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Madam Extra, you must take your nutrition...

I said, I don't want it.

If you have specific dietary requirements, we can make efforts to accommodate them.

*Sarkaz expletive*, you think I'm a picky eater?

But...

Yes, you have beds and food, and your leader... that 'Matriarch' said you wouldn't do anything to me.

But I just don't feel comfortable.

In the wilderness, I know what can kill me, and I know what I need to do to give birth to this baby.

Where to hunt, how to keep warm, how to block off the entrance to my cave... And with that, I don't have to worry about myself or my baby.

But here... ugh.

Get out. Take the food with you. I didn't touch it. I'm sure there are people who need it more in this place.

Reverend Gun-Knight Patrizion?

Yes. The Matriarch was looking for me?

She's inside. A minute, please.

The Matriarch has been tending to the pregnant Sarkaz woman who arrived in poor shape. But it's been an hour and she hasn't come out yet...

I'm not one to speculate... but the prejudices of the past have made it difficult for many Sarkaz to accept our kindness.

The Matriarch has no weapons on her. I worry that...

I'll check on her.

The gun-knight Patrizion has served Laterano for many decades. He has forgiven many Sarkaz, and slaughtered many more.

He has heard the Sarkaz curse in fury, cry out in pain, roar in hatred, even plead in despair...

But he has never heard them pray.

And yet, the pregnant Sarkaz now kneels before a holy statue, her hands clasped together, stumbling over the unfamiliar words of liturgy.

The Matriarch stands behind her, her head bowed in prayer as well, the pair bathing in the warm glow. When the Sarkaz trips over a sentence, the Matriarch waits for her.

All mortals desire peace and happiness, and fear hardship and sorrow.

Therefore, we stand together in prayer, regardless of race.

Matriarch, the Sarkaz...

She has only just left behind the restless life of a wanderer. Now that she is experiencing idleness for the first time in her life, all the worries she has never had time to ponder have rushed to the surface.

She simply needs to learn to comfort herself.

You taught her how to pray?

We've only recited a few verses together.

Let's go somewhere where we won't disturb her.

Why have you called me here today, Matriarch?

I wanted to talk with you, to ease your troubles.

But it seems like words may not be so necessary now.

Troubles? I am not troubled.

Are you not troubled, or do you dare not be troubled?

Everyone in Laterano knows that our ancient order was established in response to the prophesied calamity.

As calamity descends, our order is stretched to its limit... yet no one can predict what will become of Laterano one day.

I cannot imagine it, but I have faith it will be beautiful.

You have given too much for it. The granddaughter you never have time to be with, the old friend whose name you've forgotten, and the other old friends you've exiled as guardian of order...

To deny Laterano's future is to deny everything that you have given and sacrificed for it. It is to deny yourself.

Have no fear. A sliver of that future has already revealed itself to you.

If the faith of Laterano can bring comfort even to the faithless, if Sarkaz can pray side-by-side with Sankta...

Then our order shall open its arms to all.

There will be no barriers, no one left behind, no unwilling partings.

Sounds like you're describing a dream.

Are we not about to lift the veil that separates dream from reality, before the eyes of all?

A miracle will befall this land when everyone believes that even the most fantastical dream can become reality.

The Nativity must go off without a hitch, Patrizion.

I'll do my best, Matriarch.

You're blocking the screen, 'Holy Debt Collector'!

You're the one who decided to sit that far back... not that you're missing anything if I block a few scenes. It's just <i>Eight-Armed Chainsaw Guy</i>, after all.

And stop quoting random lines from the movie. You're not on a mission or in a briefing. You're in my house!

I kind of like that name. Maybe you can use it as your code name for your next mission.

Not you too, Lemuen...

You two sure can work together, when it comes to making up bad code names.

Haha.

How's life as a cardinal, Lemuen? Keeping busy?

Busier than when I was in a wheelchair.

When was it that you got out of it for good, anyway? I don't remember.

