The Witch and the Doll Swear

It was already late at night when we returned to Lietopolesta, the sandstorm had left the city, and the green trees on the other side of Niroklei were covered with a veil of sand spinning.

Parked the "Light Seeker" at the original position, and the girls fell asleep after washing. Liliana was not in a hurry to report what they had learned, not to mention that even though she left while taking advantage of the sandstorm, the sandstorm was still there when she came back. It stopped long ago.

The next day, after the sun rose into the sky, as expected, a guard was sent to invite Liliana to attend an important meeting...

"……I see."

After Liliana replied, she changed the white Churnick and put on another one.

It is also made of linen, which is the most common fabric in Sinai, but this one is jet black, decorated with crystals, gold and emeralds. Liliana has simple makeup, and her black eyes are covered with bright red. Eye shadow and bright lipstick glide across tiny lips, making her look more like she's going to a party than a meeting.

"...Let's go."

When the dressed-up witch brought Tingna and Ai to the meeting hall, whether it was the scholars of the royal family or the priests of the temple, all eyes were attracted by her.

But the meanings in the eyes looking at Liliana are different. Tingna can see that the priests are full of fear and rejoicing. They obviously know that Liliana is a woman with a treasure from the absent Temple of Isis. witch.

And the scholars of the Royal Academy—that is, the group that was sent here from Alexandria after the stele was dug up—were stunned and dumbfounded. Black is the color of a witch. The wide collar that Churnick wears has the pattern of the talisman of life, and there are owl feather ornaments carved out of crystal. Except for people who don't know anything, the only guy who can wear this kind of clothes is obviously a witch.

"They thought that the people from the Temple of Isis were absent, but Lily attended as a witch again, which made them a little panicked. On the side of the temple, they probably thought that they would stand by their side because Lily chose to reveal her identity..."

Alice whispered in Tina's arms, but it was a whisper, the voice of Miss Doll was obviously heard by some people, and the expression of the priest of Anubis who was bowing to this side could be seen. stiff, the scholars of the Royal Academy seem to be relieved——

Only Alice chuckled, and let Tina and Ai stand on both sides behind Liliana who was seated.

Tina glanced around briefly. Apohefa and Heffcanaan were both there, but they were sitting at a small table next to the tent. On both sides of the long conference table were priests and scholars from the Royal Academy. Only Lily Yana sat in the first place, staring at the documents in front of her with an indifferent expression.

It was a manuscript, which contained some records about Letopolesta. I don't know which temple it was dug out from. The witch looked at the words "The Great Sacrifice" written on it. "in silence.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start. In the holy name of Amon Ra, we must now come to a conclusion regarding the disposal of Letopolesta."

Soon the chairs around the meeting table were full, and the priest in leopard skin and a crown of gold and gemstones symbolizing status stood up on his bare head.

"His Majesty the Pharaoh has drawn a conclusion that Letopolesta will be once again bathed in the majesty of Ra, and it will become another dazzling gem on the banks of the Nerocle River, and it will be restored in a prosperous and prosperous manner. Standing on the land of Sinai."

The scholar headed by the Royal Academy responded impatiently to his words. He knocked on the long table and pushed the manuscript in front of him away.

"But what if Letopolesta sees the light of day and will cause terrible disasters? After the stele was unearthed, our temples spent a lot of manpower and material resources, and finally found the records from the ancient house of life."

"But what does the record say? 'The disappearance of Letopolesta was a great sacrifice'? It says nothing at all, and there is no mention of disaster or calamity anywhere, or are you so confused ?”

The scholar's words made all the priests, including Tingna, frown.

Compared with these scholars of the Royal Academy, the priests of the temple are generally older, and I don't know what gave him the courage to ridicule without hesitation.

Pharaoh's oracle?

Or the guards he brought over?

"If you didn't learn this in that academy where you couldn't learn anything but how to lick a pharaoh's ass, we can give you a lesson in this text originally from the last era, written in the holy script of monks, It was a text that only the highest-level high priests could master at that time, and if it was an ordinary situation, people of this level would never use the word 'great'."

"Ah, in fact, most of the known documents in the monk's body scriptures are eulogizing the pharaohs of the past dynasties. The consensus among scholars in the Royal Academy is that these documents have limited reference value. The kings of a dynasty are buried in the yellow sand Of course, this is not an ordinary situation, although I still don't know what caused all this..."

Another young scholar shrugged and shook the manuscript.

"But I think nine times out of ten it's just a natural disaster being glorified."

"……Ah."

Hef Canaan on the side laughed angrily.

"...Is this the Wang Guodong Liang taught by the Royal Academy?"

Even Ai muttered in annoyance. From these young so-called "scholars", she couldn't even see the slightest academic quality.

They didn't even look at the handwritten document for a few seconds and didn't have the slightest intention to study and discuss it. This made Ai feel that although the priests of the temple wanted to persuade them, they had no intention of listening at all.

"Then, let me tell you why the excavation of Leto Poresta continues."

Facing the frowning Priest Amon, who already had faint anger in his eyes, the scholar stood up after casually tossing the paper in his hand, bowed his waist slightly, and his contemptuous tone suddenly became serious.

"The excavation of Letopolesta was approved by His Majesty the Great Pharaoh. The Kingdom has already dropped many drachmas. You are here every minute and every second, every grain of salt you eat and every root you ignite More than half of the cost of the torches is borne by the kingdom, which is a very expensive price, and stopping the excavation of Letopolesta is to let these drachmas be washed away by the river of Nirokle!"

"But the problem of money is still a small problem. If you sell the excavated cultural relics at a good price, although it is not enough, it can still make up for these losses. But what about these immigrants?"

Compassionate tone.

Boom, boom, boom!

The scholar slapped the table vigorously and looked at the priests with sullen expressions as if accusing.

"There are already more than a thousand people living in this Letopolesta. There are markets, residential areas, fields and fishing grounds. While we are arguing, blacksmiths and bakers are still doing business. Their The children are studying in the house of life, looking forward to a bright future... But once the excavation of Leto Poresta is stopped-according to your words, not only stop but also give up, let the desert take the city back — Seriously, do you think this is okay?"

Ting Na felt from the bottom of her heart that this scholar might be from the Department of Acting.

He complained eloquently, and the powerful voice and breath from his abdominal cavity completely suppressed the other voices. When the emotion in that voice reached its climax, the scholar opened the door of the tent, pointed outside, Pointing to the streets of Letopolesta, he asked forcefully.

"The promise made by the kingdom when it summoned the immigrants could not be fulfilled. Who will bear the loss of the reputation of the royal family and His Majesty the Pharaoh?"

"They left their homes and came here wanting a new and better life. Some even sold all their belongings. How do they resettle these people?"

"Those children who are studying hard, they may have only one chance to change their lives in this way, and you will not feel guilty at all?!"

"There are only 1,000 people here. Once the excavation of Letopolesta leads to an unexpected disaster, the 1,000 people will not be the only ones affected!"

The voice of the priest of the Anubis Temple also became angry. He looked at the young man who was making trouble out of no reason like a clown, and the cold majesty of death permeated from his eyes.

"So you're saying that the lives of a thousand immigrants don't matter?"

The scholar just snorted coldly, he put down the curtain of the tent, returned to the long table, and shook his hands——on his wrist, a string of crystal bracelets was shining.

"I will report the truth to His Majesty Pharaoh, respected priest, priest, master, man."

Such behavior obviously made the expression on the priest's side even more ugly. Amon's priest glanced at the scholar for a long time and shook his head.

"...It's really not as good as the next generation."

Then, he set his gaze on the face of Liliana who had been silent and thinking silently.

"In addition, we have also found more important evidence that the cover-up of Leto Poresta is not a natural phenomenon. These documents are more to help us confirm the nature of the cover-up."

"... What is the evidence?"

"plz follow me."

