Hearing Lemuen's words, Jeanne looked around at the rows of pitch-black buildings. She had hoped to rely on a flicker of light from within to find out where this so-called Shimmering Vigil was located.
The problem was, as she scanned the area, there wasn't a single room with the lights on. It seemed the Shimmering Vigil had done a fine job with her security, picking a place like this to wait for them.
"What now? Should I try to find where she is using my ability?"
Seeing no clues around them, Jeanne was prepared to seek help from her all-powerful Revelation to track down the hiding Shimmering Vigil. However, this seemingly excellent suggestion was met with Lemuen's opposition. Lemuen smiled at Jeanne and said:
"You rely too much on your abilities; you've forgotten the simplest way to find someone. It seems you're still too little in age. As expected, a matter like this requires someone as experienced as me!"
Jeanne didn't say anything in response to Lemuen's inflated ego. She simply gestured forward with her hand, signaling for the "experienced" one to take the lead, and said:
"Please, start your performance."
Hearing Jeanne's still-skeptical tone, Lemuen proceeded to demonstrate what she called a "better way." She took a deep breath, centered her energy, and used her booming voice to shout a earth-shattering sentence:
"SHIMMERING—!!!"
"Shut your mouth! Even shouting a secret code would be better than that! Do you both want me to suffer a social death that badly? I want to see which new recruit is so brainless—eh? Captain? Why are you here?"
Before Lemuen could even finish her shout, the Shimmering Vigil, hearing the word "Shimmering," hurriedly pushed open a window and yelled down at them. However, this "Angry Bird" immediately lost her spark the next moment.
The red-haired Liberi looked down at the vibrant Lemuen in disbelief. She hadn't expected those heartless people at Laterano to actually send her out on a mission. Seeing her, Lemuen waved her arms enthusiastically; she naturally missed this long-lost subordinate of hers immensely.
While waving, Lemuen gave Jeanne a look that asked, 'Am I impressive or what?' Jeanne could only silently offer a thumb-up in acknowledgment of the "tactic."
Shouting someone's codename in broad daylight... you really aren't worried about the eyes and ears spread across Lungmen at all!
Before long, the red-haired Liberi appeared before them. The two of them then followed the Shimmering Vigil into the dark, lightless building. Once inside the room, Lemuen slammed the door shut. She put an arm around the Shimmering Vigil's shoulder and introduced her to Jeanne:
"Jeanne, let me tell you, this is one of my former teammates. She's an elite with multiple codenames like Shimmering Vigil and One-Armed Chainsaw Man. You can also call her by her real name, Fiammetta."
Lemuen warmly introduced her former teammate, while Fiammetta looked at the Saint before her with curiosity, her red eyes quietly observing Jeanne.
How did this seemingly ordinary (?) girl manage to sit in the position of a Saint? That old man, the Pope, might have some screws loose, but he was as sharp as they come and not someone easily fooled.
Still, Fiammetta didn't do anything disrespectful. After all, this was the Laterano-certified Saint; she understood the etiquette and rules that needed to be followed.
"Actually, you can just call me Jeanne, Fiammetta. We're all friends; there's no need for formal etiquette in private. Besides, I'm currently 'incognito' as a Saint."
Seeing Fiammetta prepare to bow, Jeanne quickly stopped her. For Jeanne, such formalities were a nuisance; she was much more comfortable being addressed by name.
"Alright then, Miss Jeanne. I am the Laterano envoy stationed in Lungmen, Fiammetta. My current codename is... Shimmering Vigil. If there is anything you need my help with, please just speak up. I will do my absolute best to assist you."
When she mentioned the name Shimmering Vigil, Fiammetta's face turned significantly redder. She truly didn't know how to accept this codename. With her face flushed and her hair color being what it was, she looked like a red lantern at first glance.
"But since you're here, is Mostima here too? How has she been lately? Why don't I see her around?"
Lemuen looked around but couldn't find the familiar blue-haired sankta—though she was a Fallen Sankta now.
"She doesn't live here. She and your little sister both work at Penguin Logistics now. I assume she lives in the dorms over there? That woman is elusive; only I can ever track her down."
Fiammetta dodged out from under Lemuen's arm and rolled her eyes while talking about her even more troublesome companion. In a sense, Mostima was a more difficult character to deal with than Lemuen.
If Mostima had Lemuen's personality where everything was out in the open, it would be fine. Fiammetta wouldn't have to worry so much. The problem was that Mostima always kept things hidden in her heart. Even as a friend and comrade-in-arms, Fiammetta sometimes couldn't understand what she was trying to do, which was incredibly frustrating.
"But her condition has improved a lot lately. The negative influence of the thing in her hand has lessened. When I saw her two days ago, she even had the leisure to crack jokes with me."
Thinking of the Mostima from a few days ago, Fiammetta's fist tightened slightly. However, she looked at Lemuen seriously and asked:
"What is the situation with your body? How could Laterano let you carry out a mission right after being discharged? And why didn't you tell us you were coming? I didn't even know it was you today..."
The barrage of questions left Lemuen unsure of which one to answer first. Seeing Fiammetta starting to nag, Lemuen cast a pleading look toward Jeanne. If Jeanne spoke now, Fiammetta's attention would be drawn to her, giving Lemuen a chance to breathe... if only Jeanne was willing to cooperate.
Jeanne simply gave her a schadenfreude-filled "you're on your own" look and then slipped out to give them some private space, leaving Lemuen to deal with the interrogation machine.
"Jeanne! You actually...!"
Accompanied by Lemuen's tragic cry, Jeanne walked through the empty building. Actually, "empty" wasn't entirely accurate. Near the room, there was a smiling, blue-haired Fallen Angel eavesdropping.
"Hi. You must be Mostima, right?"
Mostima observed the Jeanne before her, feeling a change occurring within her own body. It seemed the Saint before her did indeed possess incredible power.
"Why don't you go in and meet her? She's mentioned you quite a bit lately, constantly worrying that your body was having serious issues."
Jeanne wasn't lying. Lemuen had asked Jeanne before if her Holy Water could mitigate the influence of that power on Mostima, and had told Jeanne about the incident that affected them both.
But looking at her now, the physical state of the Fallen Angel before her was much better than Lemuen had described. At the very least, her emotions didn't seem suppressed very much.
"Aren't you staying in Lungmen for a while? If we want to meet, we'll meet sooner or later. Why make things awkward today?"
Mostima's voice carried a hint of guilt. Clearly, she wasn't mentally prepared to face Lemuen just yet. Especially now that her emotions were no longer suppressed, her feelings of guilt toward Lemuen were more intense than ever.
"She doesn't blame you. In fact, she feels bad about what you've become... I think if you two just sat down and talked, everything would be fine."
"Perhaps... we will meet eventually. But not today."