Erik/Stories
Quotes
Adventurer Story Episodes
The Castaway's Return
Cleo: Hmm? Something is approaching the castle, Euden.
Cleo: A beast...? No, it's a person!
Erik: Hello there! Is anyone home?
Euden: Well, I guess he's a person...
Euden: I'll go see what he wants.
Ranzal: Not alone ya won't. We're comin' with ya.
Ranzal: I don't trust the look'a this one. Better safe than sorry.
Euden: Greetings. What brings you to our home?
Erik: Well, you see... Wait. Are you—
Ranzal: Hey, whoa! Keep yer distance! Ya got somethin' to say, do it from there, yeah?
Erik: Oh! I'm real sorry about that. Didn't mean to worry everyone.
Erik: He just... He looks like someone I know, that's all.
Erik: Er, anyway, my name is Erik.
Erik: Sorry for just showing up unannounced, but I was looking for food and shelter for the night.
Ranzal: Guy speaks all right for somebody who looks like that.
Euden: We'd be happy to help with that.
Euden: My name is Euden. It's nice to meet you. Come on inside.
Erik: Oh wow, thanks. I really owe you for... Wait, Euden?
Erik: As in, the seventh scion of Alberia?
Euden: Er, do you know me?
Erik: Well, I know your name, at the very least.
Erik: I may not look it, but I'm actually the son of a nobleman. I was taught all the names of the royal family.
Euden: Oh?
Euden: Please don't take this the wrong way, but looking at you, that's...hard to believe.
Erik: Heh. I totally understand. I don't exactly have much of an aristocratic bearing at the moment, do I?
Erik: Ten years spent on a deserted island will do that to a person.
Erik: Your only options are to don furs or go in your birthday suit. Ha ha ha!
Euden: Ten years?! How did that happen?
Erik: I set sail to do some sightseeing, but my ship capsized and sent me floating away on the waves.
Erik: I washed up on the shore of an island and managed to survive—but just barely! Ha!
Euden: I'm not sure that's something to laugh about...
Erik: So once I'd washed up on that island, I was stuck there with no way off.
Erik: I spent 10 years stranded, but I'm that much stronger for it.
Erik: And in hindsight, it wasn't all that bad!
Euden: That's some impressive positivity.
Euden: Anyway, if you're going to stay in the castle, I'll have to have a bed readied.
Erik: Oh, please don't trouble yourself! I just need a roof over my head to keep the wind and rain away.
Erik: That small building over there would be plenty, for example.
Euden: Er, that's the stable. You can't sleep in—
Erik: Even better! The night will be much warmer with all those animals around me.
Euden: I can't allow a guest of mine to sleep in the stables. It's honestly no trouble at all, so please just take the bed.
Erik: You're sure? Well, I appreciate it.
Erik: Honestly, it's just nice to have other people around again! Ha ha ha!
This Is Heaven!
Euden: Hello, Erik. Are you adjusting to life in the castle?
Cleo: Is there anything you need? We're going out to do some shopping, so just let us know and we will bring it back for you.
Erik: Oh, you two don't need to trouble yourselves on my account.
Erik: Compared to that island, this castle is heaven!
Erik: I'm so glad you allowed me to stay.
Erik: I'm really thankful to you, and one day, I'll find a way to repay your kindness!
Euden: I appreciate the thought, but you really don't need to worry about that.
Euden: Do you mind if I ask you something, though? What was it like, living on a deserted island?
Erik: Hmm...
Erik: Well, unlike here in the castle, it was nearly impossible to find potable water.
Erik: Being raised in a noble household meant I knew nothing about survival techniques, so the first few days were especially hard.
Erik: I didn't even bother looking for water at first, because heck—I was surrounded by the entire ocean!
Erik: But drinking seawater only made me even thirstier.
Erik: Luckily it rained after a day or three, or else I might have died! Ha ha ha!
Cleo: That is not something most people would laugh off...
Erik: Finding food to eat also gave me trouble.
Erik: All I knew abut food was that it magically appeared from the scullery whenever we rang a bell. I'd never even set foot inside a kitchen!
Erik: But then I saw a wild beast eating prey, and I quickly put two and two together.
