"Tschäggättä! The Tschäggättä has come!"
Prompted by the panic-stricken shouting outside, everyone inside the Vine-Bear Court poured into the courtyard, weapons drawn as they rushed toward the source of the commotion.
Most assumed the noise was simply the result of some fool sneaking too much liquor. There was no such thing as a Tschäggättä; it was nothing more than a ghost story adults used to frighten disobedient children.
"What is all this shouting about? Stop embarrassing yourselves!"
Arctosz's tall frame loomed over the courtyard. The moment he recognized the screaming man, his face darkened.
"I didn't expect the culprit disrupting everyone's rest to be one of yours," Ratatos scoffed, thoroughly annoyed. "And here I thought the Paleroches family was made entirely of fearless warriors. Who knew you had such... adorable little cowards?"
Ratatos hated having her sleep interrupted. It had taken considerable effort to set aside the endless political scheming for one night to enjoy a good night's rest, only to be jolted awake just as she drifted off.
Her temper flamed like a hostility-filled squirrel. Had she a handful of prized walnuts on her, she would have hurled them straight at the man's head.
"If you're looking for a fight, wait until we actually learn what happened!" Arctosz snapped, his eyes dangerously cold as he bristled at the insult to his house. "Don't throw shade at my family. My patience is already thin enough."
He turned to his shivering subordinate and delivered a sharp kick to the man's leg. "Stop screaming like a fool and speak! What happened? Even if a Tschäggättä showed up, there are enough of us here to tear the beast apart!"
The rough kick was harsh, but it forced the terrified guard to snap back to his senses.
He realized that no matter how terrifying a legendary monster might sound, it was nowhere near as frightening as his own patriarch. Since that was the case, what was he panicking for?
"Patriarch... it went like this," the guard stammered, his voice trembling. "I was on patrol outside when I heard a strange noise. I went over to check, and then... then..."
A gruesome memory seemed to flash through his mind, causing him to shake so violently he couldn't form a sentence until Arctosz raised his boot again in warning.
"I saw... a pack of monsters with blue flames burning in their eyes!" the guard blurted out. "Their faces were like beasts, but they walked upright like men! Their steps were heavy, and..."
He pointed toward a nearby wall. Left in the snow were prints far too large for any ordinary creature, alongside a section of stonework that had been completely shattered by immense physical force.
The evidence painted a clear picture: a massive, terrifying creature had wandered into the court grounds before being spotted by the patrol.
Arctosz crouched to inspect the deep impressions. As a hunter—arguably the finest in all of Kjerag—his assessment carried immediate weight.
"Even under this heavy snowfall, the tracks remain distinct," Arctosz observed, tracing the edge of a print. "Whatever left these possesses tremendous weight. And judging by the heel depth, it genuinely walks on two legs..."
While no one questioned his reading of the tracks, doubts lingered about what could have made them.
"Stay here, all of you. I'll take a look," Arctosz ordered. Gripping his battleaxe, he stepped toward the dark line of trees, following the trail alone without waiting for back-up.
"What kind of creature leaves prints like that?" Ratatos mused, voicing the suspicion on everyone's mind. "Are we sure this isn't some elaborate trick?"
"In a blizzard like this?" a monk chimed in, shaking his head as he looked up at the howling dark. "Who could climb all the way up here in the pitch black without falling off a cliff? I find that impossible—unless they carry the protection of the divine."
Though he refrained from naming names, his eyes darted pointedly toward Jeanne, implying that only an outsider connected to divine power could pull off such a feat.
To be singled out without a shred of proof stirred an immediate wave of irritation, especially as several other monks began casting suspicious glances toward both Jeanne and Enya.
"This was not Miss Jeanne's doing. I can guarantee it," Enya declared firmly. Step-by-step, she moved in front of Jeanne, shielding her from the hostile gazes with an unflinching look of her own. "She has been in my room all evening, conversing with me and my attendant. She had no time to be out here."
With the Saintess herself offering a firm alibi, the monks lost their footing. They grumbled under their breath and averted their eyes, refusing to press further.
Alina frowned, her expression darkening.
Accusing an innocent person without evidence was bad enough, but refusing to offer an apology once proven wrong was outright pathetic.
And the person they had targeted was Jeanne.
"Do none of you know how to apologize?" Enya demanded, her voice rising in cold anger as the silence stretched. "You were quick to hurl accusations, but now you grow mute! Is this what the teachings of Kjeragandr taught you?"
The monks flinched. None of them had expected the usually gentle Enya to reprimand them so harshly in public.
Yet, bound by pride and stubbornness, they remained silent, taking a few embarrassed steps back into the shadows rather than owning their mistake.
"These fools..." Ratatos muttered under her breath. Had violence been an option inside the Vine-Bear Court, she would have broken their legs herself. Beyond causing trouble, those monks were entirely useless.
She recalled Gnosis's quiet warning before her departure:
"It may be redundant to mention, but the Saintess's arrival at the Vine-Bear Court will inevitably draw trouble from short-sighted monks. Keep an eye on them."
Ratatos sighed internally. The cold strategist had predicted the situation to a tee.
Turning to Jeanne, Enya bowed her head deeply. "I am truly sorry. Though I know my words cannot undo their behavior, I offer a sincere apology on behalf of the Vine-Bear Court for their baseless suspicion. Please forgive them, Jeanne..."
Seeing their Saintess apologize to an outsider on holy ground struck the monks like a physical blow, fueling a quiet, bitter resentment. To them, it was an embarrassing display.
"You don't need to apologize for them," Jeanne said softly, taking Enya by the hands and helping her up. "You did nothing wrong. Besides, baseless gossip doesn't bother me. It carries no weight."
Jeanne turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the gathered monks.
The moment her eyes met theirs, every single monk instinctively took a step back, shuddering under the sudden pressure.
"What in the heavy snow happened here?"
Arctosz's loud voice broke the tension as he trudged back from the forest edge, looking utterly baffled. "The tracks just vanished halfway through! Did the damned beast jump off the cliff?"
It was a rare embarrassment for the grand hunter to lose a trail so completely, and the sheer weirdness of it left him scratching his head.
"Why is everyone looking so grim?" Arctosz asked, sensing the icy atmosphere. "I was only gone for ten minutes. Did I miss something?"
"Nothing important," Ratatos replied dryly, shooting a cold glare at the monks behind her. "Just a few idiots proving how foolish they are. We're going back inside. Once morning breaks, we leave."
After everything that had transpired—and with the unsettling talk of the Tschäggättä—she had zero desire to remain on this mountain a moment longer.
"Fair enough. I'll go speak with the Grand Elder," Arctosz agreed, turning toward the main hall. "Leaving the Saintess up here with this mess isn't safe. Given whatever is lurking out there, these monks wouldn't stand a chance if real trouble hits."
He strode off toward the Grand Elder's quarters, intent on persuading both the Elder and Enya to move down the mountain where his warriors could protect them.
Meanwhile, far down the mountain in the village inn...
The Doctor sat quietly by the lamp, reviewing notes, when a sharp rhythm tapped against the windowpane.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Something was outside, rapping against the glass in the freezing night.