Tunisia

Michel: To the south is the Sahara Desert, to the north and east is the Mediterranean Sea, and so since the beginning Tunisia has been a trading city. We became a protectorate of France---- now it has been reborn as the most developed city in all of north Africa.

Michel: Yes, yes, the "Alaoui Museum" is a must-see. It's even called "Tunisia's Louvre" and such... ---After that... (Wealth of knowledge~)

([note from Higuri-sensei on the Museum of Alaoui] The Barudo Museum. Until gaining independence from France in 1956, it was called by this name.)

Laila: Can't you do something----about that.

Noir: ------ Ah------ Michel. Thank you for taking us this far. We're fine now. I'm sure you have work, too.

::page::

Michel: I cannot do that. I think I have "rights" as a collaborator with you. I would like to see the treasure of the "Knights of Templar" for myself.

Noir: ---Where did you...

Laila: [pointing] AH----~ Look! Viscount Courland!

Michel: !?

Laila: (whispering) Leave this up to me. Hurry up and go. [shouting again] This way! This way, it's too much~

Michel: Wh...what is it, Laila?

::page::

Laila: A camel's napping in the middle of the day~~

Michel: ----? And so...? !? Ah~ that's cowardly, Rei Balzac!

Laila: (V.) [In Japan, it's popular to give the two fingered peace/victory sign. When people do it, it's referred to as "V", short for "Victory".]

{sound f/x gara: clattering of horse-drawn cart}

Florian: Noir. ----Laila is...

Noir: She's fine. I told her where to meet us. Qart Hadasht, the queen's new capital. In other words, Carthage.

::page::

Noir: Tunis and Carthage are pretty close... ------But.

{sound f/x hyu: wind blowing}

Noir: There are some massive hills here. Humph~~ (I'm short of breath.)

Florian: ---- H...how kind of you. I'm feeling a bit uneasy. (Give me your hand.)

Noir: (Hmph) It's because you're still weak after being ill. I won't always do this for you.

::page::

Florian: Th... this is...? All of a sudden there's this brand new church------

Noir: "The Church of Saint Louis". It was finally just built. Long ago, Louis the 9th died on a crusade here, and was enshrined in a chapel.

Florian: Louis the 9th---- is that "Holy King Louis"? He was the king who even became a saint... So he... died here.

Noir: The ancient manuscript said, "The star of the Queen's new capital, while working on the site of the sanctuary, connecting with the deceased Holy King MCCLXX." Carthage's "sanctuary" is, in other words, Tophet----

Florian: Tophet?

::page::

Noir: The place where ancient Carthage's two great gods were enshrined. There, they had sacrificial rituals where they apparently threw infants into a fire.

{sound f/x zo: Florian getting chills}

Noir: If you follow the line connecting Tophet with the Church of Saint Louis---- you hit right here...

Florian: Damuous El-Karita?

Noir: From here, you can see all of Carthage. When it comes to location, it's right here. Over 100 years ago, this was the site of an early Christian church. It was also the site of an ancient Carthaginian dwelling, and for a long time it was apparently lost. About 40 years ago, by order of Cardinal Lavigerie it was discovered---- "Find all of Carthage's treasures and watch over them." Was that just for archaeological purposes, or was it---- If it is as I have come to believe----

::page::

Michel: ----Really. Thanks to you, we've completely lost Rei. What incredible loyalty you have!

Laila: He is my boss. Of course I am.

Michel: Hmmm, is that all?

Laila: No way, what are you thinking! ------ First of all... If he loved someone like me, it would be trouble.

Michel: Why is that? From where I'm standing, I think you're quite a charming girl.

Laila: Y... you're strange. A white man------ and a noble besides that.

::page::

Michel: When you love a girl, there are no white men or nobles. I call things beautiful if they are beautiful. You just happen to fall into that category.

Laila: ------!

Michel: Laila. Do not tell me what you intend to run away!

{sound f/x kura: Laila's head spinning}

Laila: I knew it, we should walk away from each other. (Is that something you'd say to my face?)

Michel: Wait right there, Laila! I am------ !?

Laila: Shh~ Hide!

Michel: !?

::page::

Michel: What in the world is going----

Laila: Be quiet. It... can't be. No... There's no mistaking. It's Azura. Azura----is alive. He's following Noir...? What should I do. I have to tell Noir about this...

