Scott raised his right hand and glanced at it, but said nothing.

He didn't know how to explain it...... It is also impossible to explain at all.

“...... Let's go back first. He said.

He expected Isis to be the same as before, silently not asking if he didn't get an answer, but this time, the ice dragon didn't seem to intend to let him go again.

"Tell me what the hell is going on! I don't think you're the kind of stupid mage who throws fireballs at yourself without any defense!" it looked down at him, its voice filled with pent-up anger and anxiety, "You'll have to tell me one day...... Or are you going to say nothing like this forever, so that I don't know anything until the day you disappear again?!"

“...... You don't understand. Scott reluctantly spoke.

"Then let me understand!" the ice dragon roared angrily, a huge roar that buzzed in his ears, "How can I understand if you're just prevaricating with a hellish excuse like 'I don't want to lie to you so I can't tell you?!"

Scott was a little dizzy from the yelling, and in his spontaneous irritability, he waved his hand without thinking and roared, "Enough!"

- He swung out his sword-holding hand, and the sharp sword slashed through the ice dragon's jaw, leaving a line of blood.

The ice dragon closed its mouth, its golden eyes getting brighter and brighter, and its pupils shrunk into a thin line.

The killing intent felt in a moment made Scott secretly frightened, and he involuntarily took a step back and quickly withdrew his sword.

"Is......" he called softly, his left hand reaching out to try to calm the enraged dragon.

The ice dragon tilted its head back to avoid it. Without a sound, he turned around, flapped his wings, and flew away in the ashes that were raised in the sky.

Scott's eyes narrowed. Watching it fly higher and higher without looking back, I couldn't help but sigh lowly.

He stood there for a moment, a little less remembered when he left the Black Tower. Alan hadn't woken up yet, Nalya was cowering in the corner in a daze, and Nia seemed to be calling at him, but he didn't hear it at all......

He didn't really want to go back. At this moment, he didn't want to face anything, he just wanted to find a quiet place to stay alone...... But even his former homeland. They no longer belong to him.

He looked up a little dazed in the rushing wind, only to see a pair of huge claws fall on his head, and grab him whole. Rush into the sky.

-- It's a quiet place.

Scott smiled bitterly to himself as he struggled to find a more comfortable position, silently healing the criss-crossing scars on the ice dragon's massive body, watching the sunlight fall on its bloodstained silver-white scales. and the blue sky after passing through the clouds. Calm down a little.

By the time he was unceremoniously thrown into the temple's backyard, the scorch marks on his hands had almost completely disappeared. He rolled over and watched as the dragon flapped its wings and stopped in mid-air, bowing its head to him.

"Since you won't say anything, I'll have to find the truth myself. ”

The enraged Ice Dragon's deep voice sounded almost like a threat.

Scott was stunned for a moment, then suddenly panicked.

"Is......" he opened his mouth to try to stop it, but could not find any reason to convince it, and could only watch it rush into the sky again.

"Seeing it, it won't even listen to you. I was relieved. Someone behind him teased in a laughing voice, "I thought he hated me...... Children are always less obedient when they grow up. It's really sad. ”

Scott glared back at the gloating thief, not wanting to continue the conversation at all.

"What about Eren and Naria?" he asked.

"I threw them home. Rest assured, Eren is awake, and I think they'll be fine, but maybe you'll have to find time to explain to the lovely queen why the three-storied pagoda shook like she was drunk...... Thankfully, it didn't really collapse, it just looked weirder. ”

Scott involuntarily glanced up at the tall tower not far away, and for a moment he couldn't see any difference.

"And......" Nia's feet moved uneasily, "the crystal...... Are you still there?"

Scott nodded, knowing that sooner or later they would have to talk about it.

"If I give it to you, what will you do with it?" he asked calmly.

Nia was silent for a moment before replying, "Give it to Manisha—just as I promised her." ”

“...... So you should also understand why I can't give it back to you. Scott looked straight at him, "It's a door that has been opened, it's more dangerous than ever, and if it falls into the hands of a demon, who knows what she's going to do with it?"

“...... Even if I told you that it would trade me for my freedom, you probably wouldn't budge?" Nya smiled wryly.

"I'll set you free—but I can't risk a demon controlling such power. Scott replied in a low voice.

Nia looked at him quietly for a few moments.

"You can't control everything, Scott Criess. He whispered, "Even God can't control everything...... Besides, you are not God. ”

"I know. Scott replied.

