Main Scenario/Challenge to the Death

Giant Tree Strategy Episode
17-1	The Breakthrough
17-2	The Instructor of the Out-Siders
17-3	Challenge to the Death
17-4	The Newcomer's Identity
17-5	Terror
17-6	The Guide
17-7	Steel and Poison
17-8	Mary's Purpose
17-9	Poison is Steel
17-10	The Path

The person who grabbed Finchley by the collar with one hand is Blackfriar, an officer of the Out-Siders.
As the commander of the training unit and in charge of leadership, she gave no mercy for Finchley, who used to be her direct subordinate. She lifts Finchley's body and held her in mid-air while she spoke horrifying things with a benevolent expression on her face.
Blackfriar	"By the way, Finchley? What was that gutless remark you just made?"
Blackfriar	"Also how could you be so easily taken from behind? You're so out of shape, you know? Did you really just want to sit there for so long until I grab you?"
Finchley	"No, that's not why I..."
Putra	'Woah, Instructor Finchley is as meek as a kitten. I really wonder how strong Out-Siders officers are."
Blackfriar	"Heheh, not that big of a deal. Just a little bit♪"
Putra	"What do you mean by 'just a little bit'!? I've never heard of any Train Knight that could make Instructor Finchley dangle mid-air!"
Blackfriar	"It's not that I'm strong, it's that Finchley is weak."
Putra	"No, no, no, of course not. If Finchley is weak, then what are we, then?"
Yoshino	"Mm. Yoshino doesn't get it either."
Vivienne	"Oh, yes~ Yoshino. Tell her, tell her."
Yoshino	"Chotto chotto chotto."
Blackfriar	"Oh, what's the matter? Islington's cute little fox."
Yoshino	'Lovely ma'am of St. Iris. Please don't say that Finchley Kyoukan is weak."
Yoshino	"Finchley Kyoukan is very strong. And she's very good at teaching us how to study and how to fight. Sometimes she's a bit of a Spankin though."
Blackfriar	"Oh, really? Spankings are terrible. If she ever slaps your bum again, you can slap her back. I'm sure she's been used to that sort of thing for a long time."
Yoshino	"Oooh- so Kyoukan likes to be smacked."
Blackfriar	"Good for you, Finchley. Your students seem to respect you."
Blackfriar	"But unfortunately you're not up to my standards♪"
Blackfriar	"Hey, Finchley. I always told you, didn't I? I don't tolerate weak shit like what you said just now on the battlefield."
Blackfriar	"Never be an officer? Does that mean you don't intend to win or challenge me?"
Finchley	'No! Not at all! I'm trying to make it clear to my pupils that the officers of the Out-Siders are stronger..."
Blackfriar	"To make it easier for your students to understand..."
Blackfriar	"I see, so that's what that was all about. I'm sorry, I must have been jumping to conclusions."
Finchley	"No, it's fine..."
Finchley	(Oh, thank the Gods...)
Blackfriar	"Ah, your face was just thinking 'Oh, thank the Gods'♪"
Finchley	"Hyahh!?"
Blackfriar	"Didn't you?"
Finchley	"YES! I DID! I AM SO SORRY SIR!"
Blackfriar	"Finchley, you're getting better at deception. I wonder if the increased desk work has made you more attuned to the moods of your superiors."
Blackfriar	"It's no good making excuses or telling lies. You simply feared my strength. You look at my strength and think 'I can't do it', not by an officer's standards."
Blackfriar	"You think you're no match comparing to me, Blackfriar. You think you're not competent and experienced enough. That's why you can never be an Out-Siders officer. That's what you really thought, wasn't it?"
Finchley	(...It's over)
Blackfriar	"My lecture isn't over."
Finchley	"...Yes, you are correct, Sir Blackfriar. I am not up to your level, Sir Blackfriar."
Blackfriar	"That's not your decision to make, is it?"
Blackfriar	"That's, you know, for me to decide."
Finchley	"Ggwahh!"
Putra	"Put her down, put her down! Finchley's head is going to snap!"
Finchley	'Br-Brackfriar Shir, thast's nawt whut whe dischusshed... The pran was to thighten Fahyette'sh..."
Blackfriar	"Change of target. Because you're saying pathetic crap."
Putra	"Oh no, she's a terrifying, terrifying, person, that's what she is. She's injecting fighting spirit onto Instructor Finchley. This is a long one too."
Vivienne	"And she's smiling all the time..."
Yoshino	"Smiling and Spankin while smiling. Out-Sider officers are very scary."
Putra	"Also, it's Spartan, not Spankin."
Ohana	"Blackfriar-san, please be a little gentler with her. Sure, it's true that Finchley-chan did said some pathetic things. But you have to take into account that she's in front of her pupils..."
Blackfriar	"Oh, that's very sweet of you, Ohana, naive. But you have to teach them what's wrong, don't you? You should only spoil your children in the dorms."
Putra	(She called out Ohana!)
Vivienne	(And not only that, she said some preachy stuff!)
Queensway	(Instructor Finchley is a child!?)
