Ed jumped over a section of rotten, moss-covered wood that fell to the ground, and slipped his toes out of the slippery mud for some distance, but only swayed slightly to regain his balance and keep running.

He couldn't help but feel a little proud, but now there was no time to stop and cheer for himself. The enemy was still in hot pursuit, and his breath and legs were already starting to weigh down.

He can't be caught.

After his stealth was lifted by the trap laid by the enemy, revealing his whereabouts, he had run far away—far away—like never before. Running through a forest full of obstacles is no easier than chasing rabbits on knee-deep snow on endless ice fields...... What's more, this time he is the prey, and there is more than one hunter.

They drove him away like a panicked deer, waiting for him to fall to the ground from exhaustion—but until then, he had to struggle.

He's exhausted all the spells that can hold his enemies back. Sleep, panic, turn the ground into a quagmire, and make the vines grow like dense cobwebs...... It turns out that trying to use these spells that don't have the ability to kill people to block enemies who are extremely agile and have an innate resistance to magic has extremely limited effect.

But that at least bought him a little time.

A spell set up a stone bridge over the crack in the ground that suddenly appeared in front of him, and after he rushed past, the stone bridge melted into the air silently like a phantom. Ed swung his cane just in time to block the branch in front of him, but it was still a whip that struck him in the face. Hot pain.

It wasn't the only wound on his body, and he had learned not to waste time treating such minor wounds.

The staff in his hand didn't help him in casting spells - it wasn't the Staff of Eternity.

The Staff of Eternity had disappeared a year ago with Bloomer Christus, the last wielding of it, who had secretly tried to find it. But it didn't work out...... It was probably not destined to belong to him.

For now, at least, he had been able to accept this calmly - calmly and bitterly.

Now in his hand was Calebrynn's cane, the black cane with a vague texture that he couldn't recognize what kind of wood it was, and the gray gem set at the top was always dull, never like it was its true owner...... That was the case when it was held in the hands of the half-elf priest. It glows as softly as the moon and stars.

That's what Eren gave him. They found the cane at the bottom of the three-storied tower, but they never could figure out why it was there...... At the end of the day, about Keller Brian. How much do they really know?

Ed had some vague guesses, but couldn't say them - he had been warned.

"Take it...... It's better than staying with me. Alan told him, his eyes twinkling in the candlelight as if he could see something in his silence, "I don't think Keller Brian minds...... No matter where he is now. ”

Ed didn't refuse.

It doesn't even have a name of its own...... Nor can they respond to his call like the Staff of Eternity. But it still made him feel a strange calm. It's like a warrior holding a sharp sword...... Even if it's not his weapon.

Give him enough time and maybe he can learn how to use it...... Or maybe he can find a way to give it back to its owner.

An arrow whizzed past his ear, startling Ed slightly, and snapping back to his senses - the enemy was catching up, and at this moment, Celebrian and his staff would not be of any help to him.

Norway often said that most of his failures were due to his inability to concentrate on one thing for long periods of time. He wanders too easily, and his thoughts always drift out uncontrollably. Thinking about all sorts of miscellaneous things rambling...... At first he was a little unconvinced—a person who couldn't concentrate couldn't have successfully cast a spell!, but now, he had to admit it. The elves probably knew him better than he did.

He panicked, and tried to rush left into a dense bush, and another arrow swooped into the dirt at his feet with a warning thud, forcing him to turn quickly to the right, and a little fire suddenly rose in his heart—did they really think of him as some beast?

He really hated the feeling of being cornered.

To the right is a ramp, and rushing upwards will only expose him to the enemy's sight without cover. But since they didn't want his life......

The mist rose from the ground and spread around him. Ed didn't like the spell - he didn't like the clammy feeling, he didn't like being trapped in the fog and couldn't see anything clearly, but his enemies couldn't see where he was as long as the spell lasted.

The mist could even absorb the sound of his footsteps, obscuring his tracks. If he could find a place to hide on the other side of the hill for a while, and let a gust of wind blow the fog south, maybe he would......

Outside the fog, an exclamation suddenly sounded.

Frightened, Ed changed direction without hesitation, stumbling through the mist he had summoned himself—it was Naria's voice!

Before realizing that the pioneer had dispersed the fog, he had already fallen, and he had almost thrown his cane. He quickly scrambled to his feet, his thoughts and his eyes clearer as the fog began to dissipate.

- He's still fooled.

There was a soft sound in the woods, and Naria brushed aside the branches and stepped out, shaking her head and sighing at him helplessly.

“...... Fool. She said, not the slightest guilt in her eyes, but a little annoyance.

She was unharmed.

Ed tugged at the corners of his mouth, smiling a little ugly. He knew he should be glad for it...... He was indeed glad for this, but the small anger in his heart also surged inexplicably.

She shouldn't have been...... They shouldn't be.

The anger came so violently and suddenly that even he was caught off guard. When he heard the wind coming behind his head, he swung his cane with his backhand without thinking.

A dull thud hit his eardrums—the cane struck someone solidly.

No, he didn't react to what he was doing in time, and his hand instinctively softened, but the cane that couldn't be held back was still not very strong, but it actually hit someone.

Ed's hand stiffened in mid-air in a strange position in the dead silence, and a chill crept up his spine, cold sweat slid down his back...... He wanted to run away, or at least look back...... But he couldn't move.

“...... Ed Singel!"

The man behind him gritted his teeth, word by word, and every syllable swelled into a terrifying roar like a dragon's roar in a murderous aura:

"How dare you smash my head?!".

(To be continued.) )