Seeing how the two of them looked at each other, Mu So felt even more vexed. "You two clearly love each other. Why will you not even try?!"

Vars didn’t bother to glance at him as if every second that he did not spend looking at Nilgu was wasted. He still answered though. Maybe he felt that there was some thanks due for giving them just a couple more minutes with each other. "It is easy to say for you. You don’t know what the temple of Bul will do if we try."

Mu So just gave a humorless laugh. "Does it matter though?" He motioned over to Nilgu with his head. "He has nothing but the temple and he already promised he would leave her as long as you agreed. And you?" He kicked Vars’ leg, instantly regretting it when his toes connected with the armor. He winced but still forced himself to speak. "You have nothing left over there and only him if you consider the rest of the world. What else can that temple take from you?"

Vars stared at Nilgu, a hint of surprise hidden in his eyes. He could not believe what he had just heard. Nilgu … had agreed to leave with him? If that was so … but no, he could not believe it. He shook his head but then still could not help but make sure. "Do you really agree to leave?"

Nilgu glanced at Mu So. He had indeed promised. And just like he had thought this afternoon, he was not sure what he would have chosen back then. Right now, he did not know either. But this temple … it had no future. He either died tonight or might find a future with Vars. But … he also could not bring himself to say it. "You already rejected, did you not?"

Vars took a shaky breath. He never would have thought that Nilgu would even entertain that idea. He had always believed that he would live or die with this temple. If that was not the case …

He closed his eyes and exhaled, then turned to Mu So. "What do we need to do?" Day after day, he had stolen time. An hour, a day, a year … Just knowing that that person was still alive and well made him feel that it was worth it. He knew the temple used it to control him but they had already tightly grasped onto his weakness and even after all these years, his heart had still not grown cold in regard to Nilgu so he could only let them control him.

Now though, things had changed. If he stayed with the temple, Nilgu would have to die tonight. The only way out would be to have him join the temple of Bul himself and that was something that Nilgu would indeed never do. Any other plan … he doubted it would work. But in any case, why hesitate? He would just start to steal time once again.

If they had to flee, if they had to live a life more wretched than animals, he did not care either. He wanted to pluck the stars for Nilgu and give him the best life he could have but that was impossible. But if Nilgu was willing to have less with him, then he would live that life for as long as they still could, no matter the cost.

Mu So heaved a sigh of relief. He could hardly believe that the first part of his plan for tonight had been this difficult even though he had thought it would be the easiest. He could only hope that the rest would also defy his expectations and be easier instead.

Thinking of what he had planned though … He scratched his cheek and gave an embarrassed cough. "Now … we go and steal a pair of corpses."

Vars and Nilgu both turned to him simultaneously, looking at him as if he had gone mad.

Mu So tensed up but could only give an embarrassed smile. "What do you want me to say? I also don’t like it but it’s the only way. If you don’t want that temple chasing after you, they need to believe that there is no reason to. So you’ll have to … die together."

Nilgu furrowed his brows. "That is your grand plan? They will be on hour heels come dusk then. They know how the two of us look in case you have forgotten."

Vars glanced into the corner behind the traveler though and his gaze grew thoughtful. "Unless …" They burned the temple of Jel down.

Mu So nodded in his direction to show that he had understood right before he turned to Nilgu. "Don’t worry about that. I thought of a way. Anyway, we shouldn’t tarry any longer. The night is getting later. The further away we are by tomorrow morning, the better."

Vars nodded. He sheathed his sword and then walked to Nilgu’s side, taking his hands. "Have some trust. If not in me or him, then in Jel. There is a way to get through this. Otherwise, why have this traveler come here at this time? Isn’t that some kind of sign?"

Nilgu gave a humorless smile. "You would really say anything to convince me right now."

Vars nodded straightforwardly. "I would. So please, do me this favor."

Nilgu stared at him and finally nodded. "Well, I supposed we might as well try. How have you planned to do this?"

Mu So heaved another sigh of relief and then told them about his visit to the graveyard close by.

