Chapter 156
Chapter 156
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 156
Chapter Title: The Princess's Empty Room
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Anyway, since it had gotten later than expected, I briefly exchanged information before sending the Young Leader guys on their way.
It was to give them time to sort out their thoughts, in their own way.
They'd probably spend the night wide awake, but maybe things would be clearer in their heads come morning.
In other words,
The ones who didn't really need to sort anything out had stayed behind at the hideout.
The hour was drawing close to the dead of night.
Under the dim lighting, Seren opened her mouth.
"I'm about to discuss something pretty important..."
Seren trailed off deliberately, her gaze landing on Evan.
I knew exactly what that look meant.
I placed a hand on Evan's shoulder and spoke up in his defense.
"He's trustworthy. We only learned about the puppets thanks to him in the first place."
Leo had provided the decisive intel,
But Evan was the one who'd warned me about the Demon King's descent and sharpened my vigilance, so it wasn't entirely a lie.
Of course, Seren had every reason to feel uneasy about it.
She'd barely spoken to him a handful of times, so she had no way of knowing if he was reliable.
"Is this about the princess?"
"Yeah."
"Evan already suspected something was off about the imperial family. Even before I said anything."
Seren's eyes shifted to Evan.
He scratched the back of his head at her expression, which seemed to ask, *Is that true?*
Seeing that natural, guileless reaction still made it hard to believe this guy had awakened as the Vice Cult Leader.
While I was lost in such idle thoughts, Seren spoke in a slow tone.
"...Fine. Remember what I said last time? After sunset, the princess holes up in the research wing."
"Yeah."
"But even after searching every building in the research wing, there was no room being used by the princess."
Flicker...
The lights flickered at that uncanny timing.
The shop's interior, poorly heated, carried a faint chill in the air.
"Just to be sure, I checked the logs in the administrative office too. It said the princess had reserved Room 104 in Building 12, but when I went there, it was a room left abandoned for ages."
I asked in surprise.
"You didn't go at night, did you?"
"No, it was during the day. Not on purpose, but those ghost stories did make me a bit wary."
Her excessive caution had probably saved her life. It might even be a trait all heroes needed.
Seren continued.
"Anyway, the room was full of creepy puppets and occult items, and the walls were covered in strange symbols and writing. Looked like it had been abandoned for months at least."
"Symbols and writing?"
"I made notes of them."
Thorough as always.
I took the paper she offered and unfolded it.
"...Hmm."
I couldn't make heads or tails of the symbols, let alone the writing.
*Different vibe from the cipher I saw in the Jewel Mountains.*
I showed it to Evan too, but he just gave me his usual awkward smile.
No telling if he genuinely didn't know or was just playing it safe in front of Seren.
I'd ask him later when we were alone.
"So where was the princess staying all those late nights?"
"Yesterday was a day off from classes, so I tailed her the whole time."
"And?"
"I lost her midway."
"..."
Even I had to narrow my eyes at that.
As I'd said before, Seren's skills were already beyond the Young Leader level.
If someone like her lost track of her target, it wasn't due to carelessness or mistake on her part.
"Around sunset, she headed to the research wing and vanished the moment she stepped into Building 12."
"And then?"
"I checked inside the building just in case, but only professors were around."
"Hmm..."
"The darker it got, the creepier it felt, so I had to head back early... The princess didn't show up the rest of the day, but she attended classes the next day as usual."
"The princess isn't a puppet, right?"
"Yeah, I already confirmed she breathes."
"Then it's pretty much confirmed. She's a cult member."
As I said that, I summarized what had happened with Glenn that morning.
Seren nodded in understanding after hearing it all.
"Glenn Scarlet's behavior was suspicious enough already, but that explains it. He'd gathered his own faction within the academy. Unrelated to our side, though."
I thought for a moment, then held up the paper.
"Mind if I hold onto this?"
"Got a lead on it?"
"For now."
Seren nodded readily.
"Sure."
* * *
Seren had returned to her dorm, leaving just Evan and me in the hideout.
There was still stuff I needed to discuss with him.
But Evan claimed he was hungry and headed to the kitchen, showing no sign of coming out.
"What're you doing?"
"Ruan! Check this out!"
Evan emerged beaming, holding something.
"That's..."
"Cookies. Found 'em hidden in the kitchen corner."
"..."
"See this label? [De Marlin Confectionery]. I heard you need to reserve a month in advance just to buy the finished product."
I was about to tell him to put them back but let it slide.
Sure, cookies were a luxury good, but I'd shelled out a hundred gold to rent this place—I was a VIP customer.
He wouldn't fuss over some hidden cookies going missing.
We sat side by side and dug in.
Crunch-.
"Tasty."
"Yeah."
Come to think of it, how long had it been since I'd had treats like this?
I munched on a few crispy, sweet cookies and showed Evan the paper from Seren.
"Ever seen this before?"
"Yeah."
Evan nodded as he replied.
"Demon language. The symbols look like a black magic circle."
"Can you read it?"
"Nope."
"You're the Vice Cult Leader and you can't?"
Evan just laughed off my jab.
"You know how many variants of demon language there are? Even the High Priests who handle the Scriptures of Evil don't interpret them—they just recite what they've memorized. Only the Dark Cult Leader is fully fluent."
"Hmm..."
"But the shapes seem tied closely to the magic circle, so if we could decipher the symbols, it might give us a clue..."
Evan shrugged.
"I'm even worse at black magic."
"..."
But his words made me pause for a second.
Black magic...
"Thought of something?"
"For now."
I nodded and snatched the half-empty cookie bag from him.
"Enough munching already."
"Aw, just one more..."
"No."
The owner would cry, you thief.
I gave Evan a pitiful look as he pouted.
