act46side

Understood.

Enciodes checks his clothes and goes back into the conference room.

I apologize for the delay. Let us continue.

First, concerning taxation of the joint Kjerag-Kazimierz mining endeavor...

Preposterous... preposterous!

There has never been such a prophecy in any of the scriptures. Why would Kjeragandr punish us with a Catastrophe? It's preposterous!

But it happened! She has left us because She is angry with us!

How do we explain this Catastrophe, if not by Kjeragandr's anger?

Look at the crowd surrounding the Vine-Bead Court now. They are pious believers in Kjeragandr, gentle children of Kjerag.

Are we to tell them that the families and friends they lost, all their suffering, happened for no reason at all?

The people are troubled. Their faith is shaken... but it is at times like this that our own faith must be stronger than ever.

How do we know this isn't a trial from Kjeragandr to reinforce our faith?

Kjeragandr has not abandoned Kjerag... why would She punish Kjerag for no reason?

Perhaps it happened because we've acted against Kjeragandr's will—

The young cleric takes one look at the Saintess in the middle of the hall, then lowers his head without a word.

You may speak your mind.

Saintess...

I believe this is the fury of Kjeragandr... it's a warning...

Because the Vine-Bead Court... because we made the wrong choice.

We should not have allowed the faithless to build upon Mount Karlan. We should have remained firm, rejected them...

If they did not defile the temple of Kjeragandr and anger Her, why would Kjerag...?

His voice grows lower, but at the same time firmer. The hall is quiet, with no one speaking out in objection.

I see.

You believe that I, the Saintess, have offended Kjeragandr and brought Catastrophe upon Kjerag.

N-No, Saintess, what I mean is...

No, your words offer valuable insight. It is not only the people at the foot of the mountain; many who sit among us think the same way.

This is what is happening now. People doubt the Vine-Bead Court, and you, too, are anxious and wavering.

Cleric Fangot, Cleric Ronoa. One of you believes that Kjeragandr continues to favor us as She always has. The other believes that Kjeragandr has...

She bows and thinks for a moment, her alabaster face calm as ice.

Recite to me the Three Protections detailed in the <i>Kjeragandr.</i>

...Yes, Saintess.

The First Protection, Page 7, Line 9 of the <i>Kjeragandr.</i>

'And so She spoke to the shepherd boy, saying—'

'I shall grant you shelter, and all that you may need.'

'I shall hunt in the woods, and I shall plant seeds in the earth, such that you will have furs to wear and food to eat, and neither frost nor famine shall take you.'

'And thus, She protects us from the harms of cold and hunger.'

The Second Protection, Page 25, Line 17 of the <i>Kjeragandr.</i>

'And so the protector came forth from the people, awakened in the clouds of myriad colors, and built high walls of earth watered with snow.'

'And thus, She protects our homes and our kin, and She taught us the means to defend ourselves from our enemies.'

And... Page 32, Line 2 of the <i>Kjeragandr,</i> towards the end.

'That day, She proclaimed to the people:'

'My eyes shall watch over you, my fur shall warm you, my backbone shall protect you, while my flesh and blood shall bless you.'

'You have learned the way of wind and snow, and learned the form of walking.'

'You are the people of Kjerag, and the land of Kjerag belongs to you from this day forth.'

Very good...

Now tell me... is there anywhere in the <i>Kjeragandr</i> where Kjeragandr promises that Kjerag will always be safe from Catastrophe?

Are you making that promise to Kjeragandr's people on Her behalf?

Many of the seated clerics look down without a word.

It is quiet enough to hear a pin drop. The smell of incense fills the nostrils, but it feels as though their breaths have been frozen in place by the exchange that just occurred.

Your words ring true, Saintess.

Catastrophe has struck Kjerag. Some have died, and others have become afflicted.

The entire Snow Realm has heard the news. Fear, anxiety, sorrow, and even anger, are spreading throughout the people of Kjerag.

Our duty is to seek a solution.

Certainly. Now is not the time for debate, and my words are intended as a warning, not to fall into the twin traps of panic and prejudice.

You are the faithful devotees of Kjeragandr, and you understand the weight that words have. No member of the Vine-Bead Court is to speak of 'Kjeragandr's punishment' from this moment forth.

Tomorrow, I will go into the Hall of Writings, and devote myself to studying the scriptures and hearing Her voice.

Elder Adso.

Yes, Saintess.

As the new Great Elder, you shall oversee the Vine-Bead Court in my stead, during my retreat.

You are to carry out the duties of the court faithfully and diligently, from placating the people to conducting the memorial service and copying the scriptures for the repose of the deceased.

Understood...

We must have faith...

...Kjerag has weathered many storms and overcome many challenges. The Vine-Bead Court is ever with the people.

*sigh*...

At least things haven't gotten out of hand...

The girl exhales and slumps over the desk, finally able to relax the back that she has kept straight as a fir in the snow.

I don't understand. Why do people keep treating our god as a wishing well? Why do they attribute everything good and bad in their lives to Her?

I know, this is not how I should think, as their Saintess, but...

But I don't understand why a Catastrophe would strike now, either.

*sigh*...

Bring in the dressers, please, Kjarr.

The funeral preparations are done. Starting tomorrow, we'll...

Kjarr?

The room is quiet except for the whistling of the wind and the cracking of the fire.

Enya turns to find that the room is completely empty.

Kjarr... where are you?

The handmaiden who should be at the Saintess's side at all times is nowhere to be seen. There is only Enya's own shadow, thin and long in the light of the fireplace, flickering in the dim room.

Kjarr...?

Enya...

Tell me... honestly...

Do you still... hear Kjeragandr's voice?

The cracking of burning firewood echoes through the empty room.

The wind continues to wail outside the window. She can almost hear the cries of the bewildered devotees at the foot of Mount Karlan.

Enya recalls the day that she first came to the Saintess's quarters.

An unfamiliar room, an unfamiliar smell. Home was well in sight, yet she would never return there under her own name. At that time, she felt the same emptiness, as though this room were a snowy cave.

But she has grown accustomed to having a companion, someone to whom she can pour her heart out, someone on whom she can rely.

But now...

The <i>Kjeragandr</i> scriptures lie open on the desk. The dressing mirror reflects the girl's helpless expression.

Kjarr...

You promised me you wouldn't disappear so suddenly...

Exactly... what happened?

<p=1>Rhine Lab Observation Station, Kjerag</><p=2>Two months ago</>

That was fast... an observation station of this size, built in such a short period of time...

Business must have cried tears of blood when they approved the budget.

Actually, we got more sponsorship offers from financial institutions than we could handle the moment the committee approved the Kjerag observation station.

If anything, funding was the least of our worries on this project.

Honestly, Silence... I didn't expect the committee to approve the proposal that easily.

I had my reservations. I still think Rhine Lab is too adventurous with regard to research into the Starpod. There are numerous potential risks that we have not fully considered.

But I also recognize that the stability I hope for may never come.

At the end of the day, it's the specific people in whom we place our trust.