Chapter 461 - Two Lines, A Moon

No more words could resolve their disagreement, so Arthur chose not to try at all. The old man was a priest of this religion, and not even logic could change his mind. This was the case with religious people because belief was, by definition, to believe without reason.

Arthur spared the statue one last glance and left the two, the worshiper and the worshiped. His feet carried him toward the inner halls of the temple, where the war summit should be held. A young priestess received him, her eyes not daring to look at him.

"Greetings, Lord of Hidden City. I am Ai, the one to accompany you to your seat," she said, wearing a veil to cover her face. Arthur stared at her silently for a moment.

"Schelera is the religion of knowledge, so why are you covering your face?" Arthur asked with interest. "You can refrain from answering if it offends you."

"Questions are the light guiding us through the unknown. The Scholar Guardian wanted knowledge to be shared instead of hidden. I am not offended by your curiosity, but I don't believe that my answer will be to your liking."

"My opinion regarding it does not matter," Arthur said.

"I understand," she nodded. "I was asked to wear this veil because they said my face makes people scared. If you wish to get a different priest or priestess, I shall summon immediately."

"And is this your first time assigned in such a position?" Arthur asked with interest, feeling like this might be another way to shame him.

"Indeed so," she said with a nod. "I have only been given chores to do until now, but this task came as a surprise. I do not believe that I am fit to serve a lord."

"It seems that is what they believe as well, and the reason that they assigned you," Arthur shook his head, choosing to ignore their childishness. "I believe that no one is as worthy as you are."

"... thank you, my lord," she said after a moment of silence. "Shall I guide you to your seat?"

"Please," Arthur gestured for her, and Ai took the lead to guide him through the different hallways.

Arthur could tell that this place was filled with books, and most people came here to learn. However, it was impossible to find things capable of changing their lives. The Scholar Guardian wanted knowledge to be shared, but it seems not even his people are listening to him.

"Are the other lords here?"

"I do not know, my lord," Ai shook her head as she led him through the hallways. "Each lord has a different room, so I did not meet anyone other than you."

"The war summit should be happening soon," Arthur frowned at her words. "Shouldn't you lead me to the hall we are meeting at?"

"Hm," she gave a sound that Arthur could not understand. Finally, however, she regained her composure. "The War Summit is happening over Astral Projection."

"Astral... projection?" Arthur tilted his head. "Like the one that the king uses to announce urgent messages."

"A similar one, yes," she affirmed. "I know not of the details," her speech was monotonous, "but it is a mechanism installed to maintain order, as there has been infighting between the lords in the past."

"I can see that happening," Arthur nodded. "What happens to my body as I am unconscious?"

"You can still feel your surroundings and sever the connection if you feel threatened. However, I will be there to protect you against any intruders or guests."

"And am I supposed to place my trust in you?"

"No, you do not have to," she shook her head as she turned to look at him. "I will protect you regardless of whether you trust me or not. That is my job."

"Are you here to protect me or to monitor me?"

"I am here to protect you," Ai said in her regular monotonous voice. Arthur stared at her back as she led him toward a door lined with runes. "We are here, Seika."

"This is the first time you call me by my name," Arthur smiled as he touched the door, and he could feel the runes recognizing him and opening.

"I apologize, but I find the title to be more respectful than to call you my lord," she said sincerely, and Arthur simply smiled as the door opened in front of him.

"You can call me whatever you want," Arthur said as he scanned the room. It was a simple five-by-five room with a runic chair in the middle. In front of him was a table with food that never went cold.

"The war summit will happen in half an hour, Seika. You can check the time by sitting in your chair and allowing your consciousness to sink into the array," Ai explained as she came in after him and the door closed.

"That means we have a lot of time to pass," Arthur strode toward the chair and circled it. "Where are you going to sit?"

"I shall stand," Ai said, standing beside the chair and facing the wall. Arthur looked at her with amusement as he waved his hand, and an oversized couch appeared beside the chair.

"You shall sit," he said, sitting on the couch. "This is not an order but an invitation. We are going to spend the next half an hour doing nothing, so we might as well have a little test."

"A test?"

"A test of faith," Arthur said, smiling. "The God of Artifacts appeals to me, and I want to give you a little test as his believer. After that, maybe I shall start worshiping him as well."

"... questions are the light guiding us through the unknown," Ai said as she strode toward him and sat in an angle where she faced him. "Ask away, Seika."

"Why did you join this religion?"

"I was lost and with no home, and they gave me a place to stay. But then, I began to learn that it was a part of their worship of the guardian. This means that the Scholar Guardian saved me."

"I shall save you if you ever encounter danger. Are you going to worship me then and devote your whole life to me?"

"I shall not because I do not want to be saved."

"This is taking a darker turn than I thought."

"I apologize."

"Is there a reason that you don't want to be saved?"

"I have no reason to be saved. I devoted my life to serving Schelera, but they can replace me in a heartbeat. Hence, if I encounter death, I shall welcome it the same way I welcomed you."

"You are not a believer, and this is no test of faith," Arthur mused. "You are simply a person with no place to go, and this religion gave you purpose."

"Aren't we all like that, Seika? We are all trying to find a place to belong to, each in a different place. I am nothing but a human."

Arthur felt like he was talking to a robot from his original world, with answers as cold as ice. They were logical, but they lacked life. The priestess turned around to face the wall again without saying anything more.

"What did you do before you joined Schelera?"

"I was a refugee from a calamity-struck town," she answered, and Arthur smiled.

"What if the Scholar Guardian was the reason that your town is here, surrounded by calamities?"

[Violation of the legacy will occur if the user reveals anything more about the Scholar Guardian.]

Arthur read the message he received, and his smile grew wider. The Scholar Guardian was watching him as soon as he was about to reveal his wishes. Maybe he was always watching Arthur make sure that their legacy contract was still valid.

"Such a thing..." muttered Ai with visible confusion, and Arthur smiled because his aim had been achieved without revealing anything. "It cannot be true."

"It is a hypothetical question. It does not need to be true. However, I advise against worshiping a god you never met," Arthur said as he stood up and walked toward the runic stone chair.

As he sat on it, Arthur felt his consciousness connected to a gate similar to the one he used in the arcade against Sier. After allowing the gate to take him elsewhere, Arthur found himself sitting atop a pillar the pierced the sky.

The world around them was of clouds and a giant moon. Arthur looked around and found similar pillars to the one he was sitting on around him. There were eleven pillars in total, and below them were giant platforms.

"The war summit shall commence once the two rays of sunlight intersect on the moon," a voice said in Arthur's mind, and he realized it was the king.

Arthur saw that two arcs of light slashed the sky apart but did not intersect as he looked upward. Instead, they were moving ever so closely toward the giant blue moon, and their intersection will signify the start of the summit.

"Until the traitor is found," the king said, "no one shall leave the summit."