level_act46side_st03

So according to you, that Duke Caster has had her spies embedded in Kjerag for a long, long time. And it's all to prepare for a future annexation?

But how is she going to do that?

To be more precise... this is my educated guess based on what I've learned in Kjerag.

So out of all the Victorians sneaking around Kjerag, you happen to be the only <i>actual</i> reporter who's after truth and righteousness and suchlike?

Well, you don't have to be so rude about it!

My name's Alberta. If you're familiar with the Victorian newsprint business, you would've heard that name in conjunction with many articles about the truth that were deemed 'unprintable'.

I take pride in my work, no matter what they say.

Hmph...

I'll believe you for now, little Miss Reporter, but this doesn't mean you're completely free of suspicion.

I've had my guards rip out the spies your people sent after the explosion.

If you're telling the truth, then take us to your crew's station. I've got a lot of things I'd like to ask the agents you mentioned.

You wouldn't refuse me, would you?

But—

Move!

Degenbrecher grabs Ratatos and the reporter, pulling them into the back room as a stun grenade from who-knows-where goes off in the interrogation room.

In the distance, a Browntail guard who was unable to get out of the way in time screams. A throwing knife has pierced his heart.

Dammit!

Degenbrecher pokes her body out the doorway, hiding back behind the door as another knife flies towards her. She watches it tremble after it embeds itself in the door frame.

These knives are the ones used by the Trilby Ashers.

You two stay hidden here. I'll go confirm the scale of the raid and their strategy.

As she finishes speaking, she suddenly draws her twin weapons, knocking two knives thrown from the shadows out of the air before springing forward to attack. The dust she kicks up forces the reporter to squint.

You—

What the hell's going on? How do the Trilby Ashers know about this place?

Did you leak it to them? But I've been watching you the whole time, that can't be...

I didn't! I even checked over all my things, and made sure nobody was following me.

Look out!

The room shakes violently. The reporter pulls at Ratatos's sleeve, moving her to the other side of the room as fragments of the damaged ceiling smash into the floor where they just were.

Then how do you explain <i>all this?</i>

...Wait! There's still one place I haven't checked.

She picks up the camera hanging around her neck, removes the lens, presses down on the shutter, and lifts up the reflector. A faint red light glows within.

She pulls out the suspicious component. A miniature tracking device.

So that's where it was hiding...

Another explosion, and thick smoke slowly seeps into the room the two are hiding in. Degenbrecher emerges from the smoke, her breathing somewhat ragged.

Three Trilby Ashers with this first group. I fended them off for now, but the reinforcements they called for are already on their way here.

I will keep you safe, Ratatos, but we need to leave.

Let's go to the Vine-Bead Court. There's a mountain trail nearby that leads to one of the secret passages in.

They won't dare act rashly against the Court. It'll buy us some time.

Wait, I need to come with you.

Since the Trilby Ashers will keep chasing us, I'll make a record of all their assassination attempts in Kjerag and compile them together with everything they've done so far. I'll pass them to a local friend to get the word out.

This will expose all of Victoria's dirty deeds to the public.

I can't let myself be taken in by them!

Enough babbling, I still need to find Enciodes for a joint questioning.

You'd be coming with us even if you didn't want to.

...Yes, Ratatos is alive. The three of them have entered the Vine-Bead Court's northern gate.

The escaped reporter is with her, and the renowned Black Knight is guarding them.

What orders from Her Grace?

...Wait.

...Did you just say that Her Grace will personally be visiting Kjerag?

To Karlan Trade Headquarters

and to Enciodes Silverash, son of the former Chairman and my kinswoman Elizabeth

alongside all the people of Kjerag:

This is an open letter, within which is written all the wrongdoings of Enciodes and Karlan Trade both.

With this letter I shall formally protest, protest all the grievances that Victoria and Kjerag share in suffering from, that were wholly avoidable.

Chairman Edelweiss! I'm glad you're here!

What is it? Slow down.

I-It's a letter by the Duke of Caster. The contents have already been disseminated to the public.

It's all about Kjerag... Mostly Karlan Trade.

What did she write?

About how we're not acting in good faith, and Sir Enciodes—

Give it here.

Notify all members of the Board that we are to have an immediate meeting at HQ.

Tell everyone to remain calm.

Enciodes's first offense, and the source of all this tragedy, was to seek benefit from Columbia, brute-forcing the carving-out of a great pit and the construction of an observation station atop Mount Karlan.

In the wake of it, Catastrophe descended on Kjerag. This much is undeniable.

Amidst the terror and disarray, he committed his second offense. The humanitarian aid sent by Victoria was instead pocketed by him in the name of negotiation.

To legitimize this shameless act, Enciodes went on the attack against Victoria, leveling baseless accusations and slander against Victorian tourists and expatriates. This was his third offense.

His ultimate act of toying with the heart of the public was also his fourth offense. He colluded with Ratatos to fake the Browntail matriarch's death, and through duplicity, lead Clan Browntail into hostilities with Victoria.

'...Victoria also has proof that Ratatos is hidden within the Vine-Bead Court. Those citizens who doubt this simply need examine the premises, though his guilty heart has led him to station his private army there.'

