Confess

Hah, so there's a saint statue here too!

Weird how I never noticed before... They're actually pretty nice to look at!

Didn't think they'd actually let you interrogate me, sis.

...Only because the previous seven cardinals got nothing out of you.

Come, El. Help me open this.

The Seventh Tribunal is sure nice to suspects!

Come on, I made it myself. There's also this.

...Take it.

What's that now?

Your diploma.

—

After I awakened, the head of St. Theodore's—who was also mentoring me at the time—came to see me, and asked me to keep it for you.

Your application to graduate was rejected, but that ceremony you put together did indeed prove your skills.

After all, how could you get that many confessionals to perform with you, if you weren't really familiar with their programming and the intercity net's defense patterns?

So the school consulted the Curia, and granted you a diploma in the end.

Congratulations, El... even if it's a few years late.

Hehe. Thanks, sis.

I'm sure my letters found their way to you?

Uh... yeah.

You know, I made a bet with Mamma and Tata. They said you'd major in intercity net security and become an expert in the Notarial Hall.

But I thought you'd never waste your creative mind like that. I was sure you'd major in faith assistive engineering and design a new mobile confessional that'd shock the city.

In the end, you left Laterano, just like that.

Let me be clear, sis. I don't regret it one bit.

You know I'm not the type, and I'm even less the type to let anyone hold any regrets for me.

Which is why you rushed all your preparatory courses and threw that wild graduation ceremony, right?

Heheh.

I peppered Mostima with questions about you. Your work in Lungmen, your boss, your coworkers...

I know you went to Siracusa, to Sargon, and many more places besides.

You deal with all sorts of people every day. Gangs, cops, famiglie, lords ameer... you're always on the move...

Why does my life sound so different after going through a Mostima filter?

Well, I did live a nice life after leaving Laterano. Wasn't sad or anything.

I mean, you were still bedridden then. Didn't know how you got hurt, if you'd ever wake up, and Mostima refused to say a word.

I had to know what the heck happened!

You're my sister, you know?!

But that woman, bless her heart, kept avoiding me. I got a whole load of nothing from her.

Don't blame Mostima.

You know, sis. I've been through a lot these past few years.

There's some stuff I would have never thought about, if I stayed here.

In Lungmen, Mostima was the only Sankta around, but she lost her empathy.

Texas, Sora, Croissant, Bison, and the boss... At first, I made friends with them the same way I did here.

We're all besties now, but without empathy I sometimes still can't help but worry about silly little things...

I've been trying hard to overcome that, and every time I do, our ties become a little stronger.

But here, things are different. Like right now, I don't even have to think anything to know you wanna go somewhere else to give me a big proper hug.

...

What kind of collective has empathy turned us into?

Does it make us more, or less sensitive to others?

Does it make us so insensitive that it's easier to accept totally outrageous change?

Does this have something to do with everything you've done since you came back?

...

El, you need to give me more than that.

There's Pontifica Cohors guardsmen right behind these doors, right? I heard them when I came into the room.

Let me guess, are you going to say 'this is your last chance...' or something like that?

If you insist on refusing to explain why you disrupted the Summit of Nations and reveal the forces backing you, the Seventh Tribunal will have to hand you over to someone else.

I don't know what kind of punishment you'll face, El.

Laterano's leniency has never applied to those who violate the Law, especially these days—

C'mon—'Apple pie with mayonnaise!'

What?

Wh-What's going on? Was that an explosion downstairs?

A terror attack?

Aren't they interrogating the terrorism suspect upstairs right now? Who else would dare to attack the Seventh Tribunal?

Automated Confessional, 'ELCARO-001', in position!

...

A-A mobile confessional?

Fire.

Gah, what's going on? Who let that in here? Did they not realize this one's malfunctioning?

But that's just a mobile confessional, buddy.

Gah, who thought it'd be a good idea to put so many guns on a confessional?

Alert! A mobile confessional is attacking us and attempting to rescue the suspect Lemuel.

Calling all combat units, we need backup!

I repeat!

A-Again!

Now the left staircase... blow it up and I can slow them down for a little longer...

Do you read me, El?! I'm here to save you!

Vani?

Haha! Sick idea! I never expected you to find out the secret of this confessional and use it to help me out!

I-It's nothing. It took me so long to finally realize there is something unusual with its plate number. I noticed it when you stopped it before, but I didn't think too much.

All confessionals start with 'LC', for 'Laterano automated mobile Confessional', but this one starts with 'ELC'...

She practically scanned the entire city, stopping confessionals one by one... until I noticed her.

Alright, Exusiai. Pontifica Cohors reinforcements will be here soon, and the Nurtury guards are also on the move. We need to get out now.

Coming right up!

Confessor... uh, wait, you've been exposed, so we can go back to normal, right?

