"Your brother has approached you...... He seems to have something important to tell you. ”

As soon as he returned to the temple, the practitioner in charge of taking care of his daily life respectfully told Scott. The weak young man named Nick Rumorim was the illegitimate son of a minor nobleman, kind and pious, but also good at reading words, and soon figured out what Scott cared more about.

“...... Where is he?" asked Scott.

"Went to Master Kavo. Do you need me to tell him you're back?"

Scott nodded, a little confused. He didn't expect Isis to actually find the Black Gate...... But it seems that he has discovered something.

"And ......," Nick handed him a letter, "Lord Fenton asked me to give this to you." ”

When his fingertips touched the white scroll of paper tied with a dark blue ribbon, Scott knew where the letter came from without looking at the neat handwriting on it.

He closed the door and threw the letter out, and the roll of paper that had not yet landed exploded into a bright flame of light in mid-air, and the short line of words in the fire instantly ignited Scott's anger.

The next moment he had appeared in the far northern forest, the fortified underground fortress of the abandoned orc fortress, and strode towards a man who stood in the shadow of a stone pillar with his hands tied, as if waiting for him.

"What do you mean by 'I need your brother's blood?!'" Scott growled, "I told you not to hit him!"

The man raised his head, his face so pale from long hours in the dark that even the veins could be clearly seen, with a constant calm and boredom.

"It's just a little blood. He said. "I didn't want his heart to be beating - though that might have been a little more useful. ”

Scott glared at him gloomily, resisting the urge to reach out and pinch his neck.

"Find another way. He said.

"But last time, you told me. 'One more month for you'. The man faced him without fear, "Without dragon blood, I can't fulfill your orders in a month - unless you can find another dragon, alive." ”

"Or I can find another necromancer. Scott said coldly, "That's obviously easier." ”

"If you keep me just because I'm a 'necromancer,'......" the man sneered and spread his hands, "Feel free. ”

His impunity was what Scott hated the most, but he was right.

Almost a year ago. After burning the group of undead who were besieging them in the valley leading to Ruttgar, Sko made a point of discovering the man who manipulated the undead, a badly wounded but not dead necromancer.

He wasn't going to save him...... If not recognized that it was burned. But the face is still recognizable.

That's Abner Rhine.

Many years ago, he and Alan and Lydia had visited the learned and powerful mage, as it was said to be across the continent. His knowledge of dragons is unmatched. Even Archmage Inglis had to bow down.

Without his guidance, Scott and his companions might not have been able to kill Ankramalam Bingmang, Is's mother...... But he didn't expect him to become a necromancer, Lydia's subordinate

Abner didn't hesitate to tell where Lydia was hiding, and the female mage was certainly no longer there.

But Scott still needs him.

Stepping over Abner's shoulder, Scott looked at the huge black shadow behind him.

It was an ice dragon...... The fused body of the two dead ice dragons looked almost perfect, but it was still unfinished.

If Iss knew all this......

“...... Find another way. He threw it down in a deep voice, and disappeared as abruptly as he had come.

When he returned to his room, he saw Iss standing in front of the fireplace, poking at the wood that had just burst into flames. My heart trembled, and I unconsciously took a step back. Only then did I find that Alan was also sitting silently on the side in a daze.

They came too quickly.

"Where have you been again?" Is, frowning unhappily at him, "I have something to tell you...... You won't believe it. ”.

In the middle of the night, the fire in the fireplace was still blazing, a rarity in Scott's sparsely decorated living room. But at this moment, Allen, who was sitting in front of the fireplace, still felt a little chilled.

Isis stood by the window nervously, suddenly regretting it.

Nia seemed to be back—when he told Scott this uncertainly, Scott looked at him in amazement for a long time before he reacted, and a deep doubt and uncontrollable joy appeared on his face at the same time.

But for Allen, the news was surprisingly difficult to accept. That's not more because of doubt, but because of guilt.

"I watched him fall in. He repeated blankly, his right hand unconsciously clutching the broken leg, "I saw it with my own eyes." I thought he might still be alive...... I thought about getting him back, but Kellerbrian told me, 'Forget this, Alan, forget this.' ’...... The gods are above...... I left him alone in hell......"

"Celebryan's right, Alan. Scott whispered, "You know there's no way we're going to get him out of hell...... Even though I said, 'I'm coming back from hell,' I actually haven't been to that place at all...... And who would have thought he was still alive?"

“...... Is he really alive?" there was silence for a few moments, and Alan seemed to regain his composure slightly.

