The Goddess's Stone Tablet

"Huff... Huff."

After hearing that deafening noise,

Galan sped up to the two of them, practically flying through the air.

Because of the thick fog earlier, he and the two of them had actually moved far away.

Fortunately, Frieren's massive attack had destroyed a large area of forest, making it difficult to miss them. So, not long after dealing with the Phantom Demon, Galan found them.

"Are you... alright?"

Although neither of them appeared to be injured or resembled a wolf or fox, the fact that someone had used such powerful magic meant they must have encountered some danger.

Without front-line protection, Mages are very vulnerable to attack. A well-trained warrior, within a certain range, can even kill powerful First-Class Mages.

"Did we encounter a monster? Could it be Demons?"

Galan, unsure of what had just happened, looked at Lia, wanting to know what had occurred.

"It was Phantom Demon, but Frieren has already dealt with it."

Lia put away her Staff, and seeing Galan's worried expression, she stuck out her little tongue, as if to say, "With Frieren, what could possibly happen?"

"Okay, it's good that you're alright."

Seeing that this girl still had the energy to cause trouble for him, he figured it probably wasn't a big deal.

"By the way, are you still going to look for that stone tablet? If we don't leave soon, it'll get dark, and it's too dangerous here."

Having just experienced something, Galan felt even more strongly that this place was far too dangerous. If they were to encounter some troublesome Demons, it wouldn't be good to drag Lia into it.

"We've found it! That stone tablet. It would be such a waste to leave now."

Frieren turned her head and pointed to the end of the Forest Path she had blasted open with magic. Sure enough, in a narrow clearing in the forest, stood a stone tablet.

She had just used powerful magic in this direction, partly to clear a path.

After all, the closer she got to the stone tablet, the clearer she could perceive its exact location.

"There really is a stone tablet..."

Galan was also astonished by this strange place; how could someone actually build a stone monument? And who exactly was it intended for?

However, now that their goal had appeared before them, the group decided against leaving.

They followed the cleared path to the stone tablet.

Galan and Lia didn't have a deep understanding of this artwork; they simply thought it was an old stone tablet covered in strange symbols. Its only notable feature was its exceptional sturdiness. After all, Galan, in a moment of impulsiveness, had lightly kicked the base of the tablet. But the strange sensation his toes returned made him realize that this tablet was no pushover. "It bounced my foot back! This tablet actually has [Protection Magic]!"

"And it's a very complex magical structure, even stronger than the Barrier set up by Flamme... but that's not surprising."

"Hmm? Why?"

Upon hearing Frieren's words, both men looked at her with suspicion, since it seemed from her earlier words that Frieren knew quite a bit about the origin of this stone tablet.

"Don't you know? This is the [Goddess's Stone Monument]."

Seeing the two looking confused, Frieren also wore the same expression. She pointed to the patterns carved on the stone tablet, "These are all characters from the Mythical Era, though I don't recognize much of them. But without a doubt, whether it's the remaining magical traces or these ancient characters, this is the [Goddess's Stone Monument]. I never expected to find it here..."

They had only come to test the magic, but unexpectedly discovered such an ancient miracle, which excited everyone.

It's like getting a legendary gold item in a regular pool; it's incredibly lucky.

Although Galan didn't know what the stone tablet was for, anything associated with the [Goddess] must be extraordinary. If Glenn knew about his experiences, he wondered if he would envy him.

Galanria, whose face was brimming with curiosity, didn't react as dramatically. She initially showed a slight surprise, but then the look of astonishment vanished in an instant, and her attention seemed to shift to something else, leaving her with a thoughtful expression.

Then, she seemed to suddenly sense something.

She quickly summoned her Staff and exclaimed in surprise, "Huh? My Staff is suddenly glowing!"

Just as she had said, the core of the Ebony Staff was emitting a faint light. For some reason, after seeing this, Galan felt that the Staff was resonating with the stone tablet.

But this inexplicable thought vanished from his mind as quickly as a draft.

"Hmm—this is the first time I've seen something like this."

Frieren walked up to Lia and carefully examined the glowing Staff with its Unicorn Core.

However, she also expressed confusion about this situation and did not know the reason behind it.

"Perhaps it's because of the Unicorn Core? It's said that there's some connection between Unicorns and Goddess."

Galan suddenly remembered what Oris had once told him, but when he thought of that Dwarf uncle, he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy, so he didn't continue speaking.

"[The Goddess's Stone Monument], as a product of the Mythical Era, is inherently mysterious. I found one before near the Mount Kino in the Northern Plateau, but ultimately couldn't decipher it."

1

Frieren listened to Galan's words without expressing her own opinion, seemingly unaware that she knew little about the subject. But if that was the case, then wasn't it no different from the stone sculptures displayed in parks?

Since no one could understand it, Galan's previously high spirits vanished instantly. Under Lia's watchful gaze, he listlessly walked to the stone tablet... The Goddess's Stone Monument, it sounded like something very powerful...

He tentatively reached out and gently touched it, but to his surprise, he wasn't repelled this time. It seemed that non-aggressive actions were permitted to touch this stone tablet. The Goddess was truly powerful... able to wield such profound magic...

He thought to himself.

Frieren stood behind him, still scanning the text and symbols, trying to find some useful clues.

After all, she was still somewhat unconvinced that she hadn't been able to decipher the stone tablet near the Mount Kino before. Now that she had encountered another one, she was determined to redeem herself.

Unbeknownst to either of them, the moment Galan's fingers touched the stone tablet, the Staff in Lia's hand flashed almost to its fullest extent, as dazzling and brilliant as a shooting star streaking across the sky.

Immediately afterward, the ancient symbols on the stone tablet seemed to come alive under the light of the Staff wand, transforming into a golden stream that climbed up his fingertips and surged into his mind like a tide.

Galan's pupils contracted violently as his vision was swallowed by endless light. Then, to Frieren's astonishment, he collapsed heavily to the ground like a puppet whose strings had come undone.