Tobias

 ???: Well? What have you to say for yourself?
Tobias: ......

Elisanne: Listen to me, Curran!
Curran: Sorry. No can do.
Elisanne: Please, you must!
Elisanne: Tobias cannot possibly be a heretic!
Curran: An inquisitor's job is to determine such facts for themselves.
Curran: ...Greetings. My name is Curran, and I am the inquisitor for your case.
Tobias: ......
Curran: Not one for talking, eh?
Tobias: What would be the point? I'm well aware that judgment has already been rendered for those accused of heresy.
Curran: For most inquisitors, that's sadly true. But I believe in judging heretics fairly, which means approaching them with an open mind and heart.
Curran: I would hear the truth from you.
Tobias: That's an interesting stance for an inquisitor.
Curran: Perhaps we can start by reading your file. Tell me if you hear any mistakes.
Tobias: Very well.
Curran: Your name is Paladyn Tobias. You were born the son of a bishop.
Curran: After being named Paladyn, you took part in the civil war at the Belitz diocese. After helping to quell it, you were assigned to serve a cardinal. Are we good so far?
Tobias: This is all correct, yes.
Curran: Later, you were given a variety of tasks, including escorting priests through dangerous regions and educating new recruits.
Curran: But these tasks all had one thing in common: they concerned the perditionists.
Curran: Do you sympathize with their claims, then? Do you believe the Other to be Ilia's child?
Tobias: Your dismissive tone makes clear your belief that the Scrolls of Perdition are naught but heretical apocrypha.
Curran: I side with no faction—only the truth.
Curran: Back to it, then! After a meeting of the Ecclesiastical Council, you were relieved of your post and assigned to a lesser position at the Mistell diocese.
Curran: To go from serving a cardinal to tending shop in the middle of nowhere is a rather sudden demotion, is it not?
Tobias: That does not concern this inquisition. However, all you have said so far is true. Please continue, if you would.
Curran: While you were in the Mistell diocese, you injured a dragon living in the woods.
Curran: Recite the creed of the Ilian Church, Paladyn Tobias.
Tobias: "Respect both Ilia and dragonkind, and guide all people to prosperity."
Tobias: Any mewling babe could tell you such.
Curran: Then you were fully aware of your actions when turning your blade on that dragon?
Curran: Inflicting harm upon the creatures you are sworn to revere is a crime against Ilia.
Curran: Well? What have you to say for yourself?
Tobias: I acted as I must. I did my duty.
Curran: You can't be serious.
Tobias: I am very serious, Inquisitor Curran.
Curran: You just admitted that our duty is to revere dragons, yet you attacked one!
Curran: Do you not see the contradiction?
Tobias: Even the teachings of Ilia are open to interpretation.
Curran: But the makings of heresy are not.
Curran: When a layman does wrong, they pay a fine. Maybe spend a little time in jail. But when a Paladyn does wrong... they are burned alive.
Curran: Having been reminded of this, is there any aspect of your story you would like to change or elaborate upon?
Tobias: My unwavering stance is proof of my faith.
Tobias: I'll not change it for you or anyone, no matter what fires await me.
 ???: Wait!
Elisanne: I refuse to believe this, Tobias! I won't!
Tobias: Oh. You.
Guard: Very sorry, sir! I tried to stop her, so I did, but blimey, she's strong!
Curran: Honestly...
Elisanne: Why, Tobias? Why have you been branded as heretic?
Tobias: Because I injured a dragon.
Elisanne: But there must have been a REASON!
Tobias: The only reason for any of my actions is my belief.
Elisanne: Our belief is in the will of the Goddess Ilia! Why would you hurt one of her creatures?!
Tobias: ......
Elisanne: Why won't you talk to me?!
Tobias: This discussion is over. I have nothing further to say.
Elisanne: You haven't answered my question!
Tobias: Because the answer does not concern you. Do not involve yourself in this, Elisanne.
Tobias: Inquisitor Curran? Kindly escort the Paladyn from here, if you would.
Curran: I thought you'd be stubborn, but this... Fair enough. We'll pick it up tomorrow.
Elisanne: I won't let you do this, Tobias!
Elisanne: I WILL prove your innocence!
Tobias: Kindly keep her from here in the future if you would, my good man.
Guard: Cor, I don't take no orders from heretics! Now just sit there and don't try none'a yer witchy tricks, ya hear?
Tobias: I have no plans to run or hide, sir. I will remain here, no matter the outcome.
Tobias: "The will of the Goddess Ilia..."

