The Sword That Scatters Moonlight
After placing the monstrous bird inside the Chrono Orb, Leon stepped back into reality and immediately began erasing every trace the creature had left behind. It was impossible to remove every single mark, but he deliberately left the clumsily wiped areas untouched. That way, when the mages came to investigate, they would assume someone had been observing and experimenting here before trying to cover their tracks.
The old man’s poison vial had been left behind for the same reason. Leon knew it might seem too obvious, but the poison was clear evidence of the research Forn had been conducting. It would help the mages piece together what had happened.
After leaving the old man’s office, Leon didn’t stop moving. He headed straight for the second floor of the Old Magic Library. He had been curious about it for a while now—what exactly was in those forbidden grimoires that even librarians were barred from entering?
The door blocking the second-floor entrance opened obediently once he inserted Forn’s token. The space that revealed itself was far more modest than he had imagined. Compared to the densely packed bookshelves on the first floor, it was less than a third the size.
Leon began pulling out the books stored without any special seals and examining them one by one. He had hoped to find a dark magic tome—not because he wanted to learn dark magic, but simply because he was curious about what it entailed. It was the kind of secretive field where obtaining information through normal channels was nearly impossible.
I guess I’ll have to settle for whatever the old man had.
There were no grimoires on high-level dark magic. What little he found were crude spells that barely deserved to be called dark magic at all. As Leon continued flipping through the books, his expectations gradually crumbled. Most of them were the sort where you could tell at a glance why they had been labeled forbidden.
This wasn’t the kind of prohibition he had been hoping for.
They’re just… terrible.
Most were either spells that inflicted ridiculous backlash on the caster or crude things like “Stimulation of the Erogenous Zones.”
Well, this is the Old Magic Library, after all.
By the time he was halfway through, Leon was flipping through the pages at an even faster pace. Just as he neared the very end, his hand suddenly froze while reaching for the next book.
“Sword that Scatters Moonlight.” El Cid style.
It was sword magic. In a place where elemental magic was considered the orthodox path, spells that utilized bladed weapons tended to be looked down upon. And truthfully, they rarely displayed power comparable to elemental magic, so the disdain was understandable.
Having assumed it would be just another one of those, Leon found himself intrigued as he studied the incantation and its underlying principles.
He could see why it had been designated as a forbidden grimoire. For one thing, the book was only half complete. The spell formula was written in a fragmented, almost cryptographic style. The moment someone tried to calculate it and draw up mana, it was obvious the caster’s own mana would twist violently from the backlash. It was as if half the content had been deliberately hidden.
On top of that, the magic demanded an absurd level of talent from the mage. The book stated it outright: Do not attempt this unless you possess the highest caliber of talent. To mages who already scorned weapon-based magic, such a statement must have seemed incredibly arrogant.
Yet the reason Leon continued to study it so closely was because, despite those risks, the spell itself looked extraordinary.
I won’t be able to use it right away… but this should qualify as high-rank magic, right?
Leon immediately copied the entire grimoire and stored it inside his subspace.
The next day.
Hamel, a mage from Widia’s Investigation Bureau, stood in the middle of a dimly lit underground chamber alongside his assistant. After receiving a report that Forn had gone missing, they had searched his office and discovered this secret space.
Hamel picked up the small green vial sitting on the desk.
“It’s poison.”
“Do you think he never expected this hidden space to be found?”
“He must have known we would.”
Hamel set the vial down and began examining the floor of the chamber. There were clear traces of something that had occupied the space for a long time.
“Do you remember how the trail went cold in the Herb Mountain?”
“Yes. Weren’t there faint signs of combat?”
His assistant, Mark, pulled out a half-burned leaf he had carefully sealed and stored. “It was strange that we couldn’t detect any mana traces despite signs of a fight. Now it all makes sense. That old man Forn—he was a dark mage, wasn’t he?”
“With a secret laboratory like this, it’s practically confirmed.”
But Hamel still looked uneasy. He tapped his temple a few times.
“Is something bothering you?”
“Hmm… The final traces on the mountain were so muddled it was impossible to determine what really happened. Yet this secret space was left with perfectly clear evidence? Doesn’t it feel like someone deliberately guided our thinking in this direction?”
Mark tilted his head. “You think Forn set it up to make us think this way?”
“That’s what’s troubling me.”
“For now, we should hand this case over to Pedro’s team. We’re only responsible for the outer districts.”
After a moment of thought, Hamel finally nodded.
“Who was the first person to report this?”
“A boy named Leon who worked with the old man at the Old Magic Library. He’s a civilian.”
“Was there anything suspicious about him?”
“He’s a child who only recently arrived from Weiteryon Orphanage. What could someone living at the entrance possibly know? The only testimony we got was that Forn stayed locked inside his office all day and never came out. It seems he was conducting research in this hidden space during work hours.”
“A child from Weiteryon Orphanage…”
Hamel let out a sigh. It felt like even the last possible lead had vanished.
“Forn the dark mage completed his secret research and then fled… Let’s wrap it up with that conclusion and pass it on.”
“Understood. Things are going to get noisy from now on. Everyone’s been talking about subjugating dark mages lately. I just hope the sparks don’t fly our way…”
Hamel’s gaze turned toward Mark. Realizing his mistake, Mark quickly tried to cover his words.
“Haha, we’ll just have to work hard. Yes…”
Mark scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
The spire rose noticeably higher than the surrounding buildings. On the top floor of Widia’s Central Magic Tower, several mages had gathered.
Arpina, seated right beside the head of the long table, pouted as she watched a man fly in through the window.
