Evan, who had woken up with a pounding head, looked around.
Realizing that he had regressed, he let out a mixed chuckle.
"Haha, this is the first time I'm feeling powerless even after becoming an Aura Master."
His eyes briefly softened.
It was a day when rain fell unusually heavily.
Encountering an unexpected disaster and receiving unexpected salvation.
Since that incident, he had relentlessly honed his skills.
'Performing nightmares, what a wicked act. Is it related to the cult's devil worship?'
He couldn't resist the black smokes that defied physical force.
Thanks to that, he had to experience the nightmare from that day again, and it was the worst feeling.
But one thing he had discovered was that those black smokes were vulnerable to light.
It was something he had sensed initially, but it was confirmed in the previous episode.
Starting from the fact that they were vulnerable to light, Evan, who had firmly concluded that these black smokes were evil, immediately thought of the dark magicians who had entered this place with him.
'He must have gone to gather information elsewhere since we didn't run into each other while heading to the Lord's Castle in the city center.'
There was no information about why this city was repeating.
There was only the Lord in the Lord's Castle, who made frustrating noises.
One interesting thing was the story of the Dragon Expedition, which hinted that this city may have existed in the distant past.
Although he didn't feel like he was in ancient times, seeing this mysterious power made him nod.
'Fire Dragon... I know a lot of things from ancient texts, but it's unfortunate that I don't know the name.'
As a Holy Knight of the Kasian Empire, he had accumulated a lot of knowledge.
If only he could find out the name of the Dragon, he would have a high chance of understanding the whole story and the era through the knowledge from the documents he had read so far. But unfortunately, they didn't know anything about the Dragon's name or information.
They just complained that since the Dragon had settled nearby, it should be exterminated by the high priests of the temple.
'Cooperation is needed.'
As he realized that the situation was becoming increasingly unusual, sharing information became urgent.
Although he hadn't expected to become so powerless, now was not the time to boost his ego.
'If I have that nightmare again...'
He thought it might be better to die or leave the city and regress.
Evan's footsteps quickened as he set his goal.
He had to meet Luna and Barry Sanders before sunset to come up with a plan.
.
.
.
.
Episode 3.
The only information I had gathered from the 2nd episode was that the temple was suspicious; I couldn't find any accurate information.
I wondered if Evan, who was acting separately from us, had found any information.
'Surely he hasn't escaped already?'
That, too, was not bad news.
It was evidence that you couldn't escape with your own strength.
'Of course, Evan isn't an ordinary person.'
I wasn't worried because this is an unusual combination.
And the probability of Evan escaping was low in the first place.
"Friend!"
"Yes, Luna."
"I saw a strange person in the temple! A weirdo!"
Luna put on a very serious expression, but it was rather comical.
She asked with her lips slightly curling up, resembling a child mimicking an adult.
"A strange person?"
Now that I thought about it, I also seemed to have seen something.
Because I was so distracted, I didn't see it clearly, but if Luna saw a person, it seemed that I had seen it correctly.
"Yeah! He wasn't dead! He was a person!"
"Ah."
That's right.
Luna could distinguish between souls and people, right?
"Is there anyone else besides us?"
"Yeah! It was an old man in a black robe. He looked really surprised when he saw me."
This rings a bell.
It seemed like we had found a key related to the mystery.
"Let's go back to the temple."
This time, we knew the way to the temple, and we had plenty of time.
Enough time to figure something out.
Perhaps we could even clear this dungeon.
'Since it's a hidden dungeon, it won't be as easy as it sounds.'
Soon, we left the dark alley and headed for the temple.
We could feel the children's gazes as they left.
"Poor things."
Luna's sudden words made me hesitate for a moment, but then I nodded slowly.
"They might be wandering here without knowing they're dead."
Luna gently grabbed the edge of my clothing.
"We might be able to help them, right?"
"We'll try."
As long as we cleared the dungeon.
Maybe then, those children could move on.
The children in the slums looked pitiful, and it was a role they couldn't avoid.
We might even feel more sorry for them than their parents who had probably died and disappeared into Krivmaher.
'I hope clearing the dungeon will solve everything.'
If the dungeon was cleared, but they continued to wander, there was nothing more I could do for them.
I wasn't a saint.
We quickly passed the open space I had already passed several times with Luna and passed through the long shopping street...
And soon arrived at the imposing temple of Lethe.
"Where are you from?"
The priest acting as the gatekeeper asked when he saw them.
I was about to answer that I was a priest of Nyx when...
"Wait."
Another priest hurriedly came out of the temple and said,
"Father Berial will not receive guests today. Can you come back tomorrow?"
The situation had clearly changed.
