MT-2 Prayer

Hello...? Anybody home?

Senior Paganini? Are you in?

(Why would a gunsmith have such an absurd name?)

...

Eek—

Who are you, barging into my place like this—let me put my glasses on!

A functionary?

Sorry. I was taking a nap because there's been no business lately. I wasn't expecting an official visit.

I am Cardinal Aide Amos. I came to see that the handover of this Firearms Workshop is in order. And you are...?

I'm Paganini. The guy with the absurd name.

...

Wait. You're a Liberi?

Do I look like a Sankta to you?

Sorry. What I meant is, I've never seen a Liberi in this line of work. After all, only Sankta use patron firearms—

Got a problem with it?

Chefs don't necessarily eat their own cooking. I can't use the weapons I make, that's all.

Do you need my gunsmith's license? I must have made close to a thousand patron firearms for the people of Laterano, if not more. Maybe even yours...

—

Whew, this is some real 'premium' work. Well above my craftsmanship, that's for sure.

...

Not that it matters anymore. I'm about to close up shop.

All recent orders have been cancelled. The Notarial Hall can have this last batch of guns.

Y-You've already prepared. I thought...

Thought I would be trouble? Thought I would give you a hard time?

Th-That's not what I meant.

The registrar indicates that this workshop has been around for a century. As a Liberi who has chosen to make patron firearms for the Sankta, it must hold incredible significance to you—

Save it. Anyone could tell that gunsmiths have become a dying breed these last few years. We've all been waiting for the day to come.

If you're asking whether I like it or not: No, of course I don't like it. Do you want to hear about the insomnia I've had lately?

I can arrange a confessional for you, if you wish. The Seventh Tribunal will cover the cost.

If anyone here needs a confession, it's you.

This old man's set to retire. But my apprentice, Vannini, she hasn't even had the chance to make her own patron firearm.

If all the Firearms Workshops are gone, you'll be responsible for her future.

Of course. Closing the Firearms Workshops is part of a process to make the firearms manufacturing more standardized and efficient. Gunsmiths like you and your apprentice remain valuable talent.

I will pass this on to the Sixth Tribunal, which is responsible for civil matters. Your apprentice, Vannini, should receive a recommendation to the Shrine of Gunsmithing in Pagus Michaelion, which is almost complete.

Shrine of Gunsmithing, huh...? I hope they're that confident when they actually start smithing guns.

I have faith in Laterano's...

Yeah, yeah, I've heard it too many times.

...If you have no objection, I would like to ask you to sign these papers.

Effective immediately, this workshop will cease operation, with the Notarial Hall handling follow-up matters.

Pleasant day to you, senior.

See yourself out.

Pagus Faber, Via Borgos... how familiar.

This is the place!

...

Has the connection been established?

I-I think so.

We've been waiting for two days on the outskirts. I want to go out and get some fresh air!

These Laterans invited us onto this mobile abbey while we were wandering in the wilderness, then made us wait like this once we got to Laterano.

I apologize for keeping you waiting.

Twelve other nomadic abbeys have reached Laterano, in addition to the busy schedule of the Summit of Nations. We beg your understanding.

The Notarial Hall has prepared temporary accommodations in Pagus Ambrosius. Once you've settled down, the Sixth Tribunal will help you with your registration and social welfare.

S-Sister? Do you mean that outsiders like us will get to stay in Laterano?

From the second Summit of Nations, Laterano's doors will be open to all races...

You shall find a home in the city.

Hey, Extra! Are you alright?

I'll find a doctor!

No!

You can't let the Sankta find out, not yet...

Please let me through.

D-Don't worry about it, Sister.

We can take care of this. You're busy, aren't you?

Argh—

Are you... pregnant, Sarkaz?

Your people didn't stop the Sarkaz from entering the abbey! You're gonna make it a problem now?

You want me to go, I'll go! I don't need help from the Sankta!

You won't lay a hand on me or my baby!

...

You misunderstand. It's just we have no directive for accommodating pregnant mothers in the abbey's standard operating procedures, and thus Sister Angie is not sure what to do.

Allow me to bring her to the Shrine of Nurtury, Sister Angie.

