Reserve Prophet

We don't want any trouble, sir.

We're just here at this office for a bit while reconstruction work is going on at Rhodes Island.

The office has an agreement with the city council. We'll live on an undeveloped plate, and we won't have any contact with the people in the county.

We won't trouble you at all.

Won't trouble us? Then what about this bloke? He showed up at MY door!

I'm from Ashford! I left after selling my home to pay medical bills.

I just wanted to see what became of my old house!

So it was you!

I spent big money on this house, only to learn that the previous owner was some bloody Infected!

Nothing has gone right since then, and I can't find a buyer for the place! This is all your fault!

You said you're from Ashford? I've got news for you, friend: there was no place for you here the moment you got Oripathy!

Why you—

How dare you fight back! I swear you'll pay for this!

What's all the commotion?

Sir, we—

You're those new Infected, aren't you? Why are you here in town and not on the plate that's been assigned to you?

These dirty Infected attacked me, sir!

I... I just...

Knew nothing good could come of letting Infected in. You're under arrest!

That's right! Run them out of town! Who knows if they're really just here for a while, or if they aren't planning something dirty.

Sir, we—

Hold it.

Mr. Adnachiel—

I came as soon as I heard. Are you okay?

We're fine. But—

And who might you be?

Adnachiel, Rhodes Island Reserve Op Team A4. I was in charge of escorting these patients.

I take responsibility for their actions.

And how exactly do you propose to take this responsibility? Who'd make it up to us if you exploded and killed us?

Rhodes Island is doing everything in our power to prevent that from happening.

Hmph. 'Everything in your power'. Like that counts for anything. Don't think you can throw your weight around just because some bigwig let you in.

I can run all of you out of town for this, you hear me?

...*sigh*.

Now, you're coming with me, and don't you dare make a wrong move!

The director of the Rhodes Island branch office shouldn't be here right now, Adamant.

And I shouldn't open this door for you.

But I'll let you see him because Rhodes Island treated my brother.

Thank you.

Are Rodrey and Palmera doing alright? I don't suppose the people here will be too hard on them if they've got the 'main culprit' locked up like this.

They're doing fine.

Wish I could say the same about the situation, though.

We've got a few witnesses who can testify that it was that young man who incited the conflict, but that's not going to matter to the people who're simply looking for an excuse.

A lot of people were already unhappy about the government's decision to allow Oripathy patients to stay on the undeveloped plate.

And now, they've found their excuse. I got word that some of the nobles are already on their way to the city council as we speak, to discuss whether to accept these patients.

...*sigh*.

The placement plans while construction at Rhodes Island is going on were intended to allow patients to be closer to home.

Rodrey was born and raised here. He went through so much before he found his place at Rhodes Island. Who could blame him for wanting to see his old home again?

No one's blaming him, not in this room anyway.

But it took tremendous effort and all the connections the branch could muster in order to persuade the powers to allow the patients to settle on the undeveloped plate.

We'll have a problem on our hands if these patients have to leave.

I know. Amongst the three counties in this region where we have an office, Ashford is already the friendliest towards the Infected.

We wouldn't have to gather all the patients here if the other two counties didn't turn us down.

Exactly. If they're deported, they'll have to take the long way round to branches in other regions, which is too much of a burden for the patients...

It's time for you to go, Adamant.

I know.

I'm in charge here, and this is my responsibility.

I'll find a way to get you out, and deal with the aftermath. There are a few influential nobles in the city council whom we might be able to sway.

...

Say, Adamant, remember that side hustle you wrote to me about last year?

How is it going?

Not too bad, I suppose.

But is this really the time to talk about that?

...I have an idea. I'll need you to find my teammates.

You know those Infected on the undeveloped plate?

Go gather up the boys, and we'll teach them a lesson.

Why?

Word has gotten out about what happened in the morning. Everybody in the county has their eyes on them now.

All we need to do is add fuel to the fire.

Do we really need to go that far?

They're Infected, for Terra's sake! Do YOU want a bunch of ticking time bombs sleeping next door?

Well... guess not...

Don't you understand? Once we've done this, we'll be the heroes of the county, no matter how things turn out in the end.

Heroes who drove the Infected out!

Think of the money we can make! No one will look down on us anymore! You want to live a better life, don't you?

...Yeah.

Then go get the boys!

And grab some weapons!

Today's the day that we become heroes of Ashford!

I'm with you!

Finally, here's my big chance...

It's your unlucky day, Infected. You're gonna make me a lot of money.

...

Listen, I don't have the money right now, but I'll have it soon—

Am I speaking to Mr. Philips?

Uh, guess you are... what do you want from me?

I'm a spice merchant based in Londinium, and my business has taken me to Ashford lately.

