"Seika!" Gala rushed over as Arthur returned. "Where did you go? I was so worried!"
"Worried about me?" Arthur felt that it was off.
"No, worried that you would destroy the city!" Gala wiped the sweat off her face as she saw Arthur's mood turn sour. She laughed and looked at the two people Arthur brought along. "Isn't this guy..."
"Meet Daniel and his daughter, Roya." Arthur introduced with a smile after calming his mind. "They have something interesting to say, something the duke tried to hide from us."
Gala and Dia frowned when they heard his words. Arthur as Daniel and Roya to take a seat in the guests' room, where the witch and Demi were waiting for him. Then, Arthur asked the woodworker to tell them about Mother Rega.
"What does this have to do with us?" Dia asked with a frown. "The lives of these people are irrelevant to our goal." Her harsh words made Roya cower away behind Arthur.
"Don't be so harsh, princess." Gala walked over to Roya and picked her up. Scared at first, the young girl looked at Arthur pleadingly. However, this changed when the little spirit appeared to play with her. "You know our Seika has a soft heart."
"Dia is right," Arthur interjected. "The lives of these people aren't important to us, but the culprit behind their suffering seems to be after us."
"The traitor you asked Rinzo about?" Dia asked, to which Arthur nodded.
"They're spreading this hate against me for a reason. The traitor must feel threatened by our arrival. It means this person either works for Alva or another nation that doesn't want Freda to grow stronger."
"And how do you plan on getting to the bottom of this?" Gala asked while making faces at Roya.
"That's easy. We go ahead and ask Mother Rega." Arthur smiled. The rest looked at him with confusion.
"Seika, I think I made it a bit unclear. Mother Rega refers to The Divine Tree protecting us. It's not something..."
"That we can ask?" Arthur chuckled. "I think otherwise. The only problem is finding a way to its heart without anyone knowing. That's why I brought Daniel, who's more knowledgeable about this than us. We can also get a few leads with his help.
"We can summon the Scholar again." Dia frowned as she glanced at Daniel's haggard and simpleton appearance.
"Untrustworthy." Arthur shook his head.
"And the man who called you Lorius is more trustworthy?" Gala wickedly smiled as she glared at Daniel. Arthur was surprised that she held a grudge over that matter, but he didn't say anything about it.
"He was the only one who said what's on his mind." Arthur respectfully nodded at Daniel. The man looked at his hand with shame. "I respect that and trust such people."
"And here I thought you had trust issues. You're even more gullible than I am!" Gala rolled her eyes. "Why don't you ask him the same way you did with Rinzo?"
"Mm, it won't make a difference." Arthur scratched his head. In response to Gala's and Dia's curious gaze, he explained further. "For some reason, this man already listens to my request."
"Uh," Dia and Gala looked at each other, then back at Daniel. The man in question seemed confused and panicked about why he was stared at, making him fidget in place.
"That's why we'll be using the cover of the night to leave this place. Daniel and Roya could stay in the room next to mine. Gala, make sure you hide them well."
***
The religion worshiping the Scholar Guardian was called Schelera, derived from the word scholar. As Arthur walked into their place of worship, he saw a giant statue of a man holding a book in the middle.
'Long time since we last met, Jizo.' Arthur recognized the statue and walked over to sit in front of it. He looked at the man in front of him with a complex gaze. 'You've made me so confused.'
The matter of Solomon being the inheritor of Jizo was accepted as a fact in Freda, making Arthur question his powers. Even though they were in different timelines, it still didn't make sense to him.
"Are you lost, child?" A priest walked over to him and sat down beside him. "Do you seek guidance?"
"I do, holy one." Arthur smiled gently at the priest. "Can you tell me who this man is?" He pointed at the statue.
"I guess you are a traveler." The priest raised his brows in surprise. "He is the man who protects this land by granting powers to his Majesty, Solomon."
"The God of Artifacts," Arthur nodded in understanding. "Does he have a name?"
"It is said that his name is only known by a few of his most loyal followers, granting them immense powers. They pray it every day to guide them on the path of knowledge."
"Do you know of it, father?"
"Of course, for I am one of his most loyal worshipers." The priest nodded. "It guides me through the way."
"The way of artifacts?"
"Yes, and the world." The priest nodded. "What's your name, child?"
"They call me Jizo," Arthur said with a smile. The priest nodded in return, not seeming to realize what Arthur was doing.
"A lovely name," The priest nodded. "But I'm afraid you've come at the wrong time to this city, child. For it has been cursed."
"Can you feel the power within, father?" Arthur asked suddenly, not falling for his ominous words. The priest frowned.
"What do you mean, child?"
"You said that my name grants power and knowledge to whoever hears it." Arthur stood up. "Tell me, father. Can you feel the power within your soul? Can you know the divine way of the world now that you know of my name?"
"Who are you?" The priest hurried to stand up and backed away. It seems the words Arthur said left him deeply unnerved. "Please leave, for we do not accept sinners."
"On your knees, father," Arthur commanded as he looked at the statue. The priest fell on his knees against his will as Arthur walked up to the statue. He placed his hand on the rough surface of the stone. "Say your goodbyes to your god."
The priest watched with fear as the statue of his god turned to dust in front of him. His lips parted, trembling.
"Who are you?"
"I am Lorius, the man you wanted to warn me about." Arthur turned with a grin. "Tell me, who ordered you to spread this?"
"I... I..."
The man wanted to lie but couldn't bring himself to do it. Arthur walked over as he used the Art Submission. He looked down on the priest as his eyes shone brightly.
"Answer me truthfully. Who told you to do this?"
"A masked man!" The priest shouted, almost screaming on top of his lung. His voice made it as if he wanted to announce it to the world.
"Do you know who he is?" Arthur asked.
"I followed him; he went into the duke's house! That's all I know!" The priest revealed. "Please, let me live. Show mercy!"
"I refuse. Perish, never to breathe again."
Arthur said coldly and turned to walk away. The priest grabbed his neck as he was suddenly unable to breathe. He squirmed in place until he moved no longer.
"This is your punishment for speaking for gods you don't know of," Arthur muttered with cold rage. At the end of the hall sat Gala with her dark spirit, keeping guard.
"The God of Artifacts will be wrathful of such disrespect. Aren't you afraid?" Gala asked with a smile as she jumped and followed after him.
"The gods are dead," Arthur answered coldly. "But they have no intention of leaving the world alone."
***
The five walked through the dark streets, heading toward the giant tree in the distance. No one could see them as they were under Gala's spirit's protection. They walked until they were in a public square where a giant root came out of the ground.
"This is one of Mother Gala's roots, connected to the heart," Daniel explained. "This is what you asked for, one of the parts that aren't protected extensively."
"Good job, here you go!" Arthur threw a gold coin from his subspace.
"No need, Seika." There wasn't even a hint of greed in Daniel's eyes. "I did this because I believe you'll rescue our city."
"Shut up and take it. It's for Roya." Arthur said and ignored Daniel, walking toward the root.
"What are you doing, Seika?" Gala asked with interest.
"The reason I told you that we could ask the tree because I can hear it," Arthur said as he teleported and appeared in front of the ancient root. "I can hear them clearly, the tree's cries for help." He placed his hand on the tree's root and closed his eyes. "I'll help you, so allow me in."
Suddenly, a mountain-toppling wind appeared and pushed everyone back. Mother Rega gave a defeating sound as a light shone from its every leaf.
"Welcome back," An ancient voice said in Arthur's mind.