level_act42side_03_beg

'The Ends of the Earth' lounge, Lungmen

What are you doing here, Exusiai?

Uh, what are YOU doing here?

The lounge's closed.

I just ended up here. Not sure how. An indentured employee's instincts, I suppose.

Thought I might as well clean up, so long as I'm here.

Oh, I'll clean that up!

I saw that they were gifts for me, so I opened them.

A crystal ball? This must be Bison—wait, MountainDash Logistics has already expanded into Skarphaket?

What is this whole stack of coupon vouchers? 'The more ya buy, the more ya save; the more ya save, the more ya buy'... does Croissant want me to clean out the mall?

Sora's Siracusan Tour Live Album 'A Chance Encounter'... did she forget to send a couple of tickets?

Carnevale mask. This one's got to be from Texas…

It's a little tight. Not great.

This brush…

Is it a gift from the boss, or does he want me to use it to clean his vinyls for him?

Hey, Yith, what kind of hair do you think the brush is made from?

Looks Lupo to me.

Say, why are boss and Texas still in Nuova Volsinii when the Carnevale's already over? I got back from Sargon only to find the shop totally empty! Not a soul in sight!

Texas said she was setting up Penguin Logistics operations over there. As for Emperor...

He and his friends have some other matters to attend to... matters besides recording sessions, parties, and employee training.

Gotcha. Well, I guess it's all the same if I report to you.

Oh?

Give me a sec. I'm almost done filling it out.

Filling what out?

My leave request!

I want to take a <i>really</i> long break, so I figured I should go through the formal procedures!

Exusiai?

You know why I took the Sargonian job, right?

Sargon... Mostima was assigned to the area as Legatus, wasn't she?

Bingo!

Mostima told me that the one who did those things to sis and her is back in Laterano, the one sis hoped would never show his face again...

She hasn't fully recovered, but she's joined the Curia. Truth or secret, the events of the past have once again brought them together...

The things that I came to Lungmen to find out.

You're going back to Laterano?

Of course! Can't very well wait for my sis to come and see me.

Texas, Sora, Bison, Croissant... even the boss, of all people, are busy right now. All good things must come to an end, as they say.

Never forget your roots—that's Penguin Logistics corporate culture, isn't it?

On display every day... but correct, in principle.

Keep these gifts safe for me. Tell my friends that I'll be back, once everything is taken care of.

Is that your ride?

What? No way! I only just decided!

Exusiai.

Uh, hi, guys... what's up?

This just arrived at the office.

Classified files from landship?

I'm exhausted.

I came all this way, only to get caught up in one strange thing after another! My head's spinning.

'Good work, but we need to move quicker.'

'Without a second thought, the Curia is treating the explosion as a terror attack targeting the Summit of Nations.'

Who would have thought that a harmless confessional would be a top-notch spy?

Good work. I'll give you a pat on your speakers.

'Which is to say, you are a wanted fugitive now.'

I know.

With Vani's help, though, our bombs can now snap three pillars with one blast!

There's a long way to go, but pick the right pillar, and a bomb like this can topple an entire building!

'The shrine is bigger than any building that exists on Terra. You must familiarize yourself with its layout.'

I don't suppose they'll let me in if I say I'm a fervent believer who wants to pay daily respects to it.

'The shrine is heavily guarded. Even confessionals cannot easily enter.'

No big deal!

If there's a problem, find a solution! If there's no problem, make a problem!

'Never take a boring order'—that's Penguin Logistics corporate culture!

'Your passion and perseverance are extraordinary, but you have a hard time hiding your thoughts. You should not disturb those you know before it is time, even if...'

Even if it's my sister, right?

That only motivates me more. I'll solve this problem, if for no other reason than to see my sis sooner!

It's time to go, El.

I know, Vani.

'That apprentice...'

I've only met her a couple of times, but when it comes to this, I know I can trust her.

I can already guess what you're worried about, but... well, it's hard to explain the connection between Sanktas. Anyway, no need to worry.

'In that case, this confession has come to a close. Have a nice day.'

Why do comfort bells keep ringing?

It's the two nurseries up ahead... strange. There should be other Nurturers in charge of them...

—Ugh!

The giant milk bottles on each side of the corridor suddenly fall, knocking Andoain out cold.

Situation?

He's unconscious, but alive.

What kind of baby would need a milk bottle this big? It's heavy enough to give a full-grown burdenbeast a concussion.

Anyway, it's for the best. Less commotion this way.

What do we do next? Do we peek inside, or...?

This is a strange place...

You carry him. The rest of you, stay on your guard. We're getting out of this bloody place the way we came in.

Leader's waiting outside. We'll get this guy to answer our questions once he wakes up.

Gotcha—

Like a wind from nowhere, the comfort bells that hang quietly in the corridor and nurseries suddenly begin ringing.

It is not a sound to put babies to sleep; it is cacophonous, unceasing, a loud alarm.

Damn—

Alert cancelled.

Clean up the scene. Don't let the children see it. Take Nurturer Andoain to his room.

Andoain! You're awake.

What happened?

Intruders. But the guards caught them.

Looks like your hunch was right. You were being followed.

They were after me?

You're the chosen Nurturer. They must have the Nativity in their sights.

Who are the intruders?

Just some wayward souls.

Wayward... souls?

What I mean is, I don't know who they are. Our siblings will pick up the investigation.

You know better than anyone else how important the Nativity is.

Stay safe and enjoy some rest.

Were you frightened?

(Pants anxiously)

Lean against my arm.

No need to fear. It's the comfort bells. You will not hear those terrible sounds here...

No hunter's whistles, no roaring of tuskbeasts, no rumbling of Originium tides.

(Moans weakly)

I'm here. I'm always here.

