A dull longsword and a heartbroken villager

"..." The priest did not respond. "Thun, do you know, there are strange things in the capital again." Philly habitually wrapped her arms around Father Thun's neck and whispered in his ear.

“I don’t have any sensory abilities, how could I possibly know?” Father Thun did not stop because of Philly, but continued walking towards the kitchen.

“So I’m telling you this,” Philly said softly.

Judging solely from Philly's appearance and hearing only her voice, one might assume she is a gentle woman.

However, Father Thun knew very well that she was not.

“So why don’t you tell me more specifically what it is?” Father Thun said calmly.

“Because you never answer my questions, I’ve learned to keep you in suspense too.” Philly stretched out her finger and poked Father Thun’s cheek.

"Is that so?" the priest said, walking into the kitchen and starting to prepare the ingredients.

"Thun, does it really not matter what happens in the capital?" Philly's tone became serious.

Father Thun paused in his work.

“The one who infiltrated the capital was a strange orc mage,” Philly told Father Thun the truth behind what she had said earlier.

"He's just a mage." Upon hearing this, the priest resumed his work.

"A very powerful mage, a mage who exudes an ominous aura."

“Would you find it normal for someone like that to appear in the capital?” Philly asked.

Father Thun did not continue speaking, but simply lowered his eyelids.

“You care more about the capital and the safety of this church than anyone else.”

"Aren't you really going to investigate?" Philly said quietly.

She breathed sweet fragrance beside the priest.

Of course, Father Thun didn't feel anything about it; he simply fell into a long silence.

The fire was turned on, and the sound of the flames burning echoed in my ears.

Father Thun, as if he hadn't heard Philly's words, slowly placed the prepared ingredients into the stove.

“Thun, you are…” Philly seemed to want to say something.

But the priest spoke up before Philly could finish.

“You are always guiding me, guiding me at all times.” Father Thun didn’t actually dislike the word “guidance” because he said that the doctrine of the God he believed in was to guide people.

But Philly's guidance was different; it wasn't a light in the fog, but a rope pulling him along.

Philly has been guiding Father Thun down a certain path.

This can hardly be called guidance; it's more like inducement.

“That’s right, I’m guiding you all the time because you are a person who observes the precepts.” Philly did not deny her purpose.

Her own will as the ring was guiding Father Thun.

Philly believed she was not wrong, because she was guiding the ringholder to the correct destiny, a destiny in which the ringholder would become stronger and able to bear the ring's fate.

But Father Thun is clearly unable to bear the fate that the ring carries.

Despite her appearance, Philly's purpose is very pure: for "Kapras," for the future of the lower species.

She has well inherited the will that the person who made the ring entrusted to her.

“Your ability to evoke mental images proves that you think the same way as the person who forged the ring,” Philly said, stroking Father Thun’s face.

Father Thun had stubble on his face that felt a little prickly to the touch, but surprisingly, it was quite comfortable.

"That's clearly how it is, so why don't you keep going?"

“I’ve never asked you to do anything wrong, and I think you know that very well,” Philly said in a deep voice.

“I know you never guided me to do the wrong thing.”

"Rather than that, you always make me do the kind of things that save others." Father Thun put the lid on the pot and waited for the food to cook.

This is a thick soup, and with bread, it's the children's dinner.

It's simple, delicious, and nutritious. My only worry is that the kids might get tired of it.

"Then why?" Philly was even more puzzled. If Father Thun was so aware of everything he was doing, why did he always remain indifferent?

She could clearly sense that, starting from a certain day, Father Thun's attitude towards her had become quite cold.

It's hard to imagine that the kind priest could be so cold to someone.

“I once listened to your advice and went to the Northern Continent for the stability of the wall that forms the world.”

“You said the situation over there was very serious, and when I got there, I found it was indeed the case,” Father Thun murmured, looking at the stove.

From an outsider's perspective, they would probably just think Father Thun was daydreaming, because apart from Father Thun himself, no one could see Philly.

"I experienced some things there, I worked hard myself, and I also saw the efforts of some other people."

"And then barely managed to save the Northern Continent from a devastating catastrophe." Father Thun spoke at a moderate pace, making it easy for listeners to become engrossed.

"After returning from the Northern Continent, I thought about a lot of things."

"For example, you, for example, the children, for example, Lizbern, for example, yourself."

“Finally… for example, Blakeras,” Father Thun said, naming another ring-bearer.

That was a legendary figure, even from behind.

Although it sounds exaggerated, Father Thun truly believed it.

