When the sun sets, the sunset on the horizon looks like an unquenchable flame.

Ante Bofford looked at the mess in front of him, and his already gloomy face seemed to be covered with ashes. The flames of nowhere easily burned all the ballistas and most of the tents, but not a single one of them was hurt, and was extinguished shortly after Ed and the others fled...... There was no doubt that it was some kind of magic—magic that made all the priests present wonder.

"Not even the priest of the Vulcan God, or the most powerful elemental mage, can be so manipulative. ”

They told him so in unison.

But this wasn't the first time Ante had seen something like it.

He remembered the strange fire in Lockburg not long ago, the molten iron hook, and the familiar figure in the Pomegranate Hall. A knight with inhuman golden eyes, the flames he summoned, with the same scorching heat......

Every time he remembered it, he felt like flames from hell were surrounding the silent knight who didn't say a word.

He had asked Lydia if she knew who the knight really was, but the flamboyant but cunning female mage just laughed and said nothing, no matter how furious he was.

Deep down, he suspected that he actually knew who it was...... He just doesn't want to admit it, and he can't admit it.

Fear crept into his heart as the night wore on—something he couldn't admit either.

"Your Majesty. ”

Quirin Ayl walked up behind him at some point.

Ante was slightly startled, annoyed that his guards hadn't stopped Ayir from approaching...... This forced obedience to the lord of Visa. Like Tellina, who doesn't even bother to hide her own gloating, can't believe it. Although Lydia claims that Telina is their "ally...... He had no doubt that Tyliner, like Lydia, would do anything to him for his own sake.

- Around him at the moment, in this clearing. How many people can be trusted?

"Your Majesty. Quillin raised his voice, pulling the distracted king back to his unbearable reality.

The ice dragon flew back to Kriessburg. He said, "Lord Xiu'an and Eric Vaughn are under control. They did not resist...... What do you want to do with it?"

Didn't resist?

Ante smiled coldly. He's not blind and can't fail to see Brooke?Xiu'an's silence and compromise weren't really submissive at all, he just didn't want to give him more reasons to do something about the temple...... And Eric, the young paladin, instinctively helped his "Sage" escape even though he was on the verge of collapse......

They didn't really "control" any of them.

Ante would never admit it, but Ed Singal had too much to make him jealous. That's it. He won't let him go easily. Now that he has confessed his sins before the people...... You should pay for your crimes.

"Send Vaughn back to the Temple of Collins, tell them everything, tell the clergy how long they have been blinded by lies...... It's up to you to do it yourself. Ante's icy gaze swept over and he looked up in surprise. Ignore the flash of anger in his eyes.

Quillin was silent for a long time, but finally nodded.

"Where's Xiu'an-sama?" he asked.

"I think Lord Xiu'an will be happy to write a letter to you to bring back to the temple, telling the others that he has to stay here and minimize the impact of these deceptions and crimes on the temple - except for him now. Who else can do that?" Ante said lightly. He was sure that Brooke would not refuse, since he had chosen to sacrifice Ed and Filly. In order to preserve the power of the temple, he will not have any conflict with Ante now.

"Find the body of Herena Chrisses...... There is no better 'proof' than that. Ante turned his gaze to another Christus not far away. The blond-haired young man still held the Staff of Eternity firmly in his grip, and said something to Aaron Mancini, and his pretty face tried to maintain a humble and pure smile, but he could not hide his pride.

“...... Do you need to take that 'Sage' with you?" Quillin followed his gaze, and there was no respect for the Sage in his tone.

"He's nothing. Ante sneered, but immediately regretted the words he blurted out.

He needed Bloomer to be a saint, whether he was a saint or not...... To that end, he had to preserve some dignity for this young man who was a rare Scott - and that's why he would allow him to continue to hold the Staff of Eternity.

Even if it has been proven that it is impossible to tell who is the true Sage. The slender cane that had been held in Felicity's hand. It is still a sacred symbol of some kind, and a holy relic with great power. He couldn't master it himself, but he would show the young man who was already starting to get carried away that he could look up to the goddess he didn't know existed, but ...... Before that, he had to kneel at the king's feet.

"It's not the right time yet. He stiffly reverted back to the subject, "And, Lord Ayer...... I need your army. ”

Quillin's body stiffened visibly.

