In the name of the true god

It was the end of October.

Affected by a cold wave similar to the Little Ice Age, the sea near the capital Montorus is gradually freezing, and the cold wind in the suburbs is becoming increasingly fierce and biting.

Jude followed Allen's example, turning up the collar of his prison guard uniform while hunching his neck to block the cold wind from getting in as much as possible.

"Huff... hiss..." Allen tucked his hands into his sleeves, casually tucking the bolt-action rifle under his belt. "It's getting colder and colder; keeping watch outside at night is really torturous..."

"Indeed, I'll need to bring an extra layer tomorrow." Jude paced back and forth, stamping his feet; he was also quite cold.

Do you have any more candy?

"There's one more." Jude handed over the last piece of hard candy from his pocket.

"I'm so hungry." Allen quickly stuffed the candy into his mouth.

Jude joked, "Haven't you considered losing some weight?"

"As a resonance mage, it's better to be a little chubby," Allen said. "Using the Law of Similarity consumes a lot of energy each time, so only by being a little fatter can I store more energy in my body."

"Is this why you gained weight?"

"No, not really, I just love to eat."

Jude thought this was some valuable insight: "..."

It was past 11 p.m.

The patrol team hasn't shown up yet.

Allen yawned: "Shall I rest first?"

"Okay, I'll call you when it's time," Jude said.

"Remember to keep an eye out for the police," Allen instructed, then found a sheltered corner in the watchtower and closed his eyes for a short rest.

Once he heard Allen begin to snore, Jude took out the Möbius strip ring from his pocket and put it on the index finger of his left hand.

It's still early before the mysterious space opens at midnight.

Bored, he adjusted the angle of the searchlight, then rested his hands on the railing and looked at the special prison building to the side.

The special prison building was brightly lit.

The ten newly transferred priests are stationed there today.

Since they were temporarily transferred here, and their purpose was to lure the chairman out with a 'fake transfer,' they might take action tomorrow.

Once they get through this, the prison should be able to behave itself for a while.

Jude's thoughts wandered, and he recalled his meeting with his brother Connor earlier that day.

like……

What a coincidence...

After knocking on Connor's office door and confirming that no one was home, he spent less than five minutes in his brother and sister-in-law Steele's office.

In other words, Connor returned just as I went in?

Furthermore, I clearly confirmed that there was no one in the corridor before I used the law of contact twice in a row.

Did Connor hear something? Otherwise, why would he open the door and call me in?

Also.

There are seven days left until next Sunday.

Connor is asking me to go shopping for a gift right now?

Isn't it a bit too early...?

Jude frowned and carefully recalled the details.

It's probably just a coincidence.

Otherwise, if Connor had never left the office, there would be no reason for him to pretend he wasn't there.

If someone arranges to meet you in the city center a little earlier, it's probably because they're worried you might have some new plans.

Ok……

By a twist of fate, it actually helped me a lot...

I'm really lucky...

Jude secretly rejoiced.

……

2:27 a.m.

Shivering from the cold, Jude stared intently at the second hand of his watch, which was slowly approaching the number '12'.

"Da-da-da-da-"

The moment the second hand reached '12', the familiar suction force burst forth from the Möbius strip ring.

Jude was used to the dizzying sensation when entering the mysterious space.

After once again finding myself in a tranquil place of black and white, I turned around and looked back without any lingering effects.

Less than two meters away from him, Edmund was wearing a wool coat that went past his knees, and his face showed no sign of fatigue.

"How are you?" Jude asked.

"It's alright." Edmund's voice was low. "I led my men on a winding mountain road for more than half a month, but we were caught in a heavy snow and almost didn't make it out."

"You've left Nordonia?"

"Not yet, but we're almost at the border between Nordonia and Verea," Edmund said. "Verea has a relatively mild climate, so even with my wanted poster on me and it not convenient for me to be active in the city, this winter shouldn't be too hard to get through."

"Veria..." Jude murmured.

He 'searched' his memory.

There are more than ten countries of varying sizes in this other world.

The Kingdom of Florence is located in the northwest of the continent, while Nordonia is in the southeast.

To get from Nordonia to Florence, you have to cross at least three or four countries.

"How's the matter I asked you about going?" Jude asked again.

"I haven't done it yet," Edmund explained. "The time span is too long. I don't have the ability to interfere with things in Florence right now. I can only wait until I go to Florence and then try to help you make arrangements in advance, such as secretly digging a tunnel in the capital's heavy prison."

"Hmm...no rush." ​​Jude knew that these things couldn't be rushed; Edmund just needed to find an opportunity to do it over the next eight years.

"And you? Has anything been going on this week?"

"I really have something to do here..." Jude revealed the joint ambush by the Royal Capital Heavy Prison and the Holy Church of Wind.

After hearing this, Edmund raised the corners of his mouth in praise: "Thanks to you this time. If you hadn't found out that the prison had no intention of transferring the wizards and resonance sorcerers involved, Frost and his men would have been wiped out during the forced rescue."

"Yes..." Jude agreed wholeheartedly, "I've finally come to truly understand the dangers of being a 'heretic'."

"Scared?"

"A little," Jude nodded, then shook his head, frankly explaining his thoughts, "but more than anything, it's a kind of pressure. Like this time, I was lucky enough to see through the church's scheme. But what about next time? What if I'm not so lucky, what if I misjudge some information...?"

He thought long-term and comprehensively.

Ultimately, they were dealing with the Holy Church, and ultimately they were burdened with the identity of "heretics".

What if?

The Divine Descent Society was destroyed.

His identity was also exposed.

He would feel a lingering fear, and couldn't help but reflect on whether there were any oversights in this lucky "victory," and then couldn't help but wonder what kind of crisis awaited him next, and how long his luck could protect him.

"So some things can't be taken for granted," Edmund understood Jude. "But don't worry too much, you've done very well, it's not just luck."

"Heh..." Jude didn't dwell on this heavy topic any further. "I almost forgot, when we parted last time, you wanted me to tell you how things would end. Do you want to hear it now?"

"This is a deal," Edmund said calmly. "You can tell me after the tunnel is successfully completed."

"Alright then." Jude had no objections.

Edmund then made a request: "However, I'd like to ask you for another favor during this meeting."