"Are you out?" Tess asked eagerly, lowering her voice.

“...... Yes. Norway replied.

"Who's that?"

Norway glanced at Ed.

"Lydia? Ed's eyes straightened, and his voice sounded like he was sleepwalking.

The spell of night vision didn't allow him to see very clearly, but he couldn't mistake the woman's walking position...... I won't mistake that charming and dangerous atmosphere.

“...... And then what?"

"She's gone. And all the stuff in the sarcophagus I touched. "Even she was careful not to touch another sarcophagus." ”

The latter sentence was apparently addressed specifically to Tess, otherwise she would most likely have strongly asked to go back and pry open another sarcophagus.

“...... And you're just watching like that, doing nothing to let her go?!" the increasingly disgruntled red-haired girl complained loudly.

"Otherwise, we can't beat her. ”

Because he was a little absent-minded, Ed's answer was extraordinarily bold.

Tess gave him a grim look, and without a sound, grabbed a small piece of flesh on the back of his hand and twisted it hard.

Ed, who hadn't been subjected to such an "attack" for a long time, screamed unexpectedly and quickly covered his mouth - Lydia should not have heard his voice...... But he really didn't expect her to be here.

Nigel lit the flame that led them to the grave, but it wasn't he who blocked the north-facing road and opened the way for them to get there.

When he discovered this, Ed realized that they weren't the only ones in the underworld. It's not Nigel who really uses them as bait.

The "unhappy priest" looked even more ugly at this moment, probably thinking of his every move, perhaps he had already fallen into the eyes of the famous necromancer leader...... He exchanged "death" for "disappearing". Suddenly it became a joke.

"Is this some kind of hell temptation?" Narya guessed with some unease, "was that ghost summoned by her, if she could even do that......"

"That's what I'm trying to say!" Tess exclaimed angrily, "I don't know what's in the sarcophagus, I don't want to know, even if it is related to that damn name, even if it is an artifact that can be exchanged for the entire continent, it is absolutely cursed, I don't want to touch it! But we shouldn't leave anything behind! Even if we can't touch the sarcophagus...... Can't we just let the rocks on both sides collapse, smash them all to pieces, and throw them into the water and go to hell?!"

Pent-up anger and fear seeped out of her faster, sharper and sharper voice—Ankeland, an unexpected name that probably brought back too many bad memories that made her extra sensitive and irritable.

“...... Tess. Norway whispered her name. Gently and firmly embraced her into his arms, "Remember how I told you? It will have power. Ankeland ...... It's just an elf that has been dead for thousands of years, a city that has disappeared for thousands of years. ”

“...... Can you explain it in more detail?" Nigel said dryly, oblivious to the sudden eerie atmosphere in front of him.

That's an overly long "explanation".

Ed recounts the story he heard from Is, thousands of years ago: an elven mage who was obliterated for creating creatures like gods. He returned to his son in a shocking way after years of disappearance. Ankland. His might, his brilliant achievements, and the city that bears his name, built in a short period of time, and then destroyed silently, even the existence of which was denied.

Naria tells Nigel about the tragic "adventure" of Alan and his friends, and Norway briefly talks about how they rediscovered the ruins of the city...... And because of this, he was hunted down and killed by his own clan.

"For your own safety, whether the curse really exists or not. 'Ankeland' is not a name that can be mentioned casually. The elf added cautiously.

Nigel glanced at him faintly.

"Do I look like a man with so many mouths?" he asked rhetorically.

There was no expression on his face from beginning to end, which made Ed a little apprehensive.

"You have ...... What do you want to ask?" he said cautiously.

Nigel was silent for a few moments. But he asked a question that no one expected: "This 'Ankeland'...... Is it really 'dead'?"

Everyone looked at each other and was speechless for a while.

That's probably the question everyone wants to know - it's so simple, but no one can give a definite answer.

Even if Anclan hadn't died as quietly as the other elves in the city, he wouldn't have survived until now. Elves are a long-lived race, but they can only live for more than a thousand years at most, and it has been at least five thousand years since the fall of Ankeland City.

