"If you want to deal with the Logos React issue, go to the underground chamber of the church."
That was the advice Zepia gave to Naoki afterward.
"The underground chamber..."
Still in the square near the church, Naoki sat on a long bench almost directly facing the church.
"If I just walk in and say I want to go to the underground chamber... that probably won't work, right?"
Although he didn't know how closely this church was connected to the Holy Church, one thing was certain: the church and Magus, unless something extraordinary happened, would inevitably clash like enemies who had killed each other's fathers.
In such a situation, even if Naoki explained his circumstances to them, they likely wouldn't listen.
"Gray, do you know how to get into the church's underground chamber?"
"No..."
Gray shook her head.
"Not only do I not know how to get in, this is the first time I've even heard that the church has an underground chamber. But I think the teacher's words should—"
"Why are you looking for me?"
Before Gray could finish her sentence, Bersac's voice suddenly came from behind them, startling Naoki, who jumped and turned around: "Geez, you scared me! Don't sneak up on people like that!"
"Teacher!"
Seeing their startled expressions, Bersac simply said calmly, "I just happened to be passing by and heard you mentioning me. What's going on?"
"About the church's underground chamber—"
"Huh?!"
Before Gray could finish, Bersac's gaze sharpened, and his entire body emitted an aura that seemed to drop the temperature by several degrees, causing Gray and Naoki to shiver involuntarily.
"Gray, go home for now."
After a moment of silence, Bersac said this.
"I'll discuss the matter of the underground chamber with Mr. Naoki. You go home and finish today's lessons. The training content is the same as usual, so it should be fine without me—Magus, come with me."
"Ah—wait, slow down..."
Before Naoki and Gray could respond, Bersac grabbed Naoki and pulled him toward house, leaving Gray standing there with a birdcage in her hand.
Watching the two of them leave, Gray blinked, then lifted the birdcage and looked at Add: "First time I've seen the teacher like that... he seemed a bit panicked."
"That means the underground chamber is very important, and it also means Zepia's words were true. Hehehe." Add laughed, "So, Gray the crybaby, want to sneak a peek at what's going on?"
"But the lessons..."
"You've already mastered all that, right? It only takes you an hour or two to finish, so skipping one day won't hurt. Aren't you curious about the secrets in that underground chamber?"
"Hmm..."
Gray immediately felt conflicted. Rationally, she wanted to finish today's lessons first, as they were assigned by Bersac. If she didn't follow through, she might get scolded.
But at the same time, as Add said, she was also curious about the conversation between Zepia and Naoki earlier. It was a child's nature, especially since it seemed to involve her.
"Gray."
As Gray hesitated, a woman's voice called from a distance, and a blonde-haired woman approached her.
"Mom." Gray greeted the woman.
The blonde woman—Magdalena—placed a hand on Gray's shoulder: "Good thing I found you. Don't just stand here, come home and eat. It's not good to skip meals."
"Alright."
With one last glance in the direction Naoki and Bersac had gone, Gray put Add away and followed her mother.
◆━⊰✧⊱━◆
At Bersac's wooden cabin.
Once again pouring Naoki a cup of coffee that resembled muddy water, Bersac sat across from him and asked in a cold, somber voice: "Who told you about the underground chamber?"
"The person living in the windmill, Zepia, right? His full name is too long, I can't remember." Naoki answered honestly, "By the way, he told me almost all the secrets of this village. For example, that little girl Gray is a vessel to resurrect King Arthur, and there's a simulated soul of King Arthur in the underground chamber."
Hearing this, Bersac's face immediately soured, as if he had found a worm in his rice while eating: "That Magus really can't keep his mouth shut—drink this coffee and then leave. Don't ever set foot here again."
"What about my request—"
"Canceled. The matters here no longer concern you, Magus." Bersac's voice was rarely this harsh, and his expression and gaze were unlike his usual calm demeanor.
A reaction Naoki had anticipated.
Naoki shook his head slightly: "If I could, I'd like to leave too. But unfortunately, it seems my coming here was planned from the start. Even if I leave this time, I'll probably end up coming back for various reasons."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. You can interpret it however you like. Besides, the Mana anomaly happening in this village seems to be related to the thing underground, and about half the reason that thing is acting up can be traced back to me."
"In other words, I've been involved in the middle of this village's secrets from the beginning. Someone like me can't be dismissed with just a single sentence."
As he spoke, Naoki leaned on the table and stared at Bersac: "So, can you tell me about the church's underground chamber, as you mentioned earlier? Guardian of the Tomb."
"You'll have to give me an explanation first." Bersac met Naoki's gaze, "Related to that thing? How do you know?"
"The Holy Grail War a year ago—I summoned King Arthur."
"—!"
Clearly, Bersac trembled at that.
King Arthur.
If someone wanted to interfere in the affairs of this village, no matter what, as long as they had this reason, it was more than enough.
"I never expected..."
Bersac let out a long sigh, then stood up and walked toward the door: "Since you're the one who summoned King Arthur, you do have the right to be involved in this matter. Come with me. It'll be troublesome to go through the church, so I know another secret path."
"You believe me just like that?"
"Because no one has the time to make up a story like that, especially in a place like this. Besides, your gaze and expression don't seem like you're lying."