The chapel had clearly been designed with the Creation Story as its motif. While I recognized the theme, I had no idea which door was the correct one.
The gods depicted on the doors governed various domains: Destiny, Life, Spacetime, Calamity, Fortune, Sky, Earth, Flash, and Thought. That list alone offered no clues.
"I suppose the hint must be hidden somewhere within the Creation Story after all?" I asked.
[Since the motif is this prominent, that would be the natural assumption... however, I don’t recall any specific passage that points toward a particular door,] Lilliwood-san replied via mental transmission.
"Hmm, maybe it’s a matter of association?" Fate-san wondered.
I didn't remember the Creation Story in exhaustive detail, but since neither Lilliwood-san nor Fate-san could think of anything relevant, it didn't seem like there was an explicit answer.
Just then, Cornelia-san, who had been wearing a contemplative expression, spoke up.
"...This might be a bit of a stretch, but in the latter half of the Creation Story regarding the Friendship Treaty, wasn't there a phrase about 'light dawning' upon the start of a new era?"
"There was. I see... the Friendship Treaty was a massive turning point for this world. If we associate a 'new dawn' with opening a door..."
[Based on the phrase 'light dawning,' would the door depicting the God of Flash be the correct path?]
The logic seemed to hold up, and if none of the three of them could find a better lead, then that was likely it.
In that case, the door with the stained glass of the God of Flash was the answer... though, as Cornelia-san had admitted, it felt a little forced.
Still, we had no other candidates, and we couldn't stand around forever. We all started toward the door in question, though none of us felt entirely convinced.
At that moment, my eyes fell on the placard detailing our task... and I felt a sharp sense of incongruity.
"...Wait a moment. I just noticed something. This placard... the warnings say you can't come back once you pass through a 'door,' but the task itself says, 'Proceed to the correct path.' It doesn't actually say 'door,' does it?"
"...You're right. There are nine doors standing here as if to say 'look at us,' but maybe they’re all decoys. That’s exactly the kind of trick Shaltan would pull."
Exactly. The task specifically used the word "path," not "door."
"Building on that... even though this place is based on the Creation Story, Shiro-san’s stained glass is nowhere to be found in this chapel."
"Indeed. As Kaito-sama says, it is highly unnatural for a chapel this meticulously crafted to lack a window depicting Shallow Vernal-sama, the God of the World."
The absence of Shiro-san was a glaring omission. She was undoubtedly the most important figure among the Gods and the very first being mentioned in the Creation Story. For there to be no representation of her was simply bizarre.
[Now that you point it out, I have to wonder—why a chapel? If it were only about doors and stained glass, a grand hall would have sufficed. If the setting of a chapel has meaning, then the key must be... prayer?]
"Come to think of it, the center of the room is unusually open, isn't it? I thought it was just a design choice, but... maybe it's a dedicated space for praying?"
A "path" instead of a "door," the missing stained glass of Shiro-san, the chapel setting, and the wide open space in the center... We looked at one another and nodded. Moving to the center of the room, we all took up a posture of prayer.
I didn't know if this was truly the right move, but I figured it was worth a shot. After about ten seconds of silence... a low, rumbling vibration shook the chapel.
It was a spectacular display, possible only through the use of Phantom Magic. The nine stained-glass windows depicting Fate-san and the other Gods began to move. They shattered and rearranged themselves like pieces of a grand puzzle, merging on the far wall into a single, massive image—the silhouette of Shallow Vernal-sama seen from behind.
The enormous stained glass, which possessed a truly divine aura, pulsed with light a few times before vanishing like mist. In the space where the window had been, a path leading straight ahead appeared.
"T-That was an incredibly elaborate mechanism. It actually gave me goosebumps..."
"Seeing all of our windows combine to become Shallow Vernal-sama's was quite a sight. We did it, Kai-chan! This is definitely the right way."
[If it hadn't been for Kaito-san's insight, I suspect we would have walked through a door despite our lingering doubts. This is Kaito-san's achievement.]
"N-No, I just happened to get curious. I'm just glad it worked out."
A path revealed with such grand production value couldn't possibly be a mistake. Scratching my cheek in embarrassment at their praise, I looked toward the newly opened way.
This was the path revealed by fulfilling the special conditions of the Hidden Route. It would surely lead somewhere different from the standard goal... but what kind of place was waiting for us?
Serious-senpai: "...Well, Alice would definitely be the type to set a trap where every visible choice is a failure."
???: "It's a Hidden Route, after all. To be honest, it was meant to be a bonus element—something I put in thinking it would be cool if someone eventually managed to find it. Though, the moment Kaito-san decided to head for Forest Castle, I figured he’d probably end up here..."