Chapter 136: Trials of the Temple

by Afuhfuihgs

Chapter 136: Trials of the Temple

“…Sister. I just had a heart attack.”

Kyaa
Look at Leah flirting…
Even I’d fall for that lol
It’s hard to resist after being saved and hearing a line like that lol

I looked around the corridor without answering. Broken block fragments and shattered stone soldiers.

Meanwhile, a strange light emanated from within the remains of some of the soldiers.

“Oh, what’s that…”

Senior Ciel approached and picked up a fragment.

A small, vibrating quartz crystal amidst the grayish-brown stone.

[Acquired: Essence of the Ore Vein]

She examined the fragment in her palm.

“I never knew something so clear was hidden inside the stone.”

I picked one up as well.

“…It says it adds an enchantment slot to mining tools.”

“Then I can add both Fortune and Delicate Touch to my pickaxe? They were conflicting enchantments.”

I didn’t know much about mining, so I just nodded.

I examined the pile of stone soldiers once more.

Only a few, from the deep core area, dropped the item.

“So they don’t all drop it.”

“Still, it’s good that there’s a reward! This is what a dungeon should be like!”

I reached the end of the corridor with the excited Senior Ciel. The space turned again.

A path leading down a staircase.

We descended to the next area. It was spacious below. And… quiet.

In the center was a hemispherical dome, and along its walls, six statues were placed at regular intervals.

The strange thing was that the statues, as if just awakened, began to open their mouths one after another.

A: “C always tells the truth.”
B: “At least one of A and D is a liar.”
C: “F does not tell the truth.”
D: “B and E are the same kind.”
E: “I am telling the truth.”
F: “D is a liar.”

“Wh-what is this!?”

Hearing Senior’s bewildered voice, I examined the stele in the center.

“It says, ‘Three of the six statues tell the truth, and three only tell lies. Open the three doors behind the truthful statues.’”

“Why is there a puzzle here! This makes bringing Leah with coins pointless!”

“…Senior. That comment also sounds like you’re saying I lack intelligence.”

“No, no. That’s not what I meant. It’s just a waste of your amazing physical abilities, Sister!”

Ciel’s ungrateful after being saved by Leah lol
They’re doomed! They won’t be able to escape the dungeon lol
Physical ability one-trick, immediately shut down!
This is a famous puzzle lol
It’s nice that it’s like a real riddle from a temple lol

The statues didn’t just speak once. What each of them said was written at their feet.

I fell into deep thought. I could hear Senior groaning beside me.

“Ugh… If I just had pen and paper, I could solve this right away…”

Senior mimed writing something in the air with her finger. Then she sighed.

“Trying to do it in my head is making my brain melt!”

Lol mental math is hard
She’s going to use the audience, isn’t she?
If anyone solved it, don’t tell them…
Solving it now lol I’ll purposely give the wrong answer
A man of culture
That’s evil lol

Then, stepping forward, I said,

“The doors of truth are… here, here, and here. These three.”

??????
She already solved it?
Did she guess? I haven’t even gotten my paper out yet
100% wrong

I approached without hesitation and opened the doors. Behind two of the doors were rewards, and one door led to another passage.

She got it right? lol
What? Was Leah a brainiac?
Leah, I feel a distance…
Seriously, if she’s good at puzzles too…

Senior muttered blankly,

“How did you do that? Can you calculate that in your head?”

“I don’t think I’m particularly good at puzzles. But… I’m used to remembering momentary movements or flows of magic as sensations. I don’t forget them.”

I explained in more detail.

“It’s not about memorizing the words, but the air, the direction, the position at the moment those words were spoken – it’s like the whole thing is engraved in my body. These statues are classified by their relationships, not the content of their words. So I replayed it in my head. Who pointed at whom. What kind of cycle those designations created. I organized it by location, and… the answer came quickly.”

Senior asked,

“But in the end… didn’t you solve it by memorizing it in your head?”

“Well, you could see it that way.”

ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
Leah seemed to have a good memory… considering how she recounts past events and other people’s lines
She just memorized the setting she created lol
Either way, that’s still a good memory lol

“I don’t remember everything. But… I save important words separately. Stories that I feel like I might need to revisit someday. Words containing someone’s intentions. Those are stored separately… within me.”

As soon as the stage is set, she goes into “RP is real” mode…
Sigh… she’s so amazing, I’m speechless
Amazing (Amazing)

“Anyway, thank you! Now we can go to the next area!”

Ciel moved forward energetically.

Ciel’s riding the bus hard lol
If she came alone, she would’ve been done in by the stone soldiers…
Ciel paid her dues with the down payment, Leah should charge extra lol

Perhaps seeing similar comments in her chat, Senior shouted in a raised voice,

“I’ll show you! I’ll show you too!”

Ciel started walking ahead. I quietly followed behind as she moved through the passage energetically, as if trying to redeem herself.

Soon, a narrow entrance appeared. Passing through the door, a short, narrow corridor opened into a wider space.

A circular, sunken hall. Patterns were engraved on the floor. An silver mirror plate floated above the altar in the center.

A dry, heavy voice echoed through the space.
“This is the Altar of Answers. Input the answer on the mirror plate.”

As the voice faded, faintly glowing letters began to form above the altar.

