After informing Patriot of the decision to release the Emperor's Blades, Jeanne and Talulah stepped out of the house, only to see Frostnova punishing the Yeti Squad.
No one knew how this group of Yetis had provoked their "Big Sister" this time, but they were currently tied into a bundle and hanging from a large tree at the village entrance—a classic case of being "hung from the southeast branch."
"What happened to them? How much did they seek death for Frostnova to hang them in a tree? Did they pluck the fur from her tail or something?"
Jeanne and Talulah walked over to ask another Yeti who was watching the fun from the sidelines. Seeing the gloating expression on his face, they knew he was fully aware of what had transpired.
Having spent a long time together, Jeanne understood their daily dynamic: "troublemaking" was the primary focus, "watching the drama" was the secondary goal, and "persecuting their Big Sister" happened on a regular basis. Whenever something went wrong, everyone rushed to watch the spectacle; no one would ever plead for mercy. Some were even cheering from the side, shouting things like, "Hang them higher!" or "It's a bit crooked, Big Sister, put some back into it!"—it was a scene of pure chaotic revelry.
"Those guys? They went and sought death, that's what. Just now, they ran up to that Sankta named Lemuen and asked if Laterano had legends of 'Halo Sprites.' Then they dragged Big Sister over and claimed she was a 'Rabbit Sprite'..."
The two girls wiped non-existent cold sweat from their brows, looking helplessly at the "brave warriors" who dared to seek death and at the glowing "Rabbit Sprite"—Frostnova—who was currently pulling the ropes under the tree.
Yet, this unconventional Yeti Squad was also the most optimistic group within Reunion. No matter how harsh the environment, they faced this wretched world with a smile.
"What are you all gathered here for? If you have this much energy, should I take you on a cross-country drill?"
Frostnova turned around, her gaze sweeping over the jeering Yetis with an air of absolute authority. In an instant, everyone vanished, citing excuses like unwashed socks, unmade beds, or forgetting to turn off the stove for their fried pine nuts.
"Is there really no way to turn this light off? Otherwise, I won't be able to sleep again today."
Frostnova looked at Jeanne with a look of utter despair, venting her grievance. After being forced to drink a bottle of Holy Water by Alina, she wouldn't be able to close her eyes for at least two days; she was currently a living, oversized lightbulb.
"I'm sorry... about that... pfft... there's not much I can do. It's not a side effect. In this situation, you... pfft... just have to wait for the effect to wear off..."
Seeing Jeanne and Talulah's faces turning red from holding back laughter, Frostnova sighed as if resigning herself to fate.
"Just laugh if you want to. I'm used to it. Last time, I let them laugh for a whole night. But that was just one sip—this time it's a whole bottle! How am I supposed to live through this!"
"Why don't you go find Alina? She can manipulate this energy; maybe she has a way to help you?"
Seeing Frostnova clutching her ears in deep thought, Jeanne suddenly remembered that Alina could control the light. While the Holy Water inside her wouldn't cause any physiological issues, staying awake for days might actually cause psychological problems.
"I guess that's my only option..."
With her ears drooping, the "Shining Frostnova" listlessly headed toward the chapel to find the merciful Nun Alina, hoping for a way out of her sea of suffering. Meanwhile, Jeanne went to track down the two Sankta.
Eventually, Jeanne found the two angels on the outskirts of the village, staring intently at the mountain range.
"Found you at last. Why aren't you staying in the village? Are you having some kind of adverse reaction?"
Jeanne had heard about the changes they underwent after entering the village, but no one knew if there would be negative side effects. Especially for a race so highly sensitive to the power of Holy Water, suddenly entering an environment saturated with high concentrations of Holy Light might cause something akin to "oxygen toxicity" in humans.
"No, we are simply worshipping a miracle."
The two spoke simultaneously. The piety in their eyes was absolute and without a shred of falsehood.
"Your Eminence Jeanne, we formally request your permission to enter the Holy Mountain to experience the miracle."
With pleading expressions, the two performed a formal, deep bow. This sudden gesture made Jeanne feel rather embarrassed.
"It's no big deal, please stand up! There's no need for this. I'll take you in tomorrow, so get up quickly."
Jeanne hurried them to their feet. She hadn't expected the mountain to hold such a massive attraction for them; even the usually lively Lemuen seemed like a different person when it came to this.
When Jeanne informed them about Laterano being invaded by other nations, she was surprised to find they had already received word from the Notarial Hall. According to Laterano's intelligence, the invasion had caused zero valuable losses to the country.
Well, if you counted "fishing with explosives in the wild" or "trampling the grass" as losses, then there were some minor damages. But those soldiers hadn't even touched the dust of a Laterano mobile city. Reportedly, they were once only a few thousand meters away from a city, yet they somehow just... bypassed it.
The soldiers acted as if they had been struck by collective selective blindness, scurrying around Laterano like rats for three days. During those three days, they ran through half the country without sleep or rest, yet they couldn't see where the mobile cities were for the life of them.
Their units had used various methods to memorize routes, but nothing worked. They seemed to have lost the ability to distinguish directions; once their food ran out, they would have starved to death.
Even so, those forces lost many soldiers. Some fell into rivers and drowned, some got lost in forests, and others fell off cliffs for no apparent reason...
The most absurd part was that one squad was actually crushed by a passing mobile city! The city residents didn't even realize they had suddenly encountered an army. Supposedly, the townspeople thought they were in for a desperate fight, but then the enemy just charged straight into the treads under the city. When the bodies were found, the deaths were... quite gruesome.
To this day, some in Laterano insist that the unit came there specifically to "extort" them (scam/frauding). Perhaps Victoria and Kazdel planned to claim later that they were just ordinary tour groups who met a tragic end at the hands of Laterano...
However, the garrison units had followed them the whole way, picking up the weapons and armor they discarded. With so much gear, it wasn't a loss even if it was just sold as scrap metal. Because the events were so bizarre and the fact that they suffered heavy losses without even touching an enemy, a gag order was placed on all those who knew the truth.