The group pauses on the old maintenance stairs. Below, the buried seal flickers through cracks in the stone, casting pale rings across the descending steps.
MC
These cuts are deliberate. They resemble sword forms, not ordinary masonry. Sayori, can you help me interpret them?
MC crouches beside the wall, tracing the air above each groove without touching it. His amber-brown eyes follow the sequence with growing concentration.
Yuri
The spacing is too consistent for damage. Each cut may redirect force, perhaps blending martial technique with a spell structure.
Natsuki
So the wall is teaching him sword magic now? Great. Just do not carve anything back into it.
Monika
MC has been studying every weapon and spell since we arrived. This could be the first clue connecting both interests.
Sayori
The cuts follow a repeating arc, and the seal answers at every third mark.
Above, the queen, prince, and royal wardens, a line of adult men and women in dark steel armor and long blue cloaks, their faces visible beneath open helmets, remain at the underground chamber’s upper passage. Only Monika, Yuri, Natsuki, MC, and Sayori continue toward the seal.
✓ Quest Accepted
Interpret what the sword-form markings reveal about the route