Following his dialogue with Jeanne and Kal'tsit, the caravan commander genuinely appeared to have fully unraveled the deep-seated complications that had tormented his psyche for so long. He abruptly threw open the transport's cabin door and vaulted outside like a nimble, bounding wolf.
Jeanne watched this absolute specimen—or rather, this highly agile Lupo—execute a swift leap clear out of the moving vehicle, proceeding to effortlessly bounce back and forth across the roofs of the cargo transports in the column. She couldn't help but squeeze out a cold sweat on his behalf.
Exactly whether this fellow was executing these maneuvers out of high-tier combat proficiency or simply because his sudden euphoric mood demanded it remained a complete mystery. Regardless, tracking his high-altitude acrobatics from the window filled Jeanne with an involuntary wave of intense anxiety regarding his physical safety.
This multi-ton transport vehicle hadn't exhibited a single fraction of an intention to reduce its operational velocity! If his foot were to slip ever so slightly at this speed and send him plummeting to the dirt, the definitive outcome would be this logistics fleet losing a commander, forcing them to orchestrate a thoroughly respectable funeral ceremony on his behalf.
Yet, observing the expressionless, entirely unfazed countenances of the elderly Lupo driver and his grandson up front, it was readily apparent that these rooftops-traversing theatricals were far from a rare occurrence. The two of them had clearly grown entirely desensitized to the spectacle, viewing it with absolute nonchalance.
Once the interior of the cabin dissolved back into a comfortable quiet, Kal'tsit cast an intensely intrigued, probing glance directly toward Jeanne. It was blatantly obvious that the doctor highly desired to investigate exactly what this "Infinite Love Mutual Aid Society" truly represented under the surface, and precisely how much inside intelligence Jeanne actually possessed regarding its machinery.
Even though Jeanne had already explicitly vocalized that this organization was entirely worthy of their structural trust, Kal'tsit naturally maintained a residual layer of tactical suspicion prior to conducting a comprehensive, top-down investigation of the firm; she was simply incapable of extending absolute blind faith based on Jeanne's verbal assurances alone.
It wasn't that she harbored a fundamental distrust toward Jeanne's personal integrity; rather, her strategic concern rested on the high probability that even if Jeanne was aware of the overarching corporate parameters, a malicious third party could still be operating in the absolute blind spots of the infrastructure, orchestrating underhanded, shadowy agendas while entirely concealing the operational fine print from an oblivious Jeanne.
When reviewing any variable possessing the potential to manifest as a structural threat to Babel's long-term survival, Kal'tsit's absolute, unwavering protocol was to invariably project the absolute worst-case scenario. If her assessments ultimately proved overly cynical, she could easily recalibrate her operational posture toward a more favorable disposition down the line.
As for the foundational assertion that the absolute majority of Sankta were inherently upstanding, good individuals? That statement technically registered as a historical reality; the culturally upright, strictly managed society of Laterano rarely tolerated explicit manifestations of depravity. However, that baseline societal metric certainly did not guarantee that a rotten, malicious actor could never emerge from within their ranks!
After all, within the absolute framework of Laterano's sacred statutes, the most extreme punitive judgment—the absolute horror of Fallen Grace—was not technically codified for the sole purpose of punishing standard, secular crimes committed by the Sankta populace. How on earth was a foreign observer supposed to definitively separate a truly virtuous Sankta from a corrupted one?
The current manifestation of Kal'tsit remained entirely oblivious to the reality that Laterano's supreme administrative statutes regarding Fallen Grace had recently undergone a sequence of highly classified structural modifications. Furthermore, an internal legislative shift involving such supreme state secrets would naturally never be leaked to the global intelligence landscape; even within the internal hierarchy of Laterano itself, the demographic possessing full clearance regarding this matter was exceptionally minuscule.
What on earth is going through this child's mind to leave her looking so thoroughly hollowed out and detached? Kal'tsit mused internally, keeping a curious, calculating eye on Jeanne as the girl stared out the side window, her features dominated by an expression of absolute, listless resignation.
The primary catalyst for Kal'tsit's suspicion was Jeanne's physical reaction upon discovering that the unseen masterminds behind the logistics firm were a massive collective of Sankta; her non-verbal cues had been entirely too glaring and transparent. Had the caravan captain not been completely preoccupied with his own internal emotional crisis at that precise moment, even he would have easily deduced a multitude of structural details from her behavior.
And exactly what monumental sequence of thoughts was cascading through Jeanne's consciousness at this precise moment?
