After leaving the ruins of the burned warehouse, Ratatos wasted no time, rushing toward the Silverash Clan estate with Jeanne in tow.
There was a pragmatic reason why she insisted on having the Laterano warrior by her side. She harbored a genuine concern that if she showed up alone, Degenbrecher—the formidable Black Knight guarding the manor—might simply detain her on the spot and prevent her from returning to the Browntail Clan.
In truth, walking right up to the Silverash Clan's front door at a time like this felt dangerously close to stepping into a trap.
"What exactly do you hope to gain by running to the Silverash Clan?" Jeanne asked with a weary sigh as their carriage bounced along the frozen cobblestones. "That family isn't in much of a position to lend you a hand right now, is it?"
Jeanne couldn't help but wonder at her own absurd luck. Why did she constantly end up dragged into the center of these political storms? Was there some bizarre magnet built into her soul that attracted trouble wherever she wandered?
"I need to discuss how to manage these displaced workers with their current head," Ratatos replied, keeping her gaze glued to the snow-covered valley outside as she organized her thoughts. "Now that Arctosz has pulled such a reckless stunt, I have to secure a backup plan for my own people."
She paused, her expression turning somber. "Arctosz's display today pushed those workers to the brink of utter fury. Though they backed down out of ingrained fear, that rage isn't gone—it's smoldering. And sooner or later, it will detonate..."
Knowing full well what Enciodes was capable of, Ratatos refused to believe he wouldn't seize such an exquisite opportunity.
If the Browntail Clan remained aligned with the Paleroches Clan, the day would come when all of Kjerag would turn their wrath against both houses. To avoid taking the fall for Arctosz's sheer foolishness, every step she took now had to be calculated with utmost precision.
"So your plan is to team up with the Silverash Clan and divide Kjerag between you?" Jeanne asked bluntly. "Just watch your back—once the dust settles, Enciodes might decide to turn his sights on your family next."
Jeanne remembered Ratatos mentioning that the Browntail Clan was technically the weakest of Kjerag's three ruling houses, having survived all these years purely by playing mediator between the other two.
"I have contingency plans for that," Ratatos murmured, her tone regaining a trace of its usual composure as the imposing silhouette of the Silverash Clan manor loomed large through the frosted glass. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself to face the lion's den.
Meanwhile, inside the quiet halls of the Silverash estate, Ensia stood fidgeting before a floor-length mirror, tugging nervously at her collar.
"Um... Degenbrecher? Are you sure I look alright in this? It doesn't feel very formal..."
The young girl turned anxiously toward the imposing figure standing nearby. She had never been thrust into high-level diplomacy before. Facing the head of the Browntail Clan to negotiate national matters was entirely uncharted territory, and she was terrified of making a blunder that would bring embarrassment to her family name.
"There is no need to overthink it, Miss Ensia," Degenbrecher replied smoothly, her deep, reassuring voice instantly settling the girl's nerves. "Since Chief Ratatos requested an emergency meeting on short notice, wearing standard attire is completely acceptable. Under such sudden circumstances, simplicity is best."
"That's a relief," Ensia breathed out, letting out a small sigh. "I'm just so new to all this... I honestly don't know if I can handle it."
Deep down, Ensia felt that letting Degenbrecher handle the meeting directly would be far more appropriate. The former three-time Kazimierz champion possessed a calm authority that Ensia could only dream of matching.
Unfortunately, Ratatos had explicitly requested an audience with the acting head of the Silverash Clan. Ensia couldn't simply claim Degenbrecher was the clan leader without making her family look like a total laughingstock.
The crisp chiming of carriage bells echoed outside, announcing the arrival of their guests. The heavy coach came to a smooth halt before the main courtyard, and under the watchful eyes of the estate guards, Ratatos and Jeanne stepped down into the cold mountain air.
Ensia blinked in surprise, her eyes wide as she spotted Jeanne standing beside the Zalak chief. Why on earth was Jeanne walking shoulder-to-shoulder with the head of the Browntail Clan? Were the two of them secretly close friends?
Beside her, Degenbrecher's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly.
The Black Knight was beginning to feel that she and Jeanne were simply bound by an annoying twist of fate. Why did this foreign warrior show up in every single crisis across Kjerag? Was this entire regional upheaval engineered by Enciodes, or was it somehow being driven by this golden-haired Laterano girl? Looking at the situation now, even Degenbrecher found it hard to tell.
"I happened to witness a rather troubling incident alongside the Saintess of Laterano," Ratatos began, breaking the heavy silence with a polite, practiced smile. "Seeing the state of affairs, I felt it imperative to consult the Silverash Clan on a matter of urgent cooperation. Forgive the sudden intrusion."
