Chapter 839
Chapter 839
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 839
Chapter Title: Deneb's Circumstances (3)
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1.
Whether it was that ominous prophecy somewhere or the state of his body after Keter's machinations had swept through it, Siu had plunged into an unidentified situation shrouded in ambiguity, with no clear path to resolution.
The Ivory Tower of Duke Keter remained firmly sealed to outsiders, and resolving his current condition boiled down to two major necessities.
First and foremost, Siu himself needed to grow stronger.
According to the Soul Witch Gretel, the unconscious mind overtaking the conscious one occurred when the magic of the unconscious far surpassed Siu's own.
To prevent that, he had to bolster his own power.
No matter what future lay ahead, he needed to spec up to handle it on his own.
Typically, combat prowess around the 21st rank meant he'd be safe from random deaths almost anywhere, but Siu wasn't your average witch—that was the problem.
Secondly, he needed to make an accurate judgment about his situation.
Rather than moving on guesswork without solid data, the key was to investigate as much information and magic as possible.
Who knew? He might uncover a fundamental cure for his anomalous state, or flipping through history books could reveal someone who'd faced a similar plight.
That was why Amelia, Siu, Sharon, and Lurye—the four of them—were heading to the secret archives of Ars Magna Town: to gather more high-quality materials.
So, what exactly was this secret archive, full name "Valentinus Secret Archives"?
It was a massive library jointly owned by Gehenna's largest academic faction, the Truth and Reality Academic Society, and the similarly scaled Emerald Tablet.
All the high-quality magic tomes and paper copies of theses poured out annually by each society were stored here.
As were rare volumes passed down from before Gehenna's era and forbidden books galore.
It was a witch's archive, brimming with unique materials incomparable to the library at Trinity Academy that Siu had managed during his slave days—a vast collection in one word.
Having only heard rumors until now, the group laid eyes on the archives' exterior: a dome-shaped building resembling Rome's landmark, the Pantheon.
The protruding front even evoked the Parthenon Temple.
"Bigger than I expected."
"Oho, it looks like a bunker. They've built it with quite the flair."
They hadn't even stepped inside yet, but admiration spilled out naturally.
Even Lurye, stingy with praise, nodded in approval without holding back.
Well, Gehenna had always known how to erect buildings with real presence.
"The inside's even bigger."
"Have you been here before, Lady Amelia?"
"Yeah, once or twice."
"What about you, Sharon?"
"I've come plenty of times."
This secret archive wasn't a place any Gehenna citizen could freely enter.
Without contributions like publishing theses, donating rare books, or funding operations, access was restricted.
That was why so many lone-wolf witches joined academic societies—to rack up those contributions.
Fortunately, both "Merigold" and "Evergreen" had piled up enough achievements for free access.
Amelia was a former baroness, and Sharon a venerable great witch of the elemental lineage, so it was only natural.
Lurye, freshly minted as a citizen not long ago, had shown what real money could do with her vast inheritance.
By donating five years' worth of operating funds, she'd snagged her access pass.
"Siu, this way."
Passing through the entrance, even more majestic and beautiful up close, the interior came into view.
"Whoa..."
"Ooooh...!"
Siu and Lurye were awestruck by the secret archives' landscape, several times vaster than anticipated.
The exterior had seemed huge already, but the inside employed space-folding magic utilizing ley lines.
A hall 100 meters long, wide enough for two carriages to pass comfortably.
A rounded wooden ceiling, like a halved oak barrel, stretched along the galleries.
Bookcases stood at regular intervals along the straight gallery stems, reaching clear to the ceiling—like pillars made entirely of shelves.
If you flipped Noah's Ark from the Bible upside down, it'd look something like this inside.
Each shelf crammed full of antique books—if he'd been the caretaker back in his slave days, he'd have died of old age dusting them.
"A-Are all these magic-related books?"
"History tomes too."
"Witches write a ton of books and papers."
"I knew that, but..."
Siu, who'd watched various professors up close, knew it well.
True to witches who'd bet their lives on magic, they churned out about five encyclopedia-thick academic tomes per year on average.
Short papers might push it higher.
But seeing the results amassed like this really drove home how dead serious witches were about magic.
