Silence fell as Gaius closed the door. The continuous whooshes were getting to him and everyone else — it wasn’t good for the heart. To everyone’s surprise, the clicking sounds that indicated a spear’s launch ended as the door closed…it was probably linked to the trap’s mechanism.

“Well, at least we’re all safe and sound,” Kenouji said, in what looked like a bald attempt to raise everyone’s spirits. It was something that was decidedly needed, however — everyone’s face was pale and squalid from that near-death experience. Their protector, Gaius, had been forced to retreat from even that trap; things weren’t that simple.

Slapping his cheeks slightly, Gaius looked around. The room was also a brilliant gold, but it was just large enough for them. “This looks like the antechamber to the main room.”

“Antechamber?” Isabelle asked. “Do you really have to use this word?”

“Look, it fits the mood,” said Gaius. “Don’t get hung up on my choice of words.”

“It is indeed a rather good word to use for a tomb,” Kenouji mused. “Alright, we’ll roll with this name for our new tomb from now on. But let’s get down to business first. That’s the main chamber. Gaius, can you…?”

“It’s my job, I guess.” The boy stretched his body. A barrier formed around him once more as he reached out to the door, which swung open with a simple nudge. A brilliant light blinded his vision, and as Gaius shielded his eyes, he was once again reminded about his desire to get a pair of sunglasses.

He took two steps back and waved at the door. “Might wanna shield your eyes when you enter.”

The others nodded. Gaius felt an odd twinge of satisfaction at the sight of the others listening to him, but he had proven his credentials long ago, after all. Squinting, Gaius entered the main chamber, where the treasures of the Champion Solaris were hidden.

Now that he was inside, Gaius couldn’t help but think that this place indeed served as a vault. The four corners of the vault were filled with hundreds of thousands of gold, in the forms of both coins and bullion. Shelves with six levels each took up the rest of the walls, all of them filled with artefacts and weapons that clearly was of immense value.

And at the centre was a single coffin. Unlike the golden aesthetic that seemed to be this tomb’s central theme, the coffin was made from just wood. Ornate carvings of flowers and trees lined its sides, carvings that were clearly filled in with gold to create delicate filigrees. An incredible might surrounded the coffin, one that had surpassed the Demigods Gaius had come into contact before.

“The Cardinal Champion, Solaris…” Gaius breathed. “He was a great god too.”

His words echoed oddly in the chamber of treasures, and the others breathed in sharply as they too, took in the incredible sight.

“Konbawan, mina-san. Soshite…shisureta hoshi?” A smooth baritone echoed throughout the chamber. “Daijoubu desu. Mina-san, youkoso dearu.”

Miku walked towards the coffin, pushed Kenouji aside and bowed towards the marble tablet at its head. “Solaris-kyou, eigo desu, onegaishimasu.”

The vault shook slightly.

“What did they say?” Gaius whispered to Kenouji, who was fuming at how he had been sidelined.

“If I knew, I would have done something,” he replied. The Kusanagi family head shook his head. “We have experts at every field in our family, and Miku happened to be the inheritor of our linguistics branch.”

Mai glanced at them. “I just requested for English, so you two can now listen in.”

“Thank you,” Kenouji replied. “But what did the first line mean?”

“It was a greeting, I think,” Mai replied. Her eyes lit up as the shaking stopped. “He’s about to say something!”

“Children of my bloodline, welcome to my vault. This place is filled with treasures, each of them suited for a particular occasion. If you are here in such numbers, it can only that my bloodline has been uprooted from the Eastern Continent,” said the voice. “Take whatever you need.”

The champion’s English was somewhat stilted, with a few syllables a bit off, but Gaius could easily understand what he meant. A grinding sound followed a few seconds later, and a small box of scrolls rose up from the ground, at the foot of the coffin.

“What’s that?” Gaius asked.

Miku placed her hands together and bowed towards the marble tablet, before walking over to the small box. She handled the topmost scroll gingerly, and then rolled it out slowly. “It’s in Champion Solaris’ language. I cannot decipher it here.”

“Handwritten words of the legendary Cardinal Champion, words spoken by him personally,” Kenouji murmured. “It’s the same with the other legacy sites, right?”

“Sentences that play when certain conditions are met,” Miku replied.

Kenouji considered her words for a moment. “Sounds like something I should do for my own tomb too. Or at least my grave.”

He turned to Gaius. “Well, as part of your deal between…him and you, you get to pick a few treasures from here. Do you need me to show you around?”

“I don’t think so,” Gaius replied, the corner of his eyes fixed on Isabelle and Nakama, who were looking at a pile of gold. “I’ll just pick and choose at random.”

Kenouji shrugged. “Well, have fun.”

He turned to the others and began issuing orders. Like clockwork, they produced a few empty backpacks and started to load gold coins into them. Gaius shook his head, before going over to where Isabelle was.

“Nexus,” Gaius spoke in his mind, “are there any good things here?”

“Everything is,” the sculpture replied in his mind. “I don’t think this tomb belongs to you, however. But I guess we have to be a bit…”

“What’s wrong?”

“I just found something that you definitely want,” Nexus said in his mind. “There’s a Zeroth Armament here!”