BI-3 Inscrutable

Status report.

Things aren't quite right. The Doctor's guess was a hit; a lot of people are gathered over here.

Are they setting out for the factories?

Yes... I'm sure of it.

Stay on their tails. Keep me informed.

Roger.

And that'll conclude this factory's handover.

Everything up till now has been as smooth as ice, thanks to your mediation, Doctor.

I might have been a little neglectful beforehand. I'm very sorry for that.

My, no need to be so humble. There's plenty still to come that'll require your guidance.

One moment.

Er, do you have some qualm about this, General Valais?

An ambush.

That's General Valais for you.

Who are you?

We're here to get an explanation.

Weiss and the Doctor should have just conveyed to the subjects' representatives the steps Karlan Trade's taking.

There must have been some misunderstanding...

Misunderstanding?

Sorry, Mr. Chester, I think you don't get it.

Sir Enciodes was tricked by this foreigner!

We were all kept in the dark. We only realized what was happening once someone told us.

Mr. Chester, you should know this foreigner's 'original' purpose in Kjerag was to advise on Oripathy and Infected handling methods.

What's your point?

......

Our informant is never wrong.

This foreigner's already in cahoots with Arctosz, and it's your job to keep eyes on the 'guest', General Valais.

Everyone knows Arctosz and the Vine-Bead Court were never happy with how Sir Enciodes opened up Kjerag.

The foreigner's going to say the factories spread Oripathy as an excuse to shut them forever with gross slander against the lord!

You're the one speaking slander! The Paleroches would never stoop to such unsightly lows!

The Paleroches and the Vine-Bead Court are all tied up! You don't think anything 'unsightly?' You don't think enough people have lost their lives?!

......

Father, Father! Are you alright?

Come, drink it. Drink and all will be better.

Kjeragandr's tears will cleanse this taint the Tschäggättä have left.

What proof do you have?!

Pah! You're asking me to prove your own misdeeds?

Doctor, this...

Can I trust you?

What, hound got your tongue?

Don't think you can smooth-talk your way out of this!

There's only one thing you need to say! Justify yourself to us!

Guards! Protect our guest! Take them away!

Get that foreigner now!

Wh-Where did you come from?!

It's not safe here!

Time to run, Doctor!

Oh! Alright.

*Pant*...

I need to reiterate, Doctor.

No matter what plans you have, this is far too dangerous. You probably don't remember, but I've told you the same thing many, many times before.

Anyone can make mistakes, even me. If you're willing, I hope you can make my work a bit easier on me.

The possibility's not high, but what would you have done if more professional combatants were snuck into that attack?

If they brought crossbows, what then?

I'll report the situation to the Doctor.

Captain Sharp and I both followed your confidant's message, heading separately to the Browntails' residence and the Silverashes' factories to pursue suspicious personnel.

Our trails ended up converging into one, surprisingly enough...

These people were very likely incited by the Browntails.

Agitating civilians and smearing the competition are both common schemes, but they're crude.

What do you mean...?

Their equipment and combat strength aren't up to par. It's not even enough to get them out in one piece.

Suppose they were arrested and interrogated, and they gave up their source...

Then it would look bad for the Browntails?!

We're lacking intel. We still can't see the full picture of this incident. No way to actually lock onto the hidden orchestrator or their goals.

The one thing we can be sure of is someone wants to disturb the tri-clan relations. That is to say, they want to shatter the Snow Realm's overall stability. Circumstances are exceptionally dangerous for outsiders like you, Doctor.

What do we do now, Doctor? Should we think of some way to make it back first?

That's right, this charade's just one small part of the giant storm. But my duty's clear-cut—I'm getting you out of danger, Doctor.

The more you know, the more dangerous your situation. We likely won't have the time to ensure all the details, Doctor.

That might just be the start of it, Doctor.

I have to remind you, Doctor, this may have long grown beyond your plans.

But since you're so determined, and seeing as you have a good grasp on things... we won't stop you.

At this point, do you plan on telling Courier and Matterhorn, and especially Cliffheart, considering they're all Silverashes?

