The dark tunnel was still dim, but it looked more reassuring than it had been when it came.

Loren and Lusen, who had left the "room", spotted the Knight of the Oath in a corner of the tunnel, and the bloodied one-armed knight looked at them silently and staggered behind.

According to the prompt of the dwarf Boris before, after the three of them searched for a while, they found another rail at the other end of the tunnel, and it was one-way.

Thanks to the Holy Cross... Or thank you to the wizards of the Dragon Kingdom, who ruled the dwarves back then, for creating such a "sincere" race.

Sitting in the cramped minecart with a roar in their ears, the three people who looked at each other were speechless and silent for a long time.

A quarter of an hour passed, and just when Loren thought they would be silent all the way, he saw the other man raise his head.

"How long has it been?"

"It's hard to say...... Loren replied guessingly, "one night, two or three days... It's all possible. ”

"Success?"

This is the second question for the Knights of the Oath.

After a moment's hesitation, Loren nodded and then shook his head.

The Knight of Oath, frowning and staring at the black-haired wizard's expression for a full minute, relaxed slightly... He already knew what the other party meant.

The Farnesis had already been defeated, but the "Black Cross" Serol had not.

When he got the answer, he didn't seem to have any intention of continuing to ask, and his expression was still solemn - as if he didn't care at all about what was happening in that room, let alone caring.

The silent Knight of the Oath bowed slightly, his remaining right arm raising the hilt of his sword, resting his forehead against the Holy Cross accessory of the Shining Star, and in the darkness only a slight movement of his lips could be discerned, as if he were chanting, as if praying.

This inexplicable silence made Loren very curious.

If he guessed correctly, the Knight of Oath should have also entered the Dragonlord's Tower, or at least he knew something about the "truth about Nidhogg".

In other words, the Knights of the Oath... He knew what kind of existence the Holy Cross was.

The black-haired wizard thought quickly.

He glanced at Lusen beside him—according to the gray-eyed boy, the other party had already noticed the Asriel mark on him, but he still chose to cooperate.

Even when Lusen and himself were scarred, they didn't sneak up from behind... If the previous cooperation can also be interpreted as the existence of "a common enemy", then the latter is a complete violation of the responsibilities of a knight of the oath.

For the sake of faith, he can abandon his name, his identity and even his own existence, abandon all rights, just to preach with the sword, kill the evil god and defend the faith of the Holy Cross... This is by no means a sacrifice that ordinary people can imagine.

Loren had no doubt that if he were the former Knight of Oath, he would kill both himself and Lusen very decisively, and would not even leave himself a chance to negotiate.

He didn't think that a casual "priest" could really easily change the belief that he had insisted on for more than ten years, and even could dedicate his life countless times.

So the question arises:

Why... He didn't do that?

That's the weirdest thing about yourself.

The minecart was still roaring forward, snapping gears and bearings flickering sparks on the icy rails—at that rate, it would take at most half the time to reach the ground.

It's almost there.

Twitching his throat, Loren deliberately turned his head straight ahead, and his right hand quietly pressed the hilt of the bright silver sword.

"Don't try to guess what I'm thinking, wizard. ”

With the roar of the wheels, the Knight of Oath suddenly spoke coldly.

The black-haired wizard's expression froze.

After hesitating for a long time, Loren slowly turned his head, and looked at his expression with complicated eyes—like an eternal sculpture, vigorous and cold.

"So, about the Holy Cross and Nidhogg... You already knew?" The black-haired wizard asked after weighing it for a moment.

The Knight of the Oath was silent for a moment, then whispered, "At least... More than you think. ”

Really......

Pursing the corners of his mouth, Loren stared intently into the eyes of the Oath Knight: "Then what do you think and what are you going to do?"

"If you really know what the Holy Cross is, you should understand that it is the Dragon Kingdom used to rule the Empire... No, their ambitions are much more than that. ”

"They had tried to rule the world with advanced mechanical technology, advanced magical knowledge, and the threat of dragons, but this plan failed, and the resistance of the common people taught them that there was no slave who would always bow to them, and never complained;"

"So they changed their plans, a... Better plans. ”

"Awe, longing, fear... The source of faith, they harnessed the innate emotions of life to build an empire that belonged to Nidhogg, the Dragon Royalty, never collapsed. ”

Loren paused, the expressionless Knights of the Oath didn't seem to mean to stop him.

