Chapter 46
Chapter 46
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: People and Spirits Must Be Quiet in the Library (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Where could the Lecropadas be hiding?
Cosmo licked his chops as he stared at the spot where the cotton ball had passed by.
“Cosmo, snap out of it. You can’t eat that thing.”
[Tsk, I’m not eating it. I didn’t even think about wanting to eat it. Hmph.]
“The Lecropadas’s spirit is here somewhere. Do you have any idea where?”
[Who knows. The whole place reeks of spirit, so it’s hard to tell. It’s probably been wandering all over.]
Sigh. I’d hoped to find it easily, but this was going to be a hassle.
“Got it. Thanks for the help.”
[What? You’re dismissing me already? At least feed me, you cheapskate.]
I first canceled Cosmo’s summon and began rummaging through the bookshelves again.
If it’s a library, there had to be information on Lecropadas. Fortunately, I found a book quickly. It was much thicker and more worn than Dahlia’s magical beast guide.
I flipped it open and skimmed through. There was an illustration of the Lecropadas along with a description. All I needed was to know where it liked to hide.
-It enjoys slaughter but is a timid dragon. Among dragons, it is small and swift. It hunts or escapes enemies by showing them hallucinations. One of the three legendary dragons that appear only once per generation. Known as a familiar of the ‘Witch of Illusions,’ though no one has uncovered the truth.
I skimmed the front part, but one phrase caught my eye.
“Witch of Illusions.”
Tenerife had said something like that too. Something about the Witch of Illusions this and her familiar that. Honestly, I hadn’t understood it well enough to remember properly, but it felt like this was connected to her somehow.
“It’s got nothing to do with me, though…”
That’s what worried me—that it might.
The lower section finally had what I was looking for.
-It favors dark corners and shadowy spots. As long as its rear can squeeze in, it will slip into even the narrowest space to rest. It has an impressive knack for navigating terrain and objects, but it isn’t very clever and is easily spotted. Touching it triggers dangerous hallucinations, so attempts at capture should be avoided.
“This is it! Dark corners and shadowy spots! And…”
How big was the Lecropadas’s rear again? It would need to curl its tail to sit…
Roughly gauging the size, I started moving again. The Imperial Library was very bright with windows everywhere. There were only a few spots that were shadowy and had enough space.
I circled the entire library searching for the Lecropadas. Thanks to that, I also found the book the Crown Prince had wanted. Try Aphos, was it? Curious about what could possibly interest him, I glanced through it, and it was filled with cryptic phrases.
-All life takes root in the flesh of the gods.
-To turn the gears of the world, the goddess bore three apostles.
-Witch of Illusions, Witch of Storms, Corpse Devourer…
I pocketed the book first and focused on searching for the Lecropadas.
Fortunately, before sunset, I found the culprit. In the corner of the storage area piled with discarded books. The Lecropadas was asleep with its back to the door.
“So it was you after all.”
Hearing my voice, the Lecropadas bristled the feathers on its back. It narrowed its pupils thinly, spread its wings, and retreated deeper into the storage corner. Following it, I saw various odds and ends piled up.
Among them was a large mirror. An ornate, elongated oval full-length mirror that could be adjusted by hand. The Lecropadas seemed to push it with its front paw, then slipped right inside.
“What? Hey! Wait a second!”
I grabbed the mirror and peered in. Of course, it was just a solid reflection.
Letting the culprit slip away right in front of me.
With a sigh, I circled the storage area pointlessly before returning to the mirror. But something was off about it. It wasn’t reflecting me—it was showing some other space.
Like a door connecting to another dimension.
“Where… is that?”
The mirror showed what looked like a study. A cozy atmosphere. Wooden bookshelves crammed with books, water boiling on a stove. A large sofa stretched across, and there was an armchair too. In it sat a tall, pale-skinned beauty with black hair, reading a book.
The Lecropadas was behind her, rolling its eyes at me as if mocking.
“Lecropadas!”
I reached into the mirror, but all I felt was cold glass. At that moment, the beauty looked up this way. I flinched and stepped back.
She looked human, but her vibe was different. An inhuman pallor. If she had a soul, it felt like it would be colder than ice and blue-tinged. Just a hunch.
The beauty closed her book, picked up the teacup on the table. The water on the stove boiled furiously, then stopped dead at her gesture. The eerie beauty stared at me intently, then parted her red lips.
“Introduce yourself. Won’t you?”
“…”
Her voice was curt but straightforward, clearer and more bell-like than expected. Her blunt personality shone through even in short words. I was on high alert, but decided to greet her first.
“I’m Sierra Glutony. Duke of the Noamaz Empire. This is the Imperial Library. A Lecropadas spirit caused a ruckus here. It’d be great if you handed it over.”