"Are you still going to attack the Temple of Collins?" he asked.

"It's up to you to make the clergy understand what to do. Ante replied, "At least until then...... The temple is not my goal. ”

Quillin looked up and understood: "You want to attack Kriesburg?!"

“...... You don't seem to agree with that?" asked Ante coldly, believing that Quillin could hear what he really wanted to say—he didn't need his approval at all.

"I just don't think it's necessary......" Even though he knew it was futile, Quillin made a final effort, "Please let me go to Criesburg......"

"As I said, the place you're going to is the Collins Temple. Ante interrupted him," ...... And I don't necessarily have to borrow your army. IMHO, it seems to me that the knights under your command ...... It doesn't seem to be as heroic as the legend suggests. ”

Quillin fell silent, his face becoming more and more ugly, but he couldn't refute it.

Ante had also participated in the war, and he could not fail to see that in the chaos just now, the soldiers of Visa City were fighting quite absent-mindedly. He didn't know if it was because of Quillin's instructions, the Singhals' gold coins, or both, but it was planned and most convenient to requisition Ayir's army on the spot...... He'll have a way of letting the soldiers know who they should be loyal to.

“...... They will follow your orders and follow your banner. Quillin bowed deeply to him, his tone calm but weary, "But, Your Majesty, even for the sake of Scott Cries, your friend, the dead paladin, please do not pour out your anger on that castle...... Christenburg, after all, is his former hometown. ”

Ante's heart trembled slightly. He didn't say a word until Quillin left.

Scott stood on the tower and stared down.

At night, Christenburg is still majestic, standing silently, as it has been for centuries...... But at this moment, in his eyes, it looks extremely strange.

This is his home...... It used to be his home. Even if it is rebuilt, destroyed and rebuilt again, it has not become unrecognizable. Vala stubbornly kept it the way it was, but it was still very different.

――If the castle had a soul of its own, he might have felt completely different. To each other, they are all familiar strangers.

Scott smiled wryly to himself and looked into the brightly lit vestibule.

The castle is heavily guarded. The nearby villagers who had been gathered here to hide from the unexplained Anktanen army had left a few days earlier, and some of those who did not want to stay had already left around the evening.

Others returned to the castle instead - Norvi, Tess, Akan, and Alan and a few of his friends.

Scott trusts these people more than the guards who are hovering the walls at the moment, and River pays for them. But despite warning River, he didn't intend to expose Criesburg to any real attack.

A fire two hundred years ago ended a dynasty, and the nobles who had been crowned here suffered all sorts of misfortunes for a short time before they could rebuild it. The "Curse of Christenburg" became a terrible legend, and its owners had to abandon it and let it fall into ruin. His great-grandfather, Maidra Christes, had returned to the castle and spent his life restoring it to its original appearance, but after his death, his two sons fought over whether it was worth keeping...... The castle had seen the rise and fall of an entire family, and whether it was still his home or not, he would not let it hurt again.

The wind swept overhead, and the white dragon took human form and landed lightly behind him.

"Ante Bofford has requisitioned the army of Visa!" Iss told him indignantly, "and they are gathering outside the city. ”

This was what Scott had expected.

"Of course he can't have brought troops over from Stonebuge. He said calmly.

"But Ed believes in Quirin so much, Ayer ......," Iss furrowed his brow unhappily.

"Maybe he should learn to stop being gullible...... Or learn to forgive those choices that you have to choose. Scott smiled wryly, "Even if I were Ayir, I wouldn't have rebelled against the king for the sake of Ed's 'trust' or so-called honor, putting the entire city of Visa in danger." ”

“...... You wouldn't have said anything like 'weighing the pros and cons'. Isis bowed his head and muttered, "Or forgive such perfidy." ”

"I used to ...... Maybe even more naïve than you. Scott sighed, "Go and rest for a while, Ant's army won't be here tonight anyway." ”

Iss looked at him quietly for a few moments, his clear eyes in the moonlight seemed to be able to see through all the secrets of his heart, which made Scott avoid his gaze in a little panic.

When Isis left without a word, he breathed a sigh of relief and set his eyes on the silent castle again.

-- Ante's army will never get here.

(To be continued......)

PS: The computer crashed, it took two days to repair, and I have to go on a business trip at the end of the month...... It's so stressful OTZ.