We're here in Tuscany, just outside the village of Monte,
inside the Forest of the Decapitating Clown.
We're here on an adventure to search for the clown himself.
Let me introduce you to my companions.
Dominica and Antonio, and this is...
Teresa.
And I'm Carlo Zetti, a cameraman with the Monte Village broadcasting station.
If we catch this clown on film, we'll show you what we get on your TV!
Hey, you getting all this?
The Decapitating Clown is a terrifying Monte Village legend.
It tells of a clown that beheads travelers lost in the forest with an enormous scythe!
Hey, Antonio, maybe we really should just go home.
You're okay, Dominica.
I'll be with you.
Carlo can handle taking out some clown.
That's right, Teresa!
Alright, let's start singing.
Friends singing a chant to call forth a demon.
They say the clown's hideout is a place called "The House Over There."
We just might find it if we go even deeper into the woods.
You're right, let's go.
I'm scared.
What's that sound?
Where's it coming from?
Hey, where's Teresa?
Teresa! Teresa, where are you?!
Search the area!
Teresa, say something!
Dammit, what the hell is that noise?!
Antonio! Where's Antonio?!
Antonio's gone, too?!
No, Antonio! Antonio's gone, too?!
No, Antonio!
Teresa! Antonio!
Wait, look where we are!
Antonio! Antonio, where are you?!
Is this "The House Over There"?! Antonio! Antonio, where are you?!
Carlo, behind you!
NO!
There are those who would examine claims of holy miracles from around the world,
and verify a miracle has indeed occurred.
Please show them the way, O Lord, the Vatican Miracle Examiners!
Ikeru mono tsumibukaki kakugo de The living reach out their hands
Ataerareta fukashigi ni te wo nobasu yo With sinful resolve to the mysteries they've been given
Itami ga yobu negai wo tokiakashite The pain calls for resolution of their wish
Hikari yo ashiki tamashii sukuitamae to For the light to save their sinful souls
Koe dake ja tarinainda My voice isn't enough
Kiseki no nai jinsei iranai I don't need a life without miracles
Abunai jounetsu ga miseta akenai yoru no naka de A dangerous passion showed me a vision in an endless night
Dare no yume ga hiraku darou Whose dream will be opened?
Yami to boku wa niteru kai Do I resemble the darkness?
Abunai jounetsu o kaketa kore ga key ad mysterium I took the risk with that dangerous passion for this key ad mysterium
Ima wa semete shinjitetai I want to at least believe now
Dakedo nanimo wakaranai But I don't know anything
Huh? The Motley Clown?
Yes. It's a code appearing all around the world.
A code?
That magazine has what appears to be a regular car advertisement,
but look at the bottom left.
Doesn't look like a printing error.
And here's a personal ad.
It says, "This is the Motley Clown. Let's party!"
And there's a nine-digit number beneath it.
It's posted in Chicago, Boston, Las Vegas, New York...
all in America.
Huh? Collecting codes is usually my territory.
Why're you so interested in this?
Well, I thought it might help us get a clue as to what Galdoune is up to.
What's your opinion on it, Lauren?
I think it's completely idiotic.
Even if it was some kind of code,
there's absolutely no need for them to exchange information in public like that.
That's right.
But, if you got enough of those numbers, you might find a pattern.
Right. I'll continue to follow it for a bit longer.
If you want any advice on the matter, give me a call.
That's all.
Curt as usual, that kid.
Archbishop Saul!
I've got one, too.
Wonder what miracle he wants us to examine this time.
Yes, I'm looking forward to it.
This is so good, Roberto!
Hey now, you're spilling some.
Sorry!
A re-examination?
Yes.
Saint Eligius Church in Tuscany.
The previous Examiners stated that they could not explain the mystery behind the miracle,
and saw no other choice but to accept its veracity.
Then why re-examine?
The priests of the church were the ones who submitted the miracle for examination,
but one reason or another, the head priest has not signed it.
That's why I'd like you two to re-examine it.
What kind of miracle is it?
Saint Eligius Church is located in the village of Monte.
There, a miracle occurs in the chapel every morning around the time of mass.
The sound of a horn rings out from seemingly nowhere, announcing the arrival of the Lord,
and the statue of Christ is bathed in rainbow light, changing colors itself to look as if it is alive.
However, when this phenomenon was recorded, it did not show up on film.
Could it be some kind of optical illusion?
Without proof, it'll be hard to verify the miracle.
I have an uneasy feeling about this case.
When you are ready, head out to the site.
Yes, Sir!
Did you bring your carsickness medication?
You're driving, so I'll be okay.
I read up on the church, and found out that the head priest, Father Trones,
donated away all his wealth to become a priest thirty years ago.
What an amazing man!
Yeah, but I am interested in why he wouldn't sign the examination request.
I can see it.
Saint Eligius Church.
