152. Tell Me Your Wish (7)
152. Tell Me Your Wish (7)
This changed things.
Until now, I'd assumed I wouldn't be able to enter the Secret Archive.
To be blunt, calling my abilities a once-in-a-millennium talent felt like a bit of a stretch.
Sure, the Craft Skill was rare enough, but...
[Contractor, are you going in? It's practically begging you to enter—]
"...I'm not sure."
Honestly, compared to the dungeons I'd been through so far, it was barely a challenge. If I set my mind to clearing it, I could push through in a couple of hours.
But the fact that I couldn't take the rewards outside still bothered me. More precisely, only my reward could be removed. My own power-up mattered less than strengthening people like Elisa and Shuri, so the place was of limited value to me.
And I had no way to gauge what my own reward would be.
Well, it wasn't going to give me something like The Fundamentals of Shoveling, right?
"...Rue. Is there a magic device installed nearby?"
[There's something on top of the bookcase next to the one with the purple book.]
At her words, I inspected the top of the bookcase Rue had indicated. Looking closely, there was indeed something glinting purple. An object about the size of a glass bead, the kind of thing I'd have had a hard time finding if Rue hadn't detected it. I picked it up.
"Rue, is this thing active?"
[It's working just fine.]
"Rue. Can you take control of it?"
[A trinket like this is a piece of cake.]
As expected of a Grimoire.
It was a confident answer befitting one of the Grimoires known as the ultimate magic tools.
One of Rue's tentacles extended from my waist and wrapped around the bead. When it uncovered the bead a moment later, the object was emitting red light.
With Rue's mana inside it, I would now be able to control the bead at will.
I returned the device to its original position. I didn't know whether whoever was monitoring it was awake, but injecting Rue's unusual mana into the device would transfer control to her, allowing her to plant false information.
"Rue. Erase all of my information."
[You're really working me to the bone...]
"I'm letting you see the world just like you wanted, aren't I? And I promised I'd set you free if I died."
[Alright, alright.]
"That should take care of the surveillance..."
Since authority had been forcibly transferred to Rue, this was now my property. I could just swipe it—well, confiscate it—as is, but doing that after this business was finished wouldn't be too late. I glanced at Rue, who was manipulating the magical device using my pittance of mana, then opened the purple book.
Hmm.
What page had it been again?
Page 231? The door would not open at this hour, so there was little point, but since I had come all the way to a location from the original game, I might as well look.
As expected, it was blank, so it really was meaningless. I put the book back in its original place and turned around.
I needed enough sleep if I was going to work again the next day.
"I'll have to gather everyone and send them in soon."
When people's curiosity had faded a little, that would be our time to move.
I jumped into the tunnel.
---------------
"Is everyone gathered?"
Right after all classes ended, I pulled together everyone who would be participating in this operation.
"It feels like it's been a while since we all met like this!"
"Yohan. It's been a long time since we spoke like this."
Lewis greeted me with a courtesy as if he were dealing with an honored elder. It was enough to make Shuri, standing beside him, glance around warily.
I wished he wouldn't do that.
It made me feel old.
Though if you only counted mental age, I was more than old enough.
"Mister, but why'd you call us all here?"
"S-since it's Yohan, m-maybe he called us because he has something im-important to say..."
"Correct, Elisa."
"Hehe..."
Elisa, who'd been grinning sheepishly at my praise, covered her face with her palms when everyone's eyes turned to her. The ears she hadn't managed to cover were red.
Was she embarrassed?
I looked away from Elisa and swept my gaze over the group that had gathered at my words.
Karina, Elisa, Viola, Lewis, Shuri, and...
"...Why have you called me here as well?"
Even Martina.
"Because I have something to say. It'll be a very sweet proposal for you all."
"A sweet... proposal, is it?"
Martina didn't seem to understand what I meant. A glance at the others showed that they seemed to have grasped the situation.
This was apparently the difference between people who had dealt with me before and people who hadn't. I addressed Martina, who was plainly waiting for an explanation.
"We're raiding the Secret Archive."
"What?"
"Whaat?"
"Huh?"
"Yohan, you're raiding where?"
At my words, everyone stared at me with shocked eyes. Was the idea of raiding the Secret Archive really that surprising? I'd thought they were getting used to my actions by now, but it seemed we still had a long way to go.
"Raiding... the Secret Archive? Does that even make sense? In the first place, the Secret Archive was just a rumor..."
"The Secret Archive exists. I've also nailed down its location and how to enter."
To be precise, it was just me pulling out knowledge I'd known ten years ago, but there was no need to say that.
"But in order to enter the Secret Archive..."
"Right. You have to meet the condition: only people with once-in-a-millennium talent can enter."
"Then don't we still have no idea whether any of us can enter?"
Martina met my gaze, clearly demanding solid evidence. I confidently gave her what she wanted.
"You just go in together with someone who has that talent."
"A loophole like that couldn't possibly..."
It had worked in the game, though. Since I couldn't say that, I produced a different answer.
"The Secret Archive has remained hidden for a very long time. Very few people know the full truth—Principal Merlin, me, and perhaps a few professors."
"Principal Merlin... knows about it?"
"I don't know if you've heard the rumors, but I'm close with Principal Merlin. I also heard about the Secret Archive from him."
Naturally, that was a lie. