The Impregnable Fortress

From this point onward, we're in all-out war with the Empire. Are you prepared, Professor?

First we capture Fort Merceus. The fighting will undoubtedly be brutal, but...we must prevail.

As far as this army and I are concerned, you're our last ray of hope. We are relying on you.

The majority is with us. This conflict will end soon. I am so moved by the decision that Claude and the Alliance nobles have made.

That is true nobility! Acting in accordance with the people's needs and wishes.

As war drags on, those living near the front lines inevitably get the worst of it.

Still...Edelgard will not give in.

She will push to complete her mission, no matter how many people die. Not everyone with noble blood has noble ideals.

Attacking an impregnable fortress head-on is rather impressive...or suicidal. Depends on the day really.

You know Fort Merceus's nickname, I assume. The Stubborn Old General?

It may be stubborn, but its age means it's got to be hiding a few weak spots. Makes sense to aim for those areas.

Fort Merceus is next, huh? Ah, the memories.

It's a huge stronghold in my father's domain. The town's completely surrounded by high walls.

I used to run around there when I was a kid...

Way back when a fortress was just a playground for me. Yeah, those were the days.

I love a good fortress—the perfect place to hide!

This one's impregnable too, isn't it? Perfect! As soon as we take it, I'll set up a special spot for Bernie!

The Leicester Alliance is no more. Three hundred years of history...gone and done.

They write operas about events like this, you know.

I have excitement in my heart for secret tactics! I enjoy attacks that are surprising.

I thought we could be using attacks like that at this fortress.

But I am hearing a different thing. A brute force attack with all of our power, yes?

Attacks that are surprising are also safer. Attacking from the front has...is dangerous.

But I will give you all of my fighting spirit, Professor.

Claude has stepped down from leadership, and Leicester is now a vassal state of Faerghus.

The lords of the western Kingdom are beginning to declare fealty to us in greater numbers also.

The Empire is our only remaining enemy.

We defeated Lord Arundel. The emperor must have been surprised.

If we can keep up that fervor, perhaps we'll capture Fort Merceus, and move on to the Imperial capital. We must not be overconfident though.

Humans and beasts are ultimately the same. When they're cornered, they lash out however they can. They fight for their lives.

Who knows how the emperor will lash out? We have to be careful.

I wonder where Claude will go. From the sound of it, he's leaving Fódlan altogether.

He was strangely gallant about the whole thing. Even left his Relic behind.

Elusive and mysterious to the end, isn't he?

Ya know, Professor, laying siege to a keep is like asking a girl out on a date.

First, you get past her defenses...then you make your move.

Anyway, I figure you go after the main gate. You take that out and I'm sure we can win.

Of course, you're making the tactical calls. I'm happier to follow than to lead.

Death Knight... Going to fight the Death Knight...

Oh, Professor! Good timing. You have to talk some sense into my father!

Recently he's been doing nothing but work himself to the bone.

Even when he's taking breaks from training and errands, he's apparently listening to reports. Day in and day out.

He's getting on in years, you know? I just want him to take care of himself...

Just as we suspected, Lady Rhea was taken to the Imperial capital.

We must get to the capital as quickly as possible. So many people are worried sick about her...

I do wonder when Claude managed to learn Lady Rhea's whereabouts.

He's pretty shrewd. I can't help but admire him.

It appears that Claude has dissolved the Alliance.

He's thrown away the pride of all the Leicester lords who have walked the path of independence from Faerghus for generations!

I said from the start that he was not suitable to lead!

...

Well, times have changed, haven't they? I suppose we can trust the Kingdom now.

Wake up, eat, train, eat, train, eat, sleep.

We gotta prepare for the assault, but that hasn't changed my routine!

All the training...and eating...I do is for the sake of Fódlan! Gotta stay strong...and fed...to keep it safe!

My family made it through the conflict unscathed. Thank the goddess!

It seems that Derdriu was the only place to really get caught up in the fighting.

Did Claude intend to spare the Alliance territories from harm? If so, he's a truly admirable leader.

Speaking of Claude, I wonder where he is?

Something about Lord Arundel rubbed me the wrong way. There was something off about him.

