Who Are You, Little Brother?

Sunday, late at night.

The night breeze in the East District carried a hint of chill as it swept through the streets and alleys.

Unlike the West District, the gas lamps at the alley entrances here had long since gone out, leaving only a faint wash of moonlight over the streets.

Little George hugged the last cloth bundle he had just taken from Miller and briskly pushed open the Small Chapel door.

The small amount of bread and wine inside the bundle clinked together with a soft rustle.

He hurried over to Gais, who was sorting supplies, set the bundle on the table beside him, and spoke in a hushed voice that could barely contain his excitement:

"Mr. Gais! The supplies from Miller Grocery Store just arrived. This should be enough for this service."

Gais paused what he was doing and looked toward the chapel floor. More than half the seats in the Small Chapel, which could hold only a hundred people, were already occupied by workers and the destitute.

Over the past few days, he and Little George had secretly handed out strike leaflets in the East District and South District, attracting quite a few worker believers who had lost faith in Trino's City Hall.

Most wore clothes washed pale and covered in patches. Some clutched crumpled strike pamphlets, gathering in groups of three or five to talk in low voices.

"...Oh, my God! Is that you, Cass?

You're actually planning to join the strike, and you've even joined the Holy Spirit Society?

That's as absurd as seeing a gentle sheep try to snatch meat from a wolf!

You've always been the most honest one at the factory. You'd even bend down to pick up a loose thread beside the machines.

And now you're actually daring to get involved in something like this? I can hardly believe my eyes..."

Gais looked at the lively but orderly scene before him, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He turned and patted Little George on the shoulder. "Bishop George, I'll have to trouble you again in a moment. Almost everyone's here, so we can begin the service."

"Not at all. Mr. Gais is the one who recruited the believers and did so much of the work..." Little George lowered his head modestly. After working alongside Gais these past few days, he felt they had grown quite close.

Gais sighed. "Alas, we're running short of money. At this rate, we might not even be able to afford two more services.

Otherwise, we could have brought more believers to the great Lord of All Spirits."

Little George grew downcast as well. He picked up the Holy Communion vessels, ready to lead that day's service.

But then, as if remembering something, he suddenly stopped and leaned toward Gais.

"Oh, right, Mr. Gais. The Lord gave us a revelation this morning. A knight who follows Him will be joining the Holy Spirit Society tonight!

They say he's a powerful fighter who can punish all evil."

His eyes sparkled as he couldn't help imagining a tall, mighty knight wielding a sword.

"A knight? That sounds so cool. Much better than me, a Shaman who can only communicate with nature..."

Gais had just stopped what he was doing and was wiping a smudge off his glasses with a handkerchief.

When Little George mentioned a "knight" who could "punish all evil," Gais's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Oh? It seems the Lord has already bestowed the power of God Blood upon someone suitable."

He suppressed the faint envy in his heart, keeping the same composed smile on his face. "Heh, all right. Then let's wait for this knight before holding today's service together."

Just as the two waited, each with different thoughts on their minds, a light knock came from the door, accompanied by a woman's voice.

Her voice was bright and lively, yet utterly out of place in the East District at night.

"Hello~ Is anyone there?"

Gais and Little George exchanged a look, both of them puzzled.

"Is that a believer you invited?" "No. I thought you invited them."

After communicating with a few glances, Gais frowned and put on his glasses. He also straightened the half-height top hat on his head.

He quietly moved behind the door, laid a hand on the brass doorknob, and gestured to Little George.

The boy nodded. The air inside the chapel seemed to stir like a gust of wind, whirling as Spirituality gathered in Little George's palm.

With a creak, the front door of the Small Chapel slowly opened.

Moonlight lay over the entrance like a thin veil. A young woman stood at the boundary between light and shadow.

She wore a long, ivory-white dress adorned with delicate little patterns. Lace trimmed the neckline, and a pair of short gray lace gloves completed the outfit.

A small, pale gray hat with a brim sat at an angle on her head. A fine white veil covered her face, revealing only the faint outline of a pair of deep blue eyes.

The wind blew in through the doorway, lifting one corner of her skirt and stirring her veil. It revealed the faint line of her chin, cool and mysterious, making her seem even more out of place in the East District.

Gais's eyes lit up. He was surprised that her bearing and voice seemed so at odds, but he quickly hid his reaction.

He approached with a calm smile.

"Excuse me, beautiful and elegant lady, but could you have come to the wrong place?"

The young woman blinked her sapphire eyes beneath the veil, making her seem all the more mysterious.

She looked up at the plaque above the door, then spoke with a hint of innocent confusion.

"East District, Alley 19, Number 23. This is the right place..."

Gais realized that the young woman before him seemed rather young, and changed his approach.

"Heh, my dazzling young lady, this is a marine biology discussion society.

But it isn't a gathering for nobles like you. It's just an informal discussion among commoners."

Diana paused and glanced at the note on the wooden box in her hand.

"Uh... Did I get the wrong place? But the great Lord of All Spirits clearly said..."

"Shh!" Gais's expression changed drastically at her words.

He reached out to pull her inside, but hadn't expected her to stand rooted to the spot. Even with all his strength, he couldn't budge her in the slightest.

He hurriedly lowered his voice and warily glanced outside. "Don't say the Lord's name out loud out here."

Little George sensed that something seemed wrong outside and ran out of the chapel as well.

Gais asked Little George with a helpless look, "My dear Bishop George, are you sure the Lord said a knight was coming, not a lady?"

"..." Little George looked at the beautiful, elegant young woman before him, at a loss for words.

He, too, began to wonder if he had misheard the Lord's revelation that morning.

"Um... I'm pretty sure. It was a knight."

"That's right. I'm the knight chosen by the Lord!" Little Diana heard them talking about the Lord and realized this was the place she had been looking for. She immediately started to march inside in her little boots.

"Wait." Little George stepped in front of Diana, seeming wary of this uninvited noble young lady.

"How could the Lord's knight possibly be someone like you... a frail noble young lady?" Suspicion showed in his eyes as the currents of air in his hands slowly gathered.

Seeing the little boy who had stepped forward to question her, even though he didn't reach as high as her neck, Diana looked puzzled.

"Hello, little brother. Who are you?"