This is... all a bit much.

Hey, when I was suspicious of Enciodes earlier, you guys shouted me down like I was a conspiracy theorist. But it all makes sense now, doesn't it?

Since when? The whole letter's just Victoria's say-so.

The fifth offense explained it, didn't it? Enciodes told Ratatos to kidnap that Victorian reporter and hid her in the Court. Can't be a lie with all those details, can it?

And the sixth offense says in order to control the Court, he arrested all the clerics who wouldn't obey him. That matches.

The Court invited us all up the mountain for blessings, but Degenbrecher had some men stop us.

What about the seventh, then? It's obvious that Victoria wanted to get a bigger slice of the pie, but Karlan Trade refused them.

You're a real idiot, you know that? It's proof that Enciodes has gone and betrayed Kjerag.

Victoria's made a fair point about Karlan Trade going against all their contracts, and now we're the ones stuck with the bill thanks to Enciodes's stupid decisions!

So you think we should do what Victoria says? They want Karlan Trade to stick with the old mining agreement, and put Enciodes on trial!

They said they'd do a joint trial with the Vine-Bead Court, it'll be fine. Enciodes would be lucky if he just got banished for his crimes.

The only crime he's done is letting you run your mouth in this rebuilt pub!

So he's been doing all the good, while it's always someone else doing the sinning? Wow, what a coincidence!

...I don't understand any of this, but I know it's always us who have to suffer for it.

C'mon man, trust in Sir Enciodes, he's helped me out before—

What the hell was that?

O-Outside...

...I heard a lot of troubling talk on the way here.

Please tell me you've been doing more than admiring the snow.

I shouldn't have asked.

Is everything that happened still as you expected?

...If I said yes, would you believe me?

I would.

Because we're not unprepared. During the recent growth window, Karlan Trade—

I am afraid it is you who is the optimistic one this time, Gnosis.

You know that, no matter how many plans and contingencies we make, things will inevitably exceed our expectations.

From the three clans, the Vine-Bead Court, and stretching out to all the people of Kjerag, Victoria's methods are plain to see.

As someone who always bets every chip he has, you were never afraid of risk.

Thus, all this is all I deserve.

Dark clouds cover the twilight sky. The steel behemoths of Victoria trample across the white snowfields.

Caster's fleet...

I've heard this fleet was the one that drove the devils out of Victoria during the Battle of Londinium.

After the battle concluded, Caster took the time to restore its flagship, so that her <i>Glory</i> may live on.

How many upon this great land can boast of the might to stand against this force?

...We chose to walk the more difficult road. It is time we meet the end of it.

Whew—

Why are all of Kjerag's mountains so hard to climb...

Just bear it a little longer, Elena. We need to avoid the Vine-Bead Court, and this is the only road that does so.

A Rift Cloudbeast clambers up onto Elena's shoulder out of nowhere before jumping back into Joanna's embrace, letting out a high-pitched cry.

Heh, it's laughing at you.

Laugh all you want... I've done more exercise today then the past twenty-something years I've been alive...

Enya looks at the crestfallen Elena, letting out a light chuckle as she turns the corner.

She sees a simple camp by the side of the road, not far from where they stand.

There are many clerics of the Vine-Bead Court warming themselves by the fire. Amidst the crowd, Enya picks out a familiar figure with but a glance.

Why'd you stop, Enya?

...Is that Elder Adso?

Who?

I didn't think... I would run into you here.

Because you should not be here, Saintess.

You know, Elder, when you're talking with the Saintess, you should be more—

I know, and yet I also know this is not the road she is meant to be on.

...What if it is to search for Kjeragandr?

All shall seek Her in their time of need.

So, what is it you need?

You instructed me to go on the Pilgrimage, so that I may atone for the sins of all Kjerag to Her. Thus, what I need is to find Her, and pray to Her for forgiveness.

I had wanted to get you out of the Vine-Bead Court at the time.

...And in doing so, the Court would not be 'hindered' by me.

I had hoped that while you were off on the Pilgrimage, we would be able to sway the Duke of Caster into handling Enciodes, and that when you returned, it would be to both parties worn and wary.

The Court would then take advantage of your return to declare a miracle, thus gaining true control.

But your brother declared war on the Court too soon, and I could not allow myself to fall into the hands of Caster or Enciodes, whether as their prisoner, or as their puppet.

I presume you being here means you are thinking of being like the Court clerics of old, going to Karlan to the ancient refuges in the legends, where you can wait for the moment your enemies are 'worn'.

As such, there is no need for you to continue with your meaningless circuit, Saintess. Follow us to seek refuge atop the mountains.

There will come a time that the people will beg on bended knee for you, and us, to appear.

The silent elders of the Court behind him stand up one after the other, forming a semicircle before the Saintess.

Joanna glances at Enya with unease, her hand subconsciously moving towards her crossbow, but Enya merely gives her a light shake of the head.

I can't stop. The next Catastrophe is nearly upon us.

What...?

The Saintess is right, Elder. You must have noticed the strange weather these past few days.

