Following the Pope's footsteps, the two walked slowly into the most classified area of Laterano.
It was a somewhat dim tunnel, sloping downward at a visible angle into the earth toward some unknown location, with no end in sight. Along both sides of this secret passage sat various ornaments and decorations. Although Jeanne knew little of their material value, she understood that nothing placed in a location like this could possibly be cheap.
Except, perhaps, for that drawing near the entrance that looked like a turtle. Placed among such a collection of treasures, it looked like a Husky that had accidentally wandered into a pack of wolves.
"Ah, that! That is a portrait drawn for me by the granddaughter of an old friend. It might look a bit simplistic, but it represents the heart of a child, does it not?"
Seeing Jeanne's interest in the simple sketch, the Pope quickly explained. He was definitely worried she'd mistake it for a turtle, and he wanted to make sure she knew there was no connection!
That being said, did this drawing really fit in here without feeling out of place? And since he had placed it in such a prominent position, what would the next Pope think? Would they assume he put it there specifically to express dissatisfaction with his successor?
"It's a very... creative work. It gives one a refreshing feeling."
Looking at the drawing, Jeanne honestly couldn't see how it was supposed to be a person. But after hearing the explanation, she supposed it did have a few human-like qualities if one squinted.
Andoain, meanwhile, remained silent. He watched the items in the tunnel with a heavy heart. Unlike Jeanne, who didn't understand art, he knew exactly what these things were worth.
Oil paintings and statues from Gaul; golden idols from the Sargon; a statue of the goddess carved from Kjerag tear-stone; ink wash paintings from Yan...
Every single item could be called a masterpiece of art—the kind where the loss of even one would be a significant blow to existing human civilization. If one were to take this many artifacts and exchange them for money, it would be enough to feed tens of thousands of people for a year! And many of these items could no longer be measured by money at all; they were rare treasures that money simply could not buy.
Andoain even spotted the magnificent crown of a Victorian King! it belonged to an Emperor of the Victorian dynasty who was famously obsessed with jewels.
"This place is simply a concentrated hoard of luxury. I find it hard to imagine how much Laterano spends every year just to purchase these things."
In Andoain's eyes, rather than spending such vast sums to collect these items, it would be better to use the money to aid the sufferers who find even survival difficult. After all, to him, these things held little meaning. The only reason they were sought after was the preference of the nobility. Andoain could hardly imagine the astronomical amount Laterano burned through just to maintain these artifacts every year!
"In your eyes, they are luxuries for our enjoyment. But the reason we collect them is to preserve that piece of culture, even if it has already vanished in the torrent of history."
The Pope didn't turn his head as he spoke to the dissatisfied Andoain. Perhaps the man found it difficult to understand the meaning behind Laterano's collection.
The further they went, the more ancient the artifacts became. They represented the highest peak of art from their respective eras. Walking this path, Jeanne felt as if she were traveling backward through the stream of time. It was the illusion of returning from the modern day to the ancient past.
Furthermore, Jeanne keenly sensed that the items placed here were essentially static! It was as if someone had pressed the "pause" button on them.
"Is this... has their time been suspended? Did Mostima do this?"
When it came to manipulating time, Jeanne had only ever seen Mostima do it. But could she really handle using her ability on such a massive scale? To keep so many objects fixed in a specific point in time required a price hundreds of times higher than the small-scale time slowing she usually used in combat. Jeanne even wondered what kind of side effects Mostima would have to endure if she were truly the one doing this.
"To be precise, the objects within this tunnel will not change due to the influence of time. However, this strange ability has no effect on people."
The Pope described the wonders of the tunnel. It was for this reason that this place also served as the tomb for the Sages and Popes of previous generations.
Their bodies, due to this miraculous phenomenon, would remain in a state free from rot. The founding Sages and former Popes lying in their coffins collectively guarded the highest secrets of Laterano.
At this moment, Jeanne was walking among these tombs. Despite being surrounded by corpses, there was absolutely none of that grim, eerie atmosphere. Perhaps even a Sankta child coming here in the middle of the night wouldn't feel a shred of fear.
Because those sleeping here were the Sages of Laterano. Even if they rose from the dead, how could they ever harm a child of Laterano?
Along the way, the Pope introduced Jeanne to who was buried in each coffin and what contributions they had once made. Andoain, for his part, knew the history of these Sages like the back of his hand. It wasn't that he particularly liked history; the key was that it was on the school exams. The experiences of the people here made up a full fifty points of the grade, which resulted in every Lateran being able to say at least a few words about their pasts.
To a certain extent, understanding the Popes was a good thing. At the very least, it put a stop to those who would fabricate history and talk nonsense. Although, those kinds of people usually ended up being hauled off by the Notarial Hall to drink bitter coffee.
As Jeanne walked, listening to the Pope recount their past deeds, she felt a deep sense of respect for these departed Popes. It was through the efforts and sacrifices of these people that Laterano became the paradise it is today. Without their millennium of hard work, the Laterano of today would not exist.
This was why Jeanne said Laterano had no duty to save other nations; no one had the right to demand they destroy the things these people had once fought for. Even if the person making the demand was one of their own, it was not allowed. He could call upon like-minded individuals to fight for that goal together, but he could not demand that they do so. After all, nobody's good life fell from the sky. Especially in a world like this, a city like this was incredibly rare and precious.
By now, the mechanical roar was no longer a sound only Jeanne could hear. The sound of machinery operating echoed in the ears of all three.
Andoain had the strongest reaction. He didn't understand why there would be such a distinct mechanical sound at such a depth below the surface. If you wanted to say it was the city's central hub, well, the hub wasn't in this location! There should be nothing here but dirt and stone.
At most, there were the artifacts and the coffins of the ancestors. But looking at the way those coffins were placed, it seemed as though they were guarding something.
An uneasy feeling surged into Andoain's heart. He had a vague inkling that this roaring mechanical sound was tied closely to the secret of Laterano! But the hint was too blurry; he couldn't think of any connection between the Sankta and a machine. And that wasn't the answer he wanted, either!
What he sought was the truth buried in history by the Lateran authorities—the relationship between the ancient Sankta and Sarkaz, those hidden mysteries. Those things, quite clearly, could not be explained by a machine. Or to put it another way, he did not want the answer to be a machine.
Jeanne, meanwhile, had stopped speaking. She felt as though something within that door, from which the mechanical sounds originated, was calling out to her.
It was a sensation she had never experienced before. She couldn't imagine what kind of thing was craving a meeting with her. Had she lost something? In this moment, that thing seemed to come alive, as if urging her to arrive quickly, desperate to meet her.
"This is the answer you have been seeking! It is also the secret Laterano has hidden for a thousand years. Congratulations—you may be the first person to come here in such a capacity!"
The Pope glanced at Andoain, then pushed open the metal door before them. A machine of incredibly complex structure was operating. Andoain could feel It—at this moment, It was connected to him.