Grímr immediately pulled a troubled face, scratching his head in irritation.
"I didn't come here to listen to you two flirting. So this is the kind of apprentice Master's taken on now?"
He began pacing in place, muttering to himself.
"But Odin said breaking the death loop is basically impossible… I thought I could finish up quickly and head back."
"Death loop?" Shiomi asked in surprise.
Grímr looked as though he had let something slip. He shot a glance at Aesc before saying, "That's for later. You'll find out when the time comes."
"You can't say this, you can't say that—then what good are you here for?" Shiomi shot back. "Just to tell me to go home?"
"Quit complaining. I'm acting as a god's proxy right now. Your Magecraft and your spear both came from Odin. And besides, I'm your senior disciple. Show some respect." Grímr puffed himself up with authority.
Shiomi's forehead veins bulged with anger, but there was no denying the truth in Grímr's words.
"You're the one with the attitude problem, brat." Shiomi let go of Aesc's hand and stepped right up to him. "I may have only lived three hundred years—nothing compared to the Divine Spirits—but that's still longer than every one of Master's other disciples put together!"
"Then you're just a stinking old man. A perfect match for Master." Grímr sneered.
"What was that?" Shiomi leaned down, glaring directly at him. "Dare to take this outside? Magecraft or spearplay, I'll make you yield!"
"Fine by me! I've been wanting to test myself. Even without Gáe Bolg, I'll show you what your senior apprentice can do!" Grímr bared his teeth like a fierce dog, all trace of divine composure gone.
"If you're missing Gáe Bolg, I'll lend you one. Master gave me two—didn't expect that, did you?" Shiomi pressed on, still provoking him.
Standing by the Pilgrim's Bell, Aesc Shiomi watched the exchange in silence.
This was the first time she'd ever seen Shiomi argue with someone, let alone to the point of nearly fighting. Strangely enough, they seemed to get along rather well. If they actually came to blows, it probably wouldn't be a big deal. Maybe this really was what people meant by "men's issues."
Like little children, Aesc thought to herself with a sigh.
She decided to wander for a bit, leaving them to their quarrel and only deciding the next step afterward. With that thought, she began circling the Bell Chamber, checking carefully if there was anything else worth noting.
Suddenly, she spotted several bricks in the stone floor directly beneath the Pilgrim's Bell that didn't fit together quite perfectly.
Though the gaps were filled with dust and snow, the misalignment was still visible.
Aesc frowned in curiosity, crouched down, and tapped the spot with her wand. It gave the same heavy sound of stone—but with a subtle difference.
Hollow underneath?
"Tenkei? Could you come take a look?" she called, glancing at Shiomi, who was still bickering with Grímr.
Shiomi was about to escalate when he immediately dropped the quarrel and jogged over.
"What is it? Did you find something?"
The difference was obvious enough that Aesc's face lit up with excitement. She pointed beneath the Pilgrim's Bell.
"These bricks look like they can be moved."
"Hm?" Shiomi narrowed his eyes, noticing it as well. "Seems they put in some effort to cover it up. Normally no one would notice."
At that moment, Grímr came over too.
"Is there still a hidden chamber here? I thought this place was already a ruin," Grímr remarked.
"Instead of wasting time with sarcasm, why not lend a hand, senior apprentice?" Shiomi shot back with a sly edge.
He tested the stonework. The gaps between the bricks were too narrow to force open directly—it would take Magecraft to move them.
"You…" Grímr let out a long sigh.
Then, working together, the two used Magecraft to shift the bricks aside. Soon, a chamber just large enough for a person to enter opened before them.
Without hesitation, Shiomi jumped down first, landing on the stone-paved floor.
The space was three or four meters deep, surprisingly wide and empty. Not even dust lingered in the air—likely because Orkney's dampness prevented it from settling.
"How is it, Tenkei?" Aesc's voice called from above.
Shiomi casually released Runes, which floated in the air and became a light to illuminate the chamber.
"It's fine. You can come down."
No sooner had he spoken than Aesc suddenly leapt down, landing straight into Shiomi's quick arms.
"At least say something first. If I hadn't reacted in time, you'd have split your butt in two." Shiomi complained.
"But isn't a butt already in two pieces?" Aesc laughed brightly. "Besides, I knew Tenkei would catch me."
"…Fair enough."
As Shiomi set her down, Grímr also dropped into the chamber, landing with ease.
Bathed in magical light, the walls were clearly visible—and one wall in particular stood out at once.
"What's this…" Aesc murmured as she walked closer.
"A mural?" Shiomi narrowed his eyes.
The mural, drawn in simple and bold patterns, depicted six fairies alongside a massive beast, as if in the midst of a festival.
Beasts did exist in Britannia, but unlike those of Proper Human History, they were lesser fantasy species adapted to the Age of Gods environment. In truth, they were no different from natural animals, serving as a food source for fairies.
"Never seen a beast like this," Aesc muttered, examining the mural closely.
Placed beneath the Bell Chamber, the mural must have been meant for the fairies of paradise to view after the Pilgrim's Bell was struck.
The image itself was plain, marked only in the corner with a single word written in fairy script.
"That's—"
Shiomi pointed at the spot just as Aesc noticed it too.
"Doesn't look like fairy language?" she whispered.
"That's ancient Celtic script—Cernunnos," Grímr explained suddenly. "In Celtic mythology, he's the antlered god of the hunt, festivals, fertility, and more. But in Proper Human History, he's not particularly well-known."
"Why would a mural like this be hidden beneath the Bell Chamber?" Shiomi folded his arms. "Is it tied to the fairies' duty in the Garden? Or to Britannia's 'mistake'?"
"Who knows? Either way, I was given another order when I was sent here. If you refused to return to Proper Human History, I'm to remain and support all your actions, junior."
Grímr spoke in the weary tone of someone stuck with overtime, tapping Shiomi's shoulder with his staff.
"Support me?"
Shiomi was once again caught off guard, his surprise only deepening.