prof | Let's Play Umineko Chiru, Episode 8 Scene 22: The Library

<< | ^^ | >>

Lambdadelta

invited as a guest to the final game by the territory lord and his wife.

At times in the past, she has interfered with the game board along with Bernkastel, but she now remains neutral, acting as an impartial observer.

She is known for having many famous friends from various fields, but the fact that Bernkastel is one of these is something that should be noted with awe.

Now that Ange has left, this disintegrating game board has no purpose.

Maria and Sakutarou have already gone through to the Golden Land.

Gertrude and Cornelia are guarding the windows. For now, there is nothing for those inside to do but wait.

Aside from the second floor of the mansion, every part of this island has been destroyed by goats.

It is the way of humans to pray for a miracle, then devour their only chances of reaching it, and fall into the abyss.

Is living in ignorance the only way to have hope?

Once you learn something, you can never unlearn it. You can never go back from knowledge to ignorance.

Even if everyone escapes to the Golden Land, the goats will probably follow them there.

Lion is the embodiment of Beatrice's hope for the future. She can't give up this easily.

Miracles only come to those with the strength to believe in them.

BGM: About Face

Lambdadelta figures that Bern's contract with Ange didn't really changed much. After all, isn't it human nature to seek the truth until they die anyway?

Lambda doesn't have any answers here. Ange chose to appear on the game board. Ange chose to leave the game board. She's been the one in charge of this game since the beginning.

Lion's got a lot of guts, telling the Witch of Certainty what the ending is going to be.

The two stare at each other for a moment, each wondering whether or not the other is serious.

She can have as much as she likes, if she comes to the Golden Land.

Lake Biwa is actually really narrow.

Lambda promises to leave the instant she gets bored. Lion understands the threat here - without the power of a Voyager Witch, they'll have no way of fighting Bernkastel.

They've stalled long enough. Time to fall back.

Come on, what kind of attitude is that? Isn't this story going to have a happy ending?

You can remove this, right?

Of course.

The library walls stretch off into infinity.

Do you like to thaw your frozen fish by smashing it with a hammer?

Sorry, I was already terrible in cooking class.

...Kitties, thaw this seal.

Bernkastel tosses the Book down to the swarm, and it is carried away.

If that is your wish, I'll grant it. And, of course, I won't be able to read it myself without that key of your.

Rest for a while. Even I don't have enough free time to spend it all with you.

Well, I'm not really tired, though.

Erika. Serve Ange some tea or something.

Yes, my master!

Bernkastel. If, by any chance, you're planning to use me and steal both the key and the book, you won't get off easy.

H-How dare you say such a thing to my master?!

Sorry. After my long experience with witches, I've decided not to trust normal words.

Are you still unsatisfied about something?

Nn... No, I'm fine. Once you've dissolved the barrier, call me right away.

Of course. I also want to read it as soon as possible. I'll call for you at once.

Just what is this place? It's way too big to be called a library.

It's not like you'll be able to remember its name, so why not just call it the library?

I'll decide what I can or can't remember. Tell me.

It's the Great Witch of Theatergoing, Drama, and Spectating's Noble City of Carefully Selected Books.

...Yeah, 'the library' works fine.

Knew you'd say that.

These things aren't just books, are they?

That's right. Each volume is packed with an ensemble play. They look like books from here, but if you open one up, you'll find a whole world inside.

So, even our long tale is only one of these.

Great witches who live on a far, far higher plane than we do are hardly any different from a Creator or God. From their perspective, our little tale is worth little more than a single book, if that.

But we're the main characters. I am, and so are you.

That's right. Even if the tale of the gods doesn't mention us, the main character in the story we write for ourselves is always us. Becoming aware of that fact is the first thing that separates witches from humans.

My master has ordered me to serve you some tea, so if you don't feel like drinking, I'll have to pour it into you with a funnel.

If you try, I'll have to serve you some matcha.

Matcha?

Nothing. Just talking to myself.

This might sound strange, coming from me.

What?

So, you really did make a deal to throw away your life to learn the truth.

I had nothing to gain from life. It was easy for me to trade away the time I had left.

My master really does take to idle whims. To think she would make a contract for the meaningless life of a powerless girl.

Well, my master is the witch who controls miracles. So, it makes sense that she'd appear even for a worthless girl like you.

