Grentzar's morning was quieter than usual. The claw marks left on the wooden palisade spoke of a battle that had certainly taken place until last night. Two dried bloodstains marked the outer wall of the station house. Eutie Silvanus——an E-rank appraiser left in this frontier as part of the imperial border police——had only just returned from the wastewater cart shed at dawn. [[<<Appraisal>>——Wastewater Cart Shed, Wooden Wheel Material Strength Scan]] [[Target: Weight Value Rewriting Practice——Current Success Rate 61%, Stabilization Coefficient: Not Yet Reached]] While jotting down the figures in her notebook, Eutie settled onto the veranda of the station house. The early morning chill still bit at her fingertips. <<Infinite Decomposition>>——the true nature of her ability, as she privately called it——was definitely growing. She could now stably manage localized operations: rewriting the weight values of ox-cart wheels, maintaining uniform material strength in wooden palisades. That much was within her current reach. But she was beginning to understand the limits. Reading values was one thing. Rewriting them was something else entirely——the consumption was orders of magnitude greater. During last night's combat with Goran, when she'd rewritten the sword's weight value in stages, she'd felt the edges of her consciousness thinning. If she were to interfere with the numerical structure of the entire world——she still didn't know what would happen to her body. (Record this. Current limit: localized rewriting of object weight and strength values is stable. Interference with life values: impossible. Consumption increases with target size. Upper limit: unknown.) As she closed her notebook, she heard Dario Herbeck's voice from beyond the window. "Nila, how are the wounded from last night?" "Everyone made it over the pass by this morning. We'll just need to rebandage them again this afternoon." Nila Volt, her pale green hair bound into a single long braid, came around the corner of the station house carrying a tool bag. The burn scars lining her arms had gained one more from last night's treatment. Her golden eyes found Eutie, paused for a moment, then looked away. "...Good morning." "Good morning." That was all. There was still something awkward about the distance between them. Through the Arc 1 battles, they'd learned to stand beside each other. But "trust" and "familiarity" were still different things. Eutie understood that——sometimes Nila's gaze took on an angle that seemed to be measuring how she used her abilities. Dario stepped out onto the veranda. Morning light fell across his 182-centimeter frame. Black hair streaked with gray, sharp blue-gray eyes, an old scar on his left cheek. The embroidered insignia on his arm guard——proof that he'd once fought as part of the Ash-Wing Brigade, the elite Third Division of the Imperial Mage-Knight Corps, before being disbanded in post-war political turmoil——caught the morning sun and glowed quietly. "Did you write the report?" "Last night." "Fast." "Habit." Dario nodded curtly. He said nothing more. Conversations with this man were always like that. He said what was necessary and returned the rest to the air. For Eutie, that was strangely comfortable——there was no need to have her emotions measured. The residents of Grentzar were beginning to move slowly through their morning routines. Two men had gone out to repair the palisade, checking the depth of the claw marks as they fitted boards in place. From the Soot Lantern Tavern——the town's only inn and bar, run by Vera Munt, a former imperial army cook——came the smell of roasting forest deer jerky on the wind. The phrase "a moment of peace" crossed Eutie's mind. Goran had withdrawn. The Red Machete gang still hadn't been captured. She didn't know how long this quiet would last. ——Then came the sound of wheels. --- Just before noon, a carriage appeared at Grentzar's entrance. Not one. Not two. Three——lined up in perfect order, gliding smoothly across the stone road. [[<<Appraisal>>——Incoming Carriage Group Scan Initiated]] [[Carriage Material: Imperial Capital Felgesstadt Standard Specification Black Lacquer Exterior——Variance from Frontier Specification: Marked]] [[Estimated Occupants: 9——Equipment Present, Movement Coordinated]] Black lacquered carriages. The imperial seal——a double-headed eagle with wings spread——was carved in gold beside the doors. That alone was enough to set the residents of Grentzar murmuring. Carriages bearing the imperial seal never came to this place more than once a year. The carriage stopped in front of the station house. The passenger door opened quietly from within. The first to descend was a man who appeared to be in his late twenties. Refined features. A gray overcoat tailored in the imperial capital hung without a single wrinkle even in the morning light. His hair was a bright chestnut brown, meticulously groomed. The sound of his shoes on the stone was too quiet——the trained gait of someone who moved without apparent weight. And a smile. The smile caught the eye first. A perfect smile. Polished in social settings, impeccably courteous, flawless. Eight subordinates followed from the carriage. All wore identical gray overcoats. Their movements contained no wasted motion, each confirming the position of their cargo while maintaining formation——two steps behind and to either side of their leader. It was as if they were even synchronized in their breathing. The man approached Dario. "It is an honor to make your acquaintance. I am Calven Nortf, leading an investigative team from the empire." His voice was soft. Not intimidating. Not pressuring. But the tone of someone who was certainly positioned above his interlocutor. "I have heard of your modest accomplishments here in the frontier." Dario was silent for one second, simply looking at Nortf. (……I hate this.) If asked to explain his reasoning, he'd be at a loss. But nearly thirty years of walking battlefields had given him an instinct that was speaking clearly right now. This man's smile had no bottom. What lay beneath the smile——was unknowable. That was the problem. Dario was most cautious with opponents whose depths he couldn't see. "Dario Herbeck. District commander. An investigative team, then——you're an envoy from headquarters?" "I'll explain in detail shortly. First, our luggage. Might we borrow the station house?" Eutie listened to this exchange from three steps back while quietly activating <<Appraisal>>. [[<<Appraisal>>——Calven Nortf Sincerity Value Scan]] [[……]] [[Sincerity Value: 12/100]] (……) Eutie's expression didn't change. She'd spent seven years training not to change it. But internally, for just a moment, her thoughts stopped. 