The next day, they quickly came to Sevalia with Sisha and the others.

I'm not sure I've ever seen such a thing. It's a port city, so it's very lively.

Mmm, nice breeze too. It's going to be nice to sleep outside.

　Luna has a pleasant look on her face while her hair is being stirred by the wind blowing from the ocean.
　'Can you not think about sleeping early in your new town........

''The first place we're heading to is a place called the Temple of Testudo, right?

Yeah.

　Within yesterday, I had heard from Loken-san about the location of the temple where Testudo-sama is worshipped.
　He said it's the most magnificent shrine, but I don't think it's already on the scale of a shrine when it's a temple...
　I can't wait to see what kind of place it is.

"Okura-dono, there's something a little strange about Moffoot from earlier.

Hmm?　What's wrong with Moffat?

　I had brought Moffoot along with me today to see the sights together.
　I looked over at Moffoot, who was being held by Noor, curled up in a furball and shivering with his face down.
　What was wrong with him this morning when he was bouncing around so energetically and playing with Noor and Freesia?

'You're shaking and not very well. What's wrong with you?

'You look as if you're scared of something but shouldn't we send you home?

That's right.... Are you going home, Moffitt?

　When Noor asked him that, Moffitt purred and shook his head.
　I had no choice, so I moved to a secluded area and sent Moffoot back to his home with Noor at the beacon.
　It's a bit disturbing to see him shaking like that all of a sudden.

'Sisha, did you feel anything when you came to this town?'

Hmmm, nothing special at the moment.

'But there must be something special about this town after all, for Moffitt to be so frightened?

　He was indeed trembling as if he was scared of something.
　I heard that demons don't come close to these waters, and I wondered if there was some mysterious power related to the guardian gods at work.......but Sisha doesn't feel anything?
　I'm having a hard time deciding if it's really nothing, or if it's because Sisha is that much of a priest that she doesn't feel it.......
　A little while later, I received an incoming call from Noor, so I used the beacon to call him back.

''Ugh, I was looking forward to being able to tour the town with Moffoot...''

'It can't be helped, Noor. Let's get Moffat a souvenir for that.

That's right, sir...

　Noll's shoulders slumped in disappointment.
　He was so excited that he's going out with Moffat this morning.
　When I'm done visiting the temple, I'll help him find some souvenirs.

　I pulled myself together and started to head to the Temple of Testudo.
　The Temple of Testudo seems to be the highest place in town, a little far from the sea.
　I heard that you can see the sea for a long distance and there is a different lighthouse from the harbor.
　We walked for a while while asking the townspeople for directions, we came to a place a little away from the center through the residential area.
　Then we saw a wide, neatly laid out white road, and the buildings around it were gradually decreasing.
　And then we continued walking on the gentle slope.

Oh, is this the temple where the guardian god is enshrined?

'It's called a temple, and that's quite a difference compared to the shrine we saw last time.

　A large, white structure came into view.
　Not to mention our house, it's much bigger than the Society of the King's City.
　Looking at the round pillars and triangular roof made of marble-like stone, it looks like a temple that looks like something out of Atlantis or something.
　It's not on the level of a shrine anymore........

　As me and Noor were gazing at the temple, we heard a roar beside us.
　When I looked at it, I saw that it was Freesia, putting her fingers to her temples in thought.

''Mmmm.......this feeling, it's similar to the last hint of this....

What, you mean the last time you were at the shrine?

'Yes!　Like there's something there, or not... but it still feels like there's something there!

　You're feeling something again.
　

'Mmm, what a place. It's intimidating and uncomfortable.

I didn't know you could feel it, even Luna. So I guess it's not really my imagination, then.

　It wasn't just Freesia, even Luna reacted.
　Her eyebrows are bent into a figure eight and she looks very uncomfortable.
　Is she intimidating enough for Luna to be uncomfortable.......considering she's a vampire, is there something sacred at work here?
　Then let's ask Sisha, who is the real deal.

