Crack.
Gulp.

After the crisp sound and the gulp, the already dim corridor plunged into complete darkness. The first voice I heard was Mary's.

"Wh-what happened! It suddenly went dark all around!"

Then Wilson's:
"Calm down, Mary, just the wall lamps went out. I'll light up the area."

A ball of firelight appeared before my eyes, and the former hero and the nun's figures came back into view.

Wilson looked at me and said:
"Adam, are you alright? Why aren't you speaking... oh, right, I'll lift the silencing spell on you now."

I opened my mouth and answered him:
"I'm fine."

My magic power is a bit unstable, but it's still within the normal range of fluctuation. It should be fine.

It's been about... five minutes since Sylvia went down the stairs?

With no clock around and the atmosphere making time feel sluggish and dry, I'm not too sure if this estimate is accurate.

Under the firelight, Mary's face looked especially pale.

She said tremulously:
"Why did they go out? Did Necross come? Then that elf..."

Halfway through her words, a petite white figure silently walked up the stairs and into the firelight.

It was Sylvia.

"I'm not hurt. Necross wasn't in the Secret Treasury at all. Adam, the contract just shook a little. Are you okay?"

As she spoke, the elf walked straight towards me.

Wilson lightly raised his staff, and a golden wall instantly surged from the ground, blocking her path.

The former hero coldly eyed the elf, who glared back angrily.

Wilson said:
"Not yet verified. Don't approach. Adam, is your contract normal?"

I replied:
"No problem. She is the real Sylvia."

The golden wall dissolved into particles, vanishing into the air.

Wilson showed a faint, somewhat contemptuous smile and said:
"My apologies. However, Miss Elf, since Necross isn't there, why have you come back empty-handed?"

"She was merely absent just now. That creature infiltrated the Secret Treasury before me and destroyed the holy water. Also..."

Sylvia raised her ice sword, pointing it at Wilson, and asked:
"When did the wall lamps go out? For how long?"

Wilson stopped in his tracks and said:
"About a minute ago. They were out for several tens of seconds."

"I can sense the lingering traces of magic. A spellcaster extinguished the lamps. My dear elf, you point your sword at me... do you suspect Necross is hiding among the three of us?"

Sylvia smiled slightly and said:
"Yes, Mr. Grey."

"I just thought it over carefully. You sealed the entire church with your golden barrier. Leaving undetected would be very difficult."

"However, if she could blend in among us, she could leave openly and legitimately. Wasn't extinguishing the lamps the opportunity she created for that very purpose?"

Indeed, this line of thinking makes sense.

And once you realize this... Necross's identity becomes quite obvious.

Wilson clearly realized it too. Four golden walls rose again — this time, trapping Mary.

Mary was startled, shrinking her shoulders nervously and uneasily.

Wilson didn't spare her a glance, instead keeping his eyes on the elf as he said:
"I am not so weak as to be silently subdued in a gap of a mere dozen seconds, and this golden magic is the best proof of my identity. Adam and you have vouched for each other. That leaves only the nun as a suspect."

Mary's expression was one of terror and despair. Having chatted about lighthearted romantic topics with her crush just minutes ago, only to now face death at his hands, her reluctance was understandable.

I said:
"Please wait. What if I or Sylvia have already been subdued but not killed?"

"In that case, the guarantee based on the contract's existence between Sylvia and me becomes meaningless."

Sylvia looked at me somewhat dumbfounded. Wilson replied:
"According to archives left by the Tribunal, Necross never leaves any survivors. She kills everyone possible, and even the contractor themselves ends up with body and soul destroyed in the end. So, we don't need to consider that scenario."

"Any more objections?"

"That's wrong! I haven't been replaced! Haven't I been right next to you all along?"

Mary cried out as if waking from a dream, pounding futilely against the镂空 (likely intended as "latticed" or "cage-like") golden prison. Wilson smiled and said:
"Sorry, that's no rebuttal. Miss Nun, if you wish to defend yourself, you must first propose a stronger suspect."

