Sen no Kiseki IV‘s collectable book series is called Three and Nine. It’s partially foreshadowing and world-building Calvard, it’s also partially filling in the blanks on aspects the main game couldn’t address. I tweeted that I found it the most fascinating book since Carnelia and here is why: I think it details the Fourth Anguis.

As you could guess from the title, the book is about two characters named Three and Nine. They’re specifically named after two minor arcana, Swords of Three and Swords of Nine. They’re low-ranked assassins in an “Organisation” and get missions assigned by the high-ranked members, also known as their controllers, who have been assigned the names of the major arcana.

Both protagonists are 12/13 years old. Three is a tachi-wielding, highly analytical but jovial boy. Nine is a girl short sword and steel wire-wielding, much more stoic girl with sapphirl-coloured eyes. Steel wires? Short sword? Blue eyes? If the description doesn’t remind you of a certain character who used to work for an assassins’  order, her name and number will: Enforcer No. IX, Sharon Kreuger. The book doesn’t confirm it, but it the similarities are undeniable.

Three and Nine receive their commands from their controller, The Emperor. The Emperor is a man in the upper echelon of the assassins’ order and his designation corresponds with the fourth Major Arcana. The Emperor is a shady characters, always wearing tattered clothes and the youngsters even joke that The Hermit would’ve been a better name for him.

In the latter half of the book, the turn of events lead to a battle between the underlings against their controller. As he removes his tattered robe, he reveals his “extremely gaudy” (author’s words) apparel: The Emperor is equipped with a golden mask, golden armour and a golden sceptre. Had he been brought up in Sen III, everyone would have suspected him for being the last Awakener.

Three identifies the equipment as the Monarch’s Regalia, a set of four interconnected artifacts. First, a golden mask engraved with the relief of a crown that is capable of generating a gravitational field in which it can increase and decrease the gravity. Second, a golden armour covering the entire body to absorb the gravity of the weapon it is attacked by. Third, a golden sceptre, spherical near the top, transmits a powerful gravitational wave to the affected part. Fourth, the orb of crows assigns the target and distinguishes the effect of the gravitational field. (Copied straight from the Wiki article I just wrote)

Three and Nine successfully manage to kill their superior and escape from the Organisation. When they remove the mask from the Emperor’s face, they see the face of a beautiful boy. It reminds Nine of a rumour, which I will quote:

Once upon a time there was an extremely tyrannical king in a small country who upset the people with his tyrannical reigning and misgovernment. When the king died, his son the prince was enthroned. The new king was a kind person and did whatever he could to not repeat his father’s mistakes. But because he instilled no fear, the people refused to listen to him. No one was able to complain while the tyrant was still alive, so their dissatisfaction finally gained a voice after the previous king died. Their voice ultimately spawned a revolution. The revolutionary armies attacked the royal palace, interrogated the new king about his role in the misgovernment and re-established the country as a republic. The new king barely managed to escape alive, lost everything and fled his country.

They don’t know whether The Emperor was that prince (considering the revolution happened around S.1100 and there are already Verne-made orbal cars in the time of the book, I doubt that a young boy in that era could be the same as the prince who at least a couple of decades earlier) or what country it even was (the only country we know of that was re-established as a republic is Calvard).

Artifacts are usually inherited by the families that watch over a Sept-Terrion: Liberl got the Tetracyclic Towers and Recluse Cube, the Crois family received that bell, the Arnor line got the Black Records and the Hexen Clan were blessed with the Lunar Nether Mirror. The Monarch’s Regalia have have been given to the first king of Calvard and got passed down until it reached the last king of Calvard, who was dethroned by the revolutionary army. Having lost everything (except for the gaudy set), he joined the Order and continued to pass down the gear to his children – or he’s eternally young, like Arianrhod.

How does the Fourth Anguis fit in, then? We know from Sharon’s background story that the ending of the book – Three and Nine live happily ever after, free from the Organisation – is fictional: the Order was destroyed by Arianrhod, McBurn and Loewe, and absorbed into Ouroboros.

Apart from Sharon Enforcer No. III, the Golden Butterfly, and Anguis No. IV, the Oathbreaker joined Ouroboros at the same time. 33 (Swords of Three), 4 (the fourth Major Arcana, The Emperor) and 9 (Swords of Nine).

The 3, 4 & 9 combination fits in perfectly with Sharon’s story.

In other words, I think that the Fourth Anguis is a descendant of the former monarchy of Calvard. The Fourth was in Erebonia during Ao/Cold Steel and moved eastward afterwards. If his motives are similar to Arianrhod’s and Vita’s  (saving their homeland), it makes sense he has yet to show up and will undoubtedly to do in the Calvard arc.

Furthermore, this also suggests that Three would have joined Ouroboros as the Golden Butterfly. Three’s name is apparently Suinn.

Oh, and Nine’s name? Nadia.