The Golden Scheme
Explore - Chapter 18
Claude
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/423/0.png)
Each time we take a step forward, more blood is spilled...but by spilling that blood, we're able to take yet another step forward.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/423/0.png)
War is always a cruel affair, but luckily we have each other to lean on. We've steeled our hearts. We won't be broken.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/423/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/423/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/424/0.png)
If anyone's starting to feel the strain, I'm sure just hearing from you will reassure them. Please...do whatever you can to keep their morale up.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/427/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/424/0.png)
It's called an impregnable fortress for a reason, after all. My contingencies need contingencies this time, or we may not pull it off.
Ferdinand
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/435/0.png)
Dimitri, the late prince of Faerghus. He despised the Empire with all his heart.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/438/0.png)
He should not have tried leading an army while his emotions were holding him captive.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/435/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/438/0.png)
No. If a leader's emotions overcome them, others must step in to prevent poor decision-making.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/439/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/438/0.png)
I used to call Edelgard my leader, and now she is running amok. I am duty-bound to stop her.
Linhardt
Caspar
Bernadetta
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/454/0.png)
It's always so peaceful coming back here. But it's hard to relax knowing we have to go out on another expedition again so soon.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/457/0.png)
And assaulting that huge keep? That sounds hard. Oh, really hard! Don't you think it'll be hard?!
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/454/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/455/0.png)
I knew you'd think so! I knew you— Ow! Oh, ow. Can't believe I tried to hug you through the door...
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/456/0.png)
Dorothea
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/464/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/464/0.png)
And here we are, preparing for the next battle, as if nothing happened the day before.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/464/0.png)
It's almost easier to think about war as theater, with the stage an entire continent.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/461/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/461/0.png)
Something like that. If an accident happens on stage, the next day's performance must be unaffected.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/464/0.png)
Even if an accident happens on stage, the next day you have to sing as though nothing happened.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/464/0.png)
Everyone just pretends like everything is fine... focusing on their role in the play.
Petra
Felix
Ashe
Sylvain
Mercedes
Annette
Ingrid
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/512/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/515/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/515/0.png)
If this is true, His Highness's motives seem clear. I can't help but feel that perhaps I should have been fighting by his side...
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/515/0.png)
Because...I, too, lost someone to that tragedy— the most important person in my world.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/512/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/513/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/514/0.png)
Those of us still on this plane of existence will carry the torch. The inhumane actions of the Empire must not be repeated.
Lorenz
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/518/0.png)
Fort Merceus is old and strong. Its reputation for durability is equal to that of Arianrhod.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/521/0.png)
Are we really going to leave this to Claude? With a plan concocted by Hilda, of all people?
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/518/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/521/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/521/0.png)
I would like to, but I am always troubled by how secretively that man devises his schemes.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/518/0.png)
Raphael
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/525/0.png)
You know when you work your muscles and they start screaming? That means you gotta be nice to them.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/525/0.png)
If your muscles are hungry, you gotta feed them, and let them rest when they're tired.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/528/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/524/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/525/0.png)
Of course! If my muscles hurt, then I hurt. If they're hungry, well then I'm hungry too!
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/525/0.png)
What's with the confused face, Professor? You look like you don't get a word I'm saying!
Ignatz
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/533/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/533/0.png)
But perhaps it's irresponsible to look away—to close our eyes to the horrors of war.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/530/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/531/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/531/0.png)
As survivors, we must ensure that all these lives were not lost in vain. We must see the tragic foundations upon which we'll build our future.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/530/0.png)
May an age of peace rise from the ashes, so that all this sacrifice means something.
Lysithea
Marianne
Hilda
Leonie
Seteth
Flayn
Hanneman
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
Fort Merceus is the Empire's single most fortified military installation. Utterly impregnable, they say.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/178/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
Seems Fódlans give everyone and everything a nickname. Why, you were called the Ashen Demon!
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/177/0.png)
Myself, I have been called the Father of Crestology, which is a nickname as well as a title, I suppose...
Manuela
Alois
Catherine
Shamir
Cyril
Judith
Gatekeeper
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/695/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/695/0.png)
Is it true that we'll be assaulting Fort Merceus next? That doesn't sound like the brightest idea...
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/695/0.png)
I've heard that it's built to withstand an attack from even the largest of armies!
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/695/0.png)
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...
