Time flies.

On the first day, Sean picked up the 'White Fang' for the first time in a long time, trying to make sure that his swordsmanship was not yet new. He tied with Alaya and defeated Cathy with his secret arts. The members of the Black Crows gathered one after another to carry out the drills of the past. Sean tells them that this is to clear the Order's suspicions and restore the reputation of The Black Crow in the Kingdom of Mellon.

He didn't name a specific task, but what else could there be? As knights, it is their duty to fight.

The next day, Sean counted the equipment and supplies they had left, and ran around the castle with the royal paperwork, trying to fill in the missing pieces. Not every store was willing to listen to him, and even after reading the paperwork, many turned them away.

In the eyes of those Perons, it was "The Crow" that brought about today's disaster. And to help them will also be doomed.

Thankfully, Cathy managed to convince a few of the younger shopkeepers with her affinity and tenacity—or rather her stubbornness. Alaya stayed at the inn and flipped through the literature for clues related to the incident - after all, after the war of a thousand years ago, the Beronites still don't like the Elna very much.

The Witnesses of the royal family came at noon on the third day to inform them that the evacuation was nearing completion. Then there was Lily Nono, with whom the mercenary gossiped for a while, and then relayed the blessings of the rest of the mercenary group.

"Regardless of what those Perons think. All in all, we're all on your side—" Lily summed up, shaking her head, "if you're feeling tired, why don't you come and stay with us for a while?" Compared to being the unfortunate head of the regiment, it must be much easier. ”

That's probably how Lily Nono cares. Sean grinned wryly, "Thank you." ”

"Say thank you and you'll be excused." The mercenary turned her back and waved her hand at him, "In tomorrow's affairs, you are the protagonist." Just as much as you can, give us some oil? ”

In the poet's singing and the knight's story, there will be no protagonist like him, Sean thought to himself. His first few years as the head of the regiment were uneventful, and then there were failures, confusion and confusion. The Knights are now under the fence, and although there is not much loss of personnel, they want to restore their former glory...... It can only be said that there are many difficulties.

Even tomorrow, which is just in front of us, is full of worrying endings. The mother's state is unclear, and the "murderer" who hurt her is likely to still be watching them. Sean couldn't guarantee that the moment they needed their strength, that scene in Holly Castle wouldn't be repeated.

Even if they solve the problem, what awaits the Knights?

Sean trusts King Karim to keep his promise. But the seeds of distrust have already been planted, and it will take a long time to erase its effects. The Church gave the knights a place to live, but Oswald, the Pope who had recently waged a holy war, would not have been happy to see them promote the faith of the Mother. As for the Oron Empire...... Today's situation is chaotic, and if you are involved, the slightest mistake can be shattered.

No matter how mellow the ale of Volcano Castle was, he still preferred the pale honey El of Holly Castle and the Kamal dialect with the taste of home. He'll be back someday, Sean told himself, with the entire Knights.

Even if it's a lifetime.

The day's hectic end with the sunset. Sean dragged his tired body into the hotel, ate a few bites, and went upstairs to his room. Alaya hadn't come back yet—and that made him breathe a sigh of relief.

He didn't want to face anyone's expectant gaze at the moment. Because the more you look forward to it, the more likely you are to be disappointed.

Footsteps from far and near came from outside the door. The boots collided with the ground one after the other, and the sound was heavy and swift.

It's not Alaya's style, and it's not like the Beron people in the neighborhood. Sean looked up with a hint of alarm and saw the door slammed open. Pierce Carroll, the second legion of "The Black Crow", strode into the room and slammed the bottle he held on the table.

"Long time no see, Captain." The red-haired corps commander raised the corners of his mouth on one side and pulled a chair to sit down by himself, "Come and have a drink with me?" ”

"Why are you here?" The subordinate's tone made him a little uneasy, "Your side is ...... lately Nothing, right? ”

"Cathy sent me a message, and she told me everything." Pierce pulled the cork hard, poured the golden liquor into each of the two glasses, and pushed one in front of Sean, "So I'm here to talk to you." ”

"Mother...... What's the matter? ”

"Your business." Pierce took a sip of wine and let out a slight breath through his nose, "Sounds like you're going to save her?" ”

Is that...... Nature. This is his mother's follower, and it is also the mission of the head of "The Crow". Sean nodded, convincing himself in his mind.