The two of them gave him the same disdainful look.

"The graveyard? Are you an idiot? That is what they will check first if they find two bodies that they can’t identify!" Nilgu might not understand yet how Mu So intended to achieve this in the first place but he knew that the temple of Bul would not be that easily tricked.

Mu So’s lips twitched. These two … they really weren’t helping!

Vars nodded but his expression was pensive. "That is indeed the first place they will check and they would notice if a couple of bodies were missing. But the mass graves are a different matter altogether. Let’s get some from there."

Mu So’s annoyed expression eased. He’d take back what he had just thought! These two were actually helpful. "Let’s go then. I asked the old priest to get a cart."

Vars clicked his tongue. "No, not a cart. It’s too quiet in Lald at night. They’d notice immediately if we were wheeling a cart around. We’ll have to carry them ourselves." Saying so, he grabbed Nilgu’s hand and pulled him deeper into the temple.

Mu So wasn’t quite sure what to make of this but hurriedly followed. Finally, he realized that they had gone to Nilgu’s room. He raised his brows, especially when he suddenly saw Vars take off his armor. "You …"

Vars shot him a look. "The armor is too eyecatching. Anyway, make yourself useful and get the head priest here. I can carry two bodies if need be but I am afraid the two of you would have trouble carrying one by yourselves each. So get his help." To be honest, it was still risky to run around with four people at night as well but what other choice did they have?

Mu So nodded but after turning around, he realized that he had no idea where to look for the old priest. He turned to Nilgu for help and got another glare in return. Mu So couldn’t help but tense up, feeling a bit embarrassed. Clearly, he had just caught him staring at his fiance with hot eyes. It suddenly made him feel that he had interrupted something he shouldn’t but he couldn’t take it back now.

Nilgu went forward and looked into Vars’s eyes. He would have wished to have a few minutes to speak to him alone but this was the best he would get, it seemed. "Even if it doesn’t work out, just knowing that you were willing fills my heart with joy."

Vars smiled wryly. "And still, I haven’t seen you smile in years." He cupped his cheek and leaned down, giving him a faint kiss. "Go now. We can’t lose more time. Hopefully, in the future, there will be more so you can scold me to your heart’s content."

Nilgu nodded and turned, going to get the old priest. When he arrived, he found him wide awake in his chambers. "Head priest …"

The old priest looked up and smiled kindly. "How is it? Did you agree, child?"

Nilgu looked at him quietly and then nodded. "We are … going to do something wrong for it. I hope you can forgive me. In any case, we need your help. If we all want to escape —"

The old priest raised his hand and shook his head. "I can help but don’t plan for me. I will stay here. In any case, if we all escape together, it is more likely for them to find out. I’ll stay here for another day and then make my own escape. Maybe we will be able to catch up in the future."

Nilgu was startled and wanted to argue but the old priest already got up and walked over to him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"This is not the time to argue, child. In any case, I have already made up my mind. You go and do what you have to do. May Jel be at your side, guiding your path and protecting you."

Nilgu’s eyes teared up and he had to force himself to nod. "I will. Thank you for everything." He didn’t know if — after this moment — he would see him again. Something told him he probably wouldn’t.

He turned and closed his eyes before he finally rushed back to his own room.

Vars glanced at him and understood, giving a faint sigh. "Let’s go."

Mu So hadn’t quite caught on though. "The old priest —"

"I said let’s go." Vars kicked out, hitting Mu So at his leg where he had kicked him before and then put his arm around Nilgu’s shoulders, squeezing them once before he let go and led the way.

They left the temple and made their way through the streets of Lald as quietly as possible. The mass graves were at the side of the city, only to be reached through a small underground passage.

Mu So shuddered when they walked in there but he had to say that one glance was enough to convince him that Vars had been right in saying this place was better suited for their needs: There were pits dug out, bodies thrown in haphazardly. Nobody would know whether one or two were missing.

He gulped and cleared his throat. "Don’t forget to choose one that looks similar to you."