Leader, savior, Doctor! You're! So! Awesome!

Gotcha! Talk about perfect timing, the Seventh Tribunal confiscated my guns.

Then through the windows we go. The noisier, the better. We draw attention, and make it easier for Vani to slip away.

You won't fall apart, will you?

Got it. The party's about to begin, so let's show them what a perfect pair can do!

Divine judgment!

Rock n' roll!

Barrage!

Apple... uh, never mind! Not the best place for that.

Phew! I'm beat—

Finally shook off the stragglers. That was tight. Since when did they react so fast...?

Sure enough, you took to the roofs, El.

Always the contrarian, ever since you were little.

S-Sis?

What's with the confessional, and that girl?

Oh, just good friends of mine.

...

You said all this law-breaking is about waking Laterano up?

You were never the type to talk theory or explain something away with fancy rhetoric.

By 'wake Laterano up', you mean to rouse everyone in the city awake?

...It's complicated.

Look at me, El.

Yeah?

Go.

You're letting me walk away?

You were only just created a cardinal of the Seventh Tribunal. If they find out you let a prime suspect go, you're as good as defrocked, aren't you?

Remember when the gunsmith had me pick a serial number for my guardian gun?

Of course I remember. You didn't even mull it over—you just went straight for the date Mamma and Tata brought you home.

I told myself then, to protect you and them forever.

Hey, sis, aren't you afraid they'll say you're covering for me?

You don't get it, El.

When choosing whom or what to protect, trust comes first.

The time we spent together, the empathy and understanding between us... That's why I trust my sister, why I trust that she's making the right call.

So the way I see it, I'm not covering for you just because you're my sister. In fact, there's plenty other reasons for me to do this.

Um... why don't you come with me, sis?!

No.

Your doubts... I've been having them too.

Maybe there are some things I can still do, in my position.

I think it's this way?

Yeah, we followed them all the way here—weird. They just vanished.

They're so fast... Do confessional engines have that power?

There're too many forks here. Plus, Lemuel split ways from the confessional...

Contact the Notarial Hall and request executor support.

Also, have them scan all mobile confessionals on the intercity net to see if they can find one designated 'ELC-001'.

Roger.

Look, up ahead—

(Grinds teeth)

(Pedaling fiercely)

Phew, finally managed to catch up to you after clearing out your escape route.

I won't let the Laterans tear you apart.

You know, I have to commend your sharp senses. You figured out Laterano was facing a calamity based on just a few Sankta Operators' peculiar reports.

It might have been too late, had we waited any longer to make our move.

You're welcome. Though, it used to always be...

Alright, Doctor. What's next?

We were hiding for so long, but now our efforts have gone to waste!

True. The strange ritual's over, and people have already woken from the 'dream'.

I'm sure the machine is already reacting, and the Curia and Nutury are speeding things up on their respective ends.

Does it still want everyone to finish their dreams, to complete its... uh, 'experiment'?

I can't use any of my skills here, and their comms control's turned you into this!

They've cut down your engine power too. You move pretty slow now—

Well, I couldn't find anything else to drag you around either, so!

(Grits teeth)

...Doctor!

Open your door!

There's a couple of donuts in there—*chomp*—I have to refill my energy!

(Grinds teeth)

(Running wildly, brandishing claws)

Are you holding on?

Now's not the time for jokes, Doctor!

The Shrine of Nurtury incubated these monsters with halos in the 'dream', but how did they get them to invade reality?

Wow, sharp eyes to notice all these little details while I'm dragging you at high speed!

Glad you have excellent dynamic visual acuity—

Uh oh, they're catching up! Alright, hold on tight—

So, what strange stuff were you talking about anyway?

So the chaos in Laterano wasn't caused by that machine going haywire—

It's the opposite! It dragged everyone into this collective dream just so it could maximize its synchronization efficiency, and output a pre-programmed result!

—Which it could do, if it was running at full power.

Doctor, we have to know...

I've tried various methods ever since we came to Laterano with our lead in hand and entered the 'dream', but...

(Shakes head aggressively) The machine's operating logic is too unique. I need more time.

We're already exposed in both dreamland and reality, Doctor.

The city is rejecting us like a virus.

So, our current priority is to... huff... stay alive!

Whuh?

...

Is that...?

I thought I was seeing things.

Shall we go greet our mutual friend?

Keep moving, Arturia.

Are you not worried about the Doctor?

I am worried.

But it is not my top priority at the moment.

It is the first time I have seen that woman who took the Doctor away, but her appearance and combat style are familiar to me. With her, the Doctor is not in imminent danger.

Also, the Doctor has drawn away many of the monsters, and created an opportunity for us to escape. We should leave at once, and locate the Pope.

Fede, I'll help you add what you just said into your mission report for Rhodes Island.

I will write it myself.