"Are all you people from Rhodes Island monsters?!"
Ratatos looked in the direction of Daniel Davis, her gaze falling on Sharp, Nearl, and Shining—this was without even counting Daniel himself, or Nian and Xi.
The Doctor didn't respond to Ratatos's outburst—after all, there wasn't a simple answer. Was she supposed to tell her that Rhodes Island's elite operators could go toe-to-toe with someone like the Black Knight? That many among them were even stronger?
"What are your missions?"
The Doctor then began assigning tasks to both the Brauntail and Perrocci families. She even handed General Gulo of the Perrocci family a sealed letter, instructing him when to open it.
Though this was her first visit to Shereg, she had already assessed many personalities in just a few days. That allowed her to assign missions based on each person's disposition.
For SilverAsh, this political upheaval in Shereg was a total rout. Strength, strategy, public support—he had it all. As for his opponents, the Perrocci family were brutes who only knew how to charge ahead.
Ratatos of the Brauntail family was at least intelligent, but she had an airheaded younger sister, which SilverAsh and Nosis had exploited during the Holy Hunt.
Still, Shuluss, though not smart, was a good person. Even at the end, she refused to abandon her subordinate, Moxi—who, unbeknownst to her, was actually a mole. Combined with the defection of General Valles from the Perrocci family, SilverAsh had moles in both households.
Without the Doctor's intervention, these two families would've suffered a crushing defeat. But that would've meant SilverAsh eventually facing his own sister, Enya—and the youngest sibling, Cliffheart, would've been caught between them.
In fact, if Enya did act, SilverAsh's plan might have failed. In Shereg, if anyone could rival the Black Knight, it would be Enya—the Saintess.
In the game, Enya wasn't considered a powerful character, but this was reality—and this was Shereg. Her sainthood wasn't for show. Behind her stood a true divine presence.
Even without Yelagun intervening, Enya alone could hold off nearly anyone in Shereg. Her aura alone was not to be underestimated.
In the game, the early version of Enya was far weaker than SilverAsh, but in real-world Shereg, if she chose to, she could absolutely smash him with her bell.
"So your real target is her, huh," the Doctor remarked after assigning the missions, as if she had seen through Daniel's intentions.
"I just wanted to give her a chance. Don't you think it's a waste for her to be stuck in Shereg?"
It could be said he was poaching talent from under Rhodes Island's nose. If things had played out as in the original storyline, Ratatos probably would've ended up joining Rhodes Island.
And if the Perrocci family's people joined too, Rhodes Island would've practically absorbed the whole of Shereg—the three families, the Saintess, even Yelagun. That reunion would've been quite the spectacle.
"She wouldn't be stuck in Shereg either way. You just don't want to do the hard work," the Doctor said bluntly.
"Doctor, isn't it a bit rude to say it so plainly?"
Daniel couldn't refute her. She was right. Ever since Kjerag Trade opened up Shereg, a flood of goods—and knowledge—had poured in.
Ratatos had specially ordered the latest economics books from Victoria and had been studying diligently. Progress was slow only because she had no teacher.
But that would soon change. Once the Doctor successfully resolved the Shereg incident, the Brauntail family would submit to the Silverash house, freeing Ratatos from administrative burdens. She might then study abroad—or even just study at Rhodes Island, where she could learn plenty.
"Is Cliffheart safe?"
"Don't worry, I sent Nian to watch over her. Nothing will happen."
Originally, Daniel had intended to use a shadow clone to protect Cliffheart, but Nian had shown interest in the Holy Mountain, so he sent her instead.
Of course, unless Cliffheart encountered real danger, Nian was instructed not to intervene, in accordance with the Doctor's plan.
"Lady Ratatos, would you be interested in witnessing a rare battle?" The Radiant Knight vs. the Black Knight—without this opportunity, such a showdown might never happen again.
The task initially assigned to Ratatos had been passed on to her sister, Shuluss, who had grown a lot thanks to the current events. So ironically, Ratatos, the Brauntail head, had nothing urgent to do right now.
"A battle? You mean…"
Ratatos immediately understood what Daniel meant.
"That's right. I want you to witness the kind of destructive power they can unleash when fighting seriously. Enciodes may be reckless, but he's acting for Shereg's future. I doubt you realize what a territory free from Catastrophes means to the world outside."
Shereg, though small, was rich in resources. And the absence of Catastrophes—despite the cold climate—made it extremely appealing.
Especially given Shereg's location—it wasn't remote like Sargon's Gavial homeland, where even a messenger became a chieftain.
Shereg sat at the crossroads of four major powers: Columbia, Victoria, Kazimierz, and Minos—all strong, some quite aggressive.
In truth, some had already set their sights on Shereg—Columbian and Kazimierz capitalists, for instance. Kjerag Trade had put Shereg on the map.
The only reason they hadn't acted was that their countries were facing internal turmoil. SilverAsh had seen this opening and sought to strengthen Shereg before they came knocking.
Can you imagine, in an era where other countries field high-speed land warships, Shereg doesn't even have a proper army?
Sure, it had armed forces, but they belonged to the three noble families—not a unified military. Their weapons and gear were all over the place.
SilverAsh's secret Mountain Snow Ghost squad alone could sweep them all aside.
"That's the current world situation. Times have changed. Stagnation isn't good for Shereg—you know that. But I bet you don't know what modern warfare looks like."
