A large number of hopeless thoughts swirled around in Charlotte's head. As the days went on, her situation worsened, and she felt increasingly hopeless.
She wanted someone to lean on, someone to pull her out of the situation she was in. Maybe that was why she had taken the offer given to her.
Right now, she was walking through the streets side by side with a stranger she had met only thirty minutes ago. She thought she might have gone crazy.
Who knew if this man was someone from Alter in disguise? But she was too tired to care. If this man really was from Alter, then so be it—that was just her fate. She couldn't continue the way she was anymore.
Through their walk, she learned a little about the man. His name was Carl, and he called himself a Meister, a member of the Rylon Religion who worked at the church.
Carl had stated that it was his duty to help people like her, those who appeared lost and without focus, with no way out of their situation—perhaps even people who had run away.
Carl didn't ask Charlotte to explain her story, which made her trust him more, and on top of that, he had even bought her a nice meal at the inn where they had met.
A combination of these things led her to eventually leave with him.
"The church will give you shelter, a place to stay, and food to eat. We do have certain programs to help people get back on their feet, but we can't just freely give individuals money," Carl explained.
"After all, many of those on the streets end up in particular situations due to some part of their own actions in a way. So before letting them back out, we wish for them to have the skills to survive in the world."
"How is the Rylon Religion able to do all this?" Charlotte asked. "Are they expecting me to join the religion? Because I don't want to take advantage of you, but I have my own beliefs."
Carl looked at Charlotte with a bright smile, the same hopeful smile she had first seen as she was losing hope.
"Our churches help many people, and we have many donors, including those we've helped in the past. There is no obligation for you to stay, and there is no expectation for you to join us either. Feel free to decide after you see the place," Carl continued.
Charlotte didn't want to feel like she was taking advantage of the man, but she thought it was a safe and good hiding place for now.
She thought back to all of her missions and couldn't remember Alter ever looking into the Rylon Religion or involving them in anything.
Which was why she believed it was the perfect place to hide from Alter as well. There would be nothing that troubled them, and there would be no Alter members there.
Charlotte was in a medium-sized town. It wasn't a city, and therefore the church wasn't that large either. It was, however, located a bit away from the main town center.
There were a few fields and hills one would have to pass, but the town was still visible from the church-like building. The outside was built with gray stones, and there was a spire on top.
She also noticed many glass-pane windows along the walls. What also caught her attention were the many people outside wearing the same yellow clothing.
They seemed to be cleaning the area or doing fieldwork, and there were even adults walking in and out of the entrance.
"Don't worry, these are mostly followers of the religion that come here. As I said, we get quite a lot of different individuals, so we understand others' situations," Carl explained.
"The sleeping areas are private from the rest."
Following Carl, he gave her a small tour. There was the main prayer room with benches lined up, as well as ornaments displayed on the walls.
On the back wall, there was a large sun painted, with strange streams of heat coming off it, touching the ground and other areas.
The same workers outside, dressed in orange clothing, could be seen inside as well.
After passing the main room, Charlotte saw them walk past the kitchen and several other areas, including a staircase leading both above and below the building.
After showing her a place where she could wash herself and grab clean tunics and shorts, he then took her to the sleeping area for guests.
Carl opened the door, and the room wasn't empty by any means. There were already four individuals lying on their beds.
One was a frail-looking woman, who was even rubbing the sides of her arms.
Then there was a teenage boy with a bandage wrapped around one of his eyes. There was also a small child, a boy, who looked to be around six years old.
Finally, there was another man, who didn't appear frail but had an unshaved, messy beard. He wasn't paying attention, just staring out the window.
"This is the only sleeping area we have for guests, but I assure you, everyone is fine. Sunder, the teenage boy, has been here the longest, so if you need anything, you can ask him for help."
The boy with the bandage waved at Charlotte and gave her a small smile.
After that, Carl excused himself, saying he was busy. If she needed anything, she could speak to Sunder for the time being, and he closed the door.
'Well… it's not perfect, but it's better than being on the run and sleeping on the streets,' Charlotte thought.
Walking over, Charlotte was getting ready to introduce herself, as she didn't know how long she would be here with these people.
Just as she was about to say hello to the young boy, the woman rubbing her shoulders spoke.
"Leave… leave this place… otherwise, you'll die… just like everyone else. We're all going to die."