287 - - The Mosaic

The hall we were taken to had many pillars and a high vaulted ceiling supported by pillars. Large windows are placed high in the hall and let in bright light. The round window with stained glass in front is called a rose window. And the floor...

"Is it more plain than I thought?"

Tiles of various sizes and shapes. They do not appear to be fired clay, but rather eight different types of stone, thinly shaved. They are laid out in an irregular pattern.

"This is the masterpiece of the Gentiles, loved by the god of cobblestones."

When the Prime Minister stepped into the room, the floor made a small tinkling sound like a coral wind chime, and the floor rippled.

A mosaic flower blooms at the Prime Minister's feet. The deep sea-blue and silver stones, blackish yet transparent, have made a pattern by moving closer to the Prime Minister, making a sound that is pleasant to the ears, as they are swept away by the stones of other colors. The small sea-colored flowers with pointed petals and silver leaves make an exquisite and regular mosaic pattern.

"It seems that this stone is a mechanism that attracts compatible attributes, and as a result, we can measure the blessings of God."

A clear sound followed the Prime Minister as he moved further into the hall to make room for us. The flowers follow the Prime Minister as he walks, almost unraveling for a moment, then quickly coming together again.

"Lord Alone is the favorite of Phal!"

"If you live with nothing, you don't go as far as drawing a pattern."

With that, Eagle and Camilla step into the hall.

"Oh!"

Red, gold, and silver flowers bloom instantly.

The flowers at Camilla's feet are bright red, with gold and silver coloring the outside of the red stone. A large flower, typical of camilla. The pattern of the eagle is not only flowers, but also ivy, which is not flashy but beautiful.

Camilla is blessed by Asha and Verus, or is it Verna's blessing?　The eagle's flowers are also mixed with sea colors, which may be a blessing of Asha and Verus, or of Fal Verna.　Camilla's red stone is more than that of the eagle and less than that of the vizier's black stone, so it is difficult to determine whether it is a favor or a blessing. Is it a protection?

Hmm?　Does this mean that the Prime Minister has not only the favor of Fal, but also another blessing or blessing in terms of quantity? Verna, judging from its color?

I'm a bit confused because the amount of the same blessing seems to be different as far as Galahad and his friends are concerned. Well, it seems to be a compatibility with the attribute or the degree of love.

"Hmmm?　Of course, it is more than the blessing of the fire god Asha, but the blessing of light as well. --And silver.

The Prime Minister gazes at the patterns created by the two men with admiration.

"I called myself a knight of Asha's garden, you know.

As Galahad stepped into the hall, a simple pattern of red, gold, and silver was formed. The red stones were mainly near Galahad, with most of the gold and silver on the outside. A fiery red.

Is the pattern a result of his temperament or original compatibility?　The eagle has more red stones, but the black stones are gathered quite a bit on the side. The shape of Galahad is simple, while Eagle's is intricate.

"All three have very typical patterns. They're so cool!"

If you throw in all the clansmen, the pattern would be amazing.

"Me too, then."

The floor ripples as Cal steps in, black and gold rushing over him. Small flowers bloomed among the larger ones, quite showy!　Look closely and you can also see yellow and silver.

The stones seem to be green for wood, red for fire, yellow for earth, white for gold, black for water, translucent blue-silver for wind, gold for light, and silver for darkness, although the colors of the stones vary slightly from clear to dull. The stones gathered at the feet of four people seem to glow faintly.

As usual, I still tend to think that water is blue, but water of the five elements is black. ....... I guess this is the color of the sea in cold regions. I imagine tropical sea for healing, but the sea of Denmark in "The Little Mermaid" is also black like the Sea of Japan.

Trees are originally blue, but can be replaced by green. I don't know if this is unique to Japan, where green has been in the blue range since ancient times, or if it is the same in the original. Black also has blue in it, and I wonder if it was adopted based on the image.

And it's not the five elements when the wind is included.

"Old man, you're Verus' favorite after all!"

Kalu passes over Galahad's quip with a smile like a spring sunbeam.

"...... the knight of the lake seems to have a complicated pattern."

The prime minister says in a slightly hard voice.

"It's beautiful."

Cal's smile deepened when I gave my honest opinion.

And Dru is a blessing and Verna is a blessing?　It seems to be less quantity than Dru (Kiiro) ......?　When you were talking to Reno, didn't he say that even a blessing is unbeatable for a sword-bearer?　But is this the reason why the shield skill is so powerful, Dru gave me the shield skill. Verna, you know, I met her twice, but I don't think she has reached the blessing ......?　It makes sense that he would not like it if he had Verus's favor.

It seems that it is very hard to get more than a blessing if you have a blessing for an attribute that is not compatible with it or a skill in that line. Even players sometimes get only protection even if they meet many times. --I wonder why I have a favor complete .......

"Hmm?　If you look closely, do they all have all the colors?"

Although very few, there are one or two stones of black or yellow in the pattern of Galahad, mixed in with the edges of the pattern. I noticed this because of the simplicity of the pattern, but upon closer inspection, I realized that the eagle and camilla also have all the colors.

Note that the pattern of Kalu is too large to be fully confirmed.

