They traverse the narrow northern forest from west to east.

Oylan probably knew as much about the forest as any seasoned hunter - maybe even more than they did. They skillfully avoided human settlements and unrelenting pursuits, calmly and deliberately day and night.

On the way, they found the monsters from Ed...... Passing near the demon's cave, the surroundings were so calm that it seemed like everything that had happened that night was nothing more than a nightmare for Ed. Even though he had learned from Hoan that the monsters that had come out of hell were quickly cleaned up by the clergy who had heard the news, and the surrounding villagers were not harmed, Ed still couldn't help but be a little worried, if no one could close the door, the same disaster would happen in more places, and how long would the clergy be able to resist?

But for now, he had to put the problem aside - after all, he was just a hapless, powerless hostage.

The sight grew familiar, but it wasn't until the ancient city between the mountains appeared in front of him that Ed was sure that the "old place" they were going to was Miaz-Weiss, the home of the Light of the North, the elves of the Sunstrider...... A cursed land abandoned by them.

The winter snow has begun to melt, and under the golden sunlight of dusk, the inverted ice edges, the dripping water droplets, reflect a brilliant, as if constantly flowing light, the white, quiet and proud ancient city in Ed's memory is as dazzling as a crystal palace, gorgeous and incomparably fragile.

The excitement of seeing the city for the first time is still there, and it's still beautiful in Ed's eyes. But the legends I learned from Payne Silverleaf, those sad and heavy pasts, curses of unknown significance. But it still casts a slight ominous shadow on it.

"You've been here?" Ed couldn't help but turn to Oylan to ask, "...... When?"

He still remembered vividly everything that happened in the ruined city—the enslaved goblins, the undead in the snowy night, the depression when he was suspicious, the knife in the chest, the dark and silent sewers, the white owl. The female necromancer who died inexplicably in the cemetery, Eric who fell into the corpse...... They were lucky enough to win that long night, but there were still countless questions that could not be answered.

If Oylan had ever been here...... It could be what he did in the shadows. Did he even save Hoan?

"I've been here. Oylan glanced at him, "But I'm afraid it's not the time you thought it was. ”

――How do you know when "I do"?

Unconvinced, Ed twisted his head and swallowed back the rebuttal he had almost blurted out.

Along the way, he'd learned not to be bored with himself. Or self-inflicted. Oylan is not the kind of Icabird who cherishes words like gold. It's a waste of energy to say a word to a fool like Ed, and sometimes he's even talkative, but he's too good at using words that sound plausible, as if he were hinting at something, or accidentally revealing something, and thinking about it would make his mind tangled up, and Ed was confused and worried. There is no peace for a moment...... In the end, I couldn't think of anything useful.

Before the sun went down, Oylan was among the black rocks covered in residual snow. Found a well-disguised exit, and only from an extremely strange angle could you find the gap that only allowed one person to pass through. It was a secret passage left by the elves to the Light of the North, but Oylan was clearly familiar with it, and at every turn, he did not hesitate in his footsteps.

Ed felt that he should no longer be surprised by this—in a sense, Oylan was a great adventurer who had explored countless underground worlds.

The secret passages are connected to the sewers in the city, and even the elves have little creative play in this regard. The melting snow made a gurgling sound under their feet...... That also seems to be the only voice in the city.

Oylan had a ring on his hand, its faint glow being their only source of light, the star-like glimmer that added to the silence around them.

Ed guessed that most of the followers of Nethers would not return after building their temple, as they had lost many of their companions after being attacked by the undead...... They may even have given up on building a temple in this deserted place altogether.

But Oylan was still cautious, and the slightest heaviness of Bazel's footsteps would have been met with his stern glare, and Ed was forced to take off his broken boots, which were croaking from the water, and tread barefoot in the icy sewage.

After a moment, he realized that the old man's caution was not without reason.

