"Maybe he'll find traces of us. Maybe he'll keep his distance, or maybe he'll approach us. There are all kinds of possibilities..."
Ging's feelings toward Don Freecss weren't the blind worship of a fanatic. He genuinely admired Don's accomplishments, and wanted to achieve the same things himself.
Just thinking about meeting the legendary Don Freecss in person, getting a copy of New World Travelogue: West Chapter, and learning why he had vanished without a trace for the past two or three hundred years was enough to fill Ging with excitement.
The person suspected to be Don Freecss had recently defeated the Disease Spreader, so he was unlikely to return to the Wilderness anytime soon.
That meant Don Freecss might be in the Labyrinth, though the odds weren't high.
Gelman understood what Ging meant. "Then let's go back to the Labyrinth. We've already accomplished what we came to the Wilderness for."
On the way back, Gelman returned the Inverse Cross Necklace to Shizuku.
"Was it useful?" Shizuku asked, taking it back and blinking her big eyes at Gelman.
Gelman had wanted to say it was useless, but looking into those big eyes, he couldn't help changing his answer. "A little. I feel like I'm calmer."
Shizuku gave him a rare smile. "I'll let you in on a secret. I don't really understand the teachings either. I use it as a good-luck charm from the Old Priest."
"If it helps, then that's what it's for. If it doesn't, it's just an accessory that reminds me of my life at the Grand Cathedral."
On the way back, Shizuku also shared plenty of stories with Gelman. For instance, she couldn't remember the contents of the scriptures, but she knew how to pretend to be the most devout believer in the church.
That afternoon, Gelman