No way I'd leave them hidden in the shop—he'd just steal more. I'd hold onto them and stash them somewhere he'd never find later.
After that, I told Evan to crash at the hideout tonight.
We'd head to Research Wing Building 12, Room 104 together at dawn tomorrow.
I'd checked the notes on the writing and symbols, but going in person might reveal something Seren missed.
This wasn't an inn, but there was a rest area with a simple cot in the back of the kitchen.
Not spacious, but enough for two.
Of course, I had no intention of sleeping right away.
I sat sorting my thoughts until I confirmed Evan was out, then got up.
My destination: the ingredient storeroom.
As the most important spot in a restaurant, it was bound to have what I was looking for.
"There it is."
The keyhole on the door.
I smirked faintly and pulled a particularly chilly key from my pocket.
Not the one the owner gave me.
Click-.
The key slid into the hole like it was coming home... and with a creak, the storeroom door swung open.
"..."
Beyond it wasn't the storeroom—it was pitch-black space where I couldn't see an inch ahead.
It looked like clumped darkness, black mud, or the surface of a night sea.
I felt uneasy but stepped forward anyway. Soon, an odd sensation enveloped me, like an intangible energy wrapping my body.
Splash-.
Ankle-deep cold puddle, with sodden books floating on the surface like driftwood.
In the middle of the space loomed a mountain of stacked books...
And atop it sat a small child.
"Hello."
"..."
The librarian of the Bednicker Family's underground library.
Lise Radigos All Haimud looked at me.
Was it because it had been so long?
An inexplicable pressure made me add awkwardly,
"Long time no see."
"..."
Lise returned to her book.
I thought she'd ignore me completely, but thankfully, her voice came.
"Long time? We met just the other day."
"It's been over half a month already."
"A blink."
Lise replied indifferently.
I glanced around.
The underground space, lit only by a faint glow, truly made it hard to sense the flow of time.
Plus, Lise Radigos All Haimud was a monster who'd lived centuries despite her childlike appearance—it made sense she'd see half a month as nothing.
"..."
A sudden thought struck me: was Lise content with her current state?
Her attitude carried a subtle air of resignation, of compromise.
"You, Kusset's assistant. Do you need something from me?"
No time to worry about others.
I snapped to attention and said,
"I've come to consult you, Lise."
"Consult?"
"About magic."
"What magic."
"You mentioned once before. That you have knowledge of curses, demon contracts, and necromancy."
Lise nodded readily.
"I did."
"I was hoping you might know about black magic and demon language too."
Thud. Lise closed her book and looked at me.
The corner of her mouth seemed to curl up behind her long bangs.
"A Bednicker scion seeking counsel on black magic and demon language..."
A dry voice tinged with faint intrigue.
"Interesting. Tell me."
"Here."
I immediately pulled the paper from my pocket.
Lise didn't reach out or walk over. A lock of her long hair turned into a pitch-black snake, slithered over, and snatched the paper in its mouth.
Lise unfolded the paper in her hand.
Her eerie purple eyes quickly scanned the contents.
"Hmm..."
A pleased hum escaped her.
Now openly smiling, Lise spoke in a sinister tone.
"The seventeenth variant of demon language, and Hardenaihar's black magic—on the formation of the reverse world and establishment of its laws. Quite intriguing..."
"..."
She understood it at a glance?
I was quietly impressed.
Despite her childlike form, Lise Radigos All Haimud was a monster rivaling even the Violet Great Mage.
"I see. You're curious about this demon language's translation and the black magic's mechanism."
"Yes. Can you do it?"
"Not difficult, but..."
Lise's lips stretched in an ominous grin as she said,
"The counsel of a master mage is worth more than gold. Surely you didn't think you'd get precious advice from this Lise Radigos All Haimud for free, young Bednicker."
"...Couldn't you just help out your poor assistant this once?"
I appealed to sentiment by invoking our prior arrangement, but Lise chuckled with a weird snort.
"Sorry, but I'm a mage. In transactions, I hold family and foe to the same standard."
"...Hmm."
I'd half-expected this, so I pulled something from my pocket.
"What about this?"
Lise glanced at it and smirked faintly.
"A Linchal tribe mask? Etched with transformation spells. Rare enough, but useless to me."
"Then this..."
"Spirit jade. Flawless raw stone might serve as material, but it's already quite depleted. No need."
"How about this?"
"A belt of snake scales. Could double as a whip if used well, but... eh."
"...Or I could pay you—I've got money."
"You have it."
Lise grinned wickedly.
"Something far more valuable than that worn-out mask, the spirit's leavings, or that belt made from animal corpses."
As she whispered slyly, I nearly groaned.
"Did you think you could hide it from me, young Bednicker?"
Hiss...
A snake's sound.
One of her hair-clump snakes glided across the water, climbed my thigh, and slithered up slowly.
"This underground library is my domain. The moment you stepped in, I knew everything you carried."
...Damn.
So she'd known from the start.
The crown jewel of Great Mage Alderson's collection—and likely my most valuable possession.
The sacred relic [Amon's Scissors].
Sss...
The snake crawling over my skin sent chills down my spine.
Was this really made of hair? It felt exactly like a reptile's cool scales.
*-You'll have to risk your life. In some ways, more dangerous than a High Priest.*
Asad's warning about Lise flashed in my mind.
I'd sweet-talked my way into assistant status, but I couldn't treat her as an ally.
I weighed the cost briefly, but there was no real choice.
No matter how rare [Amon's Scissors] was, it wasn't worth keeping if it meant letting the Demon King's descent ravage everything.
As I reached for Amon's Scissors without hesitation, a particularly small snake burrowed into my pocket.
"Kekeke..."
And Lise Radigos All Haimud cackled sinisterly as she helped herself.
To the half-eaten cookie bag.
"......?"