"It seems our distinguished guest will be arriving shortly. What do you think we should prepare? Should we go out of the city to welcome her?"
Inside the Basilica at the heart of Laterano, the white-haired elder Jeanne had met before sat in his office, processing a mountain of official documents. Just then, a report from the Defense Force reached him. He had previously instructed them to notify him immediately upon spotting that specific vehicle.
The old man certainly hadn't expected her so soon. Only a few days ago, the Dawn Destroyer (Fiammetta) had reported they were departing from Ursus. To think they had arrived already!
He had been worried that the Saintess wouldn't make it in time for this year's festivities. This year's secondary celebration was set to be far more lively than those of the past decade. It would be a shame to miss it. After all, more has happened in Laterano this year than in the last ten combined; what better way to welcome the New Year than with an exceptionally grand celebration?
"I think inviting her to observe the training of the Apostolic Knights would be excellent. Who knows, she might even take a liking to the booming sound of explosions!"
An Apostolic Knight sitting nearby was the first to offer a suggestion. He had come today to discuss security for the festival, as "peaceful" as the local customs usually were, anything could happen. Of course, the real reason the old man was here was to ask for leave—especially since he heard his granddaughter was coming back. He planned to run home and play with her, even if his granddaughter likely had no interest in playing "backflip shooting" with him.
"That's a good suggestion. But shouldn't we look at something more cheerful since the festival is so close? Still, it's a solid idea; we'll put it on the shortlist."
The Pope felt that visiting a military camp might not be the most appropriate holiday activity, but then again, the Apostolic Knights were a specialty of Laterano. He recalled from their previous meeting that the Saintess was the type to possess ample "martial virtue," so he wasn't worried about the training scaring her.
"Lord Patrizion, visiting a camp before the holidays isn't the best choice. Many knights want to participate in the festivities themselves. Keeping them stationed there for a tour wouldn't be right. Why not wait until after the festival?"
Seeing the Pope on the verge of agreeing, Velliv (the Cardinal) quickly spoke up. Was he serious? Taking a guest to a military camp during the biggest holiday of the year? Every knight in there was currently looking to let loose; they were itching to join the party today. For a moment, the Cardinal felt completely out of place in this room. She wondered if the problem was her, or if it was these two men.
"Err... you have a point. Especially the bit about stopping the little ones from joining the festival. If I did that, I'd probably find hot sauce in my desserts for a week."
That's not the point! Velliv thought to herself. Talking to this knight was exhausting. She had no idea how he had raised someone with Fiammetta's personality; the two of them weren't alike in the slightest!
"Velliv makes a good point. We won't interfere with their movements then. Let Lemuen take her around. But make sure public order is maintained!" the Pope finally concluded with a sensible plan.
Velliv breathed a sigh of relief. At least the Saintess's first impression of Laterano was saved. The knight seemed a bit disappointed that Jeanne wouldn't be visiting the camp yet, but the thought of spicy or salty cakes changed his mind. He left to arrange the defenses; even with full faith in Laterano's safety, a Saintess's arrival required extra vigilance. If she were attacked here, the "entertainment" would be far too much to handle.
After the knight left, Velliv looked at the Pope, who was humming a small tune, and asked after a long silence: "Your Holiness... what kind of person is this Saintess?"
She tried to keep her voice neutral. The girl was an invited guest, albeit one with a very special identity. To be honest, the title of "Saintess" was exactly the kind of thing that could stir up quite a storm in this city. As someone who had remained in Laterano while others went abroad, Velliv knew nothing about the girl beyond basic info: a country girl raised in the Ursus tundra...
"Oh, you needn't worry about that. She's a good child. A good child, just like everyone else in this city," the Pope said, sensing her concern. It was a sentiment shared by many in Laterano—a cautious wariness toward this sudden Saintess. The Pope couldn't blame them; a nation needs such skeptics to stay safe. "When you meet her, you'll understand. She isn't someone who would harm Laterano. Besides, didn't she bring us gifts?"
The Pope pointed to the red robe Velliv was wearing. It was made from the Shroud Jeanne had gifted them, now worn by every Cardinal. Velliv's red robe was partially covered by a black overcoat, showing only the edges. Velliv fell silent. If this man, wiser than herself, said so, she would wait and see. She believed that even if something happened, Laterano had the means to resolve it "peacefully"—whatever their definition of peace was.
"Then I shall take my leave. I still have official business—namely, discussing work performance with a certain Messenger."
At that same moment, Jeanne and the others laid eyes on the massive city of Laterano. it was far larger than any nomadic city she had seen, dwarfing even Chernobog and Lungmen combined.
"That is Laterano City. It's the only nomadic city in the country, where the vast majority of Sankta live," Lemuen explained. This was the place the religious faithful across Terra called the "Paradise on Earth."
"Wait, I remember the Pope telling me Laterano had twelve cities. Why is there only one now?" Jeanne recalled their meeting in Chernobog.
"Ah, about that. The twelve cities combined into one long ago. They rarely separate. Moving is mostly to avoid Catastrophes, but since Laterano doesn't really have them, there's no need to stay split up. Back then, he had resigned as Pope, but he hadn't resigned as a district manager. That's mostly a titular role now unless we split again."
Jeanne nodded as she listened to Lemuen's history lesson. She looked at the city and felt its "waters" were deeper than they appeared. A city that had survived a thousand years couldn't be without secrets.
Faintly, Jeanne heard a mechanical roar. But it was strange—it didn't sound like the noise a nomadic city should make. When she tried to find the source, the sound vanished. Was she hallucinating? She looked around but found nothing. Her Revelation told her there were no hidden bombs or immediate threats, so she let it go. However, she noticed her Revelation was becoming much more active here than it had been in Lungmen.
With many questions in mind, Jeanne entered the magnificent city, hoping to find the answers she sought.