Just like what Iris did back then, I placed my palm against the wall she had touched at that time.
Not long after my palm made contact, the wall immediately shifted, creating an entrance into a room.
Inside it, as expected, there was a magic circle positioned right in the center of the room.
"So this is what you were talking about?" Luke asked while observing the magic circle.
Meanwhile, Hime was looking around the room, though her gaze also kept returning to the magic circle.
This was their first time entering this room, wasn't it? Even though they had been to these ruins before, they had never come inside here.
"I thought there was only an empty room in these ruins, but turns out there's a place like this," Hime said as she continued looking around.
"You're right. I also only just found out about this room. It really feels like a secret that's been carefully guarded," Luke replied.
Their reactions really were those of people who had just discovered a hidden room like this.
"So, Luke? Can you destroy it?" I asked.
He only cleared his throat softly while continuing to examine the magic circle. I felt like he had found something that left him puzzled.
Otherwise, why would he stare at the circle for so long?
"Maybe… I can. The shape of this circle is a bit different from the one I saw back in Vannis. This one… has a more elaborate design and much more complex patterns."
"But it's not a problem. I think I can still destroy it," Luke answered.
—
Luke explained to Hime and me what the two of us needed to do to help him.
Neither Hime nor I knew how to erase a magic circle, so all we could do was follow Luke's instructions.
Even though Luke had said from the start that this magic circle was different from the one before, he still wanted to try something.
And I felt that it would work, simply because Luke was the one doing it.
Hime would assist Luke by replenishing the Mana he lost while using magic to destroy the circle.
Luke would be using a spell that consumed a tremendous amount of Mana, which was why Hime had to keep his Mana fully restored.
Of course, there was also magic used to replenish Mana, but I didn't know much about it since I had never seen it before.
As for my role here, once Luke's spell was complete, all I had to do was stab the very center of the magic circle with my sword.
(Could it be that back in Vannis, he asked me to do the same thing?)
In short, I could say that my task this time was very easy—perhaps even too easy.
"All right, Hime-san, you're ready, right?" Luke asked.
Hime nodded slightly before answering.
"Of course. I'm ready whenever you are."
Luke refocused both of his hands toward the magic circle while chanting several incantations.
"Iron chains that soften, hidden seals within this anomaly of magic, gathered Mana that will destroy it all."
"The opening of a gate, guidance for humankind—sixth-tier magic, Open Gate!"
When he finished chanting, Luke's hands began to glow faintly with a pale blue light, as if he were channeling his magic into the magic circle.
The spell he released seemed to press down upon the circle itself. I had no idea how it actually worked.
Sweat began to form on his face. I could understand just how much Mana he was using to do this.
Especially since he had just said it was a sixth-tier spell, which meant the Mana consumption had to be far greater than spells of the lower tiers.
Well, even though I didn't know much about magic tiers yet, I figured that the most difficult magic for humans to master was anything above tier ten.
According to books I had read before, magic of tier ten and above could only be used by heroes of past generations and the Demon King.
Aside from the Demon King, some high-ranking demon generals were also likely capable of using it.
Because of that, magic of tier ten was extremely rare to see being used.
—
"Mana Recovery."
Hime immediately used her magic to restore Luke's Mana back to its original state.
As Hime cast the spell, Luke's body began to glow with magic, a sign that his Mana was being replenished.
Gradually, the color of the magic circle began to change.
Before the two of them used their magic on it, the circle had been white, as if it had been drawn with chalk on the floor.
Now, however, the lines of the magic circle were turning blue, the same color as the magic Luke had used earlier.
I widened my eyes slightly, surprised by how that could happen. This was my first time witnessing something like this.
Judging from the situation… I felt that my turn would come very soon.
"Yukito, now!" Luke said, glancing in my direction for a moment before refocusing his attention on the magic circle.
I nodded briefly, then immediately drove my sword toward the center of the magic circle.
Since the floor was probably made of stone, my sword didn't easily pierce into it.
My hands immediately began to tremble the moment my sword struck the floor. This was harder than I had imagined.
No, no… I wouldn't let the efforts of the two of them go to waste. I had to push harder.
I tightened the muscles in my arms and pressed the sword down even further, forcing the blade into the stone.
Just a little more… I could feel it… this was it!
Crang!
When my sword finally embedded itself in the center of the magic circle, the lines slowly began to fade.
The magic circle seemed to turn into dust, scattering into the air like breadcrumbs blown away by the wind.
I bent my knees, because what I had just done was far more exhausting than expected, even though all I did was drive a mass of metal into stone.
Even though the sword was made of Mithril, my own strength was still insufficient to fully bring out its potential.
Perhaps I had only reached about half of what was needed to truly master it.
"Good work!" Luke said as he sat down, clearly exhausted.
Hime was breathing heavily as well, but it seemed she could still stand. Even now, she was only lightly leaning against her magic staff.
"Do you want some water? I brought some from the princess's residence," Hime said as she opened her Alter Box and took out a water jug along with three glasses.
I hadn't expected her to even bring water this time. Had she already anticipated that we would get tired?
Luke and I accepted the water and let the cool freshness soothe our throats.
"Ah," Luke murmured after finishing his glass.
It seemed he really had been parched for a while.
"So, what should we do next?" Hime asked.
I rested my chin on my finger as I began to think about our next move.
"Our objective is complete. We just need to head back, right?" I said to the two of them.
"Since we're already here, how about we return to the surface through the inside of the ruins? We can pass by the market stalls along the way," Luke suggested as he stood up.
Hime looked visibly excited when she heard Luke's suggestion.
"That sounds great! Yukito-san, let's do that. I saw some cakes back then that I've never found anywhere else. Since we're still here~!" Hime said.
They had both said it already—there was no way I could disappoint them.
—
After leaving the ruins, the three of us really did buy several foods along the way back.
When we arrived at Iris's house, she immediately asked us what we had been doing today.
Somehow, we managed to convince her that we had simply gone for a walk and bought these foods before returning.
Yuu-chan also… she managed to keep Iris busy today. That was good—at least Iris knew nothing about the removal of the magic circle.
Now all that was left was to wait for that day to come. Once it did, everything would be over, and I would no longer need to repeat time again.