Chapter 515 – The Last Wish of the Kind Mother

Once the danger of collapse was eliminated, the main task became reconstructing the damaged areas to their original state. By referencing undamaged sections and consulting with Queen Eldorene and Rovisa about unclear details for the decorations, the applicable areas increased, making the work progress rapidly.

Although I needed to replenish Balor’s magical power several times, dividing the repair work among us significantly reduced the time required.

The holes made by Dragon’s Roar were also filled—once the area around the mausoleum, including the Benevolent Mother statue, was completed, the castle would be restored to its original condition.

“Balor, could you take care of the cleanup outside?”

Balor, who had finished replenishing his magical power while perched on my shoulder, slowly closed his eyelids as if nodding before flying off toward the outside of the castle.

Having two people working on the mausoleum wouldn’t be efficient anyway. It would be better to clear away the rubble in the city where possible and repair what could be fixed.

Now then… The immediate problem would undoubtedly be the Benevolent Mother statue.

The original stone statue had been shattered, leaving little more than the pedestal. The artisan who created the statue was from the distant past, making it a precious item both historically and culturally. This restoration would require far more care than previous repairs.

As I headed toward the mausoleum while considering various arrangements, I opened the front door and stepped inside… I felt a remarkably pure magical power flowing outward.

The atmosphere was completely different from when we confronted Waldom yesterday. Perhaps it was because Queen Eldorene and the Water Guardians had returned to Grantios. Well, regardless, let’s begin the work.

“I told you to leave the Benevolent Mother statue untouched, but do you have some idea?”

“Yes. Since it’s somewhat different from the walls and pillars we’ve worked on before, I plan to restore it by reconnecting the fragments.”

“Can such a thing… really be done?”

At my words, the Queen’s eyes widened. The Water Guardians exchanged glances, comprehended the meaning of my words, and then bright expressions appeared on their faces.

“I can’t guarantee it will be exactly as before, but I’ll do my best. It would help if you could tell me about its original form.”

“Y-yes…!”

Queen Eldorene nodded with a tense expression.

For restoration, having a model of the original form would be beneficial. With Caduceus’s cooperation, I would proceed with that. First… the general pose.

“Like this, like this,” one of the Water Guardians said, striking the same pose as the Benevolent Mother statue. Sitting on the pedestal with arms outstretched, as if welcoming visitors to the mausoleum.

Another Water Guardian then added corrections to the details—the angle of the neck and hands was like this, the fingertips were like that, the tip of the tail had this shape…

Since Queen Eldorene and the Water Guardians were familiar with it, their testimonies were specific.

“This one resembles her facial features,” “Her body shape is similar to hers,” “Her expression was like this,” and so on… While carefully listening to these adjustments, I reflected everyone’s opinions by transforming Caduceus.

“Ah, this expression…! I think it’s similar!”

As I made fine adjustments, I could sense the excitement rising among Rovisa and the other Water Guardians. Finally, after incorporating the clothing and ornament shapes… Hmm. I’ve gathered sufficient information for a completion model.

Now then. This is where the somewhat laborious work begins. Given that it’s a historically significant statue, it’s not something that can simply be reconstructed by mixing fragments together like walls or pillars.

By examining how the shattered fragments of the Benevolent Mother statue—likely destroyed by Oberk and General Lubald—were scattered, I inferred what kind of attacks caused the destruction.

Probably… first, something large was fired from the side, I think. After being broken and toppled, it was struck from above and shattered further. Judging from the destruction marks, it was likely General Lubald who did it. He fired water projectiles and then smashed them with the shaft of his spear… I suppose.

Making such inferences… from the distribution pattern of the scattered fragments, I could roughly determine which part belonged where.

After that, it’s a matter of using the shape of the fracture surfaces and the curves corresponding to the statue’s exterior as clues to piece it together like a puzzle.

First—starting from the base connected to the pedestal. I had Caduceus mold each fragment, then used that information as a basis to create a three-dimensional puzzle.

Using the large fragments and pedestal as a base, I allocated my spell formula control ability to verify combinations. I joined pieces with perfectly matching fracture surfaces using Earth Magic.

The problem here was that General Lubald had shattered the floor stones along with the statue. There were probably fragments mixed in from elsewhere due to the battle. I had to consider those as well.

As I continued the work, parts that didn’t connect anywhere emerged. Those were building materials like floor, wall, and pillar fragments. I progressed steadily while excluding such pieces.

“What astonishing… skill…”

“To witness this scene… is truly fortunate.”

Fragments floating in mid-air gradually took shape as they combined. Queen Eldorene and the Duke watched this spectacle with astonished expressions and murmured words of admiration.

“…The artisan who made the stone statue must have possessed considerable technical skill.”

