excu

Did you know? Ever since you were little, I always knew you'd grow up to be an exemplary executor.

But... Well, even I couldn't imagine that I'd be the first person you tried to arrest.

From a certain perspective, that makes this rather amusing, doesn't it?

Federico Giallo and Arturia Giallo were born to be mortal enemies.

I do not find that amusing.

Your actions seriously threaten the stability of Laterano.

Fede, do you know why I went to that church?

The refugees abandoned by the clerics were rescued from the battlefield by a Sankta named Luciana.

That's right. I wanted to see where my mother went after she left Laterano, so I retraced the path she took and found the people she'd helped.

One of these places happened to be a settlement, where my mother described the beauty of Laterano to them. She told them to come here for help in desperate times.

She knew that most of them were Infected, and would not be accepted by the pure Holy City. But she thought that her handwritten letter would impress her former friends and colleagues.

But what she didn't know was that most of them would treat her ideals—her feelings—as a laughingstock at her funeral.

Even the few who still held good feelings towards her... such as that cleric, would go on to look away from the plight of others.

That does not justify harming her or any of the others present.

Harming them?

I simply allowed them to share each other's emotions.

After that, they gained the opportunity to become brave, benevolent, and compassionate people, just as Mamma was.

You speak of something completely uncertain and absolutely beyond your control.

The indiscriminate expansion of the scope of Sankta empathy will affect our daily lives, causing uncontrollable panic and chaos.

The order that people are accustomed to would cease to exist, to the point where it would become dangerous to leave one's home. Law-breaking behavior will occur on a massive scale, which may trigger a large number of Sankta falling from grace in a short period of time.

While becoming kinder is one possibility, they may also become violent or crazed, or even turn into criminals who threaten public safety.

I see that you can't accept that the order you're so familiar with has long since lost its rationality.

Look at the truth. Emotions alone never give rise to madness. On the contrary, it is only when your heart cannot accept your own emotions that they pierce the shield of reason.

We should have broken away from this false order constraining our emotions, making people callous, hypocritical, and cowardly.

Only afterwards can a new, emotion-driven life be truly built. We'll be more free... and have less regrets.

It is unclear who you are referring to as 'we,' as well as the context of 'afterwards.'

All I know is that, much like Amita Luciana – your mother – it has no future.

Fede, you really know how to hit someone where it hurts.

I know it wasn't your intention, but... you made me feel pain so effortlessly.

Oftentimes, pain can be a wake-up call.

However, judging from your subsequent actions, I cannot tell if you've ever experienced even a moment of remorse.

Remorse?

If there's anything I regret, it's that I couldn't do more for my mother at the time. So she wouldn't been so easily and hastily taken by death while on the path to realizing her innermost feelings.

Your choice is irrational.

Fede, how I wish you could understand the sound of my music.

How I wish I could share with you what I think and feel when I stand in front of my mother's tombstone, recalling those times over and over again.

I refuse. No amount of emotions justify your crimes.

I don't want to exonerate myself. I just... want you to understand me.

Put down your cello. I won't allow you to touch those strings anymore.

My beloved brother, are you really going to point your gun at me?

Unless you decide to surrender yourself.

You and I both know that's not possible.

Arturia, I cannot allow any enemies of Laterano to move freely about the Holy City unsanctioned.

The sound of your music may not affect me, but the same cannot be said for others nearby.

I can no longer allow you to weave your illusions, to fill the minds of others with your unnecessary emotions, or even shake the very foundations of our collective empathy.

You... refer to the very real memories my music brings people as the complete opposite, 'illusions.' Why? You've certainly never denied the meaning of emotions to yourself.

I really ought to hate you, Federico...

But still, seeing how we've been apart for so long, I've prepared a gift to celebrate our reunion.

Look over there.

A vendor's car?

There you are, Federico!

I have no idea why, but a few youngsters kept trying to drag me along, saying they wanted to turn this place into a venue for a balloon contest and needed an executor there to certify it...

Whoa, whoa, whoa... What are you doing?

Why are you pointing your gun at another Sankta? Are you <i>trying</i> to fall?

That's not a matter worth consideration in our current situation.

I can't let you do this!

You said that you were looking for Arturia Giallo, right? She's your sister! I know there might be some history between you two, but don't be rash!

The speeding balloon car shows no signs of stopping.

Federico springs forward, grabs the two people from the left and right sides of the vehicle as quickly as possible, and throws them onto the grass.

Countless balloons fly out of the car. The sudden kaleidoscope of colors blots out the sky as well as his vision. Though it lasted but a brief moment, it was enough.

Arturia...

She got away.

Huh?

Please take the people who were in the car just now, and report to Pagus Stevonus Central Hospital together.

You still have things to investigate? I thought you already got to the bottom of the case!

I'd suggest you undergo a full-body checkup.

Just now, you might all have been affected by the sound of Arturia's cello.

I don't feel any different...

Assuming you haven't been affected, I have another suggestion.

What is it?

Oh! I know – you're about to suggest that I find myself a new job, right? Well shoot, I was just thinking the same thing! I knew we were destined to be best buds!

...And that is how my meeting with Arturia went.

Apologies, Avuncle Marcello, but I've already submitted the evidence to the Notarial Hall.

It is said that several cardinals have personally reviewed the files and identified Arturia as a wanted individual.

My child, you... made the correct decision. The one I couldn't bring myself to make.

I keep thinking, what if I hadn't sent Arturia away... What if I hadn't closed myself off to Luciana's emotions when I learned of her death...

Would she not have gone further down her misguided path?

There's no point speculating.

All I know is that it was Arturia Giallo's own choice to embark on the chaotic path she currently walks.

And that I will personally see to it that she is brought to justice, and made to face the consequences of her actions.

They asked you to arrest your own sister?

I am the most qualified.

Not only because I am one of the few unaffected by her music... But also, even if she herself is unwilling to admit it, there's a good chance that nobody in all of Laterano knows her better than I do.

What happens after you arrest her? Will the law... sentence her?

According to the records, Laterano's laws have been supplemented and amended countless times in the millennium since the city's founding.

Considering the uniqueness of Arturia's Arts, the crimes she committed may be difficult to prosecute under our current laws—

But as long as she continues to pose an objective threat, the gun of an executor will continue to render correct judgments.

You're only a kid... You just graduated.

Do you think that I am incapable of taking on such a large responsibility?

Hah... If anything, I'm worried that you're a bit <i>too</i> responsible. Federico, I'm sure you'll become one of Laterano's best executors, just like your parents.

Maybe... I really am getting old. Recently, I keep thinking back to the past.

Not long after your parents passed away, when you first came to our house. Luciana was still with us, and you and Arturia were such lovely children. We'd get together to have water gun fights, and...

If that is your heart's desire, I can take half a day off to play with you.

Haha. You really are a good kid.

Actually, there is one thing... that you yourself might not have made sense of.

You say that Arturia hates you because you deny the meaning of emotion.

But it might just be that she knows you better than you know yourself.

Please elaborate.

Federico, you're the most sincere and open child I've ever met. You never run from your past, and you never suppress any of your emotions.

You've left Arturia at a complete loss... along with her Arts.