“Let her go,” I told Marie.
Startled, Marie stammered, “Wh-what? Are you sure?”
“I want to tell her something.”
Marie peeled her hand away from Hertrauda’s mouth.
“Knaves!” the princess shouted at the top of her lungs. “Guards! Guards!”
However much she called for help, no one came. As soon as reality sank in, she turned meek. Or had she sunk into despair at this point? She was still putting on a brave face, but she was considerably paler now.
After a long pause, she said, “It seems as though you’ve already taken care of the guards outside.”
“It was easy enough,” I replied. “I got the sense that Fanoss doesn’t have the best soldiers.”
Hertrauda glared daggers at me for that comment. I studied her face, wondering whether it was really wise to proceed down this path. But if we avoided war with Fanoss, she and her sister would survive, and it would be dangerous for them to live without knowing the truth of their circumstances.
I beat the first game. There’s got to be some way for me to drop a hint so she can figure things out herself.
“We took your Magic Flute,” I said. “You no longer have your trump card against Holfort.”
“You really don’t think so? If you honestly believe that is the only weapon at our disposal, you’re awfully naive.” Hertrauda huffed and looked away from me.
I wasn’t sure whether her confidence came from an assumption that we hadn’t taken the other flute from their vault or if they really did have another weapon in their arsenal to use against us. Whatever the case, I was impressed that she could stand her ground like this despite her situation. In the game, Hertrauda was just an enemy; meeting her face to face now made me appreciate what an amazing princess she was, with a true backbone.
“Posturing does you no favors. We took the other flute you had in the treasure vault as well,” I said. “And I don’t mean the replica you so cleverly set in plain view. I mean the real one you tucked away in a secret room.”
Hertrauda’s shoulders flinched. I’d cracked her bravado. A more seasoned princess would’ve hidden her emotions better, but nevertheless, I appreciated her honest response.
Marie watched our exchange silently.
“Does that vex you?” I asked the princess.
“Not particularly. If you wish to kill me, then by all means do so. However, you must know that you will pay dearly for it.”
I shook my head at her sadly. “I pity you. Really, I do. You’re completely ignorant of the truth and haven’t even realized they’re pulling your strings. You’re nothing but a convenient puppet to them.”
Her back straightened. “How dare you?”
“If you want to know the truth, look into your country’s real history. The old man in your archives ought to be able to steer you the right way.”
That man had only been mentioned in passing during the game. I think he’s the one who helped the protagonist and her love interest find out the truth about the relationship between Holfort and Fanoss. I can’t quite remember the details, though. It was a vague recollection at best, and I wasn’t sure my hint was sufficient to get Hertrauda the answers she needed. Regardless, I hoped it would at least be a starting point for her.
“Of course, that’s assuming you’re brave enough to face the truth.”
Keeping the gun trained on Hertrauda, I reached for Marie and pulled her along to exit the room. As soon as we were out the door, I began pumping my legs as hard as I could. Marie sped after me.
“Hold on! What was that conversation about?! You never mentioned any of that to me!” she yelped.
Luxion seemed similarly puzzled. “I saw no purpose in that entire exchange. Even assuming that Hertrauda learns the truth after this, what benefit will that have?”
“Who knows?! Maybe it’ll bring our nations closer to peace!” I said.
I hoped that, once she knew the truth, that might at least lead us to a more amicable path. If it would help us avoid war, I was happy to give her some vague advice.
“Now that they no longer possess both Magic Flutes, there should be no issues in that regard,” Luxion reminded me.
“Yeah, well, taking the flutes wasn’t my preferred method of solving things!”
I was eager for us to get out of the castle altogether and hop on our airbike so we could blow this place. With our mission complete, we just had to make it out of here safely.
“This is the end of our stint as phantom thieves,” I declared. “I never want to do this crap again!”
“I’m as done with it as you are!” agreed Marie.
I beelined for the exit, taking the shortest route available.
“Master,” Luxion cut in, interrupting my concentration, “I have detected an unexpected, powerful enemy presence.”