The Shrine of Nurtury is not yet open to the public. This is against regulations.

Besides, what are you doing here?

Our Lord has guided me to where I should be.

We must have some flexibility. The Shrine of Nurtury cannot ignore an ailing mother.

Yes, Matriarch.

...

I am Keph, Matriarch of the Shrine of Nurtury. Simply put, I am its caretaker.

What are you... Sarkaz? Sankta? Blind, too?

Sarkaz, Sankta... we have no need of these words of distinction. You and I, we are alike... like you, I am nurturing lives that I treasure.

My lack of sight does not prevent me from perceiving you and the new life you carry... the anxiety and joy that it brings you.

We Sarkaz don't talk this way. You're Sankta, a strange Sankta with children.

Do you raise your children in that... Shrine of something? What kind of place is it?

The Shrine of Nurtury, where new life is born and nurtured. You and I stand in its shadow.

A shrine... for giving birth?

Birth is sacred. Each new birth is a continuation of the Lateran faith. Only in this way may we shape the future.

I don't understand.

Long have you wandered the wilderness. You have not enjoyed the care that a mother should. You are weak... and so is your child.

Are you sure you want to leave the Holy City that is so near and return to the wilderness at a time like this?

I...

...

Your name is 'Extra', madam?

You don't like it?

We understand the difficulties facing the Sarkaz... many Sarkaz mothers name their children 'Extra', seeing them as nothing more than a little extra in their lives.

This name's got nothing to do with my mom. I took it myself after I got pregnant. Who's to say who's the extra?

Ah...

You got a problem?

You treasure your bonds with your child. You are proud of having this little extra in your life, and you want everyone to know.

This is a wonderful, noble sentiment, madam. It should not be tainted by racism or hatred.

...

I know what you fear.

All people here in this abbey, Sankta, Feline, Kuranta, Lupo, and Vulpo alike bear witness.

The Summit of Nations is underway. Countless outlanders from all nations have flocked to Laterano. Laterano would not be foolish enough to harm a pregnant mother with all this attention.

...

(Nods)

(Casts a glance)

...

You have my word.

Alright.

Thank you for your understanding.

Let us welcome the birth of a new life together in Laterano. It will bridge a gulf and bring new meaning. This birth will be a great achievement.

This is why I have come... Our Lord has guided me to where I should be.

Welcome to Laterano... you are needed here, all of you.

...

Whatever it is you're after, I'm sure I can't help you.

I haven't said anything yet!

Alright, Seniora Sankta, what do you want? Do you need your guardian gun fixed, or you want some custom ammo?

Go out the door and turn left. You might just find one of the last Firearms Workshops in Pagus Michaelion that hasn't shut down yet, if you can get there before the functionaries.

I signed the handover documents from the Seventh Tribunal ten minutes ago. I'd be violating the Law if I did anything with this stuff now.

What if I said I wanted to make an explosion that would shake the city?

Not interested.

Come on! You're Master Pag, the King of Gunsmiths! If anyone would want to see an explosion, it's you!

Don't butter me up with a title you just made up on the spot.

I know what you're afraid of, Master Pag.

All I need is a little help—lend me some equipment, some of your expert knowledge—to help me figure out what's going on in Laterano.

I'm really anxious about all this.

My boss always says nothing gets in the way of Penguin Logistics completing our mission, or the after party!

Uh...

You don't need to DO anything. That way, you won't be violating the Law, right?

Get your guardian gun away from my collection, Sankta.

Besides, I know this gun. I made the damned thing—

Haha. Recognize it, don't you?

Then you also know how powerful it is.

I got Dr. Paola to make a new pair of glasses for you, magister! She admonished me to no end, she says it's your punishment to keep wearing those antiques of yours...

Here, try them on! Uh—

Wh-Who's this? What's going on, Magister Paganini?

Hey, if it isn't the quiet little girl! Look how fluently you can gab now!

What was your name again? Vanheim? Vannessa? Oh, I know—

—Vannini!

See? We still got our teamwork!

I remember now! You're El! You came to pick your first patron firearm...

Magister Paganini never lets me bother the customers when they come to the shop. But there was such a ruckus outside that day, I couldn't help but peek...

