Chapter 11
AMONG THE RUINS lay a scattering of dingy white crystals—remnants of the sunlight crystals that had freed this metropolis from the dark of night.
Long ago, the Celestial Ruins had been called the City of the Sun. It was full of sunlight throughout day and night, shining eternally upon its residents. The symbol of the city, sunlight crystals, banished dark and evil alike, and marked the city as a holy land. These crystals amplified and stored sunlight during the day, releasing it in darkness. But now, the place retained none of its past glory. The crystals that had once been used as street lamps had lost all their light.
The history of this place had been pieced together by scholars who had read the countless documents left behind by this fallen city.
***
“It’s close to the forest, too. Shall we use it as a camp?”
The large white structure seemed to fit the bill.
It boasted a steeple taller than all the other buildings, with fallen statues of four-legged creatures and orbs lying about. From the outside, it had no apparent structural damage. Gilbert was right; it seemed up to the task.
The three stepped inside to find a large nave with marble pews. Beyond them were the idols of this temple, lined up as if in prayer. They were large statues made of crystal. Even surrounded by weathered gray furniture and discolored walls, the statues shone with their original colors.
Hmm. Is this the Crystal Shrine?
Stopping in front of a statue holding a large crystal ball, Mira checked her map. Indeed, she realized, this was the Crystal Shrine she had been searching for. Perhaps it was natural that a place of worship would be sturdily constructed. There were other temples in the Celestial Ruins, but this was the only one with crystal statues.
Mira considered doing her work now, but if they planned to use her target as a base, then she was in no rush. She could gather what she needed and be in another city within a day any time she chose. Considering that her butt was still sore from six hours of climbing steps on the shoulder of a Dark Knight, she had no inclination to sit on Pegasus’s back for the rest of the day.
Besides, she was more interested in what was happening in the forest.
***
Gilbert finished searching random spots around the temple.
“Now, we’ve found our base camp. Let’s confirm the scene of the crime!” Even if the true investigation would start tomorrow, he couldn’t contain his excitement from being the first to witness this phenomenon here. Heinrich had already finished preparing and was currently standing by.
“Leaving already?” As for Mira, she sat on a nearby pew with sweet berry au lait in hand, taking a breather to recover from her fatigue.
“Just a quick look around, so we’ll be back around sunset. I’d like to avoid going into the woods at night.”
“Hmm, they’re rather far. Shall we ride Garuda again? It would be faster.”
A shadow passed over Gilbert and Heinrich’s faces.
“Uhhh… No,” Gilbert stammered. “This place has a different ecosystem, so I think I’d prefer to go on foot to check it out.” He was not lying; the Celestial Ruins were cut off from the outside world by a mountain range, leading to a unique evolutionary environment within. There were many materials that could only be gathered here.
“A shame,” Mira reluctantly assented. She finished her sweet berry au lait and stood from the pew.
Gilbert and Heinrich both heaved a sigh of relief.
***
Thirty minutes after leaving the Crystal Shrine, they had reached the edge of the ghost town and were approaching the forest. The serene breeze blowing through the forest caressed their faces with cool air, making leaves rustle like gossipy neighbors whispering to each other.
“There shouldn’t be any dangerous monsters here; even the carnivores are small. But keep an eye out anyway, because occasionally dragons will appear,” Gilbert explained as he led the way into the wood.
Sunlight filtering through the canopy reflected off leaves that sparkled like fish scales. Animals occasionally piped up, though they never showed themselves. There were no signs of human activity as Mira and her companions pushed through the trailless forest.
Unaffected by the solemnity of the forest, Gilbert gleefully skipped around, as if his personality had completely transformed.
“Is this salt-crystal grass? I’ve heard of it, but it’s incredible to see it. Ooh, look at this! It’s a spirott tree, and its fruit is nice and ripe. Incredible. You know, these fruits are almost never at markets. Let’s pick some to take home with us.”
