Conspiracy in the Black Snowfield

We must have been swept all the way here by the avalanche.

Your attack sent the Wendigo tumbling off the cliff...

And the impact disturbed all the accumulated snow.

Why did you have to use such a flashy attack?

I warned you that even the slightest movement can be dangerous when fighting around freshly fallen snow...

Was there some reason I failed to account for?

Because... it looked cool!

Losing a battle can happen...

But putting your entire team in danger with a stunt like that is the mark of an amateur!

Especially charging straight in while that bear was swinging its paw. That was reckless beyond belief.

You only managed to dodge because your right leg was behind you, shifting your center of gravity backward...

But if your footing had slipped even once, you would have suffered a fatal injury.

You must always take the state of the battlefield into account and turn the flow of combat to your advantage.

That's a basic skill for any competent fighter.

If I were you, I would've used the tree at the edge of the cliff.

Judging from its condition, its roots were probably buried deep.

Using the net in your bag, along with the tree and the gap between the rocks on the right, like this...

If you'd turned the enemy's movement against it, you could have captured it easily and safely—

It feels like... the fog in my mind has completely cleared.

Ugh... I'm pretty sure I had a compass in my bag...

The snowfield we were in was northwest of Kalaid, so...

You don't seem very happy.

Didn't you want to catch a Wendigo?

Hmm... I mean, we did catch it...

But the evidence that we actually caught a Wendigo was probably swept away in the avalanche...

And the more I think about it... things are looking stranger.

But now that I think about it, something feels off.

I'm starting to think that maybe it wasn't the real Wendigo after all...

But... that monster looked exactly the way you described it.

Huge horns, glowing eyes, a ground-shaking roar...

They're telling me something's wrong.

I didn't notice while we were fighting, but after we brought it down, it looked weirdly similar to a bear...

Hmm! But calling it some unusually shaped bear doesn't quite make sense either.

Kalaid bears are surprisingly docile despite how they look.

They won't attack first unless you intrude on their cave territory.

But that thing charged us the moment it saw us, remember?

You must be freezing after getting soaked in the snow. Warm yourselves up.

To put it simply... I'm the one who pulled you out after the avalanche swept you away.

That avalanche was extremely dangerous. You're lucky you made it out.

If I'd been a little late, you both would've gone over the cliff... and we might never have found your bodies.

You mean you didn't get swept down here with us? You actually rescued us while we were being carried away?

An ordinary person wouldn't even have been able to get close.

...Haha. I suppose I shouldn't have let my guard down, even for a moment, in front of a Candle Square maid.

You, especially... are remarkably sharp.

I'm simply... a maid passing through. Just like you.

The qualities required of a maid vary depending on the environment.

Just as tactical doctrine must adapt flexibly to different conditions.

In any case, the weather has already delayed my schedule considerably.

I could put it off no longer, so I set out, and happened to come across the two of you along the way.

...You were lucky.

Couldn't stand by and watch innocent lives lose their light.

Life is precious, after all. Isn't it?

Well, anyway, thanks! You saved our lives.

Oh, right! By the way, do you know anything about this stone—

Ah! I dropped it...!

But we have no way to contact her right now. What a shame.

She's also very knowledgeable about stones...

And sometimes tells me about rocks that come in handy in all sorts of situations.

It's been very helpful during my secret missions...

A-ahem. I mean, during my duties as a Candle Square maid.

Why do you ask? Do you know Ms. Bell?

If I were you, I wouldn't keep it close.

All the strange things that have happened in Kalaid so far.

And all the terrible things that are yet to come.

Perhaps that black stone is behind all of it.

You mean there are other things besides the Wendigo?

The strange air hanging over all of Kalaid?

They'd get angry over practically nothing.

Didn't anything there strike you as strange?

Like they were hiding something?

...Huh? Ah...!

A little late, but I just remembered.

Trish, I've seen this stone before.

All the accumulated snow damaged a number of areas that need repairing.

It's definitely the same stone I saw at Candle Square.

I heard the black stones were first discovered by an expedition exploring the snowfields.

A strange stone they stumbled across while carrying out a survey mission in the Great Snowfield to the northwest.

And alongside it, they found a strange boulder shaped like a giant egg.

At first, everyone thought it was just another ancient ruin...

But that was a grave mistake.

One member carried a stone around in their pocket because they admired its beautiful sheen, and soon began behaving strangely.

Scooped up handfuls of snow and ate it because they were thirsty...

And even flew into a rage over the smallest things.

Even the dogs traveling with them became vicious and attacked the other members.

The expedition hurried back to Kalaid and shared what they'd learned with the city government and Candle Square.

Their attitude changed completely.

Candle Square began gathering the stones under the pretext of collecting hazardous materials.

Saviors active in Kalaid were also mobilized to search for them under the guise of requests.

And of course, the expedition members who knew the Kalaid snowfields best were no exception.

Some realized something was wrong and tried to escape...

But before long, every one of them was caught by maids sent by Candle Square.

None of them... were ever seen again after that.

We spoke from time to time while I was staying in Kalaid... and she told me.

Yes... With everything going on, I had no choice but to hurry out here on my own.

What in the world... is happening in Kalaid?

If you want, you could always return to Kalaid and find out for yourselves...

But... I wouldn't particularly recommend it.

They won't leave anyone alone who knows about the black stones or tries to uncover the truth behind them.

Was it... perhaps someone from Candle Square?

The two of you coming here wasn't a coincidence. It was all part of their plan.

So why not set aside your pointless curiosity and return to NOA?

I know a route where some of the snow has melted.

After all, life is precious, isn't it?

If you want to live, I suggest you turn back now.

As time passed, more and more people must have fallen under the influence of the black stones.

Just imagine how many people may already have been enthralled by the power of the black stones.

By now, there may be far too many for the two of you to handle...

Do you really intend to fight them?

If we don't, everyone in Kalaid could turn into that monster, right?