Spring is supposed to be the most beautiful season in the Collins Plains, but now, everything is lost in the fog.

You can only see something within two steps. The plants grew wildly in the excessive moisture, and the huge leaves were so green and black, but the flowers were small and messy, and they were as white as the faces of dead people. Ed had to reach out and push away the overgrown sage, hypericum, and grass cardamom, and step deep and shallow through the mud.

There are large and small pools of water hidden in the grass, and if you are not careful, you will step into them. Ed had already tucked the hem of his overly long coat into his belt, but he couldn't stop the sewage from pouring into his boots, and the sound of the crackling made him distracted.

This plain, once known as the Holy Land...... It has completely turned into a swamp full of dangers.

Norway told him that no one had set foot in the plains since several lucky groups of people had spent days returning to the place where they had set out, and Ed had always felt that he was not alone in the fog.

The sound of footsteps stuck in the mud and pulled out was so clear that it was piercing, and there always seemed to be some other sound beyond that. But when Ed stopped and listened vigilantly, he heard nothing. When a dark shadow suddenly appeared in the fog, he instinctively drew his sword, but what was revealed in the slightly dispersed mist was only an elk.

It was a stag, with its wet short-haired dark color, and its branch-like antlers picking at the stray blades of grass, and looked at him quietly, and then walked away slowly.

The animals of the Collins Plains have never been afraid of people...... But Ed didn't expect them to be here, calm and serene. It's as if it's business as usual.

Ed was stunned for a moment, then silently put away his sword.

Animals have much sharper instincts than humans...... Maybe it wasn't as dangerous as he thought it was. Those fears were in his heart, not in the fog around him.

He quickened his pace. Towards noon, the white stone bridge leading to the Temple of Collins was found.

He walked around the square for a while, and was surprised to find that the fountain in the square was still spraying water on its own, and in the sound of the mooring water, small splashes of water splashed on his face.

He didn't know what was wrong with him...... The splash seemed to fall on a corner of his heart, and his eyes were hot for a moment. I almost burst into tears.

The voices that have long since faded in my ears gradually sounded, the calm footsteps of the people who came and went, and the whispered prayers of the believers. A child's laughter erupted suddenly, and the paladin's armor clanged as he walked......

Will those voices ever come back? He didn't know.

It is as if this place has been abandoned by time and forgotten...... Ed knew it was his responsibility, but. Brooke and the rest of the clergy. Was it intended to abandon Felicity's temple just like that?

Suppressing the resentment that suddenly rose in his heart, Ed silently turned around and walked into the temple.

-- That's his responsibility.

The door was open, and after a few steps he was surprised to find that the fog was much thinner than he remembered, and his vision was almost clear, so clear that he could see the walls, the stone pillars, and even the large droplets of water condensed on the statue of the goddess.

The mud-stained boots kept him slipping on the wet floor. He was tempted to walk through the temple, but after thinking about it for a moment, he hurried to Sean Fletcher's meeting room.

He breathed a sigh of relief as he pushed open the familiar wooden door—everything looked just like when he left.

He knew that the sacristy had been almost ransacked. So I was worried that this place had been destroyed as much before I came, but it seems. The invaders were not interested here...... Or before they could search for what they wanted, they were driven away by the sudden fog.

The door was originally closed, and the room seemed drier than outside, but still inevitably emitted the musty smell of being damp for too long. Ed rubbed his hands together, a little unsure where to start.

He often stayed here after Sean's disappearance, but never thought to touch what Sean had left behind. But if Felicity left any clues, it was probably here, or in Icabird's library.

Yes...... Felicity. Jay Oylan told him a lot about that night in Balach, but what finally made him decide to give up the search for Isis and return here was his words, "Do you know what surprised me the most? It was I who found what we were looking for, and it had been searched for more than a hundred years ago...... Felicity Amber, we're just following in her footsteps. ”

He gave him evidence that he could not deny...... The carefully collected scroll was tucked under his coat at the moment.

