How could I have forgotten something like that?
Hoshino shook her head. The moment the word "Pope" was mentioned, even the students' clamor seemed to settle. They fell completely silent, their expressions turning respectful. Just two simple words possessed such immense power.
How could she have forgotten?
After all, the authority she held in Laterano had all been granted by that mysterious Pope who had never shown himself.
Without that person, there was no way she could have had so much fun in Laterano.
"Are you going?"
Fiammetta asked solemnly, "Even if you do not wish to see him, your authority will not be revoked. You can continue doing whatever you want in Laterano."
"No need."
Hoshino's response to that question was resolute.
Laterano, this stiff and dreary place, was hardly some tourist paradise. She had already had nearly enough fun here. Now that the Pope had summoned her, it was like unlocking a new dungeon. How could she not want to see him?
As long as there was something to stir up, anything was fine. So long as it was not the same old boring routine, she would gladly accept it.
Hoshino followed behind Fiammetta. She did not put on the light-blocking black hood, instead walking openly through Laterano's clean, spacious streets.
They passed the severe, black Justice Office without stopping.
They passed a solemn golden hall without stopping.
Grand classical stone colonnades, empty emerald gardens, pulpits, ceremonial platforms... They did not stop at any of them. The places they passed grew increasingly solemn and steeped in religious atmosphere.
"Where exactly are we going?"
Hoshino asked politely, but Fiammetta did not answer. She had been solemn all the way, completely unlike before, like a true monk...
No, she had nearly forgotten. Fiammetta was a monk to begin with, a