The only people who do not have them are gentiles and babies. Those who live in this world will have all attributes, regardless of their quantity. Those who do not will live a cursed life where the fire is cold and the wind is soft.

The Prime Minister announces with a stern look on his face.

By the way, it's my turn, but I don't suppose I'll suddenly be the only one with stripes, do I?　I step in quietly, feeling a little nervous.

Stones are rushing toward me.

The small sound is now as loud as a wave, and the stones undulate like living creatures. It's a little scary!

Arabesque paintings all over the floor of the hall. The pattern spreads out like a flower from the foot of the floor, changing its shape as you walk, spreading silently and changing the entire pattern.

"The whole floor is covered with patterns, isn't it?

Galahad's disgusted look on his face was right: the visible area was filled with the pattern.

"I expected that. ......"

"Oh, Galahad's pattern has changed. Me and Eagle have a little ......"

"It seems to have changed in a way that blends well with the Lord's pattern."

Now that you mention it, it looks like a picture, including the patterns of Kal and the others. Only the pattern of the Prime Minister seems to float in the background.

"It's interesting how the pattern changes as you walk around.

"I'm not going to change, am I?"

Camilla walked around and showed me, and it is true that flowers of the same shape move together like a pin spotlight, but the shape does not change.

"Why is that?"

When I move, the patterns on the floor change like a kaleidoscope.

"Hmm. I'd love to dance with you in this hall."

"Sounds like fun, but I can't dance, can I?"

Camilla reaches out her hand to me, and I take it in my hand and spin her around. I don't think the average Japanese person has a chance to dance the waltz. Can we do a folk dance like the Oklahoma mixer or the Jenka?　

"Shall I teach you?　It's handy to learn one simple one, in case of emergency."

"Cal looks good, dancing."

You're so handsome. And about the fact that the time of need is now.

"But what are the conditions under which the pattern changes?"

Then he looks at the Prime Minister and gets no reaction.

"Prime Minister?"

I called out to him, but he didn't respond.

"Well, they either scream or freeze up."

"I'm afraid I'm getting used to it."

Galahad says it sincerely, and Eagle nods his head.

"Oh, you were terrible in the Oval Office."

"I've learned to anticipate the mistakes in terms of ability, but not in terms of behavior!"

They posed as if they couldn't help me!

"I'm afraid we're not going to have much to talk about at this point."

Cal then claps his hands in front of the Prime Minister's face.

"You idiot ......! You can't measure the depth of God's favor!

"I don't like it when you talk like that.

"Why, even the Goddess of Darkness ....... I can't help but think that she was given the same gift in her incarnation as I was, Master Lancelot. What did I do to deserve such a ......, this is just like ......, just like ......."

The Prime Minister opens his mouth, but he has not come to his senses and is talking to himself with his eyes glued to the floor.

"By the way, the Goddess of Darkness is a god whose name is not even mentioned: ....... I thought I was untainted, but when did I get used to it ......?"

"Give it up."

Galahad happily taps Eagle on the shoulder, who is aghast for some reason.

"I didn't think the emphasis would go that way now either. ......"

"It's rare to see Lord Alone so emotional."

Camilla looks puzzled and Cal still looks happy for some reason.

I wonder what they are stepping on the floor for.

"Prime Minister Alone, have I gained your trust now?"

A test that reminds me of something, so I smile and ask. But don't tell me that I don't know what trust is for anymore. Since my cat has vanished like a phantom, I'll ask you one more thing.

"I would like you to tell me about the man of wonders if you could--" "No, I'm not listening.

The Prime Minister has not returned from his maze of thoughts!

I'm in trouble.

Let's try to kill a few people, shall we?

"If you make a scene in the temple, won't the priestly soldiers fly in?　I can't see him, but I don't think it's possible that the vizier doesn't have an escort."

If there were guards, wouldn't they be frozen in place?

"If it was a cat, I could have stroked it all I wanted."

Alone!

While the five of us were sitting at a table drinking tea, a boy soprano called out the Prime Minister's name from a different opening than the one we had entered.

I looked toward the voice and saw the floor, and a boy and an elderly woman looking at me in surprise.

"Ha!　Lady Hadil, Lady Sylvia."

The vizier finally realized what was going on and called out their names as they came in.

"What is this?"

"This is ......."

The Prime Minister looks at us as he is about to say something.

Then he looks at me, still holding his cup of tea. Thank goodness he's not chewing a tart with his mouth wide open.

"What's going on?"

The trap of being asked with a straight face.

"No, I just got a little bored, you know?"

On the table was the tea that Kal had made and the afternoon tea dishes that I had prepared. Cal had requested me to prepare it because the pastries he had eaten before meeting the Prime Minister were not so good, and Galahad said he was hungry.

A three-tiered stand with plates, dessert on the top, hot food on the second tier, and sandwiches on the bottom. The cucumber sandwich was popular among the nobles to show off the fresh vegetables from their manors. I am disappointed to think that the tea party is also a show of the nobles' wealth, but I like the high tea set because it looks gorgeous. The sandwiches served now are a butter roll sandwich with ham and arugula, and a focaccia sandwich with crab salad.