"Hum~ hum~ hum-hum..."
On the other side of things, Lemuen was walking down the street. She held sweets in her hand and lightly hummed a local Lateran tune, appearing to be in quite a good mood.
After all, she was about to meet old friends she had been separated from for many years. When Fiammetta heard that Lemuen was coming to visit them today, she had even declared that she absolutely wouldn't let Mostima slip away this time.
"Aiyah, didn't I say I wasn't going anywhere today! Can't you just rest for a bit and stop watching me so closely? I'm your comrade-in-arms; can't you even trust me? Shimmering Vigil?"
Just as Lemuen reached the door, she heard Mostima's voice coming from inside. Even though she had known about it beforehand, she still couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing that codename.
"I told you, don't say that name!"
Inside, Fiammetta displayed a very strong resistance to her codename. In her heart, she felt that the person back in Laterano who had come up with it must have eaten too many donuts. She wanted a normal codename! Think about how cool it sounded when other people announced their titles during a confrontation—then look at her own. She was embarrassed to even open her mouth!
"You don't like that codename? Right, that was last month's. What are you called this month? 'Cold-Blooded Head-Popper' or 'Revolving Thrusting Demon'? I think it was 'Red-Flame Gun-Lancer'..."
Before Mostima could finish, a loud commotion erupted inside. The red-haired Liberi, who was trying her hardest to act like she didn't care, was now clearly intending to silence the person who knew her secrets.
Knock, knock, knock!
The sudden sound of knocking interrupted the "friendly" exchange of ideas inside, causing the two to pause as if someone had hit a stop button. After a brief moment of staring at each other, they both let go at the same time.
The red-haired Liberi shot Mostima a look that said "don't even think about escaping," then turned to open the door. Mostima, true to her word, sat there obediently.
"It looks like you two are getting along quite well. That puts my mind at ease. I was worried that if it were just the two of you, you'd be fighting all the time," Lemuen said to the pair as Fiammetta opened the door. To be honest, it had been a long time since the three of them had last met.
"I brought gifts! I never thought I'd be able to find such authentic sweets in Lungmen. The local desserts here don't have much of a sweet taste to them."
Lemuen shook the cake and donuts in her hand as she spoke. Following them into the room, she saw Mostima sitting there properly.
"We were supposed to be the ones visiting you, but this person runs around aimlessly every single day, so we never made it," Fiammetta said, bringing out three differently colored cups and pouring water for everyone.
"Long time no see. I'm truly happy to see you've recovered your health," Mostima said, looking at the healthy Lemuen before her. A smile unconsciously surfaced on her face.
According to what the doctors had told them before, even if Lemuen's life was no longer in danger, her chances of returning to her former state relied entirely on praying for a miracle from the Lateran Law.
"But has your body really returned to its previous level? The last time we met, you were lying in bed and found it difficult even to move," Fiammetta added, still quite concerned about Lemuen's condition. One had to understand that for someone who had been in a coma for years and remained motionless in bed, even a normal person would find it impossible to walk.
If they hadn't seen her looking so well last time, Fiammetta and Mostima would likely have driven straight to Chernobog by now. If that old man (Pope) didn't give them a valid explanation, Mostima might have actually plucked out his beard—even though the two of them combined likely couldn't beat the old man in a fight.
"So, I suppose you could call it a miracle! The speed of my recovery gave the doctors a real headache. To this day, I'm still referred to as an 'Impossible Event' at their sanatorium."
Lemuen recalled the expressions on the doctors' faces back then; it was as if they were saying, I've studied medicine for all these years only to find out today that I learned nothing.
"I don't know exactly what happened, but I'm just happy to see you healthy. I never imagined I'd see you anywhere outside of Laterano," Fiammetta said, gazing at Lemuen for a long moment before a smile finally broke across her face. At the very least, the nightmare circling in her mind could be eased a little.
"Such a sweet talker. Why can't a certain someone say nice things like her?" Lemuen said, glancing at the silent Mostima.
"I said it before she did! Don't be so biased, alright?" Mostima immediately retorted. However, the smile on her face didn't fade; instead, she laughed even more happily. Even the thin tail behind her, tipped with a sharp point, couldn't help but wag.
"I heard you! I just wanted you to say it in that tone of voice again. But... can I touch your horns and tail? I'm quite curious about them."
Lemuen looked at the Sarkaz-like horns and tail with great interest, her expression practically screaming that she wanted to test the texture. It's only natural for people to be curious about such things, especially those who don't have such features themselves. They are always fascinated by the horns and tails growing on others.
"Sorry, no can do."
As she spoke, Mostima tilted her body back slightly. Her intuition told her that the person in front of her really would launch a "surprise attack" just to get a feel of her horns. She wondered who Lemuen had learned this from; how had her curiosity about this stuff grown so large? Last time they met, she had only mentioned it in passing, but now she was ready to get handsy.
"Stingy."
Hearing Mostima's refusal, Lemuen had no choice but to give up. I'll wait for an opportunity, she thought. Once Fiammetta gets angry and ties her up, it won't be too late for me to make my move.
The three of them sat together chatting. This feeling gave Fiammetta the illusion that nothing had ever happened—that they could still walk the streets of Laterano just like they used to. For a fleeting moment, Fiammetta felt transported back to the years when they would run through the Lateran streets just to snatch up a limited-edition dessert.
Those days were Fiammetta's happiest times, and she had once thought her life would continue that way forever. But it was just a passing thought; she knew none of this was real. Mostima's fall was irreversible, and the years Lemuen had lost wouldn't just be forgotten.
"What are you thinking about? You're spacing out."
Mostima noticed Fiammetta's eyes had gone glassy as if she were lost in a memory. She waved her hand in front of her friend's eyes, bringing Fiammetta back to reality.
"Nothing."
Fiammetta only offered those three words. She picked up her cup and drank some water, her gaze somewhat restless. She didn't want to bring that person up at a time like this. The other two were so happy; there was no need to mention that matter and ruin everyone's mood.
Yet, if she didn't bring it up, Fiammetta felt as though a fire was burning in her chest, as if it were about to explode.
"So you're heading back to the snowlands immediately? I thought you'd stay for a few more days. It's a pity; who knows when we'll meet again."
Listening to Lemuen's account, Fiammetta found a topic to distract herself. Otherwise, in her current emotional state, she was certain to bring up that person.
"Haha, maybe the separation won't be that long! Didn't Mostima take a mission to go there? I can even help you out then!"
Lemuen had heard Fiammetta mention earlier that Mostima had planned to head to the snowlands because of a recent mutation. Even the paperwork was finished, yet she had been forced to suspend the operation just before departure.
"Is it still too late for me to cancel? Since I already know what the situation is, there's no longer any need to go there."
Upon hearing from Lemuen that the matter was somewhat related to Jeanne, Mostima had intended to cancel the operation. After all, now that she knew the actual circumstances, there was no point in going.
"Don't even think about pulling something like this—tossing me around to finish all your paperwork and then suddenly saying you're not going! Do you have any idea how much effort I wasted just to get those procedures sorted for you?"
The first person to voice an objection upon hearing Mostima wanted to abandon the operation was, unsurprisingly, Fiammetta. Heaven only knew how much energy she had expended while handling those notoriously tedious and convoluted formalities for Mostima.