12. Out of 100. Lower than the average of the Red Machete gang members. What specifically was false, <<Appraisal>> couldn't tell her. Sincerity Value didn't judge "lie or truth"——it returned "how honest is the whole." What that 12 meant, she still didn't know. But that he was lying was certain. [[<<Appraisal>>——Investigative Team Members (8) Scan]] [[Sincerity Value: Average 44/100——within standard range for trained individuals]] [[Special Note: All members display movement patterns consistent with Senpiga Institute regulations——no registered data, but movement coordination is extremely high]] "Senpiga Institute"——Eutie had learned this name last night from Goran's words. An organization that didn't exist in the empire's official records. Goran had called it "an information-gathering agency operating outside the official order." What was hidden beneath the title of "investigative team"——the <<Appraisal>> data was beginning to show its outline. --- As the investigative team entered the station house and began unpacking their luggage, Grentzar was wrapped in a strange atmosphere. The subordinates carried in equipment. Metal cylinders that appeared to be measuring instruments. Thick ledgers. Bundles of writing implements and parchment. Each worked with practiced efficiency, but in complete silence——there was something unsettling about watching them. It was in the midst of this confusion that the incident occurred. Nila was returning from the clinic after finishing her treatment when Nortf turned around. "You must be Miss Volt. I understand you handle medical duties. Shall we greet each other?" He extended his hand. An imperial capital greeting——a handshake. Nila froze for a moment. She'd just finished processing soothing grass——the main ingredient in wound salve, a bundle worth two silver coins——into medicinal paste. Both hands were thoroughly stained with the deep green plant juice. From thumb to pinky, completely covered. She should have declined. She could have said "my hands are dirty." But Nortf extending his hand and Nila reflexively grasping it happened almost simultaneously. A deep green stain spread across Nortf's white glove. Both looked at their hands. Both looked away. Three seconds of complete silence fell over the station house entrance. Nortf's smile never wavered. "...No, I rather like the scent of medicinal herbs." Nila's face gradually turned red. "[whispers]...It should wash out, probably." The "probably" came out in a small voice. Nortf said nothing. Dario, watching from a distance, moved the corner of his mouth by a millimeter. Eutie, turning her gaze back to the parchment bundles, thought internally: (That "probably"——honest numbers.) After that, the topic was sealed away forever between the two of them. The next morning came. Dario spoke to Nortf. "In the frontier, morning training is a courtesy." "A wonderful custom." "Care for some sparring?" When Nortf said "gladly" while maintaining his smile, Eutie predicted exactly what would happen. The result came in thirty seconds. Dario slammed Nortf to the ground with full force. The sound of the imperial capital-tailored overcoat hitting the soil in front of the station house echoed. His subordinates started to rush forward with "Captain!", but Nortf stopped them with a gesture. Slowly, Nortf got to his feet. His smile hadn't cracked. "[sarcastic]...Frontier courtesy is quite passionate, isn't it?" "My hand slipped." One sentence. Dario adjusted his sword belt without any sign of remorse. Eutie, watching this exchange from the station house window, reflexively activated <<Appraisal>>. [[<<Appraisal>>——Calven Nortf Sincerity Value Re-scan (immediately after being slammed)]] [[Sincerity Value: 11/100]] It had dropped by one. Immediately after being slammed to the ground, just one point lower. His smile was perfect. But the number had wavered slightly. Eutie didn't write that fact in her notebook. She carved it only into her mind. --- At dusk, after the chaos had settled somewhat. Outside the station house, where the palisade repairs had been completed, the evening sun was falling. Eutie was using <<Appraisal>> to confirm the strength values of the board materials when——footsteps approached from behind. "Miss Silvanus." She turned. Nortf was standing there. Alone, without his subordinates. Catching the evening sun from the side, his refined features were shadowed. His smile continued. But from this angle——she could see that his eyes weren't smiling. "Might I have a moment? Just some casual conversation." Eutie nodded. She had the capacity to check values. [[<<Appraisal>>——Calven Nortf Sincerity Value——Real-time Monitoring Active]] [[Current Value: 12/100——No fluctuation]] "For an E-rank appraiser to achieve accomplishments of this caliber..." His voice was calm. Not accusatory, not praising. Simply confirming facts, in tone. At that moment, Nortf's gaze turned, just for an instant, toward the repaired palisade. Eutie didn't miss it. The traces of where she'd used <<Infinite Decomposition>> to equalize the palisade's material strength values——normally, wood's strength varies slightly