A Brilliant Idea

"I've got a brilliant idea." Nelson clenched his right hand into a fist and slammed it into his left palm. The gloom on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by smug excitement. He grabbed Tom and said mysteriously, "You're going to marvel at my genius, Tom. I swear."

"Let's hear it?"

Tom could clearly sense that Nelson's mental state had already become somewhat abnormal. His face was flushed as he leaned close to Tom's ear and said in a secretive tone, "The situation is very clear now. We came too early! I can find somewhere to dig a hole, freeze us, and bury us in it. Once Herpo the Foul has been dealt with, Mayfly will thaw us out, and then we'll take the ready-made answer straight back to our own era and kill him. What do you think? Don't worry. It'll only feel a little cold at first."

"How about we get something to eat first, Nel."

Tom looked at Nelson with pity. Clearly, his good brother had been driven mad by the burden on his shoulders—especially after carrying their last hope through time back to Herpo the Foul's era, only to discover that the High Priestess who, according to historical rumor, had defeated Herpo the Foul and saved the peninsula from the shadow of Dark Magic, had in fact given up on treatment from the very beginning and was lying in a temple waiting for the prophesied child to save her. And when that child of destiny seemed to point to Nelson himself, the taut string in his head had finally snapped, and he had begun babbling incoherently.

Tom patted Nelson on the shoulder, then suddenly noticed several stern-faced spectators lowering their heads and hiding in the crowd as they approached the two of them. Just as