Magister Paganini found me out, though. I don't remember much else because I was so scared he was going to yell at me... sorry!

Oh, so that's why? You were afraid...

(Nods)

Weird, I thought you looked happy.

What brings you here today, El?

(Winks)

Vani.

The Seventh Tribunal came today. My workshop is...

I'm not officially a gunsmith yet. I don't actually work for this shop. It's not against the Law, strictly speaking.

Can I help this customer, Magister?

Gotcha, Senior Nurturer!

Where did you go? Romya said you were hiding from us. Is that true?

...

Of course not.

Then let's play Halo!

Father Andoain is very busy. How about you guys play with me?

Your Eminence.

I have some private matters to attend to. I'll be back soon.

No need to be nervous. I have your leave request on file. What I really should ask is, what are you doing here with the children when you're supposed to be on leave?

I thought I had enough time for one round of Halo.

And then? Did you think the children would let you go so easily?

I'll think of something.

I've heard you're completely incapable of saying 'no' to the children.

Who could ever imagine that the first Nurturer the Matriarch nurtured, one whose diligence and piety are beyond question, was once a criminal who violated the Law?

I'm only attending the family gathering of a friend I've not seen in a long time, Your Eminence.

I told you, no need to be nervous. I'm not worried about you burning Laterano while blowing a balloon or baking a cake.

I'm just curious. Why is there such a stark difference between how the Matriarch sees you, and your profile in the Curia's records?

The Matriarch has never overlooked or denied my sins, Your Eminence. She simply places more importance on my understanding with her.

It was before she became Matriarch. Our paths crossed by sheer chance, when I was taking refuge from a Catastrophe in an abandoned nomadic abbey.

The Matriarch may be blind, but her sense of hearing is impeccable. She caught a faint cry coming from the basement, in the midst of the deafening roar of Originium dashing against the distant mountains.

A mother, lying in a pool of blood in the shadows on death's door. She attempted to intimidate the Matriarch and protect her own child, but all she managed was an expression of great pain.

The mother you and the Matriarch first brought to the Holy City? Her injuries were such that even the most determined physician would have given up hope.

What made you think she would live?

I didn't... I didn't even think she would last the night. But the Matriarch had faith in a miracle, as though it was an inevitability.

The Matriarch wanted me to believe too, believe that the poor mother would find salvation, thanks to us.

And she did... at first, without medical training, all I could do was empathize and be by her side, caring for her in what ways I could.

You lingered in a stranded abbey for three months, for the sake of a miracle?

...Laterano needs a miracle.

Then you're much more rational than I thought, both of you. Perhaps I should see you in a different light.

Certainly, if it convinces the Curia to offer greater support for the Shrine of Nurtury.

So rational it's almost boring.

Hurry along now, Nurturer Andoain. At the very least, I hope to see the Nativity through without a hitch.

Madam Extra, you must take your nutrition...

I said, I don't want it.

If you have specific dietary requirements, we can make efforts to accommodate them.

*Sarkaz expletive*, you think I'm a picky eater?

But...

Yes, you have beds and food, and your leader... that 'Matriarch' said you wouldn't do anything to me.

But I just don't feel comfortable.

In the wilderness, I know what can kill me, and I know what I need to do to give birth to this baby.

Where to hunt, how to keep warm, how to block off the entrance to my cave... And with that, I don't have to worry about myself or my baby.

But here... ugh.

Get out. Take the food with you. I didn't touch it. I'm sure there are people who need it more in this place.

...

Reverend Gun-Knight Patrizion?

Yes. The Matriarch was looking for me?

She's inside. A minute, please.

The Matriarch has been tending to the pregnant Sarkaz woman who arrived in poor shape. But it's been an hour and she hasn't come out yet...

I'm not one to speculate... but the prejudices of the past have made it difficult for many Sarkaz to accept our kindness.

The Matriarch has no weapons on her. I worry that...

I'll check on her.

...

......

All mortals desire peace and happiness, and fear hardship and sorrow.

Therefore, we stand together in prayer, regardless of race.

Matriarch, the Sarkaz...

