Paimon looked at the three stone tablets embedded in the wall, feeling a bit confused.
"Huh? Are these stone tablets related to The Prophecy? Can we take them down and have a look?"
Hearing this, Lumine looked at the stone tablets, which were twice her width combined, then at Paimon floating beside her, and tilted her head slightly.
"No? You're so small, yet you want to move these stone tablets down to see?"
Although Lumine really wanted to say that, she thought better of it… it was better to save Paimon some face, so she said instead:
"It's better not to touch them yet. We don't know if these things are safe or what their origin is."
Hearing this, Paimon nodded her small head slightly, then turned her gaze to a corner—a place covered in green moss.
"Hmm… there are four spots on this wall, but only three stone tablets. The one that should be in the first spot is gone."
With that, Paimon tilted her head and speculated aloud:
"The surrounding wall is damaged and covered in moss… Does this mean the first stone tablet was deliberately removed, and… a long time ago?"
Hearing Paimon's deduction, Lumine's eyes widened suddenly, and she began to scrutinize Paimon beside her up and down.
For her, the possibility of Paimon saying such a thing existed, but the probability… was pitifully low.
This made Lumine wonder if Paimon had been possessed by something dirty similar to "phobos," just like Boethius.
Seemingly noticing Lumine's shocked gaze, Paimon tilted her head in confusion and asked:
"Hmm? W-Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong again?"
Lumine shook her head, and after a short silence, she spoke:
"No… I just think Paimon is a bit too smart today…"
"Of course—wait?! Hey (#`O′)! What do you mean 'too smart'?! I've always been this smart, okay?!"
Paimon stomped her foot in exasperation, seemingly very displeased with Lumine's remark.
Meanwhile, Neuvillette watched Lumine and Paimon bickering, and for a moment, he was reminded of another pair of figures.
Yuto and Furina.
In his impression, Yuto and Furina's way of getting along was actually very similar to the two in front of him, but… there seemed to be an inexplicable sense of distance.
However, he didn't understand where this feeling came from, so… he didn't dwell on it too much, simply assuming they had a good relationship.
(The Otter doesn't know.jpg)
Thinking of this, Neuvillette gently shook his head, then turned his gaze to the spot where the first stone tablet should have been placed.
In his opinion, if he could find some clues from this missing tablet… perhaps he could follow the trail and find the corresponding leads.
His gaze moved away from the slippery moss and the unsettlingly green ivy, resting on the damaged wall.
However, the moment his eyes met the spot where the stone tablet should have been, he saw a line of small characters.
In his memory… there were no characters here originally.
Perhaps it was because this string of characters was too small to see without getting close, or perhaps there was some special detection mechanism here.
After confirming that the line of small characters did not disappear when he shifted his gaze, Neuvillette raised an eyebrow slightly, then turned to Lumine and Paimon beside him and said:
"Ladies, there's a line of text written on this wall."
Hearing this, the two instantly switched from their usual bickering state to work mode.
Paimon flew towards the location of the stone tablet, then stroked her chin and said thoughtfully:
"Uh… 'This is a nation that ought to be annihilated; I shall record its future history in the past'… Hmm, a bit hard to understand."
"Also, there seems to be more text below, but… I can't see it clearly?"
Paimon tilted her head, seemingly finding such a half-finished riddle difficult to comprehend.
"This should be talking about The Prophecy, right?"
Lumine looked at Neuvillette with an inquiring gaze, awaiting his answer.
Neuvillette nodded reassuringly.
"Understanding it this way isn't a problem, because… just the scene on that last stone tablet is enough to explain the issue."
Neuvillette's words drew everyone's attention to the last stone tablet.
"Everyone will dissolve into the sea, leaving only the Water God weeping on her throne."
He said softly.
"It… matches The Prophecy."
Lumine said this while looking at the second stone tablet, and after a moment, she asked in confusion:
"Is this… a scene similar to a sacrifice?"
Neuvillette gently shook his head, denying it:
"No, this is 'seeking forgiveness,' absolutely not a 'sacrifice.' "
"The figure kneeling at the very front… I have seen her image in some ancient records in Palais Mermonia."
"What, what? Who is it?"
Paimon asked curiously.
"The Former Hydro Archon—Egeria."
As if Neuvillette's words had triggered a switch, the second stone tablet in front of them suddenly flashed with a glimmer of water.
"Whoa?!"
Perhaps because of the sudden appearance of the Rifthound earlier, Paimon immediately hid behind Lumine, then poked her small head out to observe the surroundings for any movement.
Neuvillette, however, frowned slightly, then slowly walked forward and extended his hand to touch the water glimmer.
"Neuvillette?! Be careful!"
Paimon exclaimed, watching Neuvillette slowly advance.
Neuvillette gently shook his head, signaling Paimon not to worry, then continued walking towards the stone tablet that emitted a faint water glimmer.
As a reliable adult male like Yuto, Neuvillette naturally wouldn't just rush forward so carelessly.
—The reason he did so… was because he sensed a power of the same origin on this stone tablet.
He gently closed his eyes, then extended his hand, pouring out his elemental power, which then connected with that glimmer of water.
It was as if he wanted to read some information from this glimmer of water that was resonating with his own power.
However, this state of resonance did not last long; Neuvillette lowered his hand, and the glimmer of water on the stone tablet disappeared.
"Ah…"
Neuvillette sighed softly, a trace of regret flashing through his gray vertical pupils, then he turned to the two behind him and said:
"These stone tablets should contain more information, but perhaps because the first one is missing, I cannot easily interpret their meaning… I apologize."
Lumine nodded in understanding, then slowly walked towards the empty spot where the first stone tablet should have been placed.
Her original intention was to find some clues here to make the subsequent search easier, but…
She really did have an unexpected gain.
The characters Paimon had said were unclear earlier… were now clear.
"The God of the doomed nation answered the Immortal Spirit and her own wish, relinquishing her authority."
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