"The thing...... It's a bit complicated. Ed rubbed his hands together in embarrassment and laughed, "You might have a hard time believing ......"

"I've lived for hundreds of years. Mock smiled at him, "I've seen a lot of unbelievable things. ”

"If you really want to hide it from him, you should crouch on my shoulder and nibble on a cookie with me," Tess slipped over and poked the meerkat on the top of the head, "instead of listening here to a story from a mongoose who once put you in a bag—a story you've already heard once." ”

“...... I didn't pretend it. Mock said.

Tess's eyes widened innocently, "Really, I can't even remember what happened so long ago!"

The mongoose, which was slowly retracting a ball, stood up straight again, froze for a moment, and finally raised its little paw firmly.

"I'm the Norwe? It struggled to gesticulate, "The elf you saw...... He took my body. ”

Yes, that's his body. For Tess ...... And the friends who still treat him as a Novi day-chaser, it can only be his body.

.

Novi had to spend a moment talking to his dwarven friends who weren't too surprised, and Ed took the opportunity to sneak into the kitchen.

The small kitchen is full of aromas. In addition to the taste of sweet snacks, there is also the creamy aroma of the pan, the half-cooked fish on the grill, and the sizzling sausages in the frying pan......

Ed had never known that just one person could be so lively in a busy kitchen - Tess certainly couldn't help anything but eliminate the various small snacks piled aside.

Naria's forehead was already covered with tiny beads of sweat, and she didn't pause for a moment because of his presence, smooth and graceful enough to almost dance. She looked happy and contented, and Ed looked at it for a moment, shamefully admitting that he didn't seem to be able to intervene at all.

But he didn't want to leave, so he had to stand aside and watch silently.

Naria was busy going around and couldn't seem to pay attention to him. But it wasn't long before her rhythmic movements slapped wildly, and she bumped into the corner of the table when she turned around, and touched the wrong bottle when she picked up the spices...... Then she turned her head and glared at Ed fiercely.

Ed looked back at her nervously and blankly—he had shrunk far enough to not even say a word, would he still bother her?

Naria rolled her eyes in resignation, took a deep breath, turned around, and resumed her rhythm.

"What's the catch?" she asked, without looking back.

"Yes!" said Ed, "I brought back from Kurtia a belt they made of the skin of an animal that we didn't have here, with a lot of delicate little bags on it......"

Mages weren't the only ones who liked the belt, Naria liked it too—it was used for all sorts of spices.

But Naria doesn't seem to like it very much at this time. She blushed again and glared back at him: "I didn't ask this!"

“...... Oh. Ed wilted.

He actually knew what Nalya wanted to ask, but he didn't want to be in such a fragrant and beautiful ...... He and Narya were the only ones in the kitchen talking about it.

Just the two of them - such a time, think about it, from ...... After that, it was pitiful.

He touched his fingers in a daze, and suddenly remembered that two years ago, even the middle-aged man who came to rob him said, "You are not even married......!

- That was two years ago.

He really didn't like to wear rings, but at least one of them, he really wanted to wear them...... I don't know if there is a chance......

Maybe he looked too aggrieved, even a little sad. When he pulled himself together and wanted to speak seriously about their "harvest", Naria stabbed a piece of lavender with a knife and shoved it into his mouth accurately.

Tess, who had just slipped to the door, raised her eyebrows, slowly curled the corners of her mouth, and slipped away silently.

.

Although he was kicked out of the kitchen by Narya after not staying long, the exhaustion from the long journey on Ed's face had been swept away, and every step was so cheerful that it looked like he was about to jump.

Tess grimaced at him with disdain, and Ed only gave her a dazzling smile back.

Then he discovers that Isis is gone.

Tess pointed upstairs at him, frowning and not knowing what to say.

Norway was still gesturing with the meerkat's little paws, and Tess had to explain this particular "sign language" to Mork from time to time. Ed felt that he was of little use here for the time being, and thinking about Is's strange expression just now, he suddenly became a little worried.

He climbed upstairs. Isis didn't go back to his room, he just stood by the window at the corner of the stairs and looked down...... Own hands?

“...... Any questions?"

He asked in a whisper.

Iss looked at him with a complicated expression for a long time, and then asked him, "Where is your cane?"

.

After letting go of the Staff of Eternity, Iss spread out his hand, and another trace gradually emerged from a red mark that seemed to have been burned, as if some kind of insect was crawling by, leaving a light gray-green color.

Ed stared at the disgusting color and almost jumped: "How could it be ......"

How could it be that it's still here?!

It was a symbol that he and Iss had drawn to pretend to be a necromancer to burrow into their cave. The one in his hand was gone when he left the cave, but the one in Is's hand caused him to fall unconscious. He thought Keller Brian had erased it......

Ed grabbed it—he could make it disappear completely!

However, the symbol seemed to be different from the one on Mork's forehead. The symbol on the dwarf's head was not only painted on his skin, but also on his soul, but it was only "painted" after all, and he could easily erase it, but he could not completely erase the one in Is's palm.

It seems to be entangled with another force.

When he tried to go further...... He felt like he had suddenly fallen into the cold, dark ocean floor.

It's not absolutely dark. There is a little strange light flickering around, like the scattered stars, but they have more colorful colors than the stars, and in the depths of those constantly changing lights, there seems to be something hidden that clearly does not belong to this world, but is imprinted in it...... Something connected to that symbol he couldn't erase.

Tremendous pressure came from all sides. He couldn't see anything clearly, but he felt as if he was going to be devoured by a giant beast, and he could almost feel the sharp claws piercing his soul......

Then he was slammed out.

The sunlight by the window still has a slight warmth. Is's hand was still clutched by him, but his eyes were so fierce that it looked like he was about to open his mouth and swallow him whole.

“...... Is this what the Book of the Dead taught you?" He gritted his teeth and growled, "How dare you peek into the soul of a dragon?!"

"It's not...... I didn't ......" Ed stammered, not knowing how to tell.

Iss closed his eyes, trying to suppress his involuntary outburst of anger. Of course he knew that Ed was just trying to help him...... So, what else could he do?

“...... What do you see?" he asked, stiffly.