Nia left without looking back. Isis stood in the morning light, watching his back disappear into the darkness at the end of the hallway, his fists clenched.

The wooden door creaked and was opened again. Alan Carvo stood silently in the door, his left leg swaying in the morning breeze.

"Did you hear that?" said Is, softly.

Eren nodded—since Nia wanted him to hear, of course he could.

"I think he's said everything he can. Isis said.

Alan glanced at him.

"So you don't blame him?" he asked, "even if he deliberately wounded himself to win you—to gain our mercy?"

Even he could not tolerate such deception...... and suspicion. Even if he appeared in front of them intact and full of spirit, would they treat him as an enemy?

"He was afraid. Iss bowed his head, "...... I was scared too. When I knew I was a dragon, I had to stay away...... I'm not afraid of the paladins you say are coming to kill me, but ...... I saw you swinging your sword at me. ”

He smiled self-deprecatingly: "At that time...... I probably didn't even notice it. ”

Alan was stunned. He wasn't surprised that Iss would be afraid of this...... He was surprised that he would admit it.

"You're becoming more and more like a human. He leaned against the door and sighed wearily, relieved and apprehensive for the first time—he himself could not be sure whether it was a compliment or something else.

Iss calmly accepted the remark and walked over to help him to the edge of his chair and sit down.

"It doesn't matter what it's like. "I know what I want...... That's enough. ”

“...... What do you want?" Alan asked involuntarily.

"I want you to live. Iss smiled at him, blonde hair glistening in the growing light, "I think you can all live in a better world—hell stinks." ”

He was confused and hesitated. His nature was preventing him from making decisions that would be foolish for a dragon...... But he was born as a human being, like a joke played by fate.

That made him an alien who couldn't even find "himself", but everything he cherished, everything that made him feel "himself", came from this.

He can't let it go - he won't let it go.

He won't take a step back.

.

At breakfast, no one asked where Nia had gone, only Akan looked for the little man who was grinning but always made him feel a little scary. But soon he was drawn to the sausages that were piled up on his plate and buried himself in his favorite battle to start the day.

Ed yawned and shoved an omelette into his mouth - his dining etiquette was getting worse, but no one cared here.

Halfway through the meal, a white shadow swept in in an elegant arc from outside the room and landed on the table.

It looked like a crow, but it was bigger than an ordinary crow, as white as snow, as light as a cloud, with a pair of red eyes as bright as jewels, standing proudly in the middle of the table full of food, looking up from side to side.

While almost everyone stared at it warily, Akan was the only one grinning and reaching for it—he loved such pretty little things the most.

The white crow pecked down unceremoniously, and the big man's thick-skinned hand instantly saw blood.

Akan retracted his hand aggrievedly, watching the big white bird pacing in front of Isis with aristocratic steps, and raised his left leg reservedly.

The muscles in the corners of Is's eyes jumped, and he untied the silver letterhead from his feet.

“...... What does that woman want to do?" Naria pouted. She had seen the bird in the crow's castle...... For Ingris's sake, she didn't intend to avenge herself, but "that woman" imprisoned her and her friends, nearly tore them to shreds by the monsters that came out of hell, and stabbed Scott like a controlled undead, unable to break free from her self-loathing for a while...... She remembered all of this!

Iss pulled the paper roll from the letter box and frowned after just one glance.

Ed walked over with the bread in his mouth, his eyes widened, "...... Woo woo?"

Naria rolled her eyes, "Talking about people!"

"Yuanzhi Valley has been attacked!"

Ed squeezed the bread in his hand and frowned like Is, "What do they want?...... No, no, if there's an attack there, won't you know right away?"

Ingris is dead, but Mulder is still there. In fact, it was the Wood Golem that maintained the defenses of the entire Yuanzhi Valley. After awakening it, Mud's "soul" was connected to Is, and if there was an attack it couldn't handle, Iss could immediately detect it.

“...... Will there be any surprises?" Naria frowned.

Ed looked at her unconsciously.

"What?" said Naria, glaring at him.

"I thought you'd say, 'That woman must be trying to trick you into going back!'" Ed confessed.

“...... Did she lie?"

“...... No. ”

"So, am I stupid?"

Ed shook his head desperately, regretting his momentary rapidity: "I! I'm stupid!"

Naria's anger was vented before it could be born. She looked down and smiled, not seeing the quick exchange of glances between Iss and her father.

Nia just said "go find the crows...... Iss felt that even he couldn't be so fast. In the same way, he didn't think the white crow would be bored enough to trick him into going back - the white crow was her doppelganger, and if it died, she would be hurt too...... Sending it thousands of miles to find her was a risk for her.

Something must have happened in the Valley of Ambition, a problem that neither she nor Mulder could solve. So, is what Niah said actually some kind of warning?

Eth hesitated for a moment. Of course he had to go back, he had sworn to Ingris that he would protect the valley, and even though Ingris was ready to completely shut down the most precious collection in the valley when he couldn't take care of it, he didn't intend to give up his oath because of it. But he instinctively felt that something was wrong...... He probably shouldn't have left at such a time.

"Let's go back and see. Alan spoke, "The woman...... Don't give up easily. ”

The power of the White Crow is obvious to all, even if she is trapped in the Enshi Valley, which is not to be underestimated - that is the woman who created the gates of hell. Just ignore it when she was probably asking for help, if she died, it would be fine, if she survived...... That would be tantamount to pushing her in the other direction entirely. Her little infatuation with Isis is definitely not worth her paranoid and fierce nature.

Isis sighed and nodded.

.

In Naria Kavo's memory, that day seemed to be the beginning of all disaster. She watched the sun shine as the ice dragon flew into the sky, and the golden sunset in the evening signaled that tomorrow would be a good day as well, and she thought about the evening's menu as she walked through the garden and saw the gray-haired fool rubbing his hands and smiling at her flatteringly...... Then he fell headlong to the ground without warning.

The sun went down in that moment. In the darkness that suddenly descended, Naria heard her uncontrollable exclamation, as terrible as a night owl.