Clemens Sieghardt  

A researcher who lives in hiding in a corner of the village of Lent on the continent of Emerg, he specializes in ether control technology. 

One day, he finds a mysterious boy named Shizuma and takes him as his assistant.

Previously, Clemens was a senior engineer at a research institute in the Imperial Army. There, they were trying to manipulate the ether in the environment using ancient weapons. However, the experiments repeatedly ended in dangerous failures. He was disgusted by the recklessness of the army, so he abandoned his position and left the army. 

"Oh dear, it looks like we can’t just stand by.”

After moving to the village, Clemens had been devoted to observing ether... but his encounter with Shizuma and Seele Tact brought Clemens back into the struggle over his legacy with the Empire.

I'll leave a record here. My name is Clemens. I used to be an engineer. I retired halfway through achieving my dreams, and now live in the quiet village of Lent

I had grown bored with my previous research into ether.

One methodology would be to simply silently observe and measure forces without any human intervention. That's what I chose to do.

Lent Village is at the foot of a mountain, a place rich in nature. You can sense the natural flow of ether from the forests and springs.

I was once used to mechanical civilization, and although I felt bored at first, I now liked the quiet environment. 

It's comfortable to spend my days here, and it’s a good place to read a book. I enjoy going for strolls. 

I feel like I'm gaining a new perspective on nature.

…Who is this boy lying by the roadside in the forest? 

He appears to be unconscious. He doesn't seem to be a villager or from a nearby settlement. 

He is wearing gear I’ve never seen before... perhaps a traveler from a foreign land? Unable to leave him there, I took him home.

However, when he wakes up, he has no memory of his past.

The boy, who only remembered his own name, Shizuma Kurosaki, has been working as my assistant for almost a year now. He's quite talented. 

I wound up taking my ether research back up.

I saw that a magic tool that I had left behind reacted to Shizuma and activated, so I was inspired. How could a foreign swordsman like him, who is not even a trained music user, have ethereal modes? There must be some secret.

The annual festival in Lent village is approaching, and to mark the occasion, the Excavation Brigade has visited the village to hold a bazaar.

The Brigade is home to practitioners of traditional modes from all over the country—whose original countries were burned out by the great war. But I have no interest in what weapons burned their countries. 

Right now, I'm more interested in the traditional dance steps that involve freely applying dynamics to ether. 

Oh dear. My tastes have changed... I wish I could forget the war and live my life like this.

When the Empire's elite troops arrived in the village, I was wary, wondering if they had business with me. Had they come to summon my past self? 

But that was not the case. 

Regardless… the village was engulfed in flames, regardless of the circumstances. 

Half of my library and laboratory were burned.

All the measurement data I had taken with Shizuma over the last year was lost. 

I suddenly felt empty. What was the point in staying in the village and continuing to measure the ether? 

After the army left, I decided to leave Lent Village as well. But I had nowhere to go.

If there was anything left unfinished… and if there was only one thing that piqued my interest at the moment, it would be Shizuma.

That time, when Shizuma was on the verge of collapsing, I didn't save him out of good conscience. So why? 

...Because I found research value in Shizuma.

He uses unknown modes and has great talent... I can't let him escape like this... 

I'm going with him. To solve this mystery and put it to use.

A vast desert dotted with oases. Not a trace of the once fertile fields remains, but the bright green ether is visible through my goggles the same way it was in the past. 

It’s a bit of an issue. My eyes can see too many remnants of power. I can even see trace amounts of ether that are not dependent on a force field.

Therefore, I always had to weaken my own eyesight… otherwise, I would misjudge the truth.

Even so, the Seele Tact... I've heard it's an ancient weapon, but is it really? How Shizuma can turn it into a sword and swing it is a mystery, but there must be something else....

There's got to be something—but I can't put it into words yet. However, my intuition tells me to solve Tact’s mysteries.

It is certain that the clues lie in the legends of Blue Country. 

The Excavation Brigade had thought about hiring a guide from Maqam Jins to lead them through the desert, but the Hunters Guild is already in steep decline. It would be a waste of time. 

Solving minor problems along the way, the Brigade's ship crossed the desert and headed straight for Blue Country.

Many amazing legends and events awaited me in Blue Country. As an engineer, it was somewhat outside my area of ​​expertise, but I was so intrigued that I began to observe. 

What exactly are Machine Gods and reapers?

Although the Blue Citadel was destroyed, it was fortunate that the underground ruins would be easier to investigate. Is this a cruel way of thinking?