::page::

Michel: Romwell Jr? Why is he in a place like this?

Laila: Romwell? What are you talking about. He's a millionaire from Fez. He used to be No...Rei's good friend. We have to go. Right now to Carthage... Dammit...!

Michel: Okay~ it's Carthage. Let us quickly secure a special seat on a train.

Laila: (You big idiot, Laila.) [sob sob sob] All of my work, for nothing...

{sound f/x ka: click of footstep}

Laila: ! [gasp] !

::page::

Azura: Hello, Miss. How unexpected to meet you in a place like this.

Laila: !?

Michel: ! Wh...what are you doing! ---- Romwell Jr. I would like to know what is the meaning of this. Do you think that you can get away with this sort of unjust behavior!!

Azura: ---- I don't know what you're talking about.

Michel: It's no use to feign ignorance. I used to see you often in a club in America. It is not as if I would mistake someone with such distinguishable characteristics as yourself.

::page::

{sound f/x jaki: cocking gun}

Azura: Let's stop the conversation right there and get to the subject at hand. Where is Rei!? Or would you like her head to be broken into pieces, Viscount Courland?

Michel: This man...he's really. Rei is, Rei Balzac must be in Carthage. That's enough, let her go.

Laila: Kya~

{sound f/x don: shove}

Man: Boss, what should we do about them?

Azura: I have no more use of them. Give them a proper disposal.

Michel: That's... not what you promised!!

Man: (Hee~hee~hee) That's right. Don't be so mad.

Laila: Moron--~ Why did you spill the beans? Of course this is what would happen!

::page::

{sound f/x jaki: cocking gun}

Michel: YOU COWARDS~

{sound f/x doka: giant thwack}

Michel: !?

::page::

Solomon: That's a pretty nasty trick there. Azura-san?

Azura: Damn~

{sound f/x za: Azura moving quickly}

Solomon: Dammit, wait right there!

{sound f/x doka}

::page::

{sound f/x za: Solomon dashing}

Solomon: Dammit, I lost him...huh.

Laila: ----And. Why are you doing here, Mr. Detective?

Michel: Who's he?

Laila: Rei's stalker.

Solomon: HEY~

::page::

Solomon: This time it's different. I have a bit of business with Azura. As a result, I inevitably met up with you.

Laila: ------ Fine, we'll move together. I'm feeling a bit lonely with just Viscount Courland with me, anyway.

Michel: LAILA~

Florian: This was the site of an ancient church----? It's really dreary, isn't it.

Noir: They haven't excavated this area yet, but beneath this, there is the remains of the ancient Pheonecians' dream.

Florian: That'll probably be dreary, too.

::page::

Noir: Now... what do we do next? (Geez, I feel like I've become an archaeologist, too.)

Florian: Hey, Noir, below us---- What is it... the floor has all these glittering, pretty colors...

Noir: Yeah? It's a mosaic, of course. You cut a bunch of different colored stones into little pieces and form them into a picture. It's not rare to have in these ruins.

Florian: But isn't it floating strange just there? Those colors are unnatural.

Noir: !?

Florian: Are you okay?

{sound f/x ton: thud of hitting the ground}

Noir: Yeah.

::page::

Florian: Noir?

Noir: ----These certainly aren't natural colors. Th...is is... Hey, Florian, you should------ LOOK OUT, BEHIND YOU~

::page::

Florian: Huh?

Knight: Calamity on those who defile God~

{sound f/x byu: swish}

Florian: Wah~

Noir: Florian!

Florian: What're you doing here all of a sudden? Who...are you----

Knight: We know that you are after the treasure that belongs to us, the "Knights of Templar". You've managed to come here at last. But---- We won't hand it over to you, even if it costs us all of our lives. DIE~

Noir: ----He... he's coming but I...

{sound f/x da: dashing forward}

Noir: Florian!

::page::

Noir: OH.

Knight: You...bastard.

{sound f/x gasu: tricky leg swipe}

Knight: GUOH~

Noir: He's mine. Could you stop doing whatever you want?

::page::

Knight: Da...Damn...it~

Noir: Are you hurt?

Florian: No, I'm fine. You've started carrying a gun with you...

Florian's hand shakes.

