A long time ago, Gerald used to look up at the night sky when he needed a breather after killing.
The sky is an oppressive black. The campfire has gone out, and even the embers have cooled.
Bloodied mercenaries wipe away the dirt from their faces, gazing at their equally battered comrades, briefly pondering questions they hardly have the luxury to think about.
Can Sarkaz like them truly hope for a happy life?
He once believed that the day would come when the Sarkaz rebuilt their home, but he feels more helpless with each passing day.
They have shed too much blood. They will run out of blood before their monarch's vision comes true.
Eventually, Gerald abandoned Kazdel, bringing along those gasping for breath, running from the land they once fought to the death for.
They hid from the world, ultimately finding a place that would take them. All they wanted was a normal, peaceful life.
The dream came true, once.
When did life turn bitter and oppressive?
It is like a fine dish on the table that no one has tasted.
It seemed like a lot has happened, but then it also seemed like it all happened in the blink of an eye.
Clément
It was a long night, wasn't it?
Federico
What are you doing?
Clément
Nothing worthy of your time, Senior Federico.
Clément
I just wanted to find a flower. Gerald shouldn't go to see Eileen empty-handed.
Clément
But it looks like the fire last night burned everything. There's nothing left.
Federico
If it's just a flower you want, you wouldn't need to come here.
Clément
You don't understand, Senior Federico. It's not the same.
Clément
The flowers here were different. A special breed grown only in this monastery.
Federico
They represent friendship and hope.
Clément
Yes, friendship and hope. The abbot told me they were a symbol of Laterano's partnership with Iberia, one of the abbey's most important possessions.
Clément
Beautiful. I was struck, immediately.
Clément
There used to be flowerbeds all over the abbey, covering every inch when you looked down from the bell tower during bloom season.
Clément
Eileen loved the sight of it. So did Gerald.
Clément
Many were scared to talk to the Sarkaz. But they got along a lot better after the first bloom season.
Clément
People realized that the cruel and warlike Sarkaz would stop to take a look when they passed by the flowerbeds. They would take a flower or two to put in their homes.
Clément
They weren't fearsome desperados. They were no different from us.
Federico
......
Federico
There is one here.
Clément
Ah, you mean the one beneath the statue.
Clément
I saw it. It was lucky to lie beneath the statue when it fell.
Clément
But it's not the one I wanted.
Federico
Why?
Clément
Look at it. Don't you see?
Clément
It may have hid itself beneath the statue, but its stem is broken, and its petals are burned.
Federico
But it's still here.
Clément
Is it?
Clément
I used to believe there were things that would survive, no matter the adversity. You may laugh, but I truly did.
Clément
Life wasn't easy, but all was good.
Clément
Amita Nina would make snacks for the kids when she has the time.
Clément
Have you ever heard of herb pizzelle?
Clément
Amita Nina and Hyman made them from a Lateran recipe using Sarkaz herbs. A dessert that everyone loved, one that belonged to this abbey, and this abbey alone.
Clément
Amita Nina used to say that tasting bitter fruit is all well and good, but the children should grow up knowing more than bitterness.
Clément
They should know what sweetness tastes like.
Federico
I will commit this dessert to memory.
Clément
Ha. It's not important. We forgot the taste of sweetness a long time ago.
Clément
No one makes pizzelle anymore.
Clément
I find myself curious at times.
Clément
If Sankta weren't so special, if everyone in Laterano was mundane, normal, insignificant as I am...
Clément
Would the Holy City still look the same?
Clément
Would Laterano be Laterano?
Federico
...I don't know.
Clément
That's a shame.
Federico
Clément...
Federico
Do you no longer have faith? Have your beliefs changed?
Clément
I was just made to see reality.
Clément
Things are not as immutable as people think. Testing them only harms them.
Clément
One little flaw, one little imperfection, one tiny, little wound, and it's broken beyond repair.
Federico Giallo stands alone in the morning light of the sacrarium.
The marks left behind by the flames have already been scrubbed away. Deprived of its furnishings, the sacrarium feels empty, with only the sound of footsteps to fill it.
Federico is an outstanding Executor. He has been with the Notarial Hall for six years, carrying out his duties with excellence.
But this is his first year as a saint. There is no one to guide him or instruct him.
The silent saint picks up the broken and burned flower.
The statue protected it from the flames. It was a miracle that it survived the fire.
But this miracle is worthless in the eyes of another.
Federico
The flower is still here.
Federico
But it is not the one he wanted?
Federico
Wounds beyond repair...
Federico
I don't understand.
Federico
......
Federico
Would Laterano still be Laterano?
Federico
............
Federico
Insufficient data to reach a conclusion.
Executor Federico realizes with a start—
Clément's expression was too calm.
He did not mention Gerald's death, nor the arrangements of the other Sarkaz.
What about himself?
Words without action have no power. That is why he did not say he would find out the truth.
Nor did he say he would fulfill Gerald's last request.
Federico gazes at the broken flower before his eyes.
He has a feeling—
A feeling that, someday, he will find the answer to all his questions in this flower.
