act26side

You're really not gonna tell me where Lemuen is?

*sigh*... Well, if that's how it is, that's how it is.

Say...

Let me take care of delivering that food for you.

*gasp*...!

That's that, then. Vale.

Last one. That should wrap things up.

These people are... bandits? They sure know how to make a ruckus.

Federico, how are things on your end? I heard a whole bunch of commotion over there. You didn't blow up any buildings, did you?

I did not.

Great. Well done, I'm just wrapping up over here as well.

Thank you so much. You two are incredible...

That should teach the robbers to behave themselves for a while.

It sounds like this isn't the first time you've been attacked, is it?

How often does this sort of thing come up?

If you came from Laterano, you must know how difficult it is to travel these roads.

If we didn't have a ride, it wouldn't have been able to get here so easily.

Nobody wants to hang around a place like this, except the truly desperate.

As you saw, there's nothing out here in these barrenlands except this monastery. Once those thugs set their sights on us, do you expect them to give up?

He's right. Now that it's almost winter, they'll be coming more often.

That reminds me, didn't Benny hurt his leg last time? How's he doing?

He's still got a bit of a limp. Only option is to tough it out.

Uh, by the way, who are these two...?

We're, uhh, I suppose you can call us emissaries from Laterano?

Ah, guests from Laterano... How are you called?

Executor Federico of the Laterano Notarial Hall.

Executor Richele. We have another colleague with us, but she's already one step ahead.

Senior Federico, Senior Richele.

You don't seemed surprised.

Sure. We knew it was only a matter of time before Laterano sent another. The only question is what kind of guest we would be getting.

I thought...

The tall, thin, and frail middle-aged man subconsciously glances at the guns in the hands of the two Lateran visitors.

I thought the next time they sent someone it would be to hand down charges...

Charges? What crimes have you committed?

Under the Notarial Hall's purview, most criminals see a reduced sentence upon surrendering themselves and obtaining the forgiveness of the wronged.

S-Surrender? Sentence?

Huh? What are you talking about?!

Hold on, Federico! We don't have a handle on the situation yet, let's not worry about that until we find Lemuen and Oren.

Sorry. We'd like to talk to the man in charge here. Do you think you could arrange that for us?

Ah, yes! Give me a second, I'll go...

No need.

Thank you for your assistance. I would be the man you're looking for.

Sorry, I was one step too late.

Your Excellency! And, Gerald...

Brother Gerald!

Would you be the Most Reverend Abbot of this monastery? And this, uhh, Senior Gerald, is he also a community leader?

No.

He is not.

Haha. True enough. I am no such important person.

I realize you must have many questions.

Please, come. Let us find a more suitable place to talk.

Clément, please close the gate, and don't let anyone approach, for the time being.

But, Your Excellency...

I'll be here.

Raimund, you keep at it.

Alright. Be careful out there, Brother.

Then, I'll be waiting for you at the door. If you need anything, feel free to call for me.

Alright. Now, no one will disturb us.

I am the bishop here, Stefano Torregrossa, and I also serve as abbot of this monastery.

It is a pity that you two came such long way only to find our hospitality so lacking.

We have no need for meaningless pleasantries.

Under the power vested in us by His Holiness, Pope Yvangelista XI, my colleagues and I came to locate two Lateran nuncios. I ask: Where are Lemuen and Oren Argiolas?

I suppose I have no choice but to tell you...

Seniora Lemuen is currently a guest of our monastery.

But do not worry. We would never mistreat a guest, and her safety is assured.

What about Oren Argiolas?

The whereabouts of Senior Oren... is actually what I wanted to ask you.

Is it not the case that you arrived so quickly because he contacted the Lateran?

...What?

Senior, I'm afraid your statement is inconsistent with our intelligence.

It is our understanding that Sanctilaminium Ambrosii sent a distress message to Laterano. We dispatched two nuncios in response, and lost contact with both of them.

And so, His Holiness sent us to find the our people and investigate the situation.

Does any of that conflict with what you know?

We were unable to retain Senior Oren.

By that you mean you weren't able to keep Oren restrained.

You can say that again. He was on edge the whole time.

While 'inviting' Seniora Lemuen to remain our guest, he took advantage of the distraction and slipped out.

We don't know what happened to him after that.

Federico.

Yes?

Oren escaped, but hasn't shown himself or contacted us.

Does that ring any alarm bells for you?

Yes.

You could add a little more than just 'yes.'

And, my becloaked friend, I can't imagine any of the ordinary residents here would be quite so in-the-know. Who exactly are you?

Think of me as the hunter here, or maybe a bodyguard. No need to worry about me.

Alright then. Uhh, we'll just run with that for now...

Set Oren aside for now. We demand a reasonable explanation for Seniora Lemuen's circumstances.

Why would a monastery need to restrict the movements of a Lateran nuncio who came to offer aid? Your answer will determine our subsequent actions.

Considering you are both Lateran emissaries, you should already be familiar with this monastery's history.

Our knowledge is limited to the information in the mission briefing.

Over a decade ago... We entered the wastes to avoid a Catastrophe, ran out of fuel, and the monastery has been trapped here ever since.

Unable to communicate with the outside world, all we could do was try to farm for ourselves. But, the soil in these parts is mostly fallow, and not much food grows these days.

That's not all. The beasts that wander the barrens, and robbers even more vicious than beasts, all pose grave threats.

We never had much choice...

So you decided to take in vagrants wandering the wastes.

'Take in' is far too generous a term. No, we did no such act of charity.

We were merely accepting people who had no home to return to. There are many reasons a person can become uprooted, and we did nothing more than offer them a new place to stay.

Stefano...

A point of clarification.