The Paladin in the Abyss

"What?!" The Dwarf instinctively shouted, "The Crow Queen has become the ruler of the Demon's Domain?"

"I'm sorry, my lord, Bruto absolutely didn't mean any offense!" Lancelot was also startled, hastily explaining, "But this news is indeed somewhat surprising..."

"Why is it surprising?" The Crow Queen frowned displeased, "Is there something inappropriate about me?"

"Of course not!" Lancelot quickly denied, "It's just, I thought that as long as the Lich was completely defeated, the curse on this land would be lifted..."

"Although the borders are now open because the ruler of the Demon's Domain was defeated, in three months this land will be sealed again, becoming a separate half-plane once more." Cranvo shook his head, "However, as long as the ruler of the Demon's Domain allows it, anyone can freely leave this place..."

"And I certainly won't impose any restrictions on this." The Crow Queen solemnly promised, "Everyone can leave freely, but entry is not allowed. Except for those born on this land, only my followers and those of the Lord of the Dead are permitted to enter, thus keeping out enemies who harbor ill intentions towards this land, its inhabitants, or myself to the greatest extent."

"I see..." Lancelot rubbed the back of his head, "Please forgive my rudeness, but there's a question I really want to know the answer to..."

"Go ahead, Sir."

"Thank you, my lord... What I want to know is, does this Demon's Domain have any special significance to you?"

Upon hearing this, Tanya seemed a bit anxious, repeatedly signaling Lancelot with her eyes, seemingly wanting to warn the Human Knight not to continue asking, but the Crow Queen, as if having eyes on the back of her head, gestured stop to the Half-elf without turning around, while giving Lancelot a playful look.

"You don't like me becoming the new ruler of the Demon's Domain, do you?"

"I meant no such thing; I just hoped there would be no more rulers of the Demon's Domain..."

"Haha, I knew it; you are quite the idealist." The Crow Queen chuckled softly, shaking her head, "However, this Demon's Domain has existed for too long; it is already a separate half-plane that cannot reintegrate into the Prime Material Plane. To answer your previous question, yes, a half-plane like the Dread Domain is naturally not a very 'deep' area. As long as I stay inside, I can relatively easily 'surface.' If I spend a few more centuries to completely transform this place into my Divine Kingdom, I might be able to maintain my form indefinitely. I don't need to tell you how significant this is for me..."

"I understand." Lancelot shrugged, "I hope you will keep your promise and allow those residents to leave freely."

"Of course." The Crow Queen proudly lifted her chin, "Though you were busy for more than half a month, this land actually has the largest number of my followers. I still need them to travel to various corners of the Multiverse, bringing me all sorts of memories..."

"Alright, it's time for us to leave as well." Cranvo turned to look at Lancelot, "Are you ready?"

"Just a moment." Lancelot shook his head, "I want to say goodbye to the new friends I've met."

"Goodbye?" Cranvo was momentarily stunned, "Ah... of course, becoming the Grim Reaper for so long made me almost forget how meaningful goodbyes are. Go ahead, I'll wait for you here."

"We'll be quick." Lancelot displayed a bright smile on his face, "I'm already eager to return to Twin Bridges Town..."

"I completely understand." Cranvo also showed a somewhat human smile, "Having occupied so much of your time, I hope your counterpart won't hold any grudge against me..."

"Even if she has, I can make it so she can't complain." Lancelot winked at the Lord of the Dead, "Well then, my two esteemed lords, please allow me to excuse myself first."

Lancelot respectfully bowed first to Cranvo, then to the Crow Queen, and then led his companions to exit from the other side of the room, returning to the hall adorned with columns and gargoyle statues. The hall was not empty; as soon as they exited, they saw the Death Knight they had met not long ago in the Witches' Forest, sitting there quietly, eyes fixed on the sword hilt in front of it, though its thoughts seemed far away.

"Hello, Sir Listan." Lancelot actively spoke, greeting the other, "It's a pleasure to see you again."

"Ah, Sir Lancelot." The other didn't stand up, just nodded towards him, "I am also pleased to see you, so I can finally express my gratitude. I did meet the King, and you indeed didn't deceive me."

"Of course... What about King Tedder? He should have just left from here; didn't you go with him?"

"The battle is over." The Undead shook his head, "In my current state, I might not be suitable to be too close to the King... In fact, I'm considering whether to continue serving by the King's side as an Undead or to heed the Lord of the Dead's instructions, put everything aside, and head towards Eternal Peace..."

"Have you reached a conclusion?"

"... Not yet. Fortunately, the Lord of the Dead seems very patient."

"I hope you find the conclusion you truly desire."

After bidding farewell to the Death Knight, the group continued to walk out, passing others resting in the Temple along the way. Lancelot recognized several familiar faces, such as two gang members he met during the blessing ceremony. They seemed to want to approach and say something to the Human Knight, but in the end, they didn't take any action, just looking at the Human Knight and his companions with respectful eyes.

The celebration outside the Ancient Temple was much more exuberant; people pointed at the sky, now revealing blue skies, shouting with ecstatic cries. Some residents of Raventown couldn't contain their impulses, transforming into crows, desperately flying to the heights they had never reached before, straining to cast their gaze into the unseen distance.

But beneath this unprecedented splendor, Lancelot suddenly felt a deep unease, as if something incredibly terrible had happened to someone he cared about during his time of disconnection from the outside world.

'Tijana...' Lancelot immediately began to call out in his heart, 'Are you okay, my love?'

There was no response. In fact, the mental connection between the two had not been restored by the lifting of the Demon's Domain, and Lancelot's call was like shouting into a valley, with all the echoes being his own voice, and nothing more.

At this moment, a Portal opened behind Lancelot, and Cranvo's unmasked figure appeared from it, looking very serious.

"I have reestablished contact with my main body and received some bad news..." Facing Lancelot's questioning gaze, Cranvo said in a low voice, "Something has happened in Twin Bridges Town."