Gilbert clearly hadn’t lied when he refused Garuda’s ride for the joy of walking.
“When he said we would be back by sundown, he did take this detour into consideration, yes?” Mira asked.
“I’m afraid not,” Heinrich sighed. “When he gets like this, things never go quite to plan.”
Feeling as though they’d been left behind, the two watched as Gilbert climbed trees like a monkey.
A bit over an hour into their excursion, they saw an opening in the forest canopy.
“I see it. It’s right there!” Gilbert sprinted toward the site, and Mira and Heinrich jogged to catch up.
***
In the very center of the forest, the natural brush abruptly came to an end, replaced with a clearly unnatural crater.
“Oho, so this is the Earth Eater’s work! It’s worse than I expected.”
There was a huge, incongruous hole. It truly did look as if someone had scooped it out with a giant spoon. The strata of the earth were laid bare, and mud seemed to be settling at the bottom. The crater stretched about five hundred meters across, the other side already disappearing in the evening fog.
There were no signs that anyone else had contaminated or otherwise disturbed the pristine site. Gilbert was right; it must have been a very recent incident.
“I’m so glad we came! A fresh-made hole is truly a sight to see. We won’t start investigating until tomorrow, but I’ll take some samples back to our camp. Wait there!” Gilbert jumped into the crater before anyone could so much as respond.
“Saaay…” Mira began. “When he mentioned returning by sundown…he did take this sample-collecting into consideration, right?”
“Of course not.”
The two watched Gilbert running around, vials in hand, and let out a combined sigh.
They both sat down to wait. Mira tried to make small talk with the nervous samurai. They each offered a little about themselves. Mira jabbered on at length about her made-up backstory as the pupil of a Wise Man, while Heinrich expounded proudly on his war stories.
Mira recalled the technique that Heinrich had used in the Stairway to the Sky. She’d recognized those grand sword motions that mowed down enemies in one stroke.
“By the way, you use a katana, no?” she noted. “Where did you learn that?”
“Indeed, I do. I trained at a dojo in the Kingdom of Yamato.”
“A dojo in Yamato, hmm? Do you happen to know a man named Yamabuki?”
“Of course I know him! You must be referring to Yamabuki, master of the Mountain-Breaking Snow Style. He was my master. If even a mage such as yourself knows him, then he must be famous indeed.”
Ha! I can’t believe I’ve met a pupil of his here. Fate works in mysterious ways. Mira smiled as she recalled her old friend.
Yamabuki was a self-styled traveling warrior who basically did challenge runs: fighting through dungeons with no equipment and only one katana. Mira had met him in a dungeon, where he’d challenged himself to fight one of Mira’s Dark Knights one-on-one. They’d been friends ever since. The two had even competed to see how many bosses they could beat.
“I wonder how he’s doing now,” Mira murmured, looking off into the distance.
Heinrich, watching her, thought her eyes contained a deep nostalgia. He sat quietly, unable to look away from her thoughtful profile.
Gilbert chose that moment to return from gathering his samples with all the joy of a child cradling a new toy. “Sorry for making you guys wait. Let’s get back to camp before the sun sets.”
Heinrich panicked, tearing his eyes away from Mira. He jumped to his feet and stretched lightly.
“I suppose scholars and researchers are quite alike, regardless of their field,” Mira mused.
“Really, I’m sorry. I tried to contain myself, but this was the best I could do.” Though Gilbert apologized profusely, he showed no signs of actual remorse.
“It’s fine. Nobody forced me to tag along. Besides, I don’t mind the two of you,” Mira said with a smile.
“So you say, Miss Mira, but he should be more attentive to his surroundings. I’m not sure we can make it back before sunset,” Heinrich said, looking to the sky.
The others glanced up to see the blue sky dyed with vermilion, and clouds illuminated by the evening sun. The reddened dome of the sky appeared to Mira like the crater-scarred surface of Mars.