Queensway	(Wait, Instructor Finchley is a, child!?)
Blackfriar	"I'm also known as the instructor of the Out-Siders too. I can understand why Finchley would want to show them how to be a good instructor."
Blackfriar	"But if you want to keep your mens rea as an instructor, you have to be show them that you're strict, not just on other people, but on yourself too."
Blackfriar	"Isn't that right, Finchley?"
Finchley	"Y-yes. You're right. I'll be careful next time."
Blackfriar	"How exactly?"
Finchley	"I-I will not be intimidated in the face of any adversary, lead my men to think of ways to win, and never make feeble statements that might make my subordinates anxious!"
Blackfriar	"Smooth, but not the answer I'm looking for. You're missing the point of my previous statement."
Finchley	"I WILL ALWAYS REMEMBER TO CHALLENGE MYSELF AND ALWAYS STRIVE TO BE BETTER!"
Blackfriar	"Yes, well said. Be careful next time..."
Finchley	"Pant... Pant..."
Queensway	"..."
Putra	"..."
Vivienne	"..."
Finchley	"That's why. All of you..."
Finchley	"The Out-Sider officers are very strong! But you and I can reach that level if we work hard! As Train Knights, you must always push your limits!"
Blackfriar	"Well, I think that's enough of this farce."
Blackfriar	"And don't worry so much about Finchley. It's a loving shout-out from her superior."
Finchley	"Eh, is that so?"
Blackfriar	"Finchley? I'm speaking now, am I not?"
Finchley	"PLEASE EXCUSE MY MANNERS!"
Blackfriar	"Finchley was a bit nervous because she was working with me. So I put on a bit of a show to loosen her up."
Blackfriar	"Really now? I wasn't picking on her."
Queensway	"Well, you called out Miss Ohana casually just now. Are you and Ohana close, Miss Blackfriar?"
Ohana	"Yes, we are very good friends♪ Blackfriar is my classmate~"
Queensway	"Classmates!? So that means you and Miss Blackfriar are both the zeroth generation of the SSS?"
Blackfriar	"Yes, we are. Ohana is the dormitory monitor and I'm the deputy. We used to train together when we were young."
Ohana	"Oh jeez, Blackfriar, how many years ago are we talking about~~?"
Blackfriar	"Oh, how many years ago was it~~? I think Finchley was still a child?"
Ohana	"No, that was when you were at knighthood school, wasn't it, Blackfriar?"
Blackfriar	"Oh, yes, you're right. My memories of my youth can get a bit fuzzy as I get older~"
Ohana	"Eheheheh~~"
Finchley	"...Rule of thumb. All of you. Never talk about Officer Blackfriar's age in front of her."
Blackfriar	"Well, I've lived a bit longer than everyone else, so I think I can be reasonably useful on the battlefield, you can count on that. I may not as good as Ohana, but I'm also reasonably good at fighting."
Blackfriar	"And, nice to meet you too, Conductor Sir."
Conductor	It's nice to meet you too. It is a relief to know that Blackfriar is here.
Conductor	At the same time, I also expected that the place we were about to jump into was fraught with mortal danger. The presence of Out-Sider officers here meant that we would have a difficult mission ahead of us.
Blackfriar	"You've come this far, what's the point of stating that now? You crossed the line of death long ago when you entered the Sea of Fog."
Queensway	"But it's been days since we liberated the station and established a forward base. I've never had a mission of such urgency. Lady Islington said she found a clue to the Giant Tree Route Map..."
Blackfriar	"Queensway. The honour student of St. Iris Knight Academy. Promising star recognised by Kings Cross.
Queensway	"Eh? Promising star? Me?"
Blackfriar	"Yes, you are. You're still in-training, but you've got great potential. I bet your mentor was good at it."
Blackfriar	"To you, a promising young woman. As a fellow knight of St. Iris, I have to ask you questions."
Queensway	'Yes. I can answer anything..."
Blackfriar	"Queensway, would you save the world in exchange for your life?"
Queensway	"In exchange for my life..."
Queensway	"Yes, I can. It is for the good of the world."
Blackfriar	"Naturally. Anyone could answer a question of this magnitude. Knights, soldiers, I'm sure they'd say the same thing as you."
Blackfriar	"Now I'll modify the question I ask you. I'll put some conditions on it."
Blackfriar	"If you sacrifice your mind and body, you might be able to save the world. Even if you can't save it completely, you might be able to buy some time to reach that goal."
Blackfriar	"There's no guarantee that you'll even save the world. But it might be worth a try... What I meant is that, it's a 'gamble', that you may or may not really save the world."
Queensway	"..."
Blackfriar	"The price you pay for making that gamble is eternal fear. You will suffer excruciating pain and suffering, both mentally and physically."
Blackfriar	"The people know nothing of your achievements and will not praise you for them. You will lose all memory of what you have done and forget all your precious memories."
Blackfriar	"Your loved ones, too. They will no longer see you as you are."
Blackfriar	"...But will you still 'gamble'?"
Queensway	"That's..."
