Director William calmly explained the facts of the incident.
The library of the Astral Palace, where one of the Five Great Magical Books, (The Book of Ignis), is kept, is located far from the Royal Palace.
It is a very secret library, so that only a few know its exact location.
In fact, the security is so tight that the soldiers themselves assigned to guard it only know that it is a guard post.
“The body of one of the guards was found in the nearby forest this evening. The soldier was on duty at noon on the day of the tournament, and then he disappeared. The library guards reported him missing as a fugitive, and they kept looking for him, but because they did not know what was inside the library, they did not realize that the magic book had been stolen.”
“Despite this, the situation is catastrophic. They were so slow, they were late in even reporting the soldier missing.”
Carlex exploded angrily as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
William stopped talking for a moment, staring at him.
“Calm down. It was the capital’s Royal Guard who were late in informing us. There is chaos now due to dealing with the remaining monsters. The Astral Library Guard spent their day just searching for the missing soldier.”
William then continued to explain the incident.
“As soon as I received the notification of the loss, I rushed to the Astral Library, made sure that (Ignis’ Book) was gone, and then came directly here.”
As soon as William finished speaking, I nodded.
“Then we don't have time. Let's go to the Astral Library quickly.”
“Miss Erica, are you really sure?”
William seemed surprised by the quick answer she had been waiting for.
“I want to see the scene. I might find some evidence.”
“I can't burden you too.”
I wanted to reassure the hesitant William.
I smiled slightly.
“The reason you came directly to the Duke’s Palace is because it concerns me, right?”
“True, but...”
I spoke in a calm, firm voice.
“I am a book reader who wants to find any evidence of a magical book in any way. It is a book that should never be lost.”
“I oppose your going.”
Carlex stood in my way, reluctant.
His burning gaze holds me tightly.
“The astral library is dangerous now. We don’t know when the soldier killer might move again. I will go, so you stay here in the palace. It is the safest place.”
Carlex's face was serious, but I didn't back down.
“No, I have to go. There is something no one else can do.”
A frown crossed Carlex's face.
He held my wrist tightly, and his stance seemed firm, as if he would not let me go anywhere.
“You are not the only book reader in the kingdom. There is a wizard in the royal court who is also a book reader. We can ask for his help.”
“Carlex.”
William broke the tension between Carlex and me.
He looked at his friend with calm, steady eyes.
“If you mean Lord Herven, he is an elderly wizard. Although he is a book reader, his health does not allow him to leave the royal palace. In this emergency, there is only the librarian Erica. Please allow us to expand.”
William bowed politely to make his request.
“Librarian Erica, please accompany us. I have arrived on horseback outside the Duke’s Palace. I will go ahead of you and wait there.”
William left the reception room, and I went to the door to get my coat from my room.
“Just a moment.”
Suddenly, Carlex closed the reception room door violently.
He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me towards the door, preventing me from leaving.
I was trapped between the door and his embrace, unable to move.
“Why are you doing this...!?”
I shouted angrily, but lost my words when I saw the expression on Carlex's face as he looked at me.
“I beg you as a friend, stay here, Erika. Do not leave the Duke’s Palace...”
He bit his lower lip hard.
Unfinished words were crushed under his pale lips.
One word mixed with a sigh more like a groan.
As if he was saying to me: “Please.”
Waves formed in his cobalt blue eyes.
It was fear.
I felt his fear of being hurt.
“Ruperia’s peace is like thin ice. We don’t know when monsters might invade. Recently, the dimension borders in the Kraal Mountain Range have been shaken. All the magicians on the continent have mobilized to maintain the borders, but we can’t guarantee anything.”
He paused for a moment to catch his breath, then continued.
“If the borders are distorted, monsters will emerge. These creatures we do not know when, where, or why will come. They turned this land into hell. I have fought them, risking my life, for the past seven years. I thought that death in battle did not matter.”
His gaze seemed exhausted and empty.
Perhaps the knight's pride or the promise of glory no longer had any meaning to him, after years of fighting on the brink of death.
"But you're different. I want you to be safe and happy here. I never want to see you hurt Erica, if something happens to you…"
“…”
“There is a magical boundary around the Duke’s Palace that prevents monsters from entering easily. So stay here.”
Carlex pleaded with me again.
Oh, this is the strange feeling I had.
I finally understood what was going on inside him.
The reason why he was so keen to isolate me from outside information.
He wanted to cover my eyes and ears, and for me to live like a princess in a castle isolated from the turbulent reality.
For a moment, an instinctive impulse arose within me.
To cling to him and admit that I do not want to cling more, that I am afraid.