I can feel how much you want to keep living with this life within you... as do I.

Soon, soon... everyone will hope for the same. There will be no more fighting, no more conflict. Everyone will join together in Paradise.

Everyone will walk together with you.

What do you mean, she just vanished without a trace?

We had just cut the wheat. I had everyone take a little break after lunch. She said she wanted to play her cello, and I-I let her...

She came to this leeward ridge, not too far away. We could hear her music all this time, so I-I didn't think too much of it.

Then, when you came to find her, she was nowhere to be seen...

What is this? Some kind of paranormal activity?

Paranormal activity... right at the door of a monastery...

It would make a nice movie... what I mean is, no need to panic.

You can still hear the music, can't you? Perhaps Arturia just went deeper into the wheat fields. Musicians can be an unpredictable lot.

Take some and go up front. I'll handle things here.

Examine the other scarecrows, Sister. You should find a device like this on their necks.

Who are you?

Executor Federico of the Notarial Hall. I came for my regular visit of the prisoner Arturia.

The young executor opens his palm. There is a paper dragonfly sitting on it, flapping its wings at a regular frequency to create pleasant music.

P-Paper dragonfly?

A form of musical Arts. The prisoner must have learned it in Leithanien.

Sh-She used a page from <i>The Saints' Travels!</i>

This detail is not important. What is important is I am now certain that Arturia is no longer under observation. She has escaped.

I... I surmised as much.

Arturia is an important individual, is she not?

Based on the amount of resources that the Notarial Hall has committed, from issuing a warrant to achieving her apprehension—yes.

I...

L-Landen Monastery has only recently regained its standing with the Curia and gotten out of the red...

(And this executor caught us on the spot! There's no way we can quietly bring Arturia back now...)

I can hear you, Sister.

A-Anyway, I must report this to the Curia immediately!

There will be no need for that, Sister.

The Notarial Hall will take over from here. I was the one who apprehended Arturia; I will catch her before she can do any true harm.

There will be no need for Landen Monastery to file a report.

Th-That's not what the procedures say, is it?

I see... you never intended to report this, did you?

This is an awfully convenient coincidence. You came for this. You knew Arturia would escape.

No comment.

Arturia was just like you. It was like she had realized something, and spoke in cryptic terms...

If you won't let me report this, senior, then I must join you in your pursuit of Arturia.

Landen Monastery is very important to me. I won't let it come to harm.

The executor flicks deftly with his finger, and the paper dragonfly turns back into a creased page. The music disappears, and the fields are once again quiet.

What are you doing?

Retaining evidence. The sound it was making would have obstructed our investigation.

Your request complies with the regulations of the Executor's Handbook. I hereby approve the request to join the hunt for the fugitive. Come.

You're just as strange as Arturia, only in a much different way.

I've seen it standing there like that every day, but when you get up close...

HOW IS IT SO CRAZY TALL?!

What are these gill-like scales... where do these bone-like passages lead...?

And what's with this flowing color on the wall? It's like what you throw up after you eat blueberry pudding made with soup water... I'm getting sick just looking at it.

How do you know what you throw up after eating blueberry pudding made with soup water?

Just a little practical joke that didn't go the way I intended. Not the most pleasant of memories, but it almost brings a smile, thinking back to it now.

Back then, we could tell the difference between a practical joke and serious stuff, and we didn't build strange structures like this with true blue religious fervor. What even is it, anyway? Some kind of massive biological organ?

Hm...

This place feels familiar. I must have been here before, but I can't tell whether it used to be a bakery, a chapel, or a munitions market.

It's like this huge shrine has always been here.

It feels... weird...

Does your head hurt?

It's not that hard to understand.

Imagine your favorite patisserie, which you visit once every few days, whether it's for a party, or just because your sweet tooth is aching.

When you happen to pass by it today, you can't resist.

But when you bite into the mille-feuille you just bought, everything feels different. You wonder if they got a new patissier, then you look up and find the whole storefront is different.

It's pretty much just like that, right?

Y-Yeah... wow, I couldn't put my feelings into words like that at all.

But when did that mille-feuille become different?

No idea! It seems to have changed when I got back from Lungmen.

I saw the shrine standing there as soon as I came out of the port.

Say, how did I miss something this big from outside the city?

Shh—El—

Over there...

All patrols, form up.

Guard these halls in three-team squads. Shifts change every three hours.

We must not allow any further intrusions into the shrine, no attacks on the Nurturers.

Understood.

Since when did the Pontifica Cohors Lateran wear such... distinctive uniforms?

Wait, this scaley cape... are these guards just for the Shrine of Nurtury?

There are too many of them... not sure how to get past. They've blocked off all the paths.

What do we do?

We're here.

Is this the place where Extra's resting?

Yes. We can arrange for visits, if you so desire.

Dedicated Nurturers have been assigned to her. She will receive the best possible care until she gives birth.

What about us?

Thirteen nomadic abbeys, with patients in the four figures. The Pagus Ambrosius you put us in doesn't have that many hospitals or sanatoriums...

The Summit of Nations, with all its attendees, has stretched Laterano's medical resources to its limits.

So...

Taking in a pregnant woman already represents exceptional circumstances.

However, you have come here out of trust in Laterano, and Laterano must repay that trust.

The Shrine of Nurtury is not scheduled to open to the public until after the Nativity. Most of the rooms are unoccupied at this time, and our Nurturers have received basic medical training.

The Matriarch has already discussed this with the Curia. The Shrine of Nurtury will take in our friends from outside on a temporary basis, until more permanent arrangements can be made.

The guards will escort you to your rooms. I must remain here, as more patients are expected to arrive.

The Lord's blessing be upon Laterano, and upon all.

See, there's a way.

Don't tell me—