"They should know who you are...... Now that you've found out, they'll either turn back, find a place to hide for a while, or take a different path. Scott walked beside Is, babbling uneasily like he was saying goodbye to his brothers on his first expedition, "You just need to figure out where they are...... If possible, try not to let them find you this time. ”

“...... That's a bit of a challenge. Isis frowned in displeasure, "If they're hiding in the forest, I'll have to fly low to spot them, but there's not much cloud in the sky these days." ”

"Anyway, be careful. Scott sighed, "The first time they didn't attack you, the second time they didn't ......"

Is's eyes lit up, but he became happy: "If they attack me, I can fight back, right?"

Scott glared at him, "...... No, if they attack you, you leave immediately. ”

“...... Leave?...... You mean run away?" Is's face darkened, "Eren said he could fight back!, and there are obviously no mages or anything like that among them, I can stop them!"

"I said leave if I told you to leave!" Scott's tone involuntarily became stern and irritable, "You're a dragon......! You shouldn't get involved!"

“...... But I'm already involved!" Iss roared angrily, waving his hand at the white pillars on either side, "I live in a temple!"

Scott stopped.

He looked at Iss in a daze, and suddenly realized what a mistake he had made. He knew very well that Isis was a dragon...... But he still can't help but treat him like a human being. He hopes that he can be with his loved ones and friends. To be accepted by people, instead of flying alone in the sky, but forgetting that dragons are dragons after all. He could never be considered a real human being.

How many people will covet his existence? so powerful...... It's so simple, it's so easy to take advantage of.

A young dragon like him, who should have been under the protection of his mother, was forced to grow too fast, and now he had the power of a dragon but lacked the wisdom of a dragon—the wisdom he had accumulated over a long period of time with a cold observation and a fight against the short-lived races of the world.

What he has is only inherited from human goodness...... with fragility.

"You pulled him back from the sky to the ground. Scott. Lydia's rebuke was so clear that it seemed to be in his ears, piercing his heart word by word, "You pulled a dragon into a battle that didn't belong to him." All mistakes come at a price. How can you be an exception?"

Scott clenched his fists and shivered - maybe he shouldn't have gotten him back in the first place......

"Scott?" exclaimed Is, a little uneasy. As before, he looked as if he instinctively wanted to apologize, but he probably didn't even know why to apologize...... Besides, it's not his fault at all.

“...... It's my fault. Scott blurted out.

Is's eyes widened in bewilderment: "...... What?"

Scott forced a smile at him. Shook his head. He couldn't explain it...... Keeping Isis away from the crowd now would only make him more confused. And he probably won't listen to him at all - he has something he wants to protect.

"That's it...... Listen to me this time, okay?" he whispered earnestly, "don't get into trouble with those people, find them...... Then come back immediately. ”

Iss stared at him suspiciously for a long time, then nodded slightly in frustration: "You know I'll always listen." ”

Standing in the shadow of the hallway, Scott watched the sun shine on the silver scales of the ice dragon, watched the wind from its wings stir up soft waves on the surface of the lake, and for a moment wanted to catch up with it...... But he knew that Iss probably wouldn't happily agree. Because that clearly doesn't believe in it.

He stood there for a few moments, until the figure of the ice dragon turned into an indistinguishable dot between the blue sky and white clouds, and then turned and walked back. It was his favorite road a decade ago – and it's the best of seasons. The wind in his face carried the cool smell of the lake and the fragrance of wild flowers, but he could no longer feel as relaxed and comfortable as he did more than ten years ago.

He didn't even know where to go now...... Go back to his room that "no one else has used to this day"?

He was almost a little happy when he saw Eric hurrying towards him, and preemptively asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Eric saluted him in a proper manner: "Sage, please go to the island of the Holy Sepulchre...... Master Christus. ”

There was a hint of unease on his face, and he clearly avoided Scott's gaze.

Scott suddenly remembered that Eric actually knew who he was - they had met in the Far North Light. If the young paladin told someone other than Ed......

He shook his head with a wry smile. Now that he had decided to return to the temple again, he didn't expect to be able to hide it for long - although Sean's "disappearance" did make him secretly relieved in his uneasiness.

Eric gave him a surprised look, as if he had taken it as a rejection.

“...... Let's go. Scott had to smile at him, "Yes...... Going to Lowell's funeral?"

