C 167
The fake Sphinx blinked, raised its front paw, pointed at me, and trembled.
"Eh, how did you know? I heard that this high priest isn't an official high priest!"
How on earth did the stone statue hear that?
"Was it Arma?"
It seemed that Arma was probably the only person who would come this far and tell it that.
"He really likes jokes like this."
Sometimes, I even wondered if he really was a god. There seemed to be a reason why Lucilion was exhausted.
"Then! Th-the second problem!"
The Sphinx also posed a second problem?
As I looked at it curiously, the Sphinx trembled.
"There are three questions in total, so you must answer all three correctly!"
It seems like there are many problems because it's a fake Sphinx.
When I looked at Lucilion, he nodded with a smile.
The truth is, it's not a very cheerful smile.
"Then, this is the second problem."
The Sphinx spoke solemnly.
"There are two people. These two people give birth to each other. Who are they?"
I've heard this somewhere before.
As I crossed my arms and thought for a moment, the fake lion Sphinx let out a very evil laugh.
"Each other..."
Lucilion murmured softly and suddenly turned his head and looked outside.
The sun was slowly setting.
When a large cloud obscured the sun, the surroundings darkened slightly.
"Is it day and night?"
Lucilion said, silently observing the scene.
"Ah, I guess it's true."
I think I've heard something like this somewhere before. When I nodded and looked at the Sphinx, the Sphinx was puffing up its body with an expression that looked like it was about to cry.
No, to be exact, it's a lion, but I don't know why it feels like a sphinx.
"It's going to cry like this."
Why do you have such a weepy expression when your body is like a giant lion?
"I'm not done yet."
I nodded as I looked at the fake Sphinx, who was delivering lines like a third-rate villain about to be defeated.
"Correct answer, right?"
"Yes, it's correct!"
Only after getting a clear answer, Lucilion and I nodded. The Sphinx bowed, covered its head with its front paws, groaned for a while, and then jumped out of its seat.
"Let me think!"
"...Are you thinking about that now?"
When I asked the question as if it were absurd, the fake Sphinx looked at me with a surprised expression and shook its head.
"Wow, I just adjusted the original problem's difficulty level according to the challenger's level!"
"Is this a game?"
Isn't this such an absurd behavior that it leaves you speechless?
The fake Sphinx looked very embarrassed, licked its lips, and moved its front paws back and forth.
"It's only natural to adjust the difficulty level depending on the challenger!"
"...Alright, tell me."
I didn't feel like facing the creature, so I nodded and spoke, and the fake Sphinx opened its mouth wide with its eyes suddenly raised.
"It gets bigger in the morning and becomes smaller again at noon. However, it grows back in the afternoon and disappears completely at night. What is it?"
The fake Sphinx triumphantly said.
But I knew the answer to this riddle. I didn't remember the second one very well, but I definitely remember this.
"The shadow."
The fake Sphinx, flattered by my response, opened its mouth wide again.
It probably didn't expect to hear an answer so quickly, so its front paws moved around without knowing where to put them.
"How...?!"
"Simply..."
Because I made them.
I couldn't get this far, so I skipped the words.
Does it feel like a test that starts with a machete? Anyway, it ends quickly and is quite refreshing.
"Hey, this isn't valid! First of all, you're not even a high priest!"
This time, the fake Sphinx began to use force.
No, it's not like that.
This unreasonable argument was a bit absurd, so I was taken aback.
Lucilion let out a small sigh beside me.
"How about we do this with moderation?" Lucilion's mouth twitched.
The fake Sphinx's eyes widened at the soft but slightly eerie voice.
"How dare you...?!"
"I dare."
Lucilion placed his hand on the fake Sphinx's head with a smile.
"Who's blocking my way?"
A ring of pure white light slowly appeared within Lucilion's bright blue eyes.
As I was mesmerized by the mysterious sight for a moment, I saw the fake Sphinx's body freeze.
Lucilion gently applied pressure with the hand placed on the beast's head.
"If you're an animal, lie down like an animal..."
Bam!
The Sphinx's head fell, and its four legs stretched out to the sides.
"Bow."
"Grrrr..."
"I don't like it when animals don't understand the subject and get fussy."
Lucilion murmured softly.
Although he let go, the Sphinx couldn't get up again.
"I...!"
"I absolutely hate stupid animals."
Lucilion squeezed its hand slightly.
"Open the door this instant."
As soon as Lucilion finished speaking, the heavy door slowly opened with a loud creak.
Lucilion turned and reached out his hand to me.
"Come on, Eirin."
"Oh, yes."
I think it's the first time I've seen his eyes so cold, sunken, and unkind.
Because Lucilion was always friendly in front of me.
"I'm embarrassed to show you this side."
As I walked toward the door, he said with a stern expression, as if he had never been like that before.
I was momentarily surprised by the expression on his face as if nothing had happened at that moment, but seeing the Sphinx still lying face down made me feel somewhat relieved.
"So why did you change your words?"
I think the three riddles were probably lies.
No matter how much I thought about it, I don't think we had to do it three times. This was close to being a certainty.
"Well, I've always hated troublesome things..."
More than anything, I wished there were no difficult things in the female protagonist's world.
"It's very dark."
"I'll make it brighter."
When I crossed the door and entered, there was a staircase leading to the basement right there. I couldn't see anything because it was pitch dark.
When Lucilion gathered divine power, he turned into light, and the surrounding area became bright in an instant.
The stairs were nothing out of the ordinary, except that they were dark and very old, with moss growing on them, making them a bit slippery.
"Be careful."
"Yes."
Lucilion silently joined our hands.
I thought he was being overly protective; I wouldn't die even if I fell here, but I also thought I really didn't hate that protectiveness.
"Lucy."
"Yes."
"Have you ever liked someone? Have you ever been on a date?"
"No."
Lucilion squinted his eyes and replied.
"I really don't understand the feeling of being excited when you see someone, of having a racing heart, or wanting to be with someone for the rest of your life."
"...Oh?"
What, didn't you say you liked me?
When I blushed and let out a stupid exclamation, Lucilion slowly found the way and opened his mouth.
"I told you, Eirin is the first."
"So now...?"
"No. But I think I want to have you. I hope you smile only in my arms and only in places where my eyes can reach."
"Ah... yes."
When I heard it in words, it was so explicit that I was left speechless.
Are you saying you like me like this? It's almost possessive.
"I shouldn't have asked."
I rubbed my cheek, looking a bit embarrassed. It was lucky that his expression couldn't be seen clearly because it was dark.
"Eirin..."
"Yes?"
"Have you ever liked someone? Have you ever been on a date?"
The question I asked came back intact.
"Oh..."
I felt embarrassed by the question I asked.
I've met quite a few people. I dated several lovers to alleviate my loneliness.
"Usually, it ended badly."
Although we initially liked each other, somehow, as time passed, the other person got angry with me.
When I think about it now, I think it was probably the Star Guardian who used some kind of trick, but at the time, I thought it was because I was a very bad person.
"Eirin?"
As I didn't respond, Lucilion frowned and asked again.
"Umm..."
I looked at him, scratched my cheek, and then nodded.
"Not as Eirin, but in my previous life..."
I guess it's because I'm tall...
"...I see."
The soft sound of the voice sent a shiver down my spine.
"Am I the first here?"
"Oh? Hmm, I guess you are. You're the first."
"Oh? That sounded strange."
We still don't have any relationship.
I blinked, embarrassed, and was about to speak again when Lucilion smiled.
"I'm the first."
His voice sounded full of satisfaction.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I had been trapped somehow.
