Although embarrassed, Peggy still chose to follow her heart and directly called Colonel Phillips using the Sanctuary's phone.
This left Howard utterly amazed. In this era, telephones were all landlines, capable of long-distance communication but limited by range. Direct transatlantic calls were a problem even he hadn't solved yet. Naturally, he wanted to study this incredible device.
To this, Shion naturally agreed—but only after Peggy finished her call.
...
"Hello, it's me."
"Colonel, it's Carter."
"Agent Carter? Where are you now?"
"I'm at the Sanctuary..."
"At the Sanctuary? That's good... Wait! Say that again—where are you?" Phillips snapped back to attention, wanting confirmation.
"I'm at the Sanctuary. The phone belongs to the Sanctuary," Peggy replied awkwardly.
"The Sanctuary? The Sanctuary has phones? Isn't that place..." Phillips was equally dumbfounded, his mind conjuring the same thoughts Peggy had earlier.
"Here's the situation..." Peggy detailed their initial experiences at the Sanctuary, their conversation with Shion, and how Steve had inexplicably become a Saint.
"..." Colonel Phillips' emotions were complex. It seemed their trip had been entirely unnecessary, and now their best soldier—no, the best soldier in all of America—had been poached just like that?
"What do you plan to do?" Phillips didn't order the three to return immediately but instead asked for Peggy's opinion.
"Colonel, I recommend staying. First, there are still many mysteries about the Sanctuary left unsolved. If—and I mean if—one day in the future, we find ourselves at odds with the Sanctuary, having more intelligence would give us an advantage. Second, regardless of how it happened, Steve is now a Saint. His increased strength benefits us, and we don't have to pay any price for it. Third, Howard has found many research opportunities here. If he succeeds, the returns would be absolutely worth it. Fourth, the longer we stay, the more time we'll have to build personal relationships with the Saints."
Truthfully, Peggy's heart wasn't as official as her words sounded. She had personal motives. The first reason was pure political talk—would the Sanctuary ever oppose their country? Given the Saints' virtues, it was nearly impossible. Even if they did, she doubted there was any way to counter them.
The latter three reasons weren't as formal either. While she did care for her country, her thoughts were more for herself, for Steve, and for Howard. She loved her country but despised the filthy idiots in power.
"...Any estimated timeframe?" Phillips asked. Howard was a public figure, and Steve was a national icon. If they disappeared for too long, he wouldn't be able to cover for them.
"At most a month," Peggy said.
"Fine, proceed as you see fit. But Agent Carter, I hope you bring back some tangible results. Otherwise, I won't be able to protect you," Phillips warned.
"Understood."
After hanging up, Phillips pondered how to handle this. Having worked together for years, they shared a deep understanding and similar views and boundaries. He immediately guessed Peggy's true intentions and began planning how to maximize benefits while preventing those in power from exploiting the situation.
"Saint Steve, huh? Let's see just how powerful a Saint really is," Phillips muttered to himself.
...
After hanging up, Peggy thanked Shion and left.
Once she was gone, another figure appeared beside Shion.
"Are you sure about this?" Alexios asked.
"Words, expressions, actions—everything in the world can lie, but the Cosmos never does," Shion replied.
"Fair enough. But you should report this to Lord Myrin. After all, you gave a Sacred Cloth to an outsider without permission," Alexios reminded him.
Alexios supported Shion's decision. Aside from strength, Steve truly had the qualities of a Saint—an outstanding one at that, even if only a Bronze Saint.
But Steve was still an outsider, not raised under the Sanctuary's teachings. If this wasn't reported to Myrin and something went wrong, none of them could bear the responsibility.
Shion smiled mysteriously. "What makes you think... I acted without permission?"
"You didn't?" Alexios frowned, then realized something.
"Hah, as expected of Lord Myrin," Alexios sighed, shaking his head.
"Indeed, as expected of Lord Myrin," Shion agreed.
...
After Steve and the others settled in, Kanon paid them a visit.
