I'm really not a Sanctuary Warlock.

It wasn't that she didn't want to ask, but she was too exhausted at the moment. The karmic fire had just been extinguished, and the dull pain that had been burning deep in her soul for dozens of days had not completely subsided. She didn't have the extra energy to delve into the origins of a stranger.

“Lisa,” Anna turned to Lisa, “help me inside.”

“Okay.” Lisa immediately stepped forward and took Anna’s arm.

Anna's body was even weaker than it appeared. After being freed from the scorching flames, her body, which had been sustained by willpower, seemed to have finally let down all its defenses, and her weight was almost entirely on Lisa.

The two slowly walked towards the wooden house.

Anna paused slightly as she passed Lynn.

Then she continued walking forward without looking back.

......

The door to the wooden house was closed.

Only Lynn and Vigo remained on the hillside.

The wind blew up from the valley, carrying the fresh scent of pine resin.

"It seems she really doesn't know you."

“Hmm.” Vigo’s voice was calm.

What are you planning to do?

Vigo remained silent for a long time.

“There’s nothing we can do,” he finally said. “It’s enough that she’s alive.”

He turned around and faced the direction he had come from.

"Are you leaving?" Lynn asked.

"My sanity is down to 21, I probably won't live much longer." Vigo's back cast a long shadow in the setting sun. "You can walk the rest of the way yourselves."

As Lynn watched his retreating figure, she suddenly realized that this man really resembled Anna.

The same stubbornness.

It's the same; they push themselves to the brink and then pretend to be indifferent.

“You should at least wait until she wakes up before you leave,” Lynn said. “Or tell her the truth yourself.”

Vigo did not turn around.

“There’s no need for that anymore. She was only four years old when the village was massacred that year.”

"When I was taken away by August's men, I didn't even have time to see her."

His voice grew softer and softer.

"It's been more than twenty years."

"I don't even know what she looks like."

"That was the first time I... saw her face clearly."

Lynn wanted to say something, but the words wouldn't come out.

“I’m leaving,” Vigo said.

This time, he didn't pause. A few seconds later, his figure completely disappeared from the mountaintop, as if he had never been there.

Lynn stood there, staring at the direction where Vigo had disappeared for a long time.

"You bastard."

He muttered a curse under his breath, but it was unclear who he was cursing.

We curse Vigo's cowardice, the Church's filth, August's despicableness, and this messed-up world.

Perhaps both.

He turned around and walked towards the wooden house.

The door was unlocked.

Lynn pushed open the door and saw Anna lying on the simple wooden bed. Lisa was sitting on the edge of the bed, wiping the sweat from Anna's forehead with a damp cloth.

Anna appears to be asleep.

After being freed from the torment of the karmic fire, her body finally allowed itself to rest.

Hearing the noise, Lisa turned around and glanced at Lynn.

"That person left?" she asked in a low voice.

"gone."

Who exactly is he?

Lynn hesitated for a moment.

"Let's talk about it when Anna wakes up."

Lisa frowned, but didn't ask any further questions. She stood up and walked over to Lynn.

Then she did something Lynn had never expected.

She lowered her head slightly.

"Thank you."

"Oh?" Lynn raised an eyebrow. "So the nun can say thank you too?"

"Shut up." Lisa raised her head, her expression instantly returning to its icy demeanor. "I've said it once, don't push your luck."

"Okay, okay, okay." Lynn raised his hands in surrender.

He glanced at Anna, who was sleeping soundly on the bed.

His breathing was steady, and although his face was pale, it no longer had that almost transparent sickly look.

She will get better.

“I’ll go outside and keep watch,” Lynn said. “You take care of her.”

Lisa nodded.

Lynn turned and walked out of the cabin, sitting down on the steps at the door.

The setting sun was bathing the entire hillside in a warm orange hue.

The summit of Mount Nikolay appeared exceptionally serene in the twilight, the ominous aura of the Gates of Hell gone.

Lynn leaned against the door frame, looking up at the gradually darkening sky.

I'm at level 55.

There are sirens, broken-winged angels, holy unicorns, and temple guards.

There was also a book on metaphors, and a spatial ring left behind by Vigo.

Anna's karmic fire has been extinguished.

what's next?

Return to the capital?

To the Duchy of Toussaint?

still is……

Lynn took out the thin booklet from his spatial ring.

The Art of Metaphor.

An ancient forbidden art of transferring calamity onto objects.

Yarwin said this was the compensation from fate for him giving up the position of the Fool.

Fate.

That being that can glimpse the river of fate and change its course with a push.

What exactly did he see in himself?

Lynn opened the booklet to the first page, where there was only one line of text.

"Calamity is the container, and the container is calamity. The bearer will gain power equal to that of the calamity itself, and will also bear a price equal to that of the calamity itself."

Chapter Ninety-Seven: Temple Guardians

Lynn was immersed in his practice, his mental energy carefully touching the words. Each word was like a hot branding iron, leaving an imprint deep in his consciousness.

Time slipped away quietly in meditation.

After an unknown amount of time, Lynn suddenly opened his eyes.

It was completely dark.

My head is throbbing.

"Damn it," Lynn rubbed his head, "this is a bit difficult."

In two hours, he had only barely grasped the first two general outlines of Metaphor. This thing was far more obscure than the Codex of Binding, which at least had clear casting steps and incantations. Metaphor was more like a spell that relied purely on personal intuition.

"Take your time." Lynn sighed, stood up, and stretched.

Just then, the door to the cabin was pushed open.

Lisa came out, her long silver hair gleaming coldly in the moonlight. She looked around and her gaze fell on Lynn on the steps.

"Tell me, what have you been through during this time?"

Lynn turned his head to look at her. In the moonlight, Lisa's profile was beautiful, but there was a kind of subtle...concern in her eyes?

“Nothing too dramatic,” Lynn said. “We got to the capital, obtained the holy water, and then rushed back.”

"It's that simple?" Lisa clearly didn't believe it.

"Pretty much," Lynn thought for a moment. "Oh right, I also saw the Elf Queen."

Lisa turned her head, raising her eyebrows.

"The Elf Queen?"

“Yes, Sandros,” Lynn said flatly. “She’s quite pretty, but…”

"How did you meet the Elf Queen?" Lisa interrupted him. "Outsiders can't possibly enter an elven city."

"It was just a lucky coincidence," Lynn shrugged. "I ran into an elven caravan while passing through Silverleaf Forest."

Lisa's expression became subtle.

"You haven't gotten into any trouble, have you?"

"I'm innocent, Sister! I was forcibly taken there, okay?"

"and then?"

"Then the Queen saw that I was harmless and let me go."

Lisa was silent for a moment.

"What about that man?" she suddenly asked. "The one who was with you before you left."

"They've already left."

Who exactly is he?

Lynn looked at the ridgeline in the distance, bathed in moonlight, and carefully considered his words.

"Let's talk about it together when Anna wakes up."

"That line again."

"Because of this, Anna has to decide how to handle it herself."

Lisa stared at Lynn's profile for several seconds, but ultimately didn't ask any further questions.

The two sat side by side on the steps, neither of them speaking.

The mountain breeze was cool, and the chirping of night insects came from all directions.