Vars gave him a side-glance and then stepped close to one of the pits, surveying the bodies inside. Nilgu followed him, doing the same, even though he felt strange. Doing this …

Vars threw him a faint smile. "Robbing a grave with a priest … I never thought that would be in my future."

Nilgu raised his chin, refusing to show his own discomfort. "The head priest will notify the temple in the next city. They will likely get a much better burial than this. It is also comforting their souls in a way."

Vars nodded and then motioned to one of the bodies. "That one should fit you." He carefully climbed down right after, pulling the body out of the pile. When he did, he realized that the one below was actually quite fitting for being his stand-in. He scoffed and heaved the first one out of the pit before going back.

Pulling himself out of there, he raised his brows at Mu So. "Didn’t find one yet?"

Mu So blinked his eyes. "Me? Why do I need one?"

"You don’t want to leave with us? What about the temple?" If he understood right, there wouldn’t be one pretty soon. The old priest would have things to do the next morning but this guy? He would have thought he’d prefer to leave as well.

Mu So scratched his cheek. Truth be told, he’d indeed rather leave … He looked around and then picked the first body he spotted. With a strained expression, he climbed down, inwardly cursing Vars for being biased. That guy had clearly helped Nilgu but now he couldn’t help him out?

He took a moment moving the body and was pretty out of breath when he reached the edge of the pit and that was even without lifting it out there. Ah, who would have thought a body was this heavy? He had never felt that way when … well, he’d rather not think about that in a pit full of dead bodies.

Vars finally took pity on him or maybe it was more that things were taking too long in his eyes. With a sigh, he crouched down and helped pull the body up. Looking at the three on the ground, he picked up the smaller ones, clearly swaying a bit under the weight. "You’ll have to carry the other one yourself. Sorry for having it be the bigger one but I can’t that much."

Nilgu just nodded and grabbed the body by the feet before lifting his head to stare at Mu So.

The traveler sighed and then pulled himself out of the pit, rushing over to grab the body by the shoulders. "You can count yourself lucky that you didn’t have to go down there. Don’t look at me like I was being too slow."

Nilgu just faintly raised his brows and didn’t bother to argue. Instead, he turned to look at his fiance.

"Let’s go." Vars made sure that he was holding the bodies tight and then made his way over back to the pathway. He stood outside for a moment, peering over to the other hand. "Careful from now on. If they catch us, they will attack. At that moment, our only chance is to throw these guys and then run."

Nilgu gave a faint hum, his gaze trained on that broad back. Dying wasn’t that scary. As long as it did not happen while he was alone, he could take it.

Mu So glanced from one person to the other and then wisely kept his mouth shut. Even though they were carrying corpses here, he still felt like he was the third wheel on a cart that should only have two. Well, it was just for the time being anyway. After leaving Lald, they would split up and each go their own way.

When Vars had made sure that there was nobody on the other side, they slowly walked out. Mu So and Nilgu were still able to do so quite well thanks to sharing the weight with each other. Vars was looking as if he had trouble staying upright though. The fabric of the black clothes he had worn below the armor was clinging to his skin, obviously wet with sweat.

Mu So bit his lip when he saw. "Maybe we should make two trips?"

Nilgu also looked to his lover and his gaze turned worried. Even though Vars had taken the smaller ones, a dead body wasn’t easy to carry. After all, they could not balance their weight to make things easier on you in any way. "Are you alright?"

Vars faintly glanced over his shoulder but there wasn’t much space to move. "It’s alright. Just for this bit of the way. I can do it." His voice sounded pressed though.

Nilgu’s gaze stayed on his back for a moment but he finally just sighed and then focused on carrying the corpse Vars had chosen. He couldn’t help him carry his burden. He could only make sure that he did not make trouble on this end.

Mu So did not dare to speak either. To be honest, despite his many years of traveling, he felt scared. This city of Lald had felt quite oppressive from the moment he realized that there were two opposing temples and now, deep in the night, with his hands wrapped around the shoulders of a corpse … Well, that could indeed make a man’s hair stand on end. He’d rather get this thing to the temple fast and then wash his hands off this.