The person named Berial, a priest inside the temple, was now more likely to be someone like them who experienced regression.
"It's different!"
Luna also shouted in surprise, looking at me.
And she quickly ignited her determination.
"We'll break through."
When I drew my sword, Luna quickly prepared her enchantment magic.
"What are you doing now...!"
Two priests who were surprised by my actions quickly took out their combat gear and staffs.
"Sorry."
Even though it was meaningless to apologize since they would regress anyway, I quickly approached them and swung my sword.
Was it too sudden of an attack?
Due to my actions that went against common sense, the two priests were separated and fell.
Since they were people who didn't bleed, I might have been a bit too harsh, but since they were already dead, I didn't care.
Swish!
Just as Luna finished her arrival, she went straight into the temple.
I hurriedly followed her, and inside, I saw people panicking and running away.
"Luna, let's find that person who's alive."
"Yeah."
Luna's eyes gleamed with a peculiar light, and she dashed inside like an arrow. I grabbed one of the fleeing people and asked,
"Is there a priest named Berial here?"
"H-High Priest?"
A high priest...
"Could it be that this Berial person was the one who organized the Dragon Expedition?"
"As long as you don't harm me, I'll tell you. Yes, he's the one."
Things were starting to make sense.
So, was there a connection between the Dragon Expedition and this regression?
But it wasn't enough information yet.
Crash!
Suddenly, a loud noise erupted from inside.
Feeling the dense mana energy, I quickly ran toward the source of the noise.
"Luna."
Fortunately, Luna seemed unharmed.
And in front of her stood the old priest in the black robe that they had seen in a previous episode.
"This, this, this is unbelievable!"
He looked at me and Luna with a confused expression, shouting,
"Wh-why is a priest of Nyx here? Wh-who are you?"
The magical power gathering at the tip of his staff didn't seem normal.
Luna seemed to sense it too as she quickly moved away from her position.
"No! Don't touch my city!"
Kwaang!
A storm of magical power erupted, destroying an entire side of the temple building.
The monstrous ability was even more terrifying than expected, making my whole body tense.
"Stop. Are you Berial?"
"T-this is a city under the protection of Lethe! G-Go away, you demons!"
Words wouldn't work.
I gestured to Luna, and then I rushed towards Berial.
"H-here, Lethe will not forgive you. R-retreat immediately, you fiends!"
My sword swung towards him in an attempt to stop him, but it was repelled by an unknown barrier.
However, Luna, who followed closely behind, swung her massive scythe, easily cutting through the barrier.
"You, Nyx's priest!"
Is he insane?
At least he didn't seem sane.
Well, if you had been living in a space where the same day repeated over and over until now, you might have gone crazy.
Even if they didn't know how time worked here compared to the outside world, it was likely that this Berial had been regressing from ancient times to the present day.
His magical power was intense, but his reaction wasn't great, so I easily subdued him.
"How, how can an outsider be here..."
"Berial. Is your name Berial?"
"I haven't done anything wrong! In fact, it's because of me that they're alive!"
Luna and I exchanged uncertain glances while watching Berial's rambling.
First, let's try talking to him.
"Berial, it seems you know that this city keeps repeating itself. Are you the one responsible for this?"
"Me? With what power! This is just Lethe's grace! Worship! Lethe has granted us eternal life! Ahahaha!"
Berial laughed like a madman, his laughter piercing the air.
Someone's voice cut through Berial's laughter.
"He's insane."
"Evan."
Evan, who had suddenly appeared, was walking through the shattered temple walls.
"So, are you saying that those black smokes are blessings from the gods?"
"Black smokes? Hahaha! Those are the most evolved forms that appear when humans are blessed! They are not just black smokes!"
"...He's insane."
Evan's expression as he said that seemed strangely stiff.
"Gods would never create such wicked beings. Gods are all about light, and those who fear the light dare not come from the gods."
"Light? Light? You may not know which doctrine I believe in, but you are too narrow-minded! The gods seek diversity. You are not people who can rashly criticize them!"
Berial's face, which had been heatedly protesting, gradually cooled down.
In my opinion, it was just meaningless faith and words, but it seemed to be an ambiguous conversation between a Holy Knight of the Empire and an actual priest who believed in the gods.
"Evan, for now, let's find a way to leave this city..."
"Nyx's priest."
Berial, who interrupted my words, stared intensely at Luna.
"All of this is my fault. But I will never regret it. I will not abandon this city."
Suddenly, he regained his senses and spoke calmly, then he smiled at Luna...
Boom!
And he exploded.
"What is this..."
Evan's confusion echoed inside the temple.
Berial had blown himself up.