She has only just left behind the restless life of a wanderer. Now that she is experiencing idleness for the first time in her life, all the worries she has never had time to ponder have rushed to the surface.

She simply needs to learn to comfort herself.

You taught her how to pray?

We've only recited a few verses together.

Let's go somewhere where we won't disturb her.

Why have you called me here today, Matriarch?

I wanted to talk with you, to ease your troubles.

But it seems like words may not be so necessary now.

Troubles? I am not troubled.

Are you not troubled, or do you dare not be troubled?

Everyone in Laterano knows that our ancient order was established in response to the prophesied calamity.

As calamity descends, our order is stretched to its limit... yet no one can predict what will become of Laterano one day.

I cannot imagine it, but I have faith it will be beautiful.

You have given too much for it. The granddaughter you never have time to be with, the old friend whose name you've forgotten, and the other old friends you've exiled as guardian of order...

To deny Laterano's future is to deny everything that you have given and sacrificed for it. It is to deny yourself.

...

Have no fear. A sliver of that future has already revealed itself to you.

If the faith of Laterano can bring comfort even to the faithless, if Sarkaz can pray side-by-side with Sankta...

Then our order shall open its arms to all.

There will be no barriers, no one left behind, no unwilling partings.

Sounds like you're describing a dream.

Are we not about to lift the veil that separates dream from reality, before the eyes of all?

A miracle will befall this land when everyone believes that even the most fantastical dream can become reality.

The Nativity must go off without a hitch, Patrizion.

I'll do my best, Matriarch.

You're blocking the screen, 'Holy Debt Collector'!

You're the one who decided to sit that far back... not that you're missing anything if I block a few scenes. It's just Eight-Armed Chainsaw Guy, after all.

And stop quoting random lines from the movie. You're not on a mission or in a briefing. You're in my house!

I kind of like that name. Maybe you can use it as your code name for your next mission.

Not you too, Lemuen...

You two sure can work together, when it comes to making up bad code names.

Haha.

How's life as a cardinal, Lemuen? Keeping busy?

Busier than when I was in a wheelchair.

When was it that you got out of it for good, anyway? I don't remember.

You don't really care much about me, do you? I'm so sad, and the only thing that can comfort me is if you let me feel your horns.

Why don't you ask if Holy Debt Collector might let you touch her ear plumage?

Go ahead. I don't mind.

I never thought it would be the Summit of Nations that brought us back together after all this time.

It's like every Lateran out there got called back to the city.

I can understand Legati like Mostima getting recalled, but the old man brought me back when I was in the middle of a high-priority mission to Sargon!

...

Say, where is your grandpa anyway? He's the one throwing the party, right?

Should be back soon.

Who knows what he's up to? All he said was that since he was retiring, he wanted to make an important announcement while everyone's still here.

It's nice to see the kids having fun when I get home from work. Makes me feel ten years younger.

That still makes you really old, Patrizion.

Reverend Gun-Knight.

Now, now, are you angry at me for being late, Fia?

I had to turn the office upside-down, trying to find this thing.

What's in the package, Reverend?

Open it. Find out for yourself.

Wow! A guardian gun?

Looks like it's been around for a while.

...

Patrizion. Unless my eyes deceive me...

The first patron firearm I ever had. I picked it when I was twelve. It stayed with me for over a decade, until I became a gun-knight.

Soon, it'll become a true relic, when firearms workshops fade into the history of Laterano.

Take it, Fia.

What?

A little token. Think of it as fulfilling an old man's wish.

As your mentor, your guardian, some of what I did was... how should I put it...? Regrettable.

You know you weren't the only student I cared for. But I was never a licensed teacher. The other one should have walked a better path.

Aurela, the gun-knight who killed her cohort? That's a whole different thing.

If I never walk that 'better path', it's not because of anything so drastic.

It's because you don't have the little whatsis I have over my head. I know.

But I took you in precisely because you were Liberi.

You never told me that.

What regret are you trying to make up for this time?

*sigh*... I didn't want to tell you.

The loss of a friendship made me realize that I never truly knew a Liberi.

I thought I was too clumsy. I thought I could learn to get along with the Liberi.

But I was never very good at it.

