When Enya entered the room, she found the Grand Elder sitting heavily in his chair, visibly exhausted and still catching his breath from his journey. The long, jarring ride through the mountain passes had clearly taken a toll on the old man's fragile frame.
He looked so diminished that it seemed as if a mere child could push him over and end his life right then and there.
"You've arrived," the Grand Elder rasped, turning his head toward the doorway before casting a sharp glance into the hallway outside. "Since our esteemed guests have accompanied you all this way, you might as well step inside. Otherwise, outsiders will say the Vine-Bear Court lacks proper hospitality."
"Don't harbor so much hostility, old sir," the Doctor replied smoothly, stepping into the room alongside Jeanne. "We had no intention of eavesdropping on your conversation. We simply wanted to ensure Her Holiness's safety. After all, Kjerag is far from peaceful these days."
The Doctor and Jeanne had stayed close to Enya out of concern for her well-being, and letting the old man notice their presence had been entirely deliberate.
"If our presence makes your discussion awkward, we can step out for a moment," the Doctor added, meeting his gaze without a trace of intimidation. "Though frankly, I believe everyone is much safer if we remain."
The Grand Elder said nothing at first, his piercing eyes locked onto the Doctor. After a long silence, he slowly shook his head and turned away.
"There is no need for you to leave. It is merely routine administrative matters within the clergy—nothing that would interest foreign visitors anyway."
After everything that had unfolded across the valley, even this stubbornly traditional leader seemed subtly changed. At the very least, his overt hostility toward foreigners had noticeably softened.
"I only ask that you keep whatever you hear in this room strictly to yourselves," he noted, his voice tired. "These matters concern internal secrets of Kjerag, and rumors spreading outside would prove... inconvenient."
"You have our word," the Doctor assured him, casually slinging an arm over Jeanne's shoulder. "Our lips are sealed tight. Nobody gets a single secret out of us, right, Jeanne?"
"We shall see," the Grand Elder remarked, not entirely convinced, though he chose not to press the issue further. Turning back to Enya, he asked, "During my time away recovering, a great deal has changed within you. Tell me: what do you plan to do next?"
It was the first time he had ever asked Enya about her intentions. Though she held the exalted title of Saintess of Kjerag, no one in the clergy had ever bothered to consult her on the realm's governance.
"I intend to put an end to this unrest," Enya stated, her voice clear and firm. "Above all, I will not allow this conflict to escalate any further."
"And precisely how do you propose to stop it?" the Grand Elder scoffed softly, a dismissive edge in his tone. "Will you simply ask a man who is ready to slaughter his opponents and claim all of Kjerag to put down his blade? How naive."
His cynical reaction made Enya's heart tighten, yet she refused to back down under his heavy gaze.
"If events have unfolded as reported, Enciodes holds a decisive advantage," the old man continued cold-bloodedly. "He could easily use this opportunity to seize complete control of the realm—and then either manipulate you or replace you with a more obedient Saintess to rule in the goddess's name."
"I believe there is still room for negotiation," Enya countered, looking the old leader straight in the eyes. "If we show a willingness to compromise on key matters, he will not resort to military force to reform Kjerag. Because if he pushes it to that extreme, all he will inherit is a nation reduced to ash."
She took a breath, her posture straight and regal. "I am not relying on blind faith that my brother will stay his hand. But if he forces this to the brink, I will personally expose every single one of his schemes to the public—in the sacred name of Kjeragandr."
"Would... would doing that actually carry that much weight?" the Doctor whispered quietly to Jeanne, leaning in with genuine curiosity.
Lacking religious faith herself, the Doctor struggled to comprehend how a single declaration from a religious figurehead—without physical evidence—could hold such immense sway over a nation's destiny.
"Put it this way," Jeanne whispered back in a low tone. "If I were to stand in Laterano and publicly declare high-level state secrets, how many Sankta do you think would believe me without question?"
"Probably at least ninety percent..." the Doctor muttered, leaning back slightly in realization. "Faith really is a terrifying force."
She had momentarily overlooked the fact that the most influential figure in Kjerag had been standing right beside them all along.
While Enya had appeared powerless under the strict control of the Vine-Bear Court—acting as little more than a ceremonial figurehead—she was far from weak.