“At this rate, the sun will certainly set before we get back,” Mira mused. It was almost time already. She glanced at the silent Gilbert from the corner of her eye and concocted a plan. “Let us call Garuda—”
“If we hurry, it’ll be no problem,” Heinrich interrupted. “We wouldn’t want to trouble you, Miss Mira.”
“That’s right,” Gilbert insisted. “I remember the way back, so it won’t take too long if we go straight there.”
They wouldn’t die if they were late. Another trip via Garuda’s talons, however…
“It’s really no trouble at all…” Mira grumbled, reluctantly trudging behind them.
The party marched back through the forest with Gilbert at the fore. He used his botany skills well, recognizing the way back via what looked like totally indistinguishable flora. There were no detours like last time, though occasionally he would snap up some grass along the path and stuff it in his bag, or throw a pebble into the trees to knock fruit down for him to catch.
“Dinner tonight is gonna be heavenly.” Gilbert continued harvesting without breaking stride.
With that news, Mira forgave his transgressions saying, “I am certainly look forward to it.”
They did not make it back before sunset.
The men hung lanterns at their hips, and Mira raised a ball of light into the air as the trio continued to make their way through the night. Yet Gilbert never hesitated in his steps, and they finally escaped the dark, silent wood.
The buildings of the Celestial Ruins appeared different in the black of night. The shadowy, sunken ruins looked tired. Moonlight only barely outlined their silhouettes. When the party looked up, however, the sky was full of stars like scattered beads.
“The sky seems so different from up here,” Mira said.
They glittered like faraway city lights, as if the prosperous city of the past had ascended to the heavens and now reflected its glory days down from above.
When they arrived at their camp in the Crystal Shrine, they found dim light trickling from the entrance. It was fleeting, yet warm, and just bright enough to guide them in the dark.
The source of the light was the large statue within, the temple’s idol. It was made of sunlight crystal, the last vestige of a civilization once abundant with light.
“First things first—let’s eat. I’ll get dinner ready right away, so hang tight,” Gilbert said upon their arrival. He lined up the many plants he’d harvested, along with the leftover meat from the day before, and readied his cooking gear.
Heinrich busied himself with maintaining his weapon.
Left with nothing much to do, Mira lounged on a nearby pew with chin in hand. Just as she heaved a sigh and closed her eyes to relax, she heard a sound like rain.
The sky had been clear and starry just a few minutes ago. Mira stood and looked outside. Dry air rustled her hair. She looked at the men. Gilbert was in the middle of chopping wild herbs, and Heinrich was polishing his katana with a cloth. Neither was the source of the noise.
“Do you two hear water?” she asked.
Gilbert stopped and listened in. “It must be a fountain. I saw one over that way when I was looking around.” He pointed with his knife to a hallway leading to another floor.
“Oho, a fountain?”
Gilbert’s words brought something to the surface of Mira’s mind. She had been here once during an event that required her to fetch water purified by the Crystal Shrine’s light. She’d nearly forgotten about it, but now that Gilbert had mentioned it, she remembered well. Mira looked down at her body.
Her black coat had been dyed gray from dirt and dust, while her feet were covered in mud. It was only natural that she’d be dirty after two days in the Stairway to the Sky, let alone the trek through the forest.
Come to think of it, I haven’t had a bath either.
She wasn’t exactly a clean freak, but she couldn’t truly relax in this state.
“Hrmm, I’ll be back,” Mira said, and turned in the direction Gilbert pointed.
“Eh? Where are you going this late at night?” Heinrich, too focused on his sword to have heard the whole conversation, responded only to Mira’s last few words.
“I’m told there’s an active fountain over that way.”
“A fountain? I wonder if it’s drinkable?”
“Yeah, it’s potable. I’ve already checked the quality,” Gilbert answered Heinrich.
“Then it ought to be usable in cooking. Shall I fetch some now?” Heinrich offered.
“Ooh. Yes, please.” Gilbert tossed him an empty pot.
