Chapter 129

Mai-Mai clutched at her chest, spellbound, and Caerick blubbered as he rubbed one cheek against the floor. Not a good look for the Academy’s headmaster and the owner of Sakaiya. “What’s this? Do we have guests, Master?” At the center of the dome, the smoky Guardian rose from the maple tree in the flowerpot and took human form. It placed a hand to its chest with a reverent bow. Spooked, Mai-Mai and Caerick shuffled behind Cayna to hide in her shadow, but both were several sizes larger than she was; they could hardly pass as stuffed animals. “Wh-what is that?” “A monster? Still, this aura…” “What’s with you guys?” Mai-Mai and Caerick narrowed their eyes and scrutinized the Guardian warily. “They appear quite shocked. What shall we do, Master?” “Nothing, really.” Neither elf could do anything to the smoky Guardian. Cayna ignored their odd behavior and focused on the task at hand. First, she took out one half of the Pair of Eyes from her Item Box and handed it to the Guardian. “What shall I do with this item?” “There’s gonna be a a tournament in the Battle Arena soon. You’ll be able to see it from here, right?” “Indeed I will.” The moment the Guardian said this, approximately ten window panels opened up in midair displaying every section of the Battle Arena. “Hwa?!” Mai-Mai and Caerick were taken aback. From the panels, they saw people cleaning the spectator seats, decorating corridors, placing information signs, demarcating areas with rope and planks, and rushing around with boxes. Everyone was hard at work as the last few days to the tourney counted down. “I want to broadcast the tournament to the remote village with the Pair of Eyes. Can you do that for me?” “Very well. I shall deliver a thrilling spectacle.” “Great, I appreciate it.” The smoky Guardian immediately used the Pair of Eyes like a drone to display a bird’s-eye view of the Battle Arena. The receiving Pair of Eyes would begin flashing once the projector in the village added a new channel, so either Roxine or Roxilius would switch over to it. Probably. With this, Cayna’s mission to give the village a TV of sorts was essentially finished. She let out a sigh of relief. “Mother!” “Uwagh, you surprised me! What’s up, Mai-Mai?” Cayna turned around to find her daughter standing there rigidly with a stern look. Caerick appeared shocked by his mother’s menacing expression as well and fell mute. “Is Felskeilo’s Battle Arena a Guardian Tower by any chance?” “That’s right.” “What is the meaning of this?! How dare we set foot on such consecrated ground and use it for our own ends! I would not be the least bit surprised if we were struck down at any moment!” Cayna didn’t really understand why Mai-Mai seemed to resent that the Battle Arena was also a Guardian Tower. Mai-Mai then started going on about God’s love—likely Skargo’s influence. Cayna’s knowledge of this world’s religious beliefs was quite shallow; after all, she could use Holy Magic without any religious know-how. But given how pious the cathedral’s visitors were, she could see how even mages like Mai-Mai would pay their respects. “At this rate, we’ll need to advise the king and arrange for an altar to be built in the Battle Arena—” “Okay, stop!” Cayna clapped a hand over Mai-Mai’s mouth before she had a chance to babble on. “If you need an altar, there’s already one in the river.” “Mrmph… Y-you mean the one for the river god I heard about before? Yes, that’s true…,” she began before freezing. “Wait—the capital has two Guardian Towers?!” “Yeah. I dunno what you’re so freaked out about, Mai-Mai.” “Treasure is more likely to be looted as people freely come and go. How can I not panic?!” “Do you see any treasure around here?” “…No, I don’t.” If anything, the Guardian’s flowerpot was the only “treasure” around. And even Cayna, a Skill Master, couldn’t move it. “To enter here, one must be a Skill Master and possess the necessary ring, or, like you, be an acquaintance of my master. We Guardians will not recognize anyone else.” Once the smoky Guardian explained this in no uncertain terms, Mai-Mai’s head drooped weakly. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Look, Mai-Mai, I’m not mad. What’s with you all of a sudden?” “It’s just that I was mistaken.” “Mistaken? About what?” “I believed that ancient secrets should remain secret.” Cayna grimaced at this. She didn’t mind being offered a concerned word of advice, but the sacred Guardian Towers didn’t seem so sacred when she remembered why the Skill Masters wanted them in the first place. Guardian Towers were originally meant as an escape from greedy players and had nothing to do with either holiness or treasure. They were facilities designed to minimize external annoyances. Cayna felt bad for Mai-Mai, since she was so enamored with the legends, but that was the honest truth. “Towers aren’t as ‘sacred’ as you might think. Not to be a buzzkill or anything, but maybe lower your expectations a bit.” She stroked her daughter’s head as consolation. “…Okay.” Caerick, meanwhile, was more interested in the Guardian than in their dispute, inspecting it from every angle.