Elisanne: This must be the village in the Mistell diocese where Tobias was dispatched.
Elisanne: I pray I can find something here which might prove his innocence.
 ???: Look there! See that halo she wears? She's with the Church!
Elisanne: Hmm? Who's there?
Villager 1: You Ilia types got no business in this here village!
Elisanne: No, wait! Listen to me, good people! I have not come here to cause you ill!
Villager 2: We've no need of your Church here. Now leave before you can't walk!
Elisanne: Wait! I only wish to—
Villager 1: Shoulda listened to me, girly. Haaaah!
Curran: ...You okay?
Elisanne: C-Curran? Why are you here?
Curran: I'll fill you in on the whole story later. Right now, we gotta split—and fast!
Curran: *pant* Okay, we should be safe now.
Elisanne: My thanks, Curran. But if I may ask again, what brings you to this place?
Curran: Same thing that brought you, I imagine: I'm looking for the truth.
Curran: Tobias isn't telling anyone the most important part of his story.
Elisanne: You mean WHY he attacked the dragon?
Curran: That's it. The higher-ups just wanna light him up and get it over with, but I never could leave a mystery unsolved.
Curran: Because if you know the truth, the truth shall bet your peas!
Elisanne: ...Er, yes. Right. Regardless, I believe I understand why you are here.
Curran: Thanks for not... You know. Making a big deal of that last bit there.
Curran: Anyway, what's your take on that village?
Elisanne: A den for heretics, mostlike. They set upon me the moment they saw my halo.
Curran: I don't blame you for thinking that, but these folks have actually never been accused of heresy.
Curran: In fact, until recently, they welcomed both priest and Paladyn with open arms.
Elisanne: Then why have they suddenly branded the Church as their enemy?
Curran: It started when Tobias was arrested.
Curran: Once that happened, their stance on the Church changed overnight.
Curran: That's why I thought I might learn something here, but... Well, it's hard to learn when you're busy running for your life.
Curran: Forget filling me in on what happened— they won't even let me into the village. I'm a bit out of ideas here, to be honest.
Elisanne: Actually, I may have an idea. Might I speak with Tobias again?
Curran: Wait. You're not thinking of...
Elisanne: If we cannot get information from the villagers, we've no choice but to get it from the man himself.
Curran: Only inquisitors are allowed to speak to people charged with heresy.
Curran: Buuuut...this sounds like our only option. And if anyone can get that bird to sing, it's most likely you.
Curran: Still, are you sure you want to do this? If the higher-ups learn about this plan, we're both gonna be in a world of hurt.
Elisanne: I seek only to know the truth of this matter, and accept the consequences of my action.
Elisanne: Besides, I...I owe him.
Tobias: I've been assigned a new inquisitor, eh?
Curran: That's right. Anyway, I'll just let the two of you get acquainted.
Tobias: I apologize for wasting your time, inquisitor, but I have nothing to tell you that I haven't already told your comrade in arms.
Tobias: So I suggest you lea... YOU!
Tobias: Explain yourself, Elisanne! What are you doing here?!
Elisanne: I have just returned from that village.
Tobias: !
Elisanne: What happened there, Tobias?
Tobias: ......
Elisanne: They are attacking members of the Church. Has the whole village turned heretic?
Elisanne: Or is this related to the conflict between the conservatives and perditionists?
Tobias: That village has nothing to do with our conflict, and no bias towards either side.
Tobias: And even if they were a village of perditionists, they would have no reason to help me.
Elisanne: Is this related to the time you saved me?
Tobias: Idle speculation benefits none.
Elisanne: I know you well enough to think there is more to this story. Above all, you have ever wished for the happiness of everyone.
Elisanne: So if you are claiming to have become a heretic, I reject that notion utterly.
Tobias: Tell me, Paladyn: What is heresy to you? What constitutes a proper faith?
Elisanne: That is no mean question.
Tobias: Indeed. If it were, the Church would not be divided as it is now.
Tobias: Still, this division has taught us one thing: Faith is not constant.
Tobias: To enact change, one must discard old traditions. That is why I took up my blade.
Elisanne: Then you attacked that dragon because of some new faith?
Tobias: Beliefs that take the lives of the innocent must be cast aside, or we shall never know true happiness.
Elisanne: What beliefs are you talking about? What is your ultimate aim here?
Tobias: ...Very well. As you swore to aim for the same ideals as me, I shall tell you.
Tobias: Now come. Make yourself comfortable, and let me tell you of lives stolen away by outdated and rotten beliefs...

Tobias: O imperfect soul, be taken upon the flow of mana and go with the favor of the goddess. May you find peace in her arms.
Paladyn: Have you finished your burials, Tobias?
Tobias: This was the last. And having finished, I would ask you something.
Paladyn: Go on.
Tobias: Did we truly need to purge so many?
Paladyn: These people rejected Ilia's blessings and became heretics of their own will. To a man, they got what they deserved.
Paladyn: By putting them to the sword, we prevent their souls from becoming even more sullied. In this way do we save them.
Paladyn: Now if you are finished, we need to begin clearing away this rubble.
Tobias: We "save" them? But how can— Ah!
Tobias: Ho there! Who threw that stone?
Child: MURDERER!
Mother: Please don't harm my boy! I beg of you!
Child: Don't defend him! He killed Daddy!
Tobias: I've no intention of harming you or your child, good woman.
Mother: ......
Tobias: The battle is over. Any reason we may have had to fight is gone.
Mother: Then why did you kill my husband?
Tobias: The bishop was murdered and churches attacked. We did not start this conflict.
Child: Yes you did! YOU were the ones who started taking US away!
Tobias: What do you mean, child?
Mother: We were told the dragons required sacrifices.
Tobias: That's preposterous.
Mother: You can play the fool all you like, but that's exactly what your bishop told us.
Mother: We were told we had to make offerings to the dragons, and to the development of the Church. ...Offerings. Pah! Taxes are more like it, for we'd little choice in the matter!
Mother: Then we were told our monetary sacrifices were no longer enough, and that only by offering our very lives to the dragons could we hope to find salvation!
Tobias: You speak madness!
Mother: All we wanted was to live in peace, yet your Church took everything from us! Why?! Why have you done this?!
Mother: You're nothing but a pack of murderers killing in the name of a mad goddess!
Paladyn: *gasp* Heresy and slander! ...Come, men! Take this woman and clap her in irons!
Tobias: Wait! We need to listen to—
Paladyn: She'll have all the time in the world to speak once her inquisitor arrives. Now seize her AND her child!
Mother: No! Not my son! PLEASE!
Tobias: ...This is no salvation.
Tobias: The Church's members follow and worship Ilia that they might find happiness.
Tobias: And this—this...MADNESS—flies in the face of everything we hold dear!
Tobias: Guide me, O Ilia! Show me the way! Why does your Church even exist if this is to be the result?!
Elisanne: ...Then the cause of the civil war was the Church's own barbarism?
Tobias: Exactly. It was the end result of a faith that had grown twisted.
Tobias: When a faith has fallen so low as to claim innocent lives, it is time for it to be left in the past.
Elisanne: Then the reason you came down on the side of the perditionists...
Tobias: Yes. I thought perhaps lives could be spared if the Church were to change.
Tobias: Even if that change caused bloodshed in the initial phase, such sacrifices could be justified if they served to usher in a new era of wisdom and peace.
Tobias: But our Church continued to rot from within, becoming more malicious by the day. That was when I knew even more drastic measures would be required.
Elisanne: Is that what led you to attack the dragon?
Elisanne: Surely there must have been some other way to get what you wanted.
Tobias: Righteous beliefs and heretical ones are two sides of the same coin.
Tobias: I won't ask you to understand my beliefs. I just ask that you leave me alone.
Elisanne: There is only one way this will end: with your charred corpse tied to a stake. Is that truly the result you desire?
Elisanne: Are you willing to die before achieving all you have set out to accomplish?
Tobias: Only the heavens know who is truly right. If my beliefs are heresy, it is only correct that I am judged for them.
Tobias: Also, I do not prize my own safety and welfare over holding fast my convictions. They are not so cheap as all that.
Elisanne: That much is clear.
Tobias: Enough. We have talked overlong. Kindly leave me be.
Elisanne: ......
Elisanne: (I now understand why he objects to the Church's current state.)
Elisanne: (But I ALSO understand he is thinking of people's happiness as much as ever.)
Elisanne: O Ilia, pray lend me your wisdom.
Elisanne: What are righteous beliefs? What is heresy?

