Noah finally meets the El Masters in El Tower. The Water Master looks at the boy without wavering.
Quest Acceptance Dialogue
Denif:... The Landars will be staying here for a while. Gaia, Artea, could you look for a place where they can stay?
Gaia:How about the gardens near El Tower? There should be an open area nearby.
Artea:Don't you think it could get too crowded? From my understanding, there will be others joining soon. It might be better to find a place outside the Tower even if it's further away...
Denif:That's a reasonable assessment. But you will have to put more care in finding a place, since many places are unstable due to the rift outside the Tower. I will leave that in your care. Sigh, I already asked Ventus to find a place, but he's off somewhere...
Ventus:Denif! I'm back!
Denif:Ventus! Where were you?
Ventus:I had to leave to take care of an urgent, important matter.
Denif:I see Rosso and Darkmoon are here as well. You are back earlier than expected. Did you find anything useful?
Noah:.......
Gaia:Hm? Is her a Landar as well?
Noah:... Nice to meet you. My name is Noah Ebalon.
Gaia:Oh, nice to meet you. I am the Earth Master, Gaia... Wait, sorry? Did you say Ebalon...?
Denif:The younger brother? ... Yes, you do look alike.... It seems we have a lot to talk about, so come inside. Artea, I apolotize, but I must take Gaia. Sasha will be back soon, so please find a place with her when she comes back.
Artea:Yes. Leave it to me.
Denif:Darkmoon, we need you as well.
Darkmoon:Yes.
Ventus:... I thought we were in for a long explanation, but he's taking this surprisingly well.
Gaia:It seems that way...? I'm slightly embarrassed since it looks like I'm the only one who's in shock. Come to think of it, I did hear that the second son of the Ebalon family was suffering from a terminal illness. Are you perhaps...
Rosso:Blah blah, shut up and go inside. We're not going to learn anything by standing around here.
Quest Completion Dialogue
Ebalon:... ... ... ...
Denif:Who's there?
Ebalon:... listen to the prayers of your faithful servant...... Ah. Good morrow, Master Denif. I didn't expect to see you here so early.
Denif:I could say the same for you. What are you doing here in the chapel so early? Are you feeling well?
Ebalon:Yes. I am feeling better, thanks to your consideration. I'm afraid my absence has burdened all of you.
Denif:There's no need to overexert yourself. Last battle was quite vicious.
Ebalon:Thank you for your concern. But that's precisely the reason why I felt the need to come to the chapel.... Two days ago, I had to use a powerful spell... However, I can't help but wonder if that was truly necessary, even though it was to protect the El. Will the Goddess truly forgive that her priest has committed such a deed?
Denif:Are you here for a confession?
Ebalon:... I do not know. Why is the Order after the El? They must be ordinary people as well, who finds joy in everyday life granted by the Goddess, such as baking bread and brewing beer... I suppose that is why I came here to pray. I fear I lack the insight to understand them. To chase the scent of greed and follow sin with thine eyes. Oh Goddess, blind me and bestow me a mind's eye that can distinguish right from wrong.... Perhaps my lack of understanding is my sin. So I prayed for them. May they find the blessing of the Goddess and rest when they need it. May they realize the presence of the Goddess that is with them every moment of their lives...
Denif:... I see. So the Moon Master we knew, was never Harque Ebalon.
Noah:You really didn't find anything suspicious?
Denif:He fulfilled his duty just like other Masters. He led ceremonies, prayers, and trained hard, preparing for enemies' invasions.
Gaia:His devotion to the Goddess, also seemed true.
Noah:... I thought El Masters' mission was to protect the El.
Denif:If you are saying we failed in fulfilling out duties, it will be a fair statement.
Ventus:We did stay on guard, especially with the rumors surrounding the Moon Master. I remember clearly that there were rumors how the Moon Master might not be nominated from the Ebalon family this time, because he was found lacking in qualification. Though in the end, the candidate from the Ebalon family was selected.
Denif:I understand what you are trying to say. You believe we should have noticed that the Moon Master was an imposter all along and stopped him. However, even if we had known the true identity of the Moon Master, it's unlikely that we would have been able to stop him in time.
Noah:What do you mean?
Ventus:The responsibility of selecting the Master candidate and testing them, lies solely with the royal church of the Elrian Kingdom. Masters are not allowed to interfere in the process. If they do, they may be viewed as challenging the royal authorities.
Noah:That's ridiculous. For that pathetic reason...!
Ventus:I won't call it 'pathetic'. From the royal family's perspective, Masters pose a threat. They are the closest to the El, the source of power, and are highly trained.
Rosso:They were scared for the slight possibility of Masters joining hands with the nobles to revolt against the royal family.
Gaia:Masters must cut their ties with their family, and they are forbidden from handling the matters of the kingdom, unless the matter specifically pertains to the El. I heard that plays a significant part in why there are so many restrictions on the Masters, despite them being well-respected...
Ventus:In other words, the moment we become Masters, our arms and legs are essentially chopped off. At least in the political sense.
Rosso:There's one exception. If the appointed Master neglects his duty, or is found lacking in qualification, other Masters can object to the selection.... And there was nothing wrong with him on the surface. Though he was often useless because he was so weak.
Ventus:Rosso received the most help by the way.
Rosso:Shut up.
Denif:He did have trouble because of his constitution, but he was a natural at using both healing and dark magic. He proved his worth as the Moon Master.
Noah:... And that's the irony, isn't it? Harque couldn't tolerate the dark element. He couldn't use the dark magic no matter how hard he tried. The fact that he could use dark magic so freely should have been proof in and of itself that he was an imposter...
Rosso:Doesn't it work the other way as well? We have no proof that you're telling the truth. And what you said, it's something an Order member would know as well, isn't it?
Denif:But the claim that the Moon Master was an imposter from the start actually holds merit.
Ventus:There was controversy that the candidate from the Ebalon family lacked qualification for several years. And the actions of the Ebalon family seemed to support the rumors. In the end, he was selected as the successor, and we found no problem with his abilities. I thought he might have gone through special training... But with all the pieces laid out like this, this seems to be more convincing.
Darkmoon:.......... Um, the pendant that you've mentioned... May I take a look? If the one who imbued its power is truly the successor of the Moon, I can sense it.
Ventus:Oh? I did notice you were training hard since the El Search Party left, but I didn't realize you were capable of something like that?
Thanks to Darkmoon, Noah was able to confirm his identity, and was given permission to stay in Elrianode. Unlike Noah, who feels relieved, Clamor is acting strange...
Clamor realizes the weight of his research, as he looks around the dilapidated city. Observing his cool response, Noah asks Rosso why he decided to become a Fire Master.
[Village] Who Used to be the Moon Master