Erik: Eventually I figured out the basics of hunting, but I still couldn't start a fire.
Erik: So I ended up eating it raw for a while!
Cleo: You ate the uncooked meat of wild animals?!
Cleo: You're lucky you weren't killed.
Erik: Ha ha! I KNOW, right?!
Erik: Oh, and then there was the matter of clothing. Or, rather, the lack thereof.
Erik: Had I remained in the clothes I was wearing when I fell into the sea, I would have frozen to death when the temperatures dropped at night.
Erik: So I got to thinking that wearing the furs of the animals I hunted for meat would keep me warm.
Erik: And they did keep me warm—but they also made other beasts mistake me for prey, so I got chased a lot.
Euden: Okay, it's INCREDIBLE you weren't killed.
Erik: Well, I came about as close as you can to it without actually kicking the bucket.
Erik: I could have taken the furs off if I didn't want to be attacked, but then I would have frozen to death at night.
Erik: So I trained to be able to defeat attacking predators.
Erik: Worked out great, if I do say so myself.
Erik: After all, the more beasts I fought, the more meat and furs I acquired.
Erik: Before long, I was no longer worried about food and clothing!
Cleo: What a stressful way to live.
Erik: Eh, not really. I mean, once I got used to all the new stuff, life on the island was actually pretty nice.
Erik: It can't hold a candle to living in this castle, though!
Cleo: What would you like for dinner, Erik? I will make you whatever you want.
Euden: And if there's anything you need—anything at all—just say the word and I'll get it.
Erik: Ha ha! What's all this, guys?
Euden: We just want your life in this castle to be as carefree as possible, to make up for all the hardships you endured on that island.
Erik: Ha ha ha! Oh man, you guys are both way too nice to me.
Erik: This castle really is heaven!
No Home to Return To
Erik: ......
Euden: Is something wrong, Erik? You look troubled.
Erik: Hm...? Oh, it's nothing.
Erik: I've been away from town for so long, the crowds are getting to me. Ha ha!
Erik: Say, Prince Euden?
Erik: Can I ask you not to call me by my name in this town?
Euden: What? Why?
Erik: Well, it might be a problem if—
Villager: Erik?
Villager: I thought I heard that name. Are you...?
Erik: Uh... I... I think you misheard. My name is... Ummm...
Erik: Ranzal! Yes, my name's Ranzal!
Villager: Oh? Of course, then. My mistake.
Villager: Don't rightly know what I was thinking. Erik died 10 years ago, after all.
Euden: What?
Euden: Sorry, what Erik are you talking about?
Villager: The oldest son of the nobles that govern this region.
Villager: Years ago, he and his younger brother would come play together here.
Villager: But then he died in a shipwreck.
Euden: What a tragic story.
Euden: Wouldn't you agree?
Erik: ......
Euden: Erik?
Euden: That story was about you, wasn't it?
Erik: Heh. I guess my secret's out.
Erik: Yeah, it was about me. This is my hometown, where I was born and raised.
Euden: I see.
Erik: This is the second time I've been here since I was rescued from the island.
Erik: The first was the same day I set foot back on the mainland.
Erik: I wanted to see my family.
Erik: But to them, I was long dead.
Erik: They even erected a gravestone in the cemetery for me.
Erik: And my younger brother had already taken over as the head of our family, so there really wasn't a home for me to return to.
Euden: That must have been heartbreaking.
Erik: Ha! I guess it was.
Erik: Nothing that happened to me on the island hurt as bad as that did.
Erik: But it's all right.
Erik: Before I left, I managed to see my brother without anyone noticing me.
Erik: I remembered him as the annoying kid who used to cling to me everywhere I went—he was so different, I barely recognized him!
Erik: I knew the reason he had grown up was because he worked so hard to take on my responsibilities when I was gone.
Erik: If my death resulted in him growing into a fine man, then I'm happy with that.
Euden: Are you sure?
Euden: You really don't want to tell your family that you're alive?
Erik: It's for the best.
Erik: If I returned home after all these years, it would just throw my family into chaos.
Erik: Besides, the death of Erik the aristocrat meant I got to meet all of you.
Erik: Talk about a silver lining! Ha ha ha!
