Right as Jeanne was preparing to establish contact with Lemuen and the others, the Pope sat immersed in deep contemplation within his office, his expression a tapestry of intricate emotions. His state of mind was, in truth, exceptionally complex.
He harbored profound anxieties regarding Jeanne's safety now that she intended to venture into Kazdel, yet he could also discern from her tone that her hesitation stemmed entirely from her consideration for them, the Sankta. She worried that they might deploy reckless or impulsive measures on her behalf. She genuinely did not wish to see anyone plunge into perilous territory because of her personal choices, regardless of whether the Sankta viewed such actions as their absolute duty and nothing to make a fuss about.
Nevertheless, they couldn't simply fold their hands and do nothing. By now, records of Jeanne's appearance had likely filtered into the hands of those Sarkaz inside Kazdel, who might already view her as a prime target for hunting. Although Jeanne possessed the capability to alter her physical appearance, that distinct, recurring face was something she couldn't entirely conceal. As long as that face existed, it wouldn't matter if she personally denied being the Holy Maiden; those mercenaries scraping together a living in Kazdel were not known for being reasonable. They strictly adhered to the creed of executing an individual by mistake rather than risking letting them slip away. Even with Babel serving as her reception contact, one could only hope that Jeanne's personal vigilance would remain exceptionally sharp.
Fortunately, Jeanne had notified him of this matter ahead of time. Laterano maintained vanguard guard units executing various assignments along the Kazdel frontier, which made it highly convenient for the Pope to orchestrate arrangements now.
Subsequently, the Pope began to coordinate the vanguard units to gather intelligence across the Kazdel border. Even though Jeanne's individual combat prowess was remarkably formidable, they still needed to ensure they were fully prepared. Perhaps I could establish contact with that old friend, he mused. I caught word that she is currently stationed within that organization called Babel. If she steps forward to receive Jeanne, it will save an immense amount of energy, and her individual capabilities are exceptionally excellent...
"What exactly are you three up to right now? When I contacted the Pope today, why did the old gentleman's tone make it sound like you didn't return to serve in the guard units at all?"
On the other side, Jeanne had finally connected the call to Lemuen. Upon catching the slight trace of joy in her friend's voice amidst an exceptionally noisy background, she unleashed the flood of doubts weighing on her mind all at once.
Judging by the clamorous din surrounding them, they sounded as though they were living it up inside some bar. Yet, Jeanne recalled that none of these three possessed a habit of frequenting bars; them hanging out in a pastry shop would be far more believable than a bar!
That doubt was resolved in the very next instant. Before Lemuen could even offer a response, an indescribable penguin screech echoed from the other end of the line—a sound Jeanne was entirely too familiar with. During her time lodging with Penguin Logistics in Lungmen, she had caught that exact screech in the dead of night more than once whenever that particular penguin grew overly stimulated. Once you heard that sound, you could absolutely never erase it from your memory.
Yet, despite identifying the familiar voice, Jeanne failed to react immediately. Could it be that these three hadn't remained in Laterano at all and had instead dashed right back to Lungmen? Otherwise, why on earth would the Emperor's signature screech be ringing out?
"Us? We've returned to Lungmen! We thought about it afterward and decided we might as well skip returning to the guard units entirely. Instead, we've chosen to operate as Legatus!" Lemuen shouted at the top of her lungs against the clamorous environment. It was evident that this was a welcome party engineered for the three of them, and her tone made it clear that she was having a fantastic time.
On her end of the line, Lemuen was walking quickly out of the noisy bar, intent on locating a quiet space to discuss the matter thoroughly with Jeanne. Speaking in there required far too much physical exertion; she practically had to strain her vocal cords just to be heard.
After a few minutes, the deafening music that made one's heart palpitate along with those indescribable penguin screeches finally vanished from the line, allowing Jeanne to rub her ringing ears. That thunderous volume brought back vivid memories of her time in Lungmen whenever that penguin enthusiastically hosted a party; back then, she had desperately wished she could swallow the loudspeakers whole just to force them to be quiet.
As someone who naturally favored quiet settings, Jeanne truly couldn't adapt to such boisterous occasions. The main issue was that the sheer volume made her ears ache, leaving her somewhat incapable of enduring it. It was truly a mystery how the crew at Penguin Logistics had ever adapted to that kind of music. She recalled that a certain Lupo resided among them; shouldn't her four-channel hearing be vastly more sensitive than Jeanne's own two-channel system?
