Flillian, I want to live.

"Haita, he doesn't seem to have any smoking addiction, does he?"

Fulilian was a little puzzled by Ya's expression. In her impression, although Haita was an alcoholic who would have withdrawal symptoms if he didn't have a few drinks a day, he actually scoffed at tobacco. Otherwise, he wouldn't have taught Philen to be so resistant to cigarettes.

"Yes, but when he took me on this road, he didn't drink for several days and started smoking."

Zain shook the cigarette between his fingers and said in a firm tone.

"Is there a reason?"

Guter asked curiously.

"Because the plank road leading to the village we are going to is very long. Although we set out early in the morning, we will not be able to reach the wide road until late at night."

Zain turned his head and looked forward at the endless plank road that stretched along the river valley. Although the road was dangerous, if he didn't take the plank road, he would have to travel through the mountains for dozens of days to reach his destination.

"So smoking is for energizing?"

Hugh Tark seemed to have thought of something and asked Zain.

"That's right. Especially if you're walking this way alone, you have to stay focused at all times. After all, if you lose focus for even a moment, you could end up falling to pieces."

Zain nodded and added.

Light a cigarette before sunset and never drink on the way. These were the rules that Haita had told him when he first took him on this dangerous mountain road.

"How about it? Can you lend me a light now, Philen?"

Zain once again handed the cigarette between his two fingers to Philen.

Call ~

Philen raised his finger and used magic to light the cigarette in Zain’s hand.

"Um……"

Zain put the cigarette in his mouth, raised his head and took a deep puff, an expression of enjoyment appearing on his face.

“You’re just addicted to smoking, Master Zain.”

Philen narrowed her eyes and stared closely at Zain, who looked very pleased in front of her. She was very familiar with the expression on his face. It was the expression that would appear on Haita’s face every time he failed to quit drinking and couldn’t help but pick up the bottle and take a few gulps.

Chapter 146: When your eyelids are fighting while you are driving on the highway

As the sun sets, at the leeward corner of the rock wall, the plank road, relying on the mountain terrain, protrudes a small platform.

"Let's just rest here for a while, we'll have to walk all the way until midnight."

Zain dropped the package on his back and sat down on the ground. He flicked his fingers, shook off the burning ash, and said dejectedly.

“You are our guide, Zain.”

Fulilian put down her suitcase, then lifted the back of her coat and sat upright. Perhaps because she was used to traveling, she did not show any signs of fatigue due to the steep mountain road that day.

“Yeah, is it really okay for you to be like this? Brother Zain.”

Although Xiutark was a little afraid of heights, as a warrior he was the most energetic one in the team at the moment, and as someone who was good at observing people’s states, he also noticed that Zain looked very tired at the moment.

"No problem, it's better to say that you guys are a bit too weird."

Zain turned his gaze from Shutark to Philen. It was okay with Fulilian and the warrior boy, but Philen was in excellent condition at the moment. He even had the leisure to take out a comb and comb Fulilian's hair while she was sitting on the box, like playing with a doll.

"Is it possible that it's just because you're a bit of a jerk~"

Guter opened his lips and mercilessly mocked Zain, who was rubbing his body against the rock wall, trying to find a more comfortable position to lean against it.

"Whatever you say... Let's rest here for an hour. I need to take a nap."

Zain didn’t care about Guter’s venomous tongue. He waved his hand, then raised his head, closed his eyes, and tried to relax.

As his consciousness gradually blurred, Zain’s thoughts drifted to the past.

"The bishop has chosen to inspect our village. Is there any special reason?"

Also at dusk when the sun was setting, on this small platform where people could rest, Zain, who had come here for the first time under the guidance of Haita, had asked the other party the same question.

“Hmm? Inspecting subordinates is also the bishop’s job, Zain.”

Haita took out a warm blanket from his backpack and covered the gorilla warrior who had fallen asleep leaning against the rock wall, while answering in a nonchalant tone.

"But we are just a poor, remote village, and you, Bishop, are the Archbishop of the Holy City. My eldest brother told me that you are a great figure, second only to the Pope and above everyone else. Even His Majesty the King has to give you face."

Zain blinked. Compared to a simple gorilla warrior, he was obviously much more perceptive.

If the archbishop wanted to inspect every detail of a village like the one he was in, he would probably have to travel non-stop for the rest of his life.

"What a precocious kid."

Haita looked at Zain, who had exposed his excuse, and a smile of approval appeared on his face. He reached out and touched Zain's head. Since the child in front of him was much more mature than his peers, Haita no longer wanted to hide it.

"Do you remember your father?"

Haita used magic to light the simple stove he had just set up, and stretched out his hand to the slowly burning fire to warm himself.

"my father?"

Zain was stunned when he heard Haita bring up this topic with him.

Zain’s memory of his parents was very vague, because before he could remember, his parents had died in an accident.

Zain was raised by his eldest brother, and his memories of his parents all come from his eldest brother's stories.

"Your father is an outstanding monk and also my student. Among the group of fools I trained, he is the most talented one."

Haita raised his head and spoke to Zain about his father in a nostalgic tone.

As a "devout" monk, although Haita was always ridiculed by Fulilian as a wine-drinking monk, no matter what, as the archbishop of the holy city and the hero of savior, he did not leave any offspring in his life like Xinmeier.

For Haita, in a sense, the students he trains are like his own children, and they represent his hopes.

