"Why would I look for death?" Gabriel didn't mind Avilia calling him crazy. If anything, he would've called himself crazy as well since he was actually suggesting something absurd.
Unfortunately, he had no choice for now. He could either risk the entire Empire and his identity, which was going to lead to something even more problematic, or he could go with his plan.
He didn't know how Emperor Alecton got the fate stone that was taken by the killer of Lord of Flames' daughter. However, he knew that this entire Empire was turned into a scapegoat. Moreover, since he heard how the Lord of Flames destroyed an entire city in the past, he didn't put this possibility past him.
This Empire and him were made scapegoats. If he wanted to get out of this situation, he needed to give Lerian another scapegoat. Only then could he avoid future troubles. However, achieving that was the hardest part... He couldn't just tell Lerian about Emperor Alecton while meeting him.
There was no way Lerian was going to believe anything he said. That's why this plan became absolutely necessary, no matter how absurd it was!
"So you're really serious? You really want to attack the Church of Flames instead?!" The Holy Priestess of Summoning grimaced. She knew that Gabriel was unorthodox, but even she didn't know that he could plan something like this.
The strangest part of the entire plan was that even though it was so risky, he didn't ask for her help in the battles. The only thing he asked for was a beast to carry him near the Church of Flames.
Gabriel had already promised her that her beast didn't need to carry her all the way and that he could fly the rest of the way on his own so that the Holy Priestess of Summoning couldn't be linked with this.
But still... Something like this... Even Avilia would've thought twice before trying something like this.
"If you don't want to lend me a Beast, give me a map which I can use to get there. It'll take a longer time on my own, but I should be able to pull it off," Gabriel reminded Avilia, who was lost in thoughts.
"You realize if you do that, there's no going back?" The Holy Priestess of Summoning asked one last time. "You might lose your life... And I won't save you!"
Gabriel already knew the things that Avilia was saying. He didn't expect her to come to save him. However, he was still confident in his own abilities... At least he believed that he could get out alive now that he was able to use his Spells of Necromancy properly without having to worry about losing control of his body.
'It's not as if I would've done it so soon if I had another choice.' He only sighed in response. The way Avilia reacted, it was as if she thought that he was really crazy and actually wanted to do this because he thought it was fun.
"I told you. Even if you don't help me, I'll still do it. This Empire is someone else's lineage. I didn't want it to be destroyed right when I got it... If you don't want to help, you can leave. It's safer for you if you get out of here before Lerian arrives..."
Even after waiting for a few minutes, Avilia didn't look like she was going to lend him a beast. He could only look for other ways. He stood up and started leaving the room. He was sure if he wanted, he could find a map in the Empire that led to the Church of Flames. It's just that it was more time consuming.
The only way to push Avilia to help him in this situation was to act like he didn't need her help. He was sure that she was going to stop him if he tried to leave.
"Wait!" As Gabriel was about to step out the door, the Holy Priestess of Summoning called out. "I'll lend you a beast... It'll carry you to the Domain of the Church of Flames. However, as I said before, after that point, everything will depend on your own abilities. I hope you won't regret this choice."
Gabriel turned around. "There are many choices that I regret making in this life. But this won't be one of them..."
****
[Five Hours Later]
Gabriel soared through the air, riding atop a magnificent flying beast. The Beast had a speed that was much faster than his own flying speed.
"Being a Summoner is definitely good. They can summon a myriad of beasts, each with a different ability. A beast like that would've been quite useful if I controlled one. Even I might not be able to catch up to a beast like this..."
He had heard a lot about Summoners. So far, other than Avilia, all Summoners he met were low level Summoners. They could control weaker beasts. However, Avilia's beasts were top-tier beasts. He could see that just the beast alone that was carrying him was as strong as the Saint Knight in terms of physical strength! This also made him somewhat jealous.
"As a Necromancer, I wonder if there is an Undead species that can also fly and catch up to such a speed?" he wondered, sitting atop Avilia's beast. "If not, I should find a powerful beast in the future for myself and turn it into an Undead. It can be quite useful in the future for travel..."
"I should really start focusing on the Undead Army."
The sun glinted off the Summoned Beast's wings. The Beast's wings were made from shimmering scales that glowed in hues of blue, green, and gold in the early morning light.
With the speed of the Beast, it didn't take long for them to reach the Domain of the Church of Flames. It was just outside the Domains of the Church of Flames where the Flying Beast stopped. It didn't move any further.
At this point, Gabriel could only stand up and let the Beast wait outside for him. He cast a Flight Spell on his body. He traveled the rest of the way himself, along the way making sure that he didn't forget anything!
****
While Gabriel reached near the Church of Flames, a group of Head Priests had also entered the Empire of Arecia.
It had been a long time since the Church of Flames had mobilized this many people! The Priests of the Church of Flames had already sealed the Empire of Arecia from all sides. No one was allowed to enter the Empire, and no one was allowed to leave either!
The two enemies were now in each other's territories…