A faint voice wafted from nowhere. Oylan immediately stopped, and the glimmer of the ring was completely extinguished. They stood quietly in the darkness, watching the light from the torches grow from dim to light, gradually approaching them.

Ed's heart was beating faster and faster. If it was really a follower of Nesses, and not a necromancer hiding here, he would have to find a way to warn them......

The sound of footsteps and talking faded from far to near, and then faded away, and only one sentence drifted clearly to Ed's ears.

"Now is not the time...... We've waited so long, so why rush at this time?"

Ed's eyes widened unconsciously at the familiar voice - it was Risek, who had been here for him a year earlier...... The young hunter who was well cared for with Hoan, one of the leaders of the believers who built the temple here, and the more attentive and gentle one.

He's still here...... And still spinning in the sewers after nightfall?

Ed felt a little strange, but that little doubt was quickly overshadowed by the excitement and joy of an unexpected reunion, and the joy of not bumping head-on at such an inopportune time.

After the firelight was gone, the glimmer of the ring shimmered again, softly enveloping the area of Oylan less than three feet in circumference.

He gestured to them, turning in the direction in which Risek had appeared.

Ed obediently followed, silent, trying to find some comfort in his awkward situation—he was indeed a hostage...... But staying with Oylan and figuring out what he's doing here might be a better help to those who are still here for some unknown reason than risking his escape.

Other than that...... Although Bazel had barely communicated with him along the way, he still had the faint hope that Bazel would once again become his "ally" and not Oylan's, even though the best he could have given the unfortunate half-breed might have been a peaceful death.

But he didn't believe Oylan could give Bazel anything better. The old mage's knowledge and abilities surprised and even admired him, but it also made him even more worried about what he could get out of Bazel...... Or want to get something.

The growing worry made him tired, and sometimes he even wondered if he would really become gray-haired as Nalya had feared.

After two turns and an upward staircase, a faint light came through the front again. This time, Oylan did not carefully avoid it, but motioned for Bazel and Ed to stay where they were, and walked over without hesitation.

Ed poked his head out uneasily, and a moment later footsteps sounded, and two men he didn't know walked past them with puzzled and wary looks, but as if they couldn't see him and Bazel at all, they went straight down into the sewers.

Oylan, who was not far behind them, calmly beckoned to them.

As he walked into what looked like a storage room or a dungeon, Ed's gaze drifted uncontrollably towards Oylan. He knew that the old man was good at mind control...... But how the hell did he do it?!

Then he realized that the place really seemed to be a dungeon, and on both sides of the corridor, rows of old iron doors were mottled with rust, but they still looked solid, and the small open windows on the doors reminded Ed of the cell where Is's had been in the Temple of Collins...... It wasn't a good memory.

Elven cities also have dungeons, after all, elves have enemies, and they can also commit crimes - Ed is now able to accept this, he is just a little curious about who the followers of Netsus will keep here......

Watching Oylan walk past each door, looking through the small window, something flashed through Ed's mind.

"Are you looking for Joan?" he blurted out.

He had never figured out what had happened to Oylan and Bazel outside that day when Hoan took the mirror - Bazel angrily called it "a trap", but that trap was probably not just for them, and if Haryat and the hunters were chasing the necromancer, Hoan would be in danger as well.

Oylan glanced back at him, but did not answer.

Ed involuntarily walked to the other side and looked through each small window. If Hoan is really here...... That young man made him chill from the bottom of his heart, but he still couldn't forget the feeling of being relied on and trusted, like having a well-behaved and obedient younger brother when he first met...... He didn't want him to actually die here.

He shook his head, a little incredulous at his soft-heartedness - seriously, what's wrong with him? Isn't there enough bad luck?!

The cells were almost all empty. Ed looked over one by one, and a little golden light suddenly flashed in his sight.

His eyes widened as he watched the blonde boy who was looking up at him in the dim light of his cell, huddled in a small ball in the corner in horror...... But it wasn't Joan.

“...... Sersio!" he cried out, "Why are you here?!".

(To be continued......)