By the way, what about Sisha, the one and only?

　Noll seemed to be thinking the same thing and asked Sisha before me.
　When asked, Sisha lifted the corners of her mouth and smiled confidently.
　Oh, this looks like something to expect.

''Uh-huh, I have no idea.''

You can't do that!　You had a habit of sounding so confident yesterday!

'I don't have a choice!　If you think you know everything just because you're a priest, you're wrong!

'Then I hope you don't look so confident...'

　I agree. This guy has a confusing reaction to every single one of them!
　Then he and Sisha cursed at each other loudly for a while.

'Um, can I help you?'

　Suddenly I was approached and turned around to see a woman with short purple hair swinging and tilting her head.
　She was dressed in a long-sleeved jacket and long skirt, giving the impression that she was a bit like a shrine maiden, but with a blue base, it was something else.
　It's as if they heard us making a lot of noise and came out of a nearby hut.

'Oh, no, it's nothing. I'm sorry for making such a racket.

If that's the case, gentlemen, are you here for worship?

Yes, that's what I thought. Is your sister from this temple?

'Yes, my name is Irina, I'm in the service of Master Testudo. I would be happy to show you around if you'd like to...

We are begging you, sir!

Okay. Well, come on in.

　Saying that, Irina-san started walking towards the temple, so we followed her.
　When we entered the temple, the air was cool and dark.
　However, there are some things that are magical or emitting lights here and there, creating a fantastic atmosphere.
　I passed several men and women on the way, I bowed my head because every person has bowed lightly.
　Hmmm ... I don't like this kind of atmosphere, it's a bit stuffy.

''Serving a guardian goddess, is your sister a priestess?

I'm not connected to the church, so I'm a bit different from a priest. However, I can use recovery magic and the like, so it's probably similar.

　Since she is only a servant of a guardian god, does she have the same power as a priestess?
　Indeed, Irina-san looks neat and clean itself, and she gives off a mysterious atmosphere.
　It's very different from the priestesses we know best.

''........What is it, those eyes....

No, it's nothing.

　When I glanced at him, I met eye to eye with the zit-eyed Sisha and looked away in a hurry.
　This guy seems to know what I was thinking........

''Luna-san, your face has become stern since earlier, are you alright?

I'm fine. It's just that I'm starting to get a bad feeling about it.

'Yes. I can feel something in the back of this thing binging....

　She said she was uncomfortable when she arrived at this temple, but Luna looks disgusted, wrinkling her brows even more.
　Freesia also had her usual joviality until around the entrance, but now she has a serious look on her face.
　I wonder what in the world is ahead of me.

　Then we passed through a long passage and arrived at the back of the temple.......it was a large hall.
　The interior is dome-shaped and the ceiling is covered with colored glass.
　The sunlight shone through it, illuminating the interior in various colors, giving it an even more mysterious atmosphere.
　However, even this scene is buried by the presence of an object placed in the center.

'This is the altar room where you will be praying to Lord Testudo.

This is....

　In the center of this room, which was said to be the Altar Room, was a mysterious object with a craggy, rock-like surface.
　It had a pattern of hexagonal scales and was about ten meters long and wide.
　It was jaggedly chipped at the edges and not that thick. It looks like a piece of something.
　What's this, it doesn't look like just a rock... but it looks like it's on a pedestal and is dedicated, so I wonder if it's an important thing.

This is a part of the body that is said to have been given to him by Master Testudo long ago. It is a magical ward, so please do not touch it carelessly.

　Heh ... yourself?　Does that mean it's part of the body of a guardian god!
　It's even worse than I thought it would be!

This is a body part how big was the body?

I can't believe these things are still around. This Master Testudo was a real person.

Of course. That's why Testudo is still the most revered of all the guardian gods, and it's recorded that he descended once, about five hundred years ago, to save the city from a crisis.

'What, the guardian god came out...?

