Seeing Ratatos begin her story, Jeanne and the Doctor sat back quietly to listen, letting the Zalak Clan Leader take them back through the history of her people and the delicate balance of this mountain realm.
Among the three major families, the Browntail Clan had never been physically formidable. Truth be told, much like their rodent race, they were small, fragile creatures relative to the fierce mountain beasts around them.
Flanked by the massive bears of the Paleroches Clan and the sharp snow leopards of the Silverash Clan, a family of squirrels survived purely on intellect—using quick wits and political maneuvering to pivot between the two titans, wringing out whatever advantages they could to keep their bloodline alive.
"So, even though I shared his vision back then," Ratatos murmured, her tone laced with self-deprecation, "I lacked the absolute courage to pack up and leave for a foreign land to learn those modern ways. Enciodes was always daring, driven by a bold, unyielding flame."
She paused, wrapping her arms tightly around herself against the mountain wind. "He even let his younger sister risk her life to compete for the seat of the Saintess. That tells you everything. He loves his family dearly, but at his core, he is entirely driven by his grand design. Compared to his flesh and blood, he prioritizes his goal above all else—no matter what toll it extracts."
Ratatos sighed, looking out at the barren snow. "And now... I barely recognize the Enciodes standing before us. But one thing is certain: once he sets his mind on a course, he will never turn back. That makes him terrifyingly dangerous to us right now, because his sights are locked directly onto our lands."
Her mind churned as the realization fully sank in. She no longer truly understood the man. He was no longer the young, struggling heir who once needed her advice; he had become far more dangerous than his late parents ever were.
"It seems you finally realize how formidable my former business partner really is," the Doctor noted softly, adjusting her hood. "Here's another detail for you: he commands a force capable of acting like a fully trained standing army. They aren't family retainers or local thugs—they're seasoned, dangerous soldiers who have gone through rigorous military training."
For an isolated country with no regular army, a disciplined military force was a devastating factor.
"That's terrible news," Ratatos gritted her teeth, her sharp Zalak ears twitching in anger. "Those must have been the same mercenaries who ambushed my sister and Yukon today. At least now I know exactly whose tab to put this on."
"Then you'd better plan your countermoves carefully," Jeanne chimed in, pointing toward a stretch of railway ahead. "Though we can save the strategy talk for later. Looks like we've reached our destination."
A short distance away, shattered iron rails twisted out from beneath the deep snow, marking the site of the notorious railway explosion. Lies the heavily scorched, mangled wreckage of a single train car, half-buried in an icy drift.
"He only blew up a single carriage? And towed the engine away afterward?" Jeanne remarked, eyeing the rusted, broken metal. Compared to the modern train that had brought them into Kjerag, this wrecked car looked like a piece of junk pulled straight from a scrap yard. "Your business partner built a grand plan, but he sure acts stingy when executing it."
"The locomotive engine was far too precious," Ratatos explained, stepping closer to examine the charred wreckage. "Even with his reckless ambition, he couldn't bear to let an expensive piece of machinery turn into a pile of useless scrap in his own staged explosion."
Knowing full well how much blood and wealth Enciodes had poured into acquiring Kjerag's first advanced train, Ratatos understood his reluctance.
"I recognize this carriage," Ratatos murmured softly, her fingers brushing against a cold, soot-covered panel. "It's the very carriage the previous Silverash Clan Leaders—his parents—brought back when they first traded with the outside world. They spent immense effort dragging it over the mountain passes."
"Ensia mentioned it too," Jeanne recalled. "She said she remembered how overjoyed her parents were when they brought it home. She even hid her very first harvested Tearstone inside one of its panels."
Clearly, the car held deep emotional significance for Enciodes—a physical monument to his parents' legacy. Yet he had chosen to blow up this exact keepsake for his scheme.
"If I hadn't pieced things together, I might have assumed it was just a tragic twist of fate," Ratatos mused bitterly. "His parents died in another carriage along this very same railway line years ago."
