Hearing Jeanne's strange phrasing, Lemuen couldn't quite tell for a moment if her friend was joking or being serious. Usually, Jeanne was a direct, straight-talking person. To hear her sound like she was reciting a line from a prophecy made Lemuen wonder if she'd been possessed. Has the air in Laterano finally gotten to her, or is she just struggling to adapt to the local dialect?
But just as Lemuen was about to ask if she was kidding, she actually heard it—the faint, rhythmic sound of a child sobbing.
"I really do hear crying. But even if they're lost, how did a child end up all the way out here?"
Lemuen was puzzled. This area was practically deserted, especially during the festival. Who would wander into such a remote alleyway for no reason? (Excluding, of course, young couples looking for privacy.)
They stepped into the alley and found a small child huddled under a dim streetlight, weeping quietly. The little girl noticed them and reflexively tried to bolt, but Jeanne, anticipating the move, gently caught her.
"Hey now, why are you running? We aren't bad people. What's your name, little sister? Do you know how to contact your mom? Or where your home is?"
Seeing the child's urge to flee, Jeanne figured she was just terrified and wary of strangers. But leaving a child alone in a deserted alley was out of the question. Jeanne adjusted her voice to be as gentle and soothing as possible.
Perhaps Jeanne truly did have a natural affinity for children. As the girl looked at them, the mixture of vigilance and fear in her eyes began to soften. She watched the two of them for a long time before speaking in a tiny, fragile voice:
"My name is Cecilia. My mama's name is Feoria. Today, when we went out... I accidentally couldn't find where Mama went... I can't find Mama, I don't know where home is... I can't find her..."
Cecilia felt like she had caused a huge disaster today. Ever since she asked her mother what a "festival" was a few days ago, Feoria had looked conflicted and uneasy. Cecilia had apologized, thinking she'd done something wrong, but her mother had simply stroked her hair and said it wasn't her fault.
Yesterday, her mother returned looking as if she had made a grand resolution, telling Cecilia she would take her to the celebration. Cecilia had been so excited she barely slept; it was her very first time going out since they had come here to look for her father.
But the venue was simply too bustling. Cecilia, busy looking left and right at the sights, had lost sight of her mother in an instant. She tried to follow her memory back home, but the crowds thinned as she walked, and eventually, she was completely lost.
Thinking of this, Cecilia felt the urge to cry all over again.
Seeing the tears welling up in Cecilia's eyes, Jeanne picked her up, patting her back soothingly. "It's okay, it's okay. We understand. We'll help you find your mama, alright?"
Though Jeanne didn't quite understand why her "Revelation" was guiding her to play babysitter for a lost child, she couldn't just ignore a crying little girl. There was still plenty of time before the midnight bell; surely finding a mother in that time wouldn't be too hard.
However, as soon as she lifted the child, Jeanne noticed something immediately: Cecilia was incredibly light. Holding her felt like holding a porcelain doll. While Jeanne was naturally strong, the child's weight was noticeably lower than others her age.
Coupled with the girl's pale complexion, she didn't look particularly healthy. Even the halo above her head seemed dimmer than those of other angels.
"Do you guys have a lost and found or something? You know, a place people go when they lose their belongings or their kids?" Jeanne asked Lemuen. She figured the local expert would know the proper procedure.
Cradled in Jeanne's arms, Cecilia looked at Lemuen with wide, hopeful eyes, as if expecting the angel to manifest her mother's location instantly.
Don't look at me like that! Lemuen thought. I want to help, but I'm not a miracle worker! Still, she felt a pang of guilt just under the weight of that expectant gaze.
"Usually, you just hand this over to the Notarial Hall. They check the household registers and send the child home."
"Contact the Notarial Hall" was a lesson every Sankta was taught as soon as they were old enough to understand. As an official institution that handled everything from birth and illness to weddings and funerals, the Notarial Hall could solve almost any problem for a citizen of Laterano—provided the request was realistic.
"The Notarial Hall..."
Upon hearing those words, Cecilia's tiny hands tightened around Jeanne's clothes. Her eyes were filled with a sudden, sharp resistance. She remembered her mother's strict instructions: If you see people in Notarial Hall uniforms, you must hide immediately. They must not find Cecilia.
She didn't know how to explain this to the two sisters, but her physical rejection was obvious to both of them.
"If Cecilia doesn't want to go there, we won't look for the people in uniforms. Do you remember where you and Mama got separated?"
Jeanne and Lemuen exchanged a glance. Clearly, this was a family with a "story." Given the reaction, had her family had conflict with the Notarial Hall in the past? Lemuen couldn't imagine what would lead a parent to instill such fear of the authorities in a child. Still, seeing Cecilia react like a spooked kitten at the mere mention of the Hall was a headache.
"I don't remember... I just remember there were so many people walking around... then Mama went to buy me a marshmallow. I saw the uniforms and hid, and then she was gone."
Jeanne looked toward the sky in exasperation. In any other city, "near a marshmallow stand" would be a great clue. But this was Laterano! You couldn't walk ten steps without hitting a marshmallow stand, and in the crowded areas, there were likely dozens of them.
"Let's head back toward the crowds and look around. Her mother is probably looking for her too; maybe we'll bump into her."
Jeanne carried the child while Lemuen walked beside her. Cecilia was surprisingly well-behaved, seemingly lacking any awareness that she was walking off with strangers. Perhaps it was because Laterano didn't really have a concept of "kidnapping," or perhaps her parents simply hadn't taught her about it.
However, Cecilia soon grew listless, looking as though she were about to fall asleep—likely exhausted from the long bout of crying.
Jeanne caught Lemuen's eye and gave her a subtle look. Lemuen understood perfectly and turned to head off in a different direction. Even if they told the child they wouldn't involve the Notarial Hall, that didn't mean they were abandoning the option; it was just a way to keep the girl calm. Lemuen would go check the records and look for reports of a missing mother named Feoria on the side.
With Lemuen gone, Jeanne walked back toward the main streets with the child in her arms, hoping for a stroke of luck.
"Seriously," Jeanne muttered to herself, "Why is the Revelation handling lost child cases now? Is this my new primary business model?"
She couldn't help but feel that her divine guidance was developing more and more "bugs." Couldn't the Higher-ups find a developer to patch this thing?