"But," Ed replied, "it thanks you—it doesn't care what you want. ”

Sacthus raised his hand to catch a bit of starlight. It flickered at his fingertips before fading away. Countless tiny points of light fell like fine snow and seeped into his body, a generous reward from the liberated tower. Not magic, not life, but knowledge.

It remembered the first words he had spoken when he entered the place, so it gave him all the books that had been stored here in another form.

Sacthus accepted the gift in silence, though that was not the real purpose of his visit.

"Do you know why this tower was built?" he told Ed, and to the pure soul that cannot be evaluated by the virtues of man: "It is not only the eternity that Casagrande I seek, but also a thorn in the world. ”

It's so small that it doesn't hurt, but it can also be the place where the festering begins.

But the one who seduced Casagrande did not make everything go as it should. Even if they didn't know exactly what the tower meant, the humans, elves, and even the dwarves who built it were consciously or unconsciously sabotaging its elaborate plans. When it realizes that the world has not lost its power to protect itself, and realizes that this tower, this city, can no longer be its handy tool, but allows it to sink into it...... It had to throw it aside for the time being.

It turned its attention to the barren Northlands, managing with greater patience and care, obeying rather than violating the rules of the world, in the hope of being accepted rather than treated as invaders and enemies.

"At that time, even I thought, perhaps, that it would be a good choice to accept it. "Especially, when the gods are gone." Even if it would see the world as its possession, it would still be protected if it could be protected......"

Ed was silent. He remembered what Sean had said, "The world still needs the presence of gods." ”

Believing in it, following it, and surviving under its control and protection are, perhaps, really simpler and easier. The clergy rebelled because they were unwilling to go against their faith, but some of them chose Nesses...... A few months ago, in Balach, after they had dealt with the mad serpent, when the High Priest of Andukh Laval spoke of this, if the High Priest was real, the "freedom" and "faith" he insisted on, Ed had a vague feeling that it was not really a reason.

Of course, he didn't dare to say such things, but he had thought more than once that they could not accept this god, and would even rather not make one themselves, but because this one, before showing its mercy, had already shown too much self-respecting strength and cruelty.

“...... It loses patience. Ed muttered.

"Yes. Sackses repeated in a low voice, "It lost its patience...... Because Scott was sent to its eyes. ”

Ed suddenly looked up, shocked by the secret hidden in the word "send".

"I thought it was an accident. He said.

Ante didn't know what the consequences of his sacrifice would be, and neither did Lydia, who had tempted him to do it. But in fact, is that still what someone has been planning for a long time?

"What I tell you is nothing but my speculation," Sakosy said, "and I can't give you any proof...... But 'it' is indeed that after Scott returned to this world, it became more and more impatient. What is really changing in the midst of this? It is clear—more than we are, when the power of the gods is completely gone, when the rules of this world begin to crumble, it can easily get what it wants, as the 'only savior'. All it needs to do is wait, and it's been waiting for so long, why can't it wait any longer?"

“...... Because it had been hungry for a long time, someone suddenly put a piece of meat in front of its eyes. Ed said.

He starved on the Far North Ice Sheet. He knew that he could endure it when he couldn't see a trace of food in the snow, but if he smelled the aroma of food exactly, the craving for that moment would be so strong that it could almost destroy reason and consume the whole soul.

"The dragon didn't have much patience in the first place. Sacksis nodded, "The Yanlong is especially irritable. Whatever it becomes, its nature cannot be left without a little influence. ”

If this was really someone's intentional plan, that person must have been quite aware of the former Yan Dragon...... If you think about it like this, the manipulators behind it are about to come out.

However, Ed didn't want to come to such a conclusion easily, and there were some things he still couldn't figure out.

"......'The gods are gone,'" he abruptly turned the subject around, "I've heard it, again and again, but no one can answer me why. ”

"Because the gods also die. Although he did not understand why he was dwelling on this, Sachses replied to him, "Because they have done more than their duty...... and what is above power—they are not creators. They consumed their strength too quickly, and their lives came to an end too quickly...... They will return to the Sea of Nothingness, from which new gods will be born. When they perceive the threat facing the world, they are powerless. ”

"You really ...... Know a lot. Ed whispered.

Sachses smiled, not caring if it was doubt, temptation, or simple emotion: "Because I could have been one of them...... Because your goddess came to me before she left, asking me if I would like to be the guardian of this world. ”

But he refused.

Just because he's been able to hold up a sanctuary for whisperers on Whitestone for thousands of years doesn't mean he's willing to protect everyone — he's not so forgiving. The hatred left in his heart by what he experienced will be suppressed, but it will never disappear.

He showed his bloody, hateful side to the goddess who had helped him, and he understood by then that it was a part of him that he could not cut off.

"Even if you want to believe me, I can't trust myself. He told her, "I'm by no means your best choice." ”

The goddess finally left in silence.

When Felicity set foot on White Rock Island, he thought she was "the other choice" until an ice dragon and a human boy were born on the same day.

On that day he heard the precursors of destruction and the immortal life. Then he remembered that it wasn't the first time.