The Greatshield wielded by the Seven Heroes, the ancestors of the Leonard family, lay dormant in the deepest reaches of a cave.
There were various theories as to why it slept in such a place.
It was said that after the war with the Demon King ended, the shield remained constantly by the side of the Leonard ancestor upon his return home, yet it was never passed down to the next generation. Whether it had been stolen by bandits or had come to rest in the depths of that cave for some other reason remained a mystery.
Within the Leonard family, the common belief was that the Hero had simply laid the shield to rest once its purpose was fulfilled. Now, with the rise of the Demon King Cult, perhaps the artifact was attempting to reveal itself once more.
Vane and his party headed out of town, never noticing Ren’s presence.
They mounted the horses they had prepared and galloped quickly along the coastline toward the cave.
"The weather is lovely, so we can enjoy the walk. Please leave the directions to me," Fiona said.
The three of them—Ren, Licia, and Fiona—walked leisurely, taking in the scenery as they went. Even though the Old City and the coastline beyond it were relatively close to one another, they likely wouldn't run into Vane's group. Those three would almost certainly be preoccupied with exploring the cave for some time.
For a while, they followed the highway, engaging in idle conversation. Eventually, they reached the point where the road came to an end.
As the submerged ruins of the Old City drew near, Ren reached into the inner pocket of his jacket. He unfolded the Old City Map he had received from Ragna the day before and studied it as they walked. Licia and Fiona leaned over his shoulders from both sides almost simultaneously to peer at the parchment.
"Is that red mark the place with the door that won't open?" Licia asked.
"It’s wonderful. It's exactly the kind of map I'd expect from the Ministry of Mysteries," Fiona added.
Ren nodded. "Lord Ulysses told me I could look around as I pleased, but when I think about it, most of it is underwater. We can probably only view things from the surface."
"That’s not true. Depending on the location, you can go all the way to the bottom," Fiona corrected him.
Ren recalled Ragna saying something similar. "To the bottom? You mean by swimming?"
"No. There are many magic tools still in operation down there that maintain pockets of air. The Ministry of Mysteries has installed additional tools to expand the range, so walking around is no trouble at all."
Within the submerged Old City, numerous membranes of air were maintained by ancient magic tools. This was a vestige of the security systems used to protect the buildings; within the interiors of the sunken structures and along several of the original streets, one could walk just as they would on the surface without any special equipment.
They arrived at what had once been the main entrance to the town. Ren looked down from the highway into the water, gazing at the ancient cityscape below.
Fiona pointed toward the depths. "Look over there."
If one looked closely at the floor of the sunken town, the phenomena were clearly visible. Amidst the water where fish swam, there were sections where membranes of air stretched wide. Large, spherical pockets of air filled the spaces here and there, with similar paths of dry ground connecting them.
At the center of each sphere lay a magic tool that continued to function. From this distance, they were difficult to see clearly, but they were metallic objects roughly the size of a streetlamp's bulb, powered by a central mana stone.
"If we go down there, we can view the Old City from the seabed," Fiona explained.
"Is there a way to get down there without getting wet?" Ren asked.
"Yes! Please, let me guide you!"
There was a brand-new pier nearby where several small boats were moored. They boarded one, and Ren took up the oars, rowing as Fiona directed him.
Licia leaned over the edge of the boat, whispering as she watched the Old City pass beneath them. "It looks like a completely different place than it did the other day."
Previously, they had only viewed the ruins from the edge of the highway; they hadn't looked straight down from above. The world below was a strange one, where fish swam through the water as if it were the sky.
It felt as though they had wandered into another world entirely. Looking down at the buildings that had been broken or partially collapsed by the ancient assault, the scars of battle were still painfully apparent.
As he rowed, Ren thought back to his conversation with Ulysses. "I suppose I should actually do some security work too."
"I heard about that from my father this morning," Fiona said. "Your job is to check the state of the monsters in the area and see if any have entered the underwater sections, right?"
"And he mentioned I should subjugate them if necessary."
After about ten minutes of rowing, Fiona spoke up. "Ren, it's here."
The boat came to a stop above what had been a library before the city sank. A circular observatory sat atop its high roof, which happened to be at just the right depth to serve as a convenient landing for the boat. The grimy gray stone bricks were mossy in places.
Ren stood up first and stepped onto the observatory. He turned back and offered his hands to the girls to help them out of the boat.
"Thank you very much," Fiona said, taking his hand with a bashful look before stepping onto the stone with a light, graceful grace.
"Thanks, Ren," Licia added, taking his hand next with a shy smile.
The observatory was designed to provide a 360-degree view, with a spiral staircase in the center leading to the levels below. From this point down to the ground floor, the interior was filled with air.
Ren once again led the way. The interior was dim, with only faint glimmers of light filtering through the water and windows. It felt as if one might lose their footing if they weren't careful. Many parts of the structure had collapsed, but it was still one of the better-preserved buildings in the ruins.
