World in the Painting, Ishruna: The Girl Sealed in Time

After dealing with the two Construct Knights, there were no further obstacles. Kischurche walked up to the enormous stone door, which stood a full three stories high, and pressed his palm against it.

This was not a magical mechanism powered by mana, but simply an ordinary stone door. Compared to ordinary stone doors, however, this one was sturdier and far heavier.

He cast reinforcement magecraft, azure magical patterns appearing across his body. The strength of his flesh was greatly enhanced, enough to rival the Mountain Demons and giants of myth and legend.

Yet even so, he still could not budge the stone door before him. It was like an impregnable barrier, shutting out all who came to visit.

Fortunately, Gray and the others lent a hand. Only by pooling the strength of all five of them were they able to open the stone door.

Accompanied by the grating turn of its hinges, the door, which had been shut for who knew how long, opened once more. Rotten, stale air rushed toward them, carrying the scent accumulated over endless years.

At the same time, the interior of the castle came into view.

It was an incomparably vast hall, stretching beyond the limits of sight. Crumbling walls and ruins lay everywhere, and when they looked up, they could see no boundaries either. In their place was a brilliant night sky sparkling with stars.

"What is this...?"

Olga Marie was astonished, nearly thinking she had entered another world. During her days in Ishruna, she had never once seen a star-filled night sky.

She was a girl who looked about Sakura's age. She reclined against an intricate wooden structure, platinum-blond hair spilling down like a waterfall. Her slender body possessed the graceful elegance of distant mountains, while her luxurious white gauze robe made the