The sudden change of topic stunned the young scholars, and the fact that Liliana got up and followed the priests left them even more confused, but the priests ignored them.

Unlike these guys who have just arrived and can't figure out the situation, they know who is the most powerful and authoritative person in Letopolesta now-although Liliana hardly shows it.

Liliana was followed by Tina and Ai. The little doll had already floated into Ai's arms, and they followed the priests to the innermost part of the temple. Behind the huge black statue of Set that rose to the ceiling, the priests had workers remove several rocks.

A door made of the same material as the statue appeared in front of everyone.

"Almost a week ago, when we continued to excavate the temple, this door was discovered, and the things behind the door made us feel uneasy, so we mobilized a lot of manpower and material resources to search for the same in the huge collection of the temple. Documents relating to Letopolesta..."

The door is located behind the statue, which is not common. The priests of the Temple of Amon looked at Liliana after asking the workers to open the heavy stone door.

"...what's down there?"

"Perhaps you can understand it more directly by looking at it."

"..."

The witch nodded and walked down the steps under the stone door.

Ting Na and Ai also followed.

On both sides of the stairs made of rough rocks are stone slabs as old as this temple, with no paintings or patterns on them. The stairs extend downwards, and you can see the red fire at the bottom of the stairs.

It was probably lit by the priests who had explored here, no matter how you put it, it is impossible to have a candle that lasts for a thousand years, and in comparison, this is more like a charcoal fire than the candles Tina saw in the pyramid.

"Woo!!"

After stepping into the room at the bottom of the stairs, Ai covered her mouth, and the girl subconsciously grabbed Tingna's skirt, and hid behind the girl after a low mournful cry.

But Tina was not much better, her heart was beating violently in her chest, each time the blood flow was drawn out of her eyes, squeezed away from her brain, and poured into her legs, allowing her heartbeat to straighten her spine, the only way Only then can she cover the scene in front of her with darkness, without thinking, and without falling down.

She almost forgot to breathe, but after the dizziness passed, the naked horror and naked death still smiled coldly at her under the dim charcoal fire.

Death is an empty eye socket.

Teeth and jaws laugh.

Horror is the gaze of hundreds, the gazes of those rotting heads!

In the hidden underground of this ancient stone building, their palms held each other, their backs leaned against the wall, and their backs leaned against the central square altar.

Dozens of people, or hundreds of people?

A set of cold skeletons sat cross-legged on the dusty stone slab. The animal skins and linen cloths on their bodies have decayed with time, and the gold and glass jewelry are dull, but it can still be seen from their attire that they are the priests of the temple, perhaps they were the masters of this temple.

Some small glass bottles can still be seen on the ground, perhaps this is the reason for their death.

"This is, what, why, so many people..."

Tina has seen death before, in the same daily life as in the past, unaware teenagers, silent girls, splattered blood. But she has never seen such a death, so many people, such a... speechless.

"...It's a sacrifice."

"It may also be a sacrificial burial. After all, for the priests of the temple, it is unimaginable to bury the temple and statues in the yellow sand and escape by themselves."

"...I don't even have the chance to be mummified. Even so, I still stay here. What kind of ceremony is being carried out... It would be more appropriate to think about it this way, because there is a star vein not far below."

The room illuminated by the charcoal fire was not deep, and the footsteps of the scholars who followed the priests were still knocking on the top of their heads. The voices of the witch and the puppets echoed here, echoing in the empty skull.

Such a scene could indeed explain the panic of those priests, perhaps it was the first time in their lives that they saw so many priests buried with the temple.

It was precisely because of this that they panicked and paid more attention to the words on the slate, and then found the witch, hoping that she would find out the truth about the ancient city being covered up.

The death unfolding in front of their eyes did not touch the slightest ripple on their faces. The witch snapped her fingers, letting the ball of light illuminate the dark corner, and some small bugs with carapaces crawled away quickly under the light, from the sand and from the bones.

"... Where's the scarab..."

"To be precise, it is the Osiris scarab. These insects can live for a long time, their vitality is extremely tenacious, and they feed on flesh and blood... No wonder there are only skeletons left."

After calmly speaking, the witch and the puppet looked at the altar on which the skeleton rested in the center of the room.

A statue of the God of the Desert was enshrined on it. I don't know if it was plated with gold or made of pure gold. After looking at it for a while, the witch asked at the top of the stairs.

She remembered that the nearby Temple of Seth also participated in the excavation of Letopolesta, and the priest of Seth did not appear in today's meeting.

"...The priest of Seth, has he prayed here?"

"he died."

"……What?"

"Today he told us that after the breath of God in the sandstorm, he went back to rest because he was not feeling well. When we called a meeting to find him, he had already died in his tent."

"What was the cause of death?"

"Heart attack, at least, that's what it looks like."

"..."

The priests just responded from above, maybe so many corpses of their colleagues made them feel unbearable, no one came down—oh, no, no.

Those scholars walked down.

"Oh, great Horus, what's going on down here?!"

Perhaps because of the three ladies, these young men did not lose their composure, but their expressions still became very ugly.

The people of Sinai firmly believe that after death, people have to go through pious and complicated treatments to make mummies, so that they can go to the beautiful reed field in peace, especially for priests and priests, unless it is some accident, it is absolutely impossible to be buried like this Beneath the yellow sand and rocks, only a decayed skeleton remains.

Tingna noticed that their expressions became serious. It seemed that at least they knew that such a situation was definitely not normal. Liliana glanced at them, and after looking at the statue of Set in the center, she walked up the stairs.

"That's why we think the warning on the stele may be very real. Even if you didn't go out to investigate yesterday, we will entrust you to do something in the next few days, such as going to the pyramid whose name has been lost, To look for clues that may exist..."

Seeing the expressionless Liliana and the ashen-faced Tingna and Ai, the priests in front of the statue, there was still fear and uneasiness in his eyes.

Liliana didn't answer, but looked at Apohefa at the side.

"...I have a question about the tomb guards. They claimed that they were not deported but massacred. Do you have any impressions about this matter?"

"……massacre?"

Abohefa's eyes widened in astonishment. He shook his head without hesitation, but after a moment, he looked at the witch hesitantly.

"In the name of all the gods in the land of Sinai, I swear that I have never given such a cruel order, and it is impossible for my soldiers to do such a thing...and my troops were not transferred here until after the New Year to replace the defense. , last year, when the excavations first started, it was probably the Pharaoh’s royal guards who took over.”

"...I understand."

The witch then turned her attention back to the priest.

"...I also understand your proposition."

Liliana looked at the priest indifferently and shrugged indifferently.

"...I have only received some specious information from the pyramids and the tombkeepers, but even if a disaster does come, what does it have to do with me?" This made the expressions of the priests change.

They didn't seem to expect that the witch would say this. It seemed that even if Alice had "reminded" them before, these priests still subconsciously believed that the witch would stand on their side after presenting evidence that showed the importance of the issue.

But Liliana herself broke their illusion.

"...The problem now is not whether there will be a disaster, but the struggle for power between you and them. You hope to use my power to stop the excavation of the city, but you don't want to pay for it, but you hope to use 'correctness' to Let me help for free..."

"The reward will never be small, as long as the Witch can help us..."

"...It's a pity that I have no interest in the drachma. What I need is the truth of history. The excavation of Leto Bolesta may make me miss the truth, so if you want my help."

Liliana spoke without any emotion.

"As a reward, I will give you the right to search through the ancient document libraries of each temple at will."

"...Your Majesty the Witch, don't you think this price is too high even for you?"

"...If you feel this way, it's your business."

After taking a look at the scholars who came up with gloomy faces and gathered in a circle to discuss in another corner of the hall, Liliana's words made the priests' faces become even darker than theirs.

Priests have been the masters of this land since ancient times. No one knows how many secrets are hidden in the temple's archives, whether they are good or bad - the good or bad here refers to whether it will harm the interests of the temple. .

