"This is the uncle of the Faul family," remarked the priest Orphen, seemingly recognizing the visage of one of the statues at first glance.

  "Orphen, you know him?" Fess inquired with a hint of surprise.

  "Yes, Fess. When I was preaching for the church beyond these walls, I employed healing incantations to cure the ailments of the villagers in that hamlet, and in the process, I became acquainted with numerous individuals. I am quite certain that this stone statue depicts the uncle of the Faul family," Orphen stated, his brows knitted in a frown.

  "But they are stone statues. Why on earth would the heretics carve so many likenesses of the villagers? What possible purpose could this serve?" Fess queried, a look of bewilderment etched on his face.

  "These are no ordinary stone statues, Fess," interjected Kenley.

  "What do you mean?" Fess asked, his eyes clouded with confusion.

  "These stone statues were once living, breathing human beings," Kenley declared.

  "What?!" The exclamation rang out in unison as everyone was taken aback by this revelation.

  "Are you suggesting that these stone statues were once alive?" Daina asked, her voice laced with disbelief.

  "Indeed. Take a closer look at these statues. Can you not sense the faint ebb and flow of magical energy?" Kenley prompted.

  Guinevere immediately activated her Eyes of the Magic Spring to examine them. After a brief moment, she nodded grimly. "Mr. Kenley is correct. These stone statues were, at one time, living individuals."

  "Those wretched creatures! Why would they do such a thing? By what right do they massacre these defenseless villagers?" Daina's voice trembled with righteous indignation.

  "Could it be petrification magic? I recall that in the swamps, there exists a species of petrifying lizard capable of such a feat," Tia offered.

  Guinevere shook her head. "Your Highness Tia, it does not appear to be the petrification magic of the petrifying lizard."

  "Could you elaborate further?" Tia asked.

  "The petrification magic of the petrifying lizard typically affects only a portion of the body, not the entire being," Guinevere explained.

  "Now that you mention it, Your Highness Guinevere, you are quite right. Then what could it be? Could it be the petrifying gaze of Medusa?" Tia proposed another hypothesis.

  Daina, however, also shook her head. "I have encountered Medusa. She would never use her petrifying gaze lightly, unless her life is in immediate danger. These villagers pose no threat to Medusa, being completely defenseless. She has no reason to employ her petrifying gaze on them; a simple dose of snake venom would suffice to end their lives. Thus, this explanation is untenable."

  At this, a heavy silence descended upon the group. The corridor, though seemingly empty, took on an eerie atmosphere. The lifelike statues, a stark reminder of their former humanity, suggested that something truly terrifying had transpired here.

  "It is alchemy..." Kenley's voice broke the silence.

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  "Alchemy?" Everyone was stunned into silence upon hearing Kenley's answer.

  "Wait a moment, Mr. Kenley. Are you suggesting that someone used alchemy to petrify these people?" Daina asked.

  Kenley nodded and crouched down in front of one of the statues, pinching a small amount of strange white powder between his fingers. "Look at this powder."

  "Powder?"

  "In the swamps where the petrifying lizards dwell, there is often a peculiar symbiotic plant, the Petrification Mushroom. This mushroom is highly toxic. Ingestion, even accidentally, can result in the complete petrification of the unfortunate victim. Alchemists have, in the past, used this plant to craft magical artifacts. It is highly likely that these people fell victim to the experiments of alchemists," Kenley explained, his voice steady as he laid out his inference.

  "The Petrification Mushroom! I remember now. Deep within the Bilak Swamp, there is an abundance of these mushrooms. Gathering them would not have been a difficult task for them," Fess said, furrowing his brow.

  "Goodness. These poor villagers. Could it be that they were all petrified as a result of alchemical experiments..." Tia murmured, covering her mouth with her hand, her heart heavy with sorrow at the sight of the villagers' plight.

  "Those damned heretics! How dare they use these defenseless villagers for their perverse experiments? They deserve to meet a far worse fate than death!" Daina exclaimed, clenching her fists tightly.

  "Regardless, everyone, remain vigilant. We have no idea what those alchemists have created. Under no circumstances should you touch anything out of the ordinary that we may encounter. Is that clear?" Kenley warned.

  The group nodded in agreement.

  They skirted around the stone statues and continued their journey forward, their hearts heavy with the weight of what they had discovered. But they had not gone far when a strange clicking sound emanated from behind them.

  "Who's there?" Daina's eyes flashed with a fierce glint as she swiftly drew her sword and whirled around.

  But there was nothing there, save for the eerie stone statues.

  Kenley squinted his eyes. He knew exactly what it was, but he could not reveal the truth, for fear of arousing suspicion among the others.

  "Everyone, be on your guard!" Kenley could only issue this cautionary warning.

  Just then, one of the stone statues suddenly "came to life" and, being quite close to the group, lunged towards Guinevere, who was the nearest.

  "Your Highness, watch out!"

  Guinevere let out a soft snort. With a wave of her wand, a hexagram flashed, and a magical shield materialized, interposing itself between her and the statue.

  The statue crashed into the magical shield, its surprise attack foiled.

  "Ice Spikes!" A third - tier spell was immediately cast, and a three - meter - long ice spike shot up from the ground, piercing the statue through.

  With a crack, the statue was thoroughly impaled by the ice spike.

  The statue emitted a strange and piercing shriek. Despite being an inanimate object, the sound sent a chill down everyone's spine.

  "These stone statues have likely been transformed into thralls by dark magic. Put them out of their misery!" Kenley said, showing no mercy towards these enslaved statues.

  Although these stone statues were once villagers, they were no longer human. To show compassion towards them would be to endanger the lives of their group.

  "Charge!" Kenley darted forward with a deft movement, executing two Six - Light Consecutive Slashes. With a series of thuds, more than a dozen statues in two large clusters were instantly shattered into pieces by Kenley.

  However, there were far too many statues. There were likely fifty or sixty of them in total, both ahead and behind.

  Daina also sprang into action. Her reaction was lightning - fast. She immediately unleashed the Three - Leaf Flash Sword. With several agile movements, she shattered seven or eight of the stone thralls.

  Orphen and Tek, however, were not so fortunate. As auxiliary - focused classes, their combat prowess was not on par with that of the others.

  Two of the stone thralls closed in on them. Tek drew his defensive sword and engaged them in a fierce struggle, while Orphen fought back with his dagger.

  The battle quickly devolved into a close - quarters skirmish, the sound of clashing weapons filling the air.

  But then, Guinevere began to chant. An invisible ice - blue mist gradually materialized, and the stone thralls that were about to attack and those already engaged in combat with the group were suddenly encased in a layer of frost.

  In an instant, all the stone statues were transformed into ice sculptures.

  "The Water - Affinity Inherited Magic, Ice King's Prison?" Kenley was the first to identify the spell. Of course, he was also proficient in this particular magic.