I would like to purchase my own residence here, and I learned that your house is for sale. If you're still selling, I'm willing to offer a very competitive price.

...R—Really?

Of course.

But I'm—

I'm afraid I have little time to waste, and I shall have to look elsewhere should you be unable to give me an answer on the spot.

Uh... I—I see, alright, just tell me the place and I'll come find you.

Please come to the cafe at Council Square.

A—Alright, I'll be right there.

Today is my lucky day!

I got the boys, Philips—hey, where did he go?

That young man...

He was hot-headed, actively inciting conflict with the patients. From his outfit, I gather he was not of means.

He could be the spark that sets off the fire.

At the same time, he's also the easiest potential threat to neutralize.

My speculation is that he's not actually actively hostile to Oripathy patients, but rather trying to stir up conflict and profit from it.

Melantha comes from a family of merchants. She will have no trouble playing the part of a wealthy businesswoman who's interested in buying the house.

Distract him from the Infected, and he won't be stirring up anything for a while.

That's one potential threat neutralized.

But this is just the start.

What comes next is the tough part.

I say run them all out of town, along with this Rhodes Island of theirs!

I was against the Rhodes Island office from the beginning! We should do as all the other counties do, and kick out anyone who has Oripathy!

What if you're the one who gets Oripathy?

Me, Oripathy? Never! I eat well, sleep well, and exercise every day!

If you ask me, what happened today was just a matter of time.

I tell you, my uncle's on his way to the city council right now to convince the other nobles to run these Infected out of town.

...I know a few Rhodes Island doctors. They're good people.

So what? Can they cure Oripathy?

...I suppose you're right.

See? We don't need the Infected here, and we don't need doctors treating those Infected.

Not necessarily.

What, are you speaking up for the Infected?

No, I'm not speaking up for them.

I just want to offer another perspective.

What do you mean?

The city council has been talking about developing those unused plates for years, but work has yet to begin for various reasons.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to two things: Money and manpower.

As far as money goes, I'm sure the nobles have plenty.

The problem has always been manpower.

That's true... my uncle's an engineer, and he said no contractor wants to take that job because it's all pain and no gain. It's been a headache for the city council for a while.

If we kick out the Infected because we don't need them. In the same way, do we throw out an unused plate because we don't need it?

To hell you will! It was paid by MY taxes!

You got a better idea?

Why don't we shut the Infected and the pharmaceutical company who treats them on the undeveloped plate, and let them develop it for us?

It's futile trying to persuade the public that our patients are harmless and under Rhodes Island control.

The public naturally tends to reject Oripathy once it enters the consciousness.

The simplest and most effective solution is to distract them with something even bigger.

Steward is one of the most persuasive people I've met. He should be able to influence public opinion to a certain extent.

At the very least, we can give the public a third option—

'If we're going to deal with the Infected anyway, we might as well make them work for us.'

...

It's not a nice thing to think about.

But it's the best I can come up with under present circumstances.

While we might be able to influence public opinion to an extent, it ultimately just serves to prevent public opinion from forcing the nobles' hand.

The last and most important part is the nobles' decision.

I'm counting on you, Cardigan.

We've been discussing this for days, Lord Viscount. It's time we came to a decision.

Something as trivial as whether to kick a bunch of Infected out has already caused me to miss three performances that I was looking forward to.

YOU were the one who proposed to have a Rhodes Island office in the county, and YOU were the one who persuaded the Lord Viscount to let those patients in.

Are you trying to pretend all that didn't happen?

I always have the best interests of the county at heart.

Rhodes Island is a pharmaceutical company with a bright future. Working with them can only be a positive for the county. Indeed, medical care in the county has improved considerably in the past two years.

As for the patients, it's not like the undeveloped plate was doing anything useful just being left to collect dust. Much better to do Rhodes Island a favor and collect on it later.

Besides, remind me who's been talking about developing the new plate and doing exactly nothing about it?

I would hardly have proposed to use it to house the patients if it was doing anything useful.

H—How DARE you! I bet you're behind those people stirring up the masses and talking about using the patients to develop the new plate!

Would you believe me if I said I wasn't?

Hmph. Whatever you're planning, I can tell you—

Those patients couldn't possibly have the capability to develop the new plate.

You and I can say whatever we want. At the end of the day, it's the Lord Viscount's word that counts.

Rufus. I listened to you about Rhodes Island, and they have indeed generated considerable economic value for the county.

I hear that some of the people are now in favor of allowing them to stay on the new plate... if they help us develop the new plate.

But this notion is not realistic. What can a rabble of patients possibly achieve?

Speaking... yes, very well.

Tell them to come in.

You're absolutely correct, Your Ladyship.

But what if it's not just the patients helping to develop the plate?

