At this moment, Lemuen was rubbing her head where Jeanne had swatted her. Looking at this "elder sister" before her, who was currently holding her halo, she couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of her heart:
"My ancestor, you've finally woken up! If you hadn't opened your eyes soon, I was going to find a doctor to perform an exorcism on you!"
Seeing Jeanne awake, the heavy stone hanging in Lemuen's heart finally hit the ground. Good heavens, she had truly begun to think the Saint wasn't going to wake up! Still, waking up was a blessing. If she hadn't, the sin on Lemuen's soul probably wouldn't have been cleared by even a dozen confessions.
"Err... didn't I say I might sleep a bit longer this time? It hasn't been that long, has it? It looks like it's only late afternoon."
Jeanne looked at the anxious Lemuen and scratched her head sheepishly. She glanced out the window at the setting sun, feeling like she had slept for a day and a half at most. Surely that wasn't enough to make her this frantic?
Since she had never tried the "sleeping to recover mana" method before, she had specifically instructed Lemuen after returning yesterday not to worry if she slept for an extended period to replenish her energy. But looking at Lemuen's expression now, she looked exactly like a death-row prisoner who had heard the cry of "Stay the blade!" just as the executioner's axe was falling.
"One day? Sister, it has been a full two days since we returned from that company! You've been asleep for a solid 48 hours!"
Hearing Jeanne's words, Lemuen couldn't help but complain. Honestly, this was the first time she had ever seen someone sleep naturally for two days straight! When she had been hospitalized for surgery previously, even under anesthesia, she had only slept for thirty hours—and that included the time spent on the operating table.
These two days had scared her half to death! If she hadn't seen that Jeanne's complexion was rosy and her breathing was steady, she would have truly thought this "ancestor" of hers intended to never wake up again.
In her desperation, she had asked the Emperor to find a doctor to check on her. The result was a report stating she was perfectly healthy—healthy as a newborn babe, in fact—with not a single trace of Originium to be found in her blood. Fortunately, that doctor was tight-lipped; he regularly performed surgeries for the Emperor that weren't suitable for a public hospital, which was the only reason Lemuen felt safe letting him leave.
However, the real reason she felt safe was his Originium Art. It was a very special ability that could delete a segment of recent memory, ensuring the person could never recall it. It was thanks to this power that this doctor nearly held a monopoly on medical care for the big shots of Lungmen's underground, making him quite famous in those circles.
Otherwise, to protect Jeanne's secrets, Lemuen would have had no choice but to... knock him unconscious, pack him into a crate, and ship him via express delivery back to Laterano, then pay for him to open a hospital there.
"Two days!"
Jeanne was genuinely surprised by the duration. She hadn't expected that an amount of mana—which at most could be supplemented by a single piece of Pure Originium—would require such a long sleep! This didn't seem right. According to her previous estimates, it should have taken a day at most. Why was there an extra day of recovery time for no apparent reason?
"Could it be related to that bizarre dream?"
If there was anything strange happening to her, it was those fragmented dreams—dreams she couldn't understand at all. Jeanne didn't believe they were worthless; she rarely dreamed these years, and when she did, they usually had some connection to her.
And that dream... perhaps it was the history of this continent? The ancient past, inscribed within the Originium and preserved to this day. Thinking of it that way made it somewhat logical; when she used her Noble Phantasm yesterday, she had accidentally resonated with the massive amount of Originium in that space, much like how she had seen those souls.
Originium possessed souls and memories; she had heard Patriot mention this long ago. She just hadn't expected those memories to persist through such a vast span of time. As for what that Ancient civilization experienced and why it was destroyed—or if this current civilization would encounter a disaster of that magnitude again—she would have to wait for more information.
"Yes, two days. If you hadn't woken up, I was planning to report this to the higher-ups to see if the medical team with the delegation in Chernobog could come and check your condition."
As she spoke, Lemuen had a look in her eyes as if she were prepared to face death. Reporting such a thing would have required immense psychological preparation. If people found out that Jeanne had fallen into a coma while under her protection, she would be in massive trouble. Even if the higher-ups didn't say anything, Lemuen herself felt it was a disgrace.
According to those movies from Higashi, shouldn't she be performing seppuku in this situation?
"Sorry for making you worry. It's likely because the ability I used before consumed too much energy. I originally estimated I'd recover in a day."
Seeing the self-reproaching Sankta, Jeanne could only offer comfort. At the same time, she reached out and placed the halo she had swatted off back onto Lemuen's head—it wasn't right to just keep holding it.
However, if Lemuen really had reported the situation, Jeanne suspected more than just a medical team would have arrived. At that point, those old men currently preparing to leave the Ursus cities would have rushed here without stopping. They were certainly capable of it.
"Phew, as long as you're okay, I'm relieved. Next time you encounter something like this, please, think twice before you act. These two days have been a nightmare for me..."
Seeing Jeanne's lively and energetic appearance after waking up, Lemuen finally let out a breath of relief. But after this incident, she gave herself a reminder: in the future, she would do her best to prevent Jeanne from using such high-exhaustion abilities. Perhaps, as Jeanne suggested, the reason the sleep time doubled was that she hadn't fully recovered after opening that light screen to protect her earlier. With an ability of that intensity, it would be reasonable to say it could only be used once a month.
"By the way, while I was asleep these past two days, did anyone come looking for me?"
Realizing she had been out for forty-eight hours, Jeanne quickly asked. She was curious to know how things had progressed. Furthermore, Talulah might have contacted her during this time, though the possibility was slim...
But the real question was: she used to be a girl who loved "slacking off" back in the snowy plains; why was her first thought upon waking up related to work? Could it be that the extreme cold of the plains had lowered her activity level? Was she actually the opposite of a Husky?
"Officer Ch'en called to ask about your condition. I made up an excuse, saying you were over-exhausted and needed quiet rest, and managed to fool her."
Regarding Jeanne's "workaholic" state the moment she woke up, Lemuen sighed from the bottom of her heart. No matter how good your constitution is, there's no need to be this diligent, is there? With this level of efficiency, if she worked for a company, the boss would probably be so moved that they'd hang her portrait up as the model employee.
"Take a little care of your own body, you 'King of Overtime'! This isn't a situation where waking up means everything is fine! I'm going to contact the doctor first to give you a full check-up."
Without letting Jeanne explain, Lemuen pushed the newly risen Saint back down onto the bed. Either way, Jeanne wasn't going to handle any business today; she needed to rest. There wasn't anything urgent requiring her presence anyway—if there were problems, wasn't the LGD still there working?
"Alright, alright, I won't think about those things today! But at least let me get out of bed, okay? I've been sleeping for two days straight; surely I can at least walk around on the floor?"
Jeanne didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She truly didn't intend to meddle in things today, as there wasn't much left for her to do. But let me stand up first! I've been lying down for two whole days! If I stay like this, my limbs will atrophy until I can't walk! Feeling the firm grip of the angel's hands on her shoulders, Jeanne couldn't help but complain internally.