Good point. Even if Bernkastel hadn't appeared, I would've still taken that step off the edge that day.

...You really are a cheap woman, aren't you?

Well then, just how much are you worth?

People don't become witches if they're leading a worthwhile life as a human.

I like exposing secrets, then watching those people turn pale as they wonder how I figured it out. That's when I know I've reached the truth, and it's a moment of ecstasy.

There's something seriously wrong with you.

Well then, what does the truth mean to you?

At first, 'the truth' meant proving Eva was the culprit. However, when she died, that conviction faded.

...It might not mean anything at all.

You're going to expose the truth your beloved brother is hiding, even though it's meaningless? You're the one that's not making sense.

And so, my own truth became my goal. Maybe you could even call it my reason for living.

So, once you do reach the truth, there won't be any point of purpose to you living any more, right?

That's right. So, I'll die. Hasn't it been long enough? I've already lived 12 years too long. Don't I at least deserve to have a witch appear and grant my wish in my final moments?

Or, to put it simply, you're just tired of life. Does that sum it up?

Yeah. So, my reason for living, my very existence, and everything else is meaningless. That's why this goal of finding the Book of the Single Truth has put a little sparkle back into my life, now that it's nearly over. At least on that score, I'm grateful to Bernkastel.

I see. Battler wants you to live, so he hid the goal that would let you die. I think I pity Battler for the first time. After all, you can't choose your sister.

The Book of the Single Truth. Of course, I'm also dying to find out what's in it, but from what I hear, it doesn't sound like the truth inside is something spectacular enough to mark the end of your life with.

Yeah. At first, I hoped there would be something earth-shattering written in it, but now... I guess I've cooled on it.

Any truth searched for by a worthless person is bound to be worthless. It'll probably make for a fitting end to your worthless life.

Yeah. I'm... sure it will.

Maybe some malfunction set off the bomb, and that was it. Maybe there is no conspiracy.

Right now, I don't feel any sense of accomplishment. I just feel sort of worn out and listless.

Being able to bear the truth is what makes a witch a Witch of Truth. It looks like you don't possess that strength after all, comrade Ange. If you did, you wouldn't be thinking about dying.

You're right. I've dreamed that someone might come back for 12 years. I've just used Beatrice's cat box to shut away the truth, denying it for 12 years.

When you read the Book of the Single Truth, I wonder what will happen to you.

Who knows. Won't Bernkastel carry out the contract by slicing my head off with a scythe or something? Or will I be turned into chunks of meat again? Maybe I'll get some salt and pepper this time.

Nope, nothing at all. Anyway, would you like some more tea?

No, thank you.

Guests...?

Great Witches from the Senate, Voyager witches who are trying to escape boredom in their endless travels, powerful witches who have woken from century-long sleeps, as well as witches who control the future world and noble witch hunters. It seems she's planning to hold a grand party tonight.

Is it a birthday party or something?

From what I've heard, while the great Lady Beatrice, the Endless Witch, is an outsider among witches, she's also the genius who created her cat box out of her formidable magical compendium, the endless factory capable of producing endless tales. From my point of view, she's just stupid and a weak finisher, but in the world of great witches, she's apparently pretty famous.

So this is Beatrice's birthday party?

Everyone in that huge crowd is going to one dinner party? I'm not sure what's stronger, my shock at how famous Beatrice is, or my revulsion at those sleazebags.

For you, the Book of the Single Truth is nothing more than an end. However, for all of those enjoying the mystery of Rokkenjima, this is an event that can't be missed.

I see. So, that's a crowd of those goats who're chewing Battler's game board apart.

Looks like this is the end for Beatrice and the cat box.

Beato and the others have holed up in the Golden Land, the last leftovers from the game board. Battler and Beato have strengthened their defenses and destroyed the first wave, but they won't be able to stop the second. My master has given me an armada capable of destroying the very concept of defensive measures. The Golden Land's ramparts are as good as gone.

Those goats who appeared all over the island... They're the personification of random opinions in the future, and all of them want the island's tale to be a tragedy.

That's right. Those goats keep getting born from the sea of the internet. That first wave was just the riffraff. The second wave will be entirely different. It's made up of the best of the best, the elite goats selected from the crowd that are capable of denying all the cowering pieces one by one. In total, they number in the hundreds of thousands. A hundred thousand people to deny the existence of a few dozen people hiding on an island.