When the Seraphs Cry

The Epitaph

October 4th, 1986

Mansion's Main Hall

1:30 PM

As we were making our way back through the hall, we saw the portrait once again.

"So... this is the sorcerer, Mikaela" I said. "Is it really true?"

"Oh~ Yuu-san doesn't believe" Shinoa teased and approached the portrait. "You should believe, Yuu-san~" she said while pointing to a plate that was below it.

I thought that the thing had just the name carved on it, but there was something else.

"My beloved Mikaela" I read. "My beloved hometown, what is this weird epitaph?"

Below the title of the portrait was what it looked like a long weird epitaph.

"Weird, right?" Mitsuba said. "The Head had that written, quite deep, right?"

"Ho~ I know where the gold is hidden" Shinoa continued.

"Wait, is that the story about the Hiragi family's hidden gold?" I asked. "Yoichi, is that real?"

"Hiragi Tenri had this written and was placed along with the portrait" Yoichi responded. "He never said anything, but everyone speculated that it points the location of the gold".

"It's also rumored that the one who discovers the gold, will relinquish the inheritance including the gold that they found" Kimizuki added. "About 10 tons of gold bars".

I already told you something about Hiragi Tenri's past, but there's more of it. After the war ended, the old man managed to predict what the future would be like and won a quite big gamble, accumulating a vast store of wealth.

But there is a mysterious legend about how he got the funds for that... When somebody asked him about that he answered like 'On a day I encountered Mikaela...', and he continued talking about how he continuously researched on black magic in order to became a great magician. One day he was performing a demon calling ceremony and the result was the summoning of Mikaela, then, he made a contract where in exchange of his soul, he would receive fortune and honor. Mikaela granted him 10 tons of pure gold and use them to prepare a vast quantity of funds, use them to multiply his wealth and finally to revive the Hiragi family.

When the adults were still children, they explored the island all the time, expecting to find the location of the hidden gold, but since there was danger at the forest, Tenri's wife began to spread rumors about Mikaela living in the forest.

"Oh, right" I said. "I remember that old story".

"This epitaph was written by Tenri two years ago" Mitsuba added. "And since it was him who wrote it, it makes the Legend of the Gold more believable".

The epitaph written on the plate was quite mysterious, it looked somehow like a long poem. The design was incredibly disturbing, it had carvings of black magic symbols, but that made the epitaph look like it actually was the key to the gold.

"You know, there's another theory about who Mikaela is" Yoichi added with a giggle. "They said that he was also Hiragi Tenri's first love".

"Oh, so here is where you were all" Akane appeared from a corridor. "I was told that you left for the beach".

Akane appeared with a basket that seemed to be full of food and treats.

"Ah, Akane-san~" Shinoa approached her. "This is the first time that Yuu-san has seen the portrait of Mikaela and he's fascinated by it".