CH 299

Kahelone slowly goes down the stairs with a lamp in hand. I activate a 《Transcribe》 scroll just in case, and perform pendulum dowsing with my left hand as I follow her.

They feel old, but the stairs are actually spacious, straightforward, and not very steep.

Were they made this way so it’s easy to carry the corpses inside? I don’t see anything particularly unnatural, or any strong magic element reaction.

At the end of the long staircase is a wide room with a sculpture of the goddess Araysla enshrined in front of us, looking down with her three faces.

“‘Arbitration’?”

I whisper as I look up at this sculpture. The face positioned in front is not the angry face of ‘vengeance’, or the gentle face of ‘love’. It’s a somewhat distant, and even cold feeling face.

“Yes. Araysla has three faces, ‘vengeance’, ‘love’, and ‘arbitration’, but her eyes are always impartial towards the ones facing death. It’s said that she judges sinners and virtuous people equally for their virtues and sins, and uses those sins and virtues to mediate with gods ruling over the afterlife.”

Kahelone explains with the tone of a pious believer.

“This way. This is the burial chamber where Ghan’s body was kept.”

Kahelone points to a passage behind the sculpture of Araysla in the center. One of three passages excluding the stairs where we came from.

I also go around the sculpture and follow her.

But right when I pass by the sculpture of Araysla, I feel a presence suddenly emerging.

My right hand suddenly starts stinging. It’s a combination of curses and magic elements.

I reflexively jump back and away from the sculpture.

As soon as I land I start looking around, and out of the corner of my eye, I see a pale light in the shadow of the sculpture for just a second.

I take out scrolls from my pocket, and hold my knife with an underhand grip.

“Rust, what…”

“Kahelone, stay back.”

I quickly give instructions and stay alert, as I carefully go around to check the area shaded by the sculpture of the goddess Araysla.