Chapter 126
Chapter 126
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: Starseeker (5)
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“This is the Special Archives?”
The Special Archives, which I’d found after asking for directions, didn’t look particularly special, contrary to its name.
If I had to find something special about it, it would be the sheer number of books.
“Hmm.”
The archives were quiet.
There wasn't a single person looking for a book, not even a guard watching over the place.
Was it empty because it was the middle of the workday, or was it just a place few people ever visited?
It had to be the latter.
Throughout my past and present lives, I could hardly recall ever seeing a knight who liked books.
Warmongers who thought it more profitable to swing a sword than to read a single page.
Would the professors at the Cradle be any different?
“Nice.”
I appreciated the quiet atmosphere of the archives.
But that feeling was fleeting.
It was nice that there were no people, but with no one managing the archives either, finding the book I wanted was not easy.
Books here, books there.
The entire place was filled with books.
I had no idea where among them the book I wanted might be.
It would be a different story if they were at least properly categorized.
Finding a book related to the Ancient Empire in an archive where most of the books didn't even have titles seemed like a distant dream.
It looked like I would have to spend a long time rummaging around to find what I was looking for.
“Hoo.”
I scanned the books on the shelves.
“Not this one. Not this one either. Not this one…”
For the books without titles, I opened and checked each one individually.
But I couldn't find any books related to the Ancient Empire.
I didn't give up and continued to search the archives.
Rummage, rummage.
After several hours of relentless searching.
[The Rise and Fall of the Ancient Empire]
[The Nation Forsaken by the Stars]
[The Dark Age of Humanity]
[The Lost Millennium]
I was able to find a few books related to the Ancient Empire.
“Let’s see…”
I excitedly opened the books, only to be disappointed soon after.
“They’re all religious texts.”
The books I’d gone to such lengths to find were so steeped in religious fervor they were closer to the ramblings of a zealot—utterly worthless.
How could they all have the same content?
The main theme of every single one was scolding the foolishness and arrogance of the ancient people.
It was truly absurd.
Even besides the satellite cities, relics left by the ancient people remained scattered throughout the world.
And not a single one of them was inferior to anything from this era.
The very satellite city I was standing in was a legacy of the Ancient Empire.
“Why are they so desperate to tear them down?”
Hoping for something more, I skimmed through the back pages, but as expected, there was nothing of value.
“You can stay in the corner. It'd be an insult to the trees.”
I shoved the books into a corner of the archives.
Then, I started rummaging through the shelves again.
I had no idea how much time had passed.
I moved between the shelves and desks, continuously searching for materials on the Ancient Empire.
I was starting to get anxious.
I had to return to my classes tomorrow, so I didn't know when I would be able to come to the Special Archives like this again.
I began to scan the shelves indiscriminately.
But I found nothing of note.
Just as I was about to give up and leave, planning to return another time.
“Hm?”
My hand brushed against a book as I scanned a shelf.
*Swish.*
I pulled the book out.
It was so old that the cover was worn to the point where even the print was erased, leaving it without a title. The pages, frayed at the corners, were stuck together by some unknown liquid and wouldn't even open properly.
There were plenty of books like this in the archives.
There was no need to risk damaging it by forcing it.
Yes, that was right. But…
“For some reason, I can't let it go.”
I couldn't put the book down.
Somehow, I felt like it contained exactly what I was looking for.
I crouched on the floor and carefully gripped the corner of the book.
“Hoo.”
After taking a deep breath, I applied pressure.
*Crrrackle.*
With an unpleasant sound, the stuck pages began to separate little by little.
But the book's condition was so poor that it was difficult to get a look inside.
Still, I didn't give up and continued the work.
Focusing all my senses on my fingertips, I slowly, very slowly, peeled open the stuck pages.
Just as I was struggling with the pages.
“Who’s there?”
Someone’s voice called out.
“Gasp!”
My entire focus had been on the book, and the voice made me jump.
*Rrrrrrip.*
A strangely satisfying tearing sound echoed in my ears.
“I’m scr—”
“I said, who’s there?”
Without a moment to check the damage, I quickly hid the book inside my clothes.
“What’s this? What’s a kid doing here?”
When I turned around, a lanky man with long, curly hair was looking at me suspiciously.
“Only professors are allowed in here. Who gave you permission to enter…”
“Well, the Vice-Director sent me on an errand.”
I had already coordinated this with the Vice-Director before coming here.
He’d said that regardless of any promises, allowing a specific cadet access to the Special Archives, which was meant only for professors, would cause gossip. So if I ran into anyone, I should just use the excuse of an errand.
“An errand? What kind of errand?”
The man scanned me up and down with a skeptical look.
I ostentatiously picked a random book within reach from the shelf.
“He asked me to borrow this book.”
The man stared intently at the book in my hand.
But his expression was strange.
“The Vice-Director asked you to borrow *that* book?”
