Ed struggled to dig a hole in the frozen ground and pick up what he had buried here months ago.

A short sword of great value and razor-sharp - the one that nearly assassinated the king of Lutgar, and a silver bird brooch...... The one Is's gave him.

He wasn't worried that Scott or the other priests would use them to find him and drag him back when he buried them...... It's to cut myself off the idea that someone will find me and take me back. It's kind of ridiculous when I think about it now. There will be such worries, which proves that he is not firm enough.

He looked up at the sky obscured by the intertwined branches, Iss could still spot him on the ice field, he couldn't easily see him from the air in the forest.

But now, whoever comes to him, he's able to calmly decide whether or not to go back...... Is that a small improvement?

Hiding the dagger back in his boots and pinning the brooch under his coat, he hesitated for a moment, then buried the other things he had brought back to his hole.

It was a crude, crude little thing. The tip of the spear sharpened from the stone, the rope was rubbed out by itself, and the rusty broken sword was picked up and the weapon was made of rags wrapped around it...... In the human world, he no longer needs them, but he has always been reluctant to throw away these things that he has made with his own hands.

He was even a little reluctant to peel off the reindeer skin himself...... But when he exchanged it for the worn, spacious, but clean clothes he now wears, he could see in the eyes of his mistress, who agreed to exchange the thick, warm trousers and a pair of old boots, which were not too badly torn, for the stinking and dirty animal skin he had taken off. Most of it is because of sympathy.

"You escaped from the barbarians, didn't you?"

The man with the same sympathy on his face asked him, "I heard that they are at war. ”

Ed just smiled and didn't say anything.

In fact, Anktann is also at war. Ed was a little worried about Borena. But the people in the villages near the ice fields don't know the situation of the battle and don't care much. Anktann often fought, but the flames of war rarely spread here, and that affected them no more than the barbarians did to them.

As long as they can get by, they don't care what will happen to their country or the world...... But they are friendly and welcoming to a stranger who needs help.

They even treated Ed to a hot lunch, which he was content with, though only a sour hard bread and a bowl of minced meat soup with a few potatoes in it.

"Are you going home?" they asked him.

“...... I'm going to Gabriel. Ed replied.

He promised Sio to give his beautiful human wife, Caroline, a flower on his behalf. Whether she's dead or alive...... And he will definitely do it.

They pointed him in the direction of Gabriel and gave him half a piece of hard bread to make dry food.

Passing by a creek that had not yet frozen, Ed crouched down to wash his face and saw his reflection in the water. He doesn't look like a rich young master at all. His hair was all over the place. His beard was unkempt, his skin was dark and rough, his nails were black, and his hands were covered with thick calluses. It's also full of scars...... I'm afraid that even Vala may not be able to recognize him at a glance.

But he is stronger and more powerful than before. I don't feel tired after walking all day in one go. And when he lies alone in the forest at night, he no longer feels fear because he is alone...... Or loneliness.

Even if he fulfilled Seo's wish, he didn't plan to go back immediately. He may not be as bad as he was when he left...... But it's not good enough.

Sometimes he dreams of a fog...... The fog of the plains of Collins, which seemed to remind him, reproached him for abandoning his duty. But he felt that if he wasn't strong enough, even if he went back, he would still be a useless "sage", unable to protect anyone and bear any responsibility.

He didn't want to do that again...... Even his friends and loved ones are willing to tolerate his incompetence on the grounds of his kindness. He himself could no longer tolerate it.

One night, when he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly remembered that he had heard the name "Gabriel" - not from Sio.

The village was where Gunner had planned to take Borena to take refuge, and where he and Falbo's uncle lived. Most of the people in the small village are related to each other. The two brothers may still be a little related to Caroline.

What a wonderful encounter between people - he sighed a little about it.

He passed by the mouth of the Kuz River. The place was still heavily defended, and the soldiers patrolling the walls were well-armed, mostly young men of the town, who guarded the town through all sorts of calamities, and declared that they would gladly allow refuge in any nearby village that had been attacked by barbarians or affected by war.

Here Ed finally hears a little bit of Borena - the people of the town speak of "our king" with pride, and he is unconsciously happy.