You don't really care much about me, do you? I'm so sad, and the only thing that can comfort me is if you let me feel your horns.

Why don't you ask if Holy Debt Collector might let you touch her ear plumage?

Go ahead. I don't mind.

I never thought it would be the Summit of Nations that brought us back together after all this time.

It's like every Lateran out there got called back to the city.

I can understand Legati like Mostima getting recalled, but the old man brought me back when I was in the middle of a high-priority mission to Sargon!

Say, where is your grandpa anyway? He's the one throwing the party, right?

Should be back soon.

Who knows what he's up to? All he said was that since he was retiring, he wanted to make an important announcement while everyone's still here.

It's nice to see the kids having fun when I get home from work. Makes me feel ten years younger.

That still makes you really old, Patrizion.

Reverend Gun-Knight.

Now, now, are you angry at me for being late, Fia?

I had to turn the office upside-down, trying to find this thing.

What's in the package, Reverend?

Open it. Find out for yourself.

Wow! A guardian gun?

Looks like it's been around for a while.

Patrizion. Unless my eyes deceive me...

The first patron firearm I ever had. I picked it when I was twelve. It stayed with me for over a decade, until I became a gun-knight.

Soon, it'll become a true relic, when firearms workshops fade into the history of Laterano.

Take it, Fia.

What?

A little token. Think of it as fulfilling an old man's wish.

As your mentor, your guardian, some of what I did was... how should I put it...? Regrettable.

You know you weren't the only student I cared for. But I was never a licensed teacher. The other one should have walked a better path.

Aurela, the gun-knight who killed her cohort? That's a whole different thing.

If I never walk that 'better path', it's not because of anything so drastic.

It's because you don't have the little whatsis I have over my head. I know.

But I took you in precisely because you were Liberi.

You never told me that.

What regret are you trying to make up for <i>this</i> time?

*sigh*... I didn't want to tell you.

The loss of a friendship made me realize that I never truly knew a Liberi.

I thought I was too clumsy. I thought I could learn to get along with the Liberi.

But I was never very good at it.

I worried about your nerves that were constantly on edge, about your obsession over the accident, the anger that boiled within you, and how you struggled to fit in...

But I never knew how to guide you.

For the Sankta, empathy is a window that helps us understand each other. For you, it became a wall that kept you out.

Hold it, hold it right there—

Do old people always get so sentimental?

Haha. You don't get it.

What I'm trying to tell you is that everything is going to change after the Summit of Nations.

The prohibition on patron firearms for non-Sankta will be lifted, along with other rules like it. The Law's acceptance of the Liberi will extend far beyond just allowing you to live in the Holy City.

We will truly become one people, Fia.

Do you think it's enough to just issue a few edicts, close a few workshops, build a shrine, and take in some wanderers?

See? That's your first reaction.

It means that, deep down, you want to share true understanding with Lemuen, with Mostima... with us.

You will understand, Fia.

Then, if you're willing, you can take my place and become a true gun-knight... or go and do whatever else you want to, things that were once open only to the Sankta.

When that day comes, your friends will be there to bear witness, as they do now.

Now, take your guardian gun for a spin.

Fiammetta does not fully understand what the old man said, and her two friends say nothing, but everyone present smiles at her.

Fiammetta raises the old patron firearm.

She has held many grenade launchers in her time, but she feels a strange sensation come over her as she touches the gun's barrel, like a terrestrial creature touching the sea for the first time.

She cannot tell if the indescribable connection among Sanktas has opened itself to her, or if it is simply a reaction to Patrizion's words.

We were born different, Fia, but our paths must eventually converge.

Nothing makes an old man happier than recognition from his child.

Fiammetta holds the gun tightly and lines up the sights with the door.

Fiammetta... it's been a while.

Did you invite him, Lemuen?

I knew he was coming, that's all.

It was I who invited him.

Letting go of hatred is also part of achieving true understanding.

Is there anything I can help with, El? To make up for me not recognizing you.

Not so fast.

