Inside the Rhodes Island office, the operators were still huddled in dark, tense discussion. Naturally, several of the local staff struggled to process Jeanne's horrifying revelation.
"Honestly, I can't bring myself to believe this is real!" one operator stammered, his eyes wide with disbelief and anxiety. "County Hillock... leveled by artillery? I'd believe Rhodes Island was getting raided before I'd accept that someone is going to set off Originium heavy guns and wipe out whole residential blocks right under the garrison's nose!"
The shock was so overwhelming that he unconsciously crumpled the hand of playing cards in his grip into a tight, paper ball.
"Didn't we just establish that the local Victorian troops are likely the ones pulling the trigger?" the operator beside him muttered, nudging his panicking comrade.
"I know! You don't have to keep reminding me!" the first operator shot back, stiffening his neck defensively.
"Everyone, calm down," Outcast said, clapping her hands together to command the room. "We don't have precise intelligence on every moving piece yet. Our first priority is setting up contingency measures, then identifying whoever is pulling the strings. Finally, if we manage to stop them, we're going to need serious backup—just in case the mastermind behind this plot tries to wipe us out to keep us quiet."
Outcast mapped out their immediate focus. "Our primary suspects are the local garrison and the rumored ghost unit operating in the region. We have no way to infiltrate the official military chain of command, but we might be able to trace this phantom squad through the Taran locals. Lady Talulah, I believe you are uniquely suited for that part of the investigation."
Talulah gave a quiet nod. She understood exactly why Outcast singled her out: her Draco heritage. To the Taran people, who still held onto their ancient roots, the appearance of a red dragon's bloodline would carry undeniable weight—assuming they still considered themselves Tarans.
If a movement sought to revive Taran's historic legacy, a Draco figurehead would inevitably draw them out of the shadows. Her mere presence in the city was the ultimate bait.
"Jeanne," Outcast turned her attention to the Saintess, "you need to find external support. Otherwise, if things turn ugly, the authorities will frame us as criminals trying to sabotage Victorian-Taran peace. I doubt those high-ranking figures have a shred of conscience. We need your influence. As for the rest, I think you'll accomplish far more moving freely according to your instincts. Since the vision came to you, your intuition will likely guide us better than any fixed plan."
"I'll do what I can," Jeanne replied thoughtfully. "I don't expect the Pope to have spare hands to dispatch all the way out here on short notice. But before that, I might be able to summon a few reliable allies..."
"As for myself and Rhodes Island," Outcast said, waving her hand, "we will operate strictly from the shadows. I apologize, but my first duty is to protect Rhodes Island's official neutrality. The pharmaceutical company cannot be openly tied to an armed conflict with a Victorian garrison. Any operator participating in this effort will do so in a purely personal capacity, not under the Rhodes Island banner."
Despite her warning, not a single person in the room backed down. If the situation escalated to a point where Rhodes Island's safety was threatened, they were fully prepared to submit their resignation letters first, then risk their lives to drag the conspirators into the light.
"Then may we succeed in stopping this tragedy, and may every one of us return home safely," Outcast declared, standing tall as she looked around at the resolute faces.
Just as the group solidified their resolve, a sudden, sharp knock sounded at the door.
"I'll get it..." Talulah rose and walked over. Pulling the heavy wooden door open, her eyes narrowed instantly as she recognized the intruder. It was a soldier from the squad they had encountered earlier in the warehouse.
"Whoa—easy there!" Bagpipe yelped, backing up a step as she caught the lethal glint in the Draco's eye. She raised her hands defensively. "I'm not here for a fight! I'm here on private business, I swear! Ch'en's sister really is a scary lass..."
"Private business? With whom?" Talulah asked coldly. While she respected individual Victorian soldiers who showed honor, her guard remained fully raised. If the Vouivre attempted any sudden moves, Talulah was prepared to pin her to the floor in a heartbeat.
"With ye, o' course!" Bagpipe exhaled a heavy sigh, completely unbothered by the hostility. "Mind if I step inside? 'Tis a wee bit awkward standing out on the porch like this!"