The war has not subsided, but Borena and Croeffler seem to have been able to control the situation, but the whereabouts of the young prince Sercio and the young heir of the Grian family are still unknown...... Just like Sean Fletcher.

The shadows have not dissipated.

Shortly after leaving the mouth of the Kuz River, Ed began to feel as if someone was following him. Especially in the darkness of the night, the feeling is even more vivid, but there is no figure in sight.

He was restless for a moment, then calmed down, only raised his vigilance, and continued on his way.

Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, it will always come, and instead of worrying about it every day, it's better to wait for it to pounce in front of you.

When Gabriel was still two or three days away, Ed encountered a strange animal in the forest at night.

At first he thought it was a wild boar. It was small in size, and it made a strange purring sound in the darkness outside the campfire, sounding angry. Ed knew what a ferocious animal the boar was - especially when provoked, and wondered if he was in its way...... But he finally started a fire, and he really didn't want to toss anymore, so he just squatted vigilantly by the fire...... Then I fell asleep unconsciously.

When he awoke suddenly, the fire was almost extinguished, and he found that the "wild boar" had emerged from the woods, standing at the edge of light and darkness, looking at him with a pair of small, yellow, glowing eyes.

That's not a wild boar...... At least not some normal wild boar. No boar has six legs, one horn, and one like a dragon...... The fangs are as sharp as carnivorous beasts, and people are chilled all over their bodies.

It doesn't even feel like a pure beast. It looked directly at Ed, and there was something in its small eyes that could be called "wisdom". Ed couldn't help but suspect that it was the "man" who had been following him for the past few days - and that it might well be a mage's pet.

"Uh...... Are you trying to tell me something?" he asked tentatively, "or did you bring me some news?"

As if in reply, it suddenly let out a terrible hiss at him...... Then turn around and run.

Ed was stunned for a moment, and instinctively chased after him.

He wondered where it would take him—like where its owner lived. Most of the mages have strange personalities, and this is not a strange way.

Although the body was round and had six legs, the "wild boar" was not slow at all. Ed chased it for a long distance, stopping and waiting for him every time he was about to catch up, and picking up speed every time he got too close......

It did seem like a guide, but it also looked like Hatta, the goblin he had rescued from the market in Cam City, trying to lead him into the trap that the hunter had dug up in the Windwhispering Forest.

A strong uneasiness caused Ed to stop abruptly, and the "wild boar" quickly stopped, turned around, and stared at him silently not far away.

It now looks completely ill-intentioned.

Ed stepped back nervously, but there was a sound around him, like a large swarm of rats, surrounding him.

He smiled wryly - it was really a trap, and he was fooled.

Pale faces emerged from the darkness, and Ed's scalp tingled, and he quickly pulled out the dagger in his boot.

Now he's more used to using normal weapons than spells...... But the enemy in front of him didn't seem to be something he could deal with with with his sword.

He hadn't really seen ...... But Naria, who had escaped death, had a lingering reluctance to describe to him this human-like and inhuman monster. The head is like a hairless human head, the eyes seem to be covered with a white membrane, the tongue is very long, the mouth is full of fangs as fine as needles, the back has bone spurs, the limbs crawl like a spider, and the front claws are as sharp as knives...... Not a lot of power, but extremely fast.

"Demons," that's how Isis calls them. A lowly little monster in Hell that becomes difficult to deal with when there are many of them.

- But neither Narya nor Isko ever said that they would use bait to lure people into falling for it!

If they appear here, the Black Gate that "escaped" from under Madame Rook's castle is nearby...... He'd almost forgotten the threat existed, was that some kind of unkind reminder?

Ed tucked his dagger into his waist and wisely chose another way.

He knew that these creatures from hell were afraid of light and fire, for a ...... The priest should not be particularly difficult enemies to deal with, and he can even try to exorcise them and return them to his own world.

As he opened his lips and spat out a spell that was both familiar and unfamiliar, he suddenly thought a little strangely if hell were a scorching world of fire and smoke...... Why are these guys still afraid of fire? .

(To be continued......)