"How do we find what we need in all this?"
"Lurye, come over here?"
As Lurye imagined flailing buried in book piles with a hint of dismay, Sharon tugged her arm.
Surprisingly obedient to Sharon, Lurye trailed after her with tiny steps.
"All the archives' materials have indexing for easy searches. You can tag-search books here in this crystal... and like this, check related references too."
"Oh ho..."
As Lurye's eyes sparkled at Gehenna's modern marvel,
a presence suddenly prickled from the side of his head.
"My goodness."
She'd approached so quietly it startled him.
Turning, there stood a witch with long golden hair styled in an elaborate European princess fashion, cradling a massive book.
Her bright blonde, lighter than Amelia's, coiled in perfect curls—must've taken a solid two hours just to style.
Her attire was prim witch formalwear, embroidered sleeves in gold thread the only flourish.
Even through rimless glasses, her sharp green eyes radiated intellect, instantly revealing her type.
"Long time no see, Merigold."
Unlike Amelia, who bowed calmly without a hint of fluster, Siu was thoroughly shocked.
At this distance, he could've gauged her without removing his eyepatch.
Unless deliberately concealed, a great witch's magic field leaked noticeably outward.
Yet this witch, despite her demure looks, hid terrifyingly refined mana.
"Countess Gremory, it's been a while. All well?"
"Same as always for me. But you, Miss Merigold—I've heard of that recent unpleasant incident."
"Handled it fine. Thanks for your concern."
"Countess...?"
One of Gehenna's seven countesses, alongside Cohav, Yesod, Jemernai, Adonai.
Her rank: a staggering 23rd.
Impressive, but for Siu—who tensed up around strong witches—it just made him self-conscious.
"Lots of new faces. I'm Metis Gremory, chief librarian of the Valentinus Secret Archives."
"First time meeting you. Shin Siu."
"Heard the name. I'd appreciate it if you left now."
Metis delivered a polite greeting paired with a razor-sharp eviction notice.
Siu, clueless about the situation, glanced at Amelia and Sharon.
Both looked pretty thrown off too.
"Countess Gremory, he has recommendation letters from Countess Yesod and Countess Jemernai."
"Is that so? But the archives fall under House Gremory's full management. Meaning we can refuse recommendations."
Only then did the group realize Metis's appearance wasn't friendly overture.
"To be precise, I'm refusing only Mr. Shin Siu's access. The rest of you are welcome."
"Hey, you're Countess Gregory or whatever?"
"Lurye! Just stay calm for now!"
Lurye strode toward Metis, who'd popped up out of nowhere to boot Siu out.
Sharon desperately held her back before she could cause a scene.
Siu asked coolly.
"Why?"
If there'd been any prior connection, he might've guessed the reason.
But today was his first meeting with Metis.
No schemes or malice—he wasn't the type to turn someone away coldly like that.
"I'd like to know the reason."
Siu was a unique research subject any witch would covet.
If this entry ban was bait for negotiation, he'd turn tail without regret.
Sorry as he'd feel leaving it all to his lovers, Siu had plenty to do on his own.
No need to cling when forced out.
"It violates the archives' rules."
Metis stated it flatly, without a trace of apology.
Her words clicked the puzzle of that stifling sensation he'd felt since her arrival—not just from her refined mana.
"Doesn't meeting certain requirements grant access?"
"Mr. Shin Siu, the archives aren't merely a pile of books. It's an ark of wisdom housing legacies revered by active witches, their predecessors, and the ones before them."
A place rightfully open to qualified witches. On a grand scale, it's contributed to magic's evolution through generations of inherited stigma.
"......"
"Meanwhile, I don't consider you a witch, Mr. Shin Siu. You're just an irregular who popped up out of nowhere. Per archives rules, non-witches can't enter, recommendation letters or not."
Metis made no follow-up demands like "Do this instead and I'll let you in specially."
She just blinked, as if to say she'd said her piece—refute if you dare.
Meaning she wasn't scheming for personal gain.
A stickler for rules, ironclad in upholding her own principles.
A woman whose long years had hardened into an aura of nitpicking rigidity.
Metis Gremory, met for the first time, was in simple terms—a suffocating stick-in-the-mud.