"There is no other suspect! Haven't we been arguing based entirely on the premise that 'Necross has infiltrated'? This is completely just an unreliable speculation!"

"You... you would kill someone based on such a premise?"

"Yes."

Wilson's answer was without hesitation, leaving Mary speechless with shock. His smile faded, his expression sorrowful as he said:
"If this speculation is wrong, you will die innocently, and that pains my heart. But if this speculation is correct, the evil elf that has plagued the world for centuries can be brought to justice, never to harm the world again."

Wilson approached the cage restraining Mary, reached out his hand, and placed it against the wall opposite Mary's. Mary looked up at his face, the anger and fear in her eyes gradually shifting to confusion.

Wilson continued:
"You are a follower of the Merciful Star God, and you have witnessed Necross's atrocities with your own eyes. And now you have the chance to personally strangle her lifeline."

"The terror between life and death is indeed frightening, but we are all fragile mortals who must face it sooner or later."

"I have seen much death, so I can say with certainty — if you cling to life for decades more and die on a sickbed, you will definitely not be at peace. You will be filled with fear."

"In comparison, don't you think finding peace in fulfilling the divine will, in a heroic act of saving the world, would be more reassuring?"

Mary clutched the pendant on her chest and murmured:
"Please... for me..."

Wilson slightly bowed his head, imitating a believer and tapping his forehead a few times.

"I will pray for you. I will remember you forever."

Mary's cheeks trembled a few times, then she pulled the corners of her mouth into a smile, matching Wilson's.

"I understand. In that case..."

"Wait, don't be hasty."

The speaker was Sylvia.

She sighed as if giving up and said to Grey:
"I thought it over carefully. There is a way to definitively verify whether Mary is real or not."

Wilson and I both raised our eyebrows in surprise. Wilson said:
"Miss Elf, you always manage to surprise me. Please elaborate?"

"First, have Adam and I sever our contract. Then I'll try to form a contract with Mary. An elf cannot contract with another elf. If this 'Mary' is truly being played by Necross, then the contract ritual will naturally fail."

Wilson said:
"That's not necessarily conclusive. Although we haven't discussed it until now... the one who can impersonate others is not just the elf Necross, but also her current contractor who shares her glyphs."

"No matter. If she really is the contractor, I will be able to see the Necross glyph within her due to the glyph sharing. The real Mary wouldn't have such a thing. Is that acceptable now?"

Wilson was silent for a moment, then showed a mocking smile:
"There's a problem. Miss Elf, you are a high-ranking elf using a unique contract. Even if you sever the contract immediately upon discovering something amiss, the glyphs will remain within the other party's body for a considerable time."

"I don't know exactly which glyphs you possess, but I cannot allow the enemy any chance to get their hands on them."

"...Hah. Really, I knew it would come to this."

Sylvia grasped Wilson's golden staff and placed its tip against her own fair, vulnerable neck.

"Please place a curse of death upon me. If such a situation arises, you can trigger the curse and kill me. The shared glyphs will naturally disappear with my death."

The surroundings fell silent, with only the soft crackle of the fireball illuminating the scene. My gaze involuntarily focused on Sylvia.

Wilson narrowed his eyes and said with displeasure:
"To my knowledge, you and Mary have just met for the first time."

"I have only met most of the people I've saved once."

The two looked at each other silently for a moment. Wilson suddenly laughed and lightly tapped Sylvia's neck with his staff.

"You are right. Rest assured, I promise it will be clean and swift."

"Of that I have no doubt. Adam, it will be a bit troublesome if I unilaterally force the contract severance. Please cooperate."

Sylvia's sapphire-blue pupils flickered between bright and dim, presumably repeatedly attempting to sever the contract.

After several failures, she looked at me somewhat puzzled:

"Adam? What's wrong?"

I couldn't help but smile.

Elf named Sylvia, you have performed excellently.

To show my respect, I shall shed this disguise and offer you the most despairing death.