The expedition team didn’t take long to clear away all the debris piled up in the center. But contrary to their hopes, there was nothing astonishing or jaw-dropping beneath the rubble. Just a round stone table of moderate size, with evenly spaced lines etched into its surface like the floor of a plaza, and small rounded stones placed along its edges—nothing more.
“It kind of looks like a pizza,” Edward joked.
“Edward, please. Don’t ruin the mood.”
The woman holding the white shield shot him a sharp glare, and Edward just shrugged.
After a moment, Ian naturally stepped forward. He examined the table from various angles, then called Melinus over, and the two whispered to each other for quite some time. Finally, they nodded in unison. Ian placed his hand on the nearest stone and carefully slid it toward the center of the table. That was when it happened.
Kssssssssss!
Suddenly, a grinding sound like a millstone echoed through the quiet chamber. Natalie, who was staring blankly to the side, blinked wide-eyed. One of the fan-shaped pillars on the left was slowly moving. The pillar followed the lines etched on the floor, inching closer to the center until it came to a halt.
“Melinus, could it be that these stones are linked to the pillars?”
Rrrrriiiip!
Before anyone could answer, a sudden bright light burst forth, illuminating the darkness. Reflexively, the expedition team looked up, and a soft murmur spread among them. Atop the pillar that had moved to the center, a deep green flame burned like a sacred fire. Ian stared at it for a moment, then absentmindedly reached for the second stone.
Kssssssssss!
Kssssssssss!
With each movement of Ian’s hand, the pillars around them began to shift one by one, the soft grinding noise causing the plaza to tremble slightly.
Before long, the green torches shining in the air had multiplied to seven. The pillars gathered in the center fit together perfectly, as if they had once been a single structure, now on the verge of being reborn as a massive circular column. Only one pillar remained.
Just as Ian, adjusting his glasses out of habit, was about to reach for the final stone—
“Wait.”
A gentle voice stopped him.
“Could we… not do this?”
All eyes turned to the speaker. A noble-looking fairy clad in clothes woven from leaves stared anxiously at the pillars.
“Erwin?”
“Eldora, I mean… I’m sorry.”
Erwin hesitated, then suddenly pressed his palm to his forehead, shaking his head. He quickly looked at Natalie.
“Natalie, did you really see no trace of anything earlier?”
“Huh? Uh, yeah.”
“Really? Nothing at all?”
“I said I didn’t see anything! Why are you asking? It’s creepy…”
Natalie shuddered and stepped back. Erwin sank down, clutching his head, then looked toward Akirof.
“Akirof! Didn’t you say it looked like a set table? Why did you feel that way?”
“Well, I didn’t exactly say that. It was just… a joke.”
Suddenly put on the spot, Akirof replied reluctantly.
“But it’s strange… really strange… like someone’s…”
He kept opening and closing his mouth, clearly struggling to find the right words.
As Erwin’s breathing grew heavier in his confusion, Melinus spoke calmly.
“Erwin, you should calm down first.”
“I’m just… ah, ah…!”
“Erwin? Erwin!”
“No, I’m fine. Sorry. It’s just… I have this feeling we shouldn’t do it.”
Erwin forced himself to calm down and spoke in a strained voice, biting his lip. Eldora glanced around with a ‘What do we do?’ look, but everyone else shared a similar expression—awkward, uncertain. Though some showed clear displeasure, even Akirof quietly licked his lips.
In truth, everyone except Erwin felt much the same inside. The expedition was nearly over—who would want to quit and turn back now?
Even if it wasn’t about the results, there had to be a good reason to call it quits. Unless it was something the Radiant Priest Ansol said, it felt too soon to give up just because of a bad feeling.
Still, the team’s hesitation stemmed from Erwin’s usual behavior and his race’s peculiar nature. Though unproven, it was believed that Erwin always had a reason for his actions, and fairies acted according to logic. When something went against reason, they instinctively felt deeply uncomfortable.
Of course, they didn’t blindly trust him, but it was something worth considering.
…If only Eldora hadn’t been so fixated on the sword sheath.
If she hadn’t been, perhaps she would have chosen to retreat outside the tower.
“But since we’ve come this far… why not at least try to activate it?”
“Eldora…!”
“We’ve prepared thoroughly, considering all possibilities. If something strange happens, we can cancel immediately or handle it ourselves.”
“……”
Eldora’s reasoned words won over most of the group. They were confident in their skills, and since discovering Ragnarok, their confidence had soared. Plus, with Ian’s example from the northern continent, it didn’t seem impossible.
Erwin cast a desperate look around, then closed his eyes as if resigned. But Ian didn’t rush to proceed; instead, he glanced at Melinus. Though most of the Round Table knights had quietly voted to continue, Ian felt they needed Melinus’s firm confirmation—he had always led the charge.
