Early autumn in the north is fleeting. When the first yellowing leaves fell from the Castle Forest, the chill of the wind from the snowy peaks of the Giant's Spine penetrated from the nose to the bottom of the heart.

After a light rain, the Temple of Nesses, located in the Sidney Basin, raised a huge bonfire in the square.

The bonfire was strange, it rose out of thin air, it didn't need a little firewood, but it was always bright and scorching, as if it would never be extinguished.

It must have been a god-given flame – all of them believed so.

The once-closed temple ushered in an even more surging crowd. Risek Brin had to arrange for men to guard the campfire so that no one would be squeezed into the fire.

But soon, he got a different order.

“...... Evacuate people?"

He was slightly stunned, and involuntarily looked up at Copass, "But, that's dangerous......"

"They'll learn to be afraid...... Or learn to be fearless. ”

The priest lightly threw him such an answer.

The moment he understood that sentence, Risek bowed his head in time, and used a respectful enough attitude to hide the fear that arose.

In any case, he could not disobey.

The moment the guards withdrew, the crowd became excited, praying, screaming, and even crying louder than before...... and madness, they intertwined, ferociously piercing into the eardrums, and suddenly, Risek remembered the screams of the undead piercing the soul.

He retreated in a hurry, nearly tripping up the steps.

With some premonition, he fled back to the hall.

There were far fewer people in the hall—the statues of the gods carved out of the rock seemed to pale in comparison to the real, god-given miracle fire.

The expected results came sooner than he had imagined. The noise outside the temple suddenly rose higher, and someone hurried in and rushed to his side, almost dazed eyes and an unusually excited tone in some kind of strong and strange contrast.

"Someone threw themselves into the fire. The knight, who was covered in armor and couldn't even see his face, told him that the young voice still had a rustic accent that had not yet had time to change, "and then vanished...... Just a blink of an eye......"

Risek opened his mouth, unable to utter a word.

He knows.

He knew what a terrible temperature the flame had...... In the blink of an eye, a living person will turn to ashes and scatter with the wind, leaving no trace.

It's like the flame that Scott manipulated...... But the fire in Scott's hands would never be used to take the lives of innocent people.

"Are you scared?"

Copass's voice came from the darkness, with a gentleness rarely seen in recent times, but it made Risek creep for a moment.

He quickly ducked down to answer, as if the question wasn't for him. The young knight beside him also took off his helmet and saluted awkwardly, while the believers in the hall knelt on the ground, while the priest walked only slowly.

"Listen. He said that his voice was very soft, but it was clear to everyone, "and they were not afraid." ”

Yes, the eruption outside the temple was distinctly cheering, as if another miracle had been seen...... It's like a miracle is being done.

Risek knew he had to say something, but his throat was stiff and tight, and he couldn't make a sound.

In the midst of his silence, the young knight spoke eagerly, trembling with excitement at every word: "I ...... I won't be afraid. He's not dead...... He's not dead, is he?"

"Is it that important to live or die?" the pastor asked with a smile.

The knight nodded vigorously as if he didn't understand, and shook his head desperately.

He approached God in his own way. The priest looked up and stroked the knight's sweaty short hair, "You too will find your way." ”

The young man's face was flushed, and he almost forgot to breathe with excitement. Glancing over the still childish face, Risek couldn't help but think of his former self.

He had listened to the priest's teachings with reverence and enshrined every word as truth, but when he stood on a higher level, he did not come closer to the light to which he had hoped.

Since when did the darkness begin to fall?

"Are you scared?"

The question that can't be escaped rings in my ears.

“...... Yes. He replied, no longer trying to hide his fear of being discovered.

Copas chuckled lowly.

"Fear is just as good. He said, "...... Don't forget it. ”

If he can't find the fanaticism of faith after seeing the truth clearly, "fear" can also become the force that drives him forward.

After Copas left, Risek remained immobile for a while.

The rapid heartbeat gradually sank to the icy water, and despair was more exhausting than panic. He looked up and saw the angular face of the idol, the corners of his mouth sunken and stern and indifferent.

- In the eyes of those who resemble this statue, there is light even when it is cold.

He remembered in a trance, that was ...... Something he once fearlessly wanted to follow.

.

The wind from the north shook off the autumn leaves all the way, and by the time we arrived at Ston Buch, it seemed exhaustive. It couldn't blow into the towering walls—the stagnant air still lingered with the heat and dreness of late summer.

The sound of the murmuring of the fountain has never been clearer, and the empty streets are silent. Even those who remain in the cursed city prefer to close the doors and hide in their homes, waiting for the catastrophe that will strike at some point...... Pray that he will survive because of his insignificance.

Moira stood in the courtyard at the top of the castle, looking out blankly. For more than a year, I felt like I was about to suffocate. She always loved to come here, and the wind would sweep through the stone walls of Lockburg, faintly bringing the noisy and energetic sounds of the City of Ten Thousand Springs to her ears.

It's not pretty, but it reassures her...... That sounds like the breath of the city.

But now, the breath was too weak to be heard. She will be far away from the city she once fought so hard and would not give up...... She's done her best, but it seems pointless.

She stood in a daze for a long time, until Enid, the only maid who insisted on staying by her side, let out a low exclamation.

She looked back indifferently. Now, there was almost nothing to panic her...... Or afraid.

She saw the blonde knight standing under the pomegranate tree, the sun shining in his hair and blue eyes, and for a moment he looked no different from the brightly smiling young man he had been so many years ago.

...... But he was no longer the knight who fought alongside her husband.

"It's time for you to leave. He said.

The time that passed came back to him the moment he spoke. There were few wrinkles to be seen on his face, but Moira could clearly see the signs of decay...... Like herself in the mirror.

"Tell me, Scott. She whispered, "What the hell are you?"

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