"Looks like we've arrived. This is the current base of the Azazel Clinic. Do you three recognize this place?"
Jeanne drove following the guidance of Revelation, finally stopping in front of a rather dilapidated house. It appeared that this was one of the hiding spots of the legendary Azazel Clinic.
"Mm... we think we've seen this house before, but we can't quite remember if we have. But we should be home!"
Hearing Jeanne confirm that this was an Azazel stronghold, the three little ones cheered happily. It seemed they were very homesick, though they hadn't said so before.
Jeanne stepped forward and knocked on the door, but after waiting for a while, there was no response. She could sense someone observing them secretly from the shadows, yet no one came to open the door.
"We are friends of Talulah. She should have told you that she had friends coming here; you can call her to confirm. These three children are also from your place; we've brought them back."
Jeanne introduced herself with a smile. A moment later, she heard light footsteps receding—likely someone going to find Talulah for confirmation. The group waited there for a bit.
Looking at the car she had driven, Jeanne understood why Azazel didn't dare open the door immediately. They probably mistook them for people trying to sneak in to capture Infected. The problem lay with the car: the vehicle Laterano had prepared for Jeanne was a top-of-the-line private car from Raythean Industries. The money required to buy one of these could purchase an entire house in an ordinary district.
These people had certainly never seen an Infected who could afford such a luxury vehicle in a place like this. After hearing Jeanne claim to be Talulah's friend, they hurried to find Talulah, who was resting inside, to verify.
The group waited patiently. Just as the little ones were wondering why the sisters in the clinic were opening the door so late today, the door finally swung open.
"Sister Anna!"
The three little ones immediately pounced on the nurse named Anna who opened the door, chattering away.
"Yo, it's only been a short while, so why do you look so haggard? It looks like the whole dragon has gotten thinner. Did you accidentally burn someone's bedsheets and have to stay up tailoring new ones to compensate them?"
Jeanne patted Talulah on the shoulders with both hands and teased her quietly. However, looking at that weary face, she surmised Talulah must have been helping Azazel non-stop these past few days. Otherwise, how could a mere guest exhaust herself to this extent?
"Can't you be a bit more serious at a time like this?" Talulah looked at Jeanne with a face full of helplessness. Why does this girl expose my shortcomings the moment we meet? Does she have a hobby for this?
Yet, the moment she saw Jeanne, Talulah felt as if her pillar of support had returned. These past few nights, she had often dreamed of Jeanne saying goodbye and leaving for Laterano. Although she knew that choice was a good thing for Jeanne, Talulah never expected that she wasn't prepared for the separation. The person who had once intended to send Jeanne away was, when the day actually came, the one most reluctant to see her go.
Talulah approached Jeanne with a smile and, in the next moment, actually embraced her. In a voice inaudible to the others, she whispered "Welcome back" into Jeanne's ear.
This caught Jeanne off guard; she hadn't expected Talulah to suddenly do something like this. Jeanne's hands eventually wrapped around Talulah, returning the embrace.
To the side, Lemuen watched the scene with an expression that suggested she lived for the drama. She told Crownslayer that she had long felt the relationship between these two was unusual, and now her prediction had come true!
Even Kashchey, who had been dormant within her, woke up at this moment. He was quite excited by the scene. He felt that the "One Above" seemed to be in a good mood, and as long as that person didn't oppose the relationship between these two, it was fine. By then, I could technically count as a parent for the bride, right? I'll see if I can negotiate a way to survive; worst-case scenario, I'll just join them.
However, both women knew there was an audience. They didn't hold the embrace for long before pulling apart. Lemuen, who had been chanting "Kiss her" under her breath, looked disappointed, while Crownslayer gave her a cold stare. Crownslayer had heard Lemuen complain about how troublesome her sister was—did this girl not realize that she herself was quite a handful? Or was this kind of personality hard to notice in oneself?
The group then entered the clinic known as Azazel. Jeanne's inner thoughts were quite active; she never expected that as a Saintess, she would one day walk into a clinic named after the legendary first fallen angel. Did it have some connection to Laterano?
Azazel, the leader of the fallen angels in mythology... was a clinic named after him truly related to fallen angels? Could this place have been established by those who were once exiled from Laterano?
As for the interior of the clinic, there was nothing particularly special. It was filled with patients suffering from Oripathy; from time to time, the wretched wails of those experiencing a flare-up could be heard. This was the true face of an Infected gathering place on the continent; compared to this, Jeanne's village could be called a paradise.
Seeing this, even Jeanne could only let out a helpless sigh. Turning this place into something like the village would be no easy feat. This wasn't the snowfields where there was enough space for her to work her magic; here, the slightest commotion could invite annihilation.
At that moment, Jeanne saw nurses entering rooms carrying Holy Water. A moment later, the wailing inside ceased, and the nurse left with only a small amount of Holy Water remaining.
Talulah led Jeanne and Lemuen back to her resting quarters, while Crownslayer went to find a doctor to tend to her injuries.
"Miss Talulah, are these two your friends?"
In the distance, Hellagur approached with a young girl. The girl greeted the two of them. It seemed he was on his way back after taking his daughter to see a doctor.
"Yes, these are my friends. They were delayed by some matters and arrived a step late."
"Hello. I am the manager of this clinic, Hellagur, and this is my daughter, Neon. If you need anything while you are here, please feel free to speak up; I will do my best to help."
Hearing Talulah's words, Hellagur introduced himself. Lemuen was stunned for a moment upon hearing the name "Hellagur." She hadn't expected the missing General of Ursus to be right here.
The group exchanged pleasantries for a while before going their separate ways. However, after parting, Hellagur looked at Jeanne's retreating back with a trace of confusion. It was unclear what he was thinking, but he soon left with Neon.