despicable parents had gotten what they deserved in all of this confusion. ...But I couldn't really say that I was feeling great. I felt all sulky. Apparently, Grandfather hadn't seemed concerned with the whole thing, but he also hadn't denied anything about the letter either.  But even though Grandfather now knew the contents of that letter, he coldly ignored it. In this case, did that count as a silent yes?  It wouldn't have mattered so much if that was all, but the adults had now started focusing on Maria, who had received the letter. They kept pounding her with questions about who had given her that letter. Maria repeated over and over again that she had gotten it from Beatrice, but there was no way that such a mysterious person would sneak onto the island. ...In any event, this was a small island where no one lived outside the Ushiromiya family. Maria kept repeating that she had gotten it from Beatrice no matter how many times she was asked. It seemed that the adults felt that she was trying to trick them, so they didn't hold back and questioned her until she broke out in tears... When Maria was released, she sobbed, all worn out from crying. After our parents ordered us to go to the guesthouse and take Maria with us, they shut themselves up in the dining hall, and started getting louder and louder as they discussed the inheritance. It seemed that, because of that strange letter, the possibility had appeared that Krauss oji-san's ability to become the next head had been reduced to a blank slate, and in exchange for accepting him, my dad and the rest were trying to swindle Krauss oji-san out of a lot of money..., something like that.  George-aniki pleaded on behalf of our parents, saying that he wanted us to understand them. ...I understood his reasoning. No matter how filthy this talk of money was, it wouldn't go away if you just closed your eyes to it. But even so, how could they sink so low as to overtly fight over the money of the dead... Well, he's not dead yet, unless Beatrice jumped the gun a bit on the first twilight.      : "...Who in the world gave that letter to Maria-chan?": "George nii-san, you can't ask her that. Isn't it fine to say that Maria got it from Beatrice and leave it at that...?": "Because we don't want to make her cry any more than this."...Even though we said that, we couldn't clear away our gloomy feeling. : "There are only 18 people on this island now. The thought that, somewhere in the rain, a 19th person gave Maria-chan that letter, and is now hiding somewhere, doesn't seem realistic at all." : “...Of course, as soon as Maria saw that dress, that might have been enough to convince her that it was Beatrice.": "Maybe it doesn't really matter who handed her the letter. The important thing is who sent it. ...The point is that Grandfather wanted to cause an uproar by assuming the name of the witch. Seriously, that old geezer's good at riling people up."It was probably true that our occult-loving Grandfather was playing around, since he had chosen that dramatic way of handing the letter over to Maria, who shared the same hobby as he did. ...Failing to consider how much Maria was troubled would trouble her even more, but... : "Seriously. Messing around with Maria's pure heart... It doesn't matter who handed the letter over. Maria says that she got it from Beatrice, so let's treat it that way.": "I agree. Let's do that. To Maria-chan, Beatrice is kinda like what Santa Claus is to most kids."For most kids, Santa ultimately turns out to be their parents. If Santa = parents, and Beatrice = Santa, Beatrice = parents. So for those of you theorizing that Beatrice is Rose, it checks out mathematically, at least.  : “...Hmm? What's up, Jessica? Are you still angry?"Jessica had her hand on her chin, as though there was something that she just couldn't understand. When I called out to her, she came to her senses. : "Aah, ...sorry. Well, ...actually, ...I was wondering if it was possible that Maria actually met Beatrice.": "...What do you mean by that? Are you saying that there's a 19th person on this island?": "If we take what Maria-chan said to heart, then we do arrive at that answer.": "No, that's not what I mean. ...I'm talking about the story that someone we don't know has been living on this island since long ago."  The adults were gathered in the dining hall, spending a very long time continuing the discussion that had been started by Beatrice's letter... Krauss strongly claimed that the letter was a simple prank, but he couldn't overturn the claim that Kinzo's failure to deny the letter was answer enough. Judging by Kinzo's character, if he knew that a letter had been written which faked his name, he would be mad with rage. Since all of the siblings knew that, Krauss had no choice but to withdraw his claim.   However, there were some points that worried them. 'The person who solved the epitaph' was not limited to a member of the Ushiromiya family. Taken literally, anyone, no matter how doubtful their origin, could receive the inheritance of the Ushiromiya family. And furthermore, this meant there was a chance that all of the Ushiromiya family's assets could be stolen by some unknown person. Or, perhaps even more awkwardly, by one of their couches. In that sense, it was definitely not a situation where even the other siblings could afford to lower their guard. Had this letter come from an assassin sent by Kinzo who called themselves Beatrice? ...Or was this the scheme of some unknown person trying to steal the Ushiromiya family's wealth? They still didn't know the truth. ...But they could say one thing for certain.  ...Was the person who set it up Kinzo, one of the four siblings, or maybe some unknown person? No matter how much they suspected each other, they couldn't reach a conclusion. After getting tired of bickering with each other, they finally reached the extremely obvious conclusion that doubting each other was just a waste of time... : "...We've made no progress. We've just been wasting time." : "That's right. Now that you realized it, we won't have to waste so much." : "It is not certain that Father is the one who sent the letter. You've done nothing but leave my husband dumbfounded by ending this conversation." : "Sh, shall we all cool our heads off for now? Let's have some cool drinks brought over.": "That sounds good. It would probably be wiser if we cooled our heads. Don't you want to take a short break too, dear?" : "...Because Aneki looks like she's in a bad mood, I'll pass on that break. But I agree about the cool drinks. Rosa, have someone bring some water. A whole pitcher." : "Yes, understood..."Rosa headed over to the extension telephone in a corner of the room and called the servants' room. She then passed on what Rudolf had told her to the person on the other end. The vicious bickering up until now vanished as though it had been a lie. That silence continued until Gohda finished setting the table and retreated from the room...   : "Yes. ...Then if you will excuse me. If you need anything, call me at any time."After listening to the sound of Gohda's footsteps disappear off into the distance, everyone took a deep breath at the same time to break the tension. : "...It sure is raining hard. I wonder if this 19th person is taking shelter in the arbor in the rose garden?": "I, ...I wonder. ...They might be able to endure the rain, but it would be quite cold." : "...I'm going to keep an eye on Genji. I think he's suspicious. Just as I thought, no matter how we try to assign blame, it would have been better if we had dismissed all of the servants of the One-winged Eagle."Yes, Natsuhi, because obviously Kinzo, even-tempered and loving patriarch that he is, would have been totally cool with you kicking out his best friend and throwing away his favorite set of chairs.  : "Come now, don't say that. We must be grateful for their long years of service. ...Of course, we can't let our guard down.": "I'm sure you agree too, Nii-san, that whether or not Father was behind this, the person who handed Maria the letter was a servant.": "Hmm. In any event, we were all being 'friendly' in our big happy circle the whole time until dinner, weren't we? All of the siblings have alibis. Only a servant could have handed Maria that letter.": "...But all of the servants, ...said that they were too busy with the bed-making to have any spare time during which they could go to Maria-chan in the rose garden...": "Hey hey, what are you trying to say then? You aren't saying that the witch of the forest, Beatrice-sama came over and actually handed Maria that letter, are you?": "Ah-hah-hah-ha. Rosa, you used to believe so much that it really frightened you, right? You don't mean to say that you still believe at this age, right? The witch of the forest." Should have broken more mirrors as a kid. : "O, of course not... I just thought that since all 18 of us said that we didn't do it, there might really be a 19th person..." : "That can't be. In the first place, we were the only ones who came on that boat. We didn't see any mysterious person ridin' with us. You don't think that they might have swam across this rough sea, right? I can't really imagine it. Wahahahahaha."Obviously, if they weren't on the boat and didn't swim, only one mundane possibility remains: Beatrice has a submarine. : "...Logically that's true. It is difficult to imagine that there's a single hidden and uninvited guest on this isolated island...However, ...it still looks like there are some people who can't entirely throw that possibility away, right?"Hideyoshi had laughed it off, saying that there couldn't be a 19th person, but Kyrie had sensitively picked up on the delicate atmosphere among the four siblings. In a normal situation, there shouldn't have been any guest on this small, isolated island who hadn't been invited. How had they come here, and from where, and where were they hiding themselves? And why hadn't they appeared openly, even though they had sent a letter in their name? ...Nothing could explain that. But not only had the four siblings not joined in on Hideyoshi's laughing, they also seemed unable to completely deny in their hearts the possibility of a 19th person...   : "*giggle*giggle*. I wonder. ...However, this is Father we're talking about. It could be possible, ...right?": "...I, ...I don't know anything...": "What's this, what's this? Why's everyone gotten so gloomy...? What are ya talkin' 'bout? ...In short, the legend of the witch isn't a joke, ...but a fact? Thass ridiculous!": "Hahahaha. Of course, nobody believes in some witch riding a broom and flying in the sky. ...But, the woman in that portrait, ...Beatrice, may really exist on this island.": "...Hideyoshi-san, it looks like we aren't talking about a witch, but something a little simpler. ...So, it must be something like this.”  : "Father was a man who was exemplary at strictly obeying the rules! It is completely inconceivable that he would bring something so filthy onto this island...!"...Why's that in the past tense? Natsuhi snapped at them immediately, but it looked like the four siblings, including Krauss, didn't think that way. ...On the contrary, it appeared that they thought Kinzo wouldn't even have hesitated to do something like that. It had been whispered from the beginning that Kinzo had built a mansion on this island because of the existence of an entrancing mistress... : "...I'm sorry, Natsuhi-san. I know how much you respect Father, but that rumor's been around for a long time. Father prepared this island by himself, and built everything. ...It's been suspected from the beginning that Father had some device or secret room in this mansion, and it has always been whispered that a secret mansion that none of us knew about was hidden somewhere on this island.": "I see. This island might look small on a map, ...but it's quite large for just the Ushiromiya family to live on. ...So people have wondered whether he might have built a secret mansion somewhere in the uncivilized forest for his mistress to live in? That's a rather large-scale story."  : "...In any event, Father did spread the rumor that a large amount of gold was hidden somewhere by some mechanism. I wouldn't be surprised if there existed some hidden room inside this very mansion that none of us knows about yet.": "When Mother was alive, she would often scour the entire mansion searching for Father when he wasn't anywhere to be found. ...Mother also suspected what Rudolf has just said. She believed that there was a hidden door or stairway somewhere, and that his blonde-haired mistress was hidden behind it."It's hard to believe, but there are some actual examples in other countries of people cheating with someone over a period of several decades by making them live in a hidden attic room. Furthermore, Kinzo had a mansion this extravagant. ...It was possible to suspect the existence of a hidden room... : "From what I've heard, ...the legend of the Rokkenjima witch was just a fairy tale made up to prevent children from entering the uncivilized forest by scaring them. ...But it's starting to sound like there's a little more to the story." : ...But when Rosa and I complained about it, there were some people who couldn't accept it as a mere delusion. ...Isn't that right, Aneki?": "...Yeah. Nii-san and I thought that you might have, by coincidence, spotted Father's mistress, who had been living in secrecy on this island, as she went out for a walk when no one was looking. Of course, Mother did too.": "...Among the older servants too, you often heard that ghost story about how the witch of the portrait wanders around the mansion at midnight. Outwardly, I laughed that off as just a ghost story, but on the inside, I suspected very much that it referred to the existence of a hidden mistress.": "In that case, ...you're sayin' that the existence of a 19th person, might not be completely ridiculous? ...That they might actually be somewhere around here...?" : "As a basis for handling the worst case scenario, I believe that is appropriate. It's probably much more prudent to say she might exist, rather than saying she couldn't exist.": "I, ...I see. Sorry, I was a bit careless... Rosa-san, sorry for laughin' just now...": "Huh, ...ah, ...it's alright, I don't mind."Hideyoshi apologized deeply for taking the worst case scenario lightly, despite calling himself the president of a company. Silence fell again. By preparing for the existence of a 19th person, they were accepting that some unknown person was hidden on this island. And since this person might have been planning something bad for them, it was only natural that a few uncomfortable things might come up... Shiny777 fucked around with this message at 09:05 on Aug 24, 2014 |
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Aug 24, 2014 08:52
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Part Forty-Nine: Have None Of These People Actually Read The Epitaph? (Section B) : “...However, after the witch theory began to be refined into the theory about his mistress, it was eventually whispered that he was secretly going back and forth to this mistress.": "Mom was completely overridden with doubt in her final years. She would sometimes suddenly start making a racket, asking the servants to start looking for Father immediately because of some urgent situation." : "...Yes, that did happen sometimes. Mother was always doing things like that in her later years, and that frightening atmosphere still hasn't gone away. ...I can say it for certain now. She was a pitiful person.": "And then, ...what were the results of those large scale searches of the house? Did they find anythin'?" : “...But it was always some place where the servants had already looked. ...We never knew where Father had gone. Since that time, Grandfather started to become famous for his adoration of the occult, so some of the servants exaggerated, saying that he might have turned into butterflies and danced around the rose garden."  : "Yeah. Since we couldn't find him no matter how much we looked inside the mansion, we grew increasingly of the opinion that Father might have gone somewhere outside the mansion. But the area outside the mansion isn't large at all. ...Which leaves only the forest.” : "...I was also young at the time. I was so enthusiastic to find where Father was having his affair that, at one time, I followed him when he went outside.” : "And that would be going to meet his mistress. Probably tryin' to avoid being seen."After seeing Hideyoshi nod and say 'yes, yes' as though this was quite obvious, Eva got a little sullen. : "...Well, anyways. This island was like a sketchbook in which Father, with his western obsession, could draw out all of his dreams. ...Everything about this island was exactly how Father wanted it. It wouldn't be odd at all if there were some hidden mansion for his mistress to live in..."Eva's words spoke for what all of the siblings had come to think. For a while, the room returned to silence again, and everyone listened to the sound of the wind and rain...  