Talulah eyed her suspiciously for a moment before stepping aside to let her in. She even went so far as to pour a cup of tea for the uninvited guest, watching carefully to see if the soldier was probing for military intelligence. Bagpipe accepted the cup without a second thought and took a hearty gulp.
"Och, ye really do look right fierce!" Bagpipe commented with a cheerful grin. "I was catching up with Ch'en the other day on the comms, and she mentioned she finally got word o' her elder sister—who happened to be named Talulah as well! The second I saw ye, I thought, aye, she shares the exact same jawline as Ch'en..."
As Bagpipe rattled on, the sharp edge in Talulah's gaze gradually softened. She realized who the Vouivre's academy friend was, though she still asked quietly, "The 'Ch'en' you speak of... is her full name Ch'en Hui-chieh?"
"Aye, that's her!" Bagpipe laughed, her words tumbling out in a excited rush. "Her name's a right mouthful to say! Yan words always give my tongue a workout..."
With the mention of her sister, the tension evaporated completely. The lingering hostility vanished, replaced by a warm, animated conversation centered entirely around Ch'en.
Talulah dropped her intimidating aura, looking less like a feared leader and more like an anxious elder sister who had been separated from her younger sibling for far too long, eagerly pressing Bagpipe for stories about Ch'en's academy days.
"Honestly, Ch'en worked herself to the bone at the academy," Bagpipe shared fondly. "When she wasn't studyin', she was taking on part-time work. Ye could tell she carried a heavy heart, too. Whenever I brought up family, she'd get this quiet, complicated look in her eyes..."
As the two chatted away in the corner, Jeanne and Outcast refrained from interrupting, leaving them to bond while they turned their attention back to the map spread across the table.
"Can you estimate the trajectory or origin point of the artillery shells from your vision?" Outcast asked, studying the layout of County Hillock.
"I can't," Jeanne admitted, shaking her head. "In the vision, the sky was already filled with smoke and ash; I couldn't see the muzzle flashes. But... intuition tells me the fire came from this direction."
Jeanne pointed toward an unmapped sector on the district border. Outcast examined the spot carefully; there were currently no official reports of a garrison artillery camp stationed in that sector. Still, it gave them a concrete direction to investigate.
Meanwhile, after chatting for a while, Talulah looked at the orange-haired Vouivre across from her. "So, did you really come here just to catch up on old times?"
"Well... to be honest..." Bagpipe rubbed the back of her neck, looking genuinely embarrassed. She hated using a friendship as a cover to carry out an assignment.
"It was on my orders, Lady Talulah," Horn's voice suddenly echoed through a small comms device Bagpipe had set on the far table. "My soldier genuinely wished to speak with you about her classmate, but at my request, she carried this link so we could communicate."
Horn had activated the device from her end, choosing to lay her cards on the table from the very start.
"I know what you are trying to do, Captain," Talulah said, turning toward the speaker with a calm, unbothered expression. "However, firstly, I have no reason to trust a Victorian officer. Secondly, what I am about to tell you is something you may find impossible to accept—you might even suspect we hold malicious intent against your nation."
"Try me," Horn's firm voice responded through the speaker. "I can only promise that I will maintain my composure. And I swear upon my family name and the honor of the White Wolf: I will not disclose a single word of what I hear to external parties!"
A faint trace of satisfaction flickered in Talulah's eyes. Sending Bagpipe to make contact had been the right move; Horn was willing to listen precisely because of Bagpipe's presence. What Horn didn't know was that Talulah had been looking for a way to inform her as well.
"Very well. I shall satisfy your curiosity," Talulah said, a subtle, cold smile touching her lips as she picked up the wireless transmitter. "We have received concrete intelligence. A faction within this district is preparing to bombard County Hillock using active Originium dirty bombs."
The line went dead silent. Across the city, Horn held the receiver to her ear, her breath catching in her throat as total shock washed over her.