Chapter 72.3

It is unclear whether this was because they were so shocked and impressed by Kevin's revelation, or because they were the closest to Oswald and Kevin and were therefore protected by the last bit of divine light.

It is a pity that these two had only just recovered their sanity when they were confronted with the two ebony square coffins.

Old Ian glanced at Oswald's bloodless face in the coffin, his eyes filled with disbelief. He tried to speak, but before he could utter a word, he rolled his eyes and passed out again.

Peter, who was covered in bandages, stood stiffly in front of the two coffins. He stared at them with unblinking eyes, as if he were in a trance.

He kept repeating the same words, as if he were trying to convince himself: "Impossible... How is it possible... That's God... How could he not wake up? He will definitely wake up..."

Mi Ao and the others watched him in concern. They had never seen him like this before. He was like a zombie, completely unresponsive to anything they said or did. They even considered calling for a medical officer to see if he had suffered some kind of head injury.

Poor old Ian was unconscious. He had fainted several times since seeing the coffins, and it was clear that he was not taking the news well.

Peter had no one to talk to, so he kept his thoughts to himself. He began to wonder if he had really just dreamed the whole thing.

Sinia sat next to the coffins every day, reciting the story word by word with her chin resting on her cheek. She was the only one who seemed to be able to offer any comfort to the others.

Even the iron-blooded men in the legion were moved by the scene. Kevin and Oswald were more than just comrades-in-arms to Mi Ao and the others; they were brothers who had lived through life and death together.

Even if they did not share Peter's nagging doubts, they still could not bring themselves to believe that the two of them would never wake up again.

The days passed slowly, and they continued to mourn the loss of Kevin and Oswald. They all hoped that one day, they would wake up and find that it had all been a dream.

In a desperate attempt to prolong their lives, they stacked ice cubes next to the two coffins. They also invited the Eldar to protect the coffins, hoping that a healer would appear and bring about a miracle.

The ice cubes were a symbol of their hope. They clung to the belief that if they could keep Kevin and Oswald's bodies cool, they would be able to slow the process of decay and buy themselves more time.

The days passed slowly, and the hope of a miracle began to fade. But Mi Ao and the others refused to give up. They continued to care for the two coffins, and they never stopped believing that Kevin and Oswald would one day wake up.

They knew that the chances of a miracle were slim, but they refused to give up hope. They believed that Kevin and Oswald were special people, and they knew that anything was possible for them.

As the days dragged on, the people's hope began to wane. The faint glimmer that had lingered in their hearts began to dim, until finally, after nearly a month of lying in their coffins without a heartbeat or breath, Kevin and Oswald were laid to rest.

The people had watched helplessly as their heroes had slowly slipped away.

This night was the last night that the two coffins would remain in the Hanging Palace. Tomorrow would be the day of their burial.

The officers and ministers had all left the palace before the night ban, and only Sinia, Ian, and Mi Ao remained. They had planned to stay until the very last minute.

Mio wiped his face wearily, the skin beneath his eyes sunken and bruised from lack of sleep. He had been up for nearly a month, ever since he had picked up Kevin and Oswald's bodies. His eyes were bloodshot and heavy, and he blinked vigorously to try to stay awake.

"I'm going back now," he said to Ian. "Don't stay too late, Your Highness. You should go to bed too. I'll be on time tomorrow..."

Click.

"Bring the legion here—wait what was the sound just now?!" Mi Ao turned to leave, but he stopped in his tracks.

He had heard a noise. It was a faint sound, but it was definitely there. It sounded like something had hit wood.

Mi Ao turned around slowly, his eyes scanning the room. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. The two coffins were still there, lying side by side.

Mi Ao frowned. He was sure he had heard something. He took a step closer to the coffins, his ears straining for any sound.

Mi Ao followed the sound suspiciously, his eyes falling on the two coffins with lids impartially.

There it was again! A faint tapping sound, coming from inside one of the coffins.

Mi Ao: "..."

His expression was one of disbelief for a moment, but soon it twisted into a haunted grimace, distorted by fear.

The strange voice sounded again, and this time Mi Ao heard it more clearly. He was sure that it came from the coffin on the left. He stood there stiffly, staring at the coffin, not knowing whether to open it or not.

But in the next second, Mio's worries were laid to rest. The coffin lid slid to the side by itself, the sound of wood friction echoing hollowly in the hall, causing his skin to crawl.

With a snap, a pale and thin hand stretched out from the coffin, its fingers like claws against the edge.

The coffin lid creaked open.

Then, Mr. Kevin Fassbender, sat up straight, his eyes wide and his skin ashen. He had been "dead" for a month, but now he was back, staging another corpse fraud.

Mio: "..." What the hell?