　Descent.....Is there really a Testudo-sama?
　And it seems to be about 500 years ago, or something like that, a long time ago, but it seems relatively recent.

　The story goes back to about 500 years ago, when this town wasn't yet named Sevalia.
　One day, a demon invaded the town.
　The people resisted desperately, but they were overwhelmed by the strength of the monsters and demons and the town was on the verge of collapse, but then Lord Testudo descended.
　The demons were frightened by the overwhelming power that shattered mountains and land, and the demons were unable to resist and were reduced to dust.
　The harbor that was turned into a bay yesterday is said to have been built by the guardian gods during the battle.
　Gutting out the land like that, it's not at the level of a monster.......

　After that, Testudo-sama shared a part of his body with the people, and it is said that demons stopped coming near the town where it was dedicated, and peace came to this town.
　During the war with the demons 200 years ago, the demons seemed to be afraid of Master Testudo, but they didn't get involved in this town at all.

''Hah, so Testudo-sama is amazing...''

Yes. So much so that it is said that the reason why Sevalia exists today is because of Master Testudo.

　Irina-san has a big smile on her face at my words.
　Hmm, to be honest, it feels a bit stinky, but in this world, it's not surprising that such an existence exists.
　However, I wonder why Testudo-sama was on the side of others.
　...Well, it was a long time ago, and there's no way to know exactly what happened at the time.
　At any rate, since Testudo-sama protected this town, he's worshipped as a god.
　In fact, there's a part of an unknowable guardian deity right in front of me, so I'll just pray desperately that I don't get haunted here.

●

　After we finished praying to Lord Testudo, we left the temple.

'I didn't believe in guardian gods half the time, but that makes me think you were there.

That's true. If you listen to that man, it's no wonder the fishermen in the harbor believed in him so much!

And since you're even talking about demons, it must have something to do with the investigation you asked me to do this time.

　They chased away the demons and even built a bay to serve as a harbor, so that's why the fishermen would believe in it, right?
　And I was also surprised to find out that demons were mentioned in the old stories.
　But if the story is true, then there's something else that bothers me.
　They didn't come to this town even in the conflict 200 years ago, so why would a witch come to this area now?
　Perhaps the diabolus found this time, the possibility that no demons were involved in the Diabolus came up.
　.........Yeah, I have no idea if I think about it.

''So, I wonder if Sisha and the others have learned anything from going to the altar?

'I didn't feel anything until I got there, but as soon as I walked into that altar room, it felt strange. It wasn't a sacred object, but it was like a residual thought... something close to spiritual.

　Sisha puts her hand to her chin and looks unusually serious.
　Residual thoughts, and spiritual or........does that mean that something invisible was in that temple?
　Oh no, I don't like ghosts....

After I went in there, I felt the same presence as the shrine on the cliff. Because I felt that presence, I shot an arrow at it.

　After entering the altar room, even Freesia was silent as if she was wary of something.
　Was there a proper meaning to that incomprehensible behavior?

''.......It was oppressive and terribly uncomfortable. That was also the reason why Moffitt was shaking.

　After leaving the temple, Luna had her usual blank expression, but she was in a bit of a cold sweat.
　To put so much pressure on Luna, who was usually unmoved, the guardian god was not a good-looking man.
　Besides, Moffitt's reaction when he entered this town made sense after hearing the old story.
　Moffoot is a demon too, so he must have been affected by Testudo-sama's influence in a big way.
　It's not a sacred thing, but an existence that has influence over demons and monsters.......it would be more satisfying to be called a powerful demon rather than a god or something.

They say he descended, but does it mean that he's still so influential, that this Master Testudo still exists?

Even if you only saw the body parts on the altar, they were huge, weren't they? If he was alive and well, where in the world could he be...?

　I didn't know which part of its body that rock-like piece was, but the main body seems to be quite large, that's for sure.
　This is much bigger than the Behemoths and Lupes Rexes we've fought.
　If such a thing is around here, it should be easy to find it, but there are many mysteries, Master Testudo.