phenxi

Right now, you're diddling away your time, idling all day, doing nothing. Worse, you aren't even enjoying your life.

But... Mostima needs my help.

Fia, it's not Mostima who needs you. You are the one who needs her. You've found yourself an excuse to follow her around.

This is Mostima we are talking about. She knows how to take care of her own problems.

Of course, when she tries on clothes, she might need someone help her with the zippers on the back.

Patrizion, you...!

Angry? Finally, you found yourself some backbone. You should know I had very high hopes for you.

After all, you're my most beloved student. You were the first Liberi who could've become an Apostolic Knight.

You could've taken on so much more responsibility.

Now, even if I don't make it sound so scary, it's actually pretty fun to be a Gun-Knight! You're not a Sankta, and you don't have this annoying halo over your head. The helmets wouldn't give you a headache.

You can't wield a gun, but we can get you a huge-ass grenade launcher just as easily.

Most importantly, Gun-Knights don't have to pay out of pocket when they blow up a street!

Fia, you have both talent and experience. You should come back. Laterano needs you.

But I don't want to be a Gun-Knight.

That's not what you told me when you were little. You begged me to train you so that you could become...

...an adult. Just so I could know the choices I had open to me.

And you chose to follow Mostima around?

At first, it might actually have been guilt that drove me to follow her around. I felt I was partly responsible for her becoming fallen. I was worried she would be so depressed that she'd truly fall.

You didn't understand her well enough, then.

Right, haha. It's Mostima we're talking about...

Then, I started to think. Andoain was bound to go looking for her one day. If I stayed by her side, I would eventually get to settle my score with him.

And you finally found him at the Summit of Nations two days ago.

It wasn't enough. He got away. If I see him again, I will take him in myself.

Then you truly have no reason to keep following Mostima around. You could become an executor. That way, you can travel across the land on this case.

No, that's not what I meant.

After I got back this time, I suddenly realized Mostima and I have been so many places and met so many people. Set aside all objectives and purposes, and that in itself is my choice.

You said it yourself: even an idiot can tell Laterano's a paradise.

Right, but if you've never been away from home, how would you know what it means to come home? There are lots of places that stir my heart more than Laterano, but there will only ever be one Laterano.

Besides, this journey actually isn't all that bad.

It's true. I don't enjoy my life.

I'm just going through it.

That's not going to lead to any growth. You're just suffering for no reason.

Fia, all of us want you to stay. We can easily get you a seat on the Gun-Knights' Tribunal.

I'd even be okay with it if you wanted to go nuts and become a cardinal like Lemuen. I could talk to His Holiness about it.

It's a lot more work than being an Apostolic Knight, but it's much better than having to bustle around outside.

Or I could simply order you to stay.

You won't. You're you, after all.

Right, because I watched you grow up.

It feels terrible to be old.

I can feel myself going downhill, day after day. Every morning, I wake up, and I find myself worse off than the day before, and everything is leaving me behind...

My friends are dying, one by one. My students are scattered all across the world. The clerics simply respect me; they rarely come talk to me.

It's boring, Fia. It's very boring. All I can do these days is chew over what's left of those days gone by, until nothing is left but some fuzzy feelings, to the point that I forget what I was trying to remember in the first place.

Eight years ago, you were there outside my door when I was packing.

How'd you figure?

Because you left a long list of movies in my bag.

Oh, now that you mention it, I did do that.

I was obsessed with the Wrankwood blockbusters at the time. I only let you go because I was too caught up in the movies, and I started regretting it the very next day!

You only regretted it because you realized that even if I was going to bring you any of those movies, it wouldn't be for several years, didn't you?

That's my girl. You know me well.

Hahahahaha.

Haha, you just want someone to take over your work, so you can hole up in the monastery and watch movies, don't you?

Maybe, but I'll eventually run out of movies to watch.

When are you leaving this time?

In a bit.

Why not stay a couple more days? There's going to be another blindfolded handstand shooting match in just a few.

I'll pass. I watched more than enough of those back when I was a kid. I even entered one.

I remember that. You got first place. I still have the trophy in the back.

Really? You do?

Looks like I'll have to watch the match alone.

Don't make yourself sound like such a poor, neglected grandparent. We both know you'll have the friars with you.

Sure enough.

I heard they're making a new One-Armed Chainsaw movie. I'll bring you a copy the next time I come back.

When will that be?

Probably next year.

The movie will be so old by then.

At least you'll actually get to watch it.

It's getting late.

Right.

Fia!

What is it, old man?

Forget it. Never you mind. Go!

Well, then. Reverend Gun-Knight Patrizion, I shall take my leave now.

Goodbye, I await your next visit—

Dawn Destroyer.

I will burn your whole monastery down.

Fia, it's a joke! Just a joke!

Phew...

Am I really this unlucky?

Hah! A Sankta all by her lonesome! Looks like we're in luck!

Tell me, how do you want to die?

How come this Sankta has horns?

Hah, who cares?! We'll find out after we kill her!

Hey, I'm in a bit of a hurry. Can we not do this?

Begging for mercy now? Not a chance! It's because of you Sankta bastards that my boss—

What the—?!

Aagh!

Now do you know how much work it takes to make sure everything's smooth sailing when you're out doing whatever?

Whoa! No way! It's the Dawn—

You aren't tired of that joke yet?

I'm getting there.

I went on ahead since I figured that'd take you a couple more days. I mean, the old man came to take his granddaughter in.

It didn't cross your mind that I could just end up staying?

No way.

You still gotta make sure I don't spill any secrets.

*Sigh*...

The old man has a message for you. Apparently he wants to do a movie marathon the next time we're back in Laterano.

W-What the hell? There's just the two of them!

Let's get them!

Well, I'm honored.

I will think about it.