"I’ve heard the Ministry of Mysteries maintained this library specifically so people could walk through it," Fiona said.
"Heh... if they can do that, it seems like they could have just drained the whole city from the start," Ren mused.
"Ren, those magic tools are probably incredibly expensive," Licia noted.
"Hehe, it's just as Lady Licia guessed," Fiona confirmed. "Installing magic tools across the entire city would simply be far too costly."
Since it was a tool that affected such a wide area, that made sense. Ren nodded.
Though the spiral staircase was enclosed by handrails, the rest of the space was open, offering a grand view of the interior. When they reached what had once been the ground floor, they found themselves in a room lined with neat rows of bookshelves. The walls curved in a fan-like shape, following the architecture of the building.
Not a single book remained on the shelves. They had all either burned or been washed away centuries ago, and any surviving volumes were kept under strict guard elsewhere.
◇ ◇ ◇ ◇
"I believe it was around this area..."
The report Ulysses received had mentioned lights flickering underwater. Ren had been briefed on the location the previous day, so he led them toward the coordinates.
The boundary between the air inside the building and the water outside shimmered with the light filtering down from the surface. The sensation of being in an underwater world was far more intense here than it had been at the landing.
"Oh—"
Ren stopped and turned toward a specific building. The Old City was characterized by stone houses similar to those in Eupeheim, and among them stood a structure that Ragna had marked with a red seal on the map. Coincidentally, it was the same location where the mysterious light had been spotted.
"Ren, is that the place from the report?" Fiona asked.
"It looks like it. However, since it has a red mark on the map, we might not be able to get inside."
"In that case... should we just observe from the outside?"
"But Ren, what if the door opens?" Licia asked.
Ren blinked at her, caught off guard. "What? Why would you think it would open?"
"It’s just a hunch. No real reason," Licia laughed, teasing him.
"Well, if we can get inside, that would be for the best. For now, let's get a closer look."
Ren led the two girls toward the structure. Fish outside the air membrane swam along, watching them with curiosity.
"It’s a beautiful town," Licia remarked. "I wonder if it would still be flourishing today if it hadn't been for the Demon King's Army."
"Likely so," Fiona replied. "This was the noble district. If this level of prosperity existed right next to Eupeheim, the region would be much livelier than it is now."
Passing through the old noble district, they arrived in front of a building nestled quietly among the decaying houses. It looked like a chapel, but it seemed far too hidden for that. Above the entrance, a stained-glass window depicted a scene from a holy painting: a young girl walking across a lush green field. Like the library, it was well-preserved, though cracks spiderwebbed across the glass.
They stopped on the old cobblestones.
"Is it a chapel?" Licia wondered.
"I thought so too... but the main Elfen Church Temple is in a different part of the city," Fiona said.
"Then it's a temple for a different god? Even so, it's quite small," Ren noted. Usually, temples were grand structures that dwarfed even noble manors.
A small garden surrounded the building. Though the original plants were long gone, the grass remained strangely vibrant and green. The iron gate wasn't magically sealed, so Ren was able to open it easily.
They followed a stone-tiled path through the grass and stood before a dark brown door that showed little sign of rot.
"It seems this was an orphanage," Fiona realized. She had noticed play equipment in a corner of the garden and read a sign standing nearby.
Everyone looked at the name of the institution.
"Jeno Orphanage."
The name hadn't been on Ren’s map, but the Ministry had clearly identified it during their surveys.
"Lady Fiona, is it alright if I touch this door?" Licia asked.
"Yes, it should be fine."
Licia reached out. The door was twice the size of those in commoners' homes, yet it was small and charming compared to a cathedral. She touched the metal knocker.
Tap, tap.
She tried knocking, but no response came. She had known it was useless, but she felt a certain hesitation about simply grabbing the doorknob without warning.
"It won't open," Licia said. Even when she gripped the handle and tried to turn it, it wouldn't budge. Since it was sealed by a magic tool, it was as solid as a wall.
"Why do you look so disappointed, Licia?" Ren asked.
"I was honestly hoping it might just open. But I suppose a door that’s been shut for centuries isn't going to open just because I asked," she sighed.
"Well, obviously it won't open," Ren agreed.
Licia pouted slightly, but she wasn't truly upset. She smiled and let go of the handle, looking up at the building. It wasn't nearly as tall as the library, so even with the air pocket, the space felt intimate. Her gaze fixed on the stained glass again.
"What is that painting supposed to be?" Ren asked. "Do either of you recognize it?"
"I don't," Licia said.
"My apologies. It's the first time I've seen this specific design," Fiona added.
"But Ren, wouldn't the Ministry have already identified it?" Licia asked.
Despite their questions, they remained captivated by the image. Wanting a better angle, the girls stepped away from the "unopenable" door to get a full view of the facade.