"I have this responsibility. Mother has been—"

"Responsibility for fart." Pierce narrowed his eyes and stared at him with a smirk, "What if you can't save her?" What if she needs your life, or even the lives of all of us, to survive? What if even if you do, she can't become our former "mother" again? ”

"Pierce, what nonsense are you talking about-"

"Am I talking nonsense, or are you doing ostriches?" The red-haired Legion Commander sneered, "Have you forgotten that you told me in person that Mother was already dead?" ”

He's right. Lily had told him about his mother's death, and Sean, who had experienced the fall of Holly, reluctantly accepted the fact. "But now there's something new, isn't it? Anyway, mother, she's—"

"It's a god after all, isn't it?" Pierce took another long sip and exhaled heavily, "How many people were praying to her at that time a year ago?" The result? We lost our magic, and we all died one by one, and until the end, we didn't see her come to our aid. What do you think, Sean, is that? ”

Sean frowned, "You ......"

"Is it because she wants to see us unlucky? She thinks we've done something wrong? Or does she think that she can't be the only one who suffers, and wants to drag us down to accompany her? Isn't it that she can't see anything at all, and she can't do anything anymore? ”

It's not his mind alone, Sean understands. He admits that he vaguely thought of this, but never dared to think about it seriously. "Calm down, Pierce. Mother may have her—"

"It's you who should calm down!"

The red-haired Legion Leader snapped Sean's hand open, tilted his head, and looked past him to the empty stone wall behind him.

"Listen to me, 'Mother,' if you can still hear me." Pierce gasped twice, his voice a little sharp, "You're a moody idiot. You're a suicide idiot. You're an ungrateful, white-eyed wolf. You're a big talker! ”

Sean felt the blood rush to the top of his head, and the cold hairs on his back seemed to stand on end. As a member of the Knights, these words were enough to be called a great rebellion, but what made him even more disturbing was that he knew Pierce's intentions-

"You're amazing, mother. You must be angry when I scold you like this, right? The red-haired Legion Commander picked up the glass and drank the liquid inside, "Then punish me!" Come and kill me!? It's simple, isn't it! Tiana Weiss—"

"Enough!!"

Sean abruptly interrupted the other. Pierce glanced at him, closed his mouth and gasped.

The sound slowly dissipated, as if it melted into the water of the ocean. The only breaths left in the room were the breaths of the two, and a little bit of silence was drowned out until it was as silent as a cemetery.

Nothing happened.

"In the face of death, all things are equal. Give up the illusions you shouldn't have, Captain. Pierce opened his mouth in a low voice, "Whatever is in that mine, I'll just assume she's dead." You can't save what is dead, and it's not worth paying any price for. ”

Sean hung his head, he knew more than Pierce. In a casual conversation half a day ago, Lily had told him, as if inadvertently, that unlike humans like them, the soul and body of the 'divine messengers' were one. In other words, it would be difficult to 'resurrect' the Mother if they could not regain their powers, and if they did die, nothing would be left.

However, he shook his head.

"You can think of it this way. Everyone can think the same way. But I won't. Sean replied softly, "Even a little hope is worth my efforts." Without seeing the end, I won't accept defeat. ”

"But trust me, Pierce. Give us a moment. He looked at the dark brown table in front of him and the pool of stagnant water in his wine glass, "When this thing is over, no matter what the outcome is, I will ...... the truth Tell everyone. ”

"Okay. It looks like you've made up your mind, so this time it's up to you. Pierce's tone softened a bit, "Speaking of which, Sean. Do you remember why we elected you as the head of the regiment? ”

Of course he remembers. Regardless of seniority or strength, he is not the best in the Knights. At that time, except for Cathy, who had just joined the regiment, the other four regiment commanders, another deputy regiment commander who had now left the front line, and the chief priest Moore had all been nominated for regimental commanders. But in the ensuing meeting, starting with Isaac, the commander of the First Legion, everyone voted unanimously for him.

Sean chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Because you say I'm the most balanced one." Now that I think about it, I don't know if this is pure praise, "neither cowardly nor impatient, able to listen to everyone's opinions, and then find the most appropriate way to deal with them." ”

"That's right. That assumes that you're willing to tell us what happened, rather than taking the full responsibility on yourself. Pierce shook his head and reached out and tapped him on the shoulder, "Don't worry, we're not that vulnerable, everyone is." No matter what happens, even without her, the crow won't perish. ”

“…… Thank you. "This time he meant it. In retrospect, it was probably the words of Alaya and the chief priest of Moore during the Battle of Holly Castle that made him take everything as his own burden, "I shouldn't have forgotten...... And you're there. ”

"That's right, Sean, the Captain."