Unfortunately, there was nothing fast about their pace. Vars was struggling already and they still had to stop at every junction in the roads to make sure that there was nobody around before they could pass the street and continue making their way toward the temple. With this, the roads of Lald seemed to stretch endlessly in front of them.

They had only made it halfway there when Vars stopped in a dark corner and bent over, taking a deep breath.

Nilgu stopped as well. Thinking for a moment, he shot Mu So a look and then put down the body they were carrying, going over to Vars’ side. He rubbed his hands on his priest’s robe before he reached out and cupped his lover’s cheeks. "Just a bit more." Lifting his head, he leaned down and gently kissed his forehead.

Vars smiled faintly in return. "Is that the blessing of a priest?"

Nilgu looked at him deeply and shook his head. "Just the hopes of a man in love."

Mu So watched them and turned away, feeling like an intruder. His gaze couldn’t help but land on a cart not far away and he pursed his lips. He did remember what Vars had said about how using one would be too loud but … there might be one alternative.

He glanced at the body to his feet and then walked over with quick steps, rummaging around the top. A moment later, his eyes lit up. Rushing back, he waved a rope in front of the other men. "You help me tie this guy."

Nilgu raised his brows, not quite understanding what he meant.

Mu So didn’t wait though and picked the corpse up again, starting to tie the guy to his own body. He shuddered at the feeling of coldness spreading through his clothes but what could he do? Since Vars could not hold on any longer, somebody else needed to carry some more burden for a while.

Understanding dawned in Nilgu’s eyes when he saw this and he quickly walked over to help Mu So. "If you can’t take it, say it though."

Mu So nodded and let Nilgu do the rest before he slowly started to walk again. Behind him, the other two exchanged a glance.

"Give one to me."

Vars shook his head. "You can help me but —"

"This isn’t the moment to argue." Nilgu reached out and picked the smaller body. Vars had done a good job at choosing them. The stature was indeed quite similar to his. Carrying it wouldn’t be easy but he could do it. And after a while, Vars might feel better and they could go back to how things had been before.

Vars really wasn’t happy to see this but he also realized that arguing would only make this worse. Thus, he nodded and helped Nilgu lift up the body before they followed Mu So. He stayed close to Nilgu though, making sure that he would be there to help out should something happen.

In this manner, the three of them made it until they were only a couple of streets away from the temple. Considering that the mass graves were in the outskirts of the city and the temple stood on the main square, they had made good progress.

By now, Mu So wasn’t doing too well though. He had long slowed down and by now, he was even stopping every few steps, holding onto the walls of a house every now and then to take a break.

Vars looked over and then waited for him to stop again before he wordlessly walked over and started to untie the rope. He didn’t explain himself and just hoisted the body up on his own shoulders while dropping the one he had been carrying into Mu So’s arms.

The traveler stared at him for a moment but then just nodded. Vars probably could have carried two of the corpses again but switching around again would take time again and they weren’t that far away from the temple anymore. It was better to just leave it at this and try to hurry over as fast as they could.

Mu So stayed leaned against the wall a moment longer and took a few deep breaths before he finally followed the other two again.

They weren’t fast but they still made the rest of the way in half an hour and finally reached the door they had left from. The old head priest was already waiting on the other side and anxiously let them in, looking in all directions to make sure that nobody had followed them and seen what was going on.

By now, it was the middle of the night. No citizen was on their feet anymore and the silence that engulfed Lald was deafening. When they put down the corpses inside, it seemed as if the sound could be heard on the other side of the square.

Mu So gulped and looked at Vars but the other man did not seem to think much. Instead, he just turned to him.

"Now, what is the rest of your plan?"

Mu So smiled wryly and glanced at Nilgu and the old priest. "Now … we need to make sure these are really mistaken for you."

Vars nodded. He hadn’t expected much else. "Where to?" While asking, he already picked the biggest body up again.

