Those words left Amber and Rita stunned for a moment.
"Did something happen with Ratatoskr?"
Amber asked with a furrowed brow, not showing any happiness or even a hint of delight, which made Kotori feel somewhat relieved.
From the perspective of anyone other than the darker version of Amber, the Itsuka sisters joining Schicksal was a very beneficial thing.
After all, Schicksal rarely described its relationship with other organizations as 'cooperation.'
In the past, when dealing with most countries and organizations, the terms Schicksal used were 'assistance,' 'protection,' and so on.
And as everyone knew, if an organization could handle a project independently, going solo was the choice that maximized benefits.
The Spirit Power Sealing Plan, as the core of the only potentially viable plan to truly resolve the threat of Spacequakes, hinged heavily on the allegiance of Itsuka Shiori.
Itsuka Kotori, meanwhile, held tremendous influence over Shiori's decisions and affiliations.
It could be said that between the two of them, Kotori was the one truly making the choice.
No matter how many ideas Shiori might have, she trusted the sister she had lived alongside day and night wouldn't harm her. She believed her sister could find the best path forward for both of them.
So, as long as Kotori remained unwavering, she was the true linchpin determining the direction of this plan.
Thus, when Kotori said, 'We're joining Schicksal,' it naturally meant Shiori had made the same choice.
Ratatoskr would lose its chance to cooperate with Schicksal, and Schicksal would become the sole authority to explain the method for 'truly resolving Spacequakes.'
If they could just establish the feasibility of this method to an acceptable standard in the early stages, Mobius's influence in this world would climb to new heights.
Of course, there would be all sorts of resistance and schemes along the way.
Things certainly wouldn't be as simple as Kotori imagined. But Kotori knew that their joining Schicksal held significant benefits for the organization.
Given those benefits, the fact that Durandal didn't show immediate delight but instead expressed concern for their situation lifted Kotori's spirits a little.
"Ratatoskr... has been voicing a lot of doubts about me lately."
Thinking about recent events, Kotori's mood soured again.
"The Spirit Conquest Plan was supposed to be under the full authority of the Fraxinus. But recently, Ratatoskr sent an advisor, saying it was to help us apply for assistance more quickly."
It sounded like they were providing a more convenient application channel and resource allocation for the Fraxinus, but in reality, it was a way to monitor the Fraxinus while gradually eroding her authority.
Before, applying might have been cumbersome, but she could apply anytime she wanted, and approvals were almost guaranteed.
Now it was different.
She had to apply through this 'advisor.' If she went directly to someone, she'd just be told, 'We haven't received a report from the advisor.'
Kotori could, of course, make a scene about this. But more than anger, what she felt was a chilling disappointment and urgency.
Her intention to defect to Schicksal wasn't exactly a secret to the upper echelons. Their earlier move to revoke her authority to negotiate with Schicksal was a reaction to that.
Kotori understood it was normal not to treat a potential defector kindly.
So, while she felt helpless, she hadn't minded much about losing the negotiation rights. But this was different. The reason Kotori had joined Ratatoskr in the first place was because of their stated mode of operation: 'peaceful coexistence with Spirits.'
How to make Spirits believe Ratatoskr wouldn't harm them after their powers were sealed?
Simple: have a Spirit become their direct supervisor.
That's exactly why Itsuka Kotori and Ratatoskr had hit it off so well. You want to reassure the Spirits; I'm a Spirit who also wants to protect Spirits—a perfect win-win.
Although this current nibbling at her authority wasn't major, and making a fuss would probably resolve it, this signal put Kotori on edge.
Because she realized that all the guarantees she could once give Shiori, and her confidence in protecting other Spirits, stemmed solely from Ratatoskr's willingness to maintain that win-win situation.
If Ratatoskr ever became unwilling, this little warning could very well turn into unyielding shackles.
Why hadn't Kotori thought this could happen before? Because she believed Ratatoskr's ideal of 'peaceful coexistence with Spirits' necessarily required Shiori to fulfill it.
An organization holding such ideals couldn't possibly truly turn against her. But... thinking about it carefully, could Ratatoskr's idealism really be maintained forever?
Her own minor actions had already prompted them to use such tactics. If one day they truly wanted to research Spirits, could she stop it if she was caught off guard?
Kotori knew, of course, that this warning from Ratatoskr was definitely because of her own moves.
Normally, giving a defector a hard time and curtailing the authority of someone about to jump ship was perfectly standard procedure.
But the problem was... this wasn't some ordinary business corporation.
If Ratatoskr decided to play hardball, forget authority—they might just 'consolidate' Kotori, Shiori, and Tohka all together in one package.
Moreover... Ratatoskr's previous image wasn't that of a normal organization, but an idealistic one.
When an idealistic organization starts smelling of realpolitik, all the goodwill built by that golden image can rebound with even greater force.
And if Ratatoskr wasn't truly an idealistic organization, Kotori would never have joined in the first place. The reason for her intense urgency now was the deep sense of distrust born from that shattered illusion.
But she couldn't easily voice all this. From a normal perspective, no matter what, she was a traitor getting her just deserts. Kotori could only offer a bitter smile.
Rita, on the other hand, understood all this perfectly. In fact, she had never believed Ratatoskr was particularly benevolent to begin with—just look at Shiori's initial reaction upon learning about Ratatoskr.
Of course, she understood Kotori's predicament, being unable to speak her truth.
But while the person involved couldn't say it, an outsider like her could.
"For an employee who hasn't harmed the organization's interests and is planning a normal career move, Ratatoskr's approach isn't entirely out of line."
"But for an organization that recruits talent under the banner of 'peaceful coexistence with Spirits,' using the threat of 'we can't guarantee the Spirits' safety if you don't comply' as a warning is somewhat laughable."
Reducing the authority of Kotori, who served as the 'most critical checkpoint against harming Spirits,' might be acceptable for a normal organization, but Ratatoskr shouldn't do it.
"It's probably just the stance of a small faction," Kotori said, feeling slightly better now that someone had voiced her inner thoughts.
"In fact, not long after, someone came to assure me they'd offer satisfactory compensation."
That's what they said, but both of them knew it was the classic carrot-and-stick approach.
Keeping Kotori on their side was best. If they couldn't... well, there wasn't much they could do.
After all, everyone knew the Itsuka sisters were on good terms with Durandal.
And this was exactly what frightened Kotori.
Ratatoskr had limited options, so they could only try to appease her. But what if she hadn't been close with Durandal? What would Ratatoskr have done then?
Kotori didn't dare dwell on that thought.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.