Shifty Merchant
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/643/0.png)
Things we can't obtain here are likely obtainable by way of the underground.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/643/0.png)
Are you unfamiliar with Garreg Mach's underground? The place is an absolute paradise for those who can't stay above ground.
Monk
Soldier
Churchgoer
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/619/0.png)
I've come to deliver vegetables we harvested in the village to the monastery's dining hall.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/619/0.png)
Because of the season, I couldn't really pick that much, but I wanted to help you guys out, even just a little bit.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/619/0.png)
Knight of Seiros
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/850/0.png)
Some say they saw Gilbert, who used to serve in the Knights of Seiros, at Gronder.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/850/0.png)
Apparently, he was originally a knight of the Kingdom who served Prince Dimitri.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/850/0.png)
Merchant
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/667/0.png)
Hey, there! We merchants of the Alliance territories were excited to hear of your victory in the last battle.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/667/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/667/0.png)
The Alliance is what we know and love, but more than that, it's low on regulations, which is great for business.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/667/0.png)
Please keep up the good work, Professor! The merchants of the world are on your side!
Soldier
Monk
Knight of Seiros
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/851/0.png)
After that great battle earlier, the balance of power in Fódlan has shifted greatly...
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/851/0.png)
To get revenge for all our fallen friends, we'll have to stake our lives on the fight that lies before us.
Soldier
Yuri
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/48/0.png)
If the Empire rallies its forces and attacks Garreg Mach, I'm not so sure Abyss will be OK...
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/48/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/48/0.png)
Like I said, only if we're not careful. If it comes down to it, I'll protect this place till my dying breath.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/48/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/48/0.png)
Heh heh... Ever the valiant one. But nobody ever knows how a war will turn out. That's part of the deal, you know?
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/48/0.png)
Maybe I'm being paranoid, but I want to ensure there is still a refuge for people to escape to.
Balthus
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/54/0.png)
I hear Hilda proposed a genius plan. That right? Heh, we've got a little strategist on our hands.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/55/0.png)
Not too long ago, she was just a tiny girl who couldn't do a thing on her own. Now look at her. She's the fiercest of the fierce.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/54/0.png)
I wonder what Holst would say if he saw her now. I bet he'd be proud...just like me.
Constance
Hapi
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/72/0.png)
People have always fought, I guess. Bandits and nobles clashing over territory. Things like that.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/72/0.png)
So before the war, when folks talked about how peaceful everything was, I thought, "What continent are you living on?"
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/72/0.png)
I get it now. A few isolated skirmishes here and there are nothing compared to a full-blown war.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/72/0.png)
Anna
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/8/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/7/0.png)
I'd love to catch up, but I'm super busy right now. Working. For money. You understand.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/8/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/7/0.png)
I'd love to catch up, but I'm super busy right now. Working. For money. You understand.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/10/0.png)
A class reunion on the battlefield? That's...bleak. That must have been so hard on everyone.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/7/0.png)
You gotta keep looking after them all. I mean, they still look to you for guidance, you know?
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/10/0.png)
There's unrest everywhere these days. All of my fellow merchants seem to be endangered.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/10/0.png)
I hope things go back to normal soon. People need more to smile about, aside from my great deals.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/11/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/7/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/9/0.png)
Some folks have made their home there. Obviously they all have their reasons and tales to tell.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/9/0.png)
But only the most enterprising merchant would venture near it. My advice? Avoid going there yourself.
Abysskeeper
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/759/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/759/0.png)
I hear there was a huge battle recently. Glad to see you made it back safe and sound.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/759/0.png)
Maybe there's life after death, or maybe that's just a bunch of pretty words. Either way, we should live like our time here is all we've got.
Resident
Resident
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/619/0.png)
I hear there was a pretty spectacular battle up there recently, but we don't hear a lot about that stuff.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/619/0.png)
There was a lot of talk when it first started, but five years on... It's just a fact of life.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/face_school/619/0.png)
What? There have been lots of battles on the surface recently? I hadn't heard! See what I mean?!
Resident
Monk
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/47/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/44/0.png)
I did indeed. I was acquainted with your parents. I've been wanting to speak with you for a while now.
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/43/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/46/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/43/0.png)
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/43/0.png)
Do you mind terribly picking up some fresh flowers to place upon your mother's grave?
![](https://assets.fedatamine.com/3h/dlc/face_school_normal_DLC/43/0.png)