The red-haired captain stood up, as he had done in Holly Castle, pressed his sword with his left hand and his chest with his right, and saluted him half earnestly.

"Payne has a message for you. He learned that many Templars had returned to Eternal Day some time ago, and some of them had never left. Pierce rolled his eyes slightly, "That's the Templars." I bet that Pope wants to do something. ”

This is really not a good thing. The Templars had the status equivalent of the White Bishops, and it was difficult for even the Pope to send them at will. But he had to pay more attention to the present than to the distant religion," ...... Then I'll bet that Oswald won't start a second jihad. ”

"Oh, in that case, the loser would be able to produce a bottle of Selangor. Although I hope you're right. The red-haired Legion Commander shrugged his shoulders and picked up the bottle on the table, "I'll go get Alea a drink, so you can rest early." ”

The wooden door was shut. Sean leaned back in his chair and slid his gaze over the empty room, his fingers twitching the switch next to the table. The magic lamps lit up, casting a soft light from the dome, reflecting the golden liquid surface of the cup.

He raised his glass in silence, slowly saluted the void, and then took a sip.

……

The Beronite's mine was many times wider than the ones he had ever seen, almost as small an underground town.

The rough and flat main tunnel is about two meters high and more than five meters wide, and is flanked by granite formations with black stripes on a white background, occasionally interspersed with a few quartz. The rock wall is engraved with a permanent arcane magic circle, so that a slightly cool wind always blows in the cave.

Rows of small caves have been carved out of both sides of the road, and various signboards are hung. Due to the haste of evacuation, many caves are still piled up with ores or debris that have not had time to be moved. Along the way, Sean sees blacksmith shops, inns, barbershops, grocery stores, and several restaurants, but there are no bars that are everywhere in the fort.

Presumably, in the eyes of the people of Peron, time in the mine belongs to work, Sean thought to himself.

The palm-sized magic lamps are inlaid on the top of the mine on the left and right, and there are pairs about every ten meters, like a white band of light, extending straight to the end of the line of sight. Slightly narrower, but still flat, side roads occasionally stretched out from the sides, quickly blending into the darkness.

Lily walked at the head of the line, holding Alphonse in one hand. Sean still had some hard time believing that it was the silver figure he had met with - and almost fought against. He slowly followed the two of them, the blue-haired traveling nun walking side by side with him, her braided braids swaying gently as he walked.

"I've heard Lily say that you helped us a lot when we were in the Empire." Sean turned his face to look at her and lowered his head slightly, "Thank you very much." ”

The girl was slightly stunned, and then showed a gentle smile, as if facing the prayers of the believers.

"It's nothing, it just happened. Helping those in need is also the teaching of the Lord of Light. ”

The nun's smile was pure and transparent, as bright as crystal. How long ago did he believe in his "mother" in this way? Pierce's counsel rang in his ears again, and Sean clenched his fists to shove the words out of his mind.

He's just himself. No matter how bad the mental preparation is, it still needs to be witnessed.

Sean invited Pierce to come with him, but the other party refused without thinking about it. At this time, Pierce should remain at the entrance of the mine, directing the Crow Knights involved in the operation. Alaya, who is free, joins her priests to prepare an ancient ritual from the Lord of the Earth. Sean had asked about the purpose of the ritual, and had only hoped that it wouldn't really come in handy.

"It deserves to be the kingdom's famous 'underground city-state'." Ann's voice came from behind her, and she took Elio's hand and walked unhurriedly in the middle of the group, "I heard that when you add up the space of all the mines, it is several times larger than the entire volcanic castle." ”

"The little girl knows a lot." The old wizard Kalman chuckled, pleased with Ann's words, "Some people think that Volcano Castle is just a fortress. But in fact, this mountain and these countless veins are the roots of the Volcanic Castle and our Mellon Kingdom. ”

About half the size of a palm, the silver-white eyeballs fluttered past Sean and landed on the old wizard's palm. Kalman paused, closed his eyes and stood for a moment, then shook his head slowly.