There's a few things about Laterano I'm really interested in... it's been a long time since I've been here.

Oh?

When did the Curia decide to shut down every firearms workshop in the city?

It was recent... the edict was sent to all the workshops in the city on the same day.

It wasn't that much of a surprise... arms control had been around for as long as I could remember, and it was about time they turned their attention to reforming gun control, after all these years.

Don't you find it strange?

Should I?

Magister Paganini said there was nothing unusual about shops shutting down and opening up. He'd been talking about closing up for years.

But this is a firearms workshop!

D-Does that make a difference?

This is where all Sanktas meet their guardian guns!

Have all of you forgotten the meaning a Sankta's patron firearm carries?

Well...

El, what are you doing?

Exusiai takes out a patron firearm and puts it on the workbench.

She smoothly disassembles it, from the magazine to the barrel to the action to the case ejector...

I'm not a terrorist, or some kind of super-mercenary. I just know my guns like I know my own joints.

I remember how I came into possession of each and every gun—yes, ALL of them.

But the one that left the deepest impression on me was the first one, when I stepped into this little shop, along with my parents and my sister...

Exusiai's hands do not slow down even as she continues talking.

My sister told me that every Sankta has their very own patron firearm, or guardian gun, the same as we were born with our unique halos.

So, picking a guardian gun is like making a friend.

We place our trust in empathy, open our hearts to one another, and learn to get along.

You were what, four or five years-old at the time? You were tiny, didn't have a halo, and you couldn't even talk. We didn't even notice you.

By the time we knew you were there, you had your hands on the scope I had picked, feeling it with a face full of curiosity...

Well...

Magister Paganini said he found me in the gardens of an Ecclesia Requietum, and brought me back to this workshop.

I seem to have, er, problems with speech, and he thought I was mute at first. It took a few years for me to be able to put a few syllables together.

I caused him so many headaches. I was never the kind of kid he could be proud of. I sneaked out that day, without even knowing why, and I was so anxious I almost cried...

Put your hand on it, Vani, just like old times.

Huh?

Hesitantly, tentatively, Vannini puts her hand on it.

Master Pag put my hand-picked parts together. My mind filled with thoughts when I held it in my hand...

Protect my parents and sister, make new friends, have the coolest graduation ceremony in Laterano... it told me I could do all that.

You felt it, didn't you?

The stuff you just said wasn't what I remembered at all, Vani.

I remember that I picked my guardian gun with a little girl I didn't know. We watched the fowlbeasts across the street, used the barrel as a talk tube...

She didn't talk, but I could feel what was in her heart when we played together with the parts. That's why I knew she was happy when I saw her reddened eyes at the end.

This is our secret. That's why I didn't say anything to my sis when she asked if I was bullying you.

For me, that wasn't the day I made one friend. It was the day I made two.

Exusiai brandishes her gun, which she has already reassembled, and smiles at the young apprentice gunsmith.

Vannini has her eyes fixed on Exusiai, that sense of confidence and pride that was on her face throughout the process.

Vannini cannot tell where the confidence and pride came from. It is almost like Exusiai is saying, 'I'm a Sankta, and this is a Sankta thing.'

What is it, Vani?

Well, I basically recreated what happened... you still don't remember anything?

(Shakes head)

B-But I believe you, El.

Uh... huh?

I was really sad when Magister Paganini told me this workshop would have to close.

I thought it was because I've lived here for so long with him that I didn't want to leave...

I believe you about this link that you say patron firearms bring us, El... even though it means that something has happened to the Holy City that I can't comprehend.

Yeah!

How can I help?

You've been here in the firearms workshop for so long. Surely you've got a way to help me make an explosion that will shake the city?

Is Fia alright?

Mostima is with her.

You know what she's like. It's not so easy for her to forgive.

What about Andoain?

He left.

If there's anyone who has a right to be angry, it would be you, Lemuen. You were the one who suffered the most.

I can't argue with that, Reverend.