"An unopenable door, huh..."
Ren looked at the knocker. Embedded in the bronze-colored metal was a stone that emitted a sapphire-like glow. This was undoubtedly the magic tool. It functioned as a security device even now, maintaining its seal to keep intruders out.
"I didn't know they had orphanages in places like this back then," Ren mused.
"There aren't many in the present day," Fiona replied. "How was it in Clausel?"
"We didn't have any there either. There wasn't much poverty to begin with, and my father always went out of his way to help any children who lost their parents to accidents."
Ren listened to their voices, though he wasn't really processing the words. He wasn't expecting the door to open either. He was simply fidgeting, his hand moving to the knocker as he thought about how common it was for these tools to flicker with light.
"It's not like anything is going to happen just by knocking—"
Tap, tap.
As he knocked on the heavy wood, an unexpected change occurred.
"Huh?"
A confused sound escaped Ren’s throat as the stone in the knocker began to blink. As it pulsed with blue light, Licia and Fiona noticed and came running back.
"Ren!? What did you do!?"
"Ren! Did you know the trick to opening it!?"
"I-I don't know! I just knocked!"
In truth, he had no other explanation. While the three of them stood there in bewilderment, a distinct click echoed from the door. The wood groaned as it swung open of its own accord. For several seconds, they were all speechless.
The door that wasn't supposed to open was now wide.
Because Ren’s hand had been on the knocker and the door opened inward, he had naturally taken a couple of steps into the building.
"...I'll ask again," Licia said, looking at Ren's face. "Ren, what do we do now that the entrance is open?"
"I'm not sure what the 'correct' answer is here."
Fiona offered a suggestion. "As the daughter of the Lord, I feel we should investigate since it opened so suddenly... but..."
While the Ministry of Mysteries led the research, the Ignat family handled the management. She couldn't investigate alone. Since Ren and Licia were curious about the orphanage—and why Ren had been able to open it—they quickly agreed to take a quick look inside while being careful not to disturb anything.
They stepped into a wide hall. It felt cold due to the stone walls, but the old rugs gave it a lingering sense of warmth. For the first time in centuries, the sound of footsteps echoed through the building.
They stayed close together as they looked around.
"That way looks like the living area for the children," Fiona said, pointing toward an arched doorway. She and Licia peered into the room beyond.
Ren stayed near them while surveying the hall. Several large tables were set up, but dishes were scattered across the floor. Had the children been eating when the attack occurred? However, Ren felt a wave of relief when he saw no remains; it suggested they had successfully evacuated.
At the back of the hall, separate from the living quarters, was a door made of pale, yellowish-white wood.
"Licia, Lady Fiona."
The girls turned toward him.
"Let's check that room too."
They followed a few steps behind him, carefully stepping over the shattered pottery on the floor. They stood before the door at the back of the hall, which looked firmly locked.
Licia gripped the handle, but it only rattled. Fiona tried as well, with the same result.
"It'll probably open if Ren touches it," Fiona giggled. Licia nodded firmly in agreement.
Ren sighed. "Surely this one is just a normal physical lock?"
There was no knocker and no obvious magic stone. The doorknob had a standard keyhole, which suggested it needed a key. There were no keys nearby, but Ren gripped the handle anyway.
Click.
The handle turned. Just before it did, Ren saw a faint shimmer of mana particles flicker from his hand toward the keyhole.
"..."
"..."
Licia and Fiona stared at Ren with narrowed, suspicious eyes. Ren couldn't explain it either; he was just as baffled as they were. He awkwardly scratched his cheek.
"Ren... did you really do something?"
"Ren, please be honest with us."
"I’m sorry, but I really didn't do anything."
It was the only answer he had.
Ren stepped into the room first. It was an office with a large window. Bookshelves lined the walls, and a single, aged desk sat in the center. Nothing was visible through the window; a wall of mana seemed to have formed over the glass, blocking everything but sunlight.
The room was stone, from the floor to the ceiling. A fireplace sat against one wall, with a rocking chair and a rug nearby. On the far wall was a mural identical to the stained glass outside. In front of it was a small altar for prayer, though a small canvas on it had fallen over.
The three of them felt a strange sense of divinity in the room.
Licia noticed a drawer in the desk and pulled it open. Inside were several envelopes. Next to them lay a single coin, corroded black—exactly like the ones Ren had seen in Ragna’s lab.
"Licia, let me see those," Ren said. He reached out, wary of any traps.
The letters weren't magical artifacts; they were just plain paper. Inside were sheets of old, folded parchment. When he opened the first one, it didn't look like a secret document at all.
"Jeno, what was the meaning of that last letter? You were the one who said you loved my adventure stories! So I thought I'd send a souvenir, but... oh well. On another note, my journey to the Sky Continent has finally come to an end."
The first page ended there. The edges of the parchment were slightly crumpled, as if the person who had received it had gripped it tightly.