level_act42side_01_beg

Danger.

Repeat.

Danger.

...Danger level... Analyzing...

Unknown...

Removing restrictions.

Unlocking bottom-level computing area.

Deductive computing power exceeds maximum.

Laterano... explosion.

Finally, I can catch my breath.

I don't think I've talked so much in my entire life. And I've got another lifetime's worth of talking to do tomorrow.

Hah. How about we trade jobs, then?

I'll greet the Kazdelian delegation. You deal with the thirteen nomadic abbeys scheduled to arrive tomorrow. How's that?

All this running around is hard on my old bones.

That will not be necessary, Reverend Patrizion.

How is communicating with our new Sarkaz friends?

Fine enough.

Not all the Sarkaz have set hatred aside. That ancient Revenant with Speaker Wiš'adel, for example, got rather worked up at the mere sight of the Matriarch.

But the Speaker shut them up. She's been so magnanimous that I'm having trouble reconciling my impression with the rumors I've heard of her.

The chief spokesman for the Kazdelian delegation is a Lich by the name of Fremont. I wish you could have seen it—

A three-hour debate in which he engaged seventeen cardinals from the First and Sixth Tribunals in a, well, 'animated exchange of opinions', encompassing everything from politics to the Law, from faith to life and death.

Small wonder that whole procession of cardinals was spotted around the guava juice machine afterwards. They must've been soothing their parched lips and throats.

Such energy at his age! I envy the man.

Long story short, Kazdel accepted our proposal. The Royal Court will review the legacy of royal authority, and the Sarkaz will unite through the mediation of Laterano.

I have also spoken to the Empresses' Voice. The Leithanian delegation will arrive at the Holy City early tomorrow morning.

Now that's something you don't see every day.

Remember how few answered the call of the first Summit of Nations two years ago. Most thought that the Lateran Declaration was little more than a piece of paper, empty posturing.

Empress Ewigegnade declined our invitation then. This time, she is proactively asking to take part in the Summit of Nations.

Even Empress Grimmacht, who has long been out of the public eye, came out of seclusion to join the envoy and visit Laterano...

It's a strong show of good faith from Leithanien.

Shall we say the second Summit of Nations has already met expectations?

Exceeded them, Cardinal Velliv.

Columbia, Ursus, Yan, even distant Ægir... all nations that should be here are now present.

It's like a dream.

Only the inevitable result of Laterano's development over the ages.

The prophesied calamity draws near. The black snow on the ice of Sami, the hole in the sky above Leithanien, even the raging tides that dash against the coast, are all portents of its inevitable arrival.

In the face of calamity, everyone wants order—Lateran order.

You're correct. But even after all our preparation, the sight still feels... unfamiliar.

If it's like that for you, imagine how it must be for everyone else. Even if one has heard of the path that Laterano has paved in response to the prophesied calamity countless times during one's enlightenment...

One cannot help but hesitate when coming face-to-face with the ultimate end.

What about yourself?

It's bad form to flaunt one's age, but when you get to be my age, there's not much to hesitate about.

Are you ready to retire?

I can hardly bite through a cactus tart these days. This summit may be the last thing I can do for Laterano.

That might have more to do with your taste in food, Reverend... I would have a hard time biting through one of those, er, cactus tarts you're talking about.

You are aware that all the cactus tarts among the refreshments were made specially for you? Literally no one else in all of Laterano has any interest in them.

You must be joking. The cactus tarts were a recommendation from an old friend, a true connoisseur of desserts... what was his name again...?

Doesn't matter. Back to the topic at hand.

The doubts among the people make the subsequent ceremony at the Shrine of Nurtury all the more important.

We must show everyone, in the most forceful manner, the potential of Laterano.

Of course. I'll get on the handover of the Seventh Tribunal immediately. When the Summit of Nations gets underway, I will head to the Shrine and ensure that the ceremony is executed without a hitch.

No need to rush.

Hah. Never mind. Young people are all the same... they complain a lot, but they have no patience when the time for action comes.

Are you reminded of your <i>Fia?</i>

I believe she has returned, according to the mission logs?

Yes. We'll have a family get-together tomorrow... I hope she likes my gift.

Huh?

The Shrine of Nurtury...

What a miracle.

Lemuen, Cardinal of the Seventh Tribunal. Go ahead.

