131: Chapter 84 Echoes of Aphrodite 131: Chapter 84 Echoes of Aphrodite Standing beneath the smooth stone wall of the fortress, Leon gazed at the banner hanging from the battlements, the pattern of white flames encircling a center, looking more and more familiar the longer he looked.
Apart from the fire at the bottom of the emblem pointing upwards instead of spreading outwards, he always felt that this symbol was strangely similar to the Holy Sun Wheel of the Church from the original host’s memories.
Suppressing the sense of déjà vu in his heart, Leon, holding a Spirit Lamp, walked into the wide city gates.
Both layers of thick steel gateways were left open, and as he led the horse through the Village, he could see sundry items scattered along the pathway, as if left behind in the rush of a crowd’s hasty escape.
In this time-disrupted domain, Leon could almost hear the noisy bustle of the population rapidly evacuating.
He picked up a doddering dry cloth bag at the roadside that crumbled at the touch, revealing the desiccated, misshapen grains of long-lost food within.
These were grains from many years past, their decay halted halfway as if frozen in time by the space-time anomaly.
Continuing forward, he saw not a single living creature on his journey; neither corpses nor Undead existed, the town was utterly deserted.
And as he strolled down the spacious road, observing the neat rows of houses along the wayside,
Though this town castle wasn’t large, likely housing no more than a thousand souls, its internal planning was far more advanced than the messy medieval towns beyond.
Not to mention the oddly-shaped lampposts seen at intervals, nor the uniformly distributed sewer covers beside the road.
The sight of the aqueduct bridge spanning down from halfway up the mountain, propped high on arches and connected to what seemed like water reservoir facilities, filled Leon with an appreciation for the rational and refined beauty of its architecture.
somewhat resembled the buildings of the ancient district of Rolannar from the original host’s memories.
Passing the Fountain Square with its crystal-clear water, he arrived at the farthest area of the town castle, before a stone staircase leading upwards to a towering spire.
By now, Leon no longer needed to glare at the dazzling Spirit Lamp; the soul of the Flame Sun Guard was undeniably guiding him toward the spire above.
Not wanting to trouble his exhausted mount, Leon tethered it by the side of the fountain pool in the square and, with Kovis accompanying him, stepped onto the staircase.
“Leon, I can feel an astonishing Magic Power continuously pouring into that tower.
Are you certain there are no dangers here?” Kovis panted as he carried his heavy Long Spear behind his companion, asking perplexedly.
Naturally, Leon, who knew nothing about Magic, couldn’t assure him, so, out of no choice, he turned to ask inwardly, “Miss Lora, since you’re so eager to have a look, do you know what this place is?”
“This is a small fortress built around a Mage’s dwelling.”
Miss Lora’s voice quietly answered, “I just saw a familiar sign and wanted to confirm if this place belonged to an acquaintance from the past, and to check on her safety.”
You mean your friend might still be alive?” Leon asked in surprise.
“If the cause of this Spirit-like Field originates from her, then being alive…
is not a good thing.”
After saying this, Lora fell silent, as if unwilling to discuss further.
Leon prudently decided not to pursue the conversation.
At the end of the staircase, suddenly, the Spirit Lamp in his hand burst into peak radiance.
It was as if the soul within had reached its long-sought destination.
Leon placed the blinding Pathfinder on the ground temporarily, which allowed him to look unimpeded at the roughly forty-meter-high spire in front of him.
The building somewhat resembled the Gothic style he had seen in his previous life.
The large tower’s main body had sharp, distinct edges, its carved eaves adorned with windows of intricate, elaborate stained glass, exquisitely beautiful.
A ring of neat flying buttresses encircled either side of the tower, and atop each pinnacle of the buttresses embedded an unknown material of translucent crystals.
Leon instructed the youth behind him, “I’ll go in and take a look.
Just to be safe, wait for me outside.”
“You’re really going in?” Kovis’s eyes showed some concern, as boldly entering the architecture reminiscent of a Mage Tower was hardly a prudent choice.
Leon nodded, after all, he was obligated by Lola’s request.
Besides, his curiosity had peaked, and not entering to look would leave him tormented with the unease of a clawing cat.
Approaching the entrance of the tower, he reached out hesitantly, then, with a final cautious query to Lora, “Your friend wouldn’t have set up Magic Traps on her own doorstep, would she?”
He had truly been frightened by these Mages, unable to pick up Pilireno’s Magic Wand, forbidden to wear the Armor of the Flame Sun Guard, as if anything related to Magic was booby-trapped.
“The Magic Technique at the entrance is not activated, and all surrounding Magic Power is completely being gathered into the tower by a kind of ‘Great Magic.’ Go in with peace of mind,” Lora explained faintly.
Taking her word, Leon pressed against the heavy doors and, with a creaking of hinges, pushed them open with force.
The first thing that met his eyes was a smooth floor seemingly carved from a giant slab of marble.
Marveling at the luxurious material of the flooring, he looked up to see the high gallery dome, giving the interior of the building an especially spacious feel.
Unknown Crystal Stones around the columns cast dazzling light, illuminating the entire circular hall.
Leon’s gaze settled on the far end of the hall, and his eyes involuntarily widened.
At the end of his view, on a semicircular stone base built against the wall, supported by arches, stood a seamless stone throne.