Kyrie, who had been listening the whole time with her eyes closed, spoke to no one in particular. : "...How long has this rumor about Father's mistress been around?" : “Therefore, if it was possible, it happened before we moved here. ...It probably could have been built along with this mansion when we were still living in Odawara.": "Since Father had to set up a double life with his family and his mistress, it's probably appropriate to assume that he had it all planned from the beginning. And his relationship with that mistress probably went back to the days when we lived in Odawara.": "Probably. If, as Father says, she is the source of the vast amount of gold that he used to gain the funds which resurrected the Ushiromiya family, we could probably conclude that they had a close relationship since Odawara. ...A relationship trusting enough for her to lend him a vast quantity of gold. I can't even imagine how old that relationship must have been." You know, I'm pretty sure if you're rich enough that you can afford to hand out 10 tons of gold as a thank you gift, you really don't need business advice that much in the first place. : "...I don't know whether what Natsuhi-san's saying has a ring of truth to it or not. But, even in that case, isn't building a hidden mansion and havin' her live in it going a little too far? Doesn't that mean that there were some emotions beyond gratitude?": "Well, this is all speculation. ...In the first place, no one has ever found that hidden mansion. ...Aniki was planning on expanding this island into a resort, right? As you were doing that, you didn't manage to stumble on it by chance, did you? Or maybe unexpectedly find some gold there, too?": "...Hahahaha. Do you think Rokkenjima is Treasure Island or something?": "Don't play dumb. ...We know that, although you say that you are opening a resort, you have really been planning to investigate the entire island, right? Judging by all that trouble and confusion we were talking about earlier, you haven't been very successful, have you?" ...Krauss was definitely sure of the existence of a hidden mansion. And under the pretense of opening a resort, he had been closely investigating the island, searching for a clue as to the location of the hidden gold. They couldn't tell whether that conviction was just him over-thinking things, or whether it was based on some physical proof. ...Still, if Krauss, with all his guile, was sure, that was enough proof for the other siblings to be sure, too... : "...The story about a witch livin' in a forest is obviously a fairy tale, but the story about some blonde-haired girl livin' secretly in a mansion no one knows about in the middle of the forest, ...isn't much better.": "That's right. That situation would sound just like a children's story. You like those, don't you Rosa?": "...Huh, ...w, ...well...": "When the mansion was built on this island, Father was at the height of his prosperity. With his money, he could probably obtain anything, make any of his delusions real. ...A mansion in the forest where a witch quietly waits...It sounds like the kind of situation Father would like.": "...Doesn't it? Like something from the occult or a fairy tale. ...It feels like Father's hobby." : "...It might not have been impossible for Father to build a hidden mansion to satisfy his dreams. ...However, let's be realistic. Would it be possible to house his beloved woman in that hidden mansion for decades without it becoming inconvenient...?": "...Well, if there was love, it could have been possible, right?": "Think about the facilities needed to let his beloved woman live healthily. ...And how Father would do it. For example, even if it was on a small scale, it would have to be an intricate and pleasant residence.” And she'd have to be okay with having basically no other human contact for the rest of her life. : "...When you say it that way, it sure sounds like a weak point in our theory. ...But that isn't enough to get rid of my feeling that Father might have been able to do it anyways. After all, it's our Father.": "That's right. ...It's our Father." : "If Father had something he wanted to succeed in, he would succeed no matter what. ...Saying that it would be difficult for a normal person and is therefore impossible, doesn't apply when it comes to Father.": "Hmm. You should never underestimate Father. ...Father's madness can't be understood by normal people." However, that didn't cause the importance of what Kyrie had said to waver. This was different from stealthily raising a kitten in a cardboard box and keeping it a secret from your parents. Taking care of a person in secret over a period of 30 years would be an incalculably massive task...  : “...By that age, the body starts to break down. I don't care what the mansion's like, I couldn't call livin' in a place where people's eyes can't reach, almost as though she were under house arrest, agreeable...": "That's right. ...If what Father told us about Beatrice is true, then that relationship has lasted for over 30 years. ...She might have been a charming young woman at the time, but it is probably appropriate to think that she's now an old bag like us. I can easily imagine that, given the contents of that letter.": "You should talk. *cackle*cackle*."Krauss laughed, as though blind to his own shortcomings. Of course, Eva was offended, but she didn't strike back.  : "...That is an insult to Mother.": "Yeah, sorry. ...However, everyone knows that it was a political marriage decided by the elders among his relatives. ...Because of that, we can be sure that it wouldn't be odd for Father to have a mistress."The family sank after the Great Kanto Earthquake, and Father was set up as the Ushiromiya family head against his will. However, in the beginning, the elder relatives treated Kinzo like a dummy and had a strong influence on him, almost like he was a puppet. He wasn't permitted to decide anything by himself, not even his marriage partner... ...Since the time he met that Golden Witch Beatrice in those distant days, Kinzo's Legend of the Gold was quickly embellished into something dramatic. In other words, ...it could mean, that Kinzo really did meet with a woman he loved. If she also knew the whole story, even if they weren't marriage partners, it wouldn't have been odd for her to consider herself his true wife, inside her heart. ...And now, the person registered as his true wife was already dead...  : "Even if that mistress was added into the family ranking system, since she is not a direct relative of Father, she would be inferior to even the children. ...In other words, she would be right below Rosa in rank. That's not a good position to join the battle for the inheritance."Er, wouldn't she be right below either Maria or her anonymous dad? The system went Kinzo > his kids in birth order > the grandkids in their parents' birth order > the spouses. Probably doesn't really matter much since Kinzo would just shove her in there wherever he drat well pleased if he felt like adding her, but still. : "Is that so? ...If someone can solve the witch's riddle, they will receive the inheritance regardless of rank. In other words, it is the most advantageous condition that Beatrice could get, since she has nothing to do with this." She had built that wealth together with Kinzo, so it was natural that she would have thought of herself as the one who should inherit it... It would also be natural for her to despise the thought of giving that up to the children of the wife Kinzo had never loved. : "D, don't say something so shameless...! Even if a mistress actually existed, joining in on the battle for the rights to the head's inheritance would be a reckless action far above her place! What disregard for her own place...!"Natsuhi turned red, her fist quivering. ...She had also come into the Ushiromiya register due to complicated circumstances. Those who knew that understood more or less why she was so angry for the sake of Kinzo's dead wife.  : "...However, since it was the other party that brought up this condition, I wonder if that means that the other party has a significant advantage.": "Th, that's right. ...In the first place, if Beatrice meant that letter literally, then she's Father's alchemist. In other words, she's the manager of his gold. It wouldn't be strange at all if she knew where it was hidden, would it?!”  : "...That's right. The person who brings up a riddle always knows the answer. There's a good chance that this is all a trap to steal everything from us.": "...If you think about it like that, don't you start to doubt whether she really had any gold in the first place? Why would she tell us about it? All she'd have to do would be stay silent and embezzle it.": "It really is, ...a strange story."That was certainly the case. If the epitaph showed the way to where the gold was hidden, why would she challenge them to try and solve it? If they actually did solve it, wouldn't the gold all be stolen...? Could it be that this person was trying to stir the siblings up so that they tried to solve the epitaph, and would then snatch it up before they did solve it...? That was a very reasonable guess.  : "Why are you so certain?": "...Wait, Aneki. ...Kyrie, please keep talking. Why do you think that?": "After all, do they really think that we would give up the inheritance of the Ushiromiya family, just because someone told us the answer to the riddle in the witch's epitaph? That we'd be so impressed at the answer to the riddle that we'd just give up?": "...Well, ...that's true. They wouldn't be so naive to think that, after being told the answer to the riddle, we would just give up, just say 'Here ya go' and hand it over.": "Of course. The inheritance of the Ushiromiya family is not something that can be handed over so easily!": "That's it exactly. No matter how one-sided a game Beatrice proposes, even if she splendidly shows us the answer, there's no way that we'll obediently hand over the inheritance. ...So as long as this game isn't on an even footing, unless they have some kind of compelling force, the game won't succeed." : "And what would this compelling force be? Would they bind us in chains and threaten us into handing over the inheritance?"Death? It's honestly kind of amazing that they've ended up so paranoid about its own scheming that they can work out all these theories about how they're being played and not once consider that the person referring them to the elaborate murder ritual instructions might seriously plan to just kill them all. : "...I see. I get it. ...They would just have to do something which would make us willingly give up the inheritance. I see. ...To do that, Beatrice would have to own 10 tons of gold...!": "R, really, I get it too! In other words, ...it's a trade?!": "Huh? Wh, what do you mean...? A trade? Trade what?!": "The Ushiromiya family inheritance for the hidden gold. ...Beatrice surely plans to tell us the location of the 10 tons of gold, and use that as a bribe to gain the Ushiromiya family inheritance.": "R, ridiculous!!" : "...Listen without getting mad. ...About how much wealth does this glorious Ushiromiya family have right now? Are we really that affluent?": "Th, the definition of affluence is not dependent on property. It is about heart! Our financial situation has nothing to-"“Affluent adjective 1. having an abundance of wealth, property, or other material goods; prosperous; rich: an affluent person.” Only if you own a giant stockpile of organs, Natsuhi. ...Goddammit now I'm wondering what 10 tons of hearts would be worth. Is there a set standard price at all? Is the price weight-based if so? How do you even look up the value of bulk human organs without winding up on some kind of watchlist? Krauss interrupted Natsuhi as she started to go on and on emotionally. In this situation, the more she went on and on emotionally, the worse it would actually sound. : "...Other than me, I've heard that the rest of you are in pretty unfavorable situations right now." : “You've suffered massive losses, Nii-san. You have no talent!": "W, who are you saying has no talent?!! And impoverished, you say?!!"Natsuhi became indignant once again, but Krauss raised his hand again and interrupted her. : "...It seems you are making a small mistake. Business is not something that can be judged based simply on progress. For someone with a long-term outlook on business such as myself, it may sometimes appear at a glance that I have suffered some significant short-term losses.": "Aniki, we've been collecting evidence. Your position right now is not one to be proud of. ...So this is what Kyrie is trying to say. ...Every one of us is in trouble with regards to money. And Beatrice has 10 tons of gold." : ”As a rough estimate..., 2 billion yen? ...No, 20 billion yen. With that much piled up, we would be mad with joy and accept her as the next head."The scene returned to silence. Even the rain and the wind sounded louder. ...That was probably the sound of the windstorm that disturbed the insides of their minds... : "...Th, ...this isn't funny. ...The thought that we'd give up the inheritance to some woman of doubtful origin..., ...just because they had a little money stored up...": "Don't talk stupid...! This wasn't even your inheritance in the first place, right...?! We have nuthin' to lose and money to gain. We'll have to calculate our profit and loss, but it's somethin' worth listenin' to...!"They knew that much of the Ushiromiya family assets had been eaten up by Krauss. The dregs that remained of that inheritance, ...versus the 'compensation for being accepted as the head' that Beatrice would pay. It was a shame, but honestly, the former was less enticing than the latter. : "...Well, it probably wouldn't end up as four equal portions. Since Aniki would be giving up his position as the next head, his portion would have to be larger. ...Makes me feel kinda jealous, you know?" : "...Natsuhi, stay quiet for a while.": "Dear?!?!": "...This is a dizzying proposal. ...We were each planning on getting 250 million yen out of Aniki. If the witch would treat us with 10% of those ten tons..., ...ummm-": "That's 2 billion.": "...Yeah. That would means she's treating us with ten times our original goal. That alone would be more than enough for us. ...It's not like I have any attachment to the Ushiromiya name. I'd be happy to sell it off..." : “...But, if this is her plan, ...it will tear apart the unity between us. ...Yes, by this point we can state it clearly. ...The goal of Beatrice's letter was to disturb our alliance."  In that case, the negotiations would be one-on-one between her and Krauss. He tried to look strong, but Krauss's financial and political situation was extremely weak. ...He did bluff in front of his siblings, but on the inside, he was thinking that it might be alright to enter negotiations depending on the sum of money involved. In order to bury his losses, Krauss had taken advantage of the fact that Kinzo had shut himself up in his room, and had embezzled Kinzo's personal assets. Therefore, when Kinzo died and the inheritance was distributed, Krauss' own responsibilities would doubtlessly be investigated. But if he gave up his seat as the head to Beatrice, she would also receive rights to the assets, and as a result, the distribution of the inheritance to the siblings would not occur. ...In other words, Krauss' embezzlement might not have to be made known to the other siblings...  In other words, Beatrice's victory was already decided in this 'game'. Not as the winner of 'Beatrice's game', ...but as the winner of 'Kinzo's game'. ...Kinzo had had the epitaph displayed. And until today, no one had solved it. Therefore, Beatrice had 'solved' it. In other words, rather than a game, this was more like Beatrice's declaration of victory... However, Kyrie still thought there might be a catch.  Kyrie tried turning the chessboard over several times. ...Searching for the best strategy that might have guided Beatrice to this line of thinking. ...In the end, ...she reached a single conclusion. : "...Could it be, ...arrogance? Or maybe, ...she's playing...?": "...What are you talking about?" : “After all, we have here four of Father's children by blood, right? The questioner called together four blood relatives who, if they tried frantically to work together and avoid having those assets stolen from them, might come across the answer of the riddle by chance."The reason the witch had a superior position on the negotiations compared to the siblings was that only she knew the location of the hidden gold. But if that hiding place was exposed to someone other than her, the witch's superior position would crumble.  : “...But if you keep in mind a certain type of emotion, it becomes possible to understand that risk." : "Yes, that's right. ...When people have an overwhelming advantage, they tend to get arrogant. And when they do, they want to show off that advantage to the losers, so they sometimes take on a small risk. ...A moderate amount of risk adds a little spice to the joy of victory. It'd be boring to win without any risk.": "...I understand. I also like that sort of thing. ...I understand well.": "I thought of a few plausible explanations for the true motive behind Beatrice's letter, ...but I think that this really might be the truth. ...The emotion hidden behind that letter was, ...arrogance.": "...Arrogance." : "...Sounds great. ...Solve the riddle of the epitaph, she says?"    Next time: The devil's raven cookies.
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Aug 24, 2014 08:52
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I like the way that the preamble seems to decrease in length with each chapter. Though maybe that's just me post-hoc justifying how slow the starts to the first and second chapters were.
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Aug 24, 2014 11:44
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CottonWolf posted:I like the way that the preamble seems to decrease in length with each chapter. Though maybe that's just me post-hoc justifying how slow the starts to the first and second chapters were. It's true, though. There's significantly less stuff to set up now. EP1 had to introduce the characters, their basic motivations, the setting and the plot. EP2 provided backstory and context, especially into the cousins' relationships with their parents, selves and chairs, as well as elaborated upon the themes of the whole work. Now R07 can just jump pretty much straight into establishing the plot of the current episode.
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Aug 24, 2014 18:43
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Actually Ep4 is pretty bad in this case too, but for a different reason. It starts out pretty quickly, but then we get sidetracked for way too long.
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Aug 25, 2014 03:23
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Beato has every reason to be arrogant since, well, twice now everybody's completely failed to get it.
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Aug 25, 2014 19:52
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I kinda hope that at the end, none of them get the money. All these kids are just terrible people! Or it comes out that it's solid gold bars, but it's only gold foil and nothing but chocolate inside.
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Aug 26, 2014 20:05
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RedMagus posted:I kinda hope that at the end, none of them get the money. All these kids are just terrible people! That's the real reason everybody died. Death by chocolate.
