When Alex left the cabin, his face was full of reluctance and solemnity, but the moment he closed the wooden door, his facial muscles relaxed as if a meeting had been adjournedâthey returned to their respective places, each back to its home, and his expression became impassive once again.
Angel observed this dramatic change in countenance fully.
âI think, if you ever stop being a Priest,â Angel sincerely suggested, âyou could consider becoming a stage actor.â This earned Angel a silent glance from Alex.
âIf you have any intention of becoming an actor, I can introduce you to a place, Extinguished Torch Academy. The actors there are all excellent.â
Alex completely ignored Angelâs words, not giving them any heed.
He looked around at his surroundings by himself.
The area was a woodland, fairly flat. However, because the forest was dense, the view wasnât very clear.
At last, Alexâs gaze settled on a cliff high above not far away.
After a long while, Alex made his way to the high ground, and from there, he could look down and clearly see the cabin below as well as the surrounding forestâan excellent vantage point.
âNext, we wait,â Alex said blandly.
Naturally, the waiting was for the pursuer to arrive.
The abandoned Rangerâs Cabin was actually quite far from the scene of last nightâs incident, in a totally opposite direction from Gust Townâit could be said they were on two entirely different ends.
What they had to do next was to see whether the pursuing undead would come here.
If Knight Raven and Camelot could not find Lady Connieâs whereabouts within a short period, they could confirm one thingâthe manipulator of the undead was definitely not someone outside the cage. After all, if the manipulator were observing from outside the cage, their vision must be far-reaching, and they would surely be able to grasp any move in the cage at the earliest opportunity. Lady Connie would not be able to hide even if she wanted to.
On the other hand, if they couldnât find Lady Connieâs trail in the short term, that would illustrate a different problemâthe controller of the undead must be within the cage. Moreover, they could only discover a person touching the barrier at the very first moment of contact. If the toucher fled, the manipulator would need to exert great effort to search.
Therefore, Alex chose to wait here.
If no one came here to execute Lady Connie in a short time, they could deduce that the other person was not someone outside the cage. Then it would be Alexâs time to truly take action.
Because once the undead controller went to great lengths to search for Lady Connie, they would certainly slip up!
Alex thought things through very thoroughly, but on careful consideration, one could see that Lady Connie, who had just been rescued by Alex, was now once again used as bait by himâŚ
During this wait, Angel and Alex exchanged small talk, including local customs, cultural practices, language habits, and racial features.
He hoped to approximately deduce Gust Townâs location through these details.
Perhaps because Angel had saved Alexâs life the night before, his attitude had softened slightly since then; as long as it wasnât about Alex himself, Angel could ask anything and Alex would answer if he knew.
However, there were no special customs in Gust Town, apart from attending worship at the Kumia Church during major festivals. But this custom wasnât too peculiar, as it is common in countries where religion and politics govern together. Alex had also mentioned that although he didnât know what country Gust Town belonged to, he was sure that the Kumia Holy Scripture was the only religious belief of the land.
With the information currently available, Angel could not deduce the exact location.
However, Angel guessed that they were likely still in the Southern Domain. After all, he only traversed the strange passage for a very short time, and according to his understanding of space and time, they should still be within the Southern Domain.
Moreover, the residents of Gust Town were humans, not humanoids. The language and writing were the common tongue of the continent.
Various clues indicated that this place was within the civilized reach of the Wizardsâ Realm.
But something had caught Angelâs attention.
The residents of Gust Town, although they spoke the common tongue of the continent, still had a distinct local accent. But Alex was different: although he had an accent, it was not the same as that of the residents of Gust Town.
Angel had asked Alex about this accent, but Alex had a blank memory of his past and couldnât provide any answers.
However, Angel had a guess. Although he couldnât place Alexâs accent, he felt it must be from some part of the Flourish Continent. According to Angel, between the two accents of the residents of Gust Town and Alex, Angel could understand both, but Alexâs accent made listening easier for him.
The sun gradually tilted, and Alex stopped talking. He took out a leather water bottle from his waist, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and then said, âIt has been almost twenty hours, and those two undead have not found us. It looks like my guess was correctâthere must be an undead manipulator, and this person is definitely not outside the cage.â
Alex turned his head and looked toward the distant mountains, where the buildings of Gust Town could faintly be seen.
âPerhaps this person is hiding in the town, switching identities between good and evil, treating everyone like a joke, carrying out the commands of the cageâs creator, and heartily slaughtering those who discover the truth.â
Alex stood up and bowed slightly toward Angel: âMr. Pat, Iâve troubled you.â
Angel understood his meaning and slowly drifted down the cliff to approach the vicinity of the Rangerâs Cabin.