Eric nodded without thinking, and quickly shook his head again: "Lord Turner's funeral is scheduled for tomorrow...... Yes...... I can't say anything else, but I'll explain it to you. ”

“...... Icabold Beria?" Scott asked hesitantly, suddenly feeling a little like refusing. If there was anyone in the entire temple that he didn't want to see, except for Sean, who he didn't dare to see, it would probably be only Ikabard, who he would never be able to figure out what he was thinking.

The island of the Holy Sepulchre is as lush and serene as it relieves as it resounds. But as he approached the Old Temple, Scott keenly sensed something strange in the air.

It was an indescribable feeling...... The indescribable chaos and disorder, not to the point of danger, are disturbing enough.

He remembered that there was a small round pool in the meadow in front of the old temple, and the calm water that would never dry up reflected everything like a mirror. It is said to be the oldest ruins on the island, given by the goddess herself, and the former priests were able to see the past and the future through the water mirror. Although, as Felicity said, it was nothing more than a pool, and the real power came from the priest who used it, not from itself. Even so, the pool was no less sacred than the statue of the goddess in the temple - but now it was just a large black hole in the turquoise grass, with a rudimentary shed built over it to prevent rain from entering, and it looked ugly and shocking.

“...... Has any enemy attacked here?" asked Scott, incredulous.

Located in the middle of the lake, the Isle of the Holy Sepulchre is a much more difficult place to attack than the Temple of Collins - and how could the priests and paladins allow their enemies to appear here?!

"Uh...... No. Eric looked a little embarrassed, "This is ...... Iskan's. In order to rescue Ed who was trapped in the trap below...... No, Lord Sage......"

Scott closed his mouth and had nothing to say.

Because of the large hole in the roof, the air in the burial chamber below seemed very fresh, but the feeling of chaos became stronger and stronger. As he approached the figures standing in a circle around something in the depths of the tomb, Scott heard Brooke sigh helplessly.

"You should have told me sooner, Sage. ”

That wasn't a reproach - Brooke Shu'an certainly wouldn't reproach the Sage, but Ed's voice was full of guilt: "Yes...... I'm sorry...... I forgot...... There's been so much going on lately......"

...... A sage with no power to speak of.

Scott couldn't help but frown and strode over, but stopped abruptly.

Leave!—the soul instinctively shouted a warning, but the power flowing in the blood boiled over, and it was like a flame drifting towards a ventilated place.

"Scott!" Ed grabbed him as relieved as if he was looking forward to a hero who was going to save him, and pulled him closer, "Is there anything you can do about this...... Uh, 'the gap between the two worlds' or something...... See, there's a hole there......"

He pointed to the air, and in the bright light of a few torches, there was a small place where the space was clearly slightly distorted, slowly swirling like a transparent vortex of water around a black dot the size of a fingertip.

"It turned out that nothing could be seen...... "it got bigger, and it ...... quickly," said Ed frustratedly. It's dangerous, isn't it?

Scott nodded reluctantly, a drop of sweat running down his hair and into his neck.

He didn't know how the others felt...... For him, the little black hole was more like the eyes of a beast ready to attack, calm and fierce, making people shudder involuntarily, but unable to take their eyes off.

No one knew better than he what it was...... But how did it end up here?!

"I thought it would disappear on its own. Ed stared at the black hole with a bitter face, "Icabold said it would disappear on its own......

"'At best, it will go away on its own. I think that's what I should have said. Icabold corrected lightly, his emotionless tone still unpleasant...... At least to Scott's displeasure.

"So you're just here waiting for it to disappear?" he couldn't help but snap.

Icabard's gaze turned to him, calm, indifferent, always looking at something inanimate...... It's ticklish.

"So what do you think?...... Master Christus. He asked softly.

"Seal this place. Scott replied without hesitation, taking a step back and making a rough circle with his right hand to the ground, "Make an enclosed space with stone bricks - it doesn't need to be too big, just be able to seal it inside." ”

Icabold frowned slightly: "...... You should know that stones do not stop the flow of power. ”

"No, you can't. But if I remember correctly, there should be a metal in the temple that can do that......" Scott forced himself to look directly into the priest's eyes that seemed to see everything, "and you know how to use it." ”.

(To be continued......)