Hearing the good news the Doctor brought back, everyone breathed a sigh of relief regarding Ascalon's safety, yet they did not let their guard down completely. Given the current situation, no matter how smooth the news sounded, it was all hollow; they could only truly rest easy once she had returned to Babel. After all, no matter how pleasant the words exchanged were, as long as the person hadn't returned, there remained the possibility that the other party would tear up the agreement at any moment.
"Do we also have our own people in that place?" Dame Kal'tsit asked, her brow furrowing slightly upon hearing the news the Doctor had relayed. She didn't recall them having any support personnel inside Theresis's prison! Furthermore, if there were internal members, what was the point of sending Ascalon? The success rate of having an insider use poison would be much higher and faster than sending someone to infiltrate and assassinate, not to mention the countless uncertainties along the way.
"A fellow who said he wanted to join us a while ago. He claims that staying in a place like that prison has made him loathe Theresis. However, he is still in the vetting process."
This did indeed make some sense. After all, prisons in Kazdel were largely useless—usually, people were killed on the spot or had their memories searched directly with Arts. Why bother keeping them alive? Those who ended up in prison weren't exactly kind souls; if you hadn't stained your hands with the blood of a dozen teammates, there wasn't even a need to be locked up. Such people rarely lived well in prison; those who escaped torture were extremely rare. It wasn't impossible for someone in such a place to choose to join their side due to Theresis's brutality.
However, even now, the Doctor couldn't be certain whether that fellow truly intended to join them or if it was merely a plot by Theresis. After receiving Kal'tsit's news, she realized the intelligence sent by the other party wasn't that vital; in fact, the other party might have leaked it intentionally.
"...You should be glad my actions were timely. If it had been a day or two later, I wouldn't be sure if Ascalon could come back alive."
The Doctor didn't argue with Kal'tsit's words. In this operation, she had indeed made some errors in command. Or rather, she hadn't expected the busy Theresis to stay in that prison for so long, even setting a trap after perceiving something.
"You are right; perhaps I owe Ascalon an apology. But in those circumstances, my choice was the one most suitable for us."
The Doctor knew very well that there were issues with her aggressive actions this time, but if she had to do it again, she would still send Ascalon out for this mission—she would just be more vigilant. She couldn't pin all her hopes on Kal'tsit, and the landship they were currently excavating was simply too important to them. Even if elite operators had to be sacrificed for it, she had to ensure that the landship could be brought back to Babel. For that, all operators were expendable.
"You... forget it, I can't be bothered to talk to you about this."
Though repulsed by the Doctor's reasoning, Kal'tsit knew there was truth in what she said, and she had little room for rebuttal. Kal'tsit also knew that no matter how much they argued, it wouldn't change this person's mind, so it was best not to waste her breath.
While the two were having their 'friendly' exchange, Theresa, standing to the side, listened quietly to their argument without speaking.
"So, since you've already resolved this incident, you must have arrived at that village, right? Did you see 'her'?"
The Doctor's tone shifted as she turned to ask Kal'tsit something she desperately wanted to know: had Kal'tsit really seen that person? Kal'tsit actually detected a trace of nervousness in the Doctor's voice. This person, who was usually indifferent to everything, could actually feel nervous? As for who "she" was, Kal'tsit was naturally very clear. In fact, a large part of why she had come here was because of that person. If not for her, even if Kal'tsit were willing to come, the Doctor's side would have had to consider carefully before letting her get involved.
"Yes, I saw her. But right now, I can't be certain if this Jeanne is the same Jeanne from your memories."
A major reason Kal'tsit had come here was to confirm the identity of this girl named Jeanne. Before arriving at this snowfield, she had made another trip to Chernobog, hoping to learn more detailed information about Jeanne from Hellagur. To her surprise, the two tasks of this operation had miraculously merged into one location, saving her from traveling back and forth!
"Unable to confirm... I see. Until she says her identity with her own mouth, all conjectures are merely hollow..."
After hearing Kal'tsit say this, the Doctor began muttering something to herself, appearing deeply concerned with the matter. Whether the other party was the legendary Saintess didn't matter much to the Doctor—she wasn't religious. What the Doctor truly cared about was whether the other party was human.
The possibility that the other party was human was why this normally calm person hadn't been in a good mental state lately, even suffering from frequent insomnia.
Although this person had never said it out loud, Kal'tsit could see the loneliness hidden deep within her heart. Because she was one of the few humans left in this world, everything around her was so alien; that was the reason she could make those cold decisions. To some extent, she had always felt a sense of alienation from the current Terra; she didn't belong to this world. She was like a wraith wandering through this world, looking at this seemingly familiar yet different land, with memories of the past surging in her heart.
The appearance of Jeanne gave her a sliver of warmth. It didn't matter if the other person was clearly a dead person or likely an ancient person with the same name. Because she was human! Even if the other party were a zombie, as long as she could talk to her, it would be enough.
"Then I'll leave it to you. Send me a message when there are results!"
This was the first time Kal'tsit had heard her make such a solemn request. In the past, she wasn't like this; back then, she was either cold or eccentric. To some extent, Kal'tsit felt this person was very similar to the Sankta—the type that would be deathly dull if they weren't stirring up some trouble.
"Then give me more detailed information! For example, her parents' names, when she was born, and so on. Giving me a general concept is just too vague, isn't it?"
Kal'tsit recalled the history the Doctor had told regarding Jeanne; it was just a few very general sentences. Anyone who could find historical records of that era could spout the same things. With only her age, what she had done, and the few words about her being a Saintess during her life, even Kal'tsit couldn't make a guess if she wanted to!
"I can't help it! No matter how famous she was, she's a figure from so many years ago! I didn't study history back then. Aren't you making things difficult for me by asking me to remember someone from nearly ten thousand years ago?"
The Doctor had no choice either. Who could have known that a figure from such a distant past would suddenly rise from her coffin?
Meanwhile, Theresa was naturally quite curious about this Jeanne. Who wouldn't be curious about the reason an ancient person had returned to life?
"Then just wait patiently! I'll tell you once I have accurate information!"
With that, Kal'tsit prepared to hang up the communicator. Just then, Theresa added a worried instruction:
"Tell her as soon as you know. Because of this news, this fellow hasn't slept properly for several days out of excitement!"
"Theresa, how did you know I haven't been sleeping!"
"I walked past your room in the early hours of yesterday and saw you making instant noodles. But I still have to say a word or two to you—can't you use a bowl when making instant noodles? You're going to scald your mouth..."