The villagers brought tools and materials, and soon set up several long ladders. The person who had installed the top section could have been the first to enter the cave, but he lay on the ladder and looked down hesitantly, and did not move for a long time.

“...... Come down!" Roger beckoned, and the man immediately quickly climbed down.

Roger adjusted the short knife on his waist to a more comfortable position, and was just about to climb up, when Kormit blurted out, "Wait!"

The situation on the cliff is unpredictable and beyond the scope of his spells, the safest option......

A figure flickered in front of him, and by the time he reacted, Kellian had already scurried up the ladder in twos and threes, his movements light and agile, making Kormit suspect that he could climb it with his bare hands even without it.

"Kellian ......," he shouted.

The young man looked at him impatiently, the last rays of sunlight leaving a golden touch in his eyes.

When he spoke, Kormit tried to stop it, but suddenly changed his mind.

"Be careful. He said.

- He thought that Kellian would give him a roll of the eyes, or as if he hadn't heard anything, but the young man was stunned, but nodded unusually obediently.

Everyone looked up as his figure grew smaller and smaller, eventually disappearing behind a slightly protruding rock. It wasn't long before two long rope ladders descended from the sky, and Kormit breathed a sigh of relief.

The rope ladder is staggering and staggering, but it is much easier to climb than a wooden ladder leaning against a cliff. Enough men were left to guard the boats, and the rest of the men rushed up the cliffs, one by one.

Kormit was the third to enter the cemetery. The entrance to the cave is hidden in the hollow of the cliff and looks like a shadow from many angles. A few hollows that have been rubbed by rope ladders for many years are deeply carved into the rock. The stone wall next to the entrance has faint marks, and the simple but vivid lines depict people hunting, fishing, and dancing around the campfire, like some kind of good wishes and pious prayers.

This place was probably not originally used as a cemetery. It's like some ancient temple that has been forgotten.

It was already dark, and the light of the torches illuminated the dark passages. On one side of the passage there are several grottoes, apparently excavated by hand, some of which are empty, and some of which seem to store some food.

Roger stood in silence outside the grotto closest to the entrance, and Kormit glanced over and realized that it was where the grave keeper lived.

Kormit raised his torch and observed the small stone chamber. The small amount of clutter is casually arranged, but not chaotic. Of course, the grave keeper was not here, and he didn't see any fights or struggles...... There were messy dark footprints on the gray-black ground.

The priest looked up and met Roger's gaze, believing that the silent hunter could see it as well. The marks that blackened in the light of the fire were dried blood.

"Two people. Roger whispered, "All alive." ”

Komi nodded, feeling a little complicated.

There were clearly two types of bloodstained footprints on the ground. One big and one small...... One man and one woman.

If that means Enoch and Moki are still alive. Kormit didn't know if he should breathe a sigh of relief...... Although at the same time, things are becoming more and more cloudy.

There were no footprints on the beach below, probably long since the tide washed away, and they didn't even see the missing boat. The blood stains on the reef on the other side of the village indicate that at least one person was seriously injured, how did they climb up? no, more importantly, why on earth did they come here?......

Of course, it is also possible that the man's footprints belonged to the grave keeper, but Kormit couldn't tell if he asked himself.

He asked Roger, who was a hunter, with his eyes. Roger quickly shook his head.

"Not Kyle. He said.

In Gabriel, the duties of the grave keeper are voluntarily assumed by the villagers. It's an honor, of course. But it was too boring, and spending daily time with the graves and dead bodies was not a pleasant errand at all, and not many people would really want to stay here as adults. Kyle Edgar, now a grave keeper, is a widower in his fifties, and the loss of his beloved wife has left him behind to stay with her.

There shouldn't be anything suspicious about this man...... But now, perhaps even he is in danger.

Roger turned around and said a few words to a young man who had just climbed up, and the young man nodded and stayed outside the stone room.

The bloodstained footprints blurred deeper into the cavern, and it didn't take long for them to disappear completely.

“...... Let's go see where the fire is lit. Roger said to Kormit.

The pyre for the alarm was opposite the stone chamber of the grave keeper, squeezed in through a narrow gap, and climbed up for a short while, there was a rock that protruded slightly outward, the fire had been extinguished, and the smoke was as thin as mist, and the dark red embers exuded a slight warmth, but it could not dispel the cold in people's hearts.