For this reason, major temples have extremely strict control over document libraries, so 3 Liliana's offer made them all frown.

Some priests shook their heads immediately, and then they looked at the scholars, hoping that they would change their minds after seeing this underground tomb that obviously had a special meaning...

But their hopes were doomed.

After whispering for a long time, the young scholars concluded that there is no evidence to prove that the priests gathered in this basement to be martyred when the city was buried. It is also possible that they were dedicated to the gods when the temple was built. Human sacrifices were made to protect the temple from destruction.

"This custom disappeared long ago in the days of the older kingdoms!"

"Maybe they just remembered it?"

It's like a chicken talking to a duck.

The scholars concluded that the disasters that the priests were worried about were just nonsense, and directed the workers to continue excavation. The priests argued with them and became tense. When the conflict was at its most intense, it almost developed into a real fight with real swords and guns——

"Please forgive my interruption, I have something important to report!"

Until a soldier ran into the hall, handed a papyrus to Apohfa, and reported loudly.

"Supplies from upriver will be delayed for at least two days. The Memphis area has encountered a huge desert storm. According to the priests of Seth, the scale may be the largest in hundreds of years. They were blown away by the desert storm. The report was sent here by desert pigeon before, and, that..."

"and?"

Abohfa unfolded the papyrus and let the soldier continue.

"Moreover, we have all seen it...it is indeed a big, big desert storm..."

"In the name of Amon, what are you talking about? In Letopoles, even if you climb to the highest point of the tower wall..."

Abohefa's voice suddenly paused. He stared into the soldiers' eyes, and then looked at the scholars and priests who had stopped arguing.

"...Take me to see it."

"yes!"

He followed the soldiers and climbed to the top of the temple along the scaffolding with ladders.

"...Miss Tina, Ai, let's go take a look too."

"Ah, okay..."

Liliana also climbed up with Ai and Tina.

The top of the temple is not the highest point of Leto Polesta. What can be overlooked is only part of the city, the distant oasis on the other side of Nerocle, and the vast blue sky.

And now, on the other side of the blue sky.

The sandy yellow clouds are flowing mightily.

……………………………………………………………………………………

Late at night, there was a knock on the door of Boffam's house.

The man who was having a sweet dream in the bedroom on the second floor rubbed his eyes and was stunned for a while when he got up from the mat on the ground.

The wind and sand were blowing outside the house. In order to prevent the sand from leaking into the house dug out of the sand, he used straw to seal the gaps between the doors and windows. Looking out from the glass of the window, it was impossible to tell whether it was night or not. It was dim, and the morning sun was obscured by sand and dust.

The sandstorm started in the evening.

How could someone knock on the door in such weather?

"who is it?"

"If there are people, come out quickly. The priests speculate that there will be a terrible desert storm tonight. Let everyone go to the other side of the river to hide first! Take your belongings that are easy to carry and go out immediately, gather at the pier, hurry up I don’t care if I get left behind!”

"Dreadful desert storm?"

But wasn't there only one yesterday? Although it's not terrible, it's just that people living in the desert will always encounter the type three or four times a year...

"Yes, hurry up, you really don't care if you are left behind!"

He went downstairs and answered by the door. After the soldier finished speaking through the door with a loud voice, there was only the sound of wind and sand outside the door.

Probably, he left to inform others.

Bofham rubbed his face, leaned against the door and listened carefully. In the sound of wind and sand, there were faint cries of people and the gong that was struck, which was used by soldiers to sound the alarm.

He intuitively smelled something unusual.

Bopham quickly changed into his clothes, packed the dozen or so gold coins hidden in the dark compartment under the bed in a small cloth bag, and carried it in his arms.

He went downstairs and pushed the door, but outside the door, the accumulated yellow sand made the door on the first floor unable to be pushed. There was no way, he returned to the room on the second floor, and the moment he opened the door on the second floor , the cup placed on the table was blown off the table and smashed to pieces on the floor.

It was brought here from his hometown, but Bofham didn't have time to feel sorry for the cup he had used for many years. The sand and dust blinded his eyes, and the strong wind pushed him back. In a short time, his room was in a mess.

"God Seth!"

Cursing and praying, he walked out the door and closed it again.

Covering his eyes with his hands, Bofham jumped from the second floor onto the street, stepping on the constantly rising and accumulating yellow sand, and fell into a daze before he was ready to move forward.

"Oh, God Seth, please calm your storm for a while, at least let me see, where is the direction of the pier?"

He muttered, but he didn't dare to put his hands down from his eyes. Without the cover of his palms, the dust in the wind could make him completely unable to open his eyes—but even if he put his hands down, he couldn't see anyone at all.

The voices of the soldiers who left the house could be heard all around, and there were people in the wind who, like myself, were puzzled by the summoning order issued so late, but they could only hear the voices, and no one could be seen anywhere.

Bofham tried to greet the neighbors he knew well, and although he got some responses, it became difficult to gather together on the street where you can only talk to each other at the top of your voice.

Letopolesta, without walls, has now become a chaotic fog, people awakened from their own dreams, but now they seem to be lost in a dream that includes everyone.

Gradually, anxiety and panic began to pervade.

It didn't take long, however, for a ray of light to shine.

From the earth to the sky, through the wind and sand. The beam of light cannot illuminate the sky and the earth, nor can it stop the strong wind and sand, but the light was not originally intended to illuminate the city in the sandstorm.

That's a beacon.

A magical beacon.

Without any words, those who witnessed the light all walked towards that side spontaneously.

towards the pier.

It doesn't matter even if you can't see the road clearly. Letopolesta didn't clear all the roads. In this city, the yellow sand between the houses is the road for walking. Although it is not so easy to walk, it is still At least there is no dangerous difference in height. Even if you fall, get up, and pat your body, you will not be hurt.

Along the way, Bofham was very lucky to meet a few people, and they formed a small team to move towards the beam of light, which made the man feel that they were like moths to a flame.

But that light was not the light of fire, and they would not be engulfed by the flames when they walked into the light. On the contrary, when they walked near the beam of light, the sandstorm ceased.

The flying dust was obstructed, and the vision was finally clear. The huge enchantment built by the magicians of the Temple of Isis covered the pier and part of the river bank. The boats were moored beside the pier, and the soldiers were maintaining order and dividing the people who had gathered here. Shipped in batches.

It's not orderly, it can even be said to be quite chaotic.

Some people got lost with their companions on the way here, some were pestering the soldiers to ask what happened, some were frightened, the priests were speaking to appease them, and some were crying to the soldiers that they had been robbed on the way here .

Patting the robe that was almost the color of dust, Bopham saw a familiar tall figure beside the city guard commander.

With a thought in his heart, he immediately thought that this girl had something to do with the scholars in the temple, and the ominous premonition also resurfaced at this time. After seeing them finish talking, the commander with a serious face walked towards his soldiers. Fam immediately walked towards the young girl in a very clean white robe.

"Miss Tina, what happened here..."

"Ah, Mr. Bowham..."

Ting Na, who had completed the witch's confession and was about to return to the temple, was silent for a long time after hearing his question with doubts and some uneasiness.

"What's going on with this sandstorm? Have we offended the great god Seth? Why did we suddenly ask us to take refuge across the river and bring us some portable property?"

"That, that, maybe the priests will explain the reason soon, and the wind and sand tonight are really big. For safety's sake, Mr. Bofam should hurry up and get on the boat."

"...Could it be, is there any difficulty that cannot be explained?"

"Well……"

After all, Ting Na was still too young, and her words were not convincing, but instead made this man with vicious eyes feel that something was wrong.

"Anyway, anyway, please wait for the announcement from the priests, Mr. Bofam. I still have things to do. I'm sorry, excuse me!"

"Ah, Miss Tina!"

