Fingertips slid across the thick pages, and the first thing that popped into Ed's mind was the necromancy he had used. If Brooke's death had been for some purpose, he might have read the book before he died, which prompted him to make a decision......

It's dangerous, and he knows it himself. It's just that it's a simple spell that's not very stable, but it doesn't require any dark materials or spells—it's almost just a thought of it. Most of the spells in the Book of the Dead are like this, but the results are always a little difficult to control, unlike the mage's spells, which can get a stable effect under precise calculations.

...... Why is that?

And beyond this unanswerable question, suddenly, like a bolt of lightning, illuminates the darkness that he had turned a blind eye to...... Another question came to his mind.

Because every spell he casts is so handy that he doesn't know what he used to be, he unconsciously ignores this - everyone thinks that the necromancer's power comes from trading with demons...... He certainly hadn't made any deals with the demons, so ...... Why was he able to use necromancy so without any obstacles?

His heart slammed and ached, and the panic instantly dispersed like a cold mist. He knew that his strength might not come from faith like a normal priest, but more likely from his bloodline...... But isn't his bloodline, the bloodline of the Chrissus family, derived from the god of water?

What's the problem?

“...... Ed?"

A slightly cool hand pinched his nose, allowing him to break free from shock and fear as he suffocated.

"What are you doing in a daze?" the ignored ice dragon narrowed his eyes warily, "...... Is there anything you should tell me?"

- A lot. Ed thought blankly.

And he had to figure out which ones he had to face alone.

Familiar footsteps sounded outside the door. Iss quickly let go, acting as if nothing had happened.

“...... What are you doing?"

Naria poked her head out of the door and looked at them suspiciously.

Ed rubbed the tip of his reddened nose pitifully, and stole a glance at Is.

"I ...... The nose is a little itchy. In Is's silent threat, he stumbled in reply.

Naria raised an eyebrow. This careless perfunctory obviously made her very dissatisfied, but before she spoke, as if she suddenly remembered something, her eyes flickered slightly, and she looked away unnaturally, not asking the truth with the usual momentum.

"Bertram, they're back. She said, looking even more embarrassed than Ed, "I just made a soufflé...... Would you like to have something to eat?"

She ran away without waiting for them to answer. Ed stared at Iss in confusion.

“...... What are you going to do?" he asked, "what's wrong with her?"

Iss gave him a strange look and didn't answer.

.

As a group of people sat around the long table, chatting with each other by the bright candlelight and fragrant soufflés—for most of the time Bang Bu chattered with everyone—no matter what the shadows were, they seemed to fade away.

This kind of normal, warm time was a kind of salvation for Ed, especially as it became harder and harder for him to enjoy. He smiled and listened to everyone's every word, no matter how boring. The chill that lingers in the bone marrow, even if it never disappears at this moment, can be ignored.

The repair of the Unicorn is almost complete. Ed could actually use a spell to rejuvenate that light and smooth sailboat in the blink of an eye...... He didn't think Terry could do it, but no one asked them to do it. This group of adventurers treats magic like Alan, of course, they must use it boldly when necessary, and they will not give everything to magic when they are not necessary.

Ed looked at the little mage with a freckled face. These days, Terry didn't circle around him like a clingy little milk dog, but instead seemed to avoid him. There's nothing wrong with that, if they get too close, who knows when they'll unconsciously talk about something they shouldn't be talking about?

Terry was holding a piece of soufflé rabbit in small bites and nibbling quickly, his eyes were blank, and he looked like he was out of the world, but when he noticed his gaze, he froze very obviously, probably accidentally choking, and suddenly coughed violently, coughing all over his face.

Gischel, who was sitting next to him, reached out and patted him on the back with an impatient expression, but the movements were gentle. Ed retracted his gaze, a little helpless, a little funny, and a little vaguely stunned.

Bertram sat on Ed's right-hand side, squinting thoughtfully. He had seen early on that Terry's involuntary closeness to Ed, who he was supposed to be unfamiliar with—he looked at Ed the way Behring looked at him when he was a child, with longing and admiration, and his heart softened. Of course, it won't just be because Ed bears the name of a "Sage".

He was actually a little jealous and very curious, but the little mage who didn't seem to care about anything couldn't force a word to say if he didn't want to.

He turned his head sideways and whispered to Ed as he turned the conversation around very casually, and for some reason he talked about the barbarians.

Born in the north, Bertram was familiar with the barbarians. He even led the army of the Greon family, and at the call of the king, fought several battles with the invading barbarians in the Castle Forest. In his opinion, those barbarians were not at all as stupid as the legend suggested, and beasts could only be their enemies.

"They always come and rob, not just for money. "I've heard that they want our women more...... Barbarians have a hard time having children, and although human women are no better, and there may be more deaths due to difficult births, if they give birth to daughters, they can smoothly give birth to strong and intelligent offspring. So, speaking of which, many of the barbarians who are fighting around the ice fields now may actually have human blood, but no one on either side wants to admit it. ”

It is indeed an unacceptable shame to be unable to protect a woman, but what has already happened, only to face it with fighting and the accumulation of deeper and deeper hatred, in fact, does not do any good to both parties.

He mentioned to his father that there might be another way to settle the fight with the barbarians, and it was not surprising that he was scolded bloody.

"But the current king may have a better way. He said he did not hide his admiration for Borena. Although he is far away from his homeland and willfully lives the life he wants, he also has a deep nostalgia for that land.

He also said this because he knew that Ed's relationship with the barbarians was not bad—he had rescued their people from the cave of necromancy, which was not easily forgotten for the barbarians who had gratitude and revenge. Speaking of barbarians, he also hoped that one day, with their joint efforts, the Anktann and the barbarians would also have the possibility of living in peace. After all, surviving in that vast and cold land was not an easy task in the first place......

But at the moment, Ed's reaction was completely unexpected.