Section 31 is unclear

The two deacons of the temple welcomed Ashruphat in. As Rhodia mentioned before, it's just a ritual. Among other things, these two church workers alone. They led the way in front, chatting with each other as they walked, without that solemn feeling at all.

But Ashrufat vaguely smelled an ominous smell from Skadra's unnatural tension. Ordinary religious ceremonies, routines that take place every year, why would that old man have that kind of reaction?

The two leaders stopped.

"Your Excellency," said one of the deacons, who was also a young man, very politely to Ashrufat. "Right in front of you is a place for you to bathe and cleanse. You can go in alone. You don't have to go back after cleansing, just go ahead, there's another exit and changing room, and your clothes, Master Skadera has already placed there. ”

Ashrufat walked into the room. As he had expected, it was a pool of considerable size, probably large enough for all the clergy in the temple to huddle together in it. Of course, at this moment, there was no one inside, only the warm and warm water emitting bursts of mist.

From the structural point of view, there is no way to heat the water in a pool of this size before injecting it, but it must be heated ready-made. From this point of view, there should be a boiler underneath this pool, ready to burn a fire and heat the water in the pool.

Ashruphat was inexplicably reminded of the structure of the room, but he immediately threw these distractions away.

There was a small empty dressing room in front of the pool, so he took off his clothes and put them on a stool beside him. In fact, this dress has been worn for quite some time, and it is almost time to say that it is changed and washed......

He stepped into the bath. Skadra carefully emphasized that Ashrufat needed to simply rinse his body with water, and not waste time scrubbing. But to be honest, although he didn't take a shower very often after coming to Eagle Falcon City, his body barely sweated (or even if he didn't feel it), so there was no smell on his body. According to a kind of man's deep-rooted subconscious, since his body is not very dirty, he naturally does not need to scrub carefully.

Ashruphat had only symbolically washed in the pool when he heard a voice behind him, and then a figure appeared at the entrance to the bath.

"Essin?" asked Ashrufat.

"Ah, it's Ashrufat. Essien's voice was lighthearted and playful. "You're already here. It's pretty early. Ah, I'll take off my clothes first, and you should hurry up and see Daddy Skaderra, he's in a hurry. ”

There seemed to be something in his voice, but Ashrufat couldn't understand it for a moment. But Essien was right, because Skadera had a nervous look on his face before he came in...... Although Ashrufat didn't understand what Skadra was worried about, it was true that if he had gone out earlier, he might have been able to relieve the old man's psychological pressure. I don't dare to say it, Skadra is also the elder of the Griffin family, and can even call himself the "uncle" of Ashrufat.

Of course, at this time, Ashrufat, who had already gained insight into the overall pattern of the entire Eagle Falcon City, no longer had the same great expectations for his position. I thought it was a sweet potato that could only be obtained by relying on relationships, but I didn't expect it to be a hot potato with unpredictable blessings and misfortunes. Well, what Essien said the other day is probably not a threat of empty words. The predecessors of Ashrufat who hung up are the best proof of this.

A few minutes later, he was at the exit position. As the two temple deacons had said, there was a dressing room for that as well. Towels and the like were well stocked, as were the belongings that Essrufat had given to Skadera between them. In addition to this, the package that Escinza had made from earlier was also placed on the side. Of course, the package was half untied, and the sword and shield in it had already been taken.

Ashrufat soon put on his full uniform. This outfit is estimated to have been sewn at the same time as he was making armor, because both the width of the shoulders and the length of the arms are suitable, and they are completely fixed. Overall, it was very comfortable to wear, without the tightness and discomfort of new clothes—the tailoring skills of Falcon City were much better than in a small place like Brasian.

Ashruphat hung up his cloak and pushed open the door and walked out. There are no people at the exit, but there is a sign indicating that those who come out can turn right in the hallway, which leads to the exit of the temple.

Ashrufat hadn't been halfway through when he heard footsteps behind him. It seems that Essien's movements are also very fast, and he wastes no time.

Skadera was waiting for him outside. When Ashrufat appeared, the old man dressed in black had a relieved expression.

"Your shield and sword......" Skadera handed his belongings to Ashrufat, but his body suddenly froze as he wore his sword.

"Ashrufat...... Your cloak ......"

"Cloak?" Ashrufat quickly took off his cloak. Now he saw that the back of the cloak had been stained with a large dark yellow stain. It appears to be an oily dirt, and maybe even a dye. In any case, it is really eye-catching to have such a large piece of white cloak stained.

