1100 hours, 2 July 0145...

This dining room was a picture of luxury and coziness, with its long, hard-wood table, hard maple chairs, and red food mats. The delicate fragrance of the white lily pot at the table transported us to a medieval banquet in a sacred palace.

The butler arrived at the dining room with the clanking of his tray of plates ringing through the room. The aroma of the pasta plates wafted through the air as he carried them over to the table and explained them.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here are your lunches."

"Tagliatelle al Ragu. Refers to Bolognese with Tagliatelle pasta."

The tantalizing scent of the bolognese sauce filled the room, enticing everyone with its rich aroma that lingered in the air. Lisabelle suddenly exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement as she gazed at her favorite comfort dish.

"Wow, I absolutely adore Bolognese pasta!"

All the Butler could offer was a gentle smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes.

Yet, the ingredients in the pasta sauce still puzzle me. It had a savory aroma that I could smell from across the room. Did they add any herbs? I couldn't resist the urge to inquire.

"If I may ask, what are the ingredients for the sauce?"

The Butler then explained in a measured voice.

"We produced the ragu using the traditional method, and we instead made this sauce with beyond-meat. By sucking the cow's blood through injection after giving them nutritious feasts, we self-contaminate the blood until it makes some muscles through refrigeration."

Despite my initial understanding, his explanation about the ingredient beyond meat in the bolognese's ragu still perplexes me. I'm skeptical as to whether they intentionally poisoned us because they suddenly discovered our plan.

As soon as the butler left, the dining room was filled with the voices of Christine, Antonio, Lorenzo, and David. She lowered her eyes, and I could feel the resentment on her face.

Now that Antonio is talking about forcing an engagement with her, my concerns about her are growing. But as long as Antonio isn't around, this may be my chance to ask her out.

She then took a seat behind Commander Katoki and spoke to the gathering, her voice barely heard over the sound of the chattering.

"Sorry to make you wait, guys."

After the others had taken their seats in the dining room, Axel called out to Christine.

"Oh, Christine? Where have you been?"

Christine turned to the left and stumbled through her answer. She remained quiet for a while, simultaneously curling her left arm. She looked down, her eyes slowly welling up into tears, and begged for salvation. But as Kyouko approached her with curiosity but with sympathy, a sensation of unease permeated the whole room.

"What's wrong, Christine? Anything wrong?"

But Antonio cut off the conversation abruptly with a wave of his hand.

"Alright, can we talk about that after lunch?"

Commander Katoki's comforting touch on her left shoulder was a sudden reassurance to Christine. She couldn't help but smile softly as she glanced at Katoki, feeling a sense of security in his presence.

After the prayer before lunch, we savored the rich, flavorful Bolognese pasta that the butler served us. Although I relished the heavenly flavors, my thoughts persistently returned to Christine, a focal point of my contemplation.

I didn't have any potent feelings for her. Seeing an innocent girl of her caliber endure his abusive relationship in the future is abhorrent to my soul.

I remained convinced that Antonio's engagement with Christine was solely for the benefit of the squadron's goals. But I have faith that she will find a soul mate who will encourage her growth, not one who will stomp on her.

***

We ate for twenty minutes straight, and at the end, our bellies were overflowing. I'm in awe of how the juicy beyond-meat ragu and the chewy tagliatelle combine to create such a beautiful meal.

Laughter and conversation filled the dining room. I was the sole observer, closely monitoring Antonio to ensure he did not exceed the boundaries set by Christine.

After taking a quick look at his watch, Antonio got up from the chair and spoke quickly to the gathering.

"It is our regret to inform you that we have a crucial call from his holiness to enter his office."

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The footsteps of Antonio, David, and Lorenzo echoed on the marble floor as they hurried to Pope Busso's office from the dining room.

Thenceforth, I'm seizing this opportunity to ask Christine about Antonio's private discussion after the lunch.

"By the way, Christine. Could you tell us what Antonio told you privately?"

With a quick glance from left to right, she shifted in her chair, pushed the empty wineglass to the side, and revealed her secret.

"I'm sorry if I didn't tell all of you. Did you guys notice the green ring on my left finger?"

Christine raised her left hand and showed the room her green ring, and everyone nodded in accord. She paused for a while, then looked around the table before continuing.

"That means... I have a fiancée."

Her sudden revelation has taken everyone aback. Except for me, I was already aware of the answer. Lisabelle's eyes became wide, and she asked in a surprised voice.

"A fiancée? Who's that person?"

Christine was still casting her gaze onto the table while she stammered her response.

"It's… Antonio."

Her answer shocked everyone in the room, and Nolan couldn't help but inquire a little nervously.

"Antonio? Is that the Cleanser Squadron Authonoid by the Galeo Squadron?"

She bobbed her head slowly in response. But even so, it concerned us even more about her current state. Henceforth, Commander Marisa gently sat next to Christine, stroking her back as she asked.

"Please be honest about what he did to you."