Ensia snapped out of her bewildered thoughts and hastily invited both guests inside the manor.
As they walked through the grand corridors, Ensia deliberately slowed her pace to fall behind with Jeanne, leaning in to whisper in a hushed tone: "Jeanne! What is going on here? Why are you hanging out with the chief of the Browntail Clan?"
"I was just taking a casual walk through town when I stumbled into a giant mess," Jeanne whispered back with a helpless shrug. "I ended up getting dragged along after watching some thoroughly infuriating business."
Ensia gave her a look of utter disbelief, as if asking whether Jeanne was pulling her leg.
"You'll understand in a minute," Jeanne chuckled, giving the young girl's head a reassuring pat.
Her confusion didn't last long. Once they were seated in the reception hall, Jeanne laid out the details of how Arctosz had recklessly blown up a processing plant storehouse with Originium charges just to intimidate the striking workers. Hearing the story, Ensia slammed her small fists onto the table and leapt to her feet, her eyes blazing with indignation.
"How could he do something so senseless?!" Ensia fumed. "Does he have any idea how many LMD it cost our family to construct that storehouse?! He just blew it to pieces?!"
Beyond her fury over the destroyed property, Ensia felt a deep, aching sympathy for the workers—people who had been pushed to the very brink of starvation by decisions made far above their heads.
"The building itself is secondary—it's the workers who truly matter," Ratatos chimed in smoothly, taking control of the conversation now that the mood was set. "You didn't see the sheer fury in those people's eyes, but I did. If we leave them stranded, Kjerag will tear itself apart. I believe our two families need to step in immediately and provide relief."
She leaned forward, her tone measured. "We must distribute food and essential supplies so these families can survive the winter. But that is a burden far too heavy for a single clan to carry alone."
Ratatos maintained a serene, composed posture. She knew her proposal had an eighty percent chance of succeeding; all that remained was ironing out the operational details. By taking this step, the Browntail Clan would shield itself from public outrage, preserving its standing no matter how the political winds shifted.
"May I ask a question?"
The steady, commanding voice of the Black Knight broke the quiet. Degenbrecher stepped out from her position against the wall, her presence alone making Ratatos tense up slightly.
Though Ratatos knew the legendary gladiator wouldn't strike her down during formal negotiations, Degenbrecher's sheer reputation still cast a formidable shadow over the room.
"Please, go ahead," Ratatos replied, keeping her voice even.
"If our two families join forces for this relief effort, which clan will hold ultimate authority?" Degenbrecher asked, cutting straight to the core of the issue. "Who will be credited with leading this initiative?"
It was a sharp, decisive point. If the Browntail Clan took sole credit for the operation, they would harvest all the public goodwill while the Silverash Clan provided resources for minimal political gain. On the other hand, neither woman believed Ratatos would agree to play second fiddle without securing her own clan's interests.
"The solution is quite simple," Ratatos answered effortlessly, as if she had anticipated the objection all along. "We assign leadership to someone above political suspicion—Her Holiness, the Saintess."
The room went quiet. For a brief second, everyone instinctively glanced toward Jeanne, before realizing Ratatos was referring to Enya.
"With Saintess Enya serving as the spiritual figurehead of the relief effort, the Browntail Clan and the Silverash Clan will jointly pool our supplies and personnel to aid the starving workers," Ratatos proposed, looking straight at Ensia. "What say you?"
Degenbrecher offered no further objections, falling back into the shadows and leaving the final verdict to the acting clan head.
Ensia closed her eyes, contemplating the proposal for a long moment. When she opened them, her gaze was clear and unyielding.
"I agree to the alliance," Ensia declared firmly. "Those workers were dragged into this suffering because of our family's industrial expansion. It is our duty to see them through this crisis."
With those words, the two women extended their hands across the table, sealing the joint pact. Without losing a beat, Ensia turned and formally delegated the logistical execution of the relief effort to Degenbrecher.
Later that evening, back at the quiet inn...
The Doctor sat at a small round table, her face completely covered in white paper strips except for two small eyeholes. Despite her endless streak of losses, she stubbornly refused to give up, continuing to play cards with Blaze and Alina while Jeanne leaned back against the wall, sipping warm tea.
"So that's why you came back so late?" the Doctor grumbled through the paper strips, peering at her hand. "You spent the entire afternoon playing mediator?"
"Pretty much," Jeanne sighed. "Just sorting out local political headaches all day."
"Honestly, it sounds like a brilliant move on Ratatos's part," the Doctor noted, pulling another card from the deck. "At the very least, it gives her clan a solid shield against the brewing riots."
"My thoughts exactly," Jeanne smirked, taking another sip of tea.