Jeanne felt completely overwhelmed. What on earth just happened?! She had only struck the flagpole into the ground to get a bit of leverage, intending to turn around and greet the Archbishops, and in an instant, everyone had dropped to their knees to worship her?
It all happened so fast that Jeanne hadn't even processed what was occurring. When she finally snapped out of it, she could only help them up with a look of utter confusion.
Ahhh, I clearly didn't want things to turn out like this! Why did these people decide I was the Saintess of Laterano the moment they saw me? Don't you guys do background checks?!
However, under her persuasion, the people who had bowed to her finally stood up. Their admiring—and even fanatical—gazes left Jeanne at a loss for what to do. The poor child, who had been pitied and slightly "scammed" by her own Old Father (God), discovered that her usually omnipotent "Revelation" was not responding...
Jeanne looked up at the clear sky with eyes brimming with tears. My God, are you truly certain you aren't just playing a prank on me?
"Your Eminence Jeanne, welcome. Thank you for allowing us to feel the presence of God once more, and for letting the Sankta know that their faith is not a mere fantasy or a series of empty words."
Several Archbishops bowed deeply to Jeanne with expressions of profound respect. They were truly grateful to her from the bottom of their hearts; her existence proved the reality of the God of the Sankta.
Although the Sankta had always firmly believed their God existed, they had never heard any divine oracles or received any revelations, which had left them quite lost.
Why is the God we believe in unwilling to even meet us? Why did He give us everything but refuse to grant us a single sign? What is the meaning of everything we do...
Yet the Sankta persevered in their faith. Every Sankta believed that one day they would catch a glimpse of the Divine, believing that everything they did was meaningful...
Thousands of years passed this way. Even as Kazdel underwent three destructions and rebirths, even as nations waged war against one another, and as Victoria shifted from the Age of Dragons to the coexistence of Lions and Dragons... Throughout this span of time, long enough to change the face of Terra, the Sankta—who believed so fervently—had not established contact with God even once. Not a single ray of light, not a single revelation!
But the Sankta believed that day would come. To that end, they fought with all their might to guard this paradise called Laterano, for this fertile land was the gift God had bestowed upon them. During this time, whether the enemy was the Lord of Fiends of Kazdel, the iron hooves of Ursus, or the jaegers of Gaul—none could take a single inch of land from Laterano. The Gun-Shield Knights protected their home through generations of elite Sankta.
This also made Laterano the most unique nation on the continent of Terra. It did not invade other countries' territories, nor did it actively participate in battles between other nations... except for the Sarkaz of Kazdel; they were mortal enemies! This peculiar yet isolated country stood right in the center of the Terran nations. Bordering so many countries while maintaining such intact territory was proof enough of its strength.
And today, the dream they had pursued for millennia appeared before them! The arrival of the Saintess meant that God had begun to forgive their sins; it meant that God's gaze was once again turned toward them! For this, they would protect the Saintess even at the risk of losing their land. No matter the cost, the Sankta would return to the gaze of the Divine! They (the angels) existed for this very purpose.
As Jeanne and the Archbishops entered the encampment, everyone else followed suit. They also saw the gifts Jeanne had prepared for Laterano: Holy Water, the Holy Shroud, crosses, and... a colossal rock!
While everyone knew that any treasure given by the Saintess must be a masterpiece, they were still curious about the origin of this boulder. For the Saintess to carry a rock across such a long distance, it had to be of extraordinary origin. Unfortunately, with their mortal eyes, they couldn't quite tell what the history of this rock was...
Finally, the Sankta, unable to figure it out, turned their gazes toward Executor and Lemuen. Since they had returned alongside the Saintess, they surely knew its specific origin!
"This is... a rock placed at the very peak of the Holy Mountain created by God's own hand. It is also the largest single rock within that Holy Mountain!"
Seeing everyone staring at her and Executor, Lemuen satisfied their curiosity by revealing the rock's history.
Immediately, the way everyone looked at the stone changed. It was as if they were looking at the rarest treasure in the world. Now, it wasn't just the "fluorescent tubes" (halos) on their heads glowing; even the eyes of this crowd were starting to shine.
They had been overthinking the deep meaning behind the Saintess's gift, only to realize she had simply brought them such a massive "blessing" directly!
Soon, everyone gathered around the rock, wanting to catch a glimpse of the splendor of a divine creation. This was something created by God; even the patterns on the stone's surface might hide profound mysteries! Small discussions broke out around the rock, and as more people gathered, the voices grew louder.
Inside a tent, Jeanne was talking somewhat stiffly with the several kind old men before her. In truth, most of these Archbishops were old enough to be her father or even grandfather, yet they spoke to her in the humble tone of apprentices...
At that moment, the noise from outside drifted into the tent. Several Archbishops frowned slightly and looked toward the entrance.
"What is the situation? Why are these children being so noisy? Could something have happened? I shall go out and see what is going on."
With those words, one elderly man apologized to Jeanne and left the tent first, heading toward the center of the commotion. He intended to see why these soldiers were being so unruly.
Jeanne vaguely remembered that the noise was coming from where her gifts had been placed. Had something caught their attention?
The remaining group waited for a while, but the Archbishop did not return. Shortly after, another Archbishop headed to the center of the incident to check the situation...
By now, Jeanne was certain that her gifts had caused a sensation. However, she didn't know which specific item was the cause.
"How about we all go and take a look? I suspect they won't be back anytime soon."
After waiting a bit longer and finding that no one had returned to explain, Jeanne suggested they all go see for themselves. It was better than having people filter out one by one.
Arriving at the spot, they saw a crowd of Laterano soldiers neatly surrounding the giant rock to observe it. After a while, they would rotate out so another group could take their place. They used this method to solve the problem of everyone wanting to see at once. Looking at the orderly yet reluctant lines of soldiers whose time was up, Jeanne finally understood just how immense the attraction of this object was to them.
Approaching the boulder, they saw two Archbishops engaged in a very heated argument over some issue.
"What are you doing! Arguing on such an occasion?"
The other Archbishops hurried to their side to ask what was wrong, but the two men refused to back down, continuing their debate. However, the moment the newcomers learned that this was a rock created by God's own hand, they instantly lost their composure. They began to circle the rock, muttering under their breaths as they observed it.
As for Jeanne, only one relatively young Archbishop remained by her side, looking longingly at the others' research but staying with her.
"Why don't you go take a look? You seem like you really want to observe it as well."
Hearing Jeanne's words, the Archbishop scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Of course I want to, but there must always be an Archbishop accompanying you, otherwise it would be too disrespectful..."
Looking at his slightly dejected gaze, Jeanne couldn't help but sigh. "What a mess this has become!"