Akan squeaked and groaned as his mountain-like body pressed the simple and elegant chair out, and Ed was staring at another empty chair in a daze.

He was the one who called everyone to the small reception room. Alan, Naria, Norvi, Tess, and Akan...... On that snowy winter night more than a year ago, it was here that they spread out their maps and planned their route to find Is. At that time, of course, there was no Akhan, then...... Vala sat as hostess on the empty chair above the long table.

He remembered that she barely said anything from beginning to end, just sat there quietly and listened. But everyone knew that without her, the naïve plan that seemed like a dream—the one that even Alan had always insisted on opposing—would not have been realized.

She is his most solid backing, she tolerates all his willfulness, even if she can't stop worrying about it. She always believed that he could make the right choice, and she always told him to believe in himself...... What did he give her back in the end?

Did he let her down?

Ed forced himself to look back at the question that would never be answered.

"What are we going to do here?" Tess habitually rested her chin on the table, her bright amber eyes rolling in her bones, "Are you going to find that dragon one more time?" I don't mean to complain or anything, but a kid like this who runs away from home when he's upset really needs someone to kick him in the ass. ”

“...... Isis is not a child anymore. Naria frowned slightly, "He knows what he's doing. ”

Tess glared at her. A look of shock that was too exaggerated.

"I can't believe I'll hear that from your lips in my lifetime!" she cried, "shouldn't you say, 'But he's not even seven!'...... It's seven, right?"

A smile flickered through Naria's eyes, and quickly vanished. But anyway. After being dragged out of the forest by Tess for a long time, she looked much calmer.

"Well, it's not about Is...... He has his own things to do. Ed tensed involuntarily, and suddenly felt that he was in a little too anxious - how was he going to tell them all this? Even he hadn't figured out the mess himself.

But he still remembers why he made the decision. It is true that he is neither smart nor strong enough, but he has wise and powerful friends—the most trustworthy friends, who have never left him under any circumstances. When he couldn't find his way, why did he have to stubbornly run around on his own, instead of relying on their experience, wisdom and strength?

He knew that...... Until the over-inflated self-confidence made him forget about it. Let him think that he can and should face everything alone.

Such arrogance...... When Felicity tells him to "believe in yourself", she wants him to believe in the "self" who knows that he is limited in his abilities.

All eyes were on him. Surprised, curious, or calm. Even Mochi, who stretched his limbs and flattened himself on the table. Its dark eyes brought him back to the little trinket shop in Stamp Butch—in a sense, where it all began.

“...... Do you still have that silver coin, Norvi?", he asked softly.

The elf was stunned for a moment.

"Nope. He said, "As you say, I will give it to the Silver Leaf King...... He didn't give it back to me, and I didn't feel the need to get it back. ”

“...... Oh, you're not trying to tell us that this has something to do with the damn city in the Weeping Forest?!" Tess sat up sharply. Raised his voice vigilantly.

"Yes. Ed frankly admitted, "So I have to ask you." I didn't believe in any curses before, but now I think it's a cursed place, and its shadow hasn't gone away for thousands of years...... And I can't even tell the real threat it poses. ”

Tess's face turned ugly. When she also didn't know what secrets that city was hiding, she almost lost Novi because of it, and she wouldn't forget it for thousands of years. Their lives seem to have returned to peace after Norvi's "death" once, but Penn Silverleaf warns them that the dancers in the dark are not entirely under his control - although the reason for their pursuit of Norway doesn't seem to have much to do with Ankland.

Norway glanced at Ed thoughtfully. They didn't tell everyone everything they knew from Payne at the time, and in Tate's opinion, the name "Ankeland" was the root of all evil, and if she wanted to stay out of it because of it, no one would find it strange and no one would blame her...... And she will undoubtedly do everything she can to drag the elves away.

Tess sat there with a black face, looking at Ed, at Norvi, and at Naria, her expression was uncertain, and she suddenly slapped her hands the table, so frightened that Mo jumped up and slipped into Akhan's arms.

"it!" she cried, "I knew it wasn't over!"

Everyone looked at her quietly, and no one dared to speak.

"Say it. Tess folded her arms gloomily, her eyes fierce.

“...... Are you sure?" asked Ed cautiously.

"Or else?" Tess glared at him, "I don't care if it's a curse or what...... All I know is that if you want to get rid of a threat completely, the best way is to crush it completely!"

She shook her fist fiercely, and the elf smiled down.

Ed let out a slight breath - he had lost his last excuse.

"I don't know much. "That's why I snuck back to the Collins Temple." I think someone may have left some clues...... Felicity, who had been searching for the secrets of Ankland for more than a hundred years, was followed by Sean Freicher. I don't know if they've found the answer, but that might explain where Lydia Bell's power comes from. We've always thought of her as a necromancer, and she is, but she'...... They're not the same as the elf next to her who even Scott can't handle, aren't they?".

Magic comes from different sources. The dragon's natural power comes from the world itself, the power of priests and paladins comes from the gods they believe in, and the power of mages comes from the co-creation of the gods, guarded by the god of magic, Collier, the flow of magic that flows between the universes.

And the power of the necromancer, legend has it that it comes from hell.

When they tried to cross the line between life and death with their own powers, they were deemed to have gone against the will of the gods, their spells would no longer be answered by the gods, and the use of the power of nature required extremely rare talents...... Trading with the demons of hell is almost the only way out for them.

The power that engulfs the aura of darkness can be used for control and destruction, but not for creation. The Necromancer's spells are therefore different from other mages in many ways, but Lydia is not at all subject to such limitations.

"She got some kind of power in Ankland. Ed whispered, "Not from the gods, not from hell...... Not even from this world. ”

That's the obvious truth...... But no one seems to have ever looked for the bottom line.

“...... I know. Eren spoke slightly dazed, "I've known this since she designed to turn Iss back into an ice dragon. I wanted to find out about it, but ......"

"But you don't want to go back to Ankland, and you're going to tell yourself for all sorts of reasons that there's nothing useful left...... Isn't it?" Ed stared at him unconsciously.

Alan frowned and pondered for a while, and finally nodded slowly.

"I don't want to!" Tess held her hand high, "I don't want to go back to that place at all!"

"That's right...... Is it because of some kind of magic?" asked Norwe.

"Perhaps. Ed replied vaguely, surprised at the acuity of another man—who had never even been to Ankland.

- "Some kind of protection." He told him, "A pretty clever thing to do that anyone who breaks into, intentionally or unintentionally, subconsciously never wants to go back." Not so strongly that anyone doesn't notice it. They will take it as their own will and make excuses for themselves...... But it is precisely because it is not strong enough, once you have a firm will and a clear goal, you can still go back. ”

Ed shook his head, erasing the man's figure from his mind for the time being—it wasn't his time to appear. If he could, he sincerely hoped that he would not be needed at all.

"Iss told me about the legends of Ankeland...... he recalled, "and the legends of the dragons are probably the closest to the truth." He had said that the man who built the city, the elf with the same name, Anclan, declared that he believed in another god...... He called it the one, true deity, but left no name. ”

"Uh......" Tess tilted her head in confusion, "why do I feel like I've heard something like this somewhere...... The only ...... that exists or something"

Her eyes lit up, she clapped her hands sharply, and finally remembered, "Nesses!—did that gray-haired priest describe his god in the same way?".

(To be continued......)