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!! FULL SPOILERS AHEAD — READ AT YOUR OWN RISK !!
This article covers the route I personally chose and the outcomes I confirmed. Branches resulting from other choices are currently being investigated.
Page-Turner Overview
When Coen and his companions visit the herbalist Anca to obtain some medicinal herbs, they are suddenly caught in a thunderstorm.
Inside the house, Coen and Anca quietly begin a one-on-one Latin lesson.
Anca suggests using the poetry of Petronius as their study material.
Coen proposes studying Catullus instead, but Anca bashfully turns him down, saying that his work is “inappropriate,” and continues the lesson with Petronius.
How should I put it…the entire lesson is charged with romantic tension, making it highly nourishing for the player’s psyche.
Starting Requirements and Location
During the prologue, agree to shelter from the rain and study Latin when presented with the choice after visiting Anca’s house to obtain medicine.
Time Cost
Starting the quest costs 2 time segments.
Deadline
Possibly before the Blood Mass begins?
Further testing is required to determine whether the quest can still be started later.
Page-Turner Walkthrough
The quest consists of a single, relatively long conversation scene with multiple dialogue choices.
Additional Event
After the lightning strike, an event begins in which you must retrieve Anca’s herbs from her shed before the rain ruins them.
Enter the shed and collect the herbs inside.
Partway through, Anca will scream. Approach her and you will find her lying on the ground, groaning in pain.
You can spend another time segment to tend to Anca.
Censorship in the Japanese Version?
During this scene, Anca is supposed to lift her clothing so that Coen can treat her injuries…
For some reason, however, Anca continues wearing her camisole throughout the entire scene, and nothing visibly changes.
I only own the Japanese version, so I do not know whether the scene appears differently in other language versions.
Reward
500 XP
Does the Book Anca Was Reading Really Exist?
Although the game never mentions the book’s actual title, the works of the poets named in the scene do exist.
Petronius is generally considered a Roman author from the reign of Emperor Nero. His best-known work is The Satyricon (Amazon), which combines epic poetry with satirical prose.
Although the game treats Petronius as relatively respectable reading material, his actual work appears to have a considerably more vulgar side.
Catullus, meanwhile, was a Roman poet from the late Republic whose poetry is distinguished by its powerful expressions of love and hatred. The Poems of Catullus (Amazon).
Considering that one of his best-known poems begins with “Odi et amo” (“I hate and I love”), Anca may have felt embarrassed about studying his poetry together with Coen.
Sources for the Lore Section
Petronius, Satyricon, Fragmenta, and Poems: Introduction and Text
Petrònio — Enciclopedia Treccani
Gaius Valerius Catullus — Poetry Foundation
Catullus, Carmina 85 — Perseus Digital Library
Changes After Completion
Unknown, as I have not yet tested a playthrough in which this quest is skipped.
Related Quests
Related NPC
Related Location
Anca’s House