I worried about your nerves that were constantly on edge, about your obsession over the accident, the anger that boiled within you, and how you struggled to fit in...

But I never knew how to guide you.

For the Sankta, empathy is a window that helps us understand each other. For you, it became a wall that kept you out.

Hold it, hold it right there—

Do old people always get so sentimental?

Haha. You don't get it.

What I'm trying to tell you is that everything is going to change after the Summit of Nations.

The prohibition on patron firearms for non-Sankta will be lifted, along with other rules like it. The Law's acceptance of the Liberi will extend far beyond just allowing you to live in the Holy City.

We will truly become one people, Fia.

Do you think it's enough to just issue a few edicts, close a few workshops, build a shrine, and take in some wanderers?

See? That's your first reaction.

It means that, deep down, you want to share true understanding with Lemuen, with Mostima... with us.

...

You will understand, Fia.

Then, if you're willing, you can take my place and become a true gun-knight... or go and do whatever else you want to, things that were once open only to the Sankta.

When that day comes, your friends will be there to bear witness, as they do now.

Now, take your guardian gun for a spin.

...

...

We were born different, Fia, but our paths must eventually converge.

Nothing makes an old man happier than recognition from his child.

...

Fiammetta... it's been a while.

Did you invite him, Lemuen?

I knew he was coming, that's all.

It was I who invited him.

Letting go of hatred is also part of achieving true understanding.

Is there anything I can help with, El? To make up for me not recognizing you.

Not so fast.

There's a few things about Laterano I'm really interested in... it's been a long time since I've been here.

Oh?

When did the Curia decide to shut down every firearms workshop in the city?

It was recent... the edict was sent to all the workshops in the city on the same day.

It wasn't that much of a surprise... arms control had been around for as long as I could remember, and it was about time they turned their attention to reforming gun control, after all these years.

Don't you find it strange?

Should I?

Magister Paganini said there was nothing unusual about shops shutting down and opening up. He'd been talking about closing up for years.

But this is a firearms workshop!

D-Does that make a difference?

This is where all Sanktas meet their guardian guns!

...

Have all of you forgotten the meaning a Sankta's patron firearm carries?

Well...

El, what are you doing?

I'm not a terrorist, or some kind of super-mercenary. I just know my guns like I know my own joints.

I remember how I came into possession of each and every gun—yes, ALL of them.

But the one that left the deepest impression on me was the first one, when I stepped into this little shop, along with my parents and my sister...

My sister told me that every Sankta has their very own patron firearm, or guardian gun, the same as we were born with our unique halos.

So, picking a guardian gun is like making a friend.

We place our trust in empathy, open our hearts to one another, and learn to get along.

You were what, four or five years-old at the time? You were tiny, didn't have a halo, and you couldn't even talk. We didn't even notice you.

By the time we knew you were there, you had your hands on the scope I had picked, feeling it with a face full of curiosity...

Well...

Magister Paganini said he found me in the gardens of an Ecclesia Requietum, and brought me back to this workshop.

I seem to have, er, problems with speech, and he thought I was mute at first. It took a few years for me to be able to put a few syllables together.

I caused him so many headaches. I was never the kind of kid he could be proud of. I sneaked out that day, without even knowing why, and I was so anxious I almost cried...

Put your hand on it, Vani, just like old times.

Huh?

Master Pag put my hand-picked parts together. My mind filled with thoughts when I held it in my hand...

Protect my parents and sister, make new friends, have the coolest graduation ceremony in Laterano... it told me I could do all that.

You felt it, didn't you?

...

The stuff you just said wasn't what I remembered at all, Vani.

I remember that I picked my guardian gun with a little girl I didn't know. We watched the fowlbeasts across the street, used the barrel as a talk tube...

She didn't talk, but I could feel what was in her heart when we played together with the parts. That's why I knew she was happy when I saw her reddened eyes at the end.

This is our secret. That's why I didn't say anything to my sis when she asked if I was bullying you.

For me, that wasn't the day I made one friend. It was the day I made two.

What is it, Vani?

Well, I basically recreated what happened... you still don't remember anything?

(Shakes head)

B-But I believe you, El.