“Hmm…”
Melinus stroked his white beard and sighed. Eldora stepped back, as if leaving the choice to him, but a subtle light gleamed in his eyes.
The deliberation didn’t last long. After glancing between Eldora and Erwin, Melinus exhaled deeply and nodded slightly, as if reluctantly accepting what had to be done.
With Melinus’s agreement, Ian wasted no more time.
Kssssssssss!
As the last pillar moved to the center, all eight joined together, forming a massive circular column. A bright green light flared, illuminating the area around the pillar.
Vrrrrrrrrrrr!
At that moment, the pillar shone with dazzling light. A deep, resonant vibration rippled across its surface like waves of tangible energy, causing the entire plaza to tremble as if struck by an earthquake.
Wooooooosh!
Then, the flames atop the pillar shot skyward in an instant. The eight flames merged into one, soaring as if to pierce the ceiling—a truly breathtaking sight.
But what happened next was even more astonishing.
Quid Enim….
Do Recludere….
Revertere, Si Non Est Per Se Paratum….
Unum Tantum Quatuor Reges Ac….
Unintelligible voices overlapped chaotically from all directions, filling the space with a confusing chorus.
Fwoooosh!
From the ceiling, a circular formation slowly descended, glowing so brightly no one could see it clearly. It slid through the center of the pillar like a ring, then the cluster of light flared intensely as something began to rise from within, as if being forced out from the inside.
All of this happened swiftly, before anyone could react.
And then—
Flash!
The vision suddenly flickered golden.
Eldora blinked rapidly, unable to hide her surprise. The light still bathed everything, making it hard to see clearly.
But the chaotic sounds that had distracted her moments before vanished as if by magic. The chanting, the grating noise—all gone. Eldora felt as if she were dreaming, focusing all her strength on her eyes.
After a moment.
As the light that had filled the chamber faded, a faint, unfamiliar sound followed. By then, the expedition team had regained some of their sight. Eldora’s eyes grew as wide as lanterns as she stared at the pillar.
The surface of the pillar was slowly sliding open with a creaking sound. Inside, a structure resembling a coffin was revealed. More precisely, it was a stone chamber just large enough to hold a grown man.
“Oh…”
“Wait! Hold on!”
Ian, utterly mesmerized, was about to approach when Melinus’s voice thundered out, stopping him.
“M-Melinus?”
“Calm down, calm down. This is probably the final stage…”
Melinus turned to Eldora and continued.
“Rather than rushing in now, it’s best to take a moment to assess the situation.”
Did Eldora find some truth in those words? As she nodded slightly, Erwin let out a sigh of relief—just then,
Thud!
Suddenly, the heavy sound of something falling and hitting the ground echoed through the chamber. The expedition team gasped sharply, instinctively raising their weapons and turning toward the pillar. Erwin, who was just about to stand, parted his lips slightly.
“Ah…”
Without a single person touching it, the stone door had somehow fallen downward. From within the pillar, a faint, swirling smoke began to billow out.
“Uh, I—I didn’t do anything…”
Ian stumbled backward, trying to avoid the rushing smoke, but his legs tangled and he collapsed to the floor. Yet the smoke seemed to brush past him, subtly focusing on someone else instead.
But no one really noticed this strange phenomenon. Their attention was drawn instead to a dark, dense shape that was emerging from the smoke.
Like a dance, the shadow undulated closer and closer, swiftly approaching the group. Eldora gripped the Excalibur in both hands so tightly it felt like it might shatter, trying to steady her pounding heart.
Then—
“…?”
A very small, youthful voice suddenly tickled her ears.
Had she misheard? Eldora’s army frowned in confusion.
At that exact moment—
In a split second, a tiny white foot appeared through the thick mist, and
“Thank you.”
Almost simultaneously, someone brushed lightly against Eldora’s shoulder and collapsed.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Episode 7 is now complete. Starting next time, we’ll be returning to Episode 6. (__)
I completed the reserve training without any issues. (Someone asked—I attended the training at the 52nd Division, 211th Regiment, Gangnam Seocho Reserve Forces Training Center.) The training intensity definitely felt higher than last year, but it was still manageable. The reservists followed the instructors and assistants well, so the whole process went smoothly.
Personally, I think I did really well this time. After two nights, I wrapped up the training cleanly, and most importantly, my body rhythm has fully returned to normal. Wake-up call, breakfast, morning training, lunch, afternoon training, dinner, night mental education, lights out. Repeating this routine forced my body to adjust. Haha.
Please don’t spread weird rumors. I always thought readers were just teasing for fun, but I was genuinely surprised to find some who actually believed I was female. To reiterate, I, Royujin, am male.