But the Empire's onslaught is over now. 

And no matter how much I lament, time cannot be turned back. 

Really. I am nothing if not an inhumane scholar.

I went down to the basement and immediately began researching the materials. It's a suspicious place, and I can't stay long. The Imperial Army is watching the area. 

There are people in the military unit I don't want to meet… 

What a bother. Is "she" going off to fight?

I don't want you to remind me too much of my past.

Iseria Leidenschaftlich is a senior engineer in the military. We were once colleagues, but we parted ways due to differences in our research principles. As I mentioned before, I'm tired of tinkering with ether.

The Empire is controlling a new type of ether machine. I'm sure it is equipped with some of the technology I was involved in in the past. The army hasn't changed a thing.. 

Can't they use that technology for something else?

No... I'll say it plainly. It's outdated.

Looking at it now with my sharper eyes, my past research and development was nothing but child's play.

They have no understanding of the natural flow of ether. It's haphazard, inefficient, and dangerous. 

Or are they simply at the mercy of machine performance?

Do you want to needlessly cause suffering to the people and environment around you? 

Continuing to do this is why there is no progress! 

Foolish Imperial Army! This is why humanity is heading towards destruction!

Phew, excuse me. I got a little too excited the other day.

It annoys me when people who don't know things pretend to understand them. I'm already annoyed by Iseria’s strange equipment... It's a problem.

Surprisingly, the young lady from the Hunters Guild had delivered the information about the strange events regarding Seele Tact.

I see... There's a commonality between Blue Country legends and desert folklore.

I had overlooked it. As expected of Dís. You're well informed.

In that case, it seems we have no choice but to head to Sanctuary.

I hear that at Sanctuary, the Brigade will purify Tact and Shizuma will undergo training… I should also look into the myths believed in by the church a little more.

A warning passed down since ancient times to every country on the continent—but they all share the same existence of a hero who can overcome the crisis. 

Namely, a singularity in the ethereal dimension - the Conductor. 

Shizuma's superhuman strength is probably due to this singularity... but here in Sanctuary, the ethereal light is intense... It's like dawn.

I made a mistake—I didn't adjust my goggles properly. Because of that, Sanctuary’s vivid blue looked crimson to me… Truly.

But Iseria, you were leading an army and waiting for us.

That unfounded confidence is almost eerie. 

I am an engineer myself. I can understand to some extent how she feels, her soul is obsessed with research... It's not a question of right or wrong in this world, but in my eyes, her recent actions are simply ridiculous.

The prototype weapon she brought out this time is powerful, but it is also a foolish weapon that causes even the imperial soldiers who use it to suffer injury.. 

There is no way she isn't aware of this. 

Insisting on using it would be insane. 

What do you hope to gain from these sacrifices? 

The Imperial Army. Are you determined to fight us? If so, we must win at all costs. 

It would be a disgrace for me to allow such foolishness to run rampant across the continent.

The young Iseria was called a genius. But because of that, no one scolded her, and there were fewer opportunities to give her fair evaluation. 

It is also my fault that she grew up a fool. I didn't really want to get involved, but…

However, if I were to see the Machine God in action, I would have to stop it. I was willing to get my hands dirty. 

I will definitely stop her. If I don't, it's all over.

Unfortunately...the world I see... 

It's already dim, as if it's lost its color.

My eyesight is getting blurry. I haven't been able to see how Shizuma's Tact has changed.

My eyes were under more strain than I realized. 

Is it because I walked around the sanctuary with my naked eyes, or... Has this been my destiny ever since the accident at the military facility so long ago?

Let me see more clearly. No light reaches me.

Will I have to believe what someone tells me in words? 

That's... I don't want that.

I must search for Shizuma—he disappeared into the light…

I have a Canon calculator and precision goggles in my hand... I will connect everything directly to my body via ether.

In ancient civilizations, highly developed humans lost sight of nature and survived by merging with machines—or so the legends say.

But even if they gained eternal life, their pain, suffering, and sadness would only be prolonged.

That's why, although they were supposed to have become immortal, none of them are still alive in the world today.

I do not seek eternity. I will not bend nature.

But just for this moment… to use my own eyes. 

...Shizuma! Can you hear me? Can you see me?

It's me, Clemens! Send the coordinates via Canon!

Call upon Seele Tact!

Even from that other world, you should be able to do it. 

Come on, show me how—and tell me. 

The place you desire to return to—the way you desire to live.