Like heavenly thunder piercing the earth, the golden light of "Destruction" threatened to tear the Dawn Machine apart and collapse the firmament. In an instant, across countless cave-heavens in Amphoreus, everyone felt the heavens and earth overturn as mountains and rivers trembled. It truly seemed as if the Reignbow Arbiter had descended once more to loose star-arrows, shattering the spirit wood and sending clouds of dust rising…
Caelus coughed lightly twice. Wrong scene—this was Amphoreus, not The Trailblazer's Heroic Saga.
So… did the waterwheel move?
The answer was obvious.
— — No, because a waterwheel needs water to turn. What a shame.
Seeing this, Castorice fidgeted with her hands, struggling to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"..."
Caelus covered his face. "Please… stop laughing…"
"I'm not…"
Despite her words, a soft chuckle still escaped her lips.
Mem (She is, but she's a good partner, so I held it in!)
Mem delivered the perfect finishing blow.
[ Hahahaha, I'm literally dying laughing. ]
[ Time to give Amphoreus a little Trailblaze shock. ]
[ Wrong—this is Elation's shock! ]
[ Yeah, why hasn't Aha cast their gaze yet? What exactly are you doing with that potion? ]
[ Sigh, the Trailblazer is still way too over-the-top! ]
[ Now this is getting interesting! ]
[ Mem is so cute. I want to raise one! ]
[ Careful—when you get home she might turn into a beautiful girl and cling to you forever. ]
— —
After the failed attempt, Caelus and the others had no choice but to continue following Calypso's guidance.
They arrived at a strange palace.
"Ahead is… the 'Weeping Purification Chamber'?" Castorice said, recognizing the familiar building.
Calypso nodded. "Good memory."
[ Wait, how does Die know this place? ]
[ She's a student here—wait, since when did she become "your" Die? ]
[ I suspect you're insulting me, but I have no evidence. ]
— —
Calypso then explained that they needed to obtain the "Golden Bough Oath" ahead to reach higher levels of the Grove and rescue Anaxa. She also clearly wanted to take this chance to test everyone's strength.
As an equivalent exchange, it was perfectly reasonable.
At this point, even Castorice couldn't object. "My lord, our interests are aligned right now, so let's follow her instructions for the time being. Besides, she knows about my past… Though it's inconvenient to explain, she has reason to be wary of me. If her true target turns out to be you… please rest assured, I'll step in immediately."
After some twists and turns, they finally reached the Golden Bough Oath.
Castorice spoke reverently, "I hope the Titan will not direct their anger at us."
Caelus patted his chest. "It's fine. I have several Aeons backing me up."
Castorice nodded silently. "If only THEY could interfere in the Titan's affairs as well."
[ That might not be a good thing! ]
[ Some Aeons are already interfering. ]
[ Ah, right, right, right. ]
— —
"Heh… magnificent, resplendent, glittering with light… truly just like back then."
Without any warning, Calypso suddenly appeared beside them, startling Mem once again.
Mem (Yah?! Little Ka, my heart is already so tiny—don't suddenly pop out and scare me like that… This is the second time!)
Calypso gave a slight nod. "Understood. My apologies, pink little rabbit."
Mem?! (It's "pink little rabbit" again? My species really is all-inclusive…)
[ Tone down the flavor already, okay? ]
[ Seriously, this Elysia vibe is about to overflow the screen. ]
[ Come on, hurry up and transform into a beautiful girl! ]
Afterward, once they had secured the Golden Bough Oath, Calypso led them through a side path back to the altar.
Caelus plucked a petal and placed it inside. Castorice recited the oath once more, and the entire Grove lit up again.
With everything settled, Castorice decided to lay all her cards on the table. Previously, there might still have been room for cooperation. But now that the path upward was open, she believed this was the perfect moment. After all, true cooperation required knowing each other thoroughly—this was being responsible not only to herself, but to Caelus as well.
After some careful probing, Calypso's answers remained flawless. Once their relationship was confirmed, the group boarded the waterwheel and headed toward the throne to find Anaxa.
However, the fact that Calypso even knew about Trianne left everyone feeling she was truly unfathomable!
— —
After passing through the great hall, they finally stepped outside.
Not far away, Trianne had been waiting for them.
"Wow! Little Gray, Little Cas, and pink little dog!"
Mem put her hands on her hips, trying to calm her annoyance. Mem? (I… sigh, never mind. Little dog it is—inclusive, be inclusive!)
Castorice asked with concern, "Lord Trianne! Are you okay? You're not hurt, right?"
Trianne shook her wings. "No, Trianne flew really high up. The monsters couldn't reach Trianne at all."
"Air superiority secured!" Caelus gave a thumbs-up.
Trianne's eyes sparkled. ""Air superiority secured!"… So cool! But what does that mean? Anyway, back to the main point! The spindle Agy gave me is amazing—Trianne thinks I found little Anaxa! He's near the tree crown! The signal is very faint, but it's different from the Nymphwoods earlier."
She paused, then continued, "But since Trianne was alone and afraid of danger, I didn't fly down to check."
Castorice nodded. "It seems Lord Trianne properly remembered our agreement. Teacher Anaxa is indeed still alive, and he's at the Enlightenment Throne… At least on this point, Lord Calypso wasn't lying."
"Huh? Ka-lyu-pu-suo… who's that?"
Mem was about to introduce her, but discovered that Calypso had once again vanished without a trace.
With no other options, they could only continue forward.
Then, as expected, something unexpected happened.
Their path was blocked again.
Castorice suggested trying the Golden Bough Oath to see if it could open the dead end.
Just then, in the distance, Trianne and Mem quietly flew toward another exit.
However—
Caelus narrowed his eyes, plucked a single petal from the Golden Bough Oath, and held it out with both hands.
The butterfly didn't move at all.
So he chewed the petal with an extremely provocative expression.
In his understanding of typical human behavior, competitiveness was a fundamental instinct of life—even butterflies shouldn't be an exception. Stealing a shared prize should awaken that primal instinct buried in their genes.
Castorice pursed her lips, her face full of question marks.
Caelus's mouth curved upward as he continued chewing.
Unfortunately, it seemed the butterfly had completely ignored Caelus's duel invitation.
Castorice let out a heavy sigh. "Let me try too."
She recited Mnestia's oath once again.
Result—
The butterfly remained completely motionless.
Suddenly, a sharp cry echoed from a nearby passage.
Trianne shouted loudly, "Hoo-wah—!"
"Lord Trianne?" Castorice scanned their surroundings. "…Wait, where's Mem? Where did those two run off to?"
Immediately after, Trianne's voice rang out again, even more urgent, with the subtitles dramatically enlarged.
"Little Gray! Little Cas —come quick and look—! Little Mi—is about to catch fire—!"