"So... it's over just like that? This is the first time I've ever seen her lose a fight."
After a long period of stunned silence following the duel, Ratatos stood rooted to the spot for quite some time before finally snapping back to reality and turning toward the Doctor.
"Of course it's over," the Doctor replied casually, standing up and brushing the accumulated snow off her coat before making her way over toward Jeanne.
"Hey, wait for me!" Ratatos called out, scrambling through the snow to keep pace.
"Greetings, Lady Black Knight," the Doctor called out smoothly as she approached. "To be frank, I had been looking forward to meeting you for quite some time, though I certainly didn't expect our very first meeting to take place under circumstances like these."
The Doctor stepped up to Degenbrecher and offered a polite greeting. She had indeed been keen to meet the legendary three-time champion of the Kazimierz, half-hoping she could eventually slip a Rhodes Island employment contract into the knight's hands.
"You're far too kind, Doctor," Degenbrecher replied with a calm, composed nod. "I've heard the Clan Leader speak of your tactical brilliance more than once. If anyone should feel honored by this introduction, it is me."
Her tone was humble, carrying not a single trace of bitterness or defeat. In fact, her spirits seemed almost elevated after the fierce bout, a reaction that left Ratatos utterly bewildered.
Degenbrecher's mission had just been completely foiled, and even if it was at the hands of the Laterano Saintess, why did the intruder look happier than the victor?
Refusing to let the two indulge in meaningless pleasantries, Ratatos stepped between them, glaring at the Caprini with sharp, fierce eyes like a threatened animal ready to bite.
"As the defeated party, you'd better show a little self-awareness," Ratatos snapped through gritted teeth. "Start by telling us everything you know. As for what happens to you next, we can discuss that once we get back."
The usually sharp and calculating Zalak Clan Leader looked practically on the verge of pouncing and tearing into her enemy right then and there.
"If you only have meaningless threats to offer, you can save your breath, Lady Ratatos," Degenbrecher replied coolly, her expression unruffled. "The intimidation and bribery I've faced over my career go far beyond a couple of sharp words."
Degenbrecher remained as calm as ever. She had surrendered to Jeanne's overwhelming strength and intended to abide by the rules of her defeat, but that didn't mean she was going to take orders from Ratatos.
"You...!" Seeing the subtle disdain in the knight's eyes, Ratatos bristled like a puffed-up snow squirrel, stepping forward as if ready to throw hands.
"Alright, alright. If you aren't actually going to fight her, take a step back," the Doctor said, reaching out and tugging the flustered Zalak back by her collar. "You're hiding behind my back while trying to sound tough—it's way too easy to see through the act."
The Doctor held Ratatos back firmly. She understood why the woman was so volatile, but letting her provoke a veteran champion like Degenbrecher up close was asking for trouble.
"I didn't expect someone as level-headed as you to lose her composure so completely," the Doctor muttered under her breath while pulling Ratatos away.
Realizing how undignified she must look, Ratatos flushed with embarrassment, going quiet and standing aside without another word.
"Hey now! I just went through a terrifying high-stakes duel!" Jeanne's aggrieved voice cut in from the side. "Neither of you bothered to ask if I got hurt, nor do you seem concerned about my feelings at all!"
"Oh, please," the Doctor scoffed, turning to Jeanne with an exaggerated sigh. "You fought her for that long and didn't even break a sweat. You didn't catch a single scratch, so what is there to worry about? Oh, mighty Saintess, you were truly magnificent! Your martial prowess is unrivaled under the heavens..."
Listening to the Doctor's overly theatrical praise, Jeanne felt a sudden wave of goosebumps break out across her arms. She instinctively recoiled a step.
"Stop, stop, stop! Why does hearing you say that sound so completely wrong? Coming out of your mouth, it just feels weird."
Jeanne rubbed her arms, quickly dropping her demands for emotional support.
Shortly after, Jeanne and her companions rode the massive dragon back down the mountain, landing quietly on the outskirts of town. Degenbrecher, true to her word, followed them obediently without making any attempt at a surprise attack.
In truth, the knight had no desire to try anything sneaky anyway. Anyone who had experienced Jeanne's terrifying intuition once would never want to experience it a second time—it was an absolute nightmare for any martial artist.
However, after arriving back in the valley town, Ratatos made a decision that caught Jeanne completely by surprise.