Elisanne: (Tobias still seeks people's happiness, even with his own life in the balance. Surely such a heart cannot have been stained with darkness.)
Elisanne: (He cannot be a heretic. He CANNOT. But I'll need to find proof of such before his trial If I am to... Ah, excellent. The villagers have arrived!)
Elisanne: Listen to me, all of you!
Elisanne: Pray spare a moment and hear my words, for I seek to aid Paladyn Tobias!
Villager 1: Hold up, everyone!
Villager 1: ...Well, girly? Care to explain what you're doin' here when it was your own Church what up and took him away?
Elisanne: Tobias is currently being tried as a heretic by the Church for harming a dragon.
Elisanne: But I cannot imagine him doing such an act without just cause.
Elisanne: I MUST learn of what happened here, and you are the only ones who can tell me.
Child: Please help Mr. Tobias!
Child: It's my fault... It's 'cause I... *sniff*
Elisanne: Soft, little one. Soft. Talk to me. Why do you say this is your fault?
Village Chief: I will explain that on her behalf.
Villager 2: Don't be a fool! You can't trust this one— she's from the Church!
Village Chief: And yet she appears genuine in her desire to help Tobias.
Village Chief: Pray forgive my people their impudence. I will tell you what you wish to know.
Village Chief: I'll tell you all about that day...
Tobias: Your granddaughter has gone missing?!
Village Chief: Yes. She's not been seen since yesterday.
Village Chief: Please, you must help me find her!
Tobias: We Paladyns have a duty to defend Ilia's faithful; I will do all I can.
Tobias: Expand the search outside the village! Leave no stone unturned!
Templars: Right away!
Templar: I bring ill news: We found a child's ribbon at the entrance to the forest.
Tobias: The poor thing must have gone inside!
Tobias: Assemble a search party at once. Split up and investigate every inch of that forest!
Templar: Er, I'm afraid we can't enter the forest.
Tobias: And why not?
Templar: Because that forest is where this diocese's guardian dragon lives.
Templar: We have no place entering it.
Village Chief: But what of my granddaughter?! What will happen to her?!
Templar: I'm afraid all we can do is wait for her to return and let Ilia's will be done.
Tobias: Then I will go.
Templar: You cannot! The Church's creed is to respect Ilia and dragonkind!
Templar: We knights of the Church need follow that more than any! We cannot invade a dragon's territory!
Tobias: You seem to be forgetting the second half of the creed. Do we not also have a duty to guide people to prosperity?
Tobias: Ilia's faithful are not dragons, but people!
Tobias: The Ilian Church exists for the sake of mankind—and Ilia's true wish is the heresy of saving them, not the belief they should be left to die!
Elisanne: ...So he ended up entering the forest.
Village Chief: And in so doing, saved my granddaughter.
Village Chief: But his actions earned the ire of the dragon.
Elisanne: Leaving him no choice but to defend himself.
Villager 3: The moment he returned from the forest, he was seized by the other Paladyns.
Villager 3: They branded him a heretic for harming that dragon, so they did!
Villager 2: Tobias is a hero who saved a child, and any church that calls him a heretic is sorely mistaken!
Villager 2: Oh, the Church is real fine when it comes to preachin', but when do they actually save anyone?!
Village Chief: Enough of that now. You are in the presence of a Paladyn!
Villager 3: It's like we don't even understand the teachings of Ilia no more.
Villager 3: We pray and we pray, but none of us actually think it'll do much good.
Village Chief: Until the moment he was taken away, Tobias told us to believe in her. And yet...
Elisanne: I see.
Elisanne: (I knew he was no heretic! Yes, he took up his blade to defend these people, but his heart was always with the Goddess.)
Elisanne: (If he had left that child to her fate, these people would have resented the Church, leading to a repeat of what happened in the Belitz diocese.)
Elisanne: (Tobias tried to protect these people AND their faith—which makes my path clear!)
Villager 1: If it comes to it, we'll take up arms to go and rescue him!
Elisanne: I fear the use of force will only make his predicament worse.
Elisanne: I think I know a way to save him... but to do it, I need your help.
Village Chief: Oh ho! Perhaps Tobias was right after all!
Village Chief: Your arrival was clearly ordained by Ilia, which means she hasn't abandoned us!
Village Chief: Help him, good Paladyn! Help Tobias!
Elisanne: I shall. Now permit me to explain my plan, if you would...
Julietta: Bad news, Elly!
Elisanne: What is it?
Julietta: Tobias's trial is going to take place earlier than planned!
Elisanne: No!