After the girl finished speaking, she turned around and walked into the wind and sand, and disappeared in an instant, leaving only Bopham standing on the edge of the light and magic barrier, staring blankly as if he was bigger than when he went out. Less wind and sand.

"What will happen to us... this city..."

But he could only look anxiously at the beam of light piercing the sky, talking to himself uneasily.

……………………………………………………………………………

"Miss Liliana, anxiety will spread soon."

On the other side, holding up the magic shield, Tina, who quickly returned to the sanctuary of the temple, returned to the temple.

On the ground, the priests were praying in front of the tall statue of Seth. Underground, the witch and Ai were painting the magic circle that Tina couldn't understand on the stone slab between the bones.

"...As expected, in order not to cause trouble, we can only wait for them to reach the other side of the river before announcing that the city will be abandoned."

Unlike the side covered by yellow sand, on the other side of Letopolesta, the other side of Nerocle has lush vegetation, and the dense riverside forest can effectively resist sandstorms, although the monsters inhabiting it may cause Trouble, the city guards will send soldiers to clean up first.

Tina went to the pier, in addition to giving the magicians of the Isis Temple a powerful wide-area magic shield scroll that can last for more than ten minutes, so that these priests who are also blinded by the wind and sand and difficult to cast spells together can build a larger In addition to the stronger protective barrier, this order was also conveyed to Abohfa.

"We will find a way to appease the people. This city... I will ask Your Majesty the Witch and everyone to work harder. As for those scholars, we will find a way to 'convince' them."

The priest of Ra stood up, looked at the magic circle on the ground, and couldn't help but sigh.

"All the investment was in vain...?"

He came from the Temple of Ra in another nearby city. Because of its relatively close location, they spent a lot of manpower and wealth in the excavation of Letopolesta, just to be able to find the Temple when the city was reopened. gain more voice in the

But all this will come to naught.

... This is also impossible.

Looking at Tina, the witch's secretary, he couldn't help pressing his forehead, having a headache for how to explain to the high priest of the temple that their archives would be open to a witch who wasn't even from Sinai after all this was over .

The dispute between the priests and the scholars lasted from morning to afternoon, and at noon, another soldier brought news of the lower reaches of Nerocle.

Now Lietopolesta is far from being self-sufficient, so material support from other cities is very important, but several cities downstream have also sent news of supply delays.

Seen from the top of the tallest tower wall of the temple, where the two ends of the long river meet the sky, sand-colored clouds are surging.

Those cities were the hometowns of many priests, and such news made them panic. Almost immediately, the priests linked this abnormal desert storm with a disaster, and even the scholars seemed a little less rigid-the city would not be able to survive even a week without the input of external materials.

But they still insisted that it was just a coincidence, and Liliana still acted as if it had nothing to do with her, and she clenched the price.

until night.

After the night guards knocked on the doors of the priests in horror, they finally let go and accepted the witch's offer.

Because there was an unimaginably strong sandstorm outside Lietopolesta.

"Everything, please leave to Your Majesty the Witch."

After bowing solemnly to Tina, the priests left.

Even if they stay here, they will not be able to help. They still need to take refuge and appease the people on the pier. The arrival of many groups of immigrants has made this ancient city in the dust have a population of about 1,000. , but it is by no means a small number. The management and placement of these people is enough for them to trouble their brains.

Only Tina was left in the temple, as well as Liliana, Alice and Ai who were underground.

Seeing the priests disappearing into the wind and sand one by one, and walking towards the beam of light, Tingna raised her head to look at the black stone statue with a jackal head, and walked into the basement.

The witch and Alice are still drawing the magic circle, and the ink mixed with silver powder gradually outlines complicated patterns and coats of arms. Ai stands in the center of the hexagram drawn by the ink, closing his eyes intently, with the dark red magic light floating on his body with.

Because those skeletons were really uncomfortable, Tina didn't go into the basement, but sat on the steps, hugged her knees and looked at them.

"Those priests are still thanking Miss Liliana."

"……Um."

"Isn't that natural? Although Lily has hit them hard, there is no one else here except Lily who has the ability to re-bury the city. Even if those scholars let go first, they still have to Turn to Lily, and Lily will still bite the price."

"Miss Liliana is really good at acting..."

"I don't think Master is just acting..."

"..."

Nod, nod.

The witch tied her hair up and concentrated on drawing magic patterns on the ground.

"...That's true, not acting."

"That's it..."

Tina sat on the steps, her face in her hands.

"If the city is to be buried again, the clues will be completely cut off. These temples are the largest collectors of Sinai's history and secrets. Instead, we have to get other clues from them."

—Letopolesta must be reburied.

On the "Lightseeker", Liliana and Alice came to such a conclusion.

After their research, the map that Liliana peeled off from the pyramid was not just a map. While depicting the territory of Sinai, the map also revealed a land that existed in Sinai, which was huge and ancient. Imagine the magic circle.

Time has made these patterns incomplete, leaving only a section of complicated patterns, but considering that the era when Letopolesta lost its trace in history was the period of the ancient magic empire, which was ruled by magicians and used powerful magic to follow their patterns. Even if such a large-scale magic circle really exists, it is not unacceptable.

After all, that was the pinnacle of magic civilization in the mainland, and the whole world once crawled under the floating city of magic emperors and was ruled for an era.

The effect of this magic circle may be to suppress the sand disasters in the entire Sinai since ancient times. Whether it is a terrible desert storm or a desert hurricane that sweeps everything, then if Letopolesta is dug out, it will cause disasters. The types are also predictable.

Of course, it is all speculation without any strong proof, but in this case, it is always right to consider the worst case.

The rest is about the layered nesting of the magic circle, the principle of long-lasting operation, and the mixing of the power of faith. Tina is completely at a loss.

The only thing the girl really understood was this sentence: Since there is a problem after being dug out, as long as it is buried back, the problem will probably be solved.

Simple and crude, but effective methods are often simple and crude. This is also the plan Liliana provided to the priests when they asked the witch what to do after signing the contract with Liliana.

The problem is that if Letopolesta is buried, the purpose of their coming here will not be fulfilled.

Sacrifice the only possibility to save Sinai?

Witches are not so noble.

But really sacrifice Sinai in exchange for possible clues related to his own truth? Liliana wasn't that cruel either.

What's more, when disaster really strikes, the excavation will undoubtedly stop. Such a large relic cannot be excavated by just the four of them.

Fortunately, this is not a matter of choosing one or the other. After simple thinking, Liliana and Alice found a better way.

It's easier to find it from the temple's archives than from the sand, and it's easier to knock a penny from the temple... Neither Liliana nor Alice has any psychological burden. The only thing to worry about is what they are looking for. Will there be clues of existence only in the depths of the ruins of Letopolesta...

When Tina asked this question aboard the Lightseeker, Liliana responded with silence.

"If the priests knew, would they be furious..."

"Yes, after all, the secret archives of the major temples are not open to outsiders, even the pharaohs, but they have sworn in the name of the gods and signed a magic contract with Lily. I can recognize it."

Recalling the expressions of the witches who had been hanging on her face all day had nothing to do with the expressions of the priests who were extremely anxious when they saw this expression, Ting Na couldn't help feeling a little sympathetic to them.

After the priests let go, the scholars of the Royal Academy became the only obstacles, and before they let go, the guards of Abohfa took them all under control.

The leader of the City Guards didn't care about whether the excavation was suspended or whether the city was buried, but he fully supported sending the residents of the city to the opposite bank to escape the sandstorm, and the scholars of the Royal Academy still declared that this was just a normal natural phenomenon in Sinai They even called them rebellious...

No way, Apohefa had no choice but to control them first.

So far, Liliana's plans are proceeding smoothly.

"However, burying the entire city... feels like an even more exaggerated plan than that of Yansha City."

"... Miss Tina is worried about something?"

