A Young Man Arrived at the Church

Backlund, North Borough, Saint Samuel Cathedral.

Leonard finished his patrol, stepped down from the carriage, and climbed the steps one by one into the cathedral.

There was a faint gloom in his eyes.

His return from Tingen had shaken him somewhat. It wasn't obvious enough for anyone else to notice, but he seemed a little dispirited all the same. He didn't regret joining the Red Gloves; he had simply begun to question the backgrounds and identities of his two teammates who had faked their deaths.

Why had they joined the Tingen Nighthawks team...?

Had it had anything to do with what happened back then...?

Or had there been some other reason...?

The useless old man living in his head couldn't offer any reasonable explanation, so Leonard had to think it through on his own.

That was truly grueling work for him, consuming a great deal of his energy.

Still pondering, he stepped into the cathedral's prayer hall.

His surroundings abruptly darkened, but it wasn't an oppressive darkness that robbed people of their sight. Instead, it was a gentle dimness, peaceful and reassuring, that made him feel he could stay there forever.

On the wall opposite him, transparent pieces of glass formed the Goddess's sacred emblem. Sunlight streamed through the glass, making the emblem appear especially holy and lofty in the dim surroundings.

Leonard instinctively slowed his steps. Though there were quite a few people in the hall, no one was speaking loudly.

Apart from the workers cleaning and polishing and the priests conducting the daily rites, the worshippers all sat in their seats, heads bowed in silent prayer.

He quietly skirted the rows of seats and entered a side passage, eventually heading underground to the Red Gloves' temporary lounge.

"You're back?"

Several teammates were in the lounge. They greeted him