Neutral Priest: I hereby proclaim the trial of Paladyn Tobias in session.
Neutral Priest: Inquisitor, you may present the findings of your investigation.
Curran: The accused is believed to have harmed a dragon while posted in the Mistell diocese.
Neutral Priest: What reason does he give for this act?
Curran: He proclaims to have "done his duty."
Conservative Priest: I have a question for the accused: What "duty" do you refer to?
Tobias: My duty is the same as all Paladyns: To embody the creed of the Ilian Church.
Tobias: That creed is at the heart of all I do.
Neutral Priest: You are suggesting you were following the creed even while in Mistell?
Tobias: I am.
Perditionist Priest: Even though you attacked a dragon—which that selfsame creed says we must revere?
Conservative Priest: Clearly you were not content with merely spreading your heretical teachings and felt the need to claim the life of a dragon!
Conservative Priest: Tell me, do you worship the Other as well?
Tobias: My heart is ever with Ilia.
Conservative Priest: And yet you are a fervent perditionist!
Tobias: Is that a problem?
Tobias: Lest we forget, the creed of the Church is: "Respect both Ilia and dragonkind, and guide all people to prosperity."
Tobias: That means Ilia's wish—and our goal as Her followers—is to grant happiness to ALL forms of life.
Tobias: As the Other lives, so too must we accept and love him. Or do you suggest that granting Ilia's wishes is also heresy?
Conservative Priest: The creed is meant only for pure souls! The Other's soul was stained with darkness, and so does not apply.
Tobias: You would dare to call Ilia's own child "stained with darkness"?
Tobias: Because that is what the Other is. Turning your eyes from this truth is foolishness itself.
Conservative Priest: I need not subscribe to your insane beliefs, perditionist!
Hildegarde: Calm yourselves. We have not come here to engage in factional disputes.
Perditionist Priest: I agree—this is neither the time nor the place for such.
Perditionist Priest: We've more important matters to discuss.
Perditionist Priest: ...Such as why the accused forgot the will of the Goddess.
Tobias: ......
Perditionist Priest: Another Paladyn stationed in Mistell has given a most concerning testimony.
Perditionist Priest: He claims he heard you say that "Ilia's true wish is heresy" before going into the dragon's forest.
Curran: We heard testimony along those lines as well.
Perditionist Priest: Your actions pollute the very goddess you profess to follow!
Perditionist Priest: To claim to act in Ilia's name while spreading falsehoods and creating more heretics is naught but blasphemy!
Tobias: The people of that diocese are not heretics, but devoted followers of Ilia.
Perditionist Priest: Then why did they drive members of the Church from their village?
Tobias: I can see two potential causes for followers of a church to turn on it:
Tobias: One is when those followers cast aside their faith and become heretics...
Tobias: And the other is when a church commits a crime against those followers.
Neutral Priest: Mind your words!
Tobias: Did you not ask me to explain the reason behind my actions? Then let me do so. It all started when a child from that village wandered into a dragon's forest.
Tobias: The other knights, cowed by their reverence for the dragon, refused to go to her aid.
Tobias: But if no one had gone looking for her, she might not have returned alive.
Perditionist Priest: Perhaps that was the will of the Goddess.
Tobias: I have a question for all followers of Ilia: For whom does the Church exist?
Tobias: I will answer! It exists for its faithful— it exists for the PEOPLE!
Tobias: Our Church exists to BENEFIT mankind, not to harm it!
Conservative Priest: We are well aware of this!
Tobias: Are you, though? I fear followers of the old Church have become so focused on its laws that they've lost sight of what's most important: the happiness of people.
Tobias: That is why I followed my faith—my devotion to carrying out the will of Ilia, who loves all living things—and turned my blade on that dragon.
Conservative Priest: Spare us your mental gymnastics!
Tobias: Logic is on my side, Father.
Tobias: Tell me, what reason could there be for the formerly devout followers of the Church in Mistell to turn against it?
Tobias: Their actions only serve as proof that the Church has lost its way.
Conservative Priest: How much longer must we suffer these inane arguments, Your Excellency? Deliver your verdict and have done with it!
Tobias: I will accept whatever punishment you see fit to give me...but remember this!
Tobias: Divine beings are only divine so long as they have followers to worship them.
Tobias: If the Church's leadership fails to grasp this, then the Church has no future!
Neutral Priest: I've heard enough of your nonsense! I am ready to deliver my verdict.
 ???: Wait!
Curran: You're...
Village Chief: Tobias is no heretic, but a messenger of Ilia!
Villager: He found a lost child in the woods of our guardian dragon, and he did so thanks to Ilia's own guidance!
Hildegarde: Now THIS is getting good!
Child: Mr. Tobias saved my life!
Child: And he told me to believe in Ilia no matter what!
Child: So I prayed lots and lots—and then we made friends with the dragon again!
Perditionist Priest: Child, are you telling me you rode here on that dragon's BACK?!
Curran: The kid prayed to Ilia, and the dragon lent a hand. Sounds like the Goddess at work to me!
Hildegarde: These villagers also testified that Tobias told them to uphold Ilia's teachings.
Hildegarde: Do you still intend to declare him heretic and see him punished?
Conservative Priest: I most certainly do—for he is a heretic of the most dangerous sort! A man who worships the Other over Ilia and whose very existence endangers lives!
Tobias: I am not the dangerous one here.
Tobias: Indeed, I think far more danger is posed by people who only cast their eyes upwards, and in doing so fail to see the common world around them.
Conservative Priest: What?!
Tobias: A religion that disregards the well-being of its adherents will never save anyone. ...But what of the opposite?
Tobias: I believe that was proven this day. Those whose welfare is cared for— like these villagers—will reaffirm their faith.
Conservative Priest: Silence! I will not be lectured on the Ilian Church by someone whose soul has been purchased by the Other!
Tobias: You act as though I see you as my enemy, yet nothing could be further from the truth.
Tobias: As I told you before, Ilia's wish is the happiness of all life.
Tobias: So I must love you in her name as I would anyone else.
Conservative Priest: !
Neutral Priest: Silence! I have reached my verdict. ...The charges against Tobias are found to be false.
Hildegarde: His actions did not lead anyone else to heresy, and the dragon he harmed has granted forgiveness.
Hildegarde: If the dragon can forgive, it stands to reason the Goddess has done also. This is no heretic, but a Paladyn who protected the happiness of Ilia's children.
Neutral Priest: But even if not heretical, acting alone in such an extreme manner and preaching that the Goddess condones heresy are hardly praiseworthy actions. As such...
Elisanne: Are you all right, Tobias?
Tobias: I take it you were responsible for the villagers' arrival?
Elisanne: Yes, and I am glad we made it in time. Had the dragon not chosen to aid us, we likely would have been too late.
Tobias: You truly are a woman like no other.
Elisanne: And you are equally unbelievable, Paladyn Tobias. One wrong move, and you'd be on the stake by now.
Tobias: If my death somehow led people to question the current state of the Church, it would have proved a worthy demise.
Elisanne: Still, I wish you would have at least confided in me about all of this. There was no need to shut me out.
Tobias: If comporting with me ended up with you being branded a heretic as well, who would be left to realize our ideal?
Tobias: Regardless, I'm thankful for what you did. The villagers' testimonies will likely lead to change in churches across the region.
Elisanne: Still, I didn't expect you to be exiled to a remote northern region as punishment.
Elisanne: Sending you to Dezes makes it perfectly clear they want to be shed of you.
Tobias: I care not where I am sent; my mission will remain the same regardless.
Elisanne: Then let me end with this, Paladyn: it gladdens me that you yet live.
Tobias: My thanks to the Goddess for her mercy and wisdom.
Tobias: (O Goddess above, permit me to mete out justice in your name for as long as I live.)
Tobias: (If I am able to serve as your blade for eternity, I will want for nothing else!)

