Volume 4 Chapter 6 Part3 (1/2)
Translator Corner
Minasan oideyasu. This is Yukkuri demasu!
No b.u.t.ton for this month because I am really lazy……
DISCLAIMER: There is no guarantee that my translation is 100% correct. Please correct me if I was wrong (visit pleted just on the island alone. Isn't only after going to the outside world and acc.u.mulating various knowledge that she would be able to approach the truth? Merula, who though like this, departed from the Spirit Kingdom just when she reached her 50th birthday. Then by using her own “Ability” to change the color of her iris and masquerading as a Light Elf adventurer, she traveled while acc.u.mulating knowledge from one country to another.
There was one thing that she found during this time. After leaving the Spirit Kingdom, Merula's magic power decreased. It was not clear whether this was because 「High Elves power can only manifest inside the Spirit Kingdom」 or 「Since Merula had left the Spirit Kingdom, she lost the Spirits' Protection」. She could prove the high possibility that her power will return to the original level if she returned once more to the Spirit Kingdom. However, the Spirit Kingdom considers someone who leaves the country as a traitor. If they return, they will be killed without any question so she couldn't verify this point.
Back to the topic. Merula, who had continued her journey, took interest in the 『Lunaria Orthodoxy State』, which has similarly unique faith. The Spirit Kingdom extolled the Spirit Faith, but the existence of the Spirit can't be proven. Then what about the Orthodoxy State that extolled the Moon G.o.ddess(Lunaria) Faith? Does the so-called Lunarisama and the 『Moon Stele(Lunalith)』, where the oracles of Lunarisama said to be engraved into, really exist? She thought that perhaps if she understood the relations.h.i.+p between the Orthodoxy State's with Lunarisama and Lunalith, then it would shed light on the relation between the Spirit Kingdom and the Spirit Faith.
And so for the first step, Merula sneaked into the Central Church of Lunaria Orthodoxy in order to see the existence of the Lunalith.
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「Wwait a moment, please.」(Inugami)
Inugami interrupted the Sougé's story.
「Do you just say that Meruldono had sneaked into the Central Church?」(Inugami)
「Yeah.」(Sougé)
「But…… that place's security is famous for being really strong. It shouldn't be a place where an amateur can sneak into.」(Inugami)
Sougé scratched his head at what Inugami had pointed out.
「Well, that may be true, but Merula has this kind of ability, 」(Sougé)
As Sougé replied, he placed his hand on Merula's head as if to prompt her to do something. Even though Merula showed a disagreeing look, she muttered something, and at the next moment,
「!?」(Inugami)
*poof* Merula vanished. Even though she was just there a few moments ago, right now he couldn't detect her figure anywhere. However, Inugami's nose detected the presence of Merula. He can't see her, but she was certainly present. Seeing how Inugami's eyes were darting around the room, Sougé cracked a laugh, 「Kakkakka」, and then placed his hand at the place where Merula was not long ago.
「She might look like she's gone, but Merula didn't move away from her place. If you try to touch her, you can see that she is still he-…… gwugh!」(Sougé)
Suddenly Sougé was knocked over from the chair. While confused at what had happened, Inugami put himself on guard in respond, before Merula suddenly appeared with an angry face and clenched fist. It looks like she had just giving Sougé a good wallop.
「Don't take advantage of the situation and touch my breast! You s.e.xual hara.s.ser man!」(Merula)
Merula shouted angrily towards the fallen Sougé.
「d.a.m.n, it hurts…… Chest? I thought that I clearly touched the hip…… gwagh!」(Sougé)
「Sorry for not being curvy!」(Merula)
After giving an unnecessary remark, Sougé ate another trampling attack. Although he was taken aback, Inugami threw a question.
「Meruldono can disappear?」(Inugami)
「Yes, Though I do not really understand the theory behind it, I can blend the colors of my body and clothes with the surroundings. Back in the Spirit Kingdom, I could also make the surrounding people disappear, but for now, the best I can do is just myself.」(Merula)
Sougé made a comeback, 「Just like a chameleon, right?」, and awarded with another kick. But it was a perfect comparison between her disappearing method and a chameleon's camouflage. If Souma was here, he would have pointed out that Merula's ability was an ability to manipulate light reflection, a perfect form of optical camouflage. Unfortunately, there was no one in this place who could point this out. 「…… So that's it.」, said Sougé while returning back to his seat.
