Chapter 73: The Temple of the Four Great Spirits
As the promised day arrived, I headed to the Theorem Royal Castle with Grace and Ashley. Sheila and Ilmhild stayed behind; it seemed they preferred to avoid public places.
"We've been waiting for you," greeted the castle's servants respectfully as we alighted from the carriage.
Just like the last time we came, we rode on floating stones to enter the interior of the King's Tower. We were led through a door to the side of the waiting room just before the audience chamber.
The spacious corridors were adorned with elegant decorations and furnishings that graced the walls and ceilings. While undoubtedly expensive, they appeared modest in comparison to the corridors leading to the audience chamber, with only a few carefully chosen pieces.
Perhaps King Melvin's personality played a part in this choice. After all, this was not meant to impress visitors but rather was the royal family's living space.
Walking through the corridor that circled the outer edge of the tower, our view suddenly opened up. The outer wall of the tower had been removed, creating a balcony that offered a panoramic view of the night sky and the city below.
Even though it was on an upper level, the balcony was adorned with a variety of colorful flowers, resembling an aerial garden. It seemed like a place for the royal family to appreciate the scenery and nature.
I hadn't expected such a place within the tower.
"What a magnificent view."
"With the moon in that position, is that the eastern district?"
It seemed Grace and Ashley were impressed as well.
"Maintaining this garden must be quite a task."
"The gardeners say it's worth it because no monsters can mix in."
The servant joked lightly, and, well, I couldn't imagine Evilweeds making it up here.
"Please wait in this room."
Passing through the balcony, we entered a room that seemed like a dining area. Knives and forks were neatly arranged on the dining table. We were instructed to take our seats and wait.
While it was spacious, it had a private feel to it, lacking the extravagant display of royal power that one might expect in a formal setting. The furnishings were understated.
King Melvin soon arrived with his attendants. The queen, other princes, and princesses were not with him. He was accompanied by the Knight Commander Mildred and an elderly mage. I didn't know who the mage was, but they must have been a formidable magician, likely on par with Mildred. There was no doubt they were here to discuss the Labyrinth.
King Melvin recognized us and smiled.
"Oh, it's Theodore. Right on time."
"Your Majesty, thank you for inviting us—"
I began, but King Melvin interrupted with a smile.
"Ah, no need for formalities. Save those for official occasions. Feel free to relax here."
His smile had a friendly quality, somewhat reminiscent of Alfred. Perhaps this was King Melvin's true nature. It seemed the father and son shared some characteristics.
"Understood."
I nodded, and King Melvin and his entourage took their seats.
"You've already met Mildred, haven't you? And this is Ricardo, the court mage."
"Nice to meet you."
"Yes, indeed. You're the young man with that flight magic, right? Well, quite the feat."
Court mage Ricardo, huh. Albert mentioned something about replicating flight magic and getting sick, but I decided not to dwell on it.
Soon, the dishes were served. The cuisine was predominantly meat-based and both in appearance and preparation, it was quite intricate. The sauces were diverse and rich in complex flavors. I couldn't fathom the techniques involved just by looking, but Grace, with a serious expression, seemed to be analyzing each bite, perhaps planning to incorporate some of these flavors into her own cooking.
Additionally, there were confectionery treats and candy sculptures crafted by artisans, making the dining table quite lively.
"Well then, you may as well listen while you enjoy your meal. We have some important matters to discuss. Let's start with the troublesome one."
After we had enjoyed the dishes for a while, King Melvin spoke.
"Is this about the sealing of the Labyrinth?"
"Yes. It's the result of deciphering ancient documents stored in the royal castle. It appears that something we took from the Moonlight Temple when we defeated the demons in the past is stored there."
"Taken from the demons, you say?"
"We're not entirely sure what it is, but given their attempts to reclaim it, it's likely not something favorable to them."
That seemed like a reasonable assumption. It was unlikely to lead to anything good in the future, perhaps even a major outbreak of monsters.
"Do you know about the Labyrinth's characteristics? It's the principle that similar things gather in the same place. The Moonlight Temple is no exception."
I understand. It was an artificial creation using the characteristics of the labyrinth.
Gathering prayers from the Moon Temple built on top of the labyrinth and forming a sacred hierarchy in the lower layers of the labyrinth, I presume.
