When I opened my eyes again, it was another world.

There was a light in front of him—a soft, cool glow common in the Temple of Collins, but it made Ed dizzy, staggering, barely able to stand.

...... He came out?

The Staff of Eternity, which he had thrown down, lay quietly at his feet, as if everything in the mirror was nothing but a nightmare, and he had been standing there...... All the fighting, the run, the persistence, the abandonment, the despair and the hope, all happened in his mind.

But...... That doesn't matter anymore.

In a trance, Ed leaned over and picked up his cane, looking back in disbelief at the nightmarish mirror and then at the unfamiliar hall in front of him...... And the figure of Sean Fletche standing steadily in the middle of the hall under the stairs, his heart gradually growing with indescribable ecstasy, like a summer flood, almost about to break through all the embankments, and roar out.

But for some reason, I couldn't make a sound.

Sean just looked up at him quietly, with a look in his eyes that Ed had never seen before.

A smile flashed across the paladin's thin, stern face, and then he hung his head and got down on one knee respectfully.

"Sage. ”

His deep, firm voice echoed through the empty hall, and Ed felt a bang in his head, as if he had been struck by lightning, and he was at a loss.

"No, no, please don't do that...... I mean...... I don't know......" He was incoherent, gesturing with his left hand in the air, not knowing what he wanted to say.

However, beyond the panic, he could not deny the joy and pride welling up from the bottom of his heart.

- He confessed him. Sean Fletcher. The most loyal knight of Ni'o, revered for decades, the head of the Paladins of the Temple of Water. Even Alan and Scott didn't dare to be the slightest bit contemptuous when they mentioned it, his uncle's uncle......

He confessed him!

Unable to contain the smug feeling any longer, Ed grinned, tiptoe slightly, almost wanting to hum a brisk tune and dance in circles.

Sean stood up, looking as usual. He did not seem to feel humiliated or unwilling to have to bow to a young man who was several times younger than him.

“...... So, I ...... Can you go home?" After a while, Ed finally suppressed the joy that was about to bubble up from the top of his head. Asked apprehensively.

He had no idea how long he had been away from home...... Did his parents ever come to him?Will Isse and Narya miss him?Is there any news from Norwe?......

"Of course. Sean replied, "You are free to go wherever you want." But...... First, we have to tell everyone. Saint...... Felicity has returned to Ni'o's arms. And we still have a Sage...... The new Sage. There will be some tedious rituals and socializations that you may not enjoy very much, but they are necessary. ”

"Of course, of course......" Ed scratched his cheek in frustration, knowing that being a Sage wasn't that easy.

"You have a friend who seems to be anxious to see you, though, if you ......"

"Who is it?Narya?Norway?Where is he?" In surprise, Ed had the audacity to interrupt Sean for the first time, and jumped down the steps in a few steps. "Can I see them now?"

Sean called out without looking back, "Eric! ”

The name "Eric" made Ed even more happy - the paladin he had once called "Brother" had been sent on a mission and he had never been able to see him.

But when the brown-haired, blue-eyed paladin walked into the hall. While the young, reserved face flushed slightly with surprise, nervousness, excitement, and joy, Ed's dull gaze was completely locked on the other person.

"Is!" it took him a moment to scream in panic and pounce on his friend, the joy he had just felt vanished for a moment, "What's the matter! Are you hurt?!"

Is, who had distinct blood stains on his right shoulder and leg, stepped back in disbelief as he pounced: "What did he call you?...... What Sage?"

His gaze fell straight on the Staff of Eternity, his face pale with shock.

"This ...... It's a long story. Ed vaguely perfunctory, panicked, asked, "What's going on? Has anyone attacked Christesburg......?"

They had discussed before, no matter what, as an ice dragon, the less Isus approached the temple, the better. Now Is's is here with an injury, and it can only be because something happened to Christenburg!

Isis shook his head in annoyance: "There is no attack, and Vala is safe." Didn't you call me?!I thought you were in some danger......"

Ed stayed there confused: "...... I called you?"

"You ask me for help, use the silver bird I gave you!" Isis roared, blood rushing to his cheeks in anger, and bruises almost burst out on his forehead, "I said I could only use it when I was in distress, do you think I was joking?!"