Faint golden lines, as if drawing sentences, appeared and formed as if brushstrokes in the air.

[Trial 1]
“You want to place cornerstones at 1-meter intervals on top of a 100-meter wall. How many cornerstones are needed?”

Seriously, another puzzle here lol
This dungeon is fun lol
Leah will carry again…

I knew the answer as soon as I saw the question.

“This is 100… no, 99. A 100-meter length is divided into 99 intervals.”

As expected of a brainiac
I solved this right away too lol
What’s with the sudden easy mode? lol

The moment I was about to write ‘99’ on the mirror plate.

“Stop!”

Senior Ciel’s voice burst out from behind. My hand stopped at the sudden shout, and I turned my head.

“It’s 0, Sister. The answer is 0.”

I blinked.

“Why? 100 meters long, 1-meter intervals… that’s 99…”

Ciel raised her hand, interrupting me.

“You can’t place cornerstones on top of a wall! They go on the ground, right? If you put them on top, the wall will collapse! That’s just an accident!”

Lol
Huh, was this a trick question??
Right, cornerstones go on the ground lol
Ciel’s sense is amazing

When I entered ‘0’ on the mirror plate, a correct answer notification appeared, along with a reward.

Senior smiled triumphantly.

“Haha. I figured that one out first!”

I paused for a moment, then smiled.

“Good point. I’ll acknowledge that.”

And then, the next question followed.

[Trial 2]
“The sanctuary was an exposed stone path built on a cliff. However, the feet of those who walked on it were wet. It wasn’t raining, and there was no spring. Why?”

As soon as I saw the question, an answer immediately came to mind.

“This is like… a question designed to create the illusion of being wet. The sanctuary space. A stone floor. Wet feet. Perhaps someone injured returned with blood on their feet.”

ㄷㄷㄷㄷㄷ
But that actually makes sense
Blood-soaked feet…
The rain and spring were fake lol
That she came up with that in a second is scary…

But Senior Ciel stopped me again.

“Sister… that’s a bit… too scary of a story. This trial, while having a strange atmosphere… isn’t that tragic. Like the first question… isn’t there some kind of silly twist?”

She took a step towards the altar and said,

“So… what if someone splashed water while cleaning – and stepped on it themselves?”

When Senior entered her answer, it was marked as correct.

Ah, this is Voxel Craft lol
It has to fit the all-ages atmosphere lol
Ciel’s good at trick questions
Leah’s answer could be considered correct too lol

This time, it felt a bit unfair. Wasn’t mine more plausible? Was it really marked as having multiple correct answers?

Before I could confirm, the next question appeared.

[Trial 3]
“Numbers are engraved on the temple wall.
5, 10, 15, 20
Complete the fifth number.”

“This is…”

Senior and I exchanged glances. I was certain we both had the same number in mind.

Senior carefully confirmed.

“But this… is a trick question, right?”

“Yes. I don’t think it’s 25…”

As I was lost in thought, Senior raised her head first.

“Time!”

“Yes?”

“This is time! There’s no 25 o’clock, so the answer is 1!”

Senior Ciel strode towards the altar and carefully pressed the number ‘1’ on the mirror plate. Correct again.

Wow, it really was lol
Three trick questions in a row lol
Ciel’s a perfect fit for this trial lol
Leah hanging her head…

“Senior. You’re good at this.”

“This is what I do!”

Senior’s movements as she collected the rewards definitely looked excited.

The altar lights went out, and the hall floor vibrated gently. The door leading to the next area was opening.

After navigating a winding path, the next area was even more spacious.

Shallow water covered the floor, and stone slabs, as if floating on the surface, were placed at regular intervals towards the center.

Ancient lanterns, shaped like candles, flickered dimly on the slabs.

Instead of patterns, worn murals stretched across the walls, depicting figures in uniforms and kneeling figures, repeated over and over.

Ciel muttered quietly.

“This is… a trial?”

“…It seems like they recorded their testimonies through paintings. Truth recorded through memories, not words.”

I replied while looking at the murals.

I didn’t know if it was exactly right, but

I could feel that this area was definitely different from the previous nonsense questions.

And among the stone slabs, there was the largest one, with glowing letters.

The king was poisoned immediately after the banquet, and the record contains the conversations of only four individuals.

The only clues are the words they left behind.

🧾 Record Content

Royal Banquet Hall, conversation just before dinner

Prime Minister:
“I didn’t expect Your Majesty to arrive first. More importantly, the wine is darker than usual. The aroma is deeper.”
High Priestess:
“That’s because the priestesses personally crushed and aged the grapes harvested this year. It’s a devotion offered to the gods. The aroma escaped the moment the bottle was opened.”
Captain of the Knights:
“Indeed, the wine’s aroma is special since it’s made with such devotion. I almost… overlooked even if it had poison, simply admiring the aroma. Haha, I apologize. It was a joke.”
Court Painter:
“Before Your Majesty drank the wine, you briefly looked into the glass. The red color was so beautiful… I almost reached out to touch the glass, wanting to capture that color more deeply. Haha. Of course, I didn’t. I was holding my brush.”

And the king collapsed immediately after drinking the wine.

→ Which of the four poisoned the wine?

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