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But in the end, after becoming the Saintess, she was bound atop the mountain.

Ensia always had a dream – that one day, she would save her sister from the mountain.

General, this railway should be useless now, right?

No clue. But it probably isn't gonna work anymore.

But who gives a shit. The other job the Doctor gave us was to start some chaos in Silverash territory, the bigger the better.

Since we've already messed this place up pretty good, let's go somewhere else––

...Huh?

You sure took your sweet time, Valais.

Gulo, what exactly is the Doctor after?

The sentimental side of me actually wants to tell you.

But, honestly, I got no clue what the Doctor is trying to do either, hahaha!

But what I do know is, I'm here to make enough trouble to give Enciodes a tough time!

Gulo, I'd prefer not to humiliate you.

Or any of the excellent warriors of the Paleroche clan.

So lay down your arms. You have no chance of winning.

Valais, I know you've got some bad blood, and I'm not good at comforting people.

I also know that there's nothing I can do to bring back what you've lost.

But I'm happy to rumble with you. Let you blow off your steam.

Phew... That should be it for the first checkpoint.

Ah... If I remember right, this trail was part of the trial to become a Saintess.

Ensia remembers, the night before the selection of the Saintess, her sister had some kind of fight with her brother.

That night, she sat alone on the sofa in the living room until the sun came up.

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.