act26side

You'll help us find Mamma?

Yes, I will find your mother.

Really?

Yay!

I never would've thought...

Will you leave these children in my care for now, Reverend Executor?

I cannot make the decision for them.

You're right.

Will you go with this young man over here, children?

Me?

But I have to... well, I guess I can do it, now that the sacrarium's all burned up.

(It's the one even scarier than Senior Federico.)

(Yeah, he's so scary...)

You two...

That will do, Raimund.

He'll take you kids to supper, then it's off to bed, okay?

But I want to stay with Senior Federico...

Sara, Federico's busy! We need to be good.

O-Okay, we'll go with the scary guy...

Hahaha!

Boss!

A-Ahem.

Can you get the kids something to eat, then put them to bed?

I can... but where do I take them?

Hyman's house.

Hyman's? I guess there's nobody there right now... but what if Hyman comes back tonight?

It'll be fine.

Alright, then.

See you tomorrow, Senior Federico!

I hope we find Mamma tomorrow...

I will come for you in the morning.

Yay! Good night, Senior Federico.

Senior Federico, Senior Federico...

Yes?

I-I can't reach you!

Come down a little lower!

What?

Hehe...

G-Good night!

Hmph.

Quite the lady's man, aren't you?

Kids these days... what's so great about that guy?

Hey, wait up, you two! Don't run!

...Good night.

I thought this was going to be an easy trip, almost like a vacation, welcoming some brethren back to Laterano. It didn't sound hard at all, did it?

Well, I guess I did have to deal with Oren.

But that wasn't too much of a problem. It's not like you can't talk to him.

Certainly, your skills with a gun can solve many problems.

Not quite enough to deal with you, though.

You flatter me.

I'm not flattering you... should I call you Father?

You came to protect that... curious visitor of ours, didn't you? I suppose you're from Iberia?

I am.

You wear a cleric's robe, but you feel completely different to believers of the Lateran faith.

You're sharp.

Honest, aren't you?

I won't beat around the bush, then. I don't normally like to be so direct, but...

Not one more step forward. Leave, now.

You are not fit to set foot in Paradise.

I'm afraid I can't comply.

I am needed here, for a little longer.

(Tough customer.)

(An unusual sword. The style is Iberian...)

Your attacks are even sharper than your words.

I still harbor hope for mutual understanding, but I concede that you're acting appropriately, given your position.

I'm curious, though... how do you define Paradise?

A place where everyone lives in peace and happiness.

Preferably with less unwelcome visitors.

Would you call this place Paradise, then?

You're enjoying this chit-chat, aren't you?

A group of people have found peace away from the world for sixty years. What do you call this, if not Paradise?

Even if their lives are endless cold, hunger and suffering?

They may be wanting for material comforts... but it's far from endless.

Ah, yes. Laterano will bring salvation. The hard days will soon come to an end.

At the price of abandoning some.

...This isn't anyone's fault.

Please, don't get me wrong. I'm not accusing anyone.

But I've been thinking: What is the difference between us? Is it physical, or something else?

From the individual's very birth, all that makes us who we are causes our thinking to go in divergent ways and reach divergent conclusions...

Is there really such a thing as mutual understanding within this?

Are you really going to ask this to a Sankta?

You could try it yourself in your next life, if you happen to become a Sankta.

...*cough*!

(This has taken too long. Can't let that thing attack the residents.)

(I need to take care of this quickly...)

No need to be anxious. I don't really plan on doing anything.

I'm here because my kin need help.

You sound sincere, but I'm not in a position to trust you.

*cough* *cough*...

*sigh*

You're as stubborn as a former student of mine. It can be a virtue, but it can also be trouble.

I'm curious about a student who could cause you trouble.

One of the best I've ever had. We never saw each other again, after he left Iberia.

I didn't want to do this... I'm <i>so</i> getting in trouble for it.

Negotiations failed.

Can't say I regret it.

Lemuen movement is as light as her voice.

She pushes away the movement-aiding device beneath her. The lamp that hung on the handle sways in the night wind, falls, then shatters.

Light leaks out haphazardly, splashing on the silhouette slowly standing up in front.

The dark veil of night is lifted.