Otherworldly Fiend: I'iii...iyaAH... Aaagh...
Otherworldly Fiend: GroooAAAR!

Elderly Villager: I must thank you again. Your efforts have kept our village safe from fiends.
Elderly Villager: You truly are a messenger of the Goddess Ilia, Tobias.
Faeblessed Tobias: It is a Paladyn's calling to protect the people's happiness. I only did my duty as a knight of the Church stationed here.
Elderly Villager: Oh ho ho! Ever the humble one. Well, we'll be singing the Goddess's praises for sending you to us till the end of our days.
Faeblessed Tobias: Sir, I'm hardly—
Faeblessed Tobias: What? The gem is glowing?!
Faeblessed Tobias: (If the Goddess's protective charm is responding... Is Nino in danger again? No... This is different from the last time.)
Village Boy: W-we've got trouble, Mister Tobias! Fiends in the village, sir! A whole flood of 'em!
Faeblessed Tobias: What?!

Female Villager's Voice: Aaaaaaah!
Female Villager: S-stay back... Please! Somebody help!
Faeblessed Tobias: Are you all right?!
Female Villager: Tobias! Thank the Goddess you came!
Faeblessed Tobias: I live to protect the happiness of Her beloved children. That alone is a Paladyn's duty!
Female Villager: Amazing... You felled it in the blink of an eye.
Faeblessed Tobias: There's no time for standing slack-jawed. Get to safety, quickly!
Female Villager: R-right!
Faeblessed Tobias: Is there anyone else still left behind?
Faeblessed Tobias: Rgh! They just keep coming. Where are this many fiends even coming from?
Faeblessed Tobias: The gem is responding again...
Faeblessed Tobias: An Otherworld rift! Then is that what this light is about?
Fiend: ...iii...iyAAAaH!
Faeblessed Tobias: (Fiends are pouring forth from the rift. I have to find some way to close it!)
Faeblessed Tobias: This feeling I'm getting from the armor... It's worth a try.
Faeblessed Tobias: Hraaaaah!
Faeblessed Tobias: Rgh... Nearly there! Rrraaaaagh!
Faeblessed Tobias: *heave* *pant* It's... It's over...

Faeblessed Tobias: (Can't...move my...body... What's happened to me?)
 ???: ...ia, I wanted...with you again...
Faeblessed Tobias: (That voice... It's the same one I heard before when wearing the armor.)

???: I'm proud of you for choosing to leave this world to secure peace for those of us left behind.
 ???: For you, I gave up my name, my home... I gave up everything to watch over this world you protected to the last.

???: But even if I lose everything, as long as I can keep the ones I love safe...!
Faeblessed Tobias: (The voice is coming from inside my own head. Just who is this woman?)

???: I want to protect you because I love you. You, and this world. You may not share my blood, but... I'm your mother.
 ???: What reason does a mother need? All my heart and all my might exist to protect the happiness of my beloved children...

Faeblessed Tobias: (Those words! Then, was she...?!)
 ???: I pray that whoever holds this now will use it to safeguard the future.

