While Lance and Falia were discussing the information they knew, another person emerged from the Clan House — it was the Fourth Elder, who had been slapped away earlier.
He poked his head out and cautiously surveyed the situation in the village.
Finding only a few Takins lying scattered across the road, he let out a long sigh of relief.
“Good, good. Not too many of them.”
“Um… Master Lance! Could I trouble you to help me carry them inside? I’m just a bag of old bones now.”
Lance nodded slightly and walked toward the nearest Takin.
“Are they in any danger?” he asked.
Although Falia had already said that what they encountered was just a Soul Fragment and that the dreamscape it created couldn’t truly make someone succumb, the Elf had still fallen for it, so Lance couldn’t help but worry.
Hearing this, the Takin Fourth Elder raised an eyebrow, as if the topic was one of pride for him.
“Do not worry, Master Lance. We have dealt with Dream Eaters for so long; how could we not have a solution?” he said.
“Help me move them into the Clan House first. I need to identify them so I can save some energy.”
Lance was confused, unsure what the Fourth Elder meant by identifying and saving energy.
‘Should I move them to the Clan House first? What about Astrid? Should I tell him she was affected? Would she be looked down upon?’
Lance’s mind raced. Even now, he couldn’t bring himself to fully trust the Takins.
“Master, what is the Holy Relic you wanted me to take?”
Falia’s hand paused as she flipped through her notes.
Her brows furrowed instinctively; she utterly loathed having her train of thought interrupted.
Such behavior always reminded her of her experiences when she was weak…
However, once she clearly heard Lance’s choice of address, the Witch’s furrowed brow smoothed over instantly.
“Oh, that,” she said softly. “It’s a lantern from the Nature Church. It can dispel evil and negative status effects. It’s the one hanging at his waist. Stay back a bit later; don’t let him accidentally Purify you…”
Lance was startled. As one of the Undead, he knew all too well how terrifying purification-type Holy Relics were.
He hadn’t expected the Takins to possess such a weapon. But he quickly realized something was off.
‘If they have something this good… why didn’t they use it just now?’ Thinking back to the scene of the Takin Grand Elder ringing a bell and dancing to send the Specters away, Lance felt even more uneasy.
—
“The Saint Envoy is almost awake, so there’s no need to use the Holy Lantern on her,” the elder said.
“Master Lance, please support the Saint Envoy and take her to the side. Basking in the radiance should be enough for her. As for these boys, it seems I have no choice but to use the Holy Lantern…”
The Clan House was brightly lit.
Three Takin youths were placed in a row in the center, while the other four were positioned a bit further away.
At those words, Lance helped the slumbering Elf up from her chair, draping her right arm over his right shoulder while placing his other hand on her slender waist.
As she was moved, the Elf gave a soft hum.
Her head drooped slightly, finally settling against Lance’s armor.
The Soulfire in Lance’s eyes flickered.
The armor he wore was Cursed Armor, which had a direct connection to his Soulfire. Even though the Elf was leaning against his breastplate, the sensation was as if she were pressed directly against his body.
Lance shook his head, tossing aside inappropriate thoughts as he helped the Elf toward the perimeter… Perhaps it was because he had just been carrying Takins that weighed hundreds of pounds, but as the Elf leaned her limp body against him, Lance could hardly feel any weight at all…
Tilting his head, Lance noticed that Astrid’s brow was tightly knit.
She seemed to be having a nightmare, letting out occasional meaningless whimpers. ‘Has she realized the dream is fake? It seems the Elf’s mental strength is quite high to be breaking free from the “Tender Land” so quickly. I wonder what she’s dreaming about…’
“You want to know what she’s dreaming about?”
Falia, observing the sleeping Elf through Lance’s senses, suddenly blurted out the question.
Lance was startled. He asked tremulously, “Master? Can you know exactly what I’m thinking in real-time?”
This question had been suppressed in Lance’s heart for a long time.