Ashrufat never found out. Of course, it's not a mistake, and who would have thought they'd play a prank on this thing?

Indeed, this is not a trap, not a threat, but just a prank. This is because the dull yellow stains on the white cloak are so conspicuous that anyone will notice them if they wear the cape. But to be honest, it really doesn't take much effort to change a cape.

"Damn!" Scardra said softly. There was anger in his voice, but it wasn't panicked. "There's no way to use this cloak...... It must be replaced immediately. He pondered. It was still early, and he still had plenty of time to deal with this little trouble. So he carefully examined Ashruphat to make sure there were no other surprises.

"Ah, what's wrong with this cloak?" An exaggerated voice came from behind Ashrufat as Skadera examined. You don't have to ask to know that it's Essien. There is no need for other evidence, just his deliberately pretended exaggerated tone to know who did this prank.

Skadera ignored him and continued to check. But it looks like it's just a prank. Because this kind of stain is poured on the cloak. There's still plenty of time, so it's not too much of a problem.

"Oh, Daddy Skadra, this thing can't be used, so let's go to the palace and get another one. Essien suggested.

This is obviously a cat crying mouse fake compassion, so Skadera ignored him for a long time.

But on the other hand, Ashrufat's heart was full of suspicion. In fact, he didn't understand what Essien was trying to do. It was obvious: if Esin really wanted to disrupt the ritual, he should have thought of something more clever and easier - after all, he was one of the participants himself, and it wouldn't be too difficult to wreak havoc at the ceremony. If he wanted to make a fool of Ashrufat, it would be too easy to spot. In fact, a prank of this magnitude can do nothing but further strengthen the disgust of others. Besides, Skadera was at least nominally his immediate superior, and offending his immediate superiors with such a stupid prank was directly exacerbating the contradictions. Although Essien has another backer behind him, he is not extremely wise, at least he is startled.

Although he did not understand Essien's true intentions, with a gut feeling, he clearly smelled the smell of conspiracy.

"It's this cloak. Skadera had already checked it out by this time. "Ashrufat, I'll have you go to the palace and get another one at once. ”

"No need. Ashrufat said. He untied his pouch and took out a piece of white fabric. At the look of Essien's astonishment, he shook off the fabric and turned into a white cloak.

This was the cloak made by the elves, the item that Aerufat had carried with him before he lost his memory. Not only is the cloak beautiful and detailed, but it is also equipped with a powerful magic that makes it dustless and unwashed, and strong enough to withstand bullets or crossbows. It was more of a treasure than a magical artifact, because the mage could not sense the energy of the magical wind on the cloak. However, this may be due to the special manufacturing process - elves are known to surpass humans in magic, especially when it comes to item making.

Compared to the original tainted cloak, although the material, thickness, etc., are different, but the cloak is a cloak. Who can carefully study the difference between two cloaks, as long as they are both the same color.

Essien kept smiling, but his expression changed slightly. Ashrufat clearly saw that although he tried his best to hide it, there was still a trace of surprise and frustration in his expression.

"You actually have a cloak with you?" asked Essin after a few seconds, in an incredulous tone.

"Ah, it's an elven artifact. Ashrufat replied. "High-end goods, very valuable. ”

"Ah, yes......" replied Essien.

What followed was a wordless wait. As mentioned earlier, Ashruphat came at the dawn of the day, so although everything was ready at this time, it was still very early for the official start. They could only wait patiently at the entrance of the temple. Esin was bored too, so he paced to the other side, leaving only Ashrufat and Skadra, and of course a few palace servants and church deacons.

"What did he do this for?" Ashruphat took a moment to ask the court chief beside him. "If he wants to make trouble, wouldn't it be better to wear that cloak himself?"

"He was recommended by the Duke of Byron. Skadera replied. "The Queen's personal guards must prove to be infallible, so a guarantor is needed. His guarantor was none other than the Duke of Byron. So if he has a basket on him...... The Duke of Byron was necessarily responsible as guarantor...... He wouldn't do that stupid thing. ”

"Then my guarantor......" Ashrufat's mind turned, and he immediately understood why Eshin would not make trouble himself, instead of looking for opportunities on himself.

"Your guarantor is me. Skadera replied dryly. "If you do something badly...... You are responsible, and I will be held accountable. ”

"But...... It's just a prank...... "It's a mess, but it's clearly not a threat, it's just disgusting." Why would Essien suddenly want to do such a thing, and what good is it?

"Probably a demonstration to me. Skadera replied. He looked preoccupied. "Someone reminded me...... I may have been too ostentatious at the Imperial Council that day. ”