But all emotions change with time.

In the five years that I spent in that coma, Andoain served his sentence in a nomadic abbey, traveling across Terra, offering assistance to our scattered kin as his way of atoning...

Finally, he decided to come back to Laterano, reintegrating as an ordinary Nurturer.

Laterano needs him, and he deserves a second chance.

I'm glad you think that way... what was it you wanted to talk to me about?

Still Fiammetta. You know she insisted on taking firearms courses when she was in school.

She was always the first to show up for class, and the last to leave the firing range. She loved guns in a way nobody could ever doubt... even though she never learned to use one.

But when you gave her your gun and that speech, that look in her eyes...

I couldn't tell if it was doubt or disappointment, but the one thing I know is that it wasn't pure joy.

Is that right...? I thought she would be happy. At least, before Andoain showed up.

I still don't understand how she feels, after all these years...

Your announcement took me by surprise, let alone Fiammetta.

'The prohibition on patron firearms for non-Sankta will be lifted, along with other rules like it.' That part.

Yet the arms control that we've been pushing for so long has only now come to its most important stage.

You mean the two policies conflict?

What I want to ask is, have you received any further revelations?

Have greater goals been bestowed upon our arms control work?

The goal has never changed. All forms of control exist so that everyone will be able to use guns more efficiently, more widely.

The firearms workshops have a long history, but also plenty of flaws. Gunsmiths and customers both put way too much energy into them, trying to make each and every gun unique.

Once the Shrine of Gunsmithing in Pagus Michaelion starts operating for real, Laterano will be able to provide armed support to all nations and all races, when we have to.

If the goal has never changed, why do the changes of the present seem so sudden, so... out of place?

Maybe because we're not so great at imagining the future.

You're right that the Matriarch has bestowed a greater revelation upon me. All will partake of the same revelation at the Nativity.

When the time comes, it won't be just you and Fia; millions of people will gain insight into the future, both inside and outside Laterano.

You're sharp, Lemuen, and I'm sure you understand that our first priority is to make sure that the Nativity goes off without a hitch.

I will continue to hunt the criminal trying to blow things up at this important time.

Leave. Now.

I don't want to see your face.

In the end, the gathering parted on less-than-pleasant terms.

He had spent much time mulling over Patrizion's invitation before accepting it.

He was not unprepared for what might happen. But with a new dawn about to break in Laterano, he had decided to come and visit old friends, for reasons that he could not, or would not, put into clear words.

What will become of the past once the new Laterano comes?

He wanted a confirmation, nothing more.

The wind brings a cloud that casts a tiny shadow in a corner of the street. Andoain frowns.

He takes a few steps, then stops and waves over a confessional.

Automated Confessional CONFESS-47, at your service. Please insert your Signa Creditorum or citizen credit card before beginning your confession.

Sorry, I just remembered I have something else I need to do.

It's you.

Is something the matter? Were you being followed?

Was that why you waved over a confessional? To check your surroundings? Do we need to call the guards?

No, I guess I was just imagining things.

Were you looking for me?

The Matriarch has returned to the Shrine of Nurtury.

We came to take you back.

Welcome back, Cardinal Lemuen.

Here are the handover documents for five firearms workshops in Pagus Faber. This one's owner, Paganini, has signed the papers.

Good work. The Notarial Hall can take the rest.

Speaking of which, there are some exceptional circumstances with the workshop on Via Borgos...

The owner, Paganini, has an apprentice who is going to take her qualification exam. The Curia will have to provide some form of compensation now that the shop has been shut down.

Her name is Vannini, I think. I happened to pass by her when I left... she had fiery red hair and a bright smile on her face. A really sunny disposition.

Via Borgos... sounds familiar.

Look at the files on your terminal, Amos.

That description does not fit Vannini.

Oh—I...

It's alright. Maybe just a passerby. You said she was a Sankta with fiery red hair?

She had a hood up, but we were walking towards each other. I got a good look.

(El?!)

(Why?)