「This la.s.s sneaked into the Central Church with this ability and reached the Lunalith location.」(Sougé)
「Even though she disappeared from sight, her presence and scent can still be detected, yet she had sneaked in very successfully.」(Inugami)
「Well, she might just be lucky. That location is not a room that can be entered other than by His Holiness the Pope or the Cardinals. The security at the entrance is tight, but because of that, once someone entered, it was hard to get found out by other people. Well, Merula intruded into the room by going past the Pope's entourage……. Well, thanks to her sneaking around, it seemed that they had considerably strengthened the security.」(Sougé)
When Sougé moved his eyes to her, Merula turned her face away as if she was guilty of something.
「Since you state that the security was strengthened, her intrusion was detected?」(Inugami)
「Yeah. She might deceive mortal's eyes, but of all the things she could do, she touched the Lunalith. Because of that……」(Sougé)
――― Somehow or another, she ended receiving an oracle.
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According to Merula's story, that location looked like a room constructed out of non-natural materials. In the center of the dim high-ceiling room, there was something like a pitch black stone monument enshrined. Its height was about 5 to 6 meters, its length was about 2 meters with 1 meter in thickness. When observed closely, it was clear that the stone monument shed a thin and pale light.
(So, this is Lunalith…… So it really exists.)
The object of the faith of the Lunaria Orthodoxy, where the oracles from the G.o.ddess Lunaria was engraved into. Merula, who was excited since it actually existed, immediately entered her researcher mode and began observing and investigating the Lunalith.
(Currently, although the “object” emits light, there are no letters or anything on its surface. However, Lunaria Orthodoxy says that this Lunalith is where the Lunaria's oracle is handed down.)
Merula walked around the Lunalith in a circle.
(Hypothesis: 『Lunalith is engraved with the oracle of Lunaria.』 If this hypothesis is true, then Lunalith is engraved with “oracle” in some way, whether that “oracle” is a letter or a picture is unknown. If this hypothesis is false, then the oracle is not inscribed in Lunalith. In this case, it can be speculated that the Lunaria Orthodoxy had setting up a signified luminescent object as the Lunalith and utilized it as the source of their authority…… However……)
Thinking until this point, Merula shook her head.
(This point of speculation is not likely. If it's for a source of authority, this method is too roundabout. Actually, rather than enshrining a stele where oracle is given down, it is far easier to “invent” some kind of item that was used by G.o.ddess Lunaria.)
Merula turned to the front (perhaps) of the Lunalith.
(Let us verify the case where the hypothesis is true. This case can be roughly divided into two patterns. Pattern 1: The “oracle” is given at a regular or random timing. Pattern 2: The “oracle” is given to the receiver by performing some kind of operation.)
(In Pattern 1 case, the receiver, like the Pope, couldn't receive an “oracle” at any timing as the receiver likes. Which means, the will of the sender, G.o.ddess Lunaria, will play a greater factor. In Pattern 2 case, the receiver, like the Pope, can receive an “oracle” at any timing as the receiver likes. Which means, it can be inferred that G.o.ddess Lunaria is an existence who, most of the time, didn't interact with the believers.)
Merula slowly reached out her hand toward the Lunalith.
(The Lunalith is emitting light. It can be conjectured that Lunalith, as a device, has an active state. Perhaps by through some kind of manner, even I could make an “oracle” to be handed down, then it will prove that it is Pattern 2, which means that the hypothesis is true.)
Then her hand touched it. At the next moment,
「!?」
The front side of Lunalith was glowing. Then, on the black surface, several golden lines appeared and formed patterns. From the regularity of the pattern, Merula understood that it was a ”letter”. However, that letter script was not only very different from the Continental Common Script but also from any script from the country that Merula traveled before, so she completely couldn't decipher it at all.
(Anyway, it seemed the so-called oracle has been given down. The next question is whether or not the Pope of Lunaria Orthodoxy can read this character……)
Just when she was pondering about such matter, she heard many footsteps suddenly approaching behind her. The footsteps were forceful so she realized that they were running.
(Can it be…… by touching the Lunalith, they detected my intrusion!?)
Merula erased her figure with her ability, and she hurriedly moved close to the room's wall. Immediately afterward, six heavily armored men barged into the room. The s.h.i.+eld in their hand was engraved with the crest of the Lunaria Orthodoxy. They were a member of the Orthodoxy State's elite unit the 『Holy Knights』. One of the men, who seemed to be the leader, scanned around the room and spoke out.