Cardinal Lemuen, your presence is required at Via Jovita, Pagus Stevonus, to investigate a possible bombing.

Reverend Patrizion? I don't believe this was on today's schedule.

You may not understand, as you were recently created, but emergency assignments take precedence over all other arrangements, regardless of organ.

An emergency assignment...? But where did this decision come from? Is there any documentation to reference?

Whether a situation is an emergency or not is always self-evident. There is no need for additional determination.

Someone of unknown identity and in possession of unregistered explosives has been seen in public multiple times without Notarial Hall oversight—

This is a grave threat to the order of Laterano. The centuries-long peace of the Holy City must not be broken by an illegal explosion during the Summit of Nations, with the eyes of all lands upon us.

The suspect has been sighted on Via Jovita in Pagus Stevonus. You are the nearest officer of the Curia.

Proceed to the scene immediately. Your aide and Notarial Hall executors will join you, ETA approximately ten minutes following your arrival.

Understood.

...Lemuen.

What else do I need to know?

I had meant to congratulate you on your creation... but I guess it should wait for tomorrow's gathering.

Will you be there? We all know you've only gotten busier as your retirement draws near, and you always...

Always put my duties first? I can't deny that.

I've postponed meetings with old friends so many times that I can hardly remember their names, leaving me too embarrassed to meet them anymore.

But I'll try to make the gathering tomorrow.

Take care, Reverend.

I'll head to Via Jovita immediately.

Can you hear me?

Lemuen?

I'm near the Shrine of Nurtury, but something just came up and I need to be elsewhere.

Did you say something? I couldn't make it out. Why are you whispering? You're not the type to keep your voice down.

(No no no, Lemuen, you misunderstand...)

(I'm fine, but there's a... situation. I need to stay hidden and keep quiet.)

See you at Fiammetta's thing, then.

(Sure.)

(Take care.)

Phew.

He's here! He might be whispering, but he can't fool my ears!

I didn't need you to guess where he is!

He's not behind the curtains or the pillars...

'This wardrobe is only half his height. There's no way he could hide in here.'—Is what he'd want us to think!

What a dummy!

It's not that he's dumb, it's that we're too smart!

We found you, Senior Nurturer!

Alright, alright, you got me—thirty extra minutes of free time today!

Yay!

Let's play 'Halo', Senior Nurturer!

I'll be the first to get in the bottle, the first one out the front, and the first one you hug! Then we'll hold hands and meet the other kids behind when they come out!

Are you bothering Andoain again, children?

They just want to play a little longer. It's all fine. Giselle, Romya, go make your preparations at the Hall of Enlightenment. We can start the game once I get there, okay?

Don't you ever say no to the children?

I guess that's why they trust you and look up to you...

Just a few weeks ago, they were terrified of these unfamiliar halls. It was a struggle just to give them a change of clothes.

Now, they feel at home... all thanks to you.

I didn't do anything, except stay with them.

You're very much like the Matriarch, down to your humility. Just having you with them makes all the difference.

Was it not your companionship that helped the mother you and the Matriarch brought back through the worst?

I remember the first thing the surgeon did after leaving the operating room was to check if he still had his halo.

He could not understand how the mother managed to survive with her baby, after her abdomen was impaled by a spear.

It was a miracle.

We'll call it a miracle once she's successfully given birth. Meanwhile, I will continue to care for her as best as I can.

I'm... beginning to understand why the Matriarch holds you in such high regard. It is reassuring to know that you are in charge of the most important duty of the Nativity, the delivery of the child.

The Shrine of Nurtury will be ready for full operation if the Nativity goes well. Every child born on Terra henceforth shall have the protection and blessing of the Holy City.

That will be the true miracle.

I hope so... I do hope so.

I must not keep you any longer. Giselle and Romya are still waiting for you!

Via Jovita, Pagus Stevonus

It's quiet...

A procession of halos stretches from one end of the street to the other. No one stops, and there is no commotion.

Someone may step out of the procession to enter a passing confessional, or pick up an ice cream cone from a dessert cart, before continuing on their soundless parade.

Silence and order. This is how things have always been in Laterano, the Holy City.

I'm in position.

Identifying suspicious personnel. No unusual activity at this time.

A figure flashes by a corner in the distance. The wind blows her hood open briefly, revealing a streak of bright red.