We've already found an important clue about the 'Heart of Karlan'. We have the opportunity to learn the exact reason why a Catastrophe came to strike Kjerag.

Maybe even... the truth behind Kjeragandr.

...It is meaningless.

Elder—

Because Kjeragandr does not exist.

...What did you say?!

When I left the Court, you told me quite the opposite.

'Kjeragandr' can exist within the plants, the stones, our words and deeds, but you will not find Her true form atop this great land.

She is not real, only existing within our imaginations.

Not even you can blaspheme against Her, Elder Adso!

...When I was young, my faith in Her was much the same as yours. My father and uncle sent me to the Vine-Bead Court as a child, forcing me to secretly aid Clan Browntail with their mission, yet all I wanted to do was to serve Her in all sincerity.

When the Great Elder tasked me with managing the Hall of Writings, I was giddy with glee. Every word to do with Her, whether they be fragmented pages or ridiculous essays, were studied by me over and over.

But the more you read, the more you realize that the so-called <i>Kjeragandr</i> is nothing more than a piece of 'scripture' assembled by mortal men.

Dare you deny it, Saintess? You too have seen what is said to be the original copy. It is no more than a few scant phrases, nothing like what we have today.

It's not true, is it, Enya...?

From marketplace chatter to historical records, even foreign legends from who-knows-where. Add cold gales and snowy peaks, and you have the 'miracles' of Kjeragandr.

I persisted in my inspection of everything, hoping to find even the tiniest shred of evidence 'unlike the rest'. But all I found were more and more archetypical tales.

I even found signs of adaptation left behind by previous Court elders in the margins of a few books.

...Why didn't you tell anyone?

And what would I say?

What is Kjerag to you, Saintess?

That is not a question any one child of Kjerag can answer.

Because Kjerag already has its answer. This is a nation of faith.

Enciodes has tried to undermine it, the Duke of Caster has tried to swallow it, but even they dare not defy Kjeragandr, at least not openly.

But if She doesn't exist, then who founded Kjerag?

...Our country was never one built atop Her flesh and bones. Rather, it was Her country that was built atop our flesh, our bones.

It was the ancestors of the people of Kjerag who, amidst these snow-capped mountains of despair, labored tortuously to create a place where they could survive.

People could never understand why fate decreed they should struggle in suffering, whilst others thrived in merriment.

And so, abandoned upon these hopeless rocks, they had to seek consolation elsewhere, so that they may continue to live.

From the cries for some almighty leader and the prayers for majesty and morality of every generation of Kjerag, 'Kjeragandr' was born.

From the moment of Her birth, She became the foundation of Kjerag. Because of their need for faith, generation after generation must repeat a lie.

Kjerag needed virtue and law, needed art and aesthetics, needed family and tradition. With 'perfect timing', She would appear by our sides, leaving behind a few revelatory words of wisdom.

From this came an unbreakable order, one that has lasted time immemorial.

So in your eyes, this lie must be maintained at any cost, so that Kjerag itself can be maintained.

Indeed.

Every nation has its own lie. Kjerag's is 'Kjeragandr'.

...I disagree.

A lie can bring temporary reprieve, but it cannot become the eternal law through which we live.

You believe it is able to maintain order, so you care not for the sincere longing of the people. You treat their feelings as a tool you can control.

When this longing tears through the veil you have constructed, the Vine-Bead Court and the faith it tends to shall be shattered beyond repair.

From that point of view, you are your hated Enciodes's greatest ally.

There is only one thing I wish to ask you. Do <i>you</i> believe Kjeragandr exists?

I... but...

She sifts through her mind, through all her memories of that head maid... but she has already forgotten. How she looked, vague wisps of emotion, all forgotten.

There is no memory, no person who can vouch for her, no-one who can offer her words of comfort. Her heart lies empty...

...I do.

You claim this is all a lie, Elder Adso, which is proof that there is a truth to correspond with this lie.

And so I believe in the passion and goodness preached by the scriptures. I believe Kjeragandr exists in Kjerag.

Besides, I have already found the path to Her.

If you must refute me, then come witness alongside me.

Your 'faith' is pointless, Saintess. Even greater disaster awaits Kjerag.

Enciodes's short-sightedness has already left her faith on the brink of collapse. This is our last chance to save her.

Ever since the Pilgrimage began, you have treated me as part of your conspiracy.

Because we have both dedicated our entire lives to the faith. It is impossible for you to not understand my devotion.

Then what is it you wish me to do?

At a suitable hour, return with me to the Vine-Bead Court to regain control.

We shall have to look at our specific circumstances to deal with the Duke of Caster, but Enciodes must be eliminated.

You are a kind soul, and cannot bear to harm your brother. I understand.

Enciodes must leave Kjerag. That is the most we can allow him.

This is pure coercion.

In return, I can take you to the place you seek.

When I was young, I had searched all of Karlan. Since you must face the truth, this will be the quickest way to do it.

...I accept.

Enya?

But on one condition. If we really do find proof of Kjeragandr, you shall renounce all your schemes regarding Enciodes.

...Very well.

'Kjeragandr' above, witness our vows.