"There's nothing wrong ahead." "At least in my opinion...... Everything is the same as it was. ”

"Are you sure you're not going down the wrong path, Lily?" Bell scratched his chin and muttered from the end of the line, "This hole is so big, if you find it one by one, I'm afraid it will take you a few days?" ”

This is also Sean's concern. But the next moment, he saw the mercenary raise her right hand and swing her fist hard behind her back.

"How far have you come, what are you anxious about?" Lily replied in a loud voice, but it was a little as if she was saying to him, "Even if you put a hundred hearts, as long as she is not completely dead, we will have a way to smell her!" ”

The time underground is difficult to grasp exactly. Sean estimated that they had been walking for two or three hours, and had sat down to rest once along the way, ate some bread, preserved fruit, and spicy, salty jerky, and then headed deeper again.

Kalman withdrew the Pathfinder's Eye and left the young wizard to do the work instead. From time to time, Ann paused and asked Lily to knock down some rocks from the rock wall, put them in small cloth bags, and put them in her satchel.

Cathy quietly followed the group, occasionally glancing closer, her sword clutched tightly in her right hand. Bell kept grunting, but no one paid attention to what he said except Elio.

Sean tried praying to his mother a few more times, but as always, he felt no response.

The passage under his feet narrowed. The sides turn to black-brown basalt, and gray-green crystals can occasionally be seen interspersed within. As the magic lamps gradually thinned out, Elena took out the torches that were also attached to them and used them as supplementary lighting. Forks in the road without signposts are becoming more common, and sometimes they go far only to realize that it is a dead end.

Such a trek seemed nothing to him, and it was a bit of a struggle for others. Sean chanted a spell in a low voice, casting the secret spell of the wind on Ann behind him, in exchange for the girl's soft thanks.

The slightly low ramp reached the end again, but Lily didn't turn back this time. She looked around, then suddenly raised her hand and tapped on one of the rock walls in front of her.

"Look here?"

Sean approached, slightly confused, and looked at where Lily had pointed out. Smooth and crystalline, glass-like black gems peeking through the rock face, the same two gems that the mercenary had shown in the previous day's meeting.

Sean swallowed, cast a protective spell on himself, and tried to touch the pitch-black sheen. A gentle tingling sensation reached the palm of his hand, a power that was faint enough to be excessive, but familiar to him.

- Bestow the power of the gods on the dead.

"Obsidian is formed by the rapid cooling of magma, and they don't usually appear deep in rock formations unless they are affected by some external force." Ann's whisper came from behind her, "Do you think this is the place, Captain Tamble?" ”

Sean withdrew his hand, clenched his fists, and nodded earnestly.

"I think so. But obsidian ...... As I recall, fossils were clay and lithography, and they didn't work much on obsidian. If you can find some pickaxes—"

There was a chuckle from beside him.

"You don't have to bother. It's up to us, Sean? ”

The mercenary removed a silver blade from her waist and moved her lips to make it the size of the original stone sword. Then she held the sword in one hand, flattened its spine, and stabbed forward without any fancy —

The greatsword slammed deeper than four feet, almost reaching the hilt, as if what was in sight was not a rock, but a soft piece of butter.

Sean's eyes widened as he watched as Lily easily drew back the silver blade, raised the tip of her sword slightly, and stabbed her sword into the adjacent position.

After a dozen swords in succession, the mercenary put down her giant sword, shook her wrist, took a step, and slammed her fist into the center of the rock wall.

The cobweb-like fissures quickly crept across the entire rock wall, splitting it into countless large and small stones, which rumbled and scattered all over the ground. Lily swept away the rubble at random, swinging her sword again, opening a path forward at breakneck speed.

If he 'duels' with the other party now, he may not be able to take the other party's sword, Sean thought to himself. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of experience this 'mercenary leader' had to have to achieve this kind of growth in just one year?

He posed the question to the nun beside him, and uncharacteristically, Elena shook her head slightly.

"Let those things pass. It wasn't a good experience, Mr. Sean. There is a price to be gained, and I believe that if she had to do it again, she would not have chosen it that way. ”

The mercenary should have heard the two of them whispering, but she didn't say anything. As the passage opens up deeper, the proportion of obsidian occupies rapidly increases until it fills the entire rock formation in front of you.

