It turned out that learning from one's mistakes and stubbornly refusing to admit fault had never been mutually exclusive. Who could say that saving face and acquiring knowledge could not coexist? Anthony's present speech made it obvious: even after losing an important Morningstar combatant, the Pantheon's stance remained exceedingly vague and unclear. Or rather, at least the Justice Pantheon faction's stance was, as always, "no stance at all."
For example, Radiant Purity's prayer for Deklai was nothing more than empty formalities. His condemnation of the Shattered Talisman Society was empty formalities too, and even the achievements of the Pantheon that he was now praising were merely empty formalities with no practical value.
So what came after all the formalities had been said?
The uninvolved Morningstar Priest made his position clear—the Guardian Alliance's "Temporary Alliance Leader" was not him, anyway. He had already dutifully summarized the "grief and indignation" over this major loss. Now that the old chapter had been turned, it was over!
As for how much the poor volunteers had sacrificed for so-called justice, or how many innocent people had died because of the Pantheon's perfunctory conduct... sorry, he knew nothing at all.
Silence. Nothing but silence...
For a time, only a silent atmosphere spread through the quiet hall. It seemed as though everyone was waiting for Donnila's arrival to formally begin the meeting, but in truth, the Legendary clergy merely stood in place without saying a word, pretending to be grief-stricken. Beside the enormous map, only Anthony calmly glanced at the red-rimmed eyes of the Valkyrie, Ibefil, then asked with feigned curiosity, like a sincere and trustworthy friend:
"Miss Marta, are you feeling unwell? Why is your expression so strange when everyone else is drowning in grief?"
"Unwell? Of course it makes me unwell. Perhaps I can still