"Uh...... At least he has the body temperature, the body temperature of a living person, and he's not a demon either, I can feel that. Isis thought back to every detail of the brief encounter, "I'm not sure it must be Nia ......," his voice grew quieter, "but I think it's him." ”

"We've got to find him. "Whether it's Nia or not...... If Isis sensed the remnants of Kuroto's power, he would most likely have come out of there. ”

"I can go to him right now. Isse straightened up, "If he's just a human...... He shouldn't be able to go far. ”

"But he's good at stealth. If he doesn't want to be discovered by you, you won't be able to find him. Scott smiled wryly. "I'll go with you. ”

"Now?" Alan shook his head, "Ante has just died, and Lydia is likely to be nearby - even Niya's presence could be a ruse on her part." You can't leave. ”

He struggled to stand up with crutches: "I'll go." I don't have any spells to detect...... But I know what kind of places he likes to hide. ”

“...... Then wait until dawn, Alan. Scott looked at him, "Like Iss said, a human can't go far. ”

Alan nodded tiredly, and as he staggered to the door, he suddenly turned around: "You know what...... I prefer he was dead the moment he fell...... His soul deserves to go to a better place, to be free. Just like when he was alive. ”

Scott lowered his eyes in silence. He knew what Eren meant - if it was Nia, no one could imagine what he had been through...... That may be even more terrible than death itself.

Seeing Allen's back disappear outside the door, Is, who wanted to follow, stopped hesitantly.

“...... So you haven't been to hell?" he asked Scott.

Scott looked at him silently for a moment. Forced to laugh: "Yes." I had never been to hell, I had never been to any temple of gods, I had refused all summons, and I had been floating in nothingness for a long time. Until it is pulled out...... Is. I know you want to help me, but there are some things I can only do on my own, and some consequences that I can only bear on my own. It's just ......," his eyes flickered, "I need you to believe me—do you trust me?"

That's a strange question...... What's even stranger is that Scott doesn't seem to dare to look him in the eye.

Isis looked back at him suspiciously and uneasily, and nodded slightly.

Before dawn, Eren appeared in front of the ice dragon. Iss suspected that he had never been lying down at all, but looking at the old man's gloomy expression, he did not dare to ask anything.

Before it flew into the sky, it nodded to Nalya in the shadow of the hallway, and heard the bells of Lockburg in the faint light of dawn. The king is dead...... There are probably only a handful of people who will miss him.

It's a bad place - the ice dragon felt deep as it flew over Lockburg. The limestone building, insulated from magic, was lifeless in its eyes. Not to mention the cursed tower next to it.

The towering three-storied pagoda looked like a huge, black crack at the moment, full of gloomy and cold aura. The ice dragon flapped its wings. Speeding away, but always feeling a pair of eyes staring at it behind him...... That's probably because of the chaotic dreams of its short sleep.

It had forgotten many of the images, except for a huge golden eye in the black sky, looking down coldly...... It was like its own eyes, but it wasn't. Cold, dangerous...... Like it was meant to be. And beneath its feet, there is only a gray, lifeless world that is desolate and dead, colder than the eternal frozen islands in the north.

It was silent in its restlessness, and Eren was quieter than it was. He sat on its neck, silent, motionless, as if it had been transformed into a statue.

As soon as the Black Rock Mountains came into view, it felt a strong magical aura, and unconsciously deviated slightly from the direction, flying towards the Rifas swamp in the east.

Dragons are magical creatures. That smell is to it what a fragrant flower is to a bee. There are some inaccessible corners of the world that for some reason can accumulate magical power, but most of them have been occupied by various temples or mage towers, and their power is gradually depleted, as the human spellcasters have tirelessly sought out.

The Rifa Marsh is one of them. A ruined mage tower stood alone in the middle of the swamp's edge, its broken body covered in withered climbing plants. A magical catastrophe here is the reason why this once abundant water and grass has become a lifeless swamp. Humanity's endless curiosity keeps them going...... But human greed threatens to destroy them.

When it flew to the edge of the swamp, the ice dragon no longer advanced, but raised vigilantly, looking down in amazement at the completely changed swamp in front of him.

“...... What the hell is this?" Alan finally spoke, stunned, "It's a ...... Whirlpool?"

Beneath their feet, the rancid, gray-black silt was slowly swirling and spreading, swallowing up all the little puddles, the low bushes, the yellow weeds...... The entire swamp seemed to turn into a giant whirlpool, and in the center of the whirlpool, the ruined mage tower, as if dragged down by a giant hand, was silently sinking into the ground.

(To be continued......)