It's not that big, but the building is beautiful.
Oh, this is a strange coincidence.
The Motley Clown!
Though he looks more like the Grim Reaper than a clown.
Who knew we'd run into him here, too.
Perhaps it is a hint from the Lord.
I didn't think the Vatican would send Examiners to us once again.
We were sent because your signature was not on the examination request, Father Trones.
Are you opposed to the verification of this miracle?
Having a miracle verified is quite the honor.
Have you not considered that?
This is a quiet village.
If word of the miracle got out, our village would be flooded with outsiders,
and the peace from before could be completely torn from us.
This is the statue of Christ in question.
Yes.
I heard the miracle happens at the same time every day.
Yes, there's still a bit of time before it happens.
Would it be alright for us to wait here for it?
Of course.
Pardon me for asking, but what meaning does the tilework of the motley clown outside have?
Yes, it's called the Decapitating Clown.
It's an old fairy tale around these parts.
"The Decapitating Clown"?
Yes, he's an avatar of the Devil who is believed to live in the woods behind the church.
And the thick fog makes the woods quite dangerous, so the villagers still do not go near it to this day.
Could there be a deeper reason behind that story?
Who knows?
If you'd like to know more about it, you can go to our library and read on it.
Your library! Are you sure?
Yes, the door is open for you.
The library is the westernmost room.
Let me introduce you.
This is Father Abraham and Father Job, and Father Ehemia.
Nice to meet you. You'll be verifying this miracle once and for all, right?
We'll help you in any way we can.
Please examine it until you are fully satisfied with your investigation.
Thank you for letting us stay here.
We promise to conduct a fair investigation.
A new life has come forth in the Cerci household.
Let us pray for the Lord to bless this new villager of Monte.
Amen.
How are the instruments you set up?
They're all working correctly.
Where is this sound coming from?
Every microphone in the room is reading the same volume level!
So we can't pinpoint the source...
Wow...
This really is... a miracle!
Huh.
Everyone gets their own room.
The clergy housing here is so spacious.
You could also call it a luxurious prison.
Come in.
Pardon my intrusion.
Did you find anything?
Well...
The rainbow light doesn't show up on video?
That's right. It's just like what happened with the previous Examiners.
The sound of the horn is clearly recorded, but there's no real changes to the statue of Christ.
But I definitely saw the light.
It was like a tsunami of rainbows, flooding down from the ceiling.
The fact that the camera didn't record that is, well...
"A tsunami of rainbows"?
Afterwards, I saw the beautiful sight of sparkles of light showering down.
That's strange.
What's strange?
That's a little different from what I witnessed.
I saw a burst of rainbow light from the right and left of the altar, forming a circle around the entire chapel.
That is pretty different.
We should ask Father Trones and the other priests about this, too.
Alright, I'll leave that to you.
I'm going to delve into it through my field of expertise.
Isn't it more of a hobby than a 'field of expertise'?
What an amazing library!
It's incredibly amazing for such a remote church!
And it has so many old, rare books in great condition.
This method of binding means it must have been made in the twelfth century.
Mirror writing...
Can't be a contract with the devil, huh?
Azoth?
There's two of the same book.
Azoth?!
Isn't that the name of the demon supposedly trapped in a crystal by sixteenth century alchemist Paracelsus?
That's right. As you can see, the covers are different.
And the books' dates of writing are two days apart.
The contents are all written mirrored as well.
I suppose it'll take a while to decipher.
No, I've already finished reading it.
I should not have doubted you!
So what was written inside?
Stories for children. Fairy tales.
"The Fool Who Drove Away Death."
That's the story of an old rich man who tried to keep his life safe from the Grim Reaper with his riches.
"The Kidnapped Children."
That's the fairy tale where the Pied Piper lures away the children of the village that betrayed him.
"The Love of Three Pomegranates."
That's the story where three beautiful women, with skin white as milk and lips red as blood,
spring forth from the prince's pomegranates.
They're all very famous fairy tales.
Yeah, but the books have some strange differences between them.
In the one written two days after the other, there's a new character that appears in the stories.
What character?
The Decapitating Clown.
This can't be a coincidence.
Right, there must be some secret hidden in these two copies of Azoth.
The first book has a story called "Solomon's Advice."
I know that one, too.
That's the story about a merchant who was hired by the wealthy house of Solomon.
The merchant decided to go out to find his family that he abandoned twenty years ago,
and so, Solomon gave him three pieces of advice.
"Do not stray from the old road for a new one."
"Do not speak on another's circumstances."
And "Postpone today's anger for tomorrow."
That's right.
But the advice the merchant gets in this book is a little different.
The first says: "Throw a boiling pot on a fire and jump into it."
"Only those with the courage to jump can move forward."
The second is exactly the same as the one you said.
"Do not stray from the old road for a new one."
