At Maya's request, Riezel canceled Energy Drain that affected her, restoring her original strength, and then returned the golden scepter he had previously taken from her.
Needless to say, the golden scepter was an exceptionally high-quality artifact since it could increase the wielder's magic activation speed and shorten magic chanting time, amplify magic power, and minimize magical energy consumption.
In terms of value, the scepter even surpassed Raven's Rebellion and Moniz.
Thanks to the scepter, Maya could unleash that high-speed and powerful meteor-like flash magic so smoothly, even skipping the chant entirely. Its assistance also allowed her to summon a magic mirror at incredible speed, absorbing and reflecting attacks with remarkable efficiency.
For Maya, the scepter was especially important, more so than the enchanted robe she wore, which granted her flight and had even protected her from Riezel's Thunderclap and Flash without a scratch.
After reclaiming the scepter, Maya turned to the temple and began chanting a long, intricate, and mysterious incantation.
*Rumble—*
As Maya chanted, the temple began to tremble before the invisible barrier surrounding it finally revealed itself, glowing like a radiant golden wall, and as she continued chanting, ancient, profound runes emerged across the shimmering barrier, starting to dance, aligning themselves as if returning to their rightful places.
Eventually, they interlocked and imprinted themselves onto the barrier in neat rows and columns.
"Go in."
Maya withdrew her scepter and spoke coolly.
Everyone exchanged glances, hesitating.
Clearly, they still harbored some wariness toward Maya and dared not act rashly.
Even Raven, who had been relentlessly trying to break through the temple's barrier—so desperate to charge inside that he would have gladly sliced the whole structure in half—did not immediately trust this mysterious woman who had suddenly appeared and opened the way.
Maya, however, didn't seem to care what Raven and the others thought or whether they intended to enter, and simply looked at Riezel and Lizbeth, showing that she had evidently opened this entrance specifically for Riezel and Lizbeth, so whether Raven and the others chose to follow was of no concern to her.
Riezel glanced at Maya for a moment before stepping forward without hesitation, walking straight up the staircase as if he had no concerns about any possible traps.
"Master!"
Seeing Riezel step onto the stairs, Lizbeth naturally wouldn't stay behind, so she hurried to follow.
Maya trailed silently behind Lizbeth, sticking close to Riezel and Lizbeth without sparing a glance at Raven and the others.
"...Let's go. We're going in too."
Raven spoke after a brief silence, making the others nod in agreement.
Just like that, everyone followed Riezel and Lizbeth, stepping onto the stairs and ascending toward the temple's highest level.
Because the staircase was long, at least several hundred meters, it took Riezel and the others quite some time before they finally reached the temple's summit, arriving at the only door leading inside.
Standing before the massive door, Maya chanted another incantation, but the chant this time was brief—just a short phrase. Still, neither Riezel nor Nibald could understand what she was saying or even identify the language she was using.
Soon, as if pushed by an invisible force, the massive door slowly began to open.
"Alright, I'll lead the way from here."
Maya said this as she stepped in front of Riezel and Lizbeth, but unlike before, her gaze also fell on the others—she wasn't completely ignoring them this time.
"Before we enter, however, there are a few warnings I need to make clear."
Maya spoke coldly.
"First, once we're inside, you're not allowed to wander off without my permission, and you absolutely cannot leave halfway."
"Second, do not touch anything in there, and definitely don't take anything."
"Third, this is a temple dedicated to God. I hope you'll show some respect and offer a prayer. Of course, I won't force you. If you want to do it, go ahead. If not, then forget it."
"Lastly, aside from these two, the rest of you better keep your distance from me. Otherwise, don't blame me for being rude."
Maya pointed her scepter at Riezel and Lizbeth, while her gaze toward the others remained as hostile as before.
It was like the saying—once bitten, twice shy.
After what happened last time, when outsiders knocked her out, Maya was clearly on guard, so that last warning was probably because of that.
And so, after delivering her warnings, Maya didn't wait for a response and simply turned around to face the massive temple door as if her announcement was final.
"Follow me."
Saying this, Maya stepped inside first.
Seeing this, Riezel was just about to follow when Raven and Nibald blocked his way.
"Can we trust her?"
Now that they were about to enter the temple, Raven finally voiced his doubts.
Nibald seemed to share the same concern.
"Who exactly is that priestess?"
Nibald lowered his voice and asked Riezel while glancing at Maya's back.
"I can tell she has a considerable amount of magical energy, maybe even more than me. And her attitude toward us is... well, let's just say she's not exactly friendly and clearly doesn't trust us. Someone this mysterious just showing up out of nowhere—can we really rely on her and follow her in?"
While this happened, the others stayed put, waiting for Riezel to make a decision.
What they didn't know was that even Riezel himself wasn't entirely sure about Maya's attitude. Since she had been deceived by outsiders before, she had initially been dead set against letting him and the others enter the temple, but now, she was suddenly willing to lead them in.
Needless to say, the shift was way too abrupt.
He didn't think it was because she felt threatened by him and was afraid, simply because when he had used Man-Eating Rats to scare her, even though she was terrified to the point of trembling, she still refused to back down.
For someone like her to change her mind this quickly, there had to be an important reason, and that reason most likely had to do with one particular person.
He couldn't help but glance at Lizbeth out of the corner of his eye.
At this moment, Lizbeth, staying close by his side, still looked a bit lost and uneasy as she unconsciously clutched his sleeve as if relying on him.
Lizbeth held Moslow tightly in her arms, but the golden sword was completely still, showing none of the activity she had described before—how it had apparently dragged her inside on its own.
Looking at Lizbeth like this, Riezel then answered Nibald's question without revealing any of his thoughts.
"According to her, there's some powerful magic hidden beneath this city. If that magic gets activated, intruders like us are gonna be in serious danger."
