Listening to Alina's concerned inquiry, Jeanne assured her that they were both fine. She explained that Talulah had simply overused her Originium Arts and had turned pale from a bit of lingering fear after the flight back on the Wyvern; a few days of rest would set her right.
Hearing this, Alina finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then took out the crucifix Jeanne had given her and began to recount what had happened that day.
While Jeanne had gone to support Talulah, Alina had tried to pray to the crucifix, imitating the way Jeanne prayed. At that very moment, the cross seemed to emit a faint glow. At first, she hadn't noticed it until she entered the cellar to retrieve some supplies; there, in the dimness, she saw the weak light coming from the cross and recalled the scene during her prayer...
Jeanne tilted her head slightly. Upon entering the village, she had sensed a holy power enveloping the settlement—a power that could cause those unaware of the location to subconsciously overlook its existence. However, this ability was very weak and only worked on ordinary people; it couldn't influence someone with a will of iron like Patriot.
This effect, similar to a mental suggestion, was entirely different from the Holy Water Jeanne used. She had originally thought the Holy Water had changed form on its own, but it turned out Alina had invoked it unintentionally.
Perhaps it was because Alina felt the village was fragile without the two of them there, and that it would be in great danger facing enemies. This worry, channeled through her prayer, had awakened the Holy Water dormant within the village.
Because they had used the Holy Water to suppress Oripathy for the first time, Jeanne and the others had splashed quite a lot of it around. This resulted in much of the water remaining in a suppressed, inactive state. Alina had unintentionally used the crucifix to guide the Holy Water present throughout the village, causing it to change from a substance meant to suppress disease into a sort of protective barrier for the village.
Jeanne hadn't expected Alina to have such a talent! However, this was also something permitted by God; otherwise, no one besides Jeanne should have been able to control Holy Water to perform something akin to Divine Arts or magic. Jeanne estimated that during the prayer, the power within the crucifix had fused with Alina's Originium Arts, enabling this miraculous ability.
"It should be the result of the power in the crucifix merging with your Originium Arts. By the way, Alina, would you be interested in becoming a nun? It seems God quite fancies you."
Seeing the situation, Jeanne asked Alina if she wanted to become a nun. After all, compared to a preacher, the role of a nun—who frequently cares for children and helps others—fit Alina's temperament much better.
"A nun? What does a nun do?"
"I'll tell you more when we have time. Anyway, it's a member of the clergy. With me to vouch for you, the process is very simple."
Although the requirements for becoming a nun in the Christian denominations of any world usually involve a series of examinations, strict vows, and asceticism before one can earn the official title, Jeanne was the sole spokesperson in this world (aside from Laterano, where it was unclear if they even worshipped the same God). She had the authority to decide such matters.
In any case, they didn't ask for money, and having a bit of faith was useful. There were so many gods and ghosts on this continent; if they didn't find a "sturdy leg" to cling to, who knew what they might run into? Furthermore, if Alina became a nun, her power might increase. That would give them a much safer rear base, meaning they wouldn't have to keep moving from place to place.
Watching Jeanne's enthusiastic proselytizing, Alina nodded and agreed. After all, the fact that they had lived so smoothly lately was inseparable from the help of that God. Even if this God's personality was somewhat difficult, He couldn't possibly be worse than those Inspection Teams and soldiers, right? Moreover, He had truly responded when she prayed just now.
That night, Jeanne performed a baptismal ceremony for Alina. It was a very simple rite: no missionaries, no choir, and no magnificent cathedral. There was only a crucifix made of tied wood. The two of them stood face-to-face in a room to conduct the ritual.
However, the one thing that might have attracted others was that the person presiding over this ceremony was the legendary Saint Joan of Arc. In the dim candlelight, she personally baptized Alina—an event countless people would dream of witnessing.
Yet the only audience member seemed entirely uninterested. Talulah sat there dozing off, looking as if she wanted the whole thing to end quickly so she could go to sleep.
Due to the arrival of the Guerrillas, housing in the village had become tight. The three of them had moved into one room to live together, while the large house had been converted into a collective dormitory for the Guerrillas. Even so, some people were still without housing; the Shieldguards chose to sleep in tents, giving up the houses to the Yeti Squad.
Just as Talulah felt her eyelids growing heavier, she suddenly saw a light appear in the room through her haze. She hurried to her feet and found Jeanne and Alina enveloped in a beam of light. Talulah didn't understand what was happening, but the familiar power made her feel slightly at ease. It felt exactly like the Holy Water; there shouldn't be any danger.
After about ten minutes, the light gradually faded, revealing the two women inside. They didn't appear to have changed physically.
"Well? How do you feel?" Seeing the ceremony end, Talulah circled them to observe and then asked curiously.
Alina looked at her hands. A ball of light gradually gathered in her palms before floating around the room.
"Is this... you conjured a fluorescent lamp?" Talulah looked at the sphere of light on the ceiling with curiosity. This thing looked so much like the halo above a Sankta's head! The only difference was that it was a sphere.
"I seem to be able to gather this power to create Holy Water, though what I make is far inferior to Jeanne's. However, I can control the form this power takes to accomplish certain things." Alina felt the changes in her Originium Arts—or rather, it was no longer an Originium Art, because it didn't require Originium to activate, but relied on Alina herself.
"This way, we won't have to worry about the Inspection Teams finding this place. We won't have to move every now and then, and we can plant crops with peace of mind..."
Watching the excited Talulah talk to herself, Jeanne and Alina exchanged a helpless look, though they understood her feelings. For the Infected on the tundra, a safe paradise was something they wouldn't even dare to imagine. Such a safe house would make their future much smoother.
"Alright, snap out of it! We can talk about that later. There are more urgent matters to handle!" Jeanne tapped Talulah on the head, pulling her out of the good news. Now was not the time for celebration; there was still one more thing they had to deal with.
"What else is there? Haven't we handled everything?"
"You don't truly believe those nobles will give up on sending an army after us just because of the current situation, do you?"