Across from her, Elina's mage squad was already fully armed.
Elina clenched her small fist, her voice filled with worry:
"Nanako the Deacon, I'm still a bit worried. Every midnight for the past few days, we've fallen asleep for no reason. This time, I'm afraid..."
Nanako gently patted her shoulder in reassurance: "Don't worry! This time, I'm here. If anything unusual happens, I'll notice it right away. After all, I'm a City-Breaking Mage!"
She turned her head, her ponytail flying, her eyes glancing at Lynn:
"Right, disciple?"
Lynn replied with a helpless tone: "Yes! Whatever you say, Master!"
Nanako's little antenna-like hair waved in satisfaction.
Lynn turned around and looked out the window at the pitch-black night.
The air was still, eerily quiet.
[The aura of the Secret Source seems to be thicker.]
[At least three levels higher than during the day, and it seems to be continuously increasing.]
[If this continues, by midnight, the Secret Source here will reach an unimaginable level.]
Lynn's gaze sharpened.
[But that shouldn't be the case. Even if there really is a leak from the volcano, the Secret Source shouldn't fluctuate like this.]
[It seems the situation here is more complicated than I thought.]
Nanako's antenna twitched, and her sapphire-like eyes glanced at Lynn's face.
It seems the curse here is indeed extraordinary.
Even Lynn hasn't figured it out yet.
But regardless, we'll have to wait until midnight to see the outcome.
Time ticked by second by second.
It's hard to say how long it had been.
Dong——
Dong——
The church bells chimed midnight.
Nanako immediately stood up, encouraging: "It's midnight already. Let's get ready to go. I believe something must be out there..."
But before she could finish her sentence.
Suddenly.
A gentle breeze blew in.
It brushed past her hair, sending a chill through her.
But what was strange was that the windows were closed, and this was a completely sealed room, yet they felt as if they were in the wilderness, with the wind howling.
Instantly, Nanako's eyelids drooped uncontrollably.
"Nanako the Deacon, I'm so sleepy..."
Elina and the others swayed aimlessly, all yawning and overcome with drowsiness.
Nanako snapped back to her senses, her whole body jolting, and the little antenna on her head suddenly stood up.
She immediately felt the eerie breeze.
It seemed to pass through everything unimpeded, easily penetrating her body and blowing through her soul.
"No... this isn't good..." Nanako, struggling to stay awake, tried to stand up:
"This wind... it's strange."
Thud——
Thud——
Elina and the others fell one by one, their breathing steady, quickly falling into a deep sleep.
Nanako also finally couldn't hold on, her body softening and falling backward.
In her hazy vision, she seemed to see a figure catch her falling body, and then her consciousness faded into nothingness.
At the inn.
Lynn held Nanako's small body and turned his head, gazing out the window with a serious expression.
"So that's how it is. I understand now."
He placed Nanako's body on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and then walked to the window. The window was blown open by an invisible force.
Lynn stood at the window, staring deeply into the distant sky, his voice distant and echoing.
"King of Secret Source, you're still alive after all."
...
Meanwhile.
In the wilderness outside the empty town, near the volcano.
A series of invisible breezes blew towards the direction of the town. In the distance, faint flickers of fire could be seen.
Boom——
A massive footprint, entirely composed of black Fire of Secret Source, appeared on the empty wilderness.
The footprint was enormous, over ten meters long and several meters wide.
As if a giant was walking step by step towards Lakeside Town.
Yet there was nothing in the empty wilderness.
Boom——
Spanning dozens of meters, a second footprint appeared.
Again, constructed from black Fire of Secret Source.
The wind that could penetrate the soul grew even stronger.
Vaguely, one could hear long, hollow howls in the wind, surreal and disorienting.
Something was slowly approaching Lakeside Town.
...
Meanwhile.
At Lakeside Town's church.
Under the watchful eyes of Marshal and Alex, the usually dim and run-down church slowly began to emit a soft golden light.
The light spread from bottom to top, gradually overshadowing the remaining torchlight.
The knights inside the church were all astonished, unable to believe what they were seeing.
"What... what is this...?"
Marshal suppressed his shock and sneered:
"There's no need to be afraid. It's the protection of the God of Order. As long as we're within the bounds of this church, we won't be affected by the outside. As long as we endure for ten minutes, we'll be safe."
Alex looked at the resplendent church in astonishment: "Marshal, what's going on?"
Marshal shook his head: "I'm not entirely sure either, but over the past few days, you should have noticed that every night at midnight, no matter what you're doing, you suddenly fall asleep due to some inexplicable influence, right?"
The surrounding knights thought for a moment, then nodded, frowning.
Indeed.
Many soldiers patrolling in the evening would be affected by this phenomenon at midnight.
When they woke up again, it would already be five in the morning.
Marshal smiled faintly: "I only learned part of the reason last night when I was with Saint Anna. But you just need to know that as long as this church remains, we won't have any accidents."
He glanced at his pocket watch.
Then suddenly drew his sword, his voice grim:
"Alright! It's almost ten minutes. Now everyone in Lakeside Town is probably asleep. This is our best chance to strike!"
Those mages from Winter Spring Valley.
They must pay for their foolishness.
...
[Inn]
Lynn moved Elina and the others onto the beds.
He clapped his hands, looking at the scene of the girls lying in various poses on the beds, the alluring sight indeed stirring thoughts.
Lynn couldn't help but rub his chin.
[This scene makes me feel a bit like Wei Xiaobao~]
[If we follow the thoughts of a normal lsp, should I now squeeze in and pull the curtains, doing some proper things~]
[After all, sharing a large quilt is a rare opportunity~Ψ(￣∀￣)Ψ]
The sound of even breathing.
Nanako's sleeping posture was still the worst.
Sometimes on her side, sometimes lying face down, sometimes curled up, and then suddenly sprawled out in a "big" shape.
Her small body was very restless.
She needed someone to hold her down→_→.
Lynn turned around and snapped his fingers lightly.
Instantly, a pure black robe appeared on his body, the large hood covering his entire face.
He clearly felt that the concentration of the Secret Source in the air had reached ten times that of the daytime.
In such an environment.
The suppression effect of the Secret Source on magic power would be greatly enhanced.
Even if Nanako and the others hadn't been affected, their strength would still be significantly reduced.
"The wind, it's stopped."
Lynn turned around.
[Is it being suppressed by some sacred power? Probably a move from the church.]
[But it is indeed the King of Secret Source's aura. Never thought that after a thousand years, he would be hiding here.]