Not that I've ever heard anything good about him. Have you ever heard of the Hrym family?

Since Edelgard's rule, Lord Arundel had been governing the territory.

It seems like his reign was particularly cruel. The people there suffered greatly under him.

He seemed to be a good and just person at one point. It simply doesn't make sense.

Now that the Alliance has been dissolved, what will become of the nobility?

All of Fódlan is going to change... I suppose I'll have to change with it.

The Alliance dissolved so suddenly. Now there's widespread pandemonium! The lords are warring! Mass confusion among the citizens!

Or...that's what I expected to happen. None of that seems to be taking place.

They had a roundtable meeting and talked it out. Everyone's dealing very calmly with the situation.

I guess if Dimitri turns out to be a crazed despot, then there really will be chaos.

But he's not gonna go crazy again. He's OK now... Right?

The Death Knight is guarding Fort Merceus.

The same one who was linked to Monica and to Flayn's abduction five years ago.

Anyway, he's one of the monsters responsible for Captain Jeralt's death. We have to defeat him!

Fort Merceus is a keep that was constructed to defend the Imperial Capital, Enbarr.

We cannot enter the capital without first capturing that fort. But once we have it, the city should be almost entirely at our mercy.

Now that we know Rhea is there, we must move with the utmost urgency.

The Death Knight. I shudder to think of him.

Professor, you remember my connection to him, do you not?

I am still working through the trauma from back then, all these years later.

If we meet him, I swear I will have my revenge.

Fort Merceus is the Empire's single most fortified military installation. Utterly impregnable, they say.

I wonder, do you happen to know the nickname given to Fort Merceus?

Seems Fódlans give everyone and everything a nickname. Why, you were called the Ashen Demon!

Myself, I have been called the Father of Crestology, which is a nickname as well as a title, I suppose...

Each step closer to Enbarr, I'm reminded of another part of my past.

Riches and poverty, glory and failure, that city has it all! And if I'm honest...sometimes I miss it.

That's how the past works though, isn't it? It's always a different story than what you really lived.

Even in the Kingdom, only a few people knew about His Highness and Edelgard's relationship.

Me? I always knew those two to be like brother and sister.

To think that we would come to see this world, where they are at war with one another...

I live it, and can still barely imagine such a truth.

So, Lady Rhea was in the Empire all this time.

Wish I'd known that five years ago, but there's nothing we can do about it now.

What we can do though is topple the Empire!

Will you seize victory with us, Professor? For the sake of the late captain!

We took quite the detour. It was time-consuming, but finally we got the information we needed.

We crush the Empire, we get Lady Rhea back. Two birds, one stone.

First, we take Fort Merceus. I'll put my heart in it. I'll crack 'em like a rusty helmet.

Weren't the Kingdom and Alliance once part of the same country?

If you think about it that way, it makes sense for them to unite.

I suppose the Kingdom was once part of the Empire as well.

Even if Fódlan came together, I wouldn't be surprised if it fell apart again.

Is it true Lady Rhea was taken to the Empire?

Why'd they take Lady Rhea? Professor...they didn't take her to kill her, did they?

You gotta help her, Professor. I'm begging ya.

Greetings, Professor! Nothing to report!

Is it true that we'll be assaulting Fort Merceus next? That doesn't sound like the brightest idea...

I've heard that it's built to withstand an attack from even the largest of armies!

Not to tell you how to do your job, but don't do it! I'm not ready to say my final good-byes to everyone...

Things we can't obtain here are likely obtainable by way of the underground.

Are you unfamiliar with Garreg Mach's underground? The place is an absolute paradise for those who can't stay above ground.

Those Abyssian idiots. All they ever do is cause trouble.

We'd best purge the entire underbelly of Garreg Mach.

Doesn't matter how sturdy the keep, if the commander defending it is incompetent, it can fall as easy as anything.

That's what they say, at least. I wonder if that applies to Fort Merceus...

All I know is if I was the emperor, I'd never in a million years assign an incompetent commander to a fort as important as that one!

The archbishop has been taken to the Empire, just as we thought...

But why hasn't Edelgard killed her yet?

If she intended to use her as a hostage, she'd have publicly announced that she was unharmed...