The sound of wind and sand became louder.

Most of the temples in Sinai are open structures. The yellow sand rolled up by the strong wind fell down, and was blown again before it was piled up. Tingna closed the magic shield for a while, and a gust of wind from above made it The girl's body was covered with sand and dust.

Tingna had no choice but to smile wryly and rubbed the jade ring, propping up the shield again.

"No, I have nothing to worry about..."

The plan was drawn up and implemented by Alice and Liliana, just like fighting against the disaster-like monsters in Salt Sand City, like being on the grassland, to rescue themselves from the future of being imprisoned for life.

If I have to say I am worried, those who have not yet figured out the situation are more worthy of worry.

Now they don't know anything, they just think they want to avoid the terrible desert storm, but there are also some people with keen intuition who seem to have noticed something unusual, just like Bofham.

People who come here leave their hometowns for a new life and future. This buried city is like the promised land promised to them, and it is also where hope lies.

When the priests announced that the city would be abandoned, how would they react... Tina couldn't imagine.

"However, that's not something we can deal with."

"Hmm...Miss Liliana, how long do you need to prepare for the burial ceremony?"

"……Soon."

The witch traced the magic circle on the floor of the secret room, and nodded slightly.

"As long as the people in the city are evacuated, we can activate this magic."

Burial ritual—the word makes this matter sound like a heroic ritual, but as far as the conclusion is concerned, as long as the yellow sand re-covers Leto Porestina, there is no limit to the method.

Even if Liliana and the others don't care about it at all, it's okay to wait for the desert storm to slowly bury the city again—it's even possible that this desert storm is the self-insurance of this huge magic circle, but in order to end this situation as soon as possible, The witch still adopted a faster method.

Just below this underground secret room, the Witch touched the tributary of the Star Vein. This tributary protruded from the Nile Klein, and it was almost dry, but it still retained a huge power that was difficult for mortals to match.

Through the magic circle, this power can be borrowed to multiply the effects of magic or divine arts.

"...if the city was buried artificially, then this is probably the method they used."

After confirming that there is a star vein underground in Letopolesta, Liliana also came to this conclusion.

Under the effect of the star veins, a simple "sand wave technique" can gather the yellow sand around the city, and cover up the city that took half a year to excavate in an instant. Considering that Leto Porestina It almost disappeared suddenly in historical records, and the possibility of being buried by nature is not high.

"Ai seems very excited."

"This is a rare experience. To change the landscape of a place semi-permanently is already something that can only be achieved by great magic and forbidden spells! And I am just a magic apprentice who is limited by the daily spell slot."

Standing in the magic circle, Ai's voice was a little excited.

Tina was still a little apprehensive looking at the bones, but the girl seemed to have ignored the remains that had terrified her so much not long ago.

"Even if I say Miss Tingna, I may not understand it, but great magic is already a field that many, many magicians can't touch in their lifetime. Although the "Sand Wave Art" is just an ordinary magic, under the boost of Star Vein If it is powerful enough to submerge a city, it is already a great magic. To think that I can use such a magic—”

Ai took a deep breath and tried her best to maintain calm, but her eyes and some small movements of her hands and feet still revealed her true mood.

It was the first time Tina saw Ai who was so excited, even more excited than when she touched the sea for the first time on the beach near the Pharos Lighthouse.

"Wait a minute, is this magic hosted by Ai Lai?"

Then, Tina suddenly realized.

The witch nodded.

"The "Sand Wave Art" is not complicated. Even if the scale and strength are increased enough to bury the city, it will not be difficult to control, so let Ai Lai preside over it. This is a rare experience, and Alice and Lily, and Miss Tina, responsible for protecting Ai. "

Miss Doll floated to Tina's left shoulder, carelessly touching the girl's finger with her bare toe, and there she was.

She has "power" bestowed upon her by a witch.

"Protect...?"

This word made Tina startled.

But the witch and the puppet just nodded calmly.

……………………………………………………………………………

The evacuation of people was not smooth in terms of time.

After spending most of the night, the magicians of the Temple of Isis finally sent the message that all the evacuations had been completed to Liliana with a desert hyena controlled by divine magic.

At this time, on Tingna's pocket watch, the pointer was about to point to the moment of dawn.

And the wind and sand outside the temple was as cold as a knife.

When this poor monster that was forced to control staggered into the basement, the wind and sand carved countless scars on its body, and many of the wounds even exposed the bones. This is because the physique of monsters is generally stronger than that of humans. , and there is a magic structure left after the magic shield is broken.

Obviously, the magicians added a magic shield to the hyena, but the distance of several hundred meters from the pier to the temple shattered the shield.

It is conceivable that if someone walked outside without protection at this time, the sand blown by the strong wind alone would be enough to cut him into pieces.

"Oh, poor puppy, you'll be all right."

After Liliana took out the scroll from the hyena's mouth, she sealed the entrance to the basement with magic. Alice floated to the dying hyena, hugged its big head, and sprinkled several bottles of healing potions on it.

Waiting all night was tiring, but the news from the hyena cheered Tina up.

"The evacuation is complete, but several scholars from the Royal Academy are missing...?"

"... Ordinary scholars should not be able to escape from the guards of soldiers. This group of people is obviously not that simple."

"Assassin, Alice thought."

"Dark, assassin?"

"...I can't say no with certainty, Miss Tina, please don't leave Ai's side, Alice and I will protect you."

"Uh-huh."

"...Then, Ai, let's begin."

"OK."

Ai lifted the hem of her skirt and climbed up to the altar where the statue of the blood god was placed.

This is the entire room, and it is also the center of the magic circle drawn by Liliana. Maybe it seems a little disrespectful, but magicians are a group of guys who don't really fear gods. Ai, who was born and studied in the city of a thousand towers, obviously has this Characteristics.

And... On the way to wait, in order to solve the unavoidable biological needs of human beings, even more profane things, Tina and Ai have actually done it...

""I am Lord of the Throne of Gold and Palm, I am Queen of Quartet Deserts, of Sunken Valleys and Fertile Valleys.""

She stood on the altar, the dark red magic light lit up beside her, and her fingertips held a small piece of sandstone, a pearl of Shabei. The wine-red pupils were closed, and the light of the magic circle shone under her feet.

The chant of "interpretation" started.

Contrary to the chant during battle, in order to ensure a more stable casting effect, the original simple interpretation will also be lengthened.

——And to resonate with the star veins, additional "interpretation" is required to sing.

""I praise the great and endless torrent of life, I am in awe of the veins of starlight flowing deep in the earth, the stars and rain falling from the sky, the land that feeds all souls and the boundless sea of ​​sand, all I need is a glance , all I need is a drop from my fingers, a rippling gleam of light,'"

——This is the "interpretation" of resonance.

Alice said.

Even the same magic has different chanting methods according to the needs. Every character recited from Ai's mouth made dark red lines spread out from the concentric magic circle under her feet. The magic circle was connected, so the magic circle on the ground was also driven by Ai's magic power and lit up.

In the dark red light, there are dots of stars.

The underground chamber seems to be getting darker.

For a moment, Ting Na couldn't find the right words to describe the color of the spot, she lowered her head subconsciously, but was stunned.

"Miss Alice...Miss Liliana...Miss, am I hallucinating...?"

"……No."

The witch who watched Ai's performance lowered her head leisurely.

Like the girl, she stared at the light that suddenly appeared in the darkness, and the light was at their feet, at the bottom of the deep rock, extending from far away to far away, like...

right.

It's like being reflected on the quiet waves of a calm sea on the clearest summer night.

Galaxy.

"That's life, that's elements, that's springs, that's starlight, that's a gift from the Creator Mother, depending on the situation, it can turn into disasters, Miss Tingna, have you seen it?"

The lips of the doll lady approached the girl's ears.

"That is the star vein, the underground galaxy."