The very reason the clergy had guarded her so fiercely was that the Saintess possessed immense spiritual authority over the populace. Had she ever formed an unreserved alliance with the Silverash family, the combined weight would have terrified every noble house in Kjerag.
"Is that truly your entire plan?" the Grand Elder asked, though Enya's firm stance still didn't seem to give him the answer he was seeking. "Tell me plainly: will you stand with Enciodes, or will you stand with us?"
"I stand neither with him nor with the clergy," Enya answered smoothly, long accustomed to such probing tests. "I stand strictly for Kjerag. However, I do support certain aspects of his vision—because I, too, believe Kjerag must change if it is to survive."
"..."
The Grand Elder fell silent upon hearing her answer. He sat in his heavy wooden chair, deep in thought, as if waiting for a specific piece of news to break the deadlock.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
Heavy, frantic footsteps suddenly echoed down the stone corridor outside, moving at high speed. Judging by the booming thuds, the person approaching was a large, heavily built man.
"Out of my way! Where are the Grand Elder and the Saintess?! Are they safe?!" Arctosz's deafening roar reverberated through the building. "What are you idiots standing around for?! Hurry up and—"
Hearing his boisterous shouting, the Grand Elder raised a hand to press his aching temples with a weary sigh. The Ursus chief possessed many fine martial qualities, but his complete lack of composure was something that desperately needed correcting.
Then again, at his age, his temperament was set in stone. Any hope for refined governance would have to rest on the next generation of the Paleroches Clan.
"I am right here, and the Saintess is unharmed!" the Grand Elder called out sharply before the chief could run past the door. "Compose yourself before stepping inside!"
Arctosz burst into the room, momentarily freezing when he spotted Jeanne and the Doctor standing beside Enya. But recovering instantly, he turned to address the Grand Elder, breathless and grim.
"Grand Elder, we don't have time for calm talk! We need to mobilize every body in town immediately to prepare for an assault from Enciodes! His primary targets include you!"
Arctosz quickly recounted the disaster out in the mountain basin—the insidious sleeping gas, the quiet ambush, and the near-total collapse of their advance column.
"And what is your master plan?" the Grand Elder interrupted calmly, raising an eyebrow. "Gather every civilian in this town, hand them axes, and throw them into a meat grinder against trained soldiers? Or do you intend to lock ourselves inside a wooden fortress and endure a siege for the next three years?"
The barrage of cold questions left Arctosz temporarily speechless. In his rush back to town, he hadn't formulated a detailed defensive strategy, but one thing remained absolute in his mind:
"We cannot simply surrender and hand Kjerag over to him on a silver platter!" Arctosz growled, his broad chest heaving. "Allowing Enciodes total control over this realm will destroy everything we are! He has no real reverence for Kjeragandr!"
In Arctosz's eyes, Enciodes was a man who viewed tradition as an obstacle. If the demands of his modern industrial vision ever collided with Kjerag's sacred heritage, he would sacrifice the country's soul without hesitation.
If valuable Originium deposits were ever discovered beneath the sacred mountain itself, Arctosz had no doubt Enciodes would blast open the holy peak without a second thought to mine the profit.
"Do you even realize how many people in this very settlement owe their livelihoods to Enciodes?" the Grand Elder pointed out coldly, cutting straight to the heart of the matter. "When forced to choose between abstract traditions and the factories that feed their children, who do you think the common folk will side with? They will choose survival—not us."
The town was built largely around industrial ventures linked to Karlan Commercial. Attempting to organize a defensive line here was practically handing themselves over to the enemy.
"Then why in the goddess's name did we make this town our temporary headquarters?!" Arctosz cursed softly, slamming a heavy fist against the adjacent wall in frustration. "We should have fallen back to a secure fortress!"
"Is it just me, or did the whole room just shake?" the Doctor whispered, nudging Jeanne while pointing at the cracked plaster where Arctosz's fist had landed.
"Perhaps this entire setup was orchestrated from the start," the Grand Elder remarked, his eyes turning toward the window overlooking the main thoroughfare. "It appears there was a collaborator working within your own family all along. That is the only logical explanation."
Outside the window, a disciplined column of armed warriors belonging to the Paleroches Clan was marching steadily toward the compound.
Leading the force at the front was none other than Valais—the woman whose true allegiance remained completely unknown.