The third and final one is:
"When Venus and the moon align, carefully count the true number of the beasts."
That is quite different.
What's even more interesting is the character that goes after the merchant.
The Decapitating Clown!
Excellent guess.
Could it be some kind of code?
There's a good chance it is.
A code to hide a secret.
But Roberto, I'm just not sure.
Even if it is a code, why would they put it in a book?
Writing it down would only mean their secret could be exposed!
It makes sense that you and Lauren would have such doubts.
People cannot leave secrets locked up.
That's especially true when some feel superior just from the fact that they have a secret to keep,
and the energy it takes to keep it a secret makes them want to tell someone.
Like the story of the king with donkey ears.
The more you cannot tell a secret, the more you want to tell it.
Likewise, the more forbidden it is to know something, the more badly you want to know it...
That's what codes are all about.
I don't really understand it fully.
So, how is your side of the investigation going?
I spoke with the staff and the villagers who came to the chapel.
In the end, each and every person, including the priests,
saw the light in a unique and different way, just like we did.
I thought so...
Maybe that means it's influenced by one's personality and psychological state.
So, what did Father Trones say?
Well...
No, not at all.
I don't see anything like you're describing.
Excuse me.
He sure is stubborn about talking about it.
Father Trones was acting very strange.
Strange enough for you to pick up on it.
Does he know something that we don't?
Even if he does, he doesn't seem the type to just open up and talk about it.
Yes, come in.
Father Hiraga, it's nearly time for lights out.
Oh? Father Nicolas, I didn't know you were here as well.
That's quite the number of keys you have there.
Every door in the church is to be locked from the outside at night.
Until morning?
Yes.
It is an important time for facing one's self and speaking with the Lord.
As such, you are not allowed to leave your rooms.
Alright. I'll get back to my room after I clean up.
Well then, I'll come back soon to lock the door.
They sure are strict.
We may be Examiners, but we are guests here, too.
Let's follow their rules.
Yeah.
Let's pray to God there isn't a fire while we're asleep.
What?!
What happened?!
What's going on?!
Father Trones, open this door!
Father Trones! I can't believe this.
We're locked inside until morning?
Is someone out there?
This is the police!
The door's locked and won't open!
Wait just one moment!
Hiraga, are you alright?
Yes, but I'm a little hungry.
I can't believe something like this would happen again in our village...
Oh, my God!
How awful...
So Father Trones has gone missing?
Yes, though he did leave his keys behind.
So, did either of you know the victim, the boy over here?
Ryota...?!
Hiraga?
I-I'm alright.
The other priests said they don't know him.
And of course he's not a villager, either.
I don't know him.
I don't know him, either.
O God...
He looks like he was twelve, maybe thirteen...
Yes, but...
Skin white as milk, eyes red as blood...
I can't help but think it's related to that fairy tale.
And this wound on his neck, cut extremely deep...
Are you saying the Decapitating Clown came out of the storybook world?
That's not very scientific.
What's he holding in his hand?
Looks like money...
Hey, you! Please don't touch him!
Inspector Giuvanni Bufi.
I know you're priests, but I'd like you to keep your hands off the crime scene.
I'm sorry.
From what I can see, this boy has a lack of pigmentation...
There are no albino boys living anywhere around this area.
Then where did he come from?
Who knows?
Why would he come out to the middle of nowhere and get killed in a church?
And how did this kid and the murderer get inside?
The doors are all locked up tight at night...
More importantly, where is Father Trones?
He could have been abducted by the killer.
Umm, it's about time for us to have our mass, but Father Trones isn't here, so what should we do?
We can't have villagers walking in on the scene of a murder.
Cancel mass for today and...
The miracle is going to happen, even after an event like this?!
I-is this a miracle?!
Inspector Giuvanni Bufi, can you see it, too?
I-I can see it.
There's a bright light coming out of the body of Christ.
A-a-a-a golden glow...
Oh, God!
Everyone really does see something different.
Who are you?
We're miracle examiners from the Vatican.
We've come here to investigate this miracle.
Musuu no kiseki o nazotte Following countless miracles
Maigo no astrum ga yoru o tadoru The lost astrum pursue the night
Subetega mukuwareru hosho nante nai None have proof they'll be rewarded,
Sukuwarenai inochi mo atte Lives that cannot be saved
Sore ga historia Is this historia?
Kono sekai ni mebukinagara mada kashikasarenai Still just a budding seed, still invisible to this world
Shukufuku no hikari ga kitto dokoka ni aru kara Blessings' light is somewhere out there
Nee sagashi ni ikou? Shall we go look for it?
Kono monogatari no owari de matsu sacrament no hana o The flower of sacrement that waits at the end of this story
Why does it look different to everyone?
Vision is just how the brain processes an image.
It varies from person to person.
Just how taste differs from person to person.
Though I think anyone would think your cooking is delicious, Roberto.