“Yes. He said he really wanted to read this book…”
“I see. So the Vice-Director said he absolutely had to read ‘The Ninety-Nine Passionate, Heart-Pounding, and Unspeakable Nights of the Gallant Knight Jillian.’”
Only then did I realize that of all the books I could have picked, I’d chosen a rather peculiar one.
“Yes.”
But it was too late to take back my words.
“What’s your name?”
“Cadet Yan, of the Eunsuri.”
After roughly confirming my identity, the man waved his hand.
It seemed to be a gesture for me to leave.
*Nod.*
I bowed my head and was about to pass the man and leave the archives when—
“Wait.”
The man stopped me.
“Take this too.”
He abruptly held out a book to me, who had tensed up slightly.
[The Ninety-Nine Passionate, Heart-Pounding, and Unspeakable Nights of the Gallant Knight Jillian (Vol. 2)]
“It’s a two-volume series.”
“…Thank you.”
I left the archives and headed straight for the Director’s office.
“I heard you ran into Knight Klail.”
The Vice-Director already knew that I had encountered someone in the archives.
Apparently, he had been contacted in advance through a terminal.
It seemed Klail had even checked to see if a new cadet had audaciously used the Vice-Director’s name.
“You handled it well, though. Apart from his dignity as a knight, he’s naturally frivolous and has a loose tongue, so it could have become a headache.”
At his following words, I discreetly hid the book behind my back.
“You may go. As for the book, return it yourself when the time is right.”
He said I could use returning the book as an excuse to use the archives again.
Worried he might check the book, I fled the Director’s office.
And returned to the dormitory.
*Yom, yom.*
As if it had been waiting, the Mandragora seedling greeted me.
“Did it grow a little?”
At a glance, the leaves seemed fuller than before, but I wasn't sure.
I hadn't paid much attention to it.
It was the same now.
I had more pressing matters than the Mandragora seedling.
I tossed the book about the Gallant Knight Jillian somewhere convenient and took out the old book from within my clothes.
“I didn't mean to take it.”
It had been intriguing, but I hadn't actually planned on secretly taking it out.
Things got complicated when that man named Klail suddenly appeared, causing me to tear the book.
It seemed I would have to return this one as well when I returned the other book later.
“Of course, I have to check it first.”
I carefully opened the book.
Because I had forcibly separated the stuck pages, the book was in terrible shape.
The ink had peeled off along with the paper, making less than half of the content visible.
Even what was visible was faded and difficult to make out.
“Hmm.”
I squinted and read the text.
“Oh!”
I finally managed to decipher a few sentences and let out a cheer.
“What a coincidence.”
Among the heavily damaged content was exactly what I had been looking for.
『The Empire's astronomers strove to open the…』
『…those who were born with the… open…』
『Star…ers…』
If I had just returned, I would have regretted it for a long, long time.
The problem was that as the stuck pages separated, a significant portion of the content had become illegible.
But it wasn't a major issue.
It wasn't so bad that I couldn't grasp the general context, even if I had to force it.
“Carefully, carefully.”
This time, I was extremely careful not to damage the book as I peeled away the stuck paper.
After a long effort, I was able to make out a few more pages of content.
It was something like this.
Humans are naturally born with an opening in their heads, which closes naturally as they grow.
However, among them are those whose openings do not completely close congenitally, and among those, there are some who reopen the passage through acquired effort.
They were the Starseekers who had opened the Great Heavenly Gate.
“This much I already know.”
I continued to peel away the stuck pages.
I organized the information I had painstakingly gathered in my head.
『The enlightenment of a human with an open Great Heavenly Gate is incomparable to that of an ordinary person.』
『The Great Heavenly Gate is a passage connecting the heavens and humanity.』
『A human who has opened the Great Heavenly Gate can, through acquired effort, open this passage even wider, allowing them to blossom their talents or even awaken special abilities.』
In short, the more you opened the Great Heavenly Gate, the closer you became to a genius.
“Special abilities, huh.”
The change in my right eye must be one of the special abilities mentioned in the book.
I looked for content about the eye that could identify stars.
Coincidentally, the book also contained a story about the phenomenon I had experienced.
It said that for a human to be born and glimpse the providence of the heavens was to bear a tremendous burden.
To overcome this, strenuous effort was required.
“Oh. So with effort, I can use this only when needed and also alleviate the pain.”
Unfortunately, there were no further details.
Just as I was about to close the book, thinking I had gathered all the necessary information, I opened it again.
A few faintly written lines at the bottom caught my eye.
『Starseekers made every effort to open the Great Heavenly Gate wider.』
『However, through long effort and research, they learned that opening the Great Heavenly Gate beyond a certain point was an extremely dangerous act.』
Up to this point, I hadn't thought much of it, but the following sentence made me snap to attention.
『The moment the Great Heavenly Gate is fully opened, they shall cast off their mortal flesh and ascend to the heavens.』
In other words.
“Ascension?”
It meant that when the Great Heavenly Gate was fully opened, whether you wanted it or not, you would go to heaven.
What kind of bullshit is this?