Ed had never seen the humanoid Iss so angry, which made his brain even more chaotic, and he was stunned for a long time before slamming his head: "Ahhh......h

He probably called Is's name in a trance, but he didn't even realize it...... He didn't expect it to be brought back to Is. Was it its power that could break through the world in the mirror? Or was he never in the mirror? He couldn't tell at the moment.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he just desperately apologized, full of guilt, "let me heal your wounds first......"

Isis waved his hand away, his face pale: "No need!"

Ed withdrew his hand wryly, looking at Eric in exasperation.

"Why hurt him, he's my friend!"

As soon as he said it, he regretted it - it was all anger. He didn't really want to blame Eric...... But Is's sleeves were white, and the ever-expanding blood was a dazzling red.

The young paladin was slightly stunned, a trace of injury flashed in his eyes, and he silently bowed his head.

Ed opened his mouth to apologize, but his tongue seemed to suddenly knot.

Sean's voice came from behind Ed:

"Maybe your friend should learn to explain his purpose first, instead of sneaking into places he shouldn't be entering, taking things that don't belong to him, and trying to resist when he is discovered by the guards......"

"If I do 'resist', you won't be able to catch me!" Ise interrupted Sean angrily, "and that's mine...... I didn't want to take it either!"

Ed looked at this and that in embarrassment, not knowing what to do - the gods were above, and he might as well stay in the mirror and not get out!

"Well, let's talk about it first, there must be a misunderstanding......" After a moment's confusion, he turned to Sean with a bitter face.

"Of course. Sean nodded respectfully, calmly walked past them, and took Eric away: "We'll be waiting for you outside...... Sage. ”

That sacred title, which had made Ed feel extremely proud a moment ago, quickly turned into a thorn in his back in the anger burning in Is's eyes.

When the footsteps outside the door disappeared, there was silence between them that there was no longer it before.

Ed moved his toes uneasily.

"Well, Sage. Isis finally spoke coldly, "What is it that makes you need to turn to a dragon and not your great goddess?"

Of course, Ed could hear the sarcasm and irrepressible anger, but he could only stare at his toes and whisper: "I really thought I was going to die then......"

He looked back at the mirror, still feeling a lingering feeling: "You don't even know how terrible it is in that hell mirror......"

"Dimensional Ring. One glance at Is, he recognized the legendary mysterious thing, and said impatiently, "That's not a mirror!"

"Oooh...... I knew you would recognize it!" Ed quickly gave an overly flattering smirk and stealthily moved his hand to Is's wound.

Isis glared at him fiercely, but finally didn't refuse.

"What the hell is Sean trying to do?" he asked irritably, "Felicity? a god never has two Sages at the same time!"

“...... Not really. Ed's smile dimmed and finally vanished: "Felicity...... She's dead. ”

Maybe he should have put it in a better way...... But at the end of the day, to be dead is to be dead - even if the soul has another place, Felicity has left this world after all.

"Dead?" Ise was stunned, "When?"

He didn't look sad. Ed knew there was nothing wrong with that, after all, Felicity was nothing more than a priest to Iss who drove his mother away from Black Rock......

But there was still a faint displeasure in my heart.

"When I brought Borena back from the dead. Ed hung his head, feeling once again the heavy guilt he had to carry for the rest of his life, "You know what? it wasn't me who saved Borena at all, but Felicity, at the cost of her own life...... They said it was an indisperolable law, and Felicity wanted me to be the next Sage......"

“...... So you agreed?" Iss interrupted him angrily, reaching out to grab his head and shaking it violently, "You idiot!! I shouldn't have let you come...... No, they've probably calculated it a long time ago, it's a hoax!"

Ed looked up in amazement. He could understand Is's anger somewhat, after all, he was a dragon who didn't believe in gods, and naturally he didn't want his friend to become a saint...... But - "scam"?

"I don't understand......," he muttered, looking at Is, dumbfounded, "you said Ni'o chose me......

"Of course you don't understand! That's two different things!" Iss yelled at him, looking like he wanted to smash his head open to see what was going on, "why do you say yes if you don't understand?! Do you know what a 'Sage' is, as great as it sounds...... But it's just a puppet of the gods!No, a puppet sounds good - it's just a container!".

(To be continued......)