"That's worth a lot of money, isn't it? These gemstones. Lily smacked her lips, drew her greatsword again, and slapped the barrier in front of her mercilessly, "It's a pity that they're all poisonous apples!" ”

As if with the crisp cracking sound of broken glass, the pitch-black rock wall collapsed forward. Sean stepped forward in two steps, squinting his eyes and trying his best to look at the dimly mundane cavern.

Its inner walls are made entirely of obsidian, as if the rock had been completely melted and then cooled and condensed in an instant. A faint smell of sulfur came to my face, mixed with something indescribably putrefinable. A dim red light pierced through the rocks and spread along the ground, outlining a long, narrow eye that was half-open.

Sean had never seen what he saw. But for some reason, the pattern on the ground reminded him of ...... A long time ago, when he was still in the Empire, the story told to him by a young girl named Yufie.

- In that story, there is the White Tower Wizard, there is the Fire Demon, there is a mysterious mirror, there is a Demon Lord, and there is the fall of the "Mother".

"It's the smell of the abyss again." The mercenary snorted and frowned in disgust, "That guy Tiana, didn't you really go to that kind of place?" ”

"It could also be that she escaped from the abyss through the Mirror Realm." Ann's words confirmed Sean's guess, "Captain Tamble, do you feel something?" ”

He suddenly didn't want to know. But that doesn't work. Sean raised his gently trembling right arm and silently recited a short incantation. Three white balls of light floated from the palm of his hand, and then slowly floated forward—

The soft light seems to be sucked into the surrounding rock walls, illuminating only a small mass of space. Sean stepped forward, hearing the footsteps of the rest of the people following behind him. He walked to the end of the cave by sticking to the right wall, turned half a circle, and returned all the way back to the starting point.

There was nothing in the cave except the rocks.

It can't be, he thought. He felt his mother's power, which meant that she must have been here. And those recent incidents also symbolize that she is not completely dead. Sean doesn't want to believe Lily's speculation, but the more crucial question is, how exactly is he going to find his "mother"?

The natural entrance to the Mirror Realm waxes and wanes with the phases of the moon, so it may not be so convenient to use. However, Mantur Stark was able to create the mirror by looking at the entrance and collecting data from it. ”

It can lead to where everyone wants to go, anywhere on the continent, the outer realm or the inner realm. Unfortunately, Hart's explosion ruined it cleanly. If you look closely, you might find more. ”

But it's not a bad thing, is it? There's another demon lord or something in the province coming over. Eh, speaking of which, with the power of Freges's level, is it possible that just by sticking out his head, the mirror will be completely shattered? ”

The conversation between Yuffie and Lin came to mind one by one, gradually outlining the complete picture of the "Mirror Realm". It is a place that connects countless places, listens to the wishes of each visitor, and sends them to the destination...... The Gate of Miracles.

The lords of the abyss had tried to descend through it, and Sean had heard that the powerful among them had almost divine powers. So, if one is weak enough, ............ the desire of the gods?

Everything seems to make sense. "Mother" came here from nowhere, and the murderer who robbed her of her power tried to chase her from the abyss. Faced with an invincible enemy, she had no choice but to flee into the "Mirror Realm" once again and go to a place where the "other party" could not find -

"She went here. She hid. His heart was pounding, and a voice was urging in his ears, Sean had never been so sure, he was only one step away from "Mother", "Wait for me, Cathy, Lily." I'm going to bring her back now! ”

He rushed to the center of the giant eye, ignoring any voices behind him. It was pitch black in front of him, and then he was surrounded by countless stars. Almost instinctively, Sean understood what he had to do. He took a deep breath and shouted out the only wish in his heart at the moment.

"Take me to her. Take me to Mother! No matter how far this goes, no matter where she is!! ”

The stars gathered at his feet, like a pitch-black slate dotted with spots of light, erecting a long road with no end in sight. Sean walked briskly to the front, then began to trot, running faster and faster, until the last run -

The starlight finally dissolves into nothingness, and the path suddenly dissipates. Sean staggered to a halt, gasping for breath, looking up at the scene around him with joy and anticipation.

He saw the obsidian rock wall close at hand, the dark red of the ground not far away, the slowly swaying torches, and the crowd of people looking at him with surprise.

It was Cathy, Lily, Elena, Ann, and all ...... Companions who entered the pit with him.