Mu So hurriedly picked up another one and Nilgu and the head priest carried the last one. They carried them over to the corridor where their rooms were and Mu So put one down in front of his own door before going over to Nilgu’s room that they had been in before.

Waiting for them to put down the bodies, he finally shrugged his shoulders. "Actually, I’ll leave what exactly to do to you guys. You should put them in your clothes and then arranged them however you’d do things if you were really going through with what these people of the temple of Bul wanted you to do. We have a set of men’s clothes and a priest’s robe you can change into afterward."

The two nodded and Mu So didn’t bother staying around. He went to his own room and pulled the corpse inside, grimacing. "Well, I guess nobody took a good look at me anyway." He wanted to put the corpse onto the bed but reconsidered at the last moment.

His plan was to burn down the whole temple when they had prepared everything. If there really was that large of a fire, he likely would have woken up though and would try to get out. So, he would probably be somewhere in the room, trying to get away.

He looked around and finally pulled the small table toward the window. Then, he arranged the corpse in front of it, making it seem as if the person had wanted to climb onto the table and then out of the window because the corridor was already ablaze.

Looking at this, he nodded to himself and then turned around. He glanced at his bundle and clicked his tongue. Most likely, he should give that to the corpse but … how much would be left over after everything had burned? Yeah, he shouldn’t worry about that.

With that thought, he put it over his own shoulder and then went outside, waiting for Nilgu and Vars to finish so they could leave.

The two were still standing in the room. Vars had taken off the black clothes and put on the man’s robe that the head priest had organized, looking quite normal apart from the bulging muscles below. Currently, he was putting the black clothes and armor on the bigger corpse while Nilgu was silently praying next to him, asking Jel for forgiveness for putting that unknown body in a priest’s robes and … whatever it was that would come after this.

Vars finally finished and heaved a sigh of relief. He rubbed his forehead to get rid of the sweat. "Dressing a corpse is more difficult than you’d think. Now …"

Nilgu lowered his hands and looked at him. "You decide. In any case, if this was us, I would already be dead by now and you would be the one to make the decisions."

Vars stared at him, an uncomfortable feeling in his chest when Nilgu said this. He couldn’t deny that it was true. Just a few hours ago, he had lifted his sword to cut his lover’s throat. And he would indeed have done so if not for Mu So’s involvement.

He turned back to the two bodies that were dressed as them and then lifted the smaller one up and put it on the bed. He pondered for a moment and then left the room to get his sword, finally cutting the corpse’s throat. He didn’t know how closely the people from the temple of Bul would examine things but he’d rather not leave things to chance. Having done this, he sheathed his weapon and leaned it against the table. Then he picked up the other body and hoisted it onto the bed as well. In his last moments, he would want to hold Nilgu close to him. Even if his lover was already dead and all chances of them to ever be together lost, he at least wanted to have this much.

He hesitated for a moment and then reached into his pocket, taking out the ring that he had inconspicuously taken out when he changed before, intending to take it along. Weighing it in his hand for a moment, he finally sighed and slipped it onto the corpse’s finger.

Nilgu watched him from the side but stayed quiet. Who this ring had been intended for did not need to be said. What use was there for words?

Vars stared at the two bodies and finally pushed them closer together, making them embrace each other. Then, he stepped back and turned to Nilgu. He gazed at him for a moment as if to make sure that he was really there and alive and then gave a nod. "I finished."

Nilgu got up from the chair and pushed it back to how it had stood before he reached out to Vars. "Then let’s go."

Hand in hand, they walked out of the room and then bowed to the head priest.

The old man just smiled kindly and patted their shoulders before he motioned back to the door at the side. "The three of you should leave now. I will take care of the rest."

Nilgu wanted to retort but Vars squeezed his hand and shook his head.

"It’s better if we don’t linger any further. That will just give them more opportunity to spot us and put all of our lives in jeopardy."

Nilgu sighed and then nodded and finally, the three of them left the temple to make their way to the gate out of Lald that they would hopefully step through in the morning.