act14side

She still remembered telling her sister that if not for the fact that she was too young, she would've joined the Saintess selection process herself. Her sister smacked her upside the head.

Her sister was quite strong.

But never did she expect that this would be the last time her sister would smack her around.

Sir, it's starting to snow.

A good opportunity.

Kjeragandr smiles upon us, by the look of things.

Though it took a lot of extra time to make our way to the Holy Hunt, it was well worth it.

How's the situation at the foot of the mountain?

It seems like the Doctor was able to divert their attention. The forces stationed there were far fewer than we expected.

Haha, good! Very good! The Doctor is quite capable!

Still, we can't afford to bring shame to the Paleroche name.

Warriors, now that our time is nigh, we need no longer conceal ourselves.

Forget the Silverashes! Follow me – we'll rush up the mountain and rescue the Saintess!

Yessir!

Why'd it have to start snowing now...?

Old Kjeragandr really has a dry sense of humor.

Or, maybe this is a test for me, as the sister of the Saintess?

Well, whatever.

A bit of wind and snow can't hold me back!

You can do this, Ensia! You weren't just talking big in front of Aurora! You've got this!

It was hard to send letters back to Kjerag from Rhodes Island.

Usually, she would only get the opportunity when Courier showed up.

Each time he visited, she always felt conflicted.

Fortunately, Courier would bring a letter from her sister.

Unfortunately, Courier and Matterhorn would always treat her like a kid, as if she couldn't see the sadness on their faces.

She is also a child of the Silverash family. She read the books left behind by her parents and knew of the vision they had for Kjerag. She also got good grades in Hypatia's class!

Of course she knew.

What she did not know is... Did things have to turn out like this?

If so, then why her family?

Sir, troops led by Arctosz suddenly appeared at the foot of the mountain and broke through the defensive line!

Grr... Where'd they come from?

I'm afraid they entered the site of the Holy Hunt, so our men were unable to track them down...

And our forces stationed there couldn't stop them?

A portion of the forces were split off to defend the pass, plus it suddenly started snowing, and morale was low to begin with. Since their goal was to break through the line...

You've been outplayed, Gnosis.

You made the right call. They care only about Mount Karlan and the Saintess. Everything else is secondary to that.

Did you come back only to mock me?

No, I would've hesitated too, in your position.

Just as you used your longstanding reputation within Karlan Trade to put on a play of half-truths...

Our lack of familiarity with the Doctor worked to that one's advantage – no shortage of tricks up those mysterious sleeves.

You may believe that the Doctor has designs on Kjerag, but from my perspective, I don't necessarily think that the Saintess is the only objective.

Of course, the Doctor could not be sure that we would see things this way, and that was the wager.

That you'd see the Doctor's actions around the pass as a move against Kjerag.

The Doctor only required that you be sufficiently concerned about this possibility to send your troops to assuage those concerns.

As such, the Doctor won the bet.

Enciodes, your arrogance is truly loathsome. To wax admiringly about the actions of your enemy at a time like this.

This is not a game, and we cannot afford to fail.

I am not a fan of failure, Gnosis.

I've already sent Degenbrecher.

To intercept Arctosz?

No... Why do you think the Doctor chose a route that could lead either to Mount Karlan or the pass?

You're saying that Arctosz's forces are a ruse.

From the very beginning, the Doctor's forces were both the bait and the main force.

No wonder why they were moving so slowly. They were waiting.

That's right. And, if I'm not mistaken, this is when they will start making their move.

If the Doctor is allowed to group with Arctosz, then there would be real trouble.

Ensia already knows.

She knows her wish cannot come true.

She cannot save her sister from the mountain.

She also cannot mend the relationship between her two siblings.

How could she have no idea as to what her brother seeks to accomplish?

How could she not see that the rift between the two was only growing wider and wider?

But what can she do?

She doesn't like to cry, to vent her frustrations to others, or to give up.

All she can do is wedge the climbing pick in her hand into the rock above her head, and momentarily forget some of her troubles as she overlooks the scenery from atop the mountain.

Drifting snow strikes her face, leaving traces that look like streaks of tears.

Doctor, Master Arctosz has begun to move.

We've also heard that the Silverashes are reinforcing the pass.

So far, everything is proceeding as you have planned.

So she's here.

This is as far as you go, Rhodes Islander.

Hm?

I remember your codename. You're Sharp.

Lucky the Doctor brought some spare clothes.

So that's what's going on. This entire army is both the genuine article and also a decoy.

To be precise, this plan was specially tailored to you.

The Doctor had to plan for a contingency that included a woman strong enough to tear any plan to shreds.

I am not Enciodes. The admiration and respect of my enemies mean nothing to me.

The only thing I need of my enemies is for them to be strewn across the ground.

Then you're in luck. You've got a whole army of opponents right in front of you.

You're the only one in this crowd worthy of being my opponent.

Degenbrecher shakes her head, sighing as if offering an immutable truth within her opinion.

Sharp looks at the woman before him, and for some reason, is reminded of his friend Stormeye, a fellow elite operator.

Stormeye would've been very happy to face an opponent like her.

But to him, whether mingling with the army here, or dealing with Degenbrecher, all of this is just a part of the job.

It's a shame, an enemy's respect doesn't do much for me either.

I dislike glory, but you don't seem to care about it at all.

Nothing personal. It's just business.

Just business?

Doing business requires professionalism. Only an amateur would bring personal feelings to the job.

There's nothing worth bragging about when it comes to my combat abilities. It's just one of my tools to get the job done.

Hahaha, I like the way you think.

I've always despised self-righteous challengers, pumped up on their skills or ideals.

And, without exception, I crushed them all underfoot.

I have heard of your feats as The Black Knight.

A Leithanian who cannot use Arts, rendering all dignity and pride worthless before your greatsword.

Where is that greatsword, by the way?

Waving something like that around in this unsophisticated place would only scare the natives, so I decided to switch weapons.

Not that it matters what I use, though.

Degenbrecher flourishes the blade in her hand, and in the blink of an eye, the wind and snow itself seem to cleave in two.