"I'm sure she's left more clues, and I'm sure Sean Fletche won't be ignorant of this. If you can find ...... Even if it doesn't answer all your questions, it will at least show you the right direction. ”

As he left, Oylan smiled meaningfully at him. Of course, his words could not have been merely well-intentioned, but Ed could not give up that little hope.

He did have too many questions...... Those seeds of doubt had grown too many slender vines, coiling around his heart, oozing as if poisonous juice, little by little...... Turn him into another person.

After a moment of hesitation, he began to rummage through the cabinets, but from time to time he looked at the door with a weak heart, feeling that he was a thief.

Sean had all his belongings neatly packed, and none of them were locked. The Paladin Leader was probably confident enough to know that no one would dare to come here and mess around...... Or maybe there's nothing to keep secret here.

Many of them were indeed left by Felicity, most of them letters she wrote to Sean, and a separate box that seemed to be Felicity's diary when she was younger.

Ed only read the page before it snapped shut, his heart beating wildly.

It's not that I'm not interested in what it says. He just...... There was a strange feeling, like snooping on something he shouldn't be spying on.

He put away the diary along with the letter. It will take some time to read them carefully, and there may be something he needs...... But he has a clearer purpose.

After rummaging through the room, including Sean's bedroom, which was attached to it, Ed, who had found nothing, threw himself into a chair in frustration and looked around at the mess, feeling uneasy that he might need to put everything back together...... Anyway, Sean is still alive, although according to Allen, he seems to be in a worse condition than Sersio.

Did the people who took him get anything from him?

Ed believed that Sean's will was strong enough that even a dwarven hammer might not be able to break a crack. But...... If Oylan's suspicions were true, no matter how tenacious the soul was, he would not be able to resist such a powerful force.

He struggled to get to his feet—he still had to go to Icabard's library...... It's harder to find out what to do there, and it's desperate to think about it.

As he was about to leave, he saw the armor on the shelf in the corner.

Sean's armor and longsword hung there...... It was something he almost never left except for sleeping.

With a slight movement in his heart, Ed walked over to the armor and tilted his head to stare at the unadorned, mirror-like surface.

There's not even any dust on it...... There is no dust everywhere here, is it because of fog?

As he reached out to touch Sean's longsword with a hint of doubt, there was a sudden soft noise outside the door.

Ed's hand froze in midair. It wasn't loud, but he could hear it clearly, and he'd heard the same sound so many times that he couldn't be mistaken—it was the sound of armor hitting each other.

He held his breath and looked out the door, the half-open door obscuring his vision, but a figure faintly imprinted on the watery ground.

He tried to walk quietly over the place, but only took a step before his rattling boots betrayed him.

"Who's there?!" he asked, opening his voice and shouting.

He was answered by the sound of hurried footsteps...... The peeper seemed to be even weaker than he was.

Ed pulled out Sean's sword and chased after him.

As he chased out the door, he saw the figure that quickly disappeared around the corner—a paladin in full armor.

But if that's really the knight of the god of water...... Why did he turn and run away when he heard his voice? Even if he pounced and accused Ed of messing everything up, it wouldn't be stranger than running away without a sound.

"Hey, stop! I'm Ed...... You know who I am, right?"

Ed slid and screamed in hot pursuit. The corridors inside the temple were mostly straight, with an unobstructed view from beginning to end, and there was not even a place to hide, and Ed could clearly see the other party's hasty back. The knight had no helmet, and his hair was draped over his shoulders as if he hadn't taken care of it for a long time...... It was most likely another young man who, like Salz, was overwhelmed by the sudden blow.

Has he been here all the time? Does he have any other companions?

"Stop...... Knight, I order you to stop!"

Ed yelled desperately.

The man didn't stop, but his body stiffened unconsciously, and he glanced back at Ed.

Ed recognized the eyes.

“...... Eric?"

He exclaimed in disbelief.

(To be continued......)