"Hey, congratulations, Steve," Kanon said cheerfully. If anyone was happiest about Steve becoming a Saint, it was Kanon—Steve was his first and only friend from the outside world.
Steve chuckled weakly and lightly punched Kanon's shoulder. "Yeah, we're comrades now. I'm counting on you."
"Don't worry, I'll train you well," Kanon grinned.
For some reason, despite Kanon's bright smile, Steve shivered.
"By the way, Steve, I can only train you for half the day. The other half, I'll have another Saint take over," Kanon added.
"What? Another mission?" Steve asked.
"Nah, the other half I have to go to school," Kanon said, grimacing.
"School? Oh right, I forgot you're still a kid," Steve teased. He'd been outmatched in strength and seniority by Kanon, so this was his chance to get back a little.
"Saints go to school?" Peggy asked.
"Yep. Lord Myrin said that even though we're warriors, he doesn't want us to know nothing but fighting. He wants us to have lives outside battle, so we all have to attend school," Kanon explained.
"That lord sounds like a good man," Peggy remarked. No matter how strong the Saints were, they were still children who needed education—not just for knowledge but to make friends and form bonds with the outside world.
Otherwise, Saints with only power would remain mere weapons.
It was a simple, well-meaning joke, but to Kanon, it was anything but. His cheerful expression darkened instantly.
"Lord Myrin is our god and our faith. His goodness is not for a mere mortal to judge."
"Hey, Kanon, relax. It was just a joke," Steve quickly stepped in, shielding Peggy. He knew she meant no harm and that Kanon wasn't targeting her.
"Ah... sorry," Peggy apologized, realizing her mistake.
"Hmph. I hope I don't hear such words again," Kanon said coldly before leaving.
Howard let out a relieved sigh. "That was terrifying. That kid looked like he wanted to kill us."
"I underestimated their devotion to their god," Peggy admitted, now worried. Blind faith in a deity was dangerous—especially since she hadn't met Myrin and couldn't judge his trustworthiness.
"Don't worry, Peggy. I've met him. He gave me a good impression. A god who leads the Saints can't be evil," Steve reassured her.
"I hope you're right," Peggy sighed.
"Well, this is great. We wanted to build rapport, and now we're starting on nightmare difficulty," Howard joked.
"Howard!" Steve glared at him.
Peggy felt even worse. A golden opportunity had been ruined by a careless joke.
"Don't fret, Peggy. You still have a great chance to win them over," Howard said.
"How?"
"School! They're just kids who need an education. If you guest-teach at their school, you can bond with them. Unless you can't handle teaching kids?" Howard teased.
"Cheap tricks won't work on me, Howard," Peggy rolled her eyes.
"But you can't deny it's the best plan, right?" Howard shrugged.
"It is," Peggy smiled, already plotting her next move.
"Still, Peggy, Howard—be careful. They're not like us. Their god is their faith. Offending them, even jokingly, could cause serious trouble. Especially you, Howard. Watch your mouth," Steve warned.
"I know," Peggy nodded solemnly. As a top agent, she wouldn't repeat the same mistake.
"You really think so little of me?" Howard pouted but took the advice to heart.
...
The next day, Steve's training began—though "training" was too kind a word. It was pure suffering.
Kanon's first lesson was simple: punch a massive boulder repeatedly until he could shatter it with one strike. Only then would he pass the preliminary test.
Steve nearly fainted.
"Kanon, are you serious? Punching through this rock is impossible!"
In response, Kanon demonstrated. With a casual punch, the boulder crumbled to dust.
"You've been training since childhood! That doesn't count!" Steve protested.
Just then, Shura happened to pass by. He extended his hand like a blade and casually sliced another boulder in half—the cut so smooth it could double as a mirror.
Then, without a word, Shura gave Steve a dismissive glance and walked away.
Steve was mortified. He'd just been looked down upon by a kid! Damn it! He... he... he'd just have to train harder.