Faeblessed Tobias: (This light is the same as that given off by the gem. I know now who speaks!)

Faeblessed Tobias: That was...a scene of the past, from when this armor was made. Its creator's thoughts flowed into my mind.

???: I pray that whoever holds this now will use it to safeguard the future.

Faeblessed Tobias: The heartfelt plea of a woman who had given everything in service of her pure desire for all to live lives of contentment...
Faeblessed Tobias: It's the same wish I've harbored for so long.

Tobias's Father: Love is aught given to others, Tobias. Think not of yourself, but dedicate all your heart and all your might to others' happiness.

Faeblessed Tobias: My father's teachings... The Goddess's divine spirit resides here with me!
Faeblessed Tobias: I swear, here and now! I will hold this lesson close and give all I have to shepherd Her children toward a world of peace!
Faeblessed Tobias: That is my duty as Paladyn—as the one who inherited this holy relic. And I will see it done, even if I must forfeit my life!

Nurse Aeleen: ...There. You're all set, dear.
Faeblessed Tobias: Sorry to trouble you for an examination.
Nurse Aeleen: Not at all. I'm a nurse! If anything, I should be the one to apologize...
Faeblessed Tobias: Please, you've done more than enough. The medicine you've given me feels like it's helping considerably.
Nurse Aeleen: Just the same, don't push yourself. The medication is only a stopgap measure. It can stabilize your mana for now, but...
Nurse Aeleen: Until we can learn the root cause of your condition, I'm afraid there's no telling when you might lose consciousness again.
Faeblessed Tobias: The root cause...

Faeblessed Tobias: This ends here! HAAAH!
Faeblessed Tobias: Nrgh, this sensation... I fear it's... But even so, I've a duty to see done.
Girl's Voice: Wait... Tobias?!
Nino: What happened to you? Don't tell me a fiend did this! Given your strength, I can't imagine...
Faeblessed Tobias: Nino? Why are you here?
Nino: That's my line. Why are you out here in the middle of nowhere? Actually, forget that. You look like you're in pain. You all right?
Faeblessed Tobias: Yes, I just...need a little while to rest. ...Ngh!
Nino: You always pull this tough-guy act when you're falling apart!
Nino: I've got a little hideout nearby. Let's get you there so you can rest up.

Nino: Well? Caught your breath?
Faeblessed Tobias: Yes. I feel much better, thank you.
Faeblessed Tobias: (This home looks exactly like the one from the memories the armor showed to me. Does that mean that woman used to...?)
Nino: Curious about this place, I take it?
Nino: It was a hideout my ancestor once used. It's made for a convenient hub between all my travels.
Nino: Or...was there something specific about it on your mind?
Faeblessed Tobias: There was, actually.

Nino: ...I see. So you came here to find the cause of your condition.
Faeblessed Tobias: I didn't have any other leads to pursue. Plus, I was curious to see where this armor was made firsthand.
Nino: Huh. I didn't take you for such a free spirit.
Faeblessed Tobias: I'm not simply sightseeing, you know.
Nino: I know. I was only teasing. But back to your condition...
Nino: Wait there a second. When I was cleaning this place up, I found a journal containing an interesting tidbit. I think it's...here?
Faeblessed Tobias: ......
Nino: Aha. Found it. Anyway, I flipped through it earlier, and there was a mention of that armor among my ancestor's notes.
Nino: I was curious, but I felt a little bad reading someone else's diary, so I didn't dig too deep into it.
Nino: The passage was around... Here, yeah. "The tremendous protection imbued in the armor brings with it tremendous strain."
Nino: "Wearing it disrupts one's mana, meaning that extended wear will cause even the ideal user to eventually—"
Faeblessed Tobias: Burn their own life force and die, I assume?
Nino: That's horrible! But...back when you saved me, there was no sign of that at all!
Faeblessed Tobias: I suppose that means I'm close to that "ideal user." At first, it must not have had a noticeable effect on my internal mana.
Nino: But if you keep wearing it...
Faeblessed Tobias: Thank you, Nino. That clarifies the cause of my malady. It was just as I suspected.
Nino: At least now you know never to use it again. Even the best armor isn't much help if it kills you.
Faeblessed Tobias: Actually...
Nino: Wait. Don't tell me you plan to keep wearing it? Tobias, you could DIE!
Faeblessed Tobias: I understand that. But I want to protect the people's happiness however I can, even if it comes at the cost of my life.
Nino: Why push yourself to such extremes?
Faeblessed Tobias: My father was a bishop of the Church. Stern, but kind. He always put the needs of the faithful above his own.
Faeblessed Tobias: He was the sort of man who would share his last crumb of bread with his neighbor, even if he went starving.
Faeblessed Tobias: He rarely smiled, but everyone who came to see him left with a smile. I loved him dearly, and respect him with all my heart.
Faeblessed Tobias: I became a knight because I wanted to be like him. To serve others.
Nino: That's still no reason to sacrifice your own life in the process.
Faeblessed Tobias: But that's the ideal I've chased all my life. And it's the will imbued into this armor.
Nino: You're telling me that armor has a will?
Faeblessed Tobias: I've inherited the resolve She put into it— the will of the Goddess to see the people made happy, even at the cost of Her life.
Faeblessed Tobias: For that, I will fight until my body breaks!
Nino: A laudable sentiment, yes, but—!
Faeblessed Tobias: Please don't stop me, Nino. This is my duty to see done.
Nino: Tobias...