Looking through the window, Mrs. Connie was staring blankly at the sunset outside, murmuring Sir Ravenâs name, with evident streaks of tears on her cheeks.
Angel reached out a hand, and a wave of Illusion Technique spread slowly, enveloping the abandoned Rangerâs Cabin entirely.
Alex, atop the cliff, witnessed the process of the Rangerâs Cabin gradually vanishing.
Although it was the second time he had seen the so-called âIllusion Technique,â he still felt amazed. Where did this power, which surpassed that of mortals, come from, and could he, himself, ever possess such power?
While Alex was lost in thought, Angel had already completely concealed the Rangerâs Cabin behind the Illusion Technique.
That meant Mrs. Connie was once again safe for the time being.
Previously, Alex wanted to use Mrs. Connie as bait to probe the reality of the undead manipulator.
However, now that the depth of the opponent was known, what needed to be done was to delay the enemy from finding Mrs. Connie as much as possible. As a result, the enemyâs movements would inevitably become more noticeable, which would be advantageous for catching them in the act.
Therefore, Alex requested Angel to hide Mrs. Connie, to extend the time before she could be found by the enemy.
And all these plans were unbeknownst to Mrs. Connie; whether that was fortunate or unfortunate, she did not know.
After hiding Mrs. Connie with Illusion Technique, Angel returned to the cliff and said, âBecause thereâs no stable energy supply, this Illusion Technique wonât last long. If itâs not destroyed by an outside force, it should hold for about a week.â
Alex nodded, âA week is already enough.â
Treading through the evening glow, they followed a secluded path back to Gust Town. By the time they arrived at the town, Nightfall had come.
Angel, leading Alex by the way where no one else went, turned many corners until they stealthily returned to the Cruia Church.
The escape of Mrs. Connie was definitely an unforeseen event for the mastermind behind the scenes. Upon deeper thought, it would become clear that someone was aiding Mrs. Connie; someone might even have uncovered the true nature of the cage. Therefore, the enemy might very well scrutinize the townspeople, explaining the caution that Alex exercised on his way back.
By the time Alex pushed open the door to his own room, his brow suddenly furrowed. After making a round inside the room, he fell into deep thought.
âWhatâs wrong?â Angel asked.
Alex said, âThe note I left, the placement of my fountain pen, even the dust on the door frame, everything is undisturbed. This means that Father Berengar hasnât visited my room today.â
Angel glanced at Alexâs desk where a note was being held down by an ink bottle. It bore a line of Alexâs handwriting, stating that he planned to go to the riverbank to recite the Holy Scripture and might return late.
According to Alex, since he drifted to Gust Town along the river, he would occasionally go to the riverbank to attempt to recover his memory and to give thanks to the Father God by reciting the Holy Scripture. Father Berengar was aware of this, which is why Alex used it as an excuse in the note he left the previous night.
However, this night passed, and Father Berengar hadnât been to his room.
âLogically, Father Berengar should come to find me each morning, to listen to the Father Godâs admonitions, but why didnât he come today?â Alex wondered.
But soon, his query was answered.
Noises arose from the front courtyard, and when Alex opened the window to look out, he saw that the church, which normally only had a few night lamps lit in reverence to God, was now bright with lights.
âLetâs go and see whatâs happening.â Alex took off his dust-laden clothes, donned a more formal priestly robe, invoking an image of greater solemnity and sanctity.
After changing, Alex slightly adjusted his expression and then headed towards the Cruia Church.
Before he even entered the church, he could hear wailing from inside.
When Alex pushed the door open, he saw a crowd gathered around Father Berengar, sobbing incessantly.
Father Berengar looked somewhat weary, but he was still trying his best to comfort the people. Upon seeing Alex enter, he said to the crowd, âFather God above, please calm down. The Father God will surely dispel the dark clouds hanging over our heads.â
After speaking, Father Berengar turned to whisper something to a Sheriff wearing a round hat, who took over consoling the people, while Berengar himself approached Alex.
âAlex, why have you only now come out?â Father Berengar asked in a low voice.
âSorry, Iâve been engrossed in the study of the Holy Scripture all day and didnât notice what was happening outside.â Alex deliberately did not mention where he had been studying the Holy Scripture.
âStudying the Holy Scripture is good, but you also need to pay attention to the flock,â Father Berengar said with a slightly softened expression.
Alex understood immediately from Berengarâs reaction that the priest was unaware that he had been away from his room all day. It appeared that his excuse about reading the Holy Scripture by the river wasnât needed after all.
âFather, may I ask what on earth has happened, and why are all these people so heartbroken?â Alex put on a distressed face and inquired.
âSighâŚâ Father Berengar let out a deep sigh and revealed the events that had transpired.
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