Once Christine acknowledged her inner pressure, she took a deep breath and felt the pressure release.

"He takes me to a closet to discuss his engagement with me. Which means he's about to marry me later on."

After everyone nodded in understanding, Lisabelle's query rose with a trace of worry.

"He's about to marry you? Why don't you tell us in the beginning?"

As she spoke, her voice trembled with the strain of internal pressure.

"I wanted to tell you about this, but I also don't want to burden your life with that."

Kyoko suddenly asked her, her voice gentle in her concerned sympathy.

"No need to worry about that. Could you explain why he wanted to marry you?"

She removed her left eyepatch and took a minute to collect herself before continuing her explanation, which caught the room's attention.

"The Cleanser Squadron's morale is low due to the frantilos' waning might. Their greatest efforts to stem the pandemic have been fruitless, and it is even endangering their frantilos."

"Sanctoria, the arch-God, and all seven arch-angels inherited Frantilos, a unique light element that King Sakorcha used to battle the invading hell with his scorching virus."

"Each of the seven arch-angels uniquely modifies the element according to their expertise. For instance, the angel of healing, Laconia, or the angel of judgment, Gavrilio, are just a few examples."

"It was a light element that gave blessings to the devotees while raining punishment on the heretics."

"It seems that my mother's line, the Kaliglia clan, produced a large number of frantilos for my Divinocchi. It is commonly known that Laconia, one of the healer arch-angels, inherited this clan and used her healing powers to relieve ailments."

"Because the Dovizioso and Kaliglia clans were close, he desired to marry me. Additionally, one of the seven angels that inherited Dovizioso was Gavrilio."

She suddenly pointed at her left eye, which was gleaming in turquoise like a pearl of heaven in its pure divine aura as she continued.

"See my left eye? He believes that my Divinocchi holds the secret to reviving the spirit of Frantilos. So through our marriage, he had full authority to unlock my ability and purge all illness."

After listening to her explanation, everyone nodded in agreement. With a worried lilt, Axel questioned her out of the blue.

"What happened between the two of you in your private talk?"

She narrowed her eyes and cast a mournful glance downward. In a few moments, she admitted.

"He slapped my left arm and scolded me. I claimed that I was an irresponsible girl who was running away from family, betraying the Father's order, and being a delusional heretic by always ignoring his advice."

"He also told me I sold my soul toward the heretics like Minerva."

"He forced me to return to enlighten their blackened faith and labeled it in tribute to my mother."

"But... I don't think my mother would be okay with me carrying on with these psychopathic practices in God's name."

She let out a small sob, her breath catching, as I could see the tears glistening in her eyes.

"I... don't understand... How can I manage these huge stresses if I... can't even... manage myself?"

"Why don't they leave these weights on the most experienced one? Why should I be the one?"

"What else could you expect from a cult wielding such immense power?"

"Whenever I tried to flee, they noticed me right away. And every time I thought I was ahead of them, they'd get me in no seconds."

Christine's lips trembled as she fought back tears and abruptly gripped her fists over her knee.

"I… can't… take this anymore…"

"I… don't want… to… marry him… for… this squadron…"

"I... just... wanted... to be free... from their immense pressure..."

"And if freedom… is a sin to them… then so be it."

As Christine burst into tears, Commander Katoki's warm hand stroked her right arm, providing her comfort with a gentle smile.

"No need to over-stress it, Christine. If something's bothering you, just spill it, and we'll always be on your side, alright?"

After Christine nodded, she was lying next to Katoki's right chest, tears streaming down her face. Commander Marisa also soothed Christine's anxiety by warmly stroking her right side.

Just as I expected. This psychopathic squadron uses Christine's Divinnochi to increase the Great Pope's popularity in the polls. My voice quivered with anger as I vehemently voiced my frustration over Christine's distress to everyone present.

"If this squadron crosses the line, I'll fuck their ass hard!"

Antonio stepped into the dining room, his presence immediately bringing a hush to the room.

"Pardon the intrusion. I received word that the Great Pope, Enzio Busso, has summoned you to his office."

While Commander Katoki caressed Christine, who was still fighting back her tears, he looked over his shoulder and raised his voice in question.

"Pardon? What does he want to do?"

"Didn't you say you wished to discuss the Crescent's next move? Do not postpone his wait any longer."

Commander Katoki nodded, and his uniform rustled as he answered.

"On our way, Commander Dovizioso."

Everyone stood up, and their chairs scraped against the floor as they made their way to Pope Busso's office.

But just as I turned to exit the dining room, Antonio stopped me with a firm hold on my right shoulder, and his words had a hint of menace.

"You are pretty close to her, right?"

He was glaring at me with such intensity that I could feel the anger seething in his heavy breaths. Then I stepped up to give him an intimidating glare, pointing to his chest.

"Not really. Because I had to keep my eyes on you whenever you did something to her. Including the pope himself."

The sound of quiet whispers reverberated along the corridor as I hurriedly followed everyone into Pope Enzio Busso's office.