The three nuns did not ask further questions. They nodded slightly and headed down the alley toward the Church's garrison.
Their gray-white figures gradually receded into the dusk, soon vanishing around the street corner.
Only two people remained in the square.
Agnes glanced at Lu Yuan.
"Follow me."
She turned and walked toward the south side of the square.
Lu Yuan did not ask where they were going and followed her.
The two passed through a narrow alley at the edge of the square and turned twice.
The lights of the Church's temporary garrison were already faintly visible. The outline of the largest Church, still under construction, stood out clearly against the night.
But Agnes did not head toward the Church.
She circled behind it and stopped before a small two-story stone building.
The building was not large. Its outer walls had been painted with the same white plaster as the Church's, but it had clearly been renovated afterward. The windows had been replaced with pointed arches, and a small Holy Light emblem was nailed above the doorframe.
She pushed the door open and entered.
The first floor was a simple reception room.
There was one table, four chairs, and an Angel print hanging on the wall.
An iron stove stood in the corner, its chimney extending through the wall. The coals inside had already gone out.
Agnes sat down by the table.
She removed her hood.
Her pale golden eyes were especially clear in the dim room.
Lu Yuan sat across from her.
They looked at each other across the table for several seconds.
Agnes spoke first.
"I did what I promised you."
She paused slightly.
"I won't ask what you did on the top floor of the Third Tower."
Lu Yuan did not respond.
Agnes did not look