We don't know what the emperor's intentions are. All we can do is fight on and pray the archbishop is OK.

With the Empire destroyed, the borders within Fódlan will likely become a thing of the past.

With that, the rules of trade will change. Personally, I'm excited to see what these changes will bring!

I traveled to Kingdom territory because I was nearby. I did some good business!

Apparently supplies are needed to reconstruct the Kingdom capital and the surrounding towns.

Hmm, I wonder where I should go next...

I've come here after getting chased out of the Empire. There's no place for our kind there anymore.

But there are still many inside Empire territory who haven't abandoned their faith in the Church of Seiros.

I pray that one day we'll get the chance to rebuild the church within the Empire...

We're finally going to attack the Empire? I'm actually getting a little nervous!

Please defeat the emperor and save Lady Rhea!

I'll be waiting here with all of the necessary preparations for a huge celebration!

So we're finally invading Empire territory, huh?

There's not much we can do right now, except pray for deliverance.

I truly believe that we have it in us to succeed.

Have you heard of the Crescent Moon War? That's when the Alliance won their independence from the Kingdom.

Some 300 years ago, the ruling duke of Leicester died without an heir.

And the lords with blood ties to House Blaiddyd took that chance to propose ruling the Leicester territory as a republic.

The head of House Riegan led the Leicester lords and fought fiercely with Faerghus.

They won independence from the Kingdom, and now here we are.

The Alliance has really been disbanded? I never thought such a thing could happen...

As long as it doesn't negatively impact our lives, I don't care much whether we're the Kingdom or the Alliance.

We need to mop up the mess in the Kingdom quickly.

My family lives in Faerghus. As do my people. I want to avoid exposing them to danger.

So for them, more than anything, I hope we can end this swiftly and give everyone the lives they deserve.

So... Claude abandoned the Alliance and ran off.

I have a pretty good idea of where he went. Where anyone would go in his situation. Somewhere he belongs.

He may be gone, but he left his troubles behind. Now it's on us to clean up his mess.

It's not that I don't sympathize with Lady Edelgard's goals, mind you.

But perhaps not to the point of shedding blood for her ideals.

Peace in Fódlan and a restored House Nuvelle shall be my guiding star as I blaze my own trail!

Everyone seems pumped about fighting the Empire at long last.

Personally, I find it difficult to get excited about killing people, no matter what side they're on.

I'm on yours. It's that simple. If you fought alongside the Imperial army, so would I.

Hey, Professor. How's it going? Making lots of coin?

I'd love to catch up, but I'm super busy right now. Working. For money. You understand.

Hey, Professor. How's it going? Making lots of coin?

I'd love to catch up, but I'm super busy right now. Working. For money. You understand.

The Alliance is just...gone. It's hard to believe.

The merchants of Derdriu all have nerves of steel. I'm sure they'll be up and running again in no time.

There's unrest everywhere these days. All of my fellow merchants seem to be endangered.

I hope things go back to normal soon. People need more to smile about, aside from my great deals.

Abyss? You're interested in that place, are you?

Ancient sprawling remains deep below Garreg Mach... That's Abyss.

Some folks have made their home there. Obviously they all have their reasons and tales to tell.

But only the most enterprising merchant would venture near it. My advice? Avoid going there yourself.

Hey, you. Listen up. I've got something to report.

The Alliance is a thing of the past now. Times are changing fast these days. It's hard to keep up, even for me!

I wonder if Abyss is on the verge of change too. Change leads to uncertainty, and uncertainty leads to...change? I dunno. I'm just a guard.

So the Alliance is finished, is it? The leader's gone?

That damn prince. Seems my role here is at an end.

No matter. Should another chance present itself, I'll take a less subtle route...

Ah, I see. So you are Jeralt's child. You so resemble your mother.

I've been gone from the monastery for some time now because... Well, it matters not.

Might I...ask a favor of you?

Do you mind terribly picking up some fresh flowers to place upon your mother's grave?

I am certain she'd be deeply moved to receive a gift from you.

Thank you so much. This is just the type of flower she once loved so dearly.

I can rest easy now.

I must be off. Take especially good care of yourself, won't you?

Please, look after Jeralt. She'd have wanted that.