Chapter 114. Cleared the Level?
"Duncan, I've taken care of everything.
Come over here."
From the corridor carpeted with rubble large and small, Ari's muffled voice echoed ahead.
"Ari works fast!"
Duncan sighed and followed the voice, carrying the case.
At that moment, Pro was on the floor furiously clawing at a shattered stone head, taking revenge for having just been frightened.
Seeing Duncan walking off with the case, he hurried after him, leapt up, and clambered along Duncan's robes to perch on his shoulder.
"Did that big fellow finish off all those nasty statues?"
Pro sat upright, tilted his head, and asked.
"Mm.
He just called us over."
Duncan answered while stepping around the huge stones on the ground.
They went straight on for about five or six minutes, and Ari's massive body came back into view for Duncan.
The great beast, having just vented to his heart's content, lay sprawled on the ground with a blissful look.
Seeing Duncan approach, he wore a simple, guileless grin.
"Shift over a bit."
Duncan waved his hand.
When Ari scooted aside, he walked to the end of the corridor.
Before him stood a round door.
Figures of people and animals were carved upon it, interlacing to form a vast, intricate design.
The movement of each person followed a particular pattern.
They wore armour and raised longswords high, pointing in a certain direction.
It looked as if they were trying to pass some hidden message to anyone who reached this place, only Duncan did not work out the answer straightaway.
Apart from those exquisite carvings, there was also a sunken hollow in the centre.
Duncan tried the statuette he had obtained from the Black Lake and found it fit perfectly.
Moreover, a circular ring encircled the hollow, and at the positions of up, down, left, and right there were four small square slots.
It seemed he had to find four more items and place them into the little slots in order to trigger the mechanism and open the round door.
Only that was how an ordinary person would do it.
He seemed to have a simpler solution now.
Duncan memorised the patterns on the door, stepped back, and pointed at it.
"Ari, sorry to make you do overtime.
Help me ram that door up ahead as well."
"Right then, no problem!"
Ari replied with delight, rose and gave his head a proud shake, then lowered it and charged forward.
What had looked solid as stone turned out to be fragile as tofu.
The Erumpent's sharp horn sank in easily and blew open a huge gap.
When a satisfied Ari moved aside, Duncan cautiously waved his wand, sending stones on the ground and a globe of light inside.
The stones went clacking along the floor as they bounced forward, and the light orb lit up a spacious spherical hall.
In the very centre stood a stone pillar, upon which rested a book carved of stone, opened in the middle.
Everywhere else was utterly empty, with nothing unusual.
Seeing nothing happen, Duncan tiptoed in, moved step by step to the pillar, bent down, and examined it.
Several lines of small characters were engraved upon the pages:
"Since you have reached this place, you must already have braved the many perils before it and solved the puzzle I left upon the stone door, proving your courage and wisdom.
But that is not enough.
Only by passing the final trial can you obtain the treasure I have left.
You who come after, once again prove your strength to me!"
Beneath the small characters was the signature: Godric Gryffindor.
"Eh."
Duncan sounded surprised at the name.
So the one who designed these mechanisms was the founder of Gryffindor.
A comprehensive combat master versed in both magic and swordplay.
No wonder those statues resisted magic.
Perhaps he meant for Duncan to pass without using magic.
It was true he had passed, only his method might be somewhat beyond Gryffindor's imagination.
Thinking of the corridor outside strewn with rubble and that door smashed open, Duncan felt a strange sensation in his heart.
According to what was written on the page, there was still a final trial.
What would it be?
Just as that question rose in Duncan's mind, the stone pillar before him shook and sank below the floor.
In a moment, something rose up from below again.
A stone brick filled the gap, and a longsword was thrust into it.
Right after that, the wall straight ahead was blasted apart by a tremendous force, and a stone statue gripping an iron sword strode out.
He pointed the longsword in his hand at Duncan, and a muffled sound issued from his mouth:
"Defeat me, and you shall gain everything!"
"It can speak?"
Duncan was startled.
The statue before him was far stronger than those low-grade ones outside.
And sure enough, this statue also resisted magic.
Gryffindor likely wanted him to use the longsword before him to fight it.
"Merlin's beard!"
Seeing the statue charge straight at him with nimble steps, Duncan cried out and beat a hasty retreat from the doorway.
"Ari, we've got work again.
Go on!"
Duncan shouted to the Erumpent lying on the ground to rest.
Ari gave a lazy nod, rose unhurriedly, turned his body, and with head lowered rammed in through the door.
After a short while, Ari's voice rang out again—only this time it was not good news, but a panicked plea for help.
"Duncan, come help me!
This fellow is too fast—I can't catch up to him!"
"Mm?"
Duncan found a safe spot and leaned to look in.
The hall, already extremely spacious, had somehow expanded a great deal.
Ari rampaged about within, imposing and fierce.
Only it was all for naught.
Each time Ari's horn was about to hit, the statue slipped aside at speed, then slashed Ari in return.
But the statue's longsword seemed to be unsharpened.
Its swings could only leave a white mark upon the Erumpent's thick hide.
"Looks like this really is a test, not someone impersonating Gryffindor to set up a method of murdering young wizards."
"But could anyone really defeat this statue that's practically like a real person relying only on their own strength?"
The thought flashed through Duncan's mind.
He promptly opened the case and summoned another Erumpent and the Kelpie as well.
If one would not do it, bring in more, until that statue was knocked flat.
Under Duncan's command, the Kelpie Mori and the Erumpent Charlie joined the fray in good order, besieging the statue together.
Mori was in charge of intercepting.
Charlie and Ari were responsible for charging attacks.
Duncan and Pro were responsible for cheering everyone on from the side.
With everyone's joint effort and close cooperation, the statue that had first been so overbearing was gradually suppressed and driven back into a corner.
Mori seized the moment.
His body flashed past as hair like water-weeds shot forward at speed and bound the statue tight.
"Now's our chance!
Ari, Charlie—finish him!"
Duncan said excitedly.
Ari and Charlie gave a pair of deep grunts, lowered their heads, and charged.
Their horns struck true against the statue that could no longer dodge.
"Brilliant!"
Duncan and the Niffler, Pro, high-fived and cheered.
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