"There must have been a way to utilize the labyrinth in the past,"
For example, Theo could have gone through a similar process in constructing Castle Seorem.
"Yes, indeed. You catch on quickly. Just as there are barriers around the outer walls, the temple, and the castle, there are multiple layers of barriers at the entrance to the Moonlight Temple itself. These barriers are maintained by the Jewel kept in the Four Great Spirit Halls beyond the sealed doors of the labyrinth."
"When you mention the Four Great Spirits, are you referring to Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind?"
"That's correct."
In that case, there are probably three more sealed doors like the one I found within the labyrinth. Even though I found one of the sealed doors, Chester is still exploring the Great Rotten Lake, so it was expected that there would be multiple doors.
But what I don't understand is why someone would actively seek out those sealed doors, given that they are so well-protected. Certainly, in BFO, the demons might find a way to secretly infiltrate the Moonlight Temple, but the humans wouldn't know about it. While the demons are investigating, it seems unnecessary to risk leaking information just to find them.
Melvin King answered that question for me.
"The barriers around the Moonlight Temple, maintained by the Jewel, are said to weaken over time. According to ancient texts, this is not a distant future. Before the seal weakens, we must find a way to enter the Four Great Spirit Halls and retrieve the Jewel to replenish the spirits' power. The problem is—"
Ricard, who had been handed a glass of water by King Melvin, continued the conversation.
"We don't know how to proceed to the sealed doors, do we? The crucial part of the ancient texts has been damaged by insects."
"Hmm."
The sealed doors, huh? Even though the demons couldn't breach those doors, they seemed to feel like they'd accomplished something just by reporting on them. It seemed like the demons were more knowledgeable about the situation.
I should consider this from my perspective. As for those doors in BFO, they weren't anything special, just doors leading to unimplemented areas. What was displayed there was a countdown until those unimplemented areas would be unlocked.
If what was displayed on the doors here was the same as in BFO, it meant that the seal weakened over time. Maintenance was required for the Jewel. Putting it together, what did that relief symbolize?
"The positions of celestial bodies—"
"Huh?"
"No, I'm not very knowledgeable about astronomy, but that relief consisted of several overlapping elliptical lines with varying sizes of circles on top of them, right? Could it mean that the sealed doors leading to the Four Great Spirit Halls open when celestial bodies align exactly?"
If the doors displayed the same information as in BFO, that was.
Throughout history, humans have primarily understood time through the movement of celestial bodies. If the labyrinth was synchronized with the moon's movement, it wouldn't be strange to incorporate the movements of other celestial bodies as well.
"The positions of celestial bodies... That falls under the jurisdiction of the Moon Temple. We should communicate with the Moon Temple and seek their cooperation."
If the Moon Temple was knowledgeable about astronomy, then we had a clear idea of when those doors would open.
"But if that's the case, it's painful that we couldn't prevent the demon's report."
"They might send demons to investigate in accordance with that. If they can pass through the barriers of the outer walls, the sanctuary of the temple, and the inside of the castle, it's unclear if they can enter the sealed doors..."
While it wasn't limited to the labyrinth city, there were barriers along the outer walls of large cities to prevent demon infiltration. They seemed to have a way to bypass them—probably the result of Linette's research.
"Considering what Linette did, we should assume that even if we can't directly intervene in the temple or the castle, we can still make them targets."
"Using powerful monsters as familiars to attack, I see."
Yes, that was it. In Linette's case, it was an undead hydra. The marine creatures she had used for her report were the same, but they didn't serve as countermeasures against familiars for dealing with demons.
"In any case, we've identified the issues and what needs to be done. Theo, the matter I wanted to discuss with you..."
King Melvin closed his eyes. He seemed to hesitate for a while, but eventually, he looked at me with a serious expression and spoke.
"...As an official request from the royal family, would you be willing to cooperate in the upcoming battle against the demons?"
At that point, King Melvin paused his words and furrowed his brow.
"I understand that such a request is shameless. Even though you excel in magic, to send a young child like you into battle is the result of my ignorance and incompetence. But if demons like Zeveon are emerging..."
"...Demons are our enemies. Even without a request, I will fight them."
"I apologize."
"No need to apologize."
My stance remained unchanged. If demons were coming to Termwilz, I would only eliminate them. But would this lead to a situation resembling a battle over the Four Great Spirit Halls' Jewels between us and the demons?