But in the girl's eyes, the galaxy rippled.

lap.

Then, another lap.

Just like a halo, after spreading far away, it scattered into drops of flickering light spots.

""Let's rippling, spread, spread.""

Where will the ripples go?

""Propagate my wisdom, my power, and my command carved in the sand with my scepter everywhere.""

How long has Ai been chanting?

Tina raised her head, the girl with her eyes still closed was still singing loudly, beads of sweat dripped from her forehead, the young girl was a little tired from waiting all night, but she still held her hands up high, like a conductor With a symphony orchestra playing, the light of the magic circle moved with her hand, getting brighter and brighter.

"...so beautiful..."

"Is that Ai's magic, or Ai?"

Alice's voice rang in her ears, and the girl was startled, but did not answer.

"The assassin... didn't see it either."

"... If not, it would be best."

Petting the hyena's head, the witch spoke lightly. In order not to interfere with the operation of the magic circle and the resonance with the star veins, she could not set up a magic shield to cover the entire secret room. The wind and sand can hardly see anything.

With the black pearl earrings hanging on her ears, Tina can also directly share the vision of the "wizard's eye" from Liliana, which makes the girl a little regretful.

"It's probably just our overthinking, the wind and sand are so big, they might not even be able to find the way to the temple..."

But considering the environment here, it's better not to have any expectations...

Thinking of this, Ting Na sat on the stairs holding the little doll, propped her face with her hands, the girl's eyes looked at the scene reflected by the wizard's eyes, and the other eye looked at the galaxy standing deep in the earth. Ai on the bed, looking at the flying hair and clothes.

"...?"

At this moment, something seemed to fall in the field of vision.

In the wind and sand, it can be seen that it seems to be a pile of wooden boxes, which fell from the patio at the top of the temple, and hit the floor in front of the statue and the heads of the girls. It was a heavy box, and the wooden boards came from The sound of falling from a high place, the sound of wood cracking and the whining of the wind echoed muffled in the basement through the slate ceiling.

It looks like something on the top of the temple was blown down by the desert storm, obviously the weight is not enough

"what is that?"

Tina was a little disturbed, and the scene in one of her eyes moved with it. Liliana's reaction was much faster than her. The "Wizard's Eye" floated to the side of the fallen wooden box, and saw the columns wrapped in blue paper rolling down from the damaged wooden box.

Followed by a fire.

The lavender flame, which was not extinguished even in the strong wind, fell from a high place and fell into the wooden box. Although the flame swayed in the wind and sand, it withstood the blow of the strong wind and spread on the ground. , to ignite the red cotton thread at one end of the massive cylinder——

"—Lily!"

No, that's not cotton thread, that's—.

The timing of recognizing this fact was almost at the same time as Alice yelled, echoes mixed with each other came from all directions, and the picture in the "Wizard's Eye" turned white. The thunderous explosion almost tore the word "fuze" that came out of Tingna's mind to pieces, and the extremely close shock wave without any attenuation was swimming in the rock wall, shaking the not-so-thick rock wall , chapped, and—

collapse.

It was an alchemy explosive used to cut through rock formations and smash boulders. When those salt merchants stayed in Letopolesta, this roar blasted a huge pothole on the outskirts of the city, and the thin layer of the temple How could the floor resist this destructive force.

"Miss Liliana!! Ai!"

The protection of the magic shield prevented the girl from falling into complete dizziness, but in order to chant the magic, there was nothing around Ai who was connected to the magic circle that could be called protection. Compared with Tingna, Ai and Liliana were closer to the detonation point of the whole box of explosives. They both covered their ears subconsciously. The explosion may even hurt Ai's ears. interrupted.

The dark red magic circle and the galaxy under the earth dimmed almost immediately.

But that's not the worst.

"Lily, above!!" The only one who was completely unaffected here was Alice as a puppet. Even the always calm Miss Witch was a little slow to react under the influence of this unexpected attack. She raised her head in the firelight, In the direction pointed by the puppet, the shattered rock wall is falling under the force of the earth.

"...Ai, calm down and continue the magic."

But it's just that the reaction is a little slow.

""O wind, O sand, O dust! Why do you show your fangs to the Lord you serve!""

Without interpretation, even skipping the breaking of the magic, the aurora-colored magic circle forcibly fixed the broken rocks in their original positions. Almost at the same time, Alice also spread her hands from Tina's arms. The majesty of the desert queen was condensed by the strong wind, which swept the yellow sand and pulled the heavy boulder that was about to fall away from the ground. Far away, I don't know where to fall.

Then, in front of the witch, a large book appeared.

The thick book I saw in Salt Sand City seemed to wake up from a deep sleep. The pages were flipped, and the witch just used her fingertips to swipe across it, and those luminous characters turned from her slender fingertips into a grand and brilliant magic circle. The hard rock wall became soft and smooth like the ooze that children love to play with, and in the next second, another magic circle flickered, making the rock wall hard again.

All this made the girl dizzy,

"...I envisioned a lot of plans to fight against possible assassins, but I really didn't expect that they would launch an attack in such a crude and simple way."

I didn't even know if there was a minute, except for a little sand and dust, except that the ears were still buzzing and the fire in the basement had been extinguished, everything just seemed to be an illusion, even those withered skeletons Still sitting there quietly, just like the long time when this basement was not discovered.

"Laplace" was still floating by her side, Liliana opened a bottle of magic potion and drank it, then came to her apprentice.

"...Can you still hold on?"

"...Well, Master Liliana, I'm fine, and the magic hasn't been completely interrupted, I'm still...maintaining..."

"……well-done."

"Hey hey..."

Ai, who was covering her ears, was half-kneeling and clutching the golden statue of Seth. The interruption of the magic chant brought her a great shock. Even Tinna, who had a serious lack of common sense about magic, could understand that it must be uncomfortable. But even so, when he heard the witch's usual flat voice, Ai still twitched the corners of his mouth and laughed, not even bothering to wipe away the blood dripping from his nose.

"It's hard to get such an opportunity, I can't mess it up..."

Seeing Ai like this, Liliana reached out to help her pat the dust off her clothes, nodded approvingly, and wanted to say something.

But failed to speak out.

"Master Liliana!!!"

Ai's pupils shrank sharply. Right in front of her, from the slender swan-like neck of her most respected mentor, a dull spike "grows" out, and with a rough stir, it cuts open from the side.

Liliana's beautiful face immediately lost its color, with gushes of blood, the witch knelt down like a puppet with broken strings, and the thin snake-like body hidden in the dark shadow behind her A black figure appeared.

It was a tall man with a golden poisonous scorpion on his pitch-black hood. After he killed Liliana, he didn't even mess around a bit, but continued to stab the roaring girl with his knife indifferently.

Cool and efficient.

However, let's talk about the efficiency of killing people.

Cold steel is no match for the mystery of magic.

Before he swung the knife, a flickering aurora in the corner of his vision was the last thing he saw.

Even to the point of death, he will not understand that darkness is not just his home field.

"Nice play, Miss Tina."

The assassin who sneaked in through the chaos of the explosion and blended into the shadow fell straight, and the "Arcane Missile" that pierced his skull directly left a small hole on the rock wall behind. Only then did Ting Na put down her trembling hands, hugged the doll in her arms even tighter, and ran towards the fallen witch.

"Thank you, Miss Alice, for telling me that the explosion was just a cover-up... how did Miss Alice know?"

"Hiding himself in the shadows is the skill of the invisible, but it is only a skill after all, not magic. Unfortunately, the flying dust is Alice's eyes and ears. Since he hides in the dark, Let the darkness bury him, how does Miss Tina feel? This is Miss Tina's second murder."

While talking, Alice relit the lights in the basement.

"Hmm... To be honest, I feel very bad, but when I think about this person hurting Miss Liliana just now... I feel like I can't wait to kill him a few more times..."

