As the night wore on, Ed's sleepiness was gone. He walked around the room with his arms folded and anxiously moving around, his mind in confusion.

Perhaps from the moment he discovered Sersio, he should have realized that the "truth" hidden in the shadow of the temple was darker than he wanted to believe. He wishfully suspected that Sercio's captivity was some kind of radical revenge - because of the atrocities committed by his father, Joaquin Dejury, against the followers of Nesses, but he never thought that what happened in the Temple of Collins had something to do with these seemingly low-key and simple believers.

What the hell are they doing...... What exactly do they want to do?

If it weren't for Sercio's imprisonment, he would have preferred to believe that the mercenary was a murderer hiding among the believers, waiting for an opportunity, but now...... He no longer knew what to believe.

My heart was chilling for a while. From the time he heard of the nameless deity, all the doubts that he ignored or did not want to investigate for various reasons arose - a plague that only the priests of Nesses could cure, and Harriart once said, "Every believer is a knight of Nesses, and one day we will fight for him." Scott's resurrection from the dead, his distinctive spells and unusually powerful powers, Norvi's subtle warnings......

He had a splitting headache and was so distraught that he couldn't help but crouch on the ground with his head in his hands. For a moment, he almost immediately wanted to teleport himself to Stonebutch and ask Scott if he knew all this...... But apparently that was beyond his current strength.

He was dizzy for a moment, and his blood was restless. There was a throbbing pain in the back of his head, as if something was about to pull away from his body, but he was bound and couldn't break free.

The world in front of me shook. It is like a phantom reflected on the surface of the water, fluctuating with the wind. As a shadow passed through the corner of his eye, he looked up blankly, and it took him a moment to realize that it was not a leaf that had drifted in through the window in the wind—there were no trees outside his window.

The gray shadow fell to the ground, trembling silently, like a sparrow or bat shivering with cold that had just grown fluff at first glance...... The apparition fades away. After a few moments, the thing finally took on its original shape—it was just a gray cotton cloth with a knot in the middle.

Ed looked up at the open window and hesitated for a moment. Walked over and picked it up and unfolded it silently.

As he had expected, the cotton cloth had familiar handwriting, as smooth as some kind of elaborate pattern. He looked at it carefully. Again. Then he stood there in a daze, watching each letter twist and melt into the water.

That's something he shouldn't have accepted...... But you can't refuse the invitation.

Early in the morning, Ed walked through the square, which had already begun to liven up. The circular plaza is flanked by unfinished statues, all of which appear to be strong and powerful warriors, clad in armor and swords, facing the square, silently guarding the temple.

As usual. Some eyes fell on Ed with curiosity, but many more simply focused on their work without looking up. Ed walked over to a statue that had been completed. He looked up at the older warrior with a half-helmet, a dwarf-like beard. The style of the statues of the northerners is usually much rougher than that of the south, but the statues here are unusually fine, with the wrinkles on the warrior's face, the wisps of beard, the lines of the muscles on the thick neck, and the strands of scale armor on the body...... Even with his heart down, Ed involuntarily reached out and touched the quaint and simple pattern on the warrior's boots.

"This is Avila Fenton. Someone behind him enthusiastically introduced him, "Anktann was the first to accept the faith of Nesses...... No one here will probably tell you that the real Avila is a stubborn drunkard whose only achievement is the grandson of a priest who became the priest of Nesses. ”

Ed turned around, speechless.

He didn't know who the old man standing behind him looked like in the eyes of the others, spitting out sarcastic sentences in an enthusiastic tone—he had given up guessing how incredible Jay Oylan's spell was.

He hurriedly glanced at the crowd around him. No one seemed to pay much attention to them, but Ed's heart still went up and down, beating irregularly in panic and uneasiness. It was not easy for him to get rid of the overzealous Yahem, but once someone found out......

"Don't worry. Oylan glanced at him, "Even if you were to be discovered, you could have claimed to have been careless and held hostage once again - I don't think anyone would doubt that, given your performance." ”

Ed was angry for a while, but he had nothing to say, so he could only turn his head and continue to stare at the statue in a daze.