How peaceful life was in the safe duke's palace, with the warmth of care and protection.
But I have a home to return to, and problems to solve as Erica.
Ignoring reality will solve nothing.
Neglected problems only get worse.
Franz is still watching me, and I must find out the real reason why the monsters don't attack me.
And most importantly, I'm not the heroine he needs to protect.
I pushed aside his arm that was blocking the door, and smiled professionally.
“I appreciate your words, but as a librarian and book reader I do not intend to shirk my responsibilities.”
***
On a quiet, bright night, all that broke through the silence of the sky was the sound of the hooves of our three horses.
We set off quickly, wearing black cloaks to hide our identities.
It was dark all around, but the highway was still visible.
But as the night deepens, the darkness will become so dense that it will be difficult to ride a horse.
We had to reach the western wall before that.
After we had come a long way since we left Duke Reinhardt's palace, bright lights appeared at the end of the highway.
The Western Wall area was on the outskirts of the capital.
The area around the gate is illuminated by torches.
A guard holding a spear ran towards us, staring at us suspiciously.
He raised his spear forward and shouted.
“Stop! It is forbidden to pass through the western gate at night.”
William got off his horse and raised a ring bearing a luxurious seal.
It was a ring that did not fit his usual simple appearance.
The guard's face turned pale when he saw the ring.
“The ring of the royal family! Excuse me, I did not know Your Majesty. I will open the gate immediately!”
Another guard from the guard station joined in and began opening the very heavy gate.
I was amazed internally.
I thought William was an ordinary director of the Royal Library, so what exactly is his rank?
“Mr. Director, how did you come to have the royal family’s ring?”
William gave me a kind smile.
“This is a royal ring that I took from the office of His Highness the Crown Prince once.”
“What? Stealing something from the royal family is punishable by at least death.”
I can't imagine William stealing anything from the Crown Prince's office.
He is the epitome of integrity, he could not do something like this.
His words often mix seriousness with joking.
“I have one too.”
Carlex insinuated himself into the conversation and showed us a matching ring.
What is this? Is it a group friendship ring?
“Haha, it’s a joke. His Highness gave it to me for use in emergencies involving magic books.”
“I expected that. I panicked.”
To joke in such a situation.
I felt William's care aimed at relieving my stress.
When the gate was fully opened, Carlex took hold of his horse's reins and rode forward.
“Let's get going again. We must take the shortest route to the Astral Library. William, ask the guards for torches.”
It was so dark outside that we couldn't see what was in front of us.
It would be dangerous to ride without a light.
Then I had a good idea.
"Are there other magical books in the astral library? Do you remember any titles?"
William thought for a while, then mentioned the title of a magic book.
I grabbed my book tracing compass and said the title.
The device was surrounded by light and the needle pointed north.
Light streamed from the needle, illuminating its way through the darkness.
In the complete darkness, the light of the book tracker was bright and clear.
In addition, he pointed precisely towards the star library, so all we had to do was follow the light.
Carlex and William seemed impressed too.
“Great. It lights the way too, that’s convenient.”
I tightened the reins to move forward.
I smiled confidently at the two men looking at me with confused expressions.
“From now on, I will lead the way as a book reader. Hold on tight and follow me, gentlemen.”
***
We followed the light of the book tracker and continued moving north without stopping.
Finally, we stopped in front of a guard post that was bright as day with torches lit everywhere.
Dozens of soldiers were carrying spears on alert.
The center was built like a small wooden fortress, with watchtowers to the north, south, east and west.
“Is this the Star Library? It looks like just a guard post?”
I asked William as I got off the horse.
The guard commander and the soldiers recognized William and Carlex immediately and gave a military salute.
The soldiers' expressions were dark and heavy due to the presence of a dead person.
I also felt intense tension filling the atmosphere of the center.
William came forward quickly, explaining in a very low voice.
“It's a disguise. The outside is a normal observation post, but the library is downstairs. The location of the library here is top secret.”
When we entered the center, we saw an old, dilapidated building that looked like a warehouse.
As we entered, William and Carlex exchanged glances.
William picked up a lamp and lifted an old rug onto the floor.
It was an ordinary stone floor, but when William pressed a certain part of it, a sparkling blue magic circle appeared.
The letters at the edges of the magic circle moved as if they were alive.
I read it unconsciously.
“The book is a door to new worlds.”
It was the same phrase I had seen on the door of the magical bookcase in the Royal Library.
A golden light rose from the magic circle and then faded, revealing an opening in the stone floor.
William asked in a surprised voice.
“…Miss Erica, do you know the language of magic?”
“To be continued in the next chapter”
Loving translation