One way or the other, they eventually found themselves in a secret archive deep within the Vatican Apostolic Archive. While the main archives were semi-opened to the public there was a hidden chamber lay concealed within its ancient walls. Durandal had made after meticulously scanned the Vatican's layout as Kaito and Eleanor toured the more conventional areas.
As of this moment, the two of them were carefully rummaging through stacks of aged, brittle documents, trying not to damage the delicate parchment. They spread the fragile papers, written in both Latin and intricate cursive variants of the ancient language, on a nearby table for Durandal to scan and translate for us.
Occasionally, something remotely interesting would surface, and Kaito would snap a quick picture with his phone to send to Yumi, archiving whatever might be relevant. Despite the sheer volume of content, nothing truly extraordinary had yet materialized.
Eleanor, having listened intently as Kaito summarized each document's content, translated by Durandal, voiced a growing suspicion. "Do you think there's another hidden archive, Kaito? Somewhere else in the Vatican that's even more deeply concealed?"
Kaito paused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Possibly. We've only searched nearly half of the overall documents in this small hidden room. But if this doesn't yield anything, perhaps we should try the Pope's private chambers next."
'This is strange, Kaito,' Durandal's perflexted voice resonated in his mind. 'These documents meticulously recount historical events that occurred during my time, yet with none of the supernatural elements that undeniably accompanied them. Not even the events that the Church itself actively attended and, at times, even orchestrated. It's as if an entire layer of history has been meticulously erased or deliberately omitted.'
Kaito considered Durandal's observation. The lack of any supernatural mentions, given what they knew of history and the Church's true capabilities, was indeed unsettling. "I think," Kaito muttered aloud, "I'm going to call someone who might know more about the Catholic Church."
"Who might that be?" Eleanor inquired.
"It's someone from the Order of the Ashen Saint," Kaito replied, reaching into his inventory. He pulled out a small, golden cross, roughly the size of his palm. After fidgeting with it for a moment, he successfully connected to someone on the other end.
A warm voice answered, "Hello, this is Elara speaking. Who might this be?"
"Ah, it's me, Sister Elara," he responded, a faint smile touching his lips.
There was a brief pause, then Elara's voice spoke in surprise. "Kaito? You haven't called me for over half a year, not since you disappeared from London without a trace!"
"Sorry about that, Sister Elara," Kaito apologized genuinely. "I just got caught up in something... rather unexpected, and kind of forgot to say my goodbyes properly. Things moved a bit quickly."
"Fate is unpredictable at times, isn't it?" Elara mused, her tone softening. "But I'm glad to hear you're still doing well, Kaito. So, besides just saying hello, what might you be calling me for after all this time?"
"I wanted to ask more about the Catholic Church, actually," Kaito explained, glancing at Durandal's spectral form hovering near the documents. "What can you tell me about them, particularly in a supernatural context?"
Elara chuckled softly. "Ah, I thought so. You must be wanting to find out more about Durandal's history, aren't you?" She sighed. "Well, the Order doesn't maintain much contact with the Catholic Church these days. Rather, we've actively avoided them, often with a sense of disdain, ever since our inception."
"There used to be a faction within the Order that had an intertwined connections with the Church in the distant past. But the end result of their involvement was their complete demise. The rest of the Order learned our lesson the hard way and swore a soft oath, never to directly involve ourselves with them ever again." She paused, then added a grave warning. "As far as I'm aware, the Catholic Church is an incredibly powerful entity, Kaito, be it in the past or the present. You absolutely shouldn't mess with them if you can help it."
"Ah, actually," Kaito admitted, "I'm searching the Vatican right now. But neither Durandal nor I have been able to find anything extraordinary. It's almost eerily normal."
Elara's tone instantly sharpened, laced with alarm. "Kaito, that's incredibly dangerous! You should stop what you're doing right now before you get yourself killed! Their power isn't to be underestimated." Her voice then shifted to a tone of exasperated warning. "As for not finding anything, Kaito, given the Church's immense power and their historical expertise in dealing with the occult, an amateur like you won't be able to find anything they don't want you to."
"Ah, hey, wait..." Elara's voice suddenly became rushed. "Sorry, Kaito, but I have to cut this chat short. Feel free to call me again later, though!"
"Thank you for the information, Sister Elara," Kaito managed to say quickly, "and please say hello to Lily for me!"
"Will do, see ya!" Elara replied, and then the golden cross fell silent.
Kaito lowered the cross, a thoughtful frown on his disguised face. "What do you think, Durandal?"
'Even the Order can't provide any useful information about the Church,' Durandal mused. 'However, this doesn't confirm my suspicion that their apparent lack of supernatural presence is a deliberate concealment. We should indeed search the Pope's chambers next.'
_____________________________
Breaking and entering the personal chambers of the world's most important religious figure was a serious crime. That is, if they got caught. To avoid detection, Kaito pressed another of Tamamo's talismans onto himself and Eleanor, instantly rendering them both invisible. Kaito couldn't help but marvel at the usefulness of these talismans. He made a mental note to ask for more when they returned to Japan, fully expecting Tamamo to drive a hard bargain in exchange for them.
They easily slipped into the Pope's chamber. Fortunately, the Pontiff was away, attending an event elsewhere. Durandal floated through the room, her spectral form phasing through walls as she meticulously searched for any hidden passages, but she found nothing. Kaito, meanwhile, approached a grand bookshelf, expecting to find ancient grimoires or forbidden texts, only to discover it was filled with mundane scriptures and theological treatises. Eleanor methodically checked the closets and cabinets, hoping to uncover some small, hidden item that might hold a clue.
"Nothing so far," Kaito muttered. "How about we give it a break, Durandal? The secrets of the Vatican are clearly hidden well, perhaps beyond our current means."
'There is no possibility that the holy nature of the Vatican could be hidden from me, Kaito,' Durandal retorted with a firm voice. 'I am a divine weapon, connected to Heaven itself. My senses for such things are absolute. Although I refuse to give up so easily, I must concede... I couldn't find a trace of anything either.'
"Are we leaving?" Eleanor asked.
"Yeah," Kaito affirmed. "Let's enjoy Rome for a while before we head to Japan. I'll introduce you to The High Priestess when we get there."