“So desperate for attention…”
“I was handling an urgent matter. It couldn’t be helped. You’re the same as ever.”
“Yes, yes… While some of us are slaving away on research, you must have been so busy ascending to the rank of Insight.”
The man who had entered through the window sat down across from Arpina and removed his hat. His completely bald head was revealed, but no one in the room dared comment on it.
“So, did you make any progress?”
At Arpina’s question, the bald man shook his head.
“I’ll be honest. Even if I spent another ten years staring at a wall in training, it would still be difficult. I realized that this time.”
Arpina looked surprised. “Did you gain some kind of enlightenment?”
“You could say that.”
“For someone who swore to follow in the Tower Master’s footsteps, you’re giving up awfully quickly.”
“It was youthful arrogance…”
Arpina shook her head as the man stroked his white beard. Did he really think that kind of old-man humor was funny?
“Anyway, it looks like I’m the last one here. Can we just start the meeting?”
“The Tower Master…”
“I know he entered seclusion long ago to walk the Path of the Sage.”
The bald man had gone into training intending to follow that same path. Though he had given up far sooner. To be called a Great Sage, one had to reach the High rank of Insight. No one could predict when the Tower Master, who had entered seclusion at the Beginner rank of Insight, would ever emerge.
“Then let us begin…”
The long-haired woman standing near the head seat adjusted her monocle and was about to speak when—
Crackle.
A spark of electricity seemed to flicker at the very head of the table. Then a flash of light burst forth, and a figure appeared.
Every mage seated at the table shot to their feet at once.
“Tower Master!”
“Don’t tell me… you’ve made a breakthrough…!”
The white-haired elder waved his hand dismissively.
“I’ve only come out for an inspection after a long time. Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Ah…”
Belatedly, disappointed sighs rose from the mages. The elder smiled bitterly at the sight.
“So, why have you all gathered like this?”
The woman with the monocle spoke up.
“The activities of dark mages have recently become far too overt. We’ve gathered to discuss countermeasures.”
The elder let out a soft chuckle. Then, without any hesitation, he spoke a single sentence.
“It seems the time has come to press them down again. Perfect timing. My body was starting to feel stiff.”
At those words, the mages who had gathered for the meeting instantly realized it was already over.
Three days had passed since the Investigation Bureau mages had come and gone.
When Leon arrived at the Old Magic Library as usual, he was met by a new face.
“You’re Leon?”
A thin man with a fierce expression. Having handled the librarian duties alone for the past three days, Leon immediately realized this was the new head librarian.
Leon bowed his head sharply.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Alderick, the one taking over as head of this place in Forn’s stead. I was just getting a grasp of the work until a moment ago.”
He was the type who spoke only what was necessary in a blunt manner. Unlike Forn, who had shown Leon zero interest, this man wasn’t the uncomfortable type to work with.
“Is that so? Then…”
“You can quit.”
“Pardon?”
Leon reflexively asked again at the sudden statement.
“Looking at it, we don’t really seem to need a librarian.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Good that you understand. Go find another job.”
Watching Leon’s eyes dart around in confusion, Alderick let out a small chuckle.
“Uncomfortable about suddenly having to do something else? If that’s the case, don’t worry. I’ve already asked them to accommodate you as much as possible. Just pick whatever work you want to do.”
He wasn’t acting out of any hidden motive. He truly didn’t need a librarian and was simply letting Leon go. Since Leon understood the reason better than anyone, he couldn’t say a single word as he was driven out of the Old Magic Library.
“Should I be happy about this or not?”
Once outside, Leon trudged toward the office that handled work assignments. The person in charge there was a middle-aged civilian man.
“I’m from the Old Magic Library.”
“So you’re the one Alderick mentioned.”
Without any unnecessary words, the man immediately unrolled a scroll and showed it to Leon.
“Is there any work you want? If not, I’ll choose for you.”
“Just a moment.”
Leon carefully scanned the list of available jobs.
Sewer cleaning, byproduct disposal, apprentice mage attendant… All pass.
Those would make it difficult to secure training time, and serving as a mage’s attendant carried the risk of his true level being discovered.
His eyes continued down the scroll until they suddenly stopped.
This is it.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw it. He had been struggling to obtain herbs despite possessing recipes for F-grade and E-grade elixirs. Leon immediately pointed at the entry on the scroll.
“Herb management? Hmm…”
The assignment officer let out a low hum, seemingly displeased. He glanced at Leon.
“Do you have any knowledge of herbology? I’m supposed to accommodate you, but assigning work to someone with zero knowledge would be problematic.”
“Yes, I do. Ever since I was young, I learned by gathering herbs in the mountains around the orphanage with the director. Forn knew about this and even sent me on errands to gather herbs several times.”
Determined to secure the position, Leon brought up every helpful detail he could.
“My knowledge of elixirs may be lacking, but thanks to what I learned from Forn, I have a decent understanding of the herbs required for F-grade elixirs.”
For anything difficult to verify, Leon simply invoked Forn’s name. After all, how could anyone go ask a dead man now buried inside a bead?
That old man is actually helping me at a time like this.
“I’m not expecting knowledge of elixirs. Hmm… From what you’ve said, that should be sufficient. You’re not lying, are you?”
“What would someone like me, who lives at the entrance, gain from lying? If I get caught, I could lose my life.”
The man nodded. As a fellow civilian, he understood that fear well.
“I’ll pass this along to the person in charge of Herb Mountain. If he doesn’t like you, there’s nothing I can do.”
“Thank you.”
After receiving instructions to return the next day, Leon left the building. Once back home, he began seriously planning how to cultivate his own herb field.