Originally, he thought Falia could read minds, but through their interactions, he discovered the Witch didn’t display such traits — at least, not openly.
Sensing Lance’s emotions, the Witch found that his current feelings were mostly of awe, a sharp contrast to his previous wariness.
Falia immediately cheered up. She gently swayed her feet hidden beneath her robe and let out a meaningful laugh.
“Why don’t you guess?” she said casually.
Lance: …
“Don’t worry. I’m not deeply parasitizing you, so how could I possibly know what you’re thinking in real-time?” Falia explained.
“The mental system’s defenses are far tighter than you imagine. Unless you express a desire to communicate with me, it’s impossible for me to know what’s on your mind.”
Hearing this, Lance breathed a sigh of relief.
Everyone needs some privacy; as long as she couldn’t read his mind, it was fine…
“However, I can still sense general changes in your emotional state,” she added. “Alright, stop here. This spot is safe.”
Lance stopped immediately, supporting Astrid as he turned toward the Fourth Elder. The Takin Fourth Elder unfastened the lantern from his waist and slowly raised it.
Lance immediately looked at the bronze lantern. It was covered in rust, and no flame burned within.
Based on its appearance alone, how could this thing be a Holy Relic? ‘Could this be a deliberate disguise by the Takins?’
Just as Lance’s mind was wandering, a holy light slowly surged from the center of the lantern.
A soft radiance emanated from it, bathing the several Takins lying on the floor. Seeing this, the Fourth Elder felt a pang of heartache.
“The stockpile of Holy Power Stones is almost empty… How am I going to recharge the Holy Lantern when they’re all gone?”
Looking down at his Takin juniors, who were all wearing blissful smiles, the Fourth Elder felt a sudden surge of frustration.
Usually, he would have been gnashing his teeth by now, but since there was an outsider present, he had to suppress his pained expression.
He struck a pseudo-holy pose and slightly closed his eyes.
He also began to mutter incantations under his breath, chanting in the Takins’ original Holy Spirit Language.
He did this for no other reason than to make it seem as though the Holy Lantern required a prayer to function, making it look more advanced.
However, to Lance, who possessed the [Omnipotent Persuader] skill, these words took on a completely different form: “Holy Lantern, Holy Lantern, show your power. Holy Lantern, Holy Lantern, you are the best…”
Hearing this decidedly unholy language, Lance felt metaphorically speechless, and his heart was filled with confusion.
‘Do the Takin elders all like to sing while they work? Is it a cultural thing?’
Despite the bizarre prayer, as the holy light poured down, the expressions of the three Takin youths immersed in their sweet dreams changed instantly.
One frowned deeply, another burst into tears, and the third gnashed his teeth.
Finally, they all sat up at the same time and cried out heart-wrenchingly:
“Abby, don’t go!!”
“What’s so great about that damn Jovin?!”
“Tara — waaaah!”
The Fourth Elder, who was still pretending to be holy, twitched an eyebrow before exploding in anger.
‘What a disgrace to the Takins!’ He immediately delivered a kick to each of them, sending the three heart-broken youths flying.
“You embarrassing brats! Get back to sleep right now!”
Seeing this, the Soulfire in Lance’s eyes danced.
He hadn’t seen such an entertaining scene in a long time! However, he felt movement against his chest.
Lance looked down and saw Astrid staring blankly up at him.
Her emerald eyes were slightly open, and two streaks of clear tears rolled down from the corners of her eyes. Even the tip of her nose was slightly red.
Lance was startled and reflexively tried to pull his hands away to explain the situation.
But sensing his movement, the Elf reacted as if triggered, pressing down hard on Lance’s hand that was still resting on her waist.
Astrid’s eyes pooled with tears once more.
With a slight sob in her voice, she asked tentatively, “Are you going to leave me too… Are you leaving?”
Thump.
It was as if something had slammed into Lance’s non-existent heart. He replied haltingly, “No… I won’t leave… Don’t worry.”
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