A few days later, the group that had emerged from the tundra split into two teams. Jeanne and the two angels headed toward the Laterano station for their meeting, while Talulah took the lead to slip into Chernobog covertly.
After all, Talulah was an Infected and could not walk in openly. Furthermore, since Jeanne needed to meet with the Sankta first, the two decided to act separately. Talulah had her own methods for infiltrating mobile cities, and this was far from her first time here.
Before parting, Talulah told Jeanne to seek out an Infected clinic called "Azazel" once she entered Chernobog, where she would be waiting. With that, the two parted ways near the outskirts of the city, and Jeanne advanced toward the Laterano encampment.
Along the way, Lemuen told Jeanne about Laterano. The real Laterano was exactly as Jeanne had heard; it wasn't the pedantic, archaic nation that many people in Terra imagined. On the contrary, Laterano was a country passionate about embracing new things. Its people were kind, their speech was pleasant, and those who entered felt as if they had returned home—everyone simply loved it there...
Furthermore, it was said that every Sankta mastered at least twenty-five different dessert recipes, a testament to how much they adored sweets. Lemuen herself was quite skilled at making desserts; if sugar hadn't been such a luxury on the tundra, she likely would have insisted on showing off her skills.
"I hope nothing goes wrong..."
Jeanne's consistently reliable intuition told her that this trip wouldn't end with a simple meeting. Something major was bound to happen during this encounter with the Sankta!
"Relax! With the protection of the army there, nothing can possibly go wrong!" Lemuen noticed Jeanne's nervousness and spoke up to comfort her. Though she didn't understand why Jeanne was anxious, Lemuen herself was incredibly excited.
This was a momentous occasion that would be recorded in Laterano's history books! She even suspected the city might grant a special seven-day holiday for this! Her name, Lemuen, would be remembered by everyone, and they would thank her from the bottom of their hearts for the vacation they brought about!
"I'm not worried about safety. I just feel there's no need for such a grand spectacle to welcome me. I haven't actually done anything for Laterano."
Based on Executor's descriptions, Jeanne could sense that Laterano was treating this meeting with extreme gravity. After hearing that Jeanne was coming in person, the Church had actually pulled together a team of the finest Archbishops overnight to participate.
It was said that during the sessions, the Pope repeatedly demanded to go to the border to meet the Saintess himself. However, he was rejected by numerous cardinals on the grounds that he needed to preside over affairs in Laterano and that the border was too dangerous for him. Of course, they didn't benefit either; the Pope used the exact same logic to restrain those who wanted to go in his stead.
Seeing the expression on the Pope's face—which practically screamed, "If I can't go, then none of you are going either!"—everyone was left feeling quite indignant. Ultimately, they decided to assemble a team of the most outstanding Archbishops in Laterano to go and welcome the Saintess, and that was that.
But to Jeanne, this approach felt far too passionate; she truly felt she didn't deserve such treatment. After all, she hadn't helped Laterano with anything, nor had she provided them with any profit. On the contrary, it was Laterano that was helping her regardless of the consequences.
"Even though I know saying this might make me sound a bit pretentious, I still feel that I am unworthy of this treatment." Jeanne scratched her head sheepishly. Her words caused both Lemuen, sitting beside her, and Executor, who was driving, to look at her with surprise.
"I think I might know why God chose you to be the Saintess. Even a mindset like that is not something an ordinary person would have." Lemuen looked at the girl—who was younger than her—with admiration. This person excelled in character, conduct, methods, and power, yet remained so humble and modest despite receiving God's favor...
Heavens, how can such a person exist? So tolerant of others, yet so strict with herself? If Lemuen had received such treatment, she certainly would have been too happy to sleep.
"It's not that exaggerated..." Jeanne felt embarrassed by Lemuen's hyperbolic praise and the way she was looking at her.
"Actually, I think the same. Perhaps it is precisely because you are this kind of person that you were able to catch God's gaze..." The usually taciturn Executor spoke up from the driver's seat. It was because he had seen so much darkness and ugliness that he understood how rare it was to find someone who could stay true to themselves like this.
"I'm really not as great as you say, Mr. Executor..."
Amidst their conversation, the vehicle entered the Laterano military camp. The moment Jeanne stepped out of the car, clad in her pure white armor and holding the Holy Banner, she saw the crowd waiting to receive her.
She admitted she had still underestimated her status in the hearts of the Sankta. Although she had prepared herself for some "grand spectacle," she never expected it to be this massive!
She saw the army stationed here lined up in perfect formation. The halos above their heads made Jeanne feel as if she were actually performing at a concert...
In the center was the Laterano Notarial Hall's Gun-Lance Knights, flanked by the Laterano Guard and the Laterano Praetorian Guard on both sides, welcoming the arrival of the Saintess in perfect unison.
At the front of the crowd were the Archbishops who had been dispatched. Upon seeing Jeanne, they bowed to greet Her Eminence.
Today, Jeanne wore her silver armor over white clothing, holding a flagpole wrapped in her white banner. The moment Jeanne struck the flagpole against the ground, a light breeze blew through. The Holy Banner unfurled as the wind passed, fluttering under the sky. The pure white iris (fleur-de-lis) emblem immediately caught everyone's eyes.
Everyone present seemed to see a holy light; the radiance of God existed upon that sacred flag! At this moment, it felt as if their hearts had been purified. Bathed in that light, they felt filled with strength and courage. They firmly believed that as long as they were under the radiance of this flag, nothing in the world could defeat them!
At this moment, everyone looked toward the holy maiden standing in the light. Simultaneously, they all dropped to one knee to pay their respects to Jeanne. This was not a rehearsal, nor was it a pre-arranged action. Bathed in the radiance of the Holy Banner, everyone simply performed the action they felt in their hearts was correct.
"We pay our respects to Your Eminence Jeanne!"
Almost everyone present spoke those words at the same time. The synchronized voices echoed throughout the heavens and the earth.
"Please, stand up! Everyone, please get up! There's no need for such a grand gesture, truly no need!" The innocent Saintess, having no idea what had just happened, spoke hurriedly as she looked at the sea of people kneeling in worship.