He then looked at the item in Xie Liqi's hand, one of the so-called tools for sealing the evil god in the original work—

No matter how you look at it, it's just an ordinary wooden sword.

It's unclear what kind of wood it's carved from; the craftsmanship looks very rough, and it's even broken in the middle. It's about forty centimeters long, and its width is large enough for an adult to hold in one hand. It looks like nothing more than a toy.

Furthermore, the great magician Vili can vouch for it with his own reputation: there is absolutely no magic on this thing.

Is this really a tool for sealing away an evil god?

"That's right."

Willie realized he had voiced the question that had been on his mind.

Xie Liqi twirled the wooden sword, his expression enigmatic, yet his tone remarkably certain:

"This is the holy sword listed in the inventory."

"You have another list?"

Vili raised an eyebrow.

“…Hmm.” His hand twitched slightly, and then he said, “It was found inside the church. It had the items and ritual incantations needed for the sealing written on it.”

Can I take a look?

"The original document was automatically destroyed after I saw it, but I have written it down and can show it to you."

As he spoke, he put the "Holy Sword" back into the player's inventory and casually picked up a pen and paper from the desk.

"Ah, it is enough to just write down the contents of the ritual incantation."

After all, he was only curious about things related to magic.

The pen tip left a black dot on the paper, and Xie Liqi readily changed the direction of his pen strokes.

As he said, he did indeed remember these details very clearly. The intricate magic circle was perfectly formed on the paper, without a single error, and it could run smoothly almost as long as magic power was applied.

He might actually have a talent for magic.

Vili was distracted, but he immediately understood what the triangular formation meant; it was indeed a legitimate sealing magic.

He guessed that the ritual would involve placing three important items on top, offering sacrifices in the empty center, and finally reciting a spell.

It's not difficult.

Then he looked at the incantation, but as he looked at it, he unconsciously frowned.

Since Xie Liqi didn't understand the magical language, he transliterated the spell using the local pronunciation. Vili silently recited the words in his mind, but his speech slowed down until he fell completely silent.

This is a very, very, very vicious curse.

It not only has a sealing function, but also imprisons the soul of the sealed person, gradually eroding it. During this process, all of the other person's physical sensations still exist, and may even be enhanced.

This technique is considered forbidden in their land. Unless used against a mortal enemy, the court will only give one result—death.

But it wouldn't be an exaggeration to use this term to describe a murderer who killed everyone in the town.

But do evil gods also have human feelings?

Vili lowered his head in deep thought, unaware that the young man in black beside him was also staring at him intently, his gaze falling on Vili's rosy lips parted in confusion, and lingering on the slightly open collar of Vili as he leaned forward.

Forget it, there's no point in thinking about it so much.

Vili straightened up, but heard a loud noise from the side. It turned out that Xie Liqi had taken a step back and his waist had hit the corner of the table.

The sound made Willie feel pain for him.

"What’s wrong with you?"

The main character doesn't seem very bright.

"...I'm fine."

Xie Liqi remained expressionless, but if Vili hadn't noticed his earlier unconscious gasp, he would have almost believed it.

But he didn't really care.

"Where do we go next to look for clues about the next prop?"

He was starting to enjoy the puzzle game and started counting on his fingers with great interest.

"Library, school, park... Oh, and we can also go check out the mayor's house! I know where he lives!"

As he spoke, a cooing sound suddenly filled the air, and Willy's voice stopped abruptly. His cheeks flushed slightly, making him look extremely alluring.

He... doesn't seem to have had breakfast yet?

"Sorry, I'm hungry."

Almost immediately, Xie Liqi drowned out the groans of the stomach with his voice. He lowered his eyes slightly, his voice was deep, yet carried a convincing power.

"..."

"Do you know where the kitchen is? The butcher and the other NPCs went to a meeting and won't be back for at least two hours. That's enough time to cook a meal."

When the butcher was mentioned, Vili felt guilty for a second, but was immediately drawn in by Xie Liqi's words.

"You can cook?"

His tone rose slightly, and the young man, noticing this, moved his fingers, but his tone remained calm, without the slightest ripple.

“In the real world, I live alone and take care of my own meals every day. I’ve been doing this for three years now, so I guess I could be considered ‘good at cooking’.”

Willy's eyes were bright, as if they were filled with stars. When he was looked at with such eyes, Xie Liqi felt as if he was about to burst into flames, but he was willing to do so.

"Then let's go quickly."

Vili urged him on, getting up first and heading towards the kitchen, while Xie Liqi followed behind him this time.

Watching his brisk retreating figure, a dark glint flashed in the young man's eyes.

Vili found him suspicious, but he himself felt that the other man was strange in every way.

His intuition was warning him, but he ignored it time and time again.

Love at first sight... He never imagined that such a thing would happen to him, especially at such an inopportune time and place.

Despite facing a life-or-death crisis, the sweetness of love intoxicated him. Even though he was currently in the lair of the most terrifying boss in the game, he almost forgot everything else.

Xie Liqi always considered himself a rational person, and in his twenty-odd years of life, he had never done anything that could be described as out of line.

Being dragged back into this game was an accident he loathed, like a prank by the gods. He even wondered if it was punishment from that evil god, forcing him to relive this nightmare.

But now, he is beginning to appreciate it all.

Perhaps fate gave him another chance so that I could meet him.

Why have I never heard of Willy before?

Was he killed by those cruel NPCs without his knowledge, his beautiful eyes clouded and buried in this endless darkness?

And I, completely unaware, passed by his corpse, treating him as an irrelevant stranger.

The thought of this made Xie Liqi's heart ache as if it were being squeezed.

He couldn't help but quicken his pace and walk alongside Willy.

Just as the two entered the kitchen, the farmhouse door was suddenly pushed open.

—The butcher is back.