Before Ai recovered from the sluggishness, Tina had already carried Alice to Liliana's side, and the terrifying wound on the witch's neck had disappeared without a trace.

After a while, Liliana stood up from the ground wordlessly, looked at Ai who was completely sluggish, and said casually:

"...Don't worry, Ai, you will get used to it in the future. Now, continue with the burial ritual."

"Ah... yes, yes... ah, those obstructers..."

"...If Ai can complete the ceremony in ten minutes, I don't think they can escape."

"--I see!"

After finishing speaking, Liliana came to this well-planned assassin, looking at the golden scorpion on his hood and the armband with the black Eye of Horus on his shoulder, the witch's expression was a bit gloomy.

"...Guardian, it is said that this organization was completely destroyed in the Thirteen-Day Jihad 300 years ago, and the Tomilian Dynasty was not re-established, but the official statement is the official statement, the Pharaoh's Scorpion... Do you remember, Alice? Cleopatra conceived of a hidden army of scorpions, eagles, and lions."

"Alice still remembers that she asked Lily to help her think of ideas, but no one knows whether it was established or not."

From the mouths of the witch and the puppet, an incredible history emerged again. Tingna looked at Ai who was recovering from singing, and seeing her stunned expression, she thought for a while, and had no choice but to say " You'll get used to it."

"...Forget it, this has nothing to do with us, at least for now, it has nothing to do with us."

Finally, after carefully examining the corpse, the witch shook her head, took off the blood-stained clothes, and put on another one.

Maybe it was enough confidence in the guardian who sneaked in, and then there was no movement on the top of the temple. Soon, Ai's chant was completed.

""Cover all things, this is the storm of the desert, the wrath of kings at my hand!""

"Interpretation" was sung, the magic was completed, and the dark red magic power faded away. But the star veins under the earth have become brighter.

Then, from overhead, roars followed.

When Liliana was killed, the "Sorcerer's Eye" she put outside also dissipated, and after that, she didn't think of releasing another one.

Now, she, Alice, and Tina couldn't see what was going on. The rock wall above them protected them from being buried in the yellow sand and blocked their eyes. They could only hear what seemed to be a heavy mountain coming from afar. , and then smashed hard on the top of their heads, the whistling of sand and sand even overwhelmed the roar of the wind. For a long time, only the pouring of sand, the friction between rock and sand, these tiny particles As the clusters fell, there was actually a kind of music-like beauty, which poured into the girl's ears and kept stirring in her mind.

Tina closed her eyes, she could only imagine what would be outside this secret room now, what would that scene be like?

The excavation of Letopolesta has turned the city into a big basin. The sand dug out every day is dumped to the edge of the city. One or even half of them will flood back into the city.

Now, the sand pouring back into the city has become everything.

How high and how magnificent will the huge waves be, the huge waves of yellow sand? The thunderous sound is different from the waves, and the pouring down is not water and foam, but it must be the same grand, and this city...

Is this city also eager to be buried? When the sand waves fell like landslides, flooding the temples, streets, and people's houses, this city... was it cheering?

Tina opened her eyes abruptly.

The sound gradually disappeared, and it was still in the same basement, where the skeletons connected their hands. Liliana helped Ai off the altar, and fed a bottle of magic potion and pills to relieve mental fatigue for the sweaty girl who was panting constantly. .

"finished?"

"..."

The witch nodded calmly.

"...if everything goes as expected."

"Is everything as expected...?"

That is to say, since there is a problem when it is dug out, is it a theory that it will be solved in all likelihood if it is buried back?

Now the thick yellow sand blocked their connection with the earth, and in the extremely quiet environment, even the sound of wind and sand could not be heard.

Whether it has been solved or not, we have to climb out and have a look to find out.

"So...how are we going to get out? Right now, there should be thick, thick yellow sand on top of our heads..."

"To be precise, more than ten meters, I tried my best to collect a lot of yellow sand..."

Ai said it with some pride, but soon the girl realized that this seemed nothing to be proud of, so she sighed and sat on the ground.

"...The yellow sand layer about ten meters away is not particularly troublesome. Let's go after Ai rests for a while. We can't forget about it."

After everything was quiet, the hyena, which had recovered a lot with the help of the potion, staggered to Liliana's side, nestled into a ball, and the witch stroked its short, hard fur, and stroked it twice. After that, it stopped.

"Uh-huh?"

Tina jerked her head up.

As if responding to the witch's words, a light lit up in the secret room.

The light came from the statue on the altar, bright and warm, as if the newborn sun was shining on the dry and warm sand.

The light flowed out from the bloody statue and flowed into the curled up hyena. Just when Ai and Tinna were on alert because they thought something was wrong, a majestic voice sounded from it.

——It is beautifully done, so that the magic circle guarding Sinai can last at least a thousand years.

A voice echoed in the secret room. From the mouth of the hyena shrouded in light, there was a submissive and great aura. The moment Tina spoke, she couldn't help but kneel down!

Instinct, let the girl understand what kind of existence appeared in front of her.

——This is... God!

"...God Seth..., this is the first time that he has a direct dialogue with the Nine Pillars God on this land."

—Hundreds of years ago, Cleopatra mentioned you when she prayed to us, Queen of the Seven Hills Empire, immortal witch and ever-changing puppet, although I am happy to talk to you, but this There is not much power of faith left in this buried temple. I have initially given up the identity of believing in God, so the appearance will not last long, but I am willing to try my best to answer your questions.

And such a hunch was verified in the witch's words.

a god.

Tingna was breathing heavily, feeling parched, as if standing in the middle of the desert at noon, the boundless yellow sand exuding supreme majesty. Ai, who hadn't recovered from his breath, even fell directly to the ground, looking at the hyena descended by God with disbelief.

A true... god!

"... What kind of city is Letopolesta?"

——The king's capital of the ancient kingdom, the rich city in the desert, but more importantly, it is the core of the curse that put down the tyranny of the Sinai desert.

"...Calm the sand damage?"

——Undoubtedly, although I can feel that the blond girl is a little confused, I must know that we and the gods of Sinai are all gods of nature. We can control and control the power of nature to a certain extent, but more We are driven by some natural law, like the annual flood of Nerocle, like the occasional storm in the desert. Before we were gods, we were a part of nature, No matter how much we want to bless mankind, a large amount of sand damage still makes this kingdom poor and barren. For this reason, with the help of several emperors of the ancient magic empire, we have completed a man-made myth.

Man-made myths...that's...

Tina could no longer keep up with the conversation, and she was still shocked by the voice of God that sounded in front of her. While she was still puzzled, Ai's voice sounded weakly beside Liliana.

"That's... the content on that stone tablet, right? People offered Letopolesta to the god Seth, to the ruler of the desert with the head of a jackal... and in exchange, the sand pests will never invade Sinai. "

--clever.

The desert god praised Ai's sharpness with two words.

——This plan has been prepared for more than two hundred and fifty years. All the nine magic emperors at that time participated in it. They built magic circles with the help of ancient ruins in the underground of Sinai, and spent three generations in Letopolesta. Time promotes this myth: "As long as Letopolesta is dedicated to the god Seth, Sinai will never again be attacked by sand." When all the young and old in the royal city regarded this as a mission that they were willing to sacrifice everything to achieve and kept a secret for a lifetime, the capital of Sinai was moved, hundreds of thousands of people left their homes, and then the priests of the temple used the stream of starlight under the earth to bury The city, at the moment when this man-made myth was completed, the forbidden spell was activated and has been running stably until now, at least, it can still run for more than a thousand years. As long as people are still in awe of the desert, the continuous power of faith will Be the source of this magic and suppress the emergence of devastating sand damage.

"...and the reason they almost forgot about Letopolesta afterwards was..."