“Same as me. I’m Lead. I guard the library.”
She guards the library?
“Lead, are you the spirit of the Imperial Library?”
Her presence was an unknown variable. No, everything happening in this library was an unexpected variable for me.
I tried to guess her identity, but she shook her head lightly.
“Nothing like a library spirit. Human books don’t interest me.”
“Then what?”
“What I guard is the Goddess’s Tower. The unopening bedchamber. The unburning wisdom.”
The mood had turned hostile, so when I turned around, I spotted two cotton-ball-like garden spirits: Teide and Canary. Flames flickered in their mouths. The fire at the edges of the garden spirits’ mouths danced small, eager to burn anything in sight.
“No way?”
Were they planning to burn the whole library down?
“You little—!”
I charged after them immediately. But the two split off in different directions and fled. It was a relief the fire hadn’t spread yet, but who knew what might happen. The Imperial Library turning to ashes felt like only a matter of time.
Truth be told, I didn’t care if the books burned. They weren’t mine.
But I couldn’t let word get out that the library was damaged after Duke Sierra had gone in and out. It would give any reputation damage an opening.
“I need to stop those things…”
I turned to Lead, asking quite earnestly.
“Do you know Tenerife? You have to rein in Teide and Canary. Like you said, human books burn!”
Ignoring my plight, Lead said calmly.
“I made a deal with Tenerife. I opened the mirror so the kids could come to the human library. In exchange, I got a lot of mana. The deal is done, and I have to keep my promise.”
So it was Tenerife after all. What was her goal?
“But why tell me all this? If you really made a deal with Tenerife, shouldn’t you keep it secret? Are you lying to me?”
“Because I was waiting for you.”
It was ambiguous who had been waiting. Lead blinked at me, then grinned—ghostly.
“Want to make a deal with me?”
“A deal?”
“There’s something I want from what you have.”
“What is it?”
I patted myself down thoroughly. Gold buttons or jeweled ornaments might be fair game. Otherwise, just junk. The spirit-repelling salt(?) from the 4th Prince, a scrap of paper Dahlia had snuck into my pocket, a toy I’d picked up in the library earlier, the book for the Crown Prince…
“I want something someone cherished dearly. Give me the item. Resentments turn to sweet dreams… Give me something good, and I won’t let it burn. And I’ll tell Tenerife’s kids not to set fires. I can do that.”
Exactly what I wanted. It occurred to me that even this deal might be what Tenerife intended.
“Fine. But wait just a moment. I think I know what you mean. However, if it’s something important, I might not be able to give it. It’s not mine. I need time to get permission.”
“Okay.”
Lead nodded.
“I’ll wait.”
At that instant, the mirror’s glow vanished, reflecting me again. Relieved that I’d bought some time, I gathered my things and left the library.
Oh, right—before leaving, I sprinkled the 4th Prince’s magic salt everywhere. That would lend credibility to my story about buying time.
***
[♥♥♥]
“What happened? You returned… safe and sound.”
“You seem disappointed I’m safe.”
“Of course not.”
[♥♥♥♥]
Camomile grumbled in reply. Despite denying it, a fourth black heart had appeared. Was he that upset I’d come back unscathed?
‘This damn guy…’
I handed back the now-empty pouch of magic powder, sighing dramatically for show. Time to lie.
“I was so worried a spirit might appear. I was on edge the whole time, wondering what I’d do if I ran into one. Even as a duke, I’m only human. But luckily, I didn’t encounter any spirits. It almost made me think you all were fooling me. Still, just in case, I sprinkled the 4th Prince’s magic powder everywhere. Spirits obviously like corners and damp spots.”
“Ah! Quite clever of you.”
Camomile seemed genuinely impressed. To avoid his suspicion, I threw in some extra words.
“The 4th Prince is a great mage, isn’t he? Surely the magic powder he gave me will keep spirits away for a while. We just need to watch its effects.”
“You’re right. Absolutely. The 4th Prince is amazing. Still so young, yet he creates such inventions.”
I held back the joke that sprinkling salt might’ve been better—it wouldn’t land as one.
“And I found the book His Highness the Crown Prince wanted. I’ll go deliver it now.”
Jealousy was evident on Camomile’s face. Probably envious that I’d earn the Crown Prince’s favor. Fortunately, he wasn’t petty about it.
“Hmph. Go ahead. I could’ve done it too, but I was too busy.”
With that, he headed off to the far side of the library. Still too scared of spirits to go inside.
“Nothing happened?”
I casually asked Pippin. He drew a deep breath to speak, and I had a gut feeling he’d blabbed about the magical beasts earlier. So I clamped his mouth shut with my hand.
“Never mind. I’m not curious anymore.”
I took the dejected Pippin and headed to the Crown Prince.