Kyle wasn't here either, and there were no footprints left on the hard rocky ground.

They couldn't find any more clues and could only move on.

More people entered the cave, and they joined the crowd, and from time to time someone looked at them curiously and uneasily, but no one asked.

Kormit didn't know what the villagers thought of him suddenly appearing...... But they seem to trust Roger very much.

After walking for a short time, it suddenly became clear that there was a huge hollow in the belly of the mountain, and where the fire could not be illuminated, there was a glittering phosphorescent light, so that Kormit could vaguely see the neatly arranged tombs carved between the rocks, but strangely not too eerie.

The air was naturally a little dirty, and the smell of decay lingered in the nose, but it was not as strong as expected. After asking Roger, Kormit whispered a spell, and two small orbs of light rose up, illuminating the darkness beyond the reach of the fire with a more steady light.

He saw an ancient and huge statue between the tombs, on the rocks, as if it were stepping out of the stones.

"Legend has it that this stone statue was already there when our ancestors discovered this place. There are two tombs at its feet, which are presumably ancient saints. Beside him, Fletcher told him, his voice low as if he had awakened the sleeping dead, not out of fear, but out of awe.

This is indeed a sacred place.

There is always some remnant of power in an ancient sanctuary. Not because of any powerful artifact, but because of the simple and firm faith that once existed. That power permeates the statue with every chisel, permeates the air with every prayer, and never fades away even as time passes.

In a place like this, necromancy might not really be of any use...... But that can't stop the killing and hurting of humanity.

Kormit couldn't help but look at the statue a few more times. Although there are no signs, the stone statue in relief is supposed to be Anduhe, the god of the mountains, with a square face, a high nose, deep eye sockets, closed lips, and an indifferent expression......

The priest was startled, his gaze swept over the crowd that had involuntarily gathered, and he realized that he hadn't seen Kellian since he entered the cave.

Roger stood not far away, looking through the crowd and seemed to find the same problem.

Kormit was a little uneasy, but not very worried—he didn't think that Kellian was so easily consumed by any accident.

The deeper uneasiness is that the surroundings are so calm that at first glance there is no sign of destruction, as if nothing has happened...... But those who have bloodstained footprints and disappear without a trace make this calm even more eerie.

Roger whispered something to a few young men, as if arranging a search. Kormit walked around the cavern, carefully trying two or three spells, but getting little response.

But the place is pure - there is no evil breath, as if all death is calm and serene, and all souls have a peaceful abode, as if ...... It was as if everything had been reduced to complete nothingness.

For some reason, Kormit suddenly had a moment of trance. He had always believed that death was not the end, but another beginning...... But if that's really the end of the story, maybe there's nothing wrong with that?

A dozen young men scattered around the cave, but Roger just stood there, watching each and every torch that was lit back and forth. Duru, the more sedate of the two warriors chosen by Haryat, pressed the hilt of his sword and followed Kormit every step of the way, faithfully protecting his priest with the same vigilance.

Soon after, someone screamed loudly, apparently making a discovery.

Kurmit rushed over almost at the same time as Roger.

In the western corner of the cavern, there was a relatively smooth stone face, and the priest's heart sank when he saw that it was probably a rune drawn in blood.

The air around him was suddenly cold and bitter, making him drowning and unable to breathe. The veins in his forehead jumped suddenly, and he wanted to keep calm, but cold sweat oozed uncontrollably.

The rune is not complete...... But he recognized what it was, he just didn't understand, or even wonder, why it was here the way it was.

“...... Your Excellency. Roger's deep voice rang in his ears, "What the hell is this?"

"Is it dangerous?" Fletcher added uneasily, "it's blood, isn't ......it? Whose blood ......"

His voice grew lower.

There was silence all around, and I don't know how many people had realized what the black-red rune meant.

Anyway, Mogie Bruce, a teenage girl who never left Gabriel...... I don't know how to draw anything like that.

"Your Excellency. Roger's tone remained calm, but there was an increasingly oppressive feeling, "If you know what it is...... Please let us know. ”

Kurmit's throat rolled - he had to answer the question carefully.

(To be continued......)