"I've finally made it outside. They're throwing a welcome party for us over here. By the way, how did you find out we weren't in Laterano? I was actually planning to pay you a visit in a while to give you a proper surprise..." Once she reached a quiet area, Lemuen spoke to Jeanne in an excited tone, appearing to have cut entirely loose at the welcome gathering today.
It was also completely certain that this girl hadn't heard a single word Jeanne had uttered previously; she had merely been guessing the substance of Jeanne's words based on a few scattered terms she managed to catch through the noise.
Jeanne patiently repeated the entire narrative of her conversation with the Pope, while casually inquiring why they had run off again when all three of them clearly possessed the full qualifications to remain comfortably in Laterano.
"Huh... You are actually planning to travel to a place like Kazdel? Then you must exercise absolute, utmost caution; that region is by no means a pleasant destination. How about I accompany you instead!" Upon learning that Jeanne intended to head to Kazdel, Lemuen instantly grew anxious over her safety. Furthermore, she harbored a horrific impression of Kazdel.
The last time she had suffered her catastrophic accident was precisely along the Kazdel frontier—an incident that had completely altered her life, as well as Mostima's. It remained an immense shadow over Lemuen's heart. She worried that before long, she would catch word that Jeanne had met with an accident in Kazdel as well. To be perfectly honest, no matter how much she claimed she no longer fixated on the past, she couldn't help but worry when a similar scenario emerged.
Sensing the deep-seated anxiety in her friend's voice, Jeanne adopted an exceptionally relaxed tone and said, "Oh, there's absolutely no need to worry about my safety! Don't you already know what I'm capable of? How many Sarkaz do you think could actually manage to inflict harm on me?"
"True enough. Given that terrifying strength of yours, perhaps you could simply overthrow the current Demon King and secure the title for yourself," Lemuen joked, her mood lightening in response to Jeanne's casual demeanor.
"By the way, you still haven't told me what exactly prompted you to leave Laterano," Jeanne pressed, refusing to let her original purpose slip away as she brought up the question once more.
"Ah, that..." Lemuen seemed to realize that Jeanne had probed about her circumstances multiple times now. Once she registered it, a wave of embarrassment washed over her face. Fortunately, this was a telephone call rather than a face-to-face conversation, so Jeanne couldn't see her facial expression. Her mind had simply slipped into subconscious worry the moment she caught the name Kazdel, causing her to forget to answer the direct inquiry.
"Perhaps it's because we've been idling around for far too long; none of the three of us had any intention of returning to the regular guard units. Plus, since Mostima is still serving as an Legatus, we figured the three of us might as well coordinate our operations together!"
In truth, it was also because the three of them were simply unwilling to separate just yet. Even if they had to embark on a long journey, they desperately wished to operate as a cohesive unit once more, which was why they had followed Mostima out of Laterano.
However, transitioning to a messenger's life in Lungmen presented no real issue for Lemuen. It was merely a matter of traveling a bit further from home! Besides, her little sister resided here, making her stay in Lungmen far more joyful than remaining in Laterano.
Of course, there were frustrating aspects as well. Lately, ever since the Lungmen Guard Department discovered she was Exusiai's older sister, they would summon her as a guardian the moment that kid triggered any mischief. She found herself reporting to the Guard Department on a daily basis, far more diligently than someone clocking in for an actual job... Even Mostima had commented that she might as well apply for a vacant position within the Guard Department, since running back and forth all day was an absolute waste of time!
But what choice did she have? When your own sister grew up twisted, you could only silently shoulder the consequences. Who let her be her own flesh and blood sister, even if they were born of completely different parents!
"That doesn't sound right, though. Fiammetta only acts because she received an assignment to monitor Mostima. What kind of reasoning did you use to get the Pope's chambers to authorize an external deployment for you?" Jeanne inquired, thoroughly mystified.
"I joined them precisely to monitor whether Fiammetta is executing her monitoring assignment properly!" Lemuen's response instantly shattered Jeanne's worldview. These people truly possessed a terrifying mastery over inventing excuses.
Monitoring a monitor to see if they are properly monitoring the person under monitor. Care to guess if I comprehended a single word of that?
Jeanne found herself admiring Laterano's sheer creativity all over again. Claiming you came along to ensure Fiammetta's safety would have been a vastly superior excuse compared to this! She lamented how Laterano consistently managed to redefine the absolute limits of her understanding, while simultaneously wondering how on earth such an application report managed to clear authorization. Did the administrative offices over in Laterano truly just watch them draw their salaries while completely refusing to manage them at all?