Under the thick darkness of night, the priest's church was not easy to find. It was hidden among a cluster of low buildings, with a faint light seeping through the gaps, like a distant firefly rising in the field. Without the townspeople he encountered on the road to guide him, Bologue would have a hard time finding this place.
Unlike the priest's esteemed position in Gray Stone Town, his church was small and even a bit dilapidated. The bricks and stones of the building were riddled with cracks and indentations. An earthquake hadn't toppled this small church, and afterward, it had not been repaired.
It was strange. All the houses that Bologue saw along the way had been repaired to varying degrees, and some had simply been rebuilt.
In contrast, the priest's residence seemed forgotten, which left Bologue puzzled.
Bologue said, "The old townspeople all say he lives an ascetic life, one that appears even more burdensome than I imagined."