Agreed. I'm sorry to Cliffheart, but now that we're here, it's hard for me to fully trust Courier and Matterhorn.

Doctor, I know you want to trust them, but set aside Cliffheart for now—it's hard for me not to be wary of Courier and Matterhorn in this current tri-clan dispute, no matter what.

Then I choose to keep part of the truth hidden from them.

Is there anyone else?

None, they've all been suppressed.

Then what about the Doctor? Whereabouts?

We... saw someone taking the Doctor away, running into the forest.

Damn...!

You lot, with me! There'd better not be a single scratch on—

!!

Ah! So you're... I thought you...

That was a difficult situation there, and I lost sight of you. I hope you can forgive me.

I made a mockery of myself, when I should by all rights have prioritized your safety.

As you can see... the people here have all been contained.

Don't move! Settle down!

Don't think we don't know! You're here just to frame Sir Enciodes.

You self-righteous hypocrite! Pah!

......

...Bro?

......?

Lara? Why are you here?

Bro! What are you doing?!

Wh—Why are you all mixed up with these people?

That's my boss!

Leave it. Now's not the time.

Understood, Captain.

What?

Have... you told Sir Enciodes about that?

You! You! You're a nasty piece of work after all.

I don't quite understand, so I have no way to judge if what you say is true.

But it sounds at least somewhat reasonable.

I'll never believe your vile lies! You! You...

I want you to behave or else! Have you given a thought to the sort of punishment you'll face for attacking an outside guest of honor in the Vine-Bead Court's territory?

......

So long as it's for Sir Enciodes...

The Silverashes' guest attacked by the Silverashes' subjects? Is there any way this won't smear the Silverash reputation?

Is this how you 'repay Sir Enciodes?'

...That...

Think about it!

Bro, you used to be so cool-headed. What happened?

...Forget it. You wouldn't understand if I told you.

What?

General Valais, please be kind...

*Sigh*...

Is that really all it is? I'm not convinced.

*Sigh*... You know what, forget it.

...Are you sure this settles it?

Listen up, all of you. If it wasn't for our guest's altruism, you'd all be in for a caning before the day is out! Reflect on your actions!

Don't think you'll buy us off just like that! You rotten...

Leave it, leave it. We're out of here. Don't disgrace the Silverashes any more than that.

Hey, did you hear? Supposedly that guest of honor we were keeping an eye on, the Doctor or whatever, was attacked by Silverash's people?

You only just heard about it? The news is everywhere.

Then why don't you tell me what the hell is going on? Wasn't this Doctor person invited by Enciodes himself?

Well, the version of the story I heard is, the attackers apparently thought that after the Doctor went over, Arctosz offered some under-the-table deals.

Huh? Master Arctosz wouldn't do something like that!

Dumbass, can't you tell this is obviously nonsense made up by the attackers?

If you ask me, after finding out that Arctosz is going to be hosting the Doctor, Enciodes is trying to set Arctosz up.

Maybe the people behind the attack were sent by Enciodes too.

Yeah, that makes sense, just as you said.

Then why are we spending all this time keeping tabs on this Doctor? They're probably not in cahoots with Enciodes.

I didn't fully understand you before, so I ask your forgiveness if I have offended you in any way.

As you are Enciodes's honored guest, I should be watching my words...

But, something doesn't add up about this attack made against you.

Enciodes...

I could've sworn they were trying to harm you to give Enciodes an excuse to seek retribution against the Paleroche clan, accusing them of failing to protect you.

That's what I think too. They clearly already received the information that Weiss passed along on behalf of Enciodes, yet still are distrustful of you.

It's almost as if...

Ugh...

Hah, well said.

Valais, we always said you were a skilled tactician and had a good head on your shoulders. But looks like you still have a lot to learn from the Doctor.

You're exactly right, Sir.

Oh, right, Valais. Pass this message on for me – My men don't need to keep watch over the Doctor anymore. Just focus on guarding our territory.

As for the guards the Doctor brought along, they will be allowed to come and go freely from now on.

Yessir.

I just happened to overhear a bit of your conversation from the hallway.

