Chapter 4. Th.. This is humanity's precious cultural heritage!!!
Under Luna's guidance, the Winterfell Library was enormous—practically the size of three of the rooms I was staying in combined.
Wait, isn't this basically just a full-on library?
I gawked, craning my neck to take it all in.
"Your Highness, I'll wait just outside the entrance. Call if you need anything."
"Got it."
Creak—
I nodded as Luna closed the library door behind her, then scanned the rows of towering bookshelves. This place held not just Winterfell's secrets, but intel on the entire Luminaris Empire it belonged to. It was my ticket to survival info.
Hmm... but where do I even start? Maps? History books for the big picture?
That's when it happened. Amid the sea of tomes, one title jumped out at me.
Oh, theology book? Nice. Back in the modern world, I was a pretty regular churchgoer.
Hooked by the intriguing title, I pulled it down and flipped it open, entranced.
Long before the founding of the empire, humanity was watched over by many gods. Among them, one goddess loved humans above all, showering them with blessings and affectionate care.
Amorte, the goddess of love and death, rejoiced when humans loved one another and new life was born. When they suffered, she granted the quiet blessing of death and mourned alongside them.
Whoa, goddess of love and death? Sounds badass.
I kept reading, hooked.
But as time passed under Amorte's blessings, some humans began building harems and delighting in slaughter. At first, she warned them, but they dismissed it, remembering her former benevolence, and persisted in their sins.
Unbearable as it was, Amorte withdrew love and death from all humanity. Without love, they felt only endless void. Without death, they endured eternal torment without peaceful rest.
One day, as Amorte watched their suffering, a man appeared before her.
I swallowed hard and read on.
The man tore open his chest and offered his heart. "Goddess, you who once loved us—no, you need not restore love and death to all humanity. Please, just lift this punishment from the one woman I loved. In exchange, I offer my heart and will live in endless pain without one."
Damn... pure love right there. Even the ultimate simp knights would applaud and shed tears passing by.
Moved by his devoted purity, Amorte wept. She restored love and death to humanity. Thereafter, she never showed herself again, but humans remembered the tale, strictly banning harems by law and imposing harsh penalties on murder.
I closed my eyes after finishing, savoring the afterglow.
Yes. This is it. Who knows—maybe this is basically their holy scripture? A ducal house like Winterfell could totally have the real deal.
About to close it for good, I spotted a scribbled note at the bottom of the last page.
"This book is a fun story I made up based on my curiosity about why the empire legally bans harems and has such strict murder punishments. Thanks for reading! —The Author"
I shoved it back roughly. Gotta tell Betty later to punish whoever buys and manages books for the Winterfell Library.
Putting trash like that in a ducal library? Minimum forced labor sentence.
Shaking it off, I refocused on finding real info and scanned the shelves again. Then, destiny struck—I found the book.
Oh, tales from the North? Sweet.
I opened it calmly this time. But that calm shattered instantly.
"Whoa."
The first page showed a cat-eared woman with moderate bust (and teardrop freckles on her face!) lying on white snow. Not fully nude, but in black stockings and an oversized white shirt slipped off her shoulders, flashing a seductive smile.
Aah... the perfect black-and-white contrast...
Gotta tell Betty later to reward the library manager big time.
I glanced around and flipped to the next page.
"Th.. this is humanity's precious cultural heritage!!!"
Unlike the tame first page, from the second onward it was straight-up silver porn and full nudes in every scenario—true legacy material to pass down through generations!
Bang!
"Your Highness, is something wrong? I heard a loud noise from outside..."
"Uh... Luna... It was just, uh, the book was so good."
"How good could it possibly be... Mind if I take a peek?"
Luna beamed innocently, zipping to my side in a flash to peer at the page.
"Your Highness! Th-this..."
Her face flushed crimson at the sight, then she shot me a pitiful look.
"Lu... Luna, keep this a secret from Betty, okay...?"
Overwhelmed by shame, I hung my head.
Fuck, I wanna die... No, more than that—why is this girl so damn fast?
System mock-laugh
I couldn't even react to the System's jeer.
"Your Highness... Seems like nothing's wrong, so I'll stand guard outside again. And don't worry—your secret's safe with Lady Beatrice."
"Thanks, Luna."
She gave me one last pitying glance before heading out.
Creak—
Door shut, I stared out the window.
"It's only the second floor—wouldn't kill me if I jumped, right?"
"Nah. Time for real info now."
I stood, tucking the cultural heritage into my shirt for safekeeping. All knowledge has its uses—nothing to throw away.
Shelves after shelves: military strategy, accounting, management—dry expert stuff only.
"Huh? What's this—forbidden section?"
In the dimmest corner, a plaque read "Forbidden Section."
Forbidden stuff means books too sensitive for the public, right? Figures a ducal house collects these gems.
Expecting juicy secrets, I browsed it. Then, one book gave off an eerie vibe I couldn't shake.
About the imperial family. My imperial family.
In ancient times, the Luminaris imperial family built the empire on sacred power. They wielded pure, intangible white energy to heal diseases and wounds. The strongest in their bloodline could even reattach severed limbs.
Intriguing. I checked the end for fake-story disclaimers—nothing this time.
The family dominated with this power, backed by unwavering commoner support and the church. But generations later, manifestations dwindled to legend. Why? Proof the imperial family is no longer holy.
The rest was nonstop imperial criticism.
Hmm... healing diseases and wounds, huh...
Do I have that? Nah, probably not.
I stared at my palm—nothing. No magic or aura here anyway.
One last desperate try: eyes shut, chanting heal, sacred power, squeezing every ounce of willpower.
Sizzle—
Right as I gave up, a tiny white flame flickered on my palm, then vanished.
"Holy shit! That was me, right? For real?!"
Cold sweat dripping, I yelled at the System.
"Hey, System! Answer me! Wasn't that the sacred power from the book?!"
You possess Healing Touch, the first in 200 years from the Luminaris imperial bloodline.
Touch to heal minor wounds and fatigue. (※Warning: Overuse causes extreme hunger)
"Why no pink flair this time?"
I had no idea you had this talent, Rian! 😲 I was so shocked, I rushed the setup and forgot the hearts! 💖
Huh... yeah, now that I think about it, I'm starving all of a sudden.
Creak—
"Your Highness, lunch is soon. Shall we head out?"
"Yeah, Luna. Hungrier than usual today. Let's go."
Thankfully, pro maid Luna had her bright smile back, no trace of the heritage fiasco.
I followed her out naturally for lunch.
"Luna, what's for lunch today...? Whoa!"
"Gasp! Your Highness, are you okay?!"
Guess the healing power drained me—my legs buckled, and I tumbled.
"Ow, that hurts a bit... Luna, I'm f—"
"Your Highness..."
Luna cut me off, but I couldn't finish anyway at the sight before me.
"Your Highness, why on earth did you take this book?"
She dangled my shirted cultural heritage with a pitiful stare-down.
"Fuck."