"Two cones, please!"

"Two servings of Lala Fat Kebabs, please."

After buying a bunch of street food, Ash sighed, "It's been eight months since the war broke out, but it seems like nothing has happened in Black Robe Town."

"I'm just used to it." Black Crow said, holding a bag of snacks, "Tannomu said that the number of days in the wasteland without war in a year can be counted on one hand."

"Don't go back yet, let's eat here."

Ash suddenly turned into a dark alley corner, and Black Crow shook his head: "I don't want to eat."

"I'll lean against this wall, and you'll lean against that wall. Even if you take off your mask, I won't be able to see you." Ash pointed to the two perpendicular walls in the corner and said, "I can hear your stomach growling."

"Impossible. I can go three days without any physical reaction."

"Do you want to eat? If not, I won't bring you out to eat next time. You always just watch us eat, as if we are excluding you." Ash took the initiative to stick to a wall and passed the cone to the other side where he couldn't see: "Now you should be grateful and accept my kindness with tears."

"I'm sorry, but I really haven't received any crying training, so I can't fake cry."

Although he said so, Black Crow still took the food, took off his mask, leaned against the wall, and began to eat in small bites in silence.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"Good, but not as good as me."

Ash was shocked: "Not as good as you? You can cook?"

"Yes." Black Crow said, "I am the best cook in Crow Killing. Every time I return to the sect, everyone is waiting for me to cook."

"It seems that you know everything except magic." Ash complained: "Then why don't you cook?"

"There is no chance, and there is no need. We have been sleeping in the open air all the way, and eating canned food is already a luxury."

"But I'm curious about your cooking skills! Black Crow, who kills people without blinking an eye, can actually wash his hands and cook soup?"

"If I have the chance, I can cook for you."

"Then it's settled!"

Ash licked the ice cream on the cone and asked, "So Tamashi, when are you going to leave?"

"……ah?"

"We have given up on hunting down Silver Lantern, and we don't want to get entangled with the Mercury Trojan Horse. We are focused on finding a way to leave Senluo." Ash said: "Our path no longer overlaps with yours. So I feel that we can't continue to delay you..."

Before he finished speaking, he heard a "pop" sound, which was the sound of an ice cream cone falling to the ground.

"...Do you dislike me?"

Ash was startled for a moment, then he burst out laughing, and without turning around, he stretched out his hand and chopped Black Crow on the head: "The effect of the Kaleidoscope is so strong? Are you affected by the hormones in your body? How can you say such weak words?"

"And I haven't finished speaking yet." He said, "I'm actually worried that you might not dare to leave because you're worried about us. I don't want to waste your time. But if you're not worried about us and want to follow the same path as us..."

"Tamahi, do you want to leave Senluo with us?"

Outside the alley, there was a clamor of people and the noise of the bustling night market filled every corner of the town, as if this was not a wasteland, as if there was no war outside.

"…Mercury Horse."

Black Crow did not give a direct answer, but just said a name.

"Yes, you still want to take revenge on Mercury Trojan." Ash sighed, "I can't tell you to 'give up hatred'. Although Mercury Trojan is much stronger than you now, and Mercury Trojan can make countless mistakes, but if you make a mistake once, you will be doomed; although the Four Pillars Divine Sect is about to unify Senluo, your chances of revenge will be even slimmer by then; although..."

He paused. "You must know the reasons why it is impossible better than me. You must understand the insurmountable difficulties better than me. But you still insist on revenge. What right do I have to dissuade you? It's just..."

Ash ‘just’ talked for a long time without saying anything useful, and finally sighed: “Sorry, Tamashi.”

Black Crow was a little surprised: "Why apologize?"

"You've helped me a lot, but I can't help you get revenge." Ash said softly, "I still have someone I want to see. I can't waste my life in the forest."

"You don't have to apologize." Black Crow said, "I never thought about getting anything from you."

"But you are still willing to help me leave Senluo?"

"Um."

Ash was silent for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind: "That's right, as long as I leave Senluo, the silver lamp will automatically become tactile, and then the mercury horse will turn back into a mortal, and your chance for revenge will come!"

Black Crow was startled, then nodded: "Yes."

"So it's impossible for you to leave Senluo with us." Ash said, "But in this case, I have to think about how to place you. You definitely don't want to join other sects, but you can't reorganize the Crow Killing Sect, so I have to find some helpers for you..."

"You don't have to worry about me." Black Crow said, "I can survive on my own."

"Tamahi, have you forgotten that you are illiterate?"

"Ash, have you forgotten that before I met you, I was always wandering alone, assassinating the Mercury Trojan alone, and fighting the Four Pillars Cult alone."

"So do you prefer living alone or living with us?"

Noticing that Black Crow was silent, Ash smiled and said, "Even tools need maintenance. You are actually very bad at taking care of yourself. If you continue to survive the way you did before, you will break down sooner or later."

“…I won’t do that.”

"Anyway, before I leave, I will think of a way to settle you down. Just consider it as my reward to you." Yaxiu said, "After touring most of Senluo, do you have any place you like? Where do you want to live? Or do you want to go back to the old Crow Killing Sect?"

"By the way, what type of girls do you like? Think about it carefully. I should help you solve your life problems before I leave. This way, you will at least have a companion to take care of you and accompany you. After you succeed in your revenge, you won't fall into emptiness..."

Seeing Ash's thoughts becoming more and more distracted, Black Crow had to repeat himself: "You really don't have to think about me!"

"but--"

“I haven’t actually thought about it yet.”

Ash was stunned: "You haven't thought about it yet?"

"I haven't decided yet." Black Crow said, "I have reasons to stay, but..."

"I don't resist the idea of ​​leaving, either."

Ash blinked and chuckled, "Then take your time to think about it. There's no rush. In fact, we haven't made any progress towards leaving Senluo. Maybe by the time we leave, Mercury Trojan will be dead."

"Then you can go to other kingdoms with us without any worries." Ash patted Black Crow's shoulder: "If you want more people to follow your path, then let the reputation of Crow Killer spread throughout the six kingdoms!"

"……Um."

"Okay, let's go back. If you don't go back, Igula will scold you."

When they reached the bright street, Black Crow looked at Ash with red hair and red eyes. Perhaps because he had just opened his heart, he could no longer suppress his curiosity: "Ash, how come you look nothing like your original self after being affected by the Kaleidoscope?"

Although the others have changed a lot, the noticeable features such as Igula's blonde hair, Harvey's dark skin, Chikara's orcish appearance, and Gwen's blue hair have all been retained. Only Ash's hair color and skin color are completely different, and he has completely transformed into a different person.

"Ah?" Ash blinked, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I'll tell you a secret. You must not tell anyone, especially Igula and the others."

"You remember that my love life was a little messy, right?"

Black Crow blinked his eyes, "Could it be..."

"That's right!" The cult leader took two steps back, turned around on the spot, and smiled: "I don't know why, but the kaleidoscope always changes my appearance into the girl I like. Tamashi, you are the first person to have seen her. Even Igula and the others only know about her but have never seen her!"

"How is she, is she pretty?"

After waiting for a while, Black Crow didn't answer. Ash curled his lips and said, "Alright, alright, I don't have much expectation for your aesthetic taste of killing all crows. Let's... wait, this smells so good. I'll buy one for a midnight snack."

When Ash went over to buy some snacks, Black Crow looked at his back and whispered softly:

"very good."