Believers

While Leonard considered what he should do next, Neph picked up the plan she had set aside and visited the East Borough again.

The factory was not particularly important. For rumors of suspected supernatural incidents like that, sending an anonymous letter to the Church was actually a good option, provided she had no personal agenda. A certain Mr. Fool had plenty of experience in that regard.

By comparison, Neph cared more about the teacher and student distributing food. The title "teacher" more readily brought the School of Life to mind, but "Ascetic" and "atoning for the sins committed by our brothers" sounded as though they came from somewhere else entirely.

Having just met believers of the Primordial Moon who called her the Child of God, Neph was on high alert around cultists. Since this teacher and student refused to reveal their origins, she suspected something was wrong with their background.

This time, she took a public carriage. It stopped on Graystone Street in the East Borough. After paying her fare, Neph found a spot to keep watch.

The teacher and student appeared some time before lunch. They walked out of a house, but Neph was certain that no one had been inside beforehand. There had been nothing in it, either-it was an empty house.

Before the pair emerged, however, Neph sensed a ripple of spirituality.

The teacher was very tall, a full two and a half meters. Deep wrinkles lined his face, yet his hair was glossy black, reminding Neph of a distinctly contradictory phrase she had once seen: "Young Elder."

But Neph was more concerned about the student.

The girl looked eighteen or nineteen, with caramel-colored curls spilling out in a disheveled mess. Her gray-blue eyes were unfocused, and a few freckles dotted the area around her nose.

This