"You're hiding her here in secret?" Jeanne asked in disbelief, looking around the small, secluded wooden cabin in a quiet corner of the district. "I thought you'd parade her through the streets immediately to expose what Clan Silverash has been doing!"
The hideout was nothing more than a flimsy timber hut. For a warrior of Degenbrecher's caliber, a wooden wall like this was an obstacle she could shatter with a single casual kick. It offered zero real security.
"Expose her and Enciodes publicly, only to force a man backed into a corner to tear down the entire valley in desperation? I'm not that stupid!" Ratatos retorted sharply.
Having carefully analyzed Kjerag's current delicate situation, Ratatos was convinced that revealing the Black Knight's capture to the public would be a fatal mistake.
As they had discussed earlier, Enciodes commanded a disciplined force of trained soldiers equipped with advanced weaponry. Searching for them while they were scattered across Kjerag's vast mountain ranges was a hopeless task.
"If we drag his actions into the light right now, Enciodes won't hesitate to use brute force to purge the entire country," Ratatos explained grimly. "And the gap between us is far too wide—both in terms of military strength and public influence."
"That's certainly true," the Doctor chimed in dryly from the side, casually twisting the knife. "Your family's reputation among the populace is pretty terrible, after all. To the common folk, Clan Browntail is basically viewed as a plague."
Ratatos choked on her words, unable to offer a defense. She knew all too well how her clan operated. While they didn't outright oppress the commoners, their calculating, self-serving ways were a far cry from benevolent.
"I will tighten internal discipline within the family once this is over," Ratatos muttered evasively before turning her sharp gaze back toward the captive knight. "Now, tell us. Where is your master hiding, and how many troops does he have?"
Watching the flustered Zalak try to put on an intimidating front, the Doctor looked around the modest wooden cabin. She felt the scene would be far more fitting if they were in a dark underground dungeon surrounded by iron torture racks, with a three-meter-tall brute standing guard at the door.
A stray thought suddenly crossed the Doctor's mind. She vaguely recalled seeing similar dark dungeon setups in images stored on her personal data tablet...
Wait. That tablet was currently with Kal'tsit back at Rhodes Island because of urgent administrative work!
Did Kal'tsit see my hidden image folders?! What kind of look will she give me when I get back?!
A dark, gloomy aura instantly descended upon the Doctor as she slumped against the wall.
"What's wrong with you? You look awful," Jeanne asked, stepping over to the brooding, hooded figure while Ratatos continued her interrogation.
"It's nothing..." the Doctor replied in a hollow, defeated voice from beneath her hood. "I just realized my standing in Kal'tsit's heart is about to drop even lower. I'm feeling a profound sense of despair."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Jeanne offered with a warm, comforting smile. "Your standing in Kal'tsit's heart is already deep in the negative numbers. Short of you accidentally destroying the world, I don't think it can possibly drop any lower."
"That is not the kind of comfort I was looking for!" The Doctor clutched her helmet and squatted down in the corner.
Meanwhile, Degenbrecher had begun answering Ratatos's questions in a flat, matter-of-fact tone.
"The Clan Leader currently commands two thousand fully trained soldiers," the Black Knight revealed. "They are equipped with standardized Victorian armor and gear. All of them underwent rigorous military drills in Victoria and have seen real combat as mercenaries on foreign battlefields. The Clan Leader refers to them as the Tschäggättä."
Two thousand veteran, heavily armed soldiers...
The room grew dead silent. In a small, isolated nation like Kjerag, a force of that magnitude was more than enough to stage a complete, violent overthrow of the government!
"No wonder your family never had the money to renovate the Silverash manor despite making a fortune in trade," Ratatos gasped, her face draining of color. "You've been dumping every single credit into this bottomless pit all along!"
Ratatos didn't know the exact logistical cost of maintaining a standing army overseas, but she knew it was a astronomical sum—a figure so vast she could barely fathom it.
"I don't possess finer details beyond my duties," Degenbrecher continued calmly. "I only know what I need to know. But one thing is absolute: ever since the Clan Leader returned from that international conference abroad, he made his resolve clear."
The knight paused, looking Ratatos dead in the eye.
"Even if rivers of blood must flow, and even if he is nailed to the pillar of shame in the history books for eternity, he will secure absolute control over Kjerag—at any cost."