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Aug 27, 2014 19:11
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The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated. Seriously though, apologies for this one taking so long. It's been sitting a few commentary/editing runs short of posting since sometime in September, but I didn't get to finish it before the semester kept me bogged down in a constant stream of work for a while. Part Fifty: Quoth The Raven “A Bunch of Math Stuff”   : "Excuse me. Battler-sama, how about some black tea and cookies?"Beato's butler, who called himself Ronove, appeared out of nowhere. A plate set on a silver tray that he held was filled with delicious-looking, steaming black tea and cookies. ...I really don't like this guy's smile. For some reason, it didn't look like a smile used to warmly greet a guest. It felt like he was making fun of me for some reason. ...I don't know whether he really takes me for an idiot, or whether it's just a joke or something, but it's really irritating me. : "...I don't need it. I'm busy now. Leave me alone." : "I'll eat some when I feel like it. Set it down over there and get out of here.": "Will that be acceptable? Then I shall do so. You may eat them when they get cold and stale, and then regret as much as you like that you did not eat them when they were freshly baked.": "...You really are annoying. ...Well, you're a lot better than that Beato, who keeps doing that creepy cackle right next to my ear.": "No, no, that is quite true. There are times when Milady's laughter becomes quite undignified. Every time I hear it, I find it painful to comprehend why such a noble demon like myself must have such a person as his Master. Pu ku ku ku...": "...Man you're weird. If you don't like it, then couldn't you just not work for her?" : “...Let us set that aside. How has the game been proceeding? Just now, I believe I heard you say that you had found some good information, and were quite pleased by it. Well now, I wonder what your shallow wit has thought up."As Ronove made fun of me and giggled, he followed my earlier words literally and half-heartedly set up some black tea and cookies nearby. : "...In any case, it appears that you are now more confident regarding the matter of a 19th person's existence, right? Would you be gracious enough to allow me to hear your opinion?": "...Yeah, sure. I'm just going to say it again in front of Beato anyways. No reason to hide it. ...Alright. It looks like there's a hidden mansion somewhere on this island, and that Grandfather had his mistress living there. In that case, the question that's been torturing me, about whether there are 18 or 19 people, can be easily resolved.": "You have driven yourself into a corner because of the dead-end that you yourself have created. Even though you deny the witch, Battler-sama, you hold a double standard, and refuse to accept that the culprit is one of the 18."  : "However, I refuse to do that!! Aah, it's useless, it's all useless! Every one of those 18 people is either a parent, a relative or a cousin to me! And those reliable servants, who are sometimes serious and sometimes interesting. I won't let myself use any one of them as a sacrifice!! In the past, my resolve wavered. That's how Beato hit me where my heart was weak.": "...Accepting and understanding your own weaknesses. That is not something which can often be accomplished. Battler-sama, you are using this theory about a 19th person as a spear. ...Or should I say, a shield?” : "That's it exactly. Like in the first game, when Kanon-kun was killed in the boiler room, ...there were plenty of tricks I could have mentioned without hesitation, as long as a 19th person existed."In the very first game, Kanon-kun had been killed in the boiler room. One might think that he was attacked by Kumasawa-san, who had gone down into the boiler room with him, or maybe that someone who had appeared to be dead earlier was actually faking and had ambushed him. Either way, it was a move that forced me to suspect one of the 18. However, by simply proposing that a 19th person existed, there was no longer any need to suspect one of the 18 for that murder in the boiler room. : "In short! I can at least deny the line of reasoning which says this: something is impossible for every one of the 18, therefore the culprit is a witch." : "...Hmm, hmm. I think that is quite a good move. How shall I strike back? ...Battler-sama, you may already understand, but there are still plenty of weak points. Maybe the '18 people attack' will be an effective move. As an attempt to judge how strong your defense is, it may be interesting to challenge that point again.": "Then how will you do it, demon butler...?!"  : "How naive. Of course, I knew you'd probably try that move...!": "My, my. Please respond to it." When you try to make some claim to humans like us, we always counterattack by telling you to show some proof. Because that's a human move. But I'm fighting with a witch. I'm taking part in a battle with someone who isn't human! And some moves exist which can only be used in a game against a witch. There are cheap moves! And that's what this 'Devil's Proof' is. Because it's impossible to prove! Let's assume that there is a hidden mansion on Rokkenjima separate from the Ushiromiya family mansion, and that a woman named Beatrice is living there. In order to prove this, one must find this mansion and actually bring Beatrice out of it. That's called actual proof in the human world.  ...That's right, I'm finally able to turn the tables using this 'Devil's Proof', which tormented me so much before. Those guys were always trying to force me to accept the existence of the witch by using the 'Devil's Proof'. That was because, with regards to the self-styled witch, Beato, I couldn't offer physical proof that 'witches don't exist'. I kept getting hit with the reckless argument that this meant witches do exist, and was unable to counterattack. And that's why I'll turn the chessboard over right now! If I can't disprove that witches exist, then that means, if I suggest that a 19th human exists, you can't deny that either.  That's because it's impossible to deny the 19th person's existence. Beato used the 'Devil's Proof' to make denying her existence impossible, but this time it's become my weapon. If we can get away with this argument, then forget just a 19th person, this island could be full of people we don't know about, and even if there were 10 or 100 of them, she still couldn't deny that they existed. In the last game and the one before that, among the murder scenes that showed up, there were several that were extremely intricate and must have taken a lot of effort to set up. It's very difficult to imagine that a single culprit could have set all of those up. However, if not just a 19th person, but 10 or 100 people were hidden somewhere, that wouldn't be any problem at all. If they all split up the work, they could handle any job in a short period of time.  Or as an alternate solution, they were seen. The rest of the nameless chairs around the house are all in on it. Even though I'm saying it myself, it's such a stupid argument that it makes me wanna throw up! However, because it's such a dirty move, it's a perfect one to use against a witch. Well, this is just my imagination, ...but what if about 100 suspicious men wearing goat masks were hiding in the shadows..., something like that's worse than laughable, almost like they're cockroaches. If you see one, it means there's 100 hiding in the shadows.  : "...Anyways, with this move, I won't have to doubt any of the 18 who are close to me again. I won't repeat a defeat like last time again...!!": "...I see. You have learned from your defeat last time. That is good. It is no surprise that by the third game you have become quite devious. ...You first strengthen your own defense. That is truly a solid first step. Quite a spectacular move, I think.": "Well, even if we do assume that there is a 19th person, there are still a few tricks left that I can't clear, like the actual number of master keys, no matter how many humans I add. ...Still, it isn't bad as a first step, for the time being." : "...Come on. I don't care if you're a witch or a demon, it won't be enough!": "This move that you presented called the 'Devil's Proof'. It's a specialty of us demons, but there are also various other moves available to us. ...Do you know of a move called 'Hempel's Raven'?": "Hempel's Raven...?? What are you talking about?"   : "If it isn't Milady. Good morning.": "I thought you might be doing something interesting while I was away. ...'Hempel's Raven', was it? That move is so familiar I could almost laugh. I was certain the day would come when it would be introduced to Battler. It's a classic move to use against the 'Devil's Proof'. ...Ronove, I will make this move. Do not get in the way of my fun.": "So you've finally shown up, you guffawing witch. I see that you still have that undignified laugh. ...This guy was talking behind your back just now, telling me about how undignified it is. Right?": "What a surprise. Really?": "Nonsense. Why would I speak such gossip about Milady, of whom I speak most respectably from my heart?": "...I can't believe you'd say something so shameless. Doesn't look like we'll be getting along well together..." Like the Devil's Proof, Hempel's Raven is an actual thing. Not a legal term this time, though. : "Huh? What are you talking about?? Prove that ravens are black...Wouldn't you just have to catch a raven and check to see if it's black?" And then someone points out that blackbirds exist and that particular example kinda falls apart. I'm honestly not sure whether that's Beatrice screwing it up by adding that bit of phrasing or an actual flaw in the paradox, though, because my eyes just kind of slide off most of the paragraphs of explanation on the wiki page. : "Yeah, completely. ...I have no idea what you're saying.": "Battler-sama. What about this example? Let us say that you have two boxes, and one of them is the winner, with a cookie inside. Of course, the other one is the loser, and is empty."For example, here are two boxes, one is the winner with a cookie inside, and the other is the loser and is empty. At this moment, 'the one that has a cookie is the winner', which means that, at the same time, 'the one that is not the winner does not have a cookie'. When such a relationship exists, the latter is called the contrapositive... When 'if A then B' is true, then 'if not B then not A' is also true.  : “...In other words, if you choose the box at random, whether it's the winner or the loser, you'll be able to figure out which box has the cookie in it after your first move.": "That is correct. If the cookie is in the box you open, then the 'Devil's Proof' is satisfied. You can clearly prove that 'this box was the winner, therefore this box had a cookie in it'. However, if the box that you open is empty, then the reverse, Hempel's raven, is satisfied. It means that 'this box does not have a cookie in it, therefore, the other box is the winner'. That is because, as long as we accept the premise that there are no more than two boxes, the contrapositive shows that the other box is automatically the winner.": "...Well, I think I'm starting to see your reasoning. Only poison can stop poison, and only twisted logic can stop twisted logic. ...Then what? How does that overturn my claim that, 'because there is certainly a 19th human hidden on this island, even if all of the 18 people have alibis, I still can't accept witches'...?"I'm pretty sure both of those just pile onto each other instead of canceling out.  : "Whaah?! What the, what does that mean?!": "Only that I've countered your move. Let's try and keep things simple. Ronove, explain. It seems you've made things easy enough for Battler to understand with your cookie in a box analogy.": "Then forgive my presumption. Allow me to explain my earlier example once more."Allow me to repeat once more my earlier story about two treasure boxes, one of which had a cookie in it.  Then, in this situation, we could make this next, even more paradoxical claim. In other words, if it was first shown that the 19th box was empty, it would prove at the same time that 'the cookie is in the 18 people box'. Battler-sama played this move in order to avoid having to doubt any of the 18, but it has now actually been used to prepare the '18 person attack'...!" : "...Huh, ...what did you say...": "*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*! If I go first and prove that the inside of the 19th person box is empty, you will automatically have to accept that the cookie is in the 18 people box. All you have done is say this the other way around, you see?": "So, ...that move that I was so confident in, ...was actually a double-edged sword?": "That's right. As soon as you played that move to explain everything with a 19th person, you had already taken on a risk that you might be forced to accept that the culprit was one of the 18."  I couldn't think about it like a cookie. If I imagined that the 'loser' treasure chest actually had a bomb in it, I could begin to understand it quite well. And there weren't two treasure chests, but 18 plus 1 more for the 19th person. If you think of it as a total of 19 boxes, it gets even easier to understand. First of all, one of the premises established by the human culprit theory was that the bomb would definitely be in one of those boxes. Because I hadn't wanted to place that bomb in any of the 18's boxes, I had used the 'Devil's Proof', and created the 19th person box so that I could throw the bomb in there. ...That much was alright. But then, Beato had struck back. Now, if the contents of the 19th person box were empty, that would automatically mean that the bomb was set in one of the other 18 boxes.  The police wouldn't come here in this typhoon. We couldn't have a scientific investigation, we didn't have any experts on this sort of thing, and we couldn't do anything. In short, we couldn't show anything decisively! It was impossible for me to find any proof other than simply gulping down whatever alibis each of the 18 gave. In that case, I personally had to prove their innocence, and perfectly. Like staying with them the whole time, never letting them out of my sight for a second. Which could potentially be brute forced over ~17 games by just picking a new person to stay glued to each time, as long as the culprit's consistent. In theory. Except for one issue. And by doing that, I could probably be sure of that person's innocence, and that the bomb was not in that box. ...However, in reality, something like that was impossible! In other words, I would have to expend an incredible effort just to check the contents of one box. Even with all the boxes checked, if the culprit is consistent, human, and one of the 18, they're clearly pretty good at deathtrap/death-faking shenanigans. The only characters who we know are two for two so far on making it to the 9th twilight are Battler and Maria, both of whom are pretty unlikely-looking options, since he's got the objective viewpoint and she's nine. And there were 18 of them! In other words, unless I bound all 18 of them in chains and watched over them, it would be impossible to prove that all of them had empty boxes. However, Beato only had to open one box, the 19th person box, and show that it was empty to prove that the bomb was in one of the other 18 boxes. (Furthermore, there would be no need for her to show 'which' of the 18 boxes had the bomb!) I had 18 times more work to do to explain my pet theory than Beatrice did for hers...   : "By using 'Hempel's Raven', various reckless arguments become possible to prove true or false. ...For example, let us say that I make the proposition 'All humans except me are foolish'. Normally, I would have to examine all of humanity except myself and show that they are all foolish. ...However, in reality, it would be impossible to investigate billions of people. It is exactly the same kind of effort you would need to open all 18 boxes." : "*cackle*cackle*! As soon as I know the fact that 'I am wise', I will be able to show in an instant that every one of the billions of people in the human race is foolish. In less than a second, I could finish proving that the entire human race is more foolish than me!! It's the strongest and fastest QED in the world, this 'Hempel's Raven'!": "Wha, ...what a ridiculous argument...!!!" : "So in order to prove that servants of gods are blessed with divine protection, they only have to bring ill fortune down upon those people who don't receive that divine protection. ...So by bringing misfortune down upon those people who don't believe in them, they prove their blessedness.": "It takes an enormous cost to give humans happiness. ...However, the necessary cost to bring humans misfortune is much cheaper. *cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle*. So by using 'Hempel's Raven', gods are actually giving believers the joy of divine protection at the lowest cost."So basically it's a cosmic protection racket “Say, that's a real nice soul you got there, buddy. It'd be shame if anything...happened to it...” I am saddened to learn from Google that almost no one seems to have really run with the idea of a divine mafia. : "Ah, ...you demon. It's a demon's argument...that's all messed up...!!!": "It seems that we've gone off-topic. Let us return to it.” For a while, I just stood there, shocked, completely forgetting to close my mouth... Just when I'd thought that I'd countered one of their strong points, the counter attack to that had been this reckless argument that I could not even have begun to imagine...! Was it really, ...impossible...?! To continue denying the witch on an island with no more than 18 people, and still believe in the innocence of those 18 people, ...or was that just a delusion?! Was I just trying to escape reality?! Not yet...don't give up this useless struggle yet.  : "...We are still in the opening part of the game. Do you plan to keep thinking on this level?" They had returned my twisted logic with something even more twisted. So the only thing that could counter that would be even crazier twisted logic...! : "Hmm, I see. ...Even if I somehow prove an alibi for the 19th person, as soon as I do, you will think up a 20th person, and claim that they are the culprit. By repeating this endlessly, you would make it so I kept searching for their alibis for all eternity. ...I see, I see, *cackle*cackle*! Just like a demon king summoning a plague of locusts. I wouldn't expect anything less from Kinzo's grandchild. It looks like you have been gifted with a talent in summoning.": "...In short! It is impossible to always prove an alibi for each person X outside of the first 18! ...How do you like that, Beato...?! Now that I know we're having a battle with twisted logic, I won't lose!" : "...When your 19th person folds, you will call a 20th, and when your 20th person folds, you will call a 21st, and when your 21 person folds and your 22nd person folds, you will call 23rd person, a 34th person, a 64358223579673204th person, will you trifle with me for all eternity?! I laugh at 'infinite regress', the 'infinite' doesn't affect me!!"...Now I'm wondering what would happen if he actually did stretch it out until he had to theorize more people on the island than there are on the planet. What comes in then, mole people? Actual locust hordes? Aliens? Is alien technology a valid counterargument to witchcraft? : "Well then, how will you kill my 'endless' plan? Just try and show me!!"  : "When I speak in red, it will contain absolutely no illusions. If I say once in red that there are no more than 100 people on this island, you will no longer be permitted to create a 101st person. *cackle*cackle*! See-, Battle-r. What truth shall I tell in red this time? Where shall I strike for the kill and force you into hopelessness? *cackle*cackle*cackle*! Come, show me your usual frightened face...": "...": "...What?": "...Ihihihihi." : "...Why, ...are you laughing...?" : "...You've brought out your trump card again. So...? What and how will Beatrice-sama speak in red this time?" : "...Hoh. What do you mean by that? Suddenly looking so relaxed...": "Sorry, but I was also waiting for you to take out that blood-red treasured sword. ...Let's see, what will you proclaim in red this time? You aren't going to say 'the culprit was one of those 18 people', are you? Let me warn you, that would be self-destruction, right? That would be the same as throwing away your own witch theory yourself. A complete resignation."That's right, the red hadn't always been a weapon that only Beato could use. It was the other way around. If she used it the wrong way, it was dangerous enough that she could bring about her own death. If she used it carelessly and said something which ended up denying herself, that would be exactly the same thing as self-destructing.  : “But before that, it would mean your defeat! Saying in red that the culprit is a human is equivalent to your proclamation of resignation!! If you want us to stab at each other in a simultaneous clash, I think that's a pretty interesting move. However, this battle will end in my victory!!"Beatrice's red was her true trump card. When that person spoke in red, it was surely the truth, and no amount of proof or counter-arguments could change that. Until now she had used that to severely wound me, and each time a little part of my heart would split in half. However, if she used it carelessly, then I could also find a little information about the truth. ...In the last game, I had countered that, especially during the chapel's closed room trick, and had once closed her in almost completely. But she was also pretty sly. She had learned from experience, and since then, had started using discretion in the timing of the red... This feeling of tension was almost literally like a battle with real swords.  : "So, this time it's your plan. ...That's right. To use your 'Hempel's Raven', first, you'll have to confirm in red how many humans there are other than the 18. And after that, if you proclaim in red that none of the people in this group are the culprit, ...that's right, that might be a fatal wound to me.": "...I'm surprised that you no longer have even an atom of fear for that red which you feared so much... You're quite sturdy.": "Try taking it out. That trump card of yours. This time, you might be able to make me surrender with a single stroke, right...?": "...*cackle*cackle*cackle*. ...Interesting. I wouldn't have it any other way..."Agitate her. Challenge her. Drive her into a corner to make her speak in red... Of course her red was always wiping out my only ray of hope. But, ...don't be afraid of that.  Her merciless blood-red blade was the only way I could survive. ...This wasn't just walking on a tightrope, it was like literally walking on the edge of a blade... Of course I was afraid. Because of her contrapositive, my victory condition, the denial of the witch, meant that the culprit was a human. But I didn't want to search for the culprit amid the 18. ...Therefore, I held on to a weak point, since I had to claim that it couldn't be a witch or one of the 18 at the same time. Since I had been unable to understand that last time, that was where she had hit me, leaving me tattered and defeated.  ...As long as I understood my weak points, and as long as that bitch wanted to attack those weak points, ...it was as if I were inducing her to attack there... Consider that weakness with care, ...and retreat step by step. Make them move forward. The more she recklessly flourished that red, the more chances I would get to strike back. Don't be afraid of the red. Keep her cornered, so that she won't be able to refute me with the red...! No matter how oppressively she speaks in red, ...that's right, that red itself is the same as fresh blood leaking from her wound.  : "...Hmph. ...How surprising that you can be this desperate and yet this difficult. ...One cannot make light of someone putting their life on the line, no matter what the era. ...It's no surprise you're Kinzo's grandchild. The more cornered you are, ...the bolder you become!": "...Ihihihi..."Ronove cleared his throat. : "It appears to be a stalemate. That black tea I worked so hard to make is getting cold, Milady.": "...Ku."Ronove, who was supposed to be her ally, roguishly rushed her next move. Beato probably planned to smile back and appear relaxed, ...but she couldn't hide the sweat building up on her forehead. By now she had completely lost that relaxedness which had allowed her to turn her nose up at her worthless opponent. Of course, that bitch probably wouldn't be cornered by something like this. ...She was just being cautious.  Sure, that's just fine, Beatrice. Sorry to keep you waiting. Are you happy now...? : "...Now things are starting to get interesting, right...? Hihihihi!": "*cackle*cackle*cackle*! ...Battleeeeeeeeer...": "I'm still waiting... Then, should we get to the heart of the matter and go with the usual?": "...Hoh. The usual, you say. ...Then by all means. If I don't hear that, I guess I just won't feel like starting..."The first move was mine...   : "...": "...If I hear you say this in red, I will have no choice but to doubt one of the 18. ...Since it could no longer be the work of a 19th person, all doors will be closed to me. ...However, I believe that the culprit is definitely not one of the 18! There's no way that any of those 18 could commit such brutal murders...!!": "...": "I'll say it again. Repeat it! 'On this island, there are no more than 18 people'.": "...I refuse. I won't say why."Whew...! I had avoided what would have been the worse red for me. If she had repeated that, I would be faced with those two worst choices of accepting the witch or suspecting one of the 18, like last time all over again...  That's right. The culprit isn't one of the 18 people. I won't doubt anyone...! And since the culprit isn't a witch either, ...it means that a 19th person exists on this island. And that's you. A person who, as Grandfather's mistress of 30 years, has been living secretly in a hidden mansion in the forest for a long, long time. The 'human' Beatrice...!!  With a huge stockpile of anti-aging cosmetic X, I guess. : "...*cackle*cackle*. *cackle*cackle*cackle... ...Did you just call me, the Endless Witch who has lived for over one thousand years, a human? ...*cackle*cackle*cackle*cackle* *cackle*cackle*!"For a while, Beatrice continued to laugh unpleasantly, gloating or maybe spiteful. : "...Are you ready? I'll keep going. ...Again, repeat it. 'There are at least 19 people on this island'!": "..."Beatrice fell silent once again. She would probably remain extremely cautious as long as confirming the number of humans on this island might give her some large disadvantage, depending on the situation. The red had already become a foothold for my counterattack. With that in mind, the red had become a risk for the witch. But if she couldn't repeat this, her 'Hempel's Raven' wouldn't be effective. To break my 'Devil's Proof', she would need to settle the existence and number of people outside the 18 in red.  There really was..., ...a way to fight, ...in this witch's game! : "It's alright to refuse. ...If you can't say it in red, then that means there are a total of 18+X people on this island. ...If that X is allowed in my first move, that's a really enormous hint, right? Anyways, from now on, all of the tricks that were impossible for the 18 people, can be explained with human X outside of the 18 people. ...This is a huge piece that can break open all of the rooms that you called closed because everyone had an alibi...!"It was just like how a chess bishop can cut a thin line through enemy forces as long as there's a slight gap. It could only be effectively used on squares of the same color, but it had a great ability to control the board. : "...Ku." ...But Beato was completely aware that I was expecting it. She was afraid that a careless red truth might end up strangling her own neck...! Because, ...in the first place, a witch was something which should be denied in red. Believe. Don't doubt! Witches don't exist! Something like that couldn't exist in this world. They could only exist in the valleys between truths. ...They were a fragile existence, curled up in these cracks, frantically trying to protect themselves from the brutal winds of truth, and they could only barely exist like a mirage by surviving on falsehoods and illusions. That was the truth by which witches couldn't help but deny themselves, using the red words which only they could use. ...The more they brandish their red words...the more they begin to lose bit by bit that crack in truth inside which they can endure. That was why they didn't want to use the red words and carelessly lose that crack in truth which was based on fuzzy information, ...in other words, illusions. That was because they understood that they were gradually being cornered.  No one has yet survived an attempt to figure out what the square root of negative ahaha.wav is. Don't be afraid. Stay strong...! I know that she is the one who has really been pierced to the bone. Because her red treasured sword couldn't easily be used without a lot of preparation...! : "...What's wrong. I'll say it again. ...Repeat it! 'There are at least 19 people on this island'!": "...Hmph. ...I refuse."In the end, Beato's worries won out. ...Taking a single deep breath, she quietly proclaimed her refusal. ...I had thought that she'd use it. But Beato refused to speak in red even though it would cost her victory in the opening part of the game. : "You refused...? Which means that, from now on, I can create as many fictional character Xs outside of the 18 as I want...?": "Do as you wish. ...I have refused to repeat as you have told me. Isn't that enough for now? ...The reason I refused was, ...No, I still won't tell you. Anyways, you'll know soon.": "...Ihihi. Still acting tough, I see..." : "That's right. ...As I fight, I always have to keep in mind whether you might turn everything over with those red words. It's some pretty serious pressure.” : "...Wha-t's wrong? If I'm going to push you off a cliff anyway, I might as well let you climb a little higher first. ...We have still barely begun. Much is left to come... I'll resign from this challenge. ...Go and get drunk on your faint victory for now. ...Only for now."Her being a poor loser looked like it would last for the whole early part of the game. Even so, I couldn't relax my guard at all. ...I was unable to relax my feeling of tension until I was greeted by the sound of Ronove's applause... : "...Spectacular, Battler-sama. I wonder if you have started this game with an advantageous development?": "Ah, well... I still don't know whether I've taken a piece by my move, or whether she guided me into taking it. ...After all, knowing you... You probably know that I'm being led into a trap, and that clapping is just a barefaced lie, right...?" : "...This butler of yours sure has a vicious tongue...": "Isn't that so? Sometimes he offends me as well.": "My, my, how incredibly rude of me. Well then, Milady, Battler-sama. How would you like some more black tea? The game has still barely begun. Please leave any tea or pastries that might adorn this game to me. Please, do not feel hesitant and advance further in the game.":"I will. Let's move forward. Now is when it really starts.": "...Hmph. Very well. Let us advance the clock. Ronove, black tea please.": "Certainly. What about a cookie?": "I don't need one. Give it to Beelzebub to keep her happy. ...Remain silent for now."While listening to the sound of the demon butler pouring tea, the witch closed her eyes slightly and fell into silence. ...For some time, she was deeply lost in thought, but eventually a roguish glint came into her eyes.      : "Huh, ah, sorry... M, me too. I think that too.": "...What's wrong, Rosa-san. ...You've been really quiet for a while now. Are you feelin' sick...?"From the beginning, Rosa had never been one to cut in on the siblings' fights. ...But even so, she seemed unmotivated, and had said almost absolutely nothing during this night's conference. The whole time, she had hung her head, and appeared to be thinking of something else...  : "Did you wake up really early in the morning? If you feel sick, you shouldn't overdo it.": "...A bed has been prepared in the guest room. How about taking a rest? I will guide you.": "No, ...I'm fine. Thank you.": "...What is it? Is there something you're worrying about?": "...No, not really...": "Is that so...? It feels like your mind has been elsewhere this whole time. ...I wonder if that has anything to do with what we've been talking about...?"At those words, everyone stared at Rosa together. As if in response, Rosa's shoulders quivered. Apparently Kyrie's guess hadn't been wrong. ...Rosa couldn't deny that either...  : "What is it? ...You've been weird for a while. Did you think of something...?": "All of us've just sworn to remain united, haven't we? Don't be reserved, worryin' by yerself. We said we'd talk.": "...Rosa. Tell us."The men pressed her one after the other, and Rosa confessed resignedly and nervously... The atmosphere made it seem as though she was confessing to some modest prank, which had inadvertently brought about a serious situation. : "No, umm...Th, this mistress of Grandfather's, this Beatrice, ...I was wondering if she is still, ...alive..." : "I'd think she's healthy. People who are crafty when it comes to money are healthy no matter how old they are! Her evil plan might even be the best rejuvenating agent. Wahahaha."Or if she's anything like Kinzo, she might just be sustained entirely by absinthe and hate.  : "...She shouldn't be, ...alive.": "Huh? ...What did you just say?"  Wait what. : "Wh, ...what did you say...?!": "...Wh, ...what do you mean, Rosa...?!": "B, but, it's not like I killed...but, but I was the one that brought her to a place like that! ...I really did kill her... I tried to make myself believe it was a dream!! ...But, ...it wasn't really a dream, was it?! Which means this is, ...a letter from Beatrice's ghost!! Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"You know, between this and the goat bodycount at the end of the last episode, on an island full of witches and demons and chairs with lightsabers, I'm pretty sure the deadliest killer around so far is actually the middle aged single mom with anger issues. It was so sudden that everyone was lost for words. Rosa kept on talking, unable to stop, holding her head as her hair flew all about... : "Calm yourself...! Rosa-san...!": "I, I have absolutely no clue what's goin' on...! Already dead? What do you mean...?!": "...I think it means two things. First, ...its literal meaning. ...And second, it backs up our earlier guess." : "Long ago! Long, long, long ago!! We had just moved over to the island and I was young!! It wasn't my fault, it's not like I killed her...!! Whaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!": "...Calm down! Nobody's blaming you for anything, right? First, drink some water. Okay? Natsuhi-san, the pitcher please." : "Y, yes. ...Here you go, Rosa-san. Please, calm yourself...": "..."  Next time: A caged butterfly
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Nov 1, 2014 05:35
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Beatrice is being misleading with how she explains Hempel's Raven. The contrapositive of "All ravens are black" is "All things that are not black are not ravens.", and the only thing that can disprove it is a thing that is a raven and is not black. Beatrice compares having to search through all ravens and all non-ravens; in fact, your two basic strategies here are to search through either all ravens or all things that are not black. If you search through all non-ravens and show that none of them are black, like Beatrice does here... ...you've shown "All things* that are not ravens are not black", the inverse, whose contrapositive is "All black things are ravens", the converse. The inverse/converse is a related statement, but definitely different. The other examples they used basically do the same thing: to prove "Everyone in the world but me is foolish" by contrapositive, you have to check every non-foolish thing and show that it's not a person in the world that's not you. In the sense that this is very much a game of logic, I think that she's deliberately trying to muddle things to confuse Battler, as well as the fact that this search for the culprit isn't really a clean-cut set inclusion question like the "All X are Y" ones are. *She restricts to merely birds, but the Wikipedia article, which I glanced at to make sure I had this thing down correctly, talks about all things.
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Nov 1, 2014 07:04
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the simple explanation of hempel's raven is that it's a paradox that goes somewhat as follows: if you're trying to prove all ravens are black, that's equivalent to proving the contrapositive: anything that's not black is not a raven. so if you have anything that's both not black and not a raven, say a green apple, that's evidence in favor of "anything that's not black is not a raven" and by extension "all ravens are black". the paradox is that this means the existence of a green apple is evidence that all ravens are black, which is weird. the parodoxical nature of the thing isn't really relevant in how umineko applies it though, so beatrice explaining it poorly/wrong is irrelevant
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Nov 1, 2014 09:21
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This upcoming scene is my favorite in the first 4 episodes, I think. I admit, when I first read this my eyes just glossed over all talk of Hempel's Raven and paradoxes and such. I'm the kind of person RK07 hates, because I just stopped thinking and waited for the game to tell me the answer. All this talk between Battler, Beatrice, and the demons is a way to get the reader to start thinking about other possibilities.
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Nov 1, 2014 15:47
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At this point, Beatrice may end up being one of my favorite villains ever. She's just so... gleefully evil, I can't help but love every scene she's in Also, gently caress that is a lot of text. But oddly enough, I was still invested in it. In the White Knight Chronicles all, I had to skim a lot of the game dialogue cause it was so dull. I guess that shows how engaging the writing for this game is. Thundersword238 fucked around with this message at 17:45 on Nov 1, 2014 |
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Nov 1, 2014 17:38
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It might be a misattribution of Hemple's Raven, but it really doesn't matter because the idea that if you set the premise as '18 + X things can possibly have committed the murder', then show that none of the X things did, the conclusion one of the original 18 things must have done is logically sound. (Or, of course, that the answer is alogical, because witches.)
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Nov 1, 2014 18:23
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Thundersword238 posted:At this point, Beatrice may end up being one of my favorite villains ever. She's just so... gleefully evil, I can't help but love every scene she's in The plot of Seacats has a lot of problems and I think, structurally, it kind of ruins a lot of what it was promising, but the cast of characters is so loving good it almost doesn't matter at times. Beato, Natushi, and Eva in particular are the goddamn best.
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Nov 1, 2014 20:42
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The strength of Umineko's writing is the characters, and especially it's rarer to see well-developed adult characters in a lot of stories, popular comics/animation stories especially. The hot-blooded young teenager or 20-something is well-known, but a middle aged business mother gets less play. Even accepting some issues with characterization, most of the female characters in particular are done well.
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Nov 1, 2014 20:56
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Darn, forgot to wish happy Halloween for Maria.
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Nov 3, 2014 06:59
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tiistai posted:Darn, forgot to wish happy Halloween for Maria. Don't forget the song!
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Nov 3, 2014 08:25
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This is the only proper version of Happy Maria. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02KaUff0HEo
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Nov 3, 2014 15:29
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That was actually pretty interesting and a clever bit of logic-battling.
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Nov 5, 2014 17:26
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Nobody commented on the first apperance of Battler's new Phoenix Wright style "Objection" window?
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Nov 5, 2014 18:51
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The 19th person thing really sounds like a red herring, but the logic battle is neat at least. Also, remember how young Beatrice was in a different building when she started learning magic with another "Beatrice"? I wonder if that has something to do with the supposedly hidden building on the island. It would also explain why a younger Rosa would have an encounter with Beatrice; the one she met (and supposedly killed) was the older Beatrice, and the younger Beatrice swore revenge over the family that brought about her teacher's death.
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Nov 6, 2014 15:13
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 04:46 |
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Bholder posted:Nobody commented on the first apperance of Battler's new Phoenix Wright style "Objection" window? I actually completely missed that. Well done, game.
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Nov 6, 2014 18:37
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