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yumemory[Location: Cave]
White: You see, Faust may be a little difficult to understand, but he's a serious and upright man at heart.
White: And yet in contrast with that nature of his, he’s long closed himself off and purposely avoided forming bonds with anyone.
White: ...Most likely because he's been betrayed by people in the past.
Akira: ............
White: It was a very painful sight to see. He looked as if he was wallowing in deep loneliness, living only to further hurt himself.
Pitter patter. Within the surrounding darkness, the sound of dripping water echoed in my ears.
White: ...However, that might have changed a little, ever since you came to this world and the Sage’s Wizards began to live together in the manor.
I followed White's gaze, which was directed at Faust walking in front of the line.
He was surrounded by Mitile and the others, with the lantern light shining on them.
Shino: Hey, just when did Mitile and Faust get to be friends?
Mitile: Huh?
Shylock: My, is that so? Another contender, I see.
Nero: Hey, be careful now. That’s a delicate topic you’re touchin’ on.
Nero: But yeah, Teach, just when did that happen?
Faust: So you’ll still ask anyway.
Nero: Well, I’m kinda curious too.
Faust: ...There’s no such thing as "when". He's a sincere and kind child, unlike his lousy teacher. We always have plenty of opportunities to get to know each other.
Mitile: ...Ehehe.
Shino and Nero: Hmmm.
Shylock: Fufu.
Faust: What’s with those lukewarm reactions...
Faust had a smile on his face. He looked serene, without the presence of spikes or an armor guarding his delicate heart.
ーーー
After a while of walking along the narrow path, we finally arrived at a slightly more spacious area. The path ended there, and we all realized we’d reached a dead end.
Rustica: It looks like this is the farthest we can go.
Nero: Then… This is all there is?
We all raised our lanterns to analyze our surroundings. All we saw was a huge expanse of plain walls of rock, with no sparkling gemstones to be seen.
Shino: ...These stones don’t look like the one we’re looking for.
Mitile: I don’t see anything glowing...
Akira: (It's true. This looks like a normal cave... Did we go to the wrong place?)
Owen: You've got to be kidding me. You made me walk in this damp place for so long and then tell me there's nothing to find here?
Faust: ............
Owen: Hm. So we've been deceived by Faust, huh? Hey, you guys. It seems like your teacher is nothing but a liar.
Owen's voice sounded like it had been drenched in a syrup of malice, taunting Faust and the others.
Owen: You must have burned people with the flames of your curses so much that even your roots have gone charred and burned away along with them.
Shino: Hey! Watch your mouth or I’ll shut it for you.
Owen: Just try fighting me, then, you weak Eastern wizard.
White: Owen. Cease that behavior at once. You need to calm down as well, Shino.
After reprimanding Owen and the others, White placed a hand on the cave’s wall, as if to confirm something.
White: There is no doubt that this cave is where the stardew gems came from.
White: But it might be that these stones have gone into slumber.
Mitile: Slumber?
Faust: Yes. The stones don't have their usual shine because they're asleep, so to speak.
Shino: That just means we gotta wake ‘em up.
Nero: Well, does anyone here know how to wake up rocks?
Rustica: Ah, if only Chloe came with us.
Shylock: Chloe excels at waking you, after all.
Owen: What a pain. Maybe some strong magic will do it.
Akira: T-That might end with us getting buried here, and we will be the ones going to sleep!
Faust: There’s another way to do it without doing anything careless.
Owen: ............
Faust's words silenced everyone's chatter echoing within the cave.
White: Do any of you remember the holy festivals we've done before? All we need to do is perform a ritual similar to what we did that time.
Mitile: Holy festivals...
I remember those. The wizards and I went to various places and summoned spirits to calm the chaos caused by The Great Calamity.
Akira: We’ve done it before, in all five countries.
White: That we did. And we will do the same thing now. Summon the spirits living in this cave, give them our blessings, and restore the land's original power.
White: That is how we will awaken these stones.
White: We may not have brought any Central Wizard with us, but the spirits here are not as formidable as the primordial spirits. We simply needed to dress in a way that will please them, and make an appeal that way.
Nero: I see. So that’s why we came here in this getup.
Faust: Yes. I expected that something like this might happen, which is why I had everyone wear clothes that the spirits will possibly like.
Shylock: As expected, you’re well-prepared. So, you’ve seen this one coming as well?
Faust: I wasn't completely sure, but I considered its possibility.
Faust: It might be that that stone didn’t lose its power after granting Shino's wish—it may have just fallen asleep like the stones in this cave.
White: Then, Faust. Take the lead.
Faust: All right.
Faust nodded and softly chanted his spell.
Faust: « Satillquinart Mulcreed »
A series of cracks began to echo around the area, as if stones were fissured.
Faust: « Satillquinart Mulcreed »
Faust repeated his spell. Clearer and firmer this time.
The rest of the wizards followed suit, chanting their spells one after another.
White: And this is where we come in. « Noscomnia »
Owen: « Cure Memini »
Rustica: « Amorest Viesse »
Shylock: « Invibelle »
Nero: « Adnodis Omnis »
Shino: « Matzah Sodipas »
Mitile: « Ortonik Sealsispilce »
As everyone cast their spells, the entire cavern was momentarily enveloped in blinding light.
So bright that I couldn't help but close my eyes.
When I opened them, what greeted me was a scenery completely different from the one I had seen just seconds before.
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