670
Leonard followed the squad toward the neighborhood where Harvest Church stood.
From afar, he saw light still spilling through the church's small windows and faintly heard people talking.
Leonard's heart slowly sank.
He tugged his red gloves tight. For the first time, they felt as heavy as shackles, almost leaving him unable to lift his head or move forward.
"...Revenue dropped again this month..."
Outside a large warehouse in the East Borough, Maria, her hair tied up and her clothes neat, studied a stack of reports in her hands. The cigarette in her mouth was unlit, but her expression was as grim as the clouds overhead.
Mr. Z, dressed as always in a black robe, looked away from Maria's blue eyes and casually teased her:
"It dropped even with a 'Lucky One'?"
"Yes, it dropped. The economy's bad lately, and relations between Loen and the other countries are tense. Nothing makes money." Maria set the reports aside and shifted the cigarette between her lips. "Rather than saying 'it dropped even with a Lucky One,' you should say we would have gone bankrupt long ago without Ademisaul."
Mr. Z frowned, then nodded. "It's been the same for the Aurora Order lately. There are a lot of calls within the outpost to withdraw to Intis. Everyone wants to live somewhere illuminated by the Lord's radiance. Besides, the situation on the Northern Continent is changing too quickly. Staying in Loen is dangerous."
"But as things stand, you can't even cross the border, can you? As it happens, I just received some intelligence yesterday-a Saint of our church escaped the first purge, but now he's trapped inside Lenburg and can't get out. Apparently, there's a blockade at the level of a True God. Even our leader can't get in to rescue him,