Greetings, Lord Viscount.

Adamant? It's a little late to come to see me now.

Perhaps the people with me can change your mind.

Phew, made it in time.

Can you believe how little time Adnachiel gave me to get help from the two nearest branches?

I'm completely spent.

You're the fastest amongst us, after all.

I take it the other branches approved of Adnachiel's plan, from the assistance they provided.

What can I say? They all trust our great prophet.

If you ask me, they just haven't found out about the evil underneath that harmless exterior.

What has he done, other than tricking you into paying his bill from time to time?

And you think that's not evil enough? Anyway, I'm making him pay for MY meals for a whole week this time!

And you bet I'll pick the most expensive stuff!

Well, looks like his wallet's going to take a hit.

That's right! I'll teach him that ordering me about comes at a price!

Ahem—

Oh, sorry.

Your Ladyship, my name is Cardigan, from Rhodes Island Reserve Op Team A4.

I'm joined by the directors of the Rhodes Island offices in counties Dovel and Hafilax.

The adjacent counties—

Rhodes Island has long been aware of County Ashford's plans to build a hospital on the new plate, but the local branch didn't have the resources to support a project of that scale.

We've taken this opportunity to discuss with the directors of the other offices in the area.

They have agreed to supply resources and manpower to assist with the building of a new hospital in Ashford.

Now, we have both manpower and resources, if you are interested.

Only Cardigan is fast enough to request support from the offices located in the two adjacent counties.

The viscount will not like it. She can undoubtedly tell that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes.

But she will accept it, because she and Ashford have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I learned this from the Doctor. Weave all the information together, into a web that the other side will jump in with both feet, even though they know full well it's exactly what we wanted them to do.

...

This will do for the simulation, I think.

It's as far as I can go, under present circumstances.

As for the rest...

Adnachiel!

Oh, thank goodness. I was just about to die of fright.

Oh, spare me, Adnachiel. You look nothing like a prisoner in despair.

Remember that you're paying for a whole week's meals, Adnachiel!

You're asking for so much?

Of course! Melantha signed off on it.

You're not getting out of it this time, Adnachiel.

Hehe.

Oh, what happened to the pure and innocent Cardigan that I know?

The one whom you duped into paying your lunch all the time?

She's not so easy to fool now, thanks to a certain prophet.

Looks like everything's taken care of.

The patients have settled down.

The viscount has agreed to build a hospital on the undeveloped plate with Rhodes Island. We're working out the details.

Everything as you planned.

...Good to hear. Thanks for the hard work, guys.

Well, I got the easy part. All I needed to do was care for the patients.

All I needed to do was sit here and wait for you guys to get things done.

You know, Adnachiel, this humility of yours, there's a bit of the Doctor in it.

...I didn't realize how big the gulf was between me and the Doctor, until I actually tried to pull the strings in the same way.

The challenge that we face and the burden that we carry are incomparable.

But I'm glad I took that step.

Well, now that things have settled down, shall we go get something to eat?

Mr. Adnachiel?

That's me.

I bring news from the Holy City.

...Very well.

What's going on, Adnachiel?

Sorry, Cardigan, but it looks like it'll be some time before I can buy you your meals.

Captain, now that things have settled down, I would like to request temporary leave.

You've finally made up your mind.

Yes, I have.

I bring word from Cardinal Lemuen.

The Seventh Tribunal has approved your request to return to Laterano. You are asked to first go to the outskirts of the Holy City, where someone will be there to meet you.

I will lead the way.

Very well.

Should I expect to see you with a gun the next time we meet?

The gun is not important.

As I've said before, the power of the prophet does not mean I was chosen, nor does it mean that there are any hopes placed upon me.

Sankta like me appear from time to time, whose minds work a little differently from the ordinary Sankta.

We must agree to join the Curia and be bound by it in order to win the right to carry a gun.

I just renounced this right in order to leave Laterano and see what's out there.

And it's not for this right that I'm going back.

You remember why the reserve op teams exist, don't you?

Of course. They're only open to operators who uphold Rhodes Island's mission and commit themselves to it.

Many people wonder why we accepted this position, but we understand that it's not fame that we're after.

What we want to do is help the Infected and mitigate the impact of Oripathy on Terra.

This was the choice I made when I joined Rhodes Island, a choice that I have never regretted.

I'm going back because I want to understand what's happening to Terra.

Then, I'll come back.

...

What is it?

I don't think I've ever seen you so serious in all the time I've known you.

Yeah, not quite used to it.

It's kind of weird.

I think it's cool.

...I'm already starting to regret saying all that.

Say, there are lots of new desserts in the Holy City, right? Don't forget to bring some back.

Sure.

I'll be going, then.