"I ...... Here......" Sean was completely unsure of what was going on for a moment, and couldn't even figure out his current situation, "you guys...... Meet me...... Is it? ”

"Nonsense." Lily leaned on her greatsword and yelled at him angrily, "What the hell do you want to do, your brain has been eaten by zombies?" If you don't go back, who will clean up this mess for you?! ”

The roar brought back to his senses. Sean gasped a few more times to calm his rapid breathing from running.

"I'm sorry." He knew he was acting impulsively, but he didn't regret it, "Isaac, Pierce, or Alaya can be a competent leader. But the whereabouts of my mother were found because I was the current head of the regiment...... No, it's what I want to do. ”

"So you try to go through the Mirror Realm to where she is." Ann nodded slightly, with approval in her voice, "This is a brave enough and correct attempt. As a result, the "Mirror Realm" sent you back here, right? ”

That's exactly what Sean couldn't figure out. "So, mother, she ......"

"She's right here." Ann looked away from him and looked around softly and sadly, "Right next to us. ”

As if a bolt of lightning struck him, Sean understood the girl's words in an instant. He froze where he was, trying to deny Ann's reasoning or find another possibility.

"What if...... What if my wish cannot be fulfilled? It's like ...... "mother" doesn't want anyone to find her, so what happens? ”

"The Mirror Realm once sent us out of a closed half-plane and brought us back to the El Continent a hundred years ago." Ann's voice was soft, but it was unusually clear at this time, "In that time and space, Tiana was still alive - just wanting to see her, there are countless ways to achieve the 'Mirror Realm'. But Sean, it should be the place that thinks this is the best place for you. ”

Sean closed his eyes and let out a long breath. That's right, the truth is right in front of him, and he can't continue to deceive himself.

"She's ...... This cave. "So the Beron man who dug up the gem died of divine magic, so he could feel his mother's breath, so ...... The Mirror Realm responded to his request and brought him back here, "These obsidian............ It's ......"

A hand rested lightly on his shoulder, and Cathy pressed behind Sean to speak the rest for him, "...... her body, and her tombstone." ”

Sean suddenly turned around and faced the pitch-black rock face. He raised his hand and went straight down from his chest, up to right, then to the left, and finally back to square one. He knew that no matter how much he prayed, Mother could no longer see or hear.

But at least, he himself could.

Cathy was the second to stand beside him and did the same thing as him. Then Ann and Lily, Elena and Elio, Bell and Alphonse, and the three envoys of the Kingdom of Mellon, paid their respects in the same way. This did not come as a surprise to Sean, after all, he thought, the Perons were once believers in the Mother.

After all, this should be the first time they have witnessed a dead "god" with their own eyes.

"I will report what I have learned to King Karim and propose that this mine be closed for the time being." Halfway back to Volcanic Castle, Gemling and the wizard beside him ended their discussion and turned to look at him, "The royal family will draw up an explanation acceptable to the people, and then release it to the entire kingdom to prove your innocence." ”

Those were important things, of course, but Sean didn't want to care at this point - for now, he had more important things to do. He simply thanked the other and followed Lily at the end of the procession. Everyone seemed to be thinking about their own business, and the whole team was much more silent than when they came.

By the time they walked out of the mine, it was probably afternoon. The knights sat or stood at the exit, looking expectant or uneasy on their faces. Only Pierce glanced at him and shrugged his shoulders with a look of 'expected'.

The emissaries of the Peronites left straight to one side. Lily patted him on the shoulder and dragged Bell to the other side. The rest, including Cathy, stood quietly to the side, leaving him with a chance to speak.

Sean clenched his fists, once again sorting out his mood and the words he was ready to say along the way.

"I met my mother."

The leader of the crow took a slow breath and looked around at the gazes cast by his subordinates.

"She became a cave. Or rather, that's the last thing she left behind. The mother who sheltered us for hundreds of years and who we believed, Tiana Vis Mar, is no longer there. ”

Many opened their mouths wide, but no one made a sound, including Pierce.

"You don't need to be held accountable for this, no one needs to. Every life will eventually leave this world, and so does "she". ”

"Go and look at her, but don't touch her, don't follow her. The power of death remains in those bodies, but she must hope that you will live well and continue to protect the world for her until it naturally returns to the cycle. ”

He heard muffled sobs and saw many bewildered faces. Sean pursed his lips, closed his eyes, and opened them again. This time, the sadness in his expression disappeared, and a little fire seemed to ignite in his pupils.

"But on the other hand, I must tell you—"

"The god who now inherits the name of the Lord of the Earth and answers our prayers, and is in charge of the magic we use is the murderer who took away my mother's power and caused her to sleep here."