Daniel then pulled out a tablet and showed her footage of caster artillery barrages, drone bombings, high-speed land warships, and mobile fortresses.
Shereg had casters, sure—but far too few to form units. If it weren't for Yelagun, even the Reunion Movement could take over Shereg with ease.
Daniel also explained the nature of Catastrophes. Shereg had been spared thanks to Yelagun, so most had no understanding of their devastation.
Scene after scene made Ratatos's expression darken. Now she truly understood why SilverAsh had said Shereg was running out of time.
He had sounded dramatic before, but without seeing it herself, Ratatos hadn't grasped how dire things were.
"What's your angle?"
She eyed him warily. If he weren't from Rhodes Island, she might have suspected him of being Enciodes's mouthpiece.
"It's simple. I started a company. I need talented people to manage it."
Daniel was honest. Building a company from scratch was the busiest stage. Once it matured, with systems in place, it would run more smoothly. He needed someone to help with that early phase.
Swire would've been ideal—but unfortunately, the "mascot" was formally an inspector with Lungmen's Guard Bureau. Her side job was running her many businesses—she had no interest in helping Daniel build his.
Daniel also made it clear what benefits she'd get from helping him, and that she was free to leave whenever she wished.
"I'll think about it."
Under normal circumstances, Ratatos could've studied abroad in Victoria. But now was a terrible time—Victoria was on the brink of massive internal conflict, possibly one that could ignite war across Terra.
"A feint with a real attack in disguise... No wonder SilverAsh and the others fell for it. Who would dare to gamble? If the Doctor weren't amnesiac, no longer the Specter of Babel, she might've taken this chance to seize control of Shereg."
The Doctor's plan involved splitting her forces. One group would stir up trouble in SilverAsh's territory, while the other went to the Holy Mountain fork. This left SilverAsh unsure—was the Doctor rescuing the Saintess or attacking his lands?
Even if he guessed she was after the Saintess, he couldn't bet on it. Especially with Nosis, who was convinced the Doctor had ambitions in Shereg.
That forced SilverAsh to dispatch someone—namely, the Black Knight Mace.
The rest of his forces had to remain to deal with the Perrocci family, who had yet to show up. This ensured Cliffheart's mission was completely secure—everything was calculated.
Mace led a squad of Mountain Snow Ghosts to the provincial fork, expecting to intercept the Doctor—only to find that the "Doctor" was actually Sharp.
This made Daniel suspect the reason the Doctor always wore her signature black cloak while traveling: to mislead her enemies. As long as someone appeared in black, people would second-guess—was it really her?
With her infamous reputation as the Specter of Babel, no one dared to call that bluff.
"It's you. So this whole path was a decoy. That makes you my opponent."
Upon seeing Sharp, the Black Knight Mace vanished in a flash, appearing directly in front of her. With a roar, she swung her steel mace down.
Mace wasn't one for words. To earn a conversation, one first had to withstand her blow.
Boom!
Caught off guard, Sharp immediately raised her shield with her left hand. The impact sent a deafening shockwave through the shield. Sharp was forced back three steps before regaining balance.
"Not bad," Mace said, surprisingly withholding further attacks. She nodded in approval. Those three steps had cleverly absorbed the blow's force, preventing injury.
"No wonder you were a three-time Kazimierz Knight Championship winner—a born warrior."
Even after just one exchange, Sharp realized that Mace's strength was far above her own.
"A born warrior... ha."
Hearing the praise, Mace let out a mocking laugh. Many thought she was born a fighter—but they had no idea how many times she'd nearly died.
She was from Leithanien, a Caprinae. Leithanien's Caprinae were famous for their Originium Arts—just look at Ifrit, whose gift was exceptional.
Though Ifrit's level was rare even among Caprinae, almost none of them were born without Arts talent.
But Mace was the exception. She had none. The result: ridicule and scorn in Leithanien.
To survive, she took up the sword and went into exile. When she reappeared, it was on the championship stage in Kazimierz.
No one knew what she'd endured—but her three consecutive titles told the story.
Had her streak not affected the backers' profits, she might've won four, even five times.
"Your strength is worthy of me," Mace said, drawing her second steel mace. Now she was serious.
"I'd love to fight you—but unfortunately, I'm not your opponent."
Sharp turned and walked away. A battle maniac might've leapt at the chance—but Sharp wasn't one.
As Sharp retreated, a figure stepped forward from the Brauntail ranks—a Kuranta with golden hair: Nearl.
"Hahaha, Rhodes Island's Doctor is really something."
A golden Pegasus—of course Mace recognized her. Just as Rhodes Island hadn't known SilverAsh had the Black Knight, he hadn't known Rhodes Island had the Radiant Knight.
"Radiant Knight, huh. What a pity."
Seeing Nearl approach, Mace sighed—not for Nearl, but for herself. She hadn't brought her real weapon.
The twin maces weren't her true weapons. She usually fought with a massive black sword—but didn't bring it, fearing it might frighten the simple folk of Shereg.
"This battle is also a trial for Nearl."
By this point in the timeline, Nearl had likely resolved to return to Kazimierz—where harsh trials awaited.
The Kazimierz Commercial Union held immense power. That was why Nearl had been exiled under the pretense of Oripathy infection.
And it was why Mace herself had fled Kazimierz. If not for SilverAsh, she might already be dead.
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