Faeblessed Tobias: HAAAAH!
Faeblessed Tobias: Phew. That should be the last of the fiends in the area.
Faeblessed Tobias: (A sudden surge in the fiend population... There must be another rift nearby. I have to find and seal it.)
Faeblessed Tobias: ...Krgh?!
Nino: Tobias! Are you all right?!
Faeblessed Tobias: Nino... Why are you here in Dezes?
Nino: I came to check in on you. How could I not, after what you said when we parted?
Faeblessed Tobias: I'm sorry to have worried you.
Nino: Forget that. You're pale. ...How bad is it?
Faeblessed Tobias: If my suffering allows these people to live in safety and happiness, I will gladly endure.
Nino: How can you say that?! I'm guessing you haven't even given yourself the time to rest. You have to allow your body to heal!
Faeblessed Tobias: I'm afraid I don't have the luxury. Fiend savagery has been on a sharp rise in Dezes lately.
Faeblessed Tobias: It has to be cut off at the source before the damage spreads any further, and I'm the only one here able to do that.
Nino: But if you keep this madness up, you really will end up dead!
Faeblessed Tobias: ...I'm aware. And when that time comes—
Boy's Voice: Mister Tobias! Help!
Faeblessed Tobias: Has something happened to your village?!
Village Boy: F-fiends, sir! They're coming in droves! And one of them is way stronger than the rest!
Faeblessed Tobias: Nino, I'm leaving him with you!
Nino: Leaving him—hey! I'm telling you, your body can't...! Rrgh, that stubborn ox!

Faeblessed Tobias: Thankfully, it seems the villagers have all evacuated. But a pack of fiends this large...
Otherworldly Fiend: GrrRRROAR!
Faeblessed Tobias: Is that the one the boy mentioned?! This evil mana... It's almost like...!
Otherworldly Fiend: Iiii... iLi...iAaa...! CuRsE... CuRSe yOU, cuRsE YoU, CurSE yOU, cuRSe yoU, CUrse YoU! ElySiuM... ELYSIUUUM!
Faeblessed Tobias: A remnant of the Other?! Has its powerful hatred for the Goddess and the Holywyrm taken hold of a fiend?
Otherworldly Fiend: GrAAaaAH!
Fiend: ...iiiiLiaAAaa! EelYsiUuuM!
Faeblessed Tobias: The wrathful evil residing in that fiend is spreading to the others!
Faeblessed Tobias: I have to sever it at the root. Rrgh, out of my way! I have business with that one!
Faeblessed Tobias: Grrngh?!
Nino: That was cutting it awfully close.
Faeblessed Tobias: ...I'm sorry. And thank you. Where is the boy?
Nino: Don't worry. He's with the other villagers in a safe place.
Otherworldly Fiend: GrrrRrgH... GrRRAOOOAR!
Nino: That sinister mana... There's no question that one's the boss.
Faeblessed Tobias: It seems able to create otherworld rifts and pull new minions into this world.
Nino: Then I guess we'll have to start with him.
Faeblessed Tobias: Agreed. But...
Otherworldly Fiend: GROAARAAARGH!
Faeblessed Tobias: We can't leave the small fry unchecked while we take it down.
Nino: Then you keep an eye on them while I handle the big one.
Faeblessed Tobias: Wait. It's too powerful to—
Nino: Nope. I'm not letting you push yourself too far when I'm right here. I want you alive, Tobias. So this is MY fight!
Faeblessed Tobias: WAIT! Rgh, stubborn girl...
Nino: Hraaaah!
Faeblessed Tobias: (There's no stopping her now. All I can do is hurry and clear out these underlings so I can join her!)
Faeblessed Tobias: Nraaaaah!
Nino: Grgh?! This is insanely strong!
Nino: No—aaaaaugh!
Faeblessed Tobias: NINO!
Faeblessed Tobias: Out of my WAY!
Nino: Tobias, don't! You can't use that!
Faeblessed Tobias: Rrraaaaagh!
Otherworldly Fiend: SkrEeeAGh?!
Faeblessed Tobias: Begone!
Otherworldly Fiend: GnRGH... iiLiaAAaAH!
Faeblessed Tobias: *heave* *gasp* Rngh!
Nino: TOBIAS! I told you not to... Why?! Stupid...STUPID!
Faeblessed Tobias: I'm sorry. But I...told you, didn't I? That I'll gladly give my life to...protect Her beloved children...
Nino: Wait... Tobias, please! What are you going to do?! You can't! Please, stop! Any more, and you really will die!
Faeblessed Tobias: All my heart and...all my might... This is my duty. This is the will of this armor!
Faeblessed Tobias: Even if it means my death, I give it gladly!
Faeblessed Tobias: Rgh... GrrraaaAAAH!
Faeblessed Tobias: There. Now, I...can...

Nino: No, Tobias... TOBIAS! NOOOOOOOOO!

Faeblessed Tobias: I can't see anything. Ah. So I've died...
Faeblessed Tobias: I have no regrets. I swore to protect the people at the cost of my own life, and I have seen that oath through. My death is—
Faeblessed Tobias: What is this light?!

???: Good. Now this armor should allow the wearer to withstand the otherworld.
 ???: I have to say, making something like this for myself really highlights what a genius she was.
 ???: She was so truly precious...
Faeblessed Tobias: (So she too had someone important to her.)

Faeblessed Tobias: (Is this...a different memory now?)
 ???: Just how much time has passed since you left this world?
 ???: My name, my home... I've given up so much to keep protecting this world you fought for.
 ???: And I would do it all again. But the one thing I was never able to truly let go of... was you.
 ???: I only made this so that I could search for you beyond the otherworld gate.

???: I want to see you again. I broke my wings, took on a new identity...but that single thought has never left me.
 ???: And yet I can't leave. Not after assuming my vigil.

