The three of them chatted until they lost track of how much time had passed. It had indeed been a long time since they had conversed like this, and they truly missed this atmosphere.
Back when Lemuen had first woken up and they had returned to Laterano to visit her, her physical condition hadn't allowed her to talk with her friends for very long. Now, sitting together with sweets and tea laid out beside them, it felt like old times in Laterano when they could sit for an entire day during their leisure hours.
"I didn't expect so much time to pass. It's been so long since I've spent such a happy time with you both."
As the day progressed, they didn't just sit there talking; they also used a computer to watch several movies from Fiammetta's private collection—the kind of popcorn flicks produced by "Beryll-wood." For example, they were currently watching One-Armed Chainsaw Man II, a classic popcorn movie perfect for a gathering of friends.
Although Fiammetta claimed she had absolutely no interest in such meaningless films, her ability to critique them with such thoroughness and logic suggested she had watched quite a few over the years. At the very least, she was a die-hard fan; otherwise, there was no explaining where her expert-level commentary came from.
"I only bought these movies to bring to someone else! But after buying them, I had to watch them first to confirm if they were suitable for the recipient. What if they corrupted someone's morals!"
Fiammetta stuck to her story despite the skepticism. However, Mostima leaned over and whispered, "That person is much older than you; who exactly are you worried about corrupting?"
"Yeah, it really has been a long time," Fiammetta said softly, looking at the screen as the end credits began to roll.
In the past, she always watched these movies alone, picking out flaws with every viewing. But now, with the three of them gathered together, those jarring scenes were subconsciously ignored.
"Are you heading back? I'll see you out," Fiammetta said, looking at the sunset that was about to dip below the horizon.
"Then I'll go too!" Mostima said, intending to see Lemuen off as well. After all, even though she had accepted the mission to go to Ursus, it was still an unknown as to when or if they would meet again.
"No, you stay inside and clean up! Otherwise, when I get back, I'll probably be the one doing it again," Fiammetta said crossly, looking at her friend who was an expert at slacking off.
"Eh... how can you be like that!" Mostima replied, subconsciously scratching her cheek as if her inner thoughts had been exposed.
"Fine then. How about I clean the room, and you be responsible for writing both of our reports! No less than a hundred thousand words!"
Upon hearing that, Mostima immediately behaved. Compared to writing reports, she would much rather stay behind and clean the room. Mostima watched the two of them leave the house, then looked at the three teacups on the table and couldn't help but let out a sigh.
Outside, Fiammetta walked side-by-side with Lemuen, looking somewhat absent-minded. The expression on her face practically screamed that she had something on her mind.
"Lemuen, which department are you currently under?"
After pondering for a long while, Fiammetta still hadn't asked the question she truly wanted to ask, instead finding a safer topic to start the conversation.
"Me? I'm currently directly under the Pope's jurisdiction. Even my files have been moved out of the Notarial Hall. I heard I'm holding a post somewhere else too; one person drawing two salaries plus travel subsidies."
Lemuen was quite satisfied when speaking of her current job. After all, the Pope was quite generous, and the monthly salary he paid her was indeed substantial.
"That's not bad; that salary is almost double mine. By the way, those old fogies didn't make things difficult for you, did they? Like giving you a strange codename every month?"
Recalling the Pope and the group of old men around him, the long-suffering Liberi asked with some lingering fear, terrified that her friend might walk the same path she had. She currently felt like traveling back in time just to hold a crossbow to that old man's head and force him to veto the proposal for her own codename!
"No, my current codename is Exuvia. I chose it myself, and it's the kind that won't be changed."
In truth, she had thought of it on the spot because her little sister's codename was Exusiai. Since she was the older sister, she chose a rank higher and filled in the name "Exuvia" accordingly.
"That's good then..."
After saying this, Fiammetta fell into silence. It seemed she didn't know what else to say, and the two of them just walked along the empty street.
"You want to ask me about Andoain, don't you? But I'm afraid you'll be disappointed; I haven't heard any news of him either."
Lemuen looked at her troubled friend and guessed what she wanted to say. Fiammetta had even found a reason to keep Mostima behind just so she could inquire privately about the whereabouts of that man—the man who had once used his Originium Arts to wound her.
"Is that so? Still no news of that guy! Lucky for him, otherwise I definitely wouldn't let him off!"
As she spoke, Fiammetta clenched her fist tightly, as if the man were right in front of her and her punch would land on his face in the next second.
"You're still the same as ever... oh well! We'll talk about those things when he's found. Until then, you should try to let go of this matter a little."
Looking at her old friend who still hadn't walked out of that nightmare after all these years, Lemuen felt a twinge of heartache. She and Mostima could understand that man's emotions to some extent because of their shared "empathy," and thus, in a way, they had forgiven him. But Fiammetta had been left alone in that rainy night; looking at her now, it was clear she still hadn't moved on.
"You don't need to worry about that. My life is very disciplined! And my spirit isn't so fragile that I'd let something like this make a mess of my life!"
Fiammetta said this with a stiff face. To be honest, since hearing that Lemuen had returned to normal, she felt much better, but she still couldn't forget the incident itself.
"You really are..."
Lemuen looked at her friend helplessly, not knowing how to persuade her. She was simply worried that if these emotions remained suppressed in her heart for too long, it would affect her life.
I should probably talk to Mostima about this... but with her personality, the probability of those two getting into a fight is probably higher. Lemuen thought to herself as she looked at her two troublesome teammates. Still, they had lived together for so long; surely something like that wouldn't happen?
More than that, her friend's state—feeling as though a fire was burning in her chest—was quite difficult to deal with. It seemed the only way to improve her condition was to find that man, pin him to the ground, and give him a thorough beating.
"Safe travels! If you have time, write a couple of letters! And don't get hurt again!"
Outside Penguin Logistics, Exusiai was giving instructions to her sister in the vehicle. She was truly worried that in a while she'd hear news of her sister being hospitalized again.
After everything was prepared, Jeanne set off on the journey back to Ursus. Everyone from Penguin Logistics came to see them off, though one thing made Exusiai a bit disappointed: she had originally thought Mostima would show up.
The group watched as the vehicle left their sight, then went back to prepare for their day's work. They now had an additional task; Emperor said he wanted to give them some training. He said it was to prepare for potential future transportation jobs; since they intended to try, they needed to understand the corresponding situations.
As they reached the point where they were about to leave Lungmen, Jeanne saw Mostima and Fiammetta waiting to see them off. However, in addition to those two, there was another person beside them.
The ninja named Shirayuki was also waiting there, holding a box. It wasn't clear what was inside.
"Miss Jeanne, this is a gift sent by Lord Wei. He said it is to thank you for the help you gave us in Lungmen."
Hearing this made Jeanne feel a bit embarrassed. She had come here on a commission; while she had helped out plenty along the way, she had also dismantled a fair share of things. As far as she knew, there was one highway and one company. As for anything else, she couldn't remember. Ah, right—there was also Wei Yenwu's "private stash" of money.
Jeanne felt that the speed and force of her destruction on this trip were almost catching up to certain Perro.If she had stayed any longer, Lungmen would have had enough material for a disaster movie.