And so we were finally stood before the entrance to the ruins.
MIKOTO : I have come! Now open the door!
MIKAGE : Mikoto-Sama. Do you remember the story of no one being able to enter these ruins unless they solve a riddle?
CROW : Wait a minute. I'd like to check if it opens or not before we solve the riddle.
EMMA : Isn't that dangerous?
CROW : That's what I want to check for the safety of everyone else… Emma, you and the others, should back up a little bit.
CROW : …….Huh. Hmm~……
CROW : Yeah, it's no use. I guess we can't do it by force after--Oh? What's this…
Following Crow's line of sight revealed a long, thin stone platform near the door.
EMMA : This stone has some letters engraved into it…
CINIS : Servant. Read the letters out loud.
EMMA : Hold on. Let's see. …… There are a lot of strange sentences like "Makoto 1, Hiruha 2, Sashimo 2, Ikasanu 2, Sabaku 3".
CINIS : Hmm. So it really is the mystery posted on Magic Line the other day.
MIKAGE : Well then, isn't it the Demon King's turn now?
WELCK : Surely, he said he'd already figured out the answer.
CINIS : Ha ha ha! Of course, in the hands of the Demon King, it would be an insta-kill, but why so impatient? Why not give it a go yourself? It'll be a great warm up for the mystery you'll undoubtedly face further in.
WELCK : Mmm… A great idea! Then I'll solve it! Mmhm, mmhm… Is Sabaku the desert…?
EMMA : Hiruha, Sashimo and Ikasanu 2….. What do they have in common?
MIKOTO : Mikage! I command you, solve the puzzle for me!
MIKAGE : What you mean to say is, you don't have the brains to solve it yourself. But it's way too much trouble for me to use my head, so I'll pass.
EVAN : I don't think you're cut out for this either…
CROW : There's been quite a few cases where I just guessed the right answer without knowing it because I didn't think about it too much.
EMMA : So you've been able to force your way through by sheer luck before…
CROW : What about Evan?
EVAN : …..Just open the door.
EMMA : Demon King. Please lend us your help.
CINIS : Urghh… It can't be helped. I'll explain it to you this once, but I'm sending you all mystery games for beginners later…
EMMA : I'm sorry, what?
CINIS : All right, listen up. Makoto 1, Hiruha 2, Sashimo 2, Ikasanu 2, Sabaku 3… First of all, what happens if you think about this without the numbers?
WELCK : Mm? If you remove the numbers: …The true daytime is a desert where no one lives.
EMMA : It's kind of a meaningful sentence.
CINIS : Mhmmm… The reason it sounds so sloppy however is because the numbers are a misleading trap.
WELCK : Nooo, don't tell me that so soon!
CINIS : Now pick out the hiragana according to the number after each word, like, if it's Makoto 1, then it's Ma, like that.
CROW : Hiruha is 2, so Ru, and Sashimo is 2, so shi…..
WELCK : I've got it! The answer is as simple as that!
CINIS : Correct. Now you just have to solve the rest according to this rule.
EMMA : I see…!
We went on to decipher the rest of the words as Cinis had instructed.
EVAN : ……I've solved it, but I still don't understand what any of this means.
CINIS : Crow. The door…. Are there any symbols painted on or near it?
As Cinis speaks, Crow analyses the door carefully, and then…
CROW : Oh. It's really hard to tell, but there's actually two chambers by the handle. Wait a minute, if you remove this metal here, there you have it, Cinis! A panel with symbols!
WELCK & MIKOTO : Oh, ……!
CINIS : I knew it. The riddles on the magic line were only part of the story. We'd never have gotten the full picture there…
WELCK : To think Cinis suspected this much…..
CINIS : The rest is easy. Just press the symbols according to the cipher.
EMMA : Yes!
We all work together to solve the rest of the riddle and press the answer into the door panel.
CROW : Alright, the last one is Maru!
WELCK : Oh, it's open!!
MIKAGE : Who would design such an annoying contraption…
EVAN : I don't understand how humans think at all...
EMMA : Cinis, you did it!
CINIS : …Hmph. So there really will be puzzles I won't be able solve without going to the site itself…
EMMA : Cinis?
CINIS : Oh, it's nothing. More than that… Go, my servants! It's now time to start exploring these ruins!
CROW : Woo! Let's get going!
MIKOTO : Oh? Wait, Demon King, did you call me a servant just now? Don't insult me! I am a noble lord.
