Tetsu no Sosuke examined the pedestal carefully. It was not a weight-triggered mechanism, so taking the box would not set off a trap and bury them both.
Only then did he slowly lift the box. Nothing around them changed.
Tetsu no Sosuke breathed a sigh of relief. Yuichiro had already made a circuit of the room. "Teacher, this box is the only thing here."
The room was empty. Even the outer door had patterns on it, but there was nothing here.
Tetsu no Sosuke had Yuichiro carry the box on his back, then searched the room thoroughly himself. Once he was certain there was nothing else, he decided they should leave.
They climbed the steps and soon reached the door again.
He was about to lead Yuichiro out when he noticed that the inside of the door also bore patterns.
And they were different from the ones outside.
Tetsu no Sosuke stepped back and forth through the doorway for another look, then asked Yuichiro, "What do you think this door is for?"
"To keep people out?" Yuichiro answered offhandedly, clearly unsure himself.
After all, if that were its only purpose, there would be no reason for that keyhole-like opening to exist.
Tetsu no Sosuke said thoughtfully, "Do you think any blade could open this door?"
"...I don't know." A thought struck Yuichiro. "Teacher, do you mean this door is a test?"
Tetsu no Sosuke sighed. "I don't know either. It's just a guess."
He narrowed his eyes and thought for a moment. "Let's head out first and buy some white cloth and ink. Then we'll come back and take rubbings of these patterns."
"Teacher... You're not planning to take this door apart and bring it with us too, are you?" Yuichiro felt his master's determination to leave nothing behind was