The long summer months in the south have entered the hottest time. The scorching sun scorched the whole of Stonebuch www.biquge.info the pen "Fun", and the rapid sound of cicadas was intermittent, like a dying gasp, which made people irritable and weak.

When he stepped into the deep corridors of the Water Temple, the refreshing coolness didn't bring much comfort to Ed.

The corridor facing the courtyard on one side is mostly covered by crazy vines, and there is hardly a trace of sunlight between the dense layers of leaves, and it is indeed very cool to walk in it, but ...... It's not because of some magic or a deliberate effort to make the plants grow so luxuriantly, it's just because of carelessness.

Weeds had even spilled up the steps, growing freely through the crevices, except for the surroundings of the goddess statue in the courtyard that looked as neat as before. Ed glanced at the uncleaned, turned dirt and grass from the stone bricks—which had probably just been cleared.

There were still devout believers in the hall of the temple, muttering prayers or sitting silently, and when they entered the backyard, there were few people to be seen, and the huge courtyard looked as desolate as if it had been abandoned. Ed thought back to the shiny young knights in shining armor and straight bodies who had stood guard around every corner, and the white-robed priests who came and went...... How many of them survived, and how many collapsed in Collins' labyrinth and never returned?

He bowed his head and silently followed Walter, the middle-aged pastor with whom he had given him the book. If it weren't for his presence, Ed probably wouldn't even be able to enter the backyard.

The paladin who stopped him had a strange, not young face, and when he heard his name, his face showed surprise, hesitation, and vigilance for a moment, like a thin needle, piercing straight into Ed's heart.

The name of the Sage didn't matter to him anymore, but in the eyes of these knights summoned from more remote temples, wasn't he even a trustworthy companion?

Guilt and grievance were intertwined into a web that could not be broken free, wrapped heavily in his chest, so that Ed was not even in the mood to open his mouth to say hello, and was taken by Walter all the way to Brooke Xiu'an's door.

However, the old priest was not in his room. Walter glanced back at Ed, a little undecided.

"I'm just here to return the book and thank you to Lord Xiu'an. Ed smiled a little reluctantly, "Of course...... If you allow me to borrow the temple's library......"

“...... Please don't say that. Walter whispered, "You don't need to use the word 'borrow' here. ”

Ed was stunned, and the sourness that was pressing on the bottom of his heart suddenly surged uncontrollably, and he couldn't help but reddened his eyes slightly.

Under the protection of magic, the library does not seem to have changed, the light is soft, spotless, as if it stands still in time.

Ed walked deeper and deeper along the shelves until he was sure there was no one else here.

The library here is several times larger than that of the Temple of Collins, and the collection of books is not as precious as that of Collins...... However, Ed didn't come looking for books.

As he walked through the heavy bookshelves and through another door, Ed couldn't help but smile bitterly at himself. He was aggrieved by the suspicion in the eyes of the strange paladin, but he immediately betrayed the rare trust of the other person.

But he didn't have much time to dwell on it.

From his observations along the way, he was able to easily avoid the few guards, follow the walls through the empty training grounds, sneak through the back door of the kitchen, and slip into the back of the temple hall.

Similar to the Temple of Collins, the space opposite the back of the hall hangs a precious collection of treasures, most of which in this case were gifts from Antes and nobles. When the king's army briefly occupied the temple, many of its contents were missing, but no one asked about them. Ed followed the winding passage to the deepest part and stopped in front of two black wooden doors.

Brooke Xiuan stood silently in front of the door, as if he had not noticed his arrival.

Ed walked past him and looked at the old man's face, which he couldn't tell whether it was calm or dazed, and his heart suddenly became chaotic.

He hated being concealed and deceived...... But when faced with the truth, he is afraid.

Brooke stood there, like a pale statue, motionless and not speaking. He has made a difficult choice, and the rest is left to Ed himself.

Ed gritted his teeth and pushed the door open.

There isn't a lot of space behind the door. In the Collins Temple, behind the same two wooden doors, there is a small fountain in the center of the room, surrounded by skylights that allow the first rays of sunlight in the morning to reach the last rays of the evening, setting up a small rainbow between the jumping droplets...... That's Felicity's favorite place to stay.

But here, there was no fountain in the circular pool in the center of the room, and there was not a single window around it, and the gems embedded in the walls emitted a faint blue light like water, flowing on the white walls and the ground, making Ed feel like he was sinking to the clear and cold water.

It was a familiar feeling to him...... This is the feeling he misses. Accepted, protected...... Peace of mind is like sleeping in the arms of a mother.

As he approached the pool, he could hear his clenched teeth rattling, and a bitter chill crept out of his soul, freezing the whole world.

Narya, who heard footsteps and greeted her outside the door, was startled by Ed.

The young man looked calm, but his face was a little white, and at first glance he looked no different from those who were dizzy from the sun on the street...... But his eyes were hollow, and there was no trace of life.

Even when Vala died, Nalya had never seen him look like this, as if she had completely lost hope, and her body was nothing more than an empty shell.

“...... Ed?"

Naria lowered her voice and unconsciously reached out to hold his face.

The sun was shining so brightly, and the heat was steaming up, but his skin was as cold as ice.

Ed stared at her blankly for a moment, something flashing in his eyes, and finally came back to his senses.

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to give her a smirk like he usually did, but he couldn't.

Naria hesitated, worried and helpless. In normal times, she would definitely drag him into the room and ask what was going on, even if he couldn't tell him anything, she would have to find a way to cheer him up, but now......

"Ed," she sighed, "your father is here. ”

Ed's eyes widened in bewilderment, and it seemed to take a great deal of effort to understand the simple, direct statement.

“...... What?" he asked in a low voice of disbelief, his wandering soul seemingly pulled back into his body in surprise, and it seemed to be a little more alive again.

Naria looked at him with mixed feelings, and it didn't look like a surprise...... It's more like just remembering that he still has a father.

. (To be continued.) )