He knows this better than Niya...... He just wouldn't give up struggling.

"I'll set you free. He made a promise to his friend, word for word, "Nia Meyer, I don't care what the hell you're coming back for...... I'll do this for you. ”

“...... I know. Niawe smiled, "I'm sure you can do it, too." ”

But his smile was filled with indelible sadness and helplessness.

As a young master who was nurtured and raised from a young age, Ed Singal was rightfully afraid of pain. Even after many adventures and several serious injuries, "pain" was still something difficult for him to accept.

But now, at last, he realized that there were some things that were more unbearable than "pain" in terms of physical sensations alone - for example, itching.

After another sleepless night. Ed dragged his corpse-heavy body to the mirror, staring at his gray face and blue bags in the mirror, trying to restrain himself from trying to cut the back of his head open with a knife. The urge to scrape hard a few times on the bone.

The day before, the back of his head, which had always been swollen and painful, had begun to itch, and it was rapidly getting more and more itchy. The itch that went deep into the bone marrow and couldn't scratch it anyway made him almost crazy. It didn't take long for him to scratch the scalp out of the blood, and it turned out to be painful on the outside and itchy on the inside, so uncomfortable that he almost wanted to roll on the ground and cry.

But he held back—it almost made him respect himself.

He washed his face with cold water, and his bloodless skin was slightly flushed under the stimulation of the cold water, and he looked a little more energetic. Then he carefully wiped the dried blood from his neck. Wrapping his neck and the back of his head with a thick scarf, he looked back at his bed when he was about to go out to breakfast with everyone, and then quickly threw himself over and folded the quilt and pressed it on the pillow to cover the blood that had rubbed on it—this would sooner or later be exposed. But he really didn't want to attract more attention now, after all, he was already eye-catching enough here, and it really didn't help him with the sneaky things he was going to do.

He didn't know how many people really believed the story he made up. When returning to the temple with Rosa. The silent crowd waiting in front of the temple made his heart beat so fast that it almost burst out of his chest. He insisted that he had no idea how he had left the temple and how he had returned to the ruined city. Given that he only had one shoe on his foot. The other remained in his room, and Risek looked more puzzled than suspicious, only asking with concern if he was hurt or what he saw...... But to Rosa, they weren't so polite.

The Anktann people have a lack of respect for women in the first place, let alone a woman who has infiltrated the believers as a spy...... Ed had heard more than one person whispering with hatred about Rosa as Gloria—the necromancer who had managed to fool everyone, but thankfully, Rosa had enough strength to defend herself and enough strength to deal with the malice around her. At least. Risek couldn't do anything about her blatantly, after all, she was now Borena Dejuri. Anketann's "envoy" to His Majesty the King, and Ed Singhal, nephew of Sage Scott Christus, was her guarantor.

It was Ed's idea, and he couldn't let Rosa stay in the ruined city. No one knows if Lydia and the others are still hiding in the shadows of the ruins of the city, a danger that a warrior like Rosa cannot face alone, not to mention, if she disappears like this, the two corpses in the secret passage will make Risek and them not hesitate to regard her as an enemy...... Although she did it.

Ed could only change the purpose of her presence - not to find Sergio, but to confirm for Borena which side of the Nesses' followers were in the war that was spreading throughout Anktan, and that his fears were not unfounded—his father had ordered the killing of many of them.

“...... We are not on either side. Risek told Rosa, "We just want to protect ourselves, our faith and our families." ”

"I have learned this, and am preparing to leave and go back to inform Your Majesty. Rosa smiled in response, "It's just a little curious about that elven city...... Of course, I didn't expect to meet Ed there. ”

“...... When did you leave the temple?" Risek looked at her suspiciously, "I told the patrolmen that no one was allowed to come in after dark. ”

"In your eyes, a woman is probably not a human being. There was a hint of mockery on Rosa's lips, "Besides, I'm not so easy to spot. ”

Ed interjected in a panic as the atmosphere became tense, and succeeded in getting Risek to prove that they had no intention of opposing Borena's rule, and to make Rosa a guest of the temple—a guest under close surveillance.

The story he hastily made up was full of holes, and he didn't know how much Risek believed...... But he has at least diverted people's attention from him a lot. With Rosa in danger and hostility as his shield, he must find out about Sercio's whereabouts as soon as possible.

(To be continued......)