——There are some things that can be best kept secret if they are completely forgotten. But we also consider that certain unexpected circumstances will allow Letopolesta to see the sky again, so the pyramid of the pharaoh, the blood of the tomb guard, and this statue that can contact me...

The hyena, the God of Seth, was pacing in the basement. It walked over the skeletons one after another, and stood still for a long time in front of each skeleton.

- They are all great people.

There was pride and praise in God's voice, but Tingna seemed to hear a little loneliness and sadness in it, and the girl was stunned.

This shocked her more deeply than the truth of man-made myths.

It sighed and looked at the witch again.

——Although this is a man-made myth, it is a myth after all. Therefore, the excavation of Letopolesta has broken the oath between people and me, and your re-burial of Letopolesta symbolizes the reconciliation with me Contract. Although the real god suggested that we reduce the number of times we appear in the world, I think it is still necessary to reward you. I think you will be interested in the reason why the magic emperors are willing to spend so much time and energy to quell the sand damage in Sinai .

"..."

After the god moved away a little, the pressure on Ting Na became lighter. When the girl raised her head, she saw an almost irrepressible excitement on the witch's face.

"……Can you tell me?!"

The hyena looked at her, then lowered its head, and quickly began pawing at the ground.

The hard rock was easily scraped away like yellow sand, and its pair of front legs entwined with light quickly dug a small hole in the ground, and then it probed and took a stone slab out of the sand hole , and put it in the hands of Alice who floated over.

Old, rough, even the edges can be said to be very broken, with rough patterns engraved on it, it looks like a child's random creation.

——On the day Sirius rises, the starlight shines on the slate, and the slate will reveal the way to the secret realm. The magic emperors of the ancient magic empire not only assisted the people on this land to curb the sand damage, for them, this land itself is a precious research object. They have a mysterious research institute in Sinai, which dominates the entire column. The Tiki Fayoum buried in Portoresta, that is, the sage you call, is also one of them. This stone tablet was buried at the bottom of the royal capital's treasury.

"So, Lily and Alice couldn't find it when they came to Sinai before...Is this the only stone slab?"

——If it is not lost, there is another piece in the Temple of the Gods in the Oasis of Hira, another piece in the treasury of the Temple of Isis in Memphis, and there should be another piece in the treasury of the royal family of Alexandria. obtained from the land.

The little puppet held the slate and muttered to herself, and then, after hearing the answer from Seth, she breathed a sigh of relief and muttered, "Fortunately, otherwise it would be true if Letopolesta was buried. There are no more clues...".

"...But he didn't tell me, that careerist!...No, I didn't have the strength to find out the truth about myself at that time, and he himself may not know what it is..."

But Liliana's voice suddenly became sharp after hearing a certain name from the mouth of God. However, the witch immediately forced herself to regain her composure. After a period of silence, she looked at the hyena whose light was beginning to dim, and asked every word.

"...what's in there?"

——All I can tell you is that it is a created space, although it is located in Sinai, but it is not on the land of Sinai. The burial of Letopolesta is just their preliminary experiment, and helping Sinai to suppress frequent sand damage is just a by-product. After that, a secret plan was carried out on the land of Sinai for a long, long time. According to the contract, we have no way to intervene, and we don't even know what they are doing. So whether you can find the answer you want there, I can't guarantee.

Seth calmly looked at the witch who was stroking the slate with slightly trembling hands. The slate was not light, but Aililiana still struggled to pick it up from Alice's hand, pursing her lips tightly. He bowed deeply to the god.

"...Really, thank you very much."

——Now, let me send you up, oh yes, when you performed the ceremony, I saw a few guys running away with their lives, but it seems that they are in the same group as the guy who attacked you, so I will No longer protects them from the crushing waves of sand.

"... just some little mice, don't worry about it."

The light began to dim.

The hyena stood upright this time and waved its front paws towards the ceiling. A vertical round hole in the stone wall was immediately opened above.

It is the sky illuminated by the rays of morning light.

The witch opened the book and used the "Group Feather Fall Technique" and "Updraft", letting the wind lift them up to float, through the thick yellow sand, and through the completely buried temple, which was supported by invisible power. The passage collapsed bit by bit from below as they ascended.

When Tina, who was holding Alice, stood with Liliana, Ai, and the hyena under the clear sky again, there was only an inconspicuous depression visible from where they had risen.

It won't take long for the desert to erase these traces and let the city sleep under the yellow sand.

The sandstorm has stopped.

There are no traces of the existence of Leto Polesta anywhere. Even the oasis in the Nerokle River and the other side are a piece of yellow. Many reeds and trees were broken, and the boats were blown to the shore and turned to one side. capsize.

Only these traces can prove that everything last night was not just a dream.

"It's really all over..."

Tina sat down on the sand, facing the pressure of God. The white linen robe on her body was already wet with cold sweat, and it clung tightly to her skin, revealing the outline of her simple underwear.

As for that god, the light on the hyena's body has completely disappeared, and the monster that is still following Liliana is no longer panicked after seeing the blue sky and desert.

"This puppy will be well worshiped by the priests of God Seth in the future, although why it is a hyena and not a jackal may give them a headache for a while."

Ai touched its short tail and looked exhausted. However, after resting for a while, the girl stood up again and looked around.

"Ah, our sand boat, it seems that I have protected it well."

Soon, she pointed in a direction and shouted somewhat triumphantly.

On the long yellow sand, their sand boat survived the sandstorm.

Liliana looked at Tina and Ai, smiled silently, carefully put the slate into the space storage ring, and then sat next to the girls.

"I finally got a clue, Miss Liliana."

"……Um."

"Are you preparing for the next leg of your trip, Lily?"

"...Don't worry, there's still quite a while before Sirius rises in the night sky over Sinai and Nerokle floods."

After touching Ting Alice's little head, Liliana's expression on the sand was more relaxed than ever before.

"...Take your time, it will be a relatively leisurely journey next, so take your time. I stayed up all night and just finished a troublesome thing. Even if it's me..."

The witch sitting next to Tina covered her mouth with her hands and yawned slightly.

"...Even I am sleepy..."

As she spoke, Miss Witch tilted her body and lay down on Tina and Ai's lap, curling up into a ball like a sleepy cat.

"Eh? Miss Liliana, if you sleep here..."

"Master Liliana...ah..."

Unfortunately, she could no longer hear the girls' voices.

Maybe the tense nerves finally relaxed, or maybe it was the peace of mind that she finally got what she longed for. She lay on Tina's body and rested her head on Ai's thigh. As soon as she lay down, the little witch fell asleep quickly. On fire.

"Fell asleep……"

"Asleep..."

"Really, once Lily falls asleep, she won't wake up for a while..."

Alice floated in front of Liliana, stretched out her hand and poked the witch's soft face.

"But... in so many years, this is the first time Alice has seen Lily, sleeping with such a worry-free and relaxed face..."

Looking at the peaceful sleeping face, the little doll also breathed a sigh of relief.

...How long of a time did Alice mean?

Tina thought.

Then, the girl also yawned loudly.

"Speaking of which, I'm a little tired too..."

"I'm really tired after all, so let's take this opportunity to have a good rest."

Tina and Ai glanced at each other - this may be the most tacit understanding they have had since traveling together, but after saying that, they each looked in different directions.

It was dawn.

The gorgeous morning glow is gradually fading above Nerocle, passing through the deepest darkness before dawn. On the river in the east, the brand-new sun is using its sunlight to drive away the remaining chill of the night and illuminate the river. .

Maybe the sun would soon become harsh, and for various considerations, it was better to go back to the sand boat. However, Alice looked at Ai and Tina, who had turned their faces to one side, and then looked at He looked at Liliana, who was lying on their laps and sleeping peacefully.

The little doll said nothing. She floated to Tina and Tina, and quietly enjoyed the end of one journey with them under the rising sun, and before the beginning of another journey.

This quiet, warm, short leisure.