Uh... huh?

I was really sad when Magister Paganini told me this workshop would have to close.

I thought it was because I've lived here for so long with him that I didn't want to leave...

I believe you about this link that you say patron firearms bring us, El... even though it means that something has happened to the Holy City that I can't comprehend.

Yeah!

How can I help?

You've been here in the firearms workshop for so long. Surely you've got a way to help me make an explosion that will shake the city?

Is Fia alright?

Mostima is with her.

You know what she's like. It's not so easy for her to forgive.

What about Andoain?

He left.

If there's anyone who has a right to be angry, it would be you, Lemuen. You were the one who suffered the most.

I can't argue with that, Reverend.

But all emotions change with time.

In the five years that I spent in that coma, Andoain served his sentence in a nomadic abbey, traveling across Terra, offering assistance to our scattered kin as his way of atoning...

Finally, he decided to come back to Laterano, reintegrating as an ordinary Nurturer.

Laterano needs him, and he deserves a second chance.

I'm glad you think that way... what was it you wanted to talk to me about?

Still Fiammetta. You know she insisted on taking firearms courses when she was in school.

She was always the first to show up for class, and the last to leave the firing range. She loved guns in a way nobody could ever doubt... even though she never learned to use one.

But when you gave her your gun and that speech, that look in her eyes...

I couldn't tell if it was doubt or disappointment, but the one thing I know is that it wasn't pure joy.

Is that right...? I thought she would be happy. At least, before Andoain showed up.

I still don't understand how she feels, after all these years...

Your announcement took me by surprise, let alone Fiammetta.

'The prohibition on patron firearms for non-Sankta will be lifted, along with other rules like it.' That part.

Yet the arms control that we've been pushing for so long has only now come to its most important stage.

You mean the two policies conflict?

What I want to ask is, have you received any further revelations?

Have greater goals been bestowed upon our arms control work?

The goal has never changed. All forms of control exist so that everyone will be able to use guns more efficiently, more widely.

The firearms workshops have a long history, but also plenty of flaws. Gunsmiths and customers both put way too much energy into them, trying to make each and every gun unique.

Once the Shrine of Gunsmithing in Pagus Michaelion starts operating for real, Laterano will be able to provide armed support to all nations and all races, when we have to.

If the goal has never changed, why do the changes of the present seem so sudden, so... out of place?

Maybe because we're not so great at imagining the future.

You're right that the Matriarch has bestowed a greater revelation upon me. All will partake of the same revelation at the Nativity.

When the time comes, it won't be just you and Fia; millions of people will gain insight into the future, both inside and outside Laterano.

You're sharp, Lemuen, and I'm sure you understand that our first priority is to make sure that the Nativity goes off without a hitch.

...

I will continue to hunt the criminal trying to blow things up at this important time.

...

Leave. Now.

I don't want to see your face.

...

...

Automated Confessional CONFESS-47, at your service. Please insert your Signa Creditorum or citizen credit card before beginning your confession.

...

Sorry, I just remembered I have something else I need to do.

...

It's you.

Is something the matter? Were you being followed?

Was that why you waved over a confessional? To check your surroundings? Do we need to call the guards?

No, I guess I was just imagining things.

Were you looking for me?

The Matriarch has returned to the Shrine of Nurtury.

We came to take you back.

...

...

Welcome back, Cardinal Lemuen.

Here are the handover documents for five firearms workshops in Pagus Faber. This one's owner, Paganini, has signed the papers.

Good work. The Notarial Hall can take the rest.

Speaking of which, there are some exceptional circumstances with the workshop on Via Borgos...

The owner, Paganini, has an apprentice who is going to take her qualification exam. The Curia will have to provide some form of compensation now that the shop has been shut down.

Her name is Vannini, I think. I happened to pass by her when I left... she had fiery red hair and a bright smile on her face. A really sunny disposition.

...

Via Borgos... sounds familiar.

Look at the files on your terminal, Amos.

That description does not fit Vannini.

Oh—I...

It's alright. Maybe just a passerby. You said she was a Sankta with fiery red hair?

She had a hood up, but we were walking towards each other. I got a good look.

(El?!)

(Why?)