However, once necromancy is involved...... Especially when Lydia first appeared here, everything suddenly became unpredictable.

Ed subconsciously thought of the "elf" who tried to take his body. He had reason to suspect that it was Ankeland, but he hesitated for a moment, but still didn't say anything - he didn't have any evidence, and, honestly, the "elf"...... It doesn't feel like he can fight the entire elven kingdom on his own, or even betray his innate beliefs...... He lacked that momentum.

If that's Ankeland, he'll probably ...... A little disappointed?

But it is undeniable that it is indeed possible that Ankeland still "exists" in some form.

“...... Maybe...... It's not dead......" Ed muttered.

Everyone nodded in unison.

"Is there anyone else who can die well?" Naria sighed with mixed expressions, "I used to think that death and resurrection were just legends, but I saw Borena die and come back to life, and I heard Scott say that he himself was dead and burned, but he was still alive in front of me...... And now, an elf who should have been dead for thousands of years is still alive? What the hell is going on in this world......

She had a similar feeling, and if there was still surprise and awe in her heart at that time, it would have mostly turned into worry at this moment.

"That's it. Tess nodded in agreement, "Although I also want to live for thousands of years or simply not die, but to die is to die, to live is to live, can you not be so messy and have no rules at all!"

This sentence is also messy, but it makes people want to nod unconsciously.

"And," Nigel calmly threw out another, more inexplicable question: "Is 'Ankland' a name or a surname?"

“...... Name. Norway replied with a puzzled expression, "There doesn't seem to be such a surname among the elves...... Nor does a mother call her son by her last name. ”

"So, what's his last name?"

"Does that make sense?" Tess asked impatiently.

"Maybe not. Nigel remained expressionless, "But a mother, even if she has become a ghost, would not see an elf and think of her as her own son, would she?" ”

"What do you want to say?" the elf frowned slightly.

"I haven't seen many elves. Nigel glanced at him, "But I know that not all elves are blonde and green-eyed...... Isn't it?"

Norway looked at him in a daze, his eyes strange.

"I don't believe you can't see it, though you obviously don't want to admit it. The priest looked around at each of the delicately expressed faces, and at last he said bluntly and without hesitation: "Your elf does look like that female ghost. ”

There was a dead silence.

Tess stared at him with a gloomy face, as if in the next moment she would draw her dagger and pounce on him, digging a few holes in him - but he was telling the truth.

"So what?" said Naria, exasperated, "Is it wrong to happen to look alike?"

"Chancely"...... Norway smiled wryly, he wanted to deceive himself like this, but perhaps from the moment he saw that familiar face, he realized that something was beyond his control.

He suddenly remembered that someone had told him that "there are no 'accidents,' never." ”

...... Keller Brian.

The proud and powerful half-elf priest seems to be able to calmly accept the arrangement of fate.

An indescribable panic permeated the bottom of my heart. The elves have always been confident in their own destiny, even in Grivar's unseen prison and in the face of death...... But that may have been nothing more than his self-righteous delusion.

"The last Sunstrider will follow in his footsteps, the dead of Ankland will dance between his fingers, and the world will end before his eyes. ”...... Payne Ginleaf's voice rang in his ears again—the prophecy he had tried so hard to forget, or tried to convince himself that it had nothing to do with him, might be a curse he couldn't shake off.

“...... What do you know?" he asked reluctantly, his voice snarking.

"I don't know anything. Nigel replied, "I just say what I see, and it's not for me to decide what that means." ”

As Tess tried to break free of Norvi's arm and pounced on him with the dagger into his neck, the priest calmly stood up and patted his already unclean gray robe, "Farewell, then, everybody. ”

“...... Didn't you just say you'd tell us why you're here?" Narya glared at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"I said, 'Yes,' I will consider it. Nigel replied without changing his face, "Now I've thought about it—no." ”

Nalya gritted her teeth and reached for the hilt of her sword without a word.

"But in exchange for a good story......," Nigel pulled out a dusty pouch and threw it into Ed's arms, "you might be able to use it." ”.

(To be continued......)