Her absolute, singular objective was to wait out the clock until the caravan finally initiated an operational rest stop, at which point she would immediately deploy a long-range communication device to demand an absolute, top-down explanation from that old man, the Pope, regarding what the hell was going on! Why on earth would they choose to finalize a title of that caliber?
Infinite Love Mutual Aid Society…
You see, regardless of how many times this designation echoed through her eardrums, Jeanne's current psychological trajectory was experiencing a terrifying shift… it didn't actually feel that impossible to accept anymore? It appeared that the moment one's psyche fully acclimated to the fundamental parameters of this absurd premise, the title actually carried a rather unique, strangely compelling energy.
Jeanne genuinely began to question whether she required an immediate, comprehensive psychological examination from Kal'tsit to verify if her current mental faculties were operating within standard parameters. Had this logistical nightmare systematically warped her aesthetic preferences to a catastrophic degree?
Thinking along those lines… that massive Laterano monument depicting a sacred Sankta proudly hoisting a high-powered tactical shotgun actually looked remarkably magnificent and structurally sound…
Alright, it's official, Jeanne confirmed internally with absolute, terrifying clarity. Her core cognitive architecture had been thoroughly and systematically corrupted by the bizarre psychological influence of those Sankta. She was entirely beyond saving.
However, analyzing the silver lining of this psychological catastrophe, operating under this corrupted mindset meant that even if her name was permanently plastered on global documentation as the absolute, supreme commander of this absurdly named entity, she wouldn't experience a single fraction of a millimeter of second-hand embarrassment anymore. The burden of absolute, paralyzing awkwardness would henceforth be exclusively offloaded onto whatever unfortunate soul was forced to confront her organization in the future.
To a certain extent, this psychological milestone could technically be classified as achieving the absolute pinnacle of the philosophy: "The moment I fully embrace my own psychological defeat, I become entirely invincible."
Though, deep down, she couldn't shake the persistent, hollow sensation that her soul had permanently surrendered something exceptionally vital and precious in the process.
At this stage, Jeanne had entirely resigned herself to her fate, aggressively executing a sequence of internal self-brainwashing protocols to convince her psyche that Infinite Love Mutual Aid Society was actually a thoroughly spectacular, objectively superior corporate title.
Even though her rational mind was perfectly cognizant of the reality that these thoughts were merely a desperate coping mechanism to preserve her remaining sanity, she relentlessly repeated the internal deception, desperately clawing to permanently incinerate the final vestige of residual embarrassment dwelling within her heart. In fact, her thoughts grew so wild that she began plotting to forcibly execute an identical, top-down corporate rebranding for Reunion the moment she returned to the tundra!
Granted, she wasn't entirely certain whether Talulah would immediately unleash an unholy torrent of Arts to roast her alive on the spot for pitching the idea. However, dealing with a mere single dragon like Talulah wasn't a tactical scenario she lacked the capacity to manage; as long as Alina didn't actively intervene, Jeanne was entirely confident she could leverage her raw physical specs to officially push the name change through before anyone in the high command possessed the cognitive bandwidth to register what had transpired!
Let's see… what kind of faction title would I even need to engineer to perfectly align with the thematic masterpiece of Infinite Love? Jeanne plunged straight into a deep abyss of structural contemplation, the expressions cycling across her features shifting with such volatile velocity that she looked exactly like a professional theatrical face-changer over the span of a few brief minutes.
Tracking Jeanne's erratic facial contortions from the side, Kal'tsit silently questioned whether the child had suffered some form of profound, unmapped neurological trauma during their transit. Why does this girl look like she is rapidly accelerating down a path of absolute intellectual degeneration? Is it too late for me to initiate a clinical medical intervention right now?
Jeanne remained completely trapped within this erratic vortex of internal overthinking throughout the entire duration of the transit. It was only when the golden sun finally dipped beneath the distant horizon, prompting the caravan to initiate a temporary operational bivouac, that her consciousness finally snapped back to reality. Immediately thereafter, before Kal'tsit even possessed the structural window to utter a single syllable, Jeanne vanished from the rear cabin with a sudden, explosive burst of physical velocity.
Observing Jeanne vanish into the dark wilderness with a raw velocity that would make a wild, frenzied Cautus look sluggish, the words Kal'tsit had been preparing to voice died instantly on her lips. She could only stand by the transport vehicle, staring blankly out into the sprawling, empty barrens where Jeanne had dissolved into the pitch-black night, thoroughly bewildered as to what top-secret operation the Holy Maiden was executing all by herself in the middle of nowhere.