"Tell me...... You, not as a servant of the Holy Cross, but as yourself. The black-haired wizard whispered, "Really willingly... To be a tool used by a group of slave owners to exclude dissidents?"

"Or is there something you're worried about?"

Loren looked at him with a calm face.

The next moment, the expressionless Knight of Oath opened his eyes suddenly.

Murderous!

The gray-eyed boy next to him was shocked, and instinctively grabbed the hilt of the sword and pounced, but was held down by Loren.

"I said, don't try to speculate on my thoughts, Loren Torino. The Knight's expression was terrifyingly indifferent, and there was a trembling color in his eyes:

"You're arrogant, wizard. ”

Bell ——!

Inside the cramped carriage, the mottled sword "Bright Star" smashed into Loren's injured shoulder, the cold blade sticking to the edge of his neck.

"Loren?!" exclaimed, Lusen, still clasped by the black-haired wizard's shoulders and pressed to his seat.

Loren, whose expression was still flat, glanced at the long sword around his neck - just a little bit close, he could kill himself on the spot.

But these distances are thousands of miles away.

"You don't know anything about faith!"

Like a thousand years of ice, the voice of the Knight of Oath was extremely heavy: "Don't use your mind to speculate on things you don't understand at all, the weight of faith, and the self-satisfying pastime of awe and fear in your mouth, understand?"

The black-haired wizard was silent.

"I know how you shamans view the faith, the common people who believe in the Holy Cross, and I know what arrogance lies behind your hypocritical humility. ”

"You see faith as the sustenance of the weak and incompetent, and the Holy Cross as a terrifying existence like an evil god... Arrogant as you are, you even think you can be like that. ”

The Knights of the Oaths spoke word by word, very slowly:

"But it is the faith, which is ridiculous in your eyes, that keeps the order of the empire from collapsing, and brings peace that lasts for twelve generations;"

"For ordinary people living in fields and forests, land and swamps, villages and towns, shacks and thatched huts, faith... It's the whole point of their existence, it's all they have;"

"The church is the only place for their souls and faith, the scriptures and psalms that have been preached to the world, that they may be reborn from the walking dead, that they will be saved from this dangerous and evil world;"

"And for the sake of their beliefs, in order for their well-being not to be torn apart by arrogant, self-righteous guys, I will fight at all costs!"

"No matter how much it costs and how many decisions I have to make, I... I will never regret it!"

The next moment, he withdrew the "bright star" and for the first time showed a sarcastic expression: "Loren Turin... You say I've fallen into self-reception and given up my ego to become a lackey of the Holy Cross, right?

No, don't try to contradict me, because that's what you think.

Then I tell you that though you have done many things to undermine the authority of the Church, I have never hated you, and that your enemies are most likely only their own masters.

And now, I only pity you... You keep saying that I am willing to fall and give up on myself;

Then who believes the 'truth' in the mouths of Farnessc and 'Black Cross' Serol?"

Be rendered speechless.

Staring at the silent Knight-of-Oath, Loren's mood was extremely complicated.

Seeing that the other party took the sword back, the gray-eyed young man finally breathed a sigh of relief, and was vigilant against the knight's every move.

The three people in the center of the crowded carriage did not say anything more.

With the minecart slowly coming to a halt, this exhausting and devastating journey finally comes to an end.

"We're going to deal with the fortress of Silverhelm Mountain, which is controlled by the law...'Selior', and by the way, clear the dwarves from the mines that have been corrupted. ”

Looking at the Oath Knight who turned around and got out of the car, Loren said lightly: "Do you want to come together?"

"This kind of thing, an army is more suitable to do than me. Glancing back at the black-haired wizard, the Knight of Oath's tone was equally calm:

"The presence of church people like me only gets you in the way of Godless dwarves... My Lord Duke. ”

Loren regretted the proposal a little.