At this moment, he had no worries. What Lily and Yuffie had told him, the Knights' experiences all the way to the present, and what they had seen and heard in the caves, seemed to be strung together into a straight line—

"Decades ago, he seriously injured my mother and we lost direct contact with her. I don't know if he did anything again this time, but judging from the traces left in the cave, the person who hurt his mother is likely to come from the Endless Abyss. ”

"I won't ask you to give up magic completely, and I'm not prepared to let you avenge your mother. But you must know that what happened to the Chief Priest of Moore in the Holly Castle was by no means the last. And when we encounter difficulties, we choose to pray to the gods, but we do not get any useful results. ”

Even the murderer — Huruman Stark, anyone else — you all know that he didn't kill his mother and take power for the sake of being a god. Although the Empire's invasion was led by the Lord of Heaven, I have reason to believe that the new Lord of Earth also played a role in it—such as the destruction of Holly, and we, as followers of the Mother. ”

That being the case, even if that aggression ended in failure, he could not give up. Now that the empire is in civil strife, he may be waiting for an opportunity to do something more. When a god has a malicious heart, it is enough to endanger the entire continent, and indeed all living beings. ”

Sean looked around again, meeting Lily's eye and seeing her give him a thumbs up. He let out a slow breath.

"I beseech you, do not get lost in false promises, or forces from unknown sources. If you find any clues, please tell your comrades immediately, tell me, other Legion Commanders, or anyone from Lilianor's Regiment. As human beings on this continent, we can only face a powerful enemy if we are united. ”

"And if you don't want to be a knight anymore, you can always go to the quartermaster and apply for a pension. You can go to the Crow's manor or do whatever you want. Don't forget, you all said that there is nothing to be tired of living, and there is nothing to be afraid of. ”

Some people's faces regained a little light, and many more were still dazed. Sean understands that this will happen many more times until word spreads throughout The Crow.

"So be it." He finally said, "Leaving her embrace, it is our turn to go on our own." ”

……

That evening, Sean sat in a corner of "The White Ape's Rest", sharing the table with Alaya, Lily, and Alphonse. The mercenary grabbed the wooden cup full of ale and touched the cup in front of him, grinning happily.

"I didn't think you would dare to talk about it." She patted him on the shoulder hard, causing Sean to swallow back all the thanks he had prepared, "You and your Knights, what are you going to do next?" ”

"Let's take it one step at a time." Sean pondered in reply. He was not prepared to abandon his mother's teachings, let alone change the Order's tenets. As for the prayers and various rituals to the "lord of the earth", it is necessary to wait for the truth to gradually spread and be accepted by the majority of the members, and then gradually weaken - or abandon it.

"Seriously, do you want to join our mercenary group together?" Lily finished nibbling on a sheep's hoof in two bites, and continued to try to persuade him, "With these well-trained knights like you, maybe we can compete with big guys like the Lion Regiment or the God of War Regiment!" ”

In a sense, it's a pretty good idea, Sean thought. Despite its small size, Lilianor's Order has a great reputation in the eyes of the Elnar and the Berons, let alone the self-proclaimed 'explorer' but royal Ann. For "Black Crow", which has lost the support of the empire, it must be a good deal to send some fighters to join the mercenary group in exchange for the favor of the two kingdoms - and even the Violet Empire.

Sean nodded with a deep groan, and turned to look at his wife beside him, "Alaya, what do you think?" ”

The silver-haired Elna raised an eyebrow, "They're not bad people. And I trust your judgment. ”

Sean looked at Lily again earnestly.

"Thank you very much." He bowed his head slightly, "I will convey your words to the knights, and everything depends on their wishes." He hesitated for a moment, "In addition to this, I have one more request—the one who was with you...... Witch, Lady Yuffie Stanmitz, will I have a chance to meet her? ”

This certainly doesn't have any strange purpose. In Sean's opinion, it is the pink girl who guides him all the way to the truth until he rescues his former companions. He believed for no reason that in the current fog, the other party could once again guide them—even if she was much younger than himself.

Lily's eyes widened, and she laughed.

"Of course." She said happily, "Let's go to her next, and you will come with you?" Speaking of which, Ann just told me that you probably don't know that she has become the court wizard of the Oron Empire, right? ”

Sean was dumbfounded.