"From the way she talks about it, she seems to have a lot of faith in that so-called grand magic. I mean, if that were the case, she wouldn't need to lure us into the temple just to trigger some traps. If she really wanted to deal with us, activating that magic would be way faster and easier, right?"
In other words, if this was a trap, it would be kind of unnecessary, so regardless of what, Riezel had no intention of backing down here.
"If you guys are worried, then just stay here and wait for us." Riezel continued casually. "She only changed her attitude because of Lizbeth, so me and her going in should be enough."
He then reached out and took Lizbeth's small hand.
Lizbeth immediately gripped his hand tightly, like holding onto him would give her more courage.
Riezel gave her a small smile, and then, hand in hand, they walked into the temple.
Seeing this, everyone watched quietly and didn't act right away.
Raven and Nibald exchanged a glance, and neither decided to follow.
"Father... what do we do?" Kaiser couldn't hold back and asked.
"Are we really just going to wait here? Should we send some people to follow them first?" Axel added.
"How about I go? If I take too long to come back, then you guys should retreat immediately." Diego even suggested.
Hearing this, Raven didn't respond right away but closed his eyes and pondered.
"I'll go." Nibald said, pulling out his staff and gripping it while two wyverns stood beside him. "Since this temple is a ruin left behind by the ancient magic civilization, I should be able to gather more intel if I go in."
Hearing this, Raven opened his eyes and spoke up.
"No, I'm going too. Yes, that priestess is certainly suspicious, but the Lightning Sword Saint also has a point. Given this is her territory, if she really had some powerful magic set up here, she wouldn't need to lure us into a trap."
"Of course, your concerns aren't unreasonable."
"But just in case, not everyone should go in at once."
Raven then turned to his three sons.
"You three take half the knights and stay here, while the rest will come with me and Nibald."
Upon hearing this, the three Mavros brothers seemed reluctant, but under Raven's firm gaze, they had no choice but to nod obediently.
"I'll be counting on you, Nibald." Raven said, turning to Nibald.
"Hoho, what's there to count on?"
Nibald chuckled and lightly shook his head.
"I came here to assist you anyway. Even though we didn't run into that mysterious disappearance incident, I already have some leads on it. Now, getting to explore ancient ruins that no one's ever seen before doesn't sound too bad."
"Besides, this whole situation is really piquing my curiosity."
"Not only did the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon's body end up in this state, but unknown ancient ruins are sitting right here with someone guarding them."
"You know, all of this is just fueling my thirst for knowledge."
Nibald then let out a carefree laugh.
"Now that I've got the chance to step into the heart of the ancient ruins, there's no way I'm missing it."
From these words, Nibald's intent was clear as day to Raven.
"In that case, I'll be counting on you, Nibald."
Raven, for once, let out a rare smile.
Ultimately, the two shared a look before stepping forward together, leading half the knights into the temple.
As for the other half, along with the three Mavros brothers, they remained in place, silently watching them disappear into the temple.
===
It could be said that the interior of the temple wasn't as grand as it looked from the outside.
It was vast and spacious, but unlike its outward appearance, the inside wasn't heavily decorated or furnished, giving it a somewhat simple look that resembled the hall of a museum.
Even though stone pillars stood tall around the space, they were only carved with a series of images, with no other intricate engravings. As for the walls, they were the same, covered with images that looked like ancient murals—simple lines, rough strokes.
However, aside from their historical value, they didn't seem to have much artistic significance.
Led by Maya, Riezel and Lizbeth stepped inside, taking in the seemingly omnipresent murals.
"Master..."
Lizbeth spoke softly while tugging at Riezel's clothes.
"I know..."
Riezel nodded at Lizbeth since he knew what she wanted to say.
Evidently, the murals around them, whether from their lines or the atmosphere they carried, bore a striking resemblance to the style of the drawings on the animal skin Lizbeth had once carried.
Moreover, the murals here also felt just like the rubbing of the murals found in the ruins unearthed in Sinielle that Yuri had shown to Riezel.
It was basically confirmed that this ancient city was indeed a remnant of the ancient magic civilization.
Just as Riezel and Lizbeth came to this realization, Maya suddenly spoke.
"Our Great God... the God we worship descended upon this world long, long ago, bringing us the future."
Maya spoke with a solemn tone.
"A long time ago, before humans learned magic, before they wielded supernatural power, life on this continent was incredibly harsh."
"Monsters roamed freely, possessing strength and savagery beyond anything humans could hope to match."
"In the face of those powerful monsters, humans were nothing but prey, devoured, toyed with, trampled, and slaughtered."
"Until suddenly, before humanity's helpless eyes, our God descended from the heavens."
Maya's voice took on a reverent tone.
"From God, we learned magic."
"From God, we gained power."
"As a result, humans worshiped God, served God, and devoted themselves to God, beginning their long struggle against the monsters under divine light."
"I don't know how much time has passed outside, but it seems you people have forgotten our God. I suppose the era you live in must be vastly different from mine?"
Maya then led Riezel and Lizbeth to the deepest part of the temple.
"Now, see for yourselves."
"See the form of our God humanity once worshiped."
"Open your eyes—this is our God."
Maya knelt, bowing in prayer before the statue ahead, while Riezel and Lizbeth raised their heads to look.
However, the moment their gazes landed on the statue, both of their pupils shrank.
"I-Isn't that—?!"
Lizbeth exclaimed softly, staring at Riezel in shock.
Riezel, on the other hand, had his eyes fixated on the statue before him, falling into silence.
Right before them, a statue sat atop a high platform.
It was a square-shaped statue that looked familiar.
'Dimensional Magic Cube...'
Riezel thought solemnly and fell into deep thought.