???: In becoming mother to all, I have failed to mother the one who matters most: you.
Faeblessed Tobias: (Her thoughts and emotions are flooding into me. Her grief wrenches my insides. But...there's something more?)
 ???: I've been thinking ever since. I believe that the choice you made was the right one. But it wasn't what I'd wanted.
 ???: At the time, you had no choice but to sacrifice yourself, but if some alternative had existed, I'd want you to take it.
 ???: So I've decided to pass on this armor I made to search for you. To protect the world—to protect my beloved children.
 ???: In the hopes that someone who feels as you did will tread the path you were denied!
 ???: Sacrificing yourself for the ones you love may be noble, but I still wish for you to choose a path where you live on.
Faeblessed Tobias: (A path of life, instead of sacrifice...)

Tobias's Father: Love is aught given to others, Tobias. Think not of yourself, but dedicate all your heart and all your might to others' happiness.
Tobias's Father: In time, that love will find its way back to you. To love one's neighbor is to love oneself. So never forget this lesson.
Tobias's Father: The Goddess does not ask for you to make a sacrifice of yourself. For you are as much Her beloved child as any other.
Faeblessed Tobias: (Father... You taught me this lesson from an early age, but only now do I truly understand its meaning.)

Gala Elisanne: I will no longer be led by the hand like a child. My job now is to guide.
Tobias: Yes, I suppose you're right.
Gala Elisanne: I shall leave the perditionists to you, Tobias.
Tobias: (Elisanne... Though our beliefs and methods differ, we swore to give our all to accomplish the same goal.)

Nino: I'm not an object in need of protection anymore. I'll overcome what troubles the future may bring myself.
Nino: I want to travel. To see the world with my own two eyes.
Faeblessed Tobias: I see. In that case...
Faeblessed Tobias: Let me return the gem that forms this armor to you. It was a charm handed down for your protection.
Nino: No. You keep it. I don't think I'm really built to wear armor. Plus...
Nino: I'm sure my ancestors would rather it be used in the fight for a happier world.
Faeblessed Tobias: (I swore to Nino I would give my all to protect the people's happiness when I accepted that charm from her.)

Faeblessed Tobias: (All along, I had a cause to fight for. A reason I can't afford to die.)

???: I want to protect you because I love you. You, and this world. So I want you to live.
 ???: May you give all your heart and all your might to protect all of my beloved children...including yourself.
Faeblessed Tobias: (So this is the true desire she imbued this armor with. If I'm to live up to that wish, even a little longer, I—!)

Nino: You awake?
Faeblessed Tobias: Where...?
Nino: Your place. The one in Dezes, anyway. And before you worry, the villagers are all safe. You were in worse shape than anyone.
Nino: You were out for almost three full days. A nurse came by to look in on you. She just left. Real cute. Blonde.

Faeblessed Tobias: Aeleen... I'll have to thank her later.
Nino: So, uh... What is she to you, anyway?
Faeblessed Tobias: I'm afraid I don't follow.

Nino: You know, like, are you two... Ugh, forget it! We need to talk about that armor. I doubt you need me to tell you this, but—
Faeblessed Tobias: But don't use it?
Nino: You cut it AWFULLY close this time, Tobias. If it happens again, there's no guarantee you'll come back from it.
Nino: If you die because of something I gave you... Tobias, it'd be like I killed you myself. I don't want that.
Nino: Don't make me worry like this. Please.
Faeblessed Tobias: I'm sorry, Nino. But there will surely be times when I have to don that armor and fight for the people, even if it kills me.
Nino: And we're back to square one.
Faeblessed Tobias: Not so, because I promise you this: I'll never again speak of happily giving up my life when wearing the armor you gave me.
Nino: Tobias...
Faeblessed Tobias: I misunderstood the desire that drove your ancestor to make that armor.

Faeblessed Tobias: Sacrificing oneself for the well-being of others... Even now, I do believe that to be a noble wish, true to the Goddess's will.
Faeblessed Tobias: But that kind of self-sacrifice was not what She desired for those who would inherit Her creation in future generations.
Faeblessed Tobias: She sought a path where everyone could live. A solution that did not call for anyone to be sacrificed.
Faeblessed Tobias: Because She believed in everyone's right to happiness...including our own.

Nino: ...All right. I'm not sure what changed while you were sleeping, but I'll accept your answer, for now.
Nino: If it seemed like you were still gung-ho about risking your own neck, I was going to take that gem back from you.
Nino: But...I guess I can let you hold on to it for a while longer. You'll need it to keep us all safe, right? Yourself included?
Faeblessed Tobias: Myself included. And thank you, Nino.
Boy's Voice: Oh no! Oh NO!
Village Boy: There's a HUGE fiend coming up the road! The villagers are being attacked!
Faeblessed Tobias: I'll be there as quickly as I'm able.
Nino: Do you hear yourself?! You're still recovering, Tobias!
Nino: You JUST got through promising me you wouldn't go throwing your life away. Leave this one to me and get some rest.
Faeblessed Tobias: I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine. All that sleep did me a world of good.
Nino: Tobias, I swear to the GODDESS—
Faeblessed Tobias: Self-sacrifice is a one-time affair. Once you're gone, the happiness you preserved is defenseless.
Faeblessed Tobias: That goes against the will of the one who made this armor, and against my own ideals and those of my companions.
Faeblessed Tobias: So I'll choose not to cast my life away for the people's sake, but to live for them.
Faeblessed Tobias: To go on living with them for years to come, so that my vigil can endure. ...Please, Nino. Let me go.
Nino: ...You're impossible. You know that, right? But you're not going alone. I'll be there to make sure you don't do anything crazy.
Faeblessed Tobias: Then let's be off!
Faeblessed Tobias: To give all our hearts and all our might to keep ALL of us safe and happy, just as your ancestor wanted!