Queensway	"...I don't know. I am at a loss when I heard what you just said. If I'm lost here, then I don't think I'll be able to make a decision when the time comes."
Blackfriar	"Yes, honesty is good♪"
Blackfriar	"I'm glad to hear a good answer. If you had said 'I can do it' right here, I would have leave you here."
Queensway	"Leave me here... Is it just me?"
Blackfriar	"Yes. Just you. Because I have received reports from King's Cross that Miss Queensway's behaviour was dangerous.♪"
Queensway	"Oh, no, I didn't mean to be so dangerous..."
Queensway	"..."
Queensway	"...No. You are right. I have, on numerous occasions, put my own people in danger because of my actions. I have put my people in danger many times. It is thanks to everyone and Conductor that I have made it through to this point."
Blackfriar	"Bravery is nothing to be ashamed of. There are many things in the world that only those with courage can achieve. The brave, the heroic, the ones who are called heroes, they have extraordinary guts."
Finchley	"But courage alone is not enough to win. It is not a challenge to fight a losing battle that is not even a 'gamble'."
Finchley	"You're getting really strong. That's why you need to be able to think."
Queensway	"To think..."
Finchley	"You gain confidence and nerve with every victory, but there's a difference between winning easy victories and going through the line of death over and over again. If you keep winning battles you can win, you become overconfident. If you are overconfident, you leave yourself wide open."
Finchley	"Always have the mindset to keep challenging yourself. You are alive today because you won yesterday's battles. To survive tomorrow, you must win today's battles."
Finchley	"This is the Sea of Fog. Our goal is the Giant Tree at the centre of it. If we lose, we die. To survive, we must win. Think of a way to win, battle by battle."
Queensway	"Yes, Instructor. I'll keep that in mind."
Finchley	"On the battlefield, follow the instructions of Officer Blackfriar. To live and to win."
Ohana	"Right? And her too, Finchley-chan. She has become quite reliable, haven't she?"
Blackfriar	"She looks different, especially in front of Queensway. Is it because she's just like Finchley herself when she was younger?"
Ohana	"I think she doesn't want her to make the same mistakes she made. Unlike those of us of the Zeroth Generation, she has the responsibilities of a regular unit."
Ohana	"She still cared about what happened in that field training."
Blackfriar	"Wounds created by people who were killed don't heal that easily. In her case, she ruined a battle that could have been won."
Blackfriar	"That time, Finchley interfered you, Ohana. Her actions almost wiped out our unit."
Ohana	"But you were in the rear, preparing us to retreat. Thanks to Blackfriar, we were spared that. Finchley-chan and I both made it back alive."
Blackfriar	"Stop saying that. Just remembering how gutless I was makes me want to puke."
Ohana	"If I was going to jump out on my own, I should have told my mates, 'Don't come'. I had to at least anticipate that my juniors would join in. If I had been as smart as Blackfriar, I could have prevented this from happening."
Blackfriar	"That's not what I expected from you Ohana, I thought you were going to exclaim 'If only I was strong enough to fight while protecting Finchley'."
Ohana	"Whaa, you make it sound like I'm the brains of the team~"
Blackfriar	"Well, Ohana has always been the brains, aren't ya~?"
Ohana	"Heheh~"
Blackfriar	"Eheheheh~"
Fayette	"Sir Blackfriar! Emergency!"
Blackfriar	"'Emergency' doesn't cover it. Describe the situation accurately and concisely."
Fayette	"The Portal is about to close at any moment!"
Blackfriar	"About to close?"
Yakutsk	"Not only that, it's crawling with monsters! They're heading straight for the base!"
Blackfriar	"Couldn't hold on..."
Blackfriar	"Ohana, Finchley. We have to go, now."
Finchley	"Yes, I'm on it."
Ohana	"Let's go, Finchley. We're going to prioritize speed. Follow me closely."
Finchley	"Yes!"
Blackfriar	"Leave the monsters that's spilling out to those two. We'll hurry up and get to the Portal."
Blackfriar	"I'll lead with Queensway. Fayette will back us up. Understood?"
Fayette	"Roger that."
Blackfriar	"Queensway."
Queensway	"Yes, Sir. Instructor Blackfriar."
Blackfriar	"Not 'Instructor'. Just call me Blackfriar, as a member of the unit, you will protect me and be protected by me. Is that clear?"
Queensway	"Understood."
Blackfriar	"Where we are going from here, a dangerous gamble awaits those who continue to take it. There is no such thing as a safe victory."
Blackfriar	"We will do everything in our power to die for certain victory. Honours, elites, officers, enlisted men, nobility. Leave all such titles and ranks here."
Blackfriar	"Common sense has no place near the Giant Tree. We'll find out as soon as we walk through the Portal."

Giant Tree Strategy Episode
17-1	The Breakthrough
17-2	The Instructor of the Out-Siders
17-3	Challenge to the Death
17-4	The Newcomer's Identity
17-5	Terror
17-6	The Guide
17-7	Steel and Poison
17-8	Mary's Purpose
17-9	Poison is Steel
17-10	The Path