"I still remember that when he graduated from the seminary, I personally put the holy seal on his chest, symbolizing the academy's most outstanding priest."

Haita said with a look of relief.

"So Dad is so powerful? I thought he must be a useless monk who couldn't get promoted because he left me and my brother in this remote village."

It was the first time Zain heard about his father’s past. He had thought his father was just an ordinary monk living in an ordinary village.

"He took the initiative to ask to return to his hometown to work."

Haita shook his head, denying Zain’s original idea.

"With his abilities, he is fully capable of serving as a priest in the Holy Capital. In fact, after he graduated, I immediately invited him to continue working by my side."

Haita paused here and thought, if he had tried to keep the other person, would the tragedy have happened later?

"But he rejected me."

However, at this point, there is no point in saying anything.

"Is there any reason?"

Zain looked at Haita, who seemed a little lonely. If he were to choose, he would probably choose to stay in the Holy City, right?

"Because he said he was the only one who could do the job here well."

Haita turned his head and looked at the river valley with turbid waves rolling below the platform. If it were not for the locals who have lived here all year round, but the monks who lived a life of luxury in the holy city, they would probably be scared as soon as they set foot on this road.

“Is the work here difficult?”

Zain asked curiously. Although his eldest brother, who inherited his father’s legacy, always doted on him, he never took him along the necessary path for his father and eldest brother to work.

"It was hard. It wasn't until I walked the same path he'd been walking today that I realized he wasn't lying to me."

Even though he had once traveled through mountains and rivers with Xin Meir on the difficult road to the Demon King's Castle, the rugged terrain here was still a bit too much for him as he was old.

"At night, the road ahead becomes particularly difficult to walk on."

Haita looked at the plank road that stretched along the winding path. From this platform on, there was no place to rest in front.

"It's not just the walking at night that's troublesome; the fatigue from climbing mountains and crossing rivers during the day that causes drowsiness is the most frightening thing."

As the night gets darker, people's minds will become less and less focused as they become more sleepy. At first, it may be just a moment of absent-mindedness, but soon the time of blackout will become longer and longer. Even if you try hard to concentrate, you may lose consciousness again for a short time while trying to concentrate.

But on this dangerous plank road, taking a nap can be fatal.

"The priest before your father was traveling alone on the plank road when he fell off a cliff due to sleepiness and died."

Haita said with a serious expression.

Chapter 147 I am the Train King

"is it?"

Although he heard the cause of death of his father's predecessor from Haita, Zain was not too moved by it. After all, he had never even heard of such a person before.

"Yes, in fact, not only the old monk, but also your parents had accidents on this road."

Haita lowered his head and looked at the stove that continued to burn as the only source of light in the night that was gradually getting darker. His tone became a little lower.

"Eh?"

Zain looked up in surprise. As for the cause of his parents’ death, his eldest brother always brushed it off as an accident, and he had never expected that the mountain road he followed Haita on was the place where his parents died.

"What about my parents? Did they also fall into the ravine because they were sleepy?"

After a brief silence, Zain raised his head. He looked at Haita, who had a somewhat apologetic look on his face, and asked him with a wry smile.

"That's what we thought at first, until the rescue team came back with news that the plank road was damaged..."

Haita raised his head and turned his face towards the dark depths of the valley as if he had noticed something. As he spoke, he stood up and stretched his stiff body.

"The plank road is destroyed? Mr. Haita, what do you mean?"

Zain stared at Haita with wide eyes, his words hinting at something. It was obvious that his parents did not die from an accident caused by carelessness.

"Get behind me, kid."

However, at this moment, Haita no longer had the time to continue explaining to Zain. He picked up the holy book he carried with him and raised his arm to point to the distance where the light of the furnace could not illuminate.

call--

Zain clearly remembered that he felt a violent gust of wind at that time.

Just like now.

In the gust of wind that blew in his face, Zain woke up from his memories.

"How long have I slept?"

After a short nap, Zain felt that his head was still a little dizzy, so he supported his forehead with his hand and asked in a daze.

"About two hours, right? I mean, is there any need to keep going today? Why not just rest here for the night? I made some oatmeal porridge, would you like some?"

As the only person who remained awake, Guter answered Zain's question. Perhaps because sleepiness was contagious, after Zain fell asleep, the remaining people in the team also fell asleep one after another while closing their eyes to rest.

"No, there are many monsters in the valley at night. We must go out to rest..."

Zain rubbed his cheeks vigorously, forcing himself to cheer up, and while mumbling, he forced himself to open his eyes.

What came into view was the stove that Guter had just carefully built, and the hot porridge bubbling on the stove.

"You, who told you to light a fire!?"

The scene before him swept away Zain’s sleepiness. He jumped up with a roar, grabbed the handle of the iron pot, turned it upside down and poured it on the stove.

"Hey! What are you doing, kid?!"

Seeing that the results of his hard work for half a day were destroyed by Zain in an instant, Guter felt his blood pressure soar.

"To light a fire in such an exposed height is like telling the monsters lurking here that there's a buffet here, isn't it?"

Zain grabbed his hair and explained to Guter with a headache why he couldn't make a fire here - because the fire would attract the monsters' attacks.

call--

However, when Zain turned his head, begging and hoping that things would not be so coincidental, a familiar gust of wind slapped him in the face.

"It's coming..."

Zain gritted his teeth and said to Guter nervously.

"Huh? Who's here?"

Guter looked at Zain, whose expression was solemn, and she was stunned for a moment, not knowing why.