Three Houses Supports/Mercedes Alois
C Support
Alois: Mercedes, hello! I have a request for you.
Mercedes: Oh, Alois! What could you
possibly need at this hour?
Alois: A little birdie told me you're good at telling ghost stories.
Mercedes: I suppose I am.
Alois: So it's true! Excellent. I'd
like to hear one of your finest ghost
stories. Would you be amenable?
Mercedes: Goodness, you want me to share one?
Alois: Well, certainly!
Mercedes: I'm rarely asked to tell
ghost stories.
Which should I tell? Perhaps the one I
heard in the monastery the other day?
Alois: W-wait a moment!
Is something the matter?
I was only asking whether you'd tell
me. The telling itself will have to be
another time.
Mercedes: Are you sure? It's no trouble
right now.
Alois: No. I have to steel myself... Er, I mean, I have something important to do!
Mercedes:
I see. That's a shame, but I suppose it
can't be helped.
If you don't mind my asking, why the
sudden interest in hearing a ghost
story?
Alois: Well, you see, ah,
ghosts...terrify me.
But I'm a knight. Someday, somewhere,
I may have to deal with one!
Mercedes: Hmm... A knight who's afraid
of ghosts.
Alois: Yes. It's quite embarrassing.
Mercedes: I'm sorry, I didn't mean to
laugh.
Alois: Even knights can't be stoic toward everything.
Mercedes: I'm impressed that you're
working so hard to face your fear.
Alois: Oh, it's nothing, really...
Mercedes: I will tell you my scariest ghost story the next chance I get!
Alois: It needn't be your very
scariest! A moderately scary story will
suffice. Thank you for taking the time.
B Support
Mercedes: The time has come. I have been waiting to curse your soul with this tale of ghostly terror.
Alois: You have? Well, ah, excellent! I
won't run or hide.
Then we shall proceed.
Mercedes: Our story begins when a
friend of mine visited a graveyard in
eastern Faerghus--
Alois: Wait! Wait, wait, wait...
Mercedes: Whatever is the matter,
Alois? I've barely just begun.
Alois: You got to the graveyard part so
quickly! No warning at all. I wasn't
ready.
Oh, listen to me! What kind of knight
am I? Continue, Mercedes. I won't make
another peep.
Mercedes: Very well then. Now where was I? Ah, yes. My friend went to visit his grandfather's grave, staying the night at a neighboring church.
Alois: ...
Mercedes: As darkness crept, he awoke
to a strange sound. He peered out into
the black of night to see a misshapen
figure desecrating the graves.
Alois: Ghuahh!
Mercedes: He barricaded himself in his
room, waiting for the first glimmer of
sunlight before fleeing the church.
My friend soon learned that the
graveyard was built on the ruins of an
ancient battlefield.
Legend says that the souls of knights
who fell during the battle roam freely
after dark.
He was sure that the misshapen figure
he saw was the ghost of a warrior,
searching for its earthly remains.
After his stay at the church, my
friend complained of restless nights
and an unbearable weight on his chest.
His closest friends and family feared
a change in his eyes, as though it
wasn't him occupying his body.
No one knows for certain what happened
that night.
After years of isolation, his body was
found...in the very graveyard where it
all began!
Alois? Did you hear me? I said "in the
very graveyard where it all began!"
Alois: AAAAAHH!
What happened?! Is it over?!
I blacked out after the part with the
misshapen figure. Ungh, I'm so
pathetic!
I'm a knight! I have to be ready to
fight anywhere, even in a...spooky
graveyard!
Mercedes: I don't think many battles take place in graveyards in the middle of the night. But I suppose it's important to be prepared, isn't it?
Alois: Precisely. Please, Mercedes,
help me prepare!
Mercedes: Of course! I'm happy to share
another spooky story next time!
A Support
Note: This support level cannot be reached in Black Eagles
Alois: Is it over?
Mercedes: Yes, that's all there is. You listened all the way to the end!
Alois: Oh, Mercedes, thank you! And I
didn't cover my ears even once!
Mercedes: There's no need to thank me.
You're the one who did all the hard
work. You should be proud of yourself!
Now you can face any challenge on the
battlefield without fear!
I had always planned on working in the
monastery once the war was over...
But seeing knights like you makes me
consider joining up.
Alois: You want to join the Knights of
Seiros?
Helping those in need with the goddess
always at my side?
I can't think of a better way to live.
Hm. I think the Knights of Seiros
wouldn't be quite what you expect.
As a knight myself, I slew countless
foes.
I shudder at the memory of my own
deeds. The corpses I made, heaped in a
pile, would be like a mountain.
I suppose that's why I'm so frightened
of ghosts.
What if they appear before me, seeking
revenge?
Perhaps it's a silly thing to worry
about, but...still.
Mercedes: I'm well aware of the nature of a knight's duty. But I no longer have anything to fear. I've been on the battlefield. I've killed my enemies many times.
Alois: I see. What would your parents
think about you planning to become a
knight?
Mercedes: My mother would respect my wishes, but my adoptive father would need to be persuaded...
Alois: Before you talk to them, I had
better relate some of the darker
chapters in the knights' history.
It's your turn to listen, Mercedes.
Mercedes: Thank you, Alois. And you
should know, I intend to improve my
ghost storytelling as well.
Alois: Eh, pardon?
Mercedes: If I want to continue helping
you, I'll have to seek out much scarier
stories to share.
Alois: Oh, well, you needn't go to any trouble...
Mercedes: Nonsense! It's no trouble at all! Besides, we have to help each other the best we can.
Alois: I...suppose that's true. Thank
you.