Chapter 100: Why don't you stay behind this loop?

Lech watches Laurel, waiting for her to start, so Laurel gives in and starts, "Bristol is gone."

Lech flinches. His eyes widen into circles, and he lowers his head, closing his eyes for a moment. He picks up his pint and chugs all the beer down. Then, he asks for another pint.

Laurel waits for Lech to process the news. 

He breathes in as he nods while holding back his tears, "Go on…"

"A witch named Saskia entered into the town and turned everyone to ghouls. It's better that you don't travel there in the meantime since there might be ghouls still roaming around."

"The supreme witch, Saskia…" Lech takes the new pint of beer that got served to him and takes another gulp.

"You know her?" 

"Yes, she is an evil piece of shit. I often need to go through many human cities throughout my travels to get to the elven ones. I have seen a lot of what she has done. She plays games with her victims like a mental! I would have never thought that she would do something to such a secluded place like Bristol." Lech clenches his fist till his knuckles pop. 

Lech's friends are most likely dead or turned into ghouls.

"Sorry for your loss, Lech…" 

Lech shakes his head, "Well… Our business is dangerous, and death is supposed to be one thing that we should be well aware of. But, when it hits close, it is always not foreseen."

He sighs and drains half of the pint, "Thank you for telling me. I was thinking of heading there, but guess I still have fate on my side."

He puts the pint on the table and looks at Laurel, "I think you should leave this place."

He eyes at Imogen and Ian, "Even if you have to leave your friends."

Imogen frowns, but Lech looks away, "I am not sure how much your friends know, but seeing that your friend is the Saintess, she should know one thing or two of what is happening in the city that might be associated with the temple."

Hearing the keyword, all three turn to pay close attention to Lech.

"There have been numerous cases of kidnappings and people with lost souls in the city at the moment. The curious case is that they are not discriminated against by status or gender. There is only one place in the city that gathers people without minding status or gender."

"The temple," Laurel responds.

Lech nods as he looks at Imogen and Ian, and by instincts, he starts to feel the need to be on high alert.

"We just came back," Laurel watches Lech getting tense, looking at the two people who have mastered resting faces that could compete with the ice blocks from the north sea.

Lech observes Laurel and relaxes, "A bit more welcoming expressions won't kill…" He clicks his tongue.

Lech continues, "Seeing that the Saintess has been rejected so many times to go to the Garden of Oracles, in my experience, there can only be one reason."

Laurel looks at Imogen, whose eyes meet back with hers. She gives a small smile, which softens Imogen's eyes.

"The only reason could be that the goddess has abandoned them, but no one believes me. They think that I am nuts to think that a temple with a history of hundreds of years could ever have that happen to it. I am leaving," He raises his hands dramatically, "Even if I am doing it alone, I am leaving because I would hate to die! I am a merchant with no serious ability to protect himself."

Laurel nods as she thinks deeper, "But why now? Why all of a sudden?"

Lech fiddles with his ring, "I think it's the gold."

"Gold?"

"Yeah… Large quantities of gold are being traded in the city all of a sudden, starting a couple of months ago. But where did it come from?" Lech shakes his head at the impossibility of the quantity.

"That gold has come out of nowhere. I can only say that it's magic. It has to be magic!" Lech lowers his tone when prying eyes are starting to pin to his table.

"Why are you so sure that it's real gold?" Ian finally joins the conversation.

"Well… I have seen it. I am not untrained either."

Laurel takes out her adoptive mother's ring that hangs around her neck, "This?"

Lech looks at it and examines the ring, "Platinum. It often looks very similar to white gold, but it's platinum. You took good care of it."

"My mother's," Laurel takes it back.

"And the more reason to…" Lech looks around, "This is all I know." 

He looks quickly outside of the window and stands up, "I am meeting with a group at the gates. So, I will get going. Nice to meet you, Laurel," He extends his hand.

"Same, Lech," Laurel shakes his hand. Lech nods to Imogen and Ian and leaves.

Laurel looks at the two triumphantly, "Well… Now we know some things that could lead us to the reason why the temple has fallen from grace."

"Sounds like a relic," Ian says while Imogen nods. 

"A… relic?" Laurel looks at the two.

"There are all kinds of relics in this world. They are also called remnants of gods. All of them have a function, and some of them even have consciousness and can transform into a human."

"Like…" Laurel shuts her mouth when she remembers that Maya has turned back to her relic form.

"Yeah." Ian touches the two rings that are hanging around his neck. One with a cracked circular gem in the middle and the other with a missing gem.

Imogen stares at the ring with the missing gem. That ring has saved Ian from getting his heart pierced by Cynthia.

"Ian," Imogen deepens her voice, "Why don't you live a normal life in this loop? You can stay behind with Kyrie."

Ian frowns and remains silent for some time. Such an offer is very tempting because Kyrie is from another world. If Imogen and Ian are going to fail this loop again, Ian might never be able to spend a common life with Kyrie.