Florian: Sorry. I just... remembered something a bit unpleasant... Inside of a forest in my white memory, the vibration of my hand jerking up from a gun

::page::

Florian: and bright red blood--------

{sound f/x hyoi: quick grab}

Florian: Wah.

Noir: Idiot. There's no reason for you to have gotten so shaken up about it. Well, he is like you in some ways.

{sound f/x kusha: light ruffling}

Florian: (Don't treat me like a kid. You're younger than me.)

Noir: Ha-ha-ha

{sound f/x jari: scraping sound}

::page::

Noir: Be careful. Look. "The star of the Queen's new capital." Just that part was a mystery. The star was the design on the floor. If you don't look closely, you can't see it, but perhaps----

{sound f/x kara: light clattering}

Noir: !?

::page::

Noir: And I keep telling you over and over again. We're different from those guys who're trying to get your treasure.

Knight: Then why do you know of this place? You solved this from the ancient document taken from the stronghold of Les Andelys, did you not!

Noir: I did look at the ancient document from Les Andelys, but I received it from someone else------

Knight: That was a stolen item. A group of mafia, the "Black Hand" broke into our stronghold of Les Andelys.

Noir: !? "Black Hand"

::page::

Noir: Then... Azura's part of the "Black Hand". Is that why they were following him!?

Knight: That ancient document and this land may only be stepped upon by those who are blood relatives of the "Lord God". Those who are chosen by God...

Florian: [whispering] "Lord God"...? Rex Deus.

Knight: ! Why do you know that name...!? Those are the special words told only to us.

Knight: Who are you?

Florian: From when I was young, my great-grandfather said them to me. ----The Rochefort household is descended from Rex Deus. That we follow the lineage of a noble Christian. I didn't understand what it meant... is what I told him, though.

::page::

{sound f/x zawa: great commotion from the Knights}

Knight: Y, you cannot be a Rochefort then!?

Knight: From that great noble family----!?

Noir: ----Or he was, at least.

Florian: Shut up.

Knight: Undo the ropes! Undo them~!

Knight: We sincerely apologize for our rudeness. Please do forgive us. We are the descendents of the "Knights of Templar", in other words, we are drawn from the lineages of Champagne, Anjou, Fountaine, and other noble families of France.

::page::

Florian: Then... You have all been protecting here all this time? Since the time of the Crusades?

Noir: Talk about patient.

Knight: The Crusade on which Holy King Louis the 9th battled for the treasure of the temple of Jerusalem was around 1250. After returning to France, he prepared a perfect plan to retrieve that treasure and an 8th Crusade was organized...

{sound f/x zu: slow sliding movement}

{sound f/x gara: clattering}

Knight: However, he suddenly fell ill, his intentions were left half fulfilled, and he passed away on this land of Carthage.

Florian: The floor slides away and becomes like this!

Noir: "The treasure of the temple of Jerusalem"? That legend......?

::page::

Florian: "The treasure of the temple of Jerusalem"?

Noir: Soon after Jesus Christ was killed, there was a mass slaying of the people of Judea... At that time, the immense treasures kept in the city of Jerusalem were buried deep underground at one of the temples. Immediately afterwards, the invading Roman army almost all of the religious leaders of Jerusalem and lay waste to the temple, turning it into rubble. After a long time, the location of the treasures of the temple of Jerusalem became an eternal mystery.

Knight: After the loss of Holy King Louis, and ancestors of we Knights of Templar moved the treasure to this land. Until the day in which the true "Lord God" would appear, we swore to continue watching over it. The "Knights of Templar" are those who carry the blood of the priests of the temple of Jerusalem. Those who have recieved the blood of the noble David.

{sound f/x ba: dramatic motion}

Knight: But...!

::page::

Noir & Florian: Huh!?

Florian: There's nothing... here.

Knight: That's right. After having sinned for no good reason, our ancestors found that there was not a single treasure here. To be certain where the lost treasure is, we have stayed here and continue searching for it.

::page::

Noir: This inscription------ Is this copied from the ancient document from Les Andelys? ? It moves...?

{sound f/x gata: low clanking sound}

Florian: Noir, don't do too much, you'll break it. It's really old.

Knight: You need not stop. This is the reason that we have lead you here.

Florian: Huh.

{sound f/x zu: slow sliding movement}

Part 3j | Part 3k | Part 3l