Looking at the charred structure, Ratatos couldn't help but marvel at the man's cold calculation. He had weaponized everyone's knowledge of his past to build a flawless deception.
"Can you find any clues?" Ratatos asked, looking around anxiously. "I can't see anything useful. It's been days since the explosion happened; most of the physical evidence has probably been cleared away."
Ratatos felt a pang of regret. Had she known things would turn out like this, she would have brought the Doctor and Jeanne here on day one instead of waiting until the trail went cold.
The Doctor walked around the wreckage, poking through the debris. Finding nothing of note, she dusted off her gloves and climbed through the blasted gap into the interior of the carriage.
"Nothing looks out of place on the surface," the Doctor called out from inside. "Though... isn't it a bit too clean in here? I'm guessing this wasn't even the car he was riding in—it was probably swapped in and detonated intentionally."
Leaving the Doctor to inspect the interior, Jeanne strolled casually around the snowdrift, looking less like an investigator and more like a tourist taking in the local sights.
"Are you sightseeing?" the Doctor asked, poking her helmet out of a broken window frame.
"You could put it that way," Jeanne replied with a light hop over a pile of rusted metal. "I'm just the designated driver who flew you two here. Solving the mystery requires your brilliant mind, Doctor."
Jeanne grinned, gesturing around the quiet valley. "Besides, calling this a landmark isn't wrong. Give it a few years, and this place will definitely be written into Kjerag's history books."
"A milestone event bound for the history books, indeed..." the Doctor agreed dryly, stepping back out onto the snow. "So, my dear lady behind the rocks, could you please stop crouching there like you're about to spring an ambush? It's really hard to ignore you."
Doctor turned and pointed toward a cluster of jagged boulders nearby—a perfect position for a sniper or scout to blend into the shadows.
A moment later, a tall Caprini with sharp eyes stepped out from behind the rocks.
Jeanne tilted her head, a faint sense of familiarity brushing over her. Where have I seen her before? With everything that had happened over the past few days, Jeanne couldn't quite place the face right away.
"Degenbrecher?" Ratatos gasped, instantly recognizing the former champion. Her hand dropped toward her side. "Why are you here?!"
As a top retainer of the Silverash Clan, Degenbrecher's appearance at the site of the staged explosion spoke volumes.
"Just a coincidence," Degenbrecher replied smoothly, her posture relaxed despite her sharp gaze. "I finally had some free time, so I came to check the place where the Clan Leader went missing. I didn't expect to run into you here."
"Has anyone ever told you that you're terrible at lying?" Ratatos barked, her eyes narrowing in open hostility.
"Yes, actually. People tell me that quite often," Degenbrecher replied with a slight shrug. "I've never been good at deceptive wordplay. But as it stands, I am the only one available to handle this task. The others aren't qualified."
"So you're dropping the act?" Ratatos took several quick steps back, her heart sinking.
If the former Black Knight intended to settle things through force, it was terrible news for them. Aside from Jeanne, their group had no heavy combatants, and there was no telling how many trained soldiers Enciodes had stationed in these surrounding mountains. They were at an immediate disadvantage.
"The Clan Leader said it doesn't matter anymore," Degenbrecher explained, her tone straightforward. "Once that traitor switched sides, we knew news of his survival would reach your ears anyway. The Clan Leader sent me here today to extend an offer of cooperation."
Ratatos stared at her in disbelief, wondering if the former champion was using her blunt demeanor as a cover to play mind games.
"The Clan Leader wishes to join forces with the Browntail Clan to secure order across Kjerag," Degenbrecher stated plainly. "Once the transition is complete, your family will receive all proper considerations. All you need to do is stand aside and observe."
"I have zero interest," Ratatos snarled, her voice sharp with rage, "in cooperating with a coward who tries to negotiate only after his failed attempt at an abduction!"