The Value of Life
Erik: Phew! That was a good hunt.
Euden: Oh wow. That's...a lot of food you're bringing back with you.
Erik: Oh, well, I figured I shouldn't let the skills I learned on the island gather rust.
Cleo: We certainly will not lack for meat for a good while...
Cleo: I will take it from here. You can leave the rest to me.
Erik: Heck no, Cleo! I got this.
Erik: And if there's anything else I can do, just let me know.
Euden: Did something happen, Erik?
Erik: Nope! I just want to make myself useful.
Erik: Erik the aristocrat is dead, after all.
Erik: And it's for the best. For my brother, and for my family.
Erik: And yet, even if Erik the aristocrat is dead, I'M still alive.
Euden: You are, at that.
Erik: On the island, the only thing I had to worry about was survival.
Erik: Each day, I fought for the goal of returning home.
Erik: And that was enough.
Erik: But when I finally got off the island, I couldn't go home. I have nothing now.
Erik: I might as well have actually died.
Erik: It has me wondering if my life actually has any worth, you know?
Euden: I think I can understand how you feel, at least a little.
Euden: I lost my younger sister.
Euden: She was trying to protect me.
Euden: She exchanged her own freedom to save my life.
Euden: Sometimes I can't help thinking that my life can't possibly be worth that sacrifice.
Erik: You do understand...
Erik: Then tell me: How are you able to keep fighting?
Euden: Because I don't want my sister to stay lost forever.
Euden: As long as there's even a slight chance I can get her back, I won't give up.
Erik: Ha ha! I'm a little jealous.
Erik: See, I don't want to get back what I lost.
Erik: If my life is devoid of worth, then maybe there's nothing I can do but just...exist. Kinda like a living corpse! Ha ha ha!
Euden: Well, if you have no home to return to and nothing you wish to get back, then why not join us?
Erik: What?
Euden: I want to get my sister back no matter what it takes.
Euden: It would mean everything if you agreed to help me do that.
Erik: Aw, Prince Euden!
Erik: Thank you. I know you're trying to give my life some worth.
Erik: But is it okay if I think about it for a bit?
Erik: If I'm going to start walking a new path, I need to say a proper farewell to my old self.
Euden: Of course.
Euden: Take as much time as you need. I'll be here.
Farewell
Erik: ......
Euden: Here you are, Erik!
Euden: I haven't seen you for the past few days.
Erik: How did you know to look for me here, Prince Euden?
Euden: I had a feeling you might go back home.
Euden: So I just looked around town until I found you.
Erik: Heh. Sorry if I made you worry.
Erik: But I'm not returning home. I came here to say farewell to him.
Euden: Who? Is there someone else here?
Erik: See this grave? It's...it's mine.
Euden: You've come to see your own grave?
Erik: I thought it only fitting to say my good-byes here.
Erik: It's the only way to truly leave my life as an aristocrat behind me.
Erik: Listen, Euden...
Erik: I'm going to spend my life by your side and fight for a just future for everyone.
Erik: That is the new me.
Erik: I'm not dead yet, and I can affect your lives by living mine.
Erik: So that's what I'm going to do.
Erik: Er, is that all right?
Euden: I see no reason to refuse.
Young Man: Excuse me? Are you acquaintances of my brother's?
Euden: Your brother...? Wait, you're Erik's—
Erik: Yes. I knew him since we were very young.
Young Man: I see...
Young Man: Well, I hope you stop by again. I'm sure it would make my brother very happy.
Erik: I'm afraid we won't be back here. We've only come to say good-bye.
Young Man: Oh...
Erik: Farewell. I pray for your everlasting happiness.
Euden: That was your younger brother just now, wasn't it? Are you sure—
Erik: I'm sure. The dead don't come back to life.
Erik: But now that I've had a good long look at him, the resemblance is striking.
Euden: To who?
Erik: You.
Erik: Not just your face, either. You also both have this air that just pulls people into your orbit.
Erik: I think I've always realized that in the back of my mind.
Erik: I can't do anything to aid my brother; the dead can only watch over the living.
Erik: But you, I can help.
Erik: Because I'm still alive to you.
Erik: Here's to the road ahead of us, Prince Euden.