“Yes. The expression of the flow of ornaments and clothing is detailed and truly magnificent.”

“And to restore that… it’s amazing.”

“Yes.”

Princess Stephania, Princess Adriana, and Princess Elham exchanged such conversation while watching the gradually restoring stone statue.

Indeed… from the tip of the tail to each individual scale, down to the fingertips, it was so realistic it seemed almost alive. Even as an art object, it must hold considerable value.

The destruction around the head area was rather persistent, making it quite difficult… but gradually, the hair and head took form, along with the gentle expression welcoming visitors to the mausoleum.

The jeweled crown, hair ornaments, and the distinctive ear shape of mermaids all came together. Once the completed Benevolent Mother statue was placed on the pedestal and joined—it was finished.

As expected, or perhaps inevitably, it was work that required considerable nerve. Some sand-like particles that could hardly be called fragments remained… Well, let’s consolidate these into a single mass too.

As the work reached a milestone and I let out a deep breath—applause and cheers erupted from everyone.

“What magnificent magic… We of the sea people will never forget this day.”

“No. Some sand-like fragments remain, so I can’t call it a perfect restoration.”

I handed Queen Eldorene the sphere I had formed from those particles.

“No… This is precisely the proof that the Benevolent Mother statue was once taken by enemy hands and shattered. This serves as a warning, and also as a crystallization of the bond between Theodore-dono and those of the surface world. This… is nothing less than a treasure that our nation should pass down to future generations.”

Saying this, she closed her eyes and firmly grasped it.

“L-look! Something… a strange glow…!”

—At that moment, Rovisa pointed around the Benevolent Mother statue and raised her voice.

Turning that way, I saw a pale blue magical glow dancing around the statue. It resembled… the magical power I felt from Waldom’s seal. The glow gathered and formed the shape of a single mermaid smiling gently. She… closely resembled the mermaid of the Benevolent Mother statue.

“This, is—”

The mermaid bowed her head toward me, narrowed her eyes while looking at the Queen and others—then emitted light, scattered around, and vanished to who knows where.

“That person just now—might have been somewhat similar to… spirits like us.”

Marl, who had seen it, said this.

Ah—I see. The seal placed on Waldom was none other than the magical power left by the Benevolent Mother herself. And what was imbued within it was the Benevolent Mother’s will. If the mermaids’ faith provided continuous power to maintain the seal until today… then with Waldom’s defeat, her soul may have finally been liberated.

“The Benevolent Mother’s—will, perhaps. She may have been… protecting Waldom’s seal until today.”

“Watching over us… until today…”

Queen Eldorene and Rovisa murmured with distant-looking eyes.

The events in the mausoleum were unexpected, but otherwise things proceeded roughly according to plan. I waited for the Queen and others to calm down before continuing with the work.

There were still necessary items for the future.

“Hmm. So this is… the stone monument for teleportation?”

I created a secret basement accessible from the Queen’s bedchamber—by sliding the bed aside and then rotating it—which also served as an emergency evacuation room.

“Yes. It’s the same as the one in Termwills’ labyrinth. The contract magic will be with the Queen of Grantios.”

When Claudia answered, Queen Eldorene nodded with a solemn expression.

“Understood. I shall take responsibility and ensure it is passed down to future generations.”

Similar to teleportation to Ashley’s territory, only limited individuals could travel back and forth through contract magic.

Only the Queen, or those granted permission by the Queen, could teleport to Termwills. Teleporting from Termwills to Grantios also required the Queen’s permission. I had given Queen Eldorene a communication device, so information exchange should be possible from now on.

Well, there’s talk of building a Moon Temple on the seabed in the future, so if anything happens, we might be able to get information from the Moon Temple’s shrine maidens.

“It seems convenient for Justia’s homecoming, or for me, the Water Guardians, Marion and others to visit Termwills for leisure… Hmm.”

Queen Eldorene looked satisfied as she nodded while observing the stone monument.

It seemed Queen Eldorene’s policy was to grant considerable freedom to trustworthy individuals.

Balor’s progress was also mostly complete. The rubble had been cleared away, and collapsed houses had been rebuilt to their original state. Apparently, the cracks would remain as a warning, and bridges would be built, but that would be handled by Grantios.

Now then… This should mark the completion of our work in Grantios.

All that remains is to retrieve the Grantios children and non-combatants who evacuated to Duke Driscoll’s territory, and to inform them that we’ve defeated Aianos.

Since the Duke mentioned he wanted to combine their welcome with a victory celebration when we go to pick them up from his territory… the Queen, Water Guardians, Sirens, and military officials would likely accompany us on the Sirius.

Originally, it was supposed to be a vacation to escort the Duke’s family and the Grand Duke, so maybe we can finally relax now.