As the towering black shadow of the Triple Tower came into view, Ed looked back at the forest at night—the faint whiteness of the Silent Tower's point to the sky had faded from his vision.

He looked to the southeast again, and farther out to sea, out of sight, the Archmage's Tower stood proudly after the near-extinction of the catastrophe.

Both humans and elves actually like to build such extremely high towers, as if they can get closer to the gods by standing taller...... "Close" in every sense of the word.

There are some things that you can only see when you stand tall enough. But if you stay in the highest place for too long, you will forget that you have to stand on the earth after all.

Ed looked back and let out a long sigh.

He heard what Mork had said to Payne as he left the Tower of the Silence, and understood the kind admonition. The conflict between Payne and the Presbyterian Church has long been irreconcilable - even he can't help but want to drag those high-ranking guys down, but the conflict between the two sides is really more than worth the cost, especially when the other side doesn't take the initiative to provoke, but just stands still in your way.

It's so depressing to think about it.

"It's really hard to be a king. He sighed.

Anyway, he couldn't figure out what Payne was going to do to better solve this problem.

Another "what king" smiled wryly behind him.

"I should have left too. The dwarf said.

“...... Is it so fast?" said Ed.

"Whether I accept it or not, the crown has been delivered to me. "Perhaps more important is not what is going on beneath Black Rock...... It's about how the dwarves can continue to survive. ”

He saw Payne's efforts. And he himself is actually more like a lone adventurer...... He was, and was, a lone adventurer.

He had said that dwarves wouldn't mind turning back into stone, but who wouldn't want to live freely?

He would still search for the truth, but he suddenly realized that dwarves were not elves—they were far more practical than elves. If the secrets of the Black Rock Dwarves hidden behind the closed stone gates were related to the survival of the entire race, they would not have given all the most important things to their long-divided people without leaving a single warning or reminder.

He must have overlooked something...... And the king should not leave his own territory. The same words he had used to warn Ed could have been used to warn himself that he had more important things to do.

But he didn't regret making the trip...... He wasn't without it.

They are already close to Stonebucci. The ice dragon flew downward, only to pull upwards as the outline of the city surrounded by high walls became clear.

Ed was used to such "bumps", the dwarf was always as steady as a rock, but Nana, who was slumped on top of the ice dragon's head, almost rolled off.

The dragon was still giggling when he was grabbed by Ed. It wasn't scared, and probably thought it was some kind of game, but Ed noticed something unusual when the ice dragon began to rush down.

It's too bright on the ground.

In the deserted city, probably all the candles and torches that could be lit were lit, and at first glance it almost looked like a return to the busiest days of the past, even at night, with people coming and going, and the lights never went out...... But without the noise of the past, it looks unusually weird.

A biting coldness made Ed shiver several times. The night was a blur, and the lights on the ground made his eyes even darker, and the human eyes had not yet seen the real danger, but he heard the dwarf behind him breathe heavily.

“...... Is?" he said uneasily.

The ice dragon didn't answer, and it rushed straight to a corner of the city. That's their home...... It's where Naria and Tess are.

In Ed's hand, the Staff of Eternity lit up.

He watched in amazement at the waves that swirled up without his summoning, and saw the soft light between the waves grow brighter and brighter, like a star falling from the sky.

He had to raise his staff high to avoid the overly bright light. And in the sight of all those who looked up on the ground, the dazzling white light suddenly bloomed, dragging a long trajectory like a meteor, and the light that dispelled the darkness spread out layer by layer, spread over the sky, and then turned into a rain of light, silently sprinkled, and when it fell to the ground, it had quietly merged with the fire of the city, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

Ed didn't see the miracle. His eyes blackened, and he fell forward in a daze—the cane, as if it had a consciousness of its own, unceremoniously drained of his strength, making him feel like he had become a light and empty shell, almost drifting up with the wind and drifting to the horizon.

He subconsciously grabbed Nana, and Mock grabbed the clothes in the back of his heart. When he came to his senses, he rubbed his eyes involuntarily, and his hair stood on end—he seemed to see the shadows beyond the firelight on the ground twisting and trembling like living creatures.

The ice dragon slammed to the ground and smashed a shallow pit in the courtyard. Tess, who had just rushed out of the door, jumped back nimbly and shrank behind the door, avoiding the dust kicked up by the wind.

"You're coming back pretty quickly!" she shouted cheerfully, "Naria still said......"

Her voice slammed, instantly rising into a scream that pierced her eardrums: "...... What's that?!!"

The rickety Ed was holding the rickety Nana in his hand, and as soon as he slipped off the ice dragon, the whole person was still stunned, when he saw a black shadow swishing over, and was grabbed by the back collar and hung in the air.

"Ahhh

Even though she was picked up by Is, Tess still screamed, and stretched out her hands to Ed unrelentingly: "Is that a dragon? Is that a dragon? Is that a little dragon? alive?

Her overly excited screams made Is's forehead throb and he almost wanted to throw her out, but when Naria walked out the door quickly, he could only put down the red-haired girl with a black face and hold her in place.

"That's not your toy!" he said.

"Of course not!" said Tess, "that's my baby!"

“...... It's not your baby!" Is's was so angry that he couldn't say anything, "It's mine!"

“......”

Tess finally quieted down and looked at him with a strange look in her eyes.

"You too...... It's out of breath......" She sighed, surprised and relieved: "When was it born?"

"The day before yesterday!" Iss replied casually and irritablely, before realizing the problem: "...... I didn't give birth to it!"

As they childishly dwelt over such pointless questions, Nalya had already walked straight to Ed with her eyes shining - no less surprised and excited than Tess, but at least she could seem calm enough.

"Yes...... What about the egg?" she asked softly, reaching out cautiously, "I can...... Touch it?"