Pushing open the door of the small reception room of the missing Paladin's leader, Ed sincerely hoped for a moment that St. Shaun would miraculously appear in front of him, even if the next moment he would unceremoniously tell Ed how much trouble the heavy rain had caused to the temple last night, and the calm voice without a hint of rebuke was enough to make Ed feel embarrassed......

The illusion flashed in his mind, and the first thing that caught Ed's eye was Alan Cavo's tired face. The white-haired old man sat at the table, half-leaning on his crutches, his swollen eyes were blue and black, and it was obvious that he had not had a good rest for a long time.

The spontaneous guilt caused Ed to swallow back the "what did you find" that was about to blurt out.

“...... What are you standing there in a daze?" Isis looked back at him and beckoned impatiently, "Come here!"

Ed hurriedly walked over, his eyes swept over the dozens of arrows of different lengths on the table, and he was slightly stunned.

"See something?" asked Allen.

Ed picked up an arrow and said hesitantly, "They...... It's all different?"

There is no uniform specification for arrows thrown on the table. Some are clearly elaborate murderous weapons with different markings, while others are more like homemade by hunters in the forest, simple but functional. The only thing that is the same is that there are many scratches on the body of the arrows, both old and new, which have obviously been used many times, and the black stains on the tips of the arrows seem to be clean again......

A sudden thought made Ed shudder, and with a shake of his hand, he threw the arrow back on the table.

“...... Do you think they were plucked from the dead?"

Ed rubbed his fingers awkwardly, "Isn't it?"

Eren shook his head, "We can't even be sure if it was the necromancer who created those gray fogs last night. ”

In order to avoid further accidents, Browder only let some paladins stick to the plains last night. More men were sent early this morning to carefully search the forest with Alan's adventurer friends.

The heavy rain left the forest in shambles, and they found little useful to find it...... Except for the gray mud all over the floor. And the excessively delicate and sticky mud proved Gavin's guess that the "juggler" who had saved the Goddess of Dawn with a small dagger last night.

Those gray fogs that resemble death fog. Not born of some evil spell - or at least not all.

Gavin is a warrior himself, but usually prefers to wander around as a vaudeville. He knew that some of the wandering troupes in the Mid-South would dry a plant called "Jason's Beard" and grind it into powder, mix it with other things, and press it into a cake shape, lighting it if necessary to create a smoke effect on stage without choking the actors and the audience to tears.

The cigarette cake didn't smell much, but when it was wet with water, it became slimy, like the mud in the forest that had stuck everyone's foot. It's just a little lighter in color.

Gavin was sure it was something similar, but he couldn't explain what the men had done last night to get the gray fog that surrounded the plains to pour out in a steady stream.

"A little trick. Add a little more spell...... Probably. He speculated with his hands folded.

Browder believes that the enemy is still Lydia and her necromancers. Aside from them and their enemies, not many people knew so much about the form of the Death Mist - most of the ordinary people who saw it were dead.

"If it's Lydia, and she's trying to distract us with the gray mist. Take the opportunity to take Sean and Borena...... Then this time she was a big success. Alan pinched his forehead. "It's surprising that she didn't leave any conspicuous marks to laugh at us." ”

"I'd say necromancers aren't good at archery. Iss flicked the arrow in his hand and said nonchalantly, "The undead will not ...... And those who are hidden in the gray fog will obviously have the same effect on their vision, and the arrows will still shoot accurately, even if you foolishly reveal your position with the holy light first...... That's not something that ordinary people can do. ”

“...... That's not 'stupid'!" rushed out in an angry retort. Ed's hand slammed on the table.

Tim's body was still lying there...... He would not allow anyone to insult the sacrifice of that young priest like this!

Iss closed her lips and glared at him silently. There was a flash of anger in his eyes.

Ed involuntarily flinched, his head hanging in a fluster. He didn't want to quarrel with Isse again...... Not now...... I don't want to think about it at any time!

Alan cleared his throat and changed the subject in time: "Is...... Did you see something in the fog?"

Ed pricked up his ears apprehensively.

Last night, when the ice dragon flew low across the plains and waved away the mist with his wings, he had also vaguely seen the figure passing by in the fog, and with Is's eyesight, he might see it more clearly than he did......

“...... It's nothing. Is's tone was cold and stiff, "I just want to tell you that even if Lydia is really behind it, she probably has more than just the shady mages and the dead." If you still think that the enemy can only haunt in the dark...... Sooner or later, you will lose even more. ”.

"Is!"

Ed caught up a few steps, grabbed his friend's belt, and thanked him honestly: "I'm sorry......"

His grumpy friend didn't leave in a rage at once, but stayed until the end, nodding his head and agreeing that Alan would fly farther away to see if there was any unusual movement around him, so that the little anger in Ed's heart immediately turned into infinite gratitude and guilt.

“...... Why?" said Is, squinting back at him.

“...... Because I...... Slap the table on you?" Ed replied dumbfounded, unable to understand the meaning of the question.

Isis shook his head, clearly angry: "I know why you're angry, you don't need to apologize to me for this...... But that doesn't mean I'm not angry, and it's still stupid to expose myself to the enemy defenselessly without figuring out the situation!"

Ed could only look at him even more blankly—what was he trying to say, why didn't he understand at all?

"That's it...... Don't always apologize, okay?" Iss awkwardly reached out to his forehead and gently pushed him away. "Don't always be so cautious as if you're afraid of breaking something...... Unless you think our friendship is such a fragile thing. ”

There was a faint pain somewhere in my heart. Ed let go of his hand and watched in amazement as Iss stepped into the sunlight and turned back into an ice dragon with wings spread and flew away. I couldn't figure out how to respond.

"Sage...... Sage?"

Eric's voice pulled him back from his trance.

The young paladin bowed to him, his expression unconsciously restrained: "Sage...... Mistress Sanks asked me to remind you that you said you wanted to attend Tim's funeral......"

"Now?" asked Ed, confused and uneasy, "so soon, doesn't there need a vigil, has his relatives arrived?"

“...... He was a priest, a saint. Eric looked at him with some confusion, "Die for your duty...... His soul has its own resting place, and it doesn't need much rituals. His relatives are a wandering family in the Southwest Wastelands. I don't have a fixed place to live, and it will probably take a lot of time to find them......"

“...... I understand. Ed hung his head, "Take me." ”

He still hates to face death. But you can only learn to accept. After all, even as a saint, he couldn't save every life that was lost - he couldn't afford that.

The Collins Temple is a very old temple of water, but today it is an imposing white marble building on the lake. But it is only more than 100 years old.

People have long forgotten the original small one. Quietly towering over the limestone temple on an island in the middle of the lake, once devotees could only reach it by boat through the perennial fog around it. The few clergy in the temple never asked about the world, and rarely even left the island, but no one could deny their great power.

The rulers of the previous dynasty, the family of Christus, were devout followers of the god of water. Before establishing their own dynasty. They gave the Plains of Collins, their former domain, to the Temple. When the Chrissian dynasty fell more than two hundred years ago, the new rulers wanted to reclaim this rich land. In desperation, the new king once again recognized Collins as a sacred place belonging to the god of water. Decades later, a white-haired, girl-like priest came to the shore of Lake Starnestle, dispelled the mist with a slender cane, and walked to the heart of the mysterious holy place on the island in the lake.

Before that, the white-haired female pastor had already made a name for herself.

The new Collins Temple, completed with the help of her friend, the Black Rock Dwarf, is elegant, beautiful, and imposing, but no longer far from the dust. Whether you are a believer in the god of water or not, you can come here and ask for guidance and help...... As its fame began to spread far and further to the southern islands, the ancient and mysterious little temple was gradually forgotten.

But it hasn't gone away.

It still stood in its place, still hidden from time to time by mist, and even from the new temple, it could only be reached by boat, where a taciturn old priest lived alone, accompanied by the bodies of all the departed clergy.

It is now only the burial ground of the Temple of Collins.

The priests and paladins bid farewell to their departed companions at the small dock behind the temple. Tim's body is placed in a small white boat, and by simply untying the cable, the boat will slowly drift to the island on its own, where a priest and a paladin will accompany the boat to see the deceased on their final journey.

It was a sacred and quiet ritual. Brief prayers replaced mournful weeping, rippling waves replaced burning herbs, and the weight on Ed's heart was not lightened as he looked down at Tim's serene sleeping face.

"May I take him to the cemetery?" he asked Browder in a low voice.

Browder looked at him, hesitated for a while, and finally bowed his head: "...... As you wish. ”.

(To be continued......)