In truth, Kal'tsit felt that regardless of the underlying context, her baseline protocol dictating operational security meant she should immediately shadow Jeanne's movements to guarantee she didn't run headfirst into an unmapped tactical hazard. However, evaluating the sheer, frantic urgency of the girl's departure, the matter she was pursuing appeared to be of an exceptionally private, sensitive nature, making it highly inappropriate for an outside observer to force their company upon her.
Furthermore, evaluating Jeanne's terrifying baseline combat metrics, there was realistically zero existential threat dwelling within this desolate sector capable of jeopardizing her survival. Consequently, Kal'tsit merely maintained her position, keeping her eyes fixed on the exact coordinate where Jeanne had broken away, silently resolving to mobilize a retrieval detachment if she failed to return within an acceptable operational timeframe.
"Old gentleman, I believe it is absolutely, paramountly necessary for you to provide me with a comprehensive, top-down explanation right now: what in the living hell is this Infinite Love garbage?! Exactly what kind of absolute, peerless little genius engineered a title of that caliber?!"
The very microsecond the Pope's encrypted communication link connected, Jeanne unleashed the absolute mountain of burning inquiries she had been suffocating under all afternoon in a single, unmitigated volley. This sudden, highly explosive transmission caught the supreme leader of Laterano entirely off guard.
The old gentleman had genuinely assumed that Jeanne's theater of operations had suffered a catastrophic security breach; he was actively preparing to mobilize the apostolic military apparatus to execute a high-priority international rescue deployment on her behalf when Jeanne's vocal track boomed with the characters of Infinite Love.
With that revelation, the elderly pontiff finally connected the dots. It turned out she hadn't run into a lethal tactical ambush; she had merely tracked down the operational existence of that specific organization and was storming his line to conduct a furious, administrative investigation regarding the branding choice.
"If my memory serves me correctly, I believe I explicitly brought up the foundational parameters of this project on a past occasion, did I not?" The Pope replied, his tone laced with a touch of mild amusement. "Personally, I also maintained the perspective that the finalized title was a bit structurally unorthodox, but during our initial consultation, did you not explicitly state that you were entirely indifferent to the fine print and that the execution teams were free to proceed as they saw fit?"
Jeanne felt an immediate, crushing weight drop onto her chest. "When I explicitly vocalized the phrase 'proceed as you guys see fit,' I absolutely did not imply you should manifest a catastrophe of this caliber! Tell me, is it still structurally possible to execute a total corporate renaming protocol right now? At this stage, I genuinely do not care what name you swap it to, as long as it isn't this cursed title!"
Jeanne felt as though an absolute, unbridgeable ideological chasm existed between her own conceptual logic and the collective psyche of the entire Sankta race. This profound cognitive divide ensured that whenever the two parties attempted to interpret an identical, straightforward concept, the ultimate operational outputs would inevitably deviate into entirely polar opposite universes.
"Uh… executing a complete structural rebranding for a multinational organization of this specific magnitude is far from a minor logistical affair," the Pope offered, sounding a bit sheepish over the comms. "The legislative paperwork and international customs registration updates require an immense volume of administrative protocols. How about this: if Your Grace wishes to personally engineer a brand-new title, I can immediately deploy a specialized task force to expedite the processing on your behalf? Though, strictly speaking from my own personal perspective, I still maintain that the current name possesses a rather magnificent, noble ring to it..."
The elderly pontiff simply lacked the heart to explicitly inform Jeanne of the unvarnished reality: the initial naming concepts pitched by the enthusiastic Sankta execution teams were infinitely more agonizingly embarrassing to utter aloud than the current iteration. He had already been forced to leverage his supreme administrative authority to aggressively veto a massive stack of terrifying corporate applications before reluctantly settling on this specific title as a compromise.
Hearing the old man's breakdown of the situation, Jeanne dissolved into a prolonged, suffocating silence. Ultimately, as if her spirit had fully accepted its cosmic defeat, she refrained from pursuing the corporate renaming protocol any further. Let those crazy angels run completely wild with it! At any rate, she had zero intention of ever publicly showing her face as the mastermind behind the enterprise regardless.
Choosing to permanently detach her focus from this psychological nightmare, Jeanne terminated the communication link and navigated her way back into the perimeter of the caravan camp alone. Elevating her gaze, she immediately caught sight of Kal'tsit, who was quietly waiting near the transport vehicle. Noting Jeanne's safe return, a visible wave of structural relief washed across the doctor's rigid posture, though she merely settled back into her seat, refraining from voicing any further intrusive inquiries.