"Wow, so this is the Ancient Ruins!!"
Alicia's awed voice echoed through the empty ruins.
All around them lay piles of crumbling stone, countless fragments of Spirit statues scattered across the vast space. Overhead, a massive stone ceiling blocked out the sky, while countless glowing crystals illuminated the chamber.
"Hehe, that's right. This is our academy's Site No.3: Ancient Ruins. The Spirit Tablets of the Three Sacred Beasts were unearthed right here!"
Claire's eyes gleamed fondly, like a mother gazing at her child, as she looked around the familiar ruins. "This place holds countless stories, ranging from the empires of ancient times to the daily lives of ancient Spirits. From this ruin alone, we've discovered tale after tale and written research papers that astonished the nation—and even the world.
"For us researchers, this site is as familiar as home. Yet even now, we occasionally find new stories hidden here… like the Spirit Tablets of the Three Sacred Beasts."
At the mention of the Three Sacred Beasts, both Alicia and Yuui glanced toward her, and Claire continued, "Of course, the tablets have already been sealed away by the Dean. We're no longer permitted to research such dangerous artifacts, even though there are still so many mysteries we haven't solved.
"For example, who sealed the Three Sacred Beasts in the first place? They're Divine-level Spirits. To seal all three, the one responsible must also have been at the Divine level.
"In spite of that, none of the known legends of Divine Spirits mention any battle involving the Three Sacred Beasts. And another strange fact is this… the Three Sacred Beasts actually appeared once, just over a hundred years ago!"
"A hundred years ago!?" Alicia asked in surprise. "But didn't you say before that the Three Sacred Beasts were sealed away thousands of years ago?"
"Yes, that's true," Claire nodded, her expression conflicted. "That's what makes it so strange. We examined the barrier that sealed them, and it clearly dates back several millennia. It's a very old sealing formation, one that's been active for over a thousand years.
"The principle behind the seal is to constantly absorb the Beasts' own power to reinforce itself. The stronger they grow, the stronger the seal becomes. That's why, after the seal was broken by accident, their power was so diminished—they could no longer match the might of true Divine Spirits.
"So, we can confirm that the Three Sacred Beasts weren't sealed in recent centuries but thousands of years ago. Yet the historical records of them appearing a hundred years ago... simply don't make sense.
"After the incident, our research team applied for access to the kingdom's archives about the Three Sacred Beasts. What we found was that several noble families recorded sightings of the Beasts around a century ago. We even reached out to those families to investigate further..."
It was as though someone had flipped a switch—Instructor Claire began speaking rapidly, detailing every research challenge and unanswered question, even pulling out a notebook to jot down her hypotheses.
At first, Alicia listened with interest, but before long, her head began to spin. The gluttonous girl had never been a fan of studying; most of what she knew had been forced into her brain by Yuui—and would probably fall out again someday.
Meanwhile, Yuui was frowning in thought, considering all the implications. The Three Sacred Beasts should have been sealed a millennium ago, yet had reappeared a century back… something didn't add up.
Finally, when Alicia could no longer endure Claire's nonstop analysis, she sheepishly raised her hand and interrupted with an awkward smile. "Instructor Claire... maybe we should go see the site where the Three Sacred Beasts were found first?"
"Ah! Oh—oh, right, my apologies!" Claire blinked, realizing how carried away she'd become. Scratching her hair with an embarrassed smile, she said, "Once I start talking research, I tend to forget about everything else. All right… let's go see the discovery site. After all, it's part of my thanks to you!"
Moments later, Claire led Alicia to the excavation pit where they had first uncovered the Spirit Tablets. Several researchers were still working there, examining the surroundings. These were the same researchers who had once fallen victim to the Three Sacred Beasts.
To continue their work here after what had happened… it spoke volumes about their dedication.
"Instructor Claire!" x3
The researchers immediately stood and bowed as she approached. Though some of them were older than Claire, all treated her with respect.
That was not only because of her noble rank, but also her superior research ability.
Then the group noticed the girl standing behind her. One balding male researcher scowled and asked, "Instructor Claire, who might this be?"
"Oh, you may not know her personally, but I'm sure you've heard of her. In fact, I believe you share my gratitude toward her." Claire gently pushed Alicia forward and smiled. "This is Alicia—the girl who first discovered the presence of the Three Sacred Beasts. Thanks to her quick report to the Dean, we were able to escape alive."
The group froze for a moment, then their faces lit with gratitude.
"So you're Alicia! My apologies… I've been too busy with research since leaving the hospital to thank you properly."
"Yes, without you, we'd all have died to the Three Sacred Beasts! Our families would have lost us forever!"
"Thank you, Miss Alicia. My name is Robert Case. You didn't just save me—you saved the entire Case family. If you ever need help, I'll do everything I can!"
One after another, the researchers expressed their heartfelt thanks. For Alicia—who had recently been shunned by her classmates—it was a rare moment of acceptance, and her heart filled with joy.
Yuui, however, didn't notice her reaction. The second they entered the pit, he felt a strange sense of familiarity tugging at him, drawing his gaze toward one particular spot.
"This feeling..."
...
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