It flew not at an arc, but directly at him; Heinrich easily caught it by the handle. Mira was impressed by the stunt. It was clear proof of the depth of their relationship.
The light of the statue reached only a short way outside the nave of the shrine. Mira used her Ethereal Arts to create another ball of light that illuminated her way down the serpentine passage in the direction of the water.
At the end of the hallway, she passed through the remains of a doorway and saw the fountain. It was circular, about five meters across. At the center was a pyramid-shaped sculpture etched with complex symbols and inset with a red jewel. Whatever enchantment was on it seemed to allow water to flow forth from the top eternally. After spilling out, the water ran down grooves in the structure and trickled from small holes, making bubbling noises all the while.
The fountain shone as if made of light itself. Ripples occasionally spread across it like the flickering of a projector.
“Quite the strange place this is,” Mira mused.
“Indeed,” Heinrich agreed. The two watched the play of light and water within the chamber. It was like looking up at the sun from the sea floor. “Ah, well. I’d best get what I came for.”
Heinrich got to work collecting the water flowing from the fountain. He filled the pot two-thirds full and turned around.
“That ought to do it.” Heinrich dropped the pot and gasped, unable to squeak out any words for a moment. “Wh-wh-wha?! Why are you stripping?!”
Heinrich picked up the pot and held it over his face.
“What do you mean why? I came to bathe. How can I bathe without stripping?” Mira answered, having removed her coat and shoes. She was just getting to her dress.
“Could you not warn me beforehand?!” Heinrich howled, imagining what he might’ve seen a few seconds later. Blushing madly, he fled from the room.
“Hrmm. Perhaps I should have waited,” Mira grumbled and finished removing her outfit. With an innocent—yet strangely bewitching—smile, she watched him leave.
Naked, Mira stepped into the just-warm-enough bath and used the toiletries she had “borrowed” from the ryokan inn to clean herself. She also submerged her technomancy robes in the fountain and gave them a good scrub.
***
After indulging in a much-needed bath, Mira donned her underwear and dress and returned with her coat in hand. She’d dried her clothes and hair using Ethereal Arts. They were still warm to the touch.
Gilbert had been cooking monster meat and wild herbs. Their scents combined to create a mouthwatering aroma that made Mira’s stomach rumble.
“Now this is a lovely smell.” She sniffed and hummed in delight.
“There are lots of aromatic wild plants, but you can take them to the next level with the right cooking methods and combinations. When you cook pecot leaf with meat, for example, the fragrance really intensifies. It helps with digestion, too,” Gilbert rattled off.
In Mira’s case, she could only bake, boil, and fry—the most basic cooking methods that a normal man would know. To her, Gilbert’s knowledge was truly worthy of respect.
As for Heinrich, he stole a glance at Mira and jolted up as if he’d just remembered something. “I’ll go get that water now!” He blurted as he ran past Mira back to the fountain.
Hrmm. That may have been too much for him.
Mira reached into her Item Box as if nothing had happened. She threw her sleeping bag on the floor and lay atop it without getting inside.
She figured it was springy enough to be used as a mattress. And indeed, it was just as comfortable as lying in her own bed.
What a fantastic gift this was. Cedric, was it? I’ll have to thank him if I ever see him again, Mira thought to herself, switching totally into leisure mode. She lay down, cracked open a manga volume she’d picked up at Silverside Station, and enjoyed some lazy relaxation until dinner.
When Heinrich returned, he was once again startled by the state of Mira’s skirt. Gilbert chuckled at him.
“Dinner’s ready!” Gilbert called out to them a short time later, having used the fountain water Heinrich finally managed to fetch to complete his soup.
“Quite the feast we have here.” Heinrich finished cleaning his katanas and stood up.
“It’s a fantastic sight.” Mira put her open book down.
The two went to the table where Gilbert set out dinner, and the three spent the night chatting around the table like a family.
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