However, it was because of Bray that Father Thun thought of certain things.

“Breclas…” Philly knew who this was, but she didn’t know why Father Thun would bring him up at this time.

Do you think his path in life was tragic?

“…” Philly could not answer Father Thun’s question, even though she knew the answer.

"It was a terrible tragedy."

"If things continue like this, what will happen in the end?" Father Thun looked into Philly's eyes and asked this question.

"What will happen if I keep going?"

"You want to run away?"

"..."

“You must have thought of this before you went to the Northern Continent, but you’re even more certain of it after you came back,” Philly said in a low voice.

Her conversation with the priest now is very serious, extremely serious.

"You're right."

"Then why did you actually do as I said, abandon the church, and go to the Northern Continent for so long?" Philly asked.

"Yes, why is that?"

“Maybe it’s because I’m stupid.” Father Thun didn’t explain why he was stupid, but simply revealed the truth.

Philly stared into the priest's eyes, and as he said he was stupid, she sensed a lot from his deep, unfathomable pupils.

The only thing I couldn't see was "fear".

"So you're really going to run away?" Philly couldn't help but ask again.

“Probably,” Father Thun answered Philly’s question this time.

"Why..."

"The answer is still the same: because I'm stupid and my perspective is narrow."

Before each performance, there are countless rehearsals, all to ensure that no mistakes are made on the day of the actual performance.

Even for Eols, no matter how good her singing skills were, she could not skip the rehearsal process.

In the vast theater, the lights were focused on Eorz.

Eors stood on the brown wooden plank and squinted his eyes.

She really enjoys the feeling of being chased by the lights on stage.

There were no audience members in the theater, only a few basic staff members.

Budbush was among them, quietly waiting for Eors' rehearsal to begin.

The theater looks empty now, but Eors knows it will be packed on the day of the performance.

The sense of oppression brought by that large number of people is incomparable to what we feel now.

Many people are perfect during rehearsals, but mess up during the actual performance.

Pressure is something that should never be underestimated.

One of the reasons Eols is praised is that she never makes a mistake.

As precise as a machine, both rehearsals and the actual performances are breathtakingly perfect.

Eorz's gown was more eye-catching than ever.

This meticulously designed gown was meant to draw all eyes to the songstress during the performance.

"Miss Eors, are you ready?" someone in the audience raised their hand and asked.

“Yes, we can start anytime.” Eors smiled.

The staff member was stunned by the sight of that smile.

He knew Eorz and had even participated in one of Eorz's performances, but this was truly the first time he had ever seen Eorz smile.

So beautiful, so incredibly beautiful. Even if countless flowers bloomed, they couldn't compare to her smile in that fleeting moment.

"Okay...you can talk to the pianist and start right away." The staff member quickly said, trying to cover up his embarrassment.

“Okay.” Eors nodded and straightened the megaphone in front of him.

It wasn't that the era lacked microphones, but rather that microphones weren't very effective in this type of theater.

The theater's sound amplification relied on two things, one of which was the simple megaphone in front of Eorth.

Another feature is the resonant well beneath the theater. The sound from the stage can be clearly transmitted to every corner of the theater through the resonant well below.

Moreover, this amplification method does not cause sound distortion.

This method, where sound travels from the stage, is better than using a microphone.

"..." The pianist glanced at Eors, who was ready, and gently pressed his fingers on the keys.

As the prelude began, Eors instinctively lowered his eyelids and listened to the melody.

When Aeolus's song officially began, everyone in the theater was involuntarily immersed in his singing.

Just like the name Aeolus, his singing was comparable to the lyre of the gods.

It was also the first time that Budsh had heard Eors sing after gaining emotional control.

Her singing was fuller than before, but it was slightly different from the perfect performance of the past.

It's hard to say which is better, because Budsh isn't professional enough to offer a detailed critique of Eorz's singing.

But if we're really talking about the live effect, then more expressive facial expressions are definitely better.

Now, every smile and gesture of Eorz can move the audience's emotions.

The songs you hear on a CD are completely different from the songs you hear live.

Most of those who become loyal fans of Eorzkopf are those who fall in love with him after hearing him perform live.

"It's really different," the staff member murmured blankly.

Budsh heard the staff member talking to himself.

"no the same?"

"Yes, although things were good before, this is the first time I've felt a flutter in my heart." The staff member scratched his head shyly.

"The feeling of being moved?" Bud Bush stared intently at Eors' performance.

Indeed, it's even more captivating than before.

Today, Eorz is even more vivid.