He thought that Oylan would be a little nervous and anxious when he was in danger...... But the old man just leisurely put his hands behind his back and looked up in the same posture at the earliest completed statue in the square in front of him, making Ed feel like a fool.

“...... I remember someone saying 'need to talk to me'?" Ed finally gritted his teeth.

"Ah...... That's true. Oylan seemed to have just remembered this, and said lightly, "I need your help." ”

“...... And why should I help you?!" Ed growled, making his expression less like he wanted to grab someone and beat him up.

"That's right. Oylan chuckled softly, "We seem to be enemies...... But you came as promised, proving that you don't consider the people here to be your friends—let me guess, you haven't found the poor little blonde prince yet, have you?"

Ed closed his lips and didn't answer, but the muscles in the corners of his eyes twitched involuntarily.

"You help me get Egbert in and out of the temple safely, and I'll help you rescue the boy from the Dejurys. Oylan calmly made a promise.

It's foolish to trust a necromancer who is good at controlling people's hearts...... But at this moment, Ed felt that the words spoken by the mysterious old man behind him were more than Richek...... Even more believable than what Scott said. At the very least, he will confess frankly what he has done......

"I'm sure you can walk into the temple with all your swagger, and no one will find out who you are. ”

Startled by his own thoughts, Ed said angrily, his mind tangled.

Oylan was unexpectedly silent for a few moments.

"If that were the case, I would have knocked on your door last night, without the help of Lydia Bell's spell. He said.

Ed's heart slammed down, and he almost screamed.

“...... Is Lydia really here?" he turned back in disbelief, trying to keep his voice down, and then turned his gaze back stiffly to the statue in Oylan's calm gaze, feeling his internal organs spasm.

He was only in a hurry to warn Risek about the "worst possible scenario" as a fact...... I didn't expect that to be true!

"If it weren't for her famous 'curiosity,' do you think I would have asked Egbert to do such a dangerous and pointless thing?" Oylan sneered, "and, your sluggishness is still surprising—you probably feel unwell, all thanks to me?"

“...... Isn't it?" Ed asked angrily.

"Nope. "Actually, you should thank me, Ed, if it weren't for my power locking up, you'd have become another nameless skeleton beneath this temple, and even your uncle wouldn't know where you disappeared." ”

Ed was stunned for a moment before he reacted, excited and uneasy...... and angry.

Oylan knew the secrets of this temple—probably years ago. But he doubted that the old man would not answer his question so crisply.

"I'm not going to tell you 'you don't have to take any risks,' but if you're willing to help me...... I'll help you rescue that boy and tell you a little bit about the past. Oylan calmly increased his stacks.

Ed couldn't help but be impressed—but he wasn't unaware of the price to pay.

He looked back into Oylan's eyes. Those eyes were too bright and sharp for an old man with gray hair, as if they could see through his soul...... And it seems that he doesn't bother to see through it at all.

He who has this kind of eyes is not controlled by others—Ed understood in an instant.

What Oylan wanted to do was definitely not as simple as "following Lydia's whim order to let Joan enter the temple to find out the news".

His heart was beating heavy and fast, pounding on his ribs, making the sound of war drums ringing in Ed's ears.

It's dangerous—he told himself over and over again. Even if Oylan's purpose is clearly known, such "cooperation" is extremely dangerous. No matter how much doubt there is in his heart, he is still a ...... after all The priest was even Scott Christus, the nephew of the great Sage...... Betraying everything he should have believed and followed, he teamed up with a notorious necromancer to invade the temple of Nesses - even if it was just such a thought, it was no longer "depraved...... What's more, he wasn't even sure what Oylan wanted!

He may well be nothing more than a pawn...... It is also likely that what Oylan needs is not his "help" at all, but his participation.

He must have been insane, or he had already fallen for Oylan's spell and didn't know it...... I don't know if this excuse will make him forgive when everything is revealed.

Ed smiled wryly at himself, unusually sober and calm at the moment of making his decision.

"Good. He said.

Regardless of the outcome...... He can only bear it himself.

(To be continued......)