I don't have any interest in your guessing games, but I might be able to offer you some clues.

Kjeragandr is our witness. Doctor, I apologize for the rudeness of the Paleroche clan––

On my name as head of the house of Paleroche, I swear to Kjeragandr that I was not the one who instigated this attack.

If you are willing to believe me, let me assure you that there are absolutely no scoundrels in the Paleroche clan that would carry out such a malicious attack behind my back.

Hm? I never said anything about trusting you, Doctor.

But at least I am certain now that you aren't up to any mischief.

Hahaha! Good.

Doctor, I may not be much of a philosopher, but even a rough-around-the-edges man like me can smell that there's something unusual brewing in Kjerag.

That damned Enciodes, suddenly talking about ceding power back to the Saintess, then driving Gnosis away, and now putting you in this position...

And someone attacked you in the midst of it all.

Let me be honest – I can't help but to suspect that Enciodes is up to no good, even if he hasn't shown the slightest flaw in what he's doing.

But I'm not going to sit around and wait for the land granted to us by Kjeragandr to fall into danger...

What is it?

What?!

Gnosis Edelweiss.

Madame Ratatos Browntail.

It seems like I've finally earned the privilege of talking with you face-to-face?

You can't fool me with that feigned humility, Gnosis.

You are plenty smart yourself. Let there be no shady dealings between honest people.

If you didn't want something from me, you would not have been trying to meet me again and again.

Heh. If you're just trying to assert your dominance here, then I do believe it is time for me to bid thee farewell.

Don't be in such a hurry, Gnosis. I have a few questions for you.

When I first heard that the Edelweiss clan followed Enciodes back to Kjerag, I frankly was not too surprised.

I thought you either had some evidence to prove that the Edelweisses would not be adverse to the Silverash clan, or perhaps, you had something to hold over Enciodes.

But neither you nor Enciodes have said anything about what happened back then, while you still allow the Silverashes to rebuke you for your shamelessness.

What keeps you going? I'm curious.

...He promised me a future.

A future?

Kjerag's future. An emerging industrial country that would allow me to utilize my talent in research without fear of plagiarism, misuse, or suppression.

That's all?

Needless to say, I never expected you to understand in the first place, Ratatos. You will never be a researcher after all.

It may be difficult for you to understand how thrilling it is to freely explore the innovation and application of technology, backed by plenty of resources and privilege. To be given a legitimate purpose.

So that's the deal you struck. You give him your skills, and he provides you a stage.

And then what?

Surely you aren't going to tell me that he pushed you out and made you take the fall just to protect himself.

Is this all that Karlan Trade's cost-benefit analysis amounts to?

You seem to have a lot of faith in Karlan Trade. Why didn't you accept the offer to work under Enciodes two years ago?

Don't be ridiculous. No matter how powerful Enciodes is, he cannot change the faith that has been deeply rooted in the bones of our people for thousands of years.

Karlan Trade can only grow as big as the Tri-Clan Council and the Vine-Bead Court allow, and it is impossible for Kjerag to industrialize––

—Wait.

So he's found a new bargaining chip?

Exactly.

There was no way for Enciodes to turn the people of Kjerag against Kjeragandr, so he had to reach a compromise.

But he's been stuck there for far too long. No matter how many times I tried to push him, he seems indifferent.

Until there finally came an opportunity to turn things around.

Ensia's Oripathy symptoms are under control, and though there still isn't a cure, she was able to return to him alive and well...

...and excitedly told him that it might be possible to deepen cooperation with an outside party to better control the spread and harm of Oripathy at a lower cost.

No, Enciodes wouldn't...

Of course not. Once the gate to Kjerag is opened, it cannot be completely sealed again.

The number of Infected living in Kjerag will only increase– this is the reality of our world. During the process of Kjerag's continued development, the ability to deal with Oripathy will ultimately become a new bargaining chip.

He is about to make the people of Kjerag decide between faith and technology, and faith alone will no longer protect them from Oripathy.

Empty rhetoric. There's no proof.

Come with me then. Bring your people along, including those who can fight, and I will show you something.