A Place of Absolute Safety

The next day, Linsey woke up again.

He was still coughing.

The red disease icon in his status bar had not disappeared.

But this crude little house was somewhat different from when he had awakened yesterday.

A candlestick holding a tallow candle had appeared on the black wooden table, facing the Wooden Chair that had been newly tucked beneath it. The dust on the cabinet at the other end had been wiped clean, and atop it sat a piece of dry bread, a bowl of water, and several bright red cotoneaster berries.

Wait, why did his body feel a little heavy?

Linsey felt weighed down, as though something were pressing on him.

He glanced down and discovered that he had an extra blanket over him. It was not new, but it was warm enough.

While he slept, the old woman had added another blanket for him.

To help him fight the illness troubling him.

"..."

Linsey wriggled out from beneath the blanket and sat stunned for a moment before his stomach began to growl.

During this, he also noticed a brazier on the floor at the foot of the bed.

After sleeping for an entire day without eating anything, Linsey quickly climbed out of bed and took the dry bread and water from the cabinet.

Crunch—

He could not bite through it.

Linsey looked at the bread in his hand, then stubbornly took another bite.

Crack—

He still could not bite through it.

"..."

"So the water is for soaking the bread!"

Linsey finally understood. After soaking it in water, he at last managed to swallow his first mouthful of staple food.

This hard bread was incredibly filling, and soaking it in water made the effect even more immediate.

After eating for a while, Linsey's hunger bid him farewell.

Next, his gaze naturally fell on the bright red cotoneaster berries. They were berries from a shrub, somewhat like miniature apples, and could be used as medicine.

Unaware of that, Linsey bit into one.

"Ugh—so sour!"

The sour, astringent taste instantly filled his mouth, twisting his face into a bitter grimace.

Stimulated by that medicinal flavor, he began sorting through the thoughts in his mind.

He had already lain here for an entire day.

The old woman had heard his story. If she had possessed even the slightest ill intent, he would not be eating this hard bread now.

First Alvitte, then this old woman.

Linsey thought to himself.

If his attribute panel had a luck stat, his must have been quite high.

After a while.

As the food settled in his stomach, Linsey gradually recovered some strength.

The old woman had prepared clothes at his bedside. As for Linsey's original outfit...

The fire in Anville Village had blackened it with soot, and his flight through the snow had torn it to shreds. Calling it a rag would probably still earn it someone's disdain.

But his mother had given him those clothes.

Without their protection, Linsey likely would have frozen to death in the snow.

Linsey solemnly put away the blackened bundle of rags, changed into the clothes the old woman had prepared, opened the door, and stepped outside.

"Ah—"

The winter sun immediately poured its light over Linsey.

Even amid the frigid air, it made him feel warm, as though the entire world had been illuminated.

Yesterday's heavy snow had already stopped.

The snow in the church courtyard had been swept into a pile by the old woman and heaped beside the bare Garden Enclosure.

Linsey looked around.

A courtyard of around twenty square meters, several low houses surrounding it, and a chapel connected to the yard.

That was everything before Linsey's eyes, simple and plain.

At the same time, sounds came from the chapel.

Not seeing the old woman anywhere, Linsey naturally headed toward the chapel.

The old woman was standing inside the chapel.

Before her stood a plainly dressed man conversing with her. Behind him rested a yellow wooden coffin, along with a softly sobbing man and woman. All three stood in the chapel with their bodies slightly inclined forward.

Linsey carefully observed the plainly dressed man.

Whenever he spoke with the old woman, he often avoided her gaze. It was not guilt or impatience, but a gesture of respect and nervousness.

The old woman was deeply respected by the people of the town.

Seeing this, Linsey did not dare disturb them and waited by the doorway.

He thought of the cemetery he had seen outside the day before yesterday.

The small chapel connected to it, and now there was a coffin before him. This chapel clearly handled matters of death, and the old woman was the Nun responsible for it all.

Perhaps that was why she commanded such reverence.

Linsey analyzed the situation.

Before long, the elderly Nun finished speaking with the plainly dressed man.

The yellow wooden coffin was placed in the center of the chapel, while the three others left the chapel and returned to town.

The elderly Nun circled the coffin once, murmuring prayers.

After completing the ritual, she knocked seven times around the coffin with her right hand, pressed her palms together, and observed a moment of silence.

She stood quietly for a while.

Only then did she head toward the corridor leading to the backyard and spot Linsey waiting for her.

"Child, you still have a fever."

The elderly Nun's tone was steady, without pity or reproach. Everything was as calm and undisturbed as flowing water.

Linsey answered earnestly, "Nun, there are some things I would like to discuss with you."

The elderly Nun did not refuse, but led Linsey away from the chapel.

"We cannot disturb the dead while they wait. Let us return to the room first."

The two returned to the room where Linsey had been resting.

The elderly Nun had Linsey sit on the bed while she sat on the newly added chair.

Her murky black eyes swept over Linsey.

Linsey understood that she was waiting for him to speak first, so he stated his thoughts.

"As you know, I am being hunted by the Law Knights. That identity will bring a great deal of trouble. You saved my life, so I certainly cannot remain here with you for long."

"I only ask that you let me stay for a few days. Once my fever subsides, I will leave."

The silent old Nun suddenly spoke. "Child, this world is separated from the world where the City of Law is located by a vast distance."

"I also wanted to know which direction Anville Village is in... huh?" Linsey had still been explaining his wish to return home, but the old woman's reminder struck him like a bolt from the blue. "This world?"

"Wait, this world? I mean, what do you mean by this world?"

The sudden term left Linsey somewhat flustered.

What had become of his hometown in the end? Were his parents alive or dead? Had Alvitte defeated the Law Knights?

These were all questions Linsey could not avoid.

But what had the elderly Nun just said?

He and the territory of the City of Law were not even in the same world! If the comprehension skills he had gained from compulsory education were not mistaken, then this joke was far too outrageous.

Linsey's anxiety did not move the elderly Nun.

In her characteristic steady, unhurried tone, she continued her explanation.

"This universe is composed of tens of thousands of worlds. The one you are currently in is the outermost world of the known universe."

"..."

Linsey wiped the sweat from his forehead, unsure whether it had come from nervousness or his cold.

He asked as calmly as possible, "Since you know of the City of Law, that means these worlds are connected to one another?"

The elderly Nun continued.

"Each side at the edge of every world connects to the nearest other world. But this place is already the end, so only one side connects to the path back toward the center of the universe."

At that moment, Linsey recalled what Alvitte had said before sending him away.

—A place of absolute safety.

A terrible premonition rose in Linsey's heart.

Suppressing the tremble in his heart, he carefully asked, "Then I should still be able to return through those connections?"

The elderly Nun shook her head. "The world next to this one is called Black Mountain."

"A terrifying Dragon Beast occupies Black Mountain. Together with its kin, it has cut this place off from the rest of the world. No one can return."

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