"Where to go next?" In an awkward atmosphere, he could only bring up the old topic: "Farnesscis is dead, and Seriel has been banished back to the Void World... There are no more Apostles of the Evil God that you need to hunt. ”、

Taking a deep breath, the knight with an indifferent expression spit out lightly: "Eberden." ”

"Ebolden?"

"At the invitation of the Consul of Corona, to investigate the truth about the shipwreck of the ocean-going fleet. The knight silently spoke, "Master Corona is the chief patriarch of the Wizard Tower, and he knows the void very well... He spoke, explaining that it was not as simple as it seemed. ”

"Any speculation?" asked Loren casually.

"Elves, or... Something may have happened to the Azur Elves under the Eagle King's rule - the Azur Elves can't help magic and have no unified faith, and Corona suspects that the evil gods over there may be far more wreaking havoc than ours. ”

Loren didn't say anything.

His knowledge of the Azur Elves was limited to being a relative of the Elder Woods Forest's female elf Lea, and her blacksmithing skills were comparable to that of a dwarf - which seemed nothing surprising considering that the Azur Elves were one of the origins of the Dragon Kingdom.

Culture flourished, weaving, metallurgy, and pottery were all developed, and the use of mythril forging, similar to the katana or the same long-bladed weapon of the same kind of long blade of the Yasul long knife, could not help but enchant and flourished for a time... Referring to the previous sentence, there seems to be nothing surprising.

Because the other side is an archipelago country, separated by a vast sea of mist, the communication with the empire is basically limited to the trade of luxury goods, so it can be said that there is basically nothing to understand.

"Do you have to go now?"

"There's nothing worth keeping for me. ”

The Knight of the Oath said in a cold tone: "For the last time, wizard, I did not abandon everything for this power, this sword, not to become a lackey of the evil god in your mouth. ”

"Let me crawl back from hell again and again... 10,000 times smaller than that, 10,000 times more important - laugh as much as you want, I must be ridiculous and stupid in the eyes of you who are 'rational and calm'. ”

Loren looked at his back as he left in a daze.

For a second, he seemed to be able to see a towering, erect shadow behind his back.

With indescribable tragedy.

Shrugging his shoulders and pursing his lips, Loren turned his head to look at Lusen behind him, and the two of them couldn't help but smile tiredly.

"Knock! knock!"

In the deep tunnel, there was an abrupt sound.

Shocked, the two turned back suddenly, and the Knights of Oath, who had not gone far, had already stopped.

The black-haired wizard's expression was extremely unsightly, and he couldn't help but swallow his saliva.

Should be... Delusion, right?

"Knock! knock!"

Well, it's true, it's not that I'm thinking too much.

The strange sound was getting closer and denser, stirring around it like a tidal wave, and even the walls of the pit shook slightly.

How is this possible?

Feeling the vibration beneath his feet, the black-haired wizard's brow furrowed... According to the dwarven Boris, the corrupted dwarves are so-called "wanderers", banished in abandoned mines, and their current location should be the top level of the entire Silverhelm Mountain Fortress.

Wait!Is it possible that the entire fortress of Silverhelm Mountain has been ......

"Knock! knock!"

Earth, rocks and gravel continued to fall from the tunnel overhead, accompanied by a continuous shaking sound, hundreds of thousands, or even countless black shadows appeared at the end of the tunnel.

The stunned gray-eyed boy grew his mouth and looked at the scene in front of him in disbelief.

"Loren Turin, are you sure ......" The Knight of the Oath narrowed his eyes and pulled out the "Bright Star" on his waist with his right hand:

"We've only been in that pit for one night?"

There was a roar not far away, and the nearby tunnel had collapsed in the continuous tremors.

The eyes of the three people invariably turned to the direction where the voice came from.

"Uh... Maybe something went wrong. The corners of the black-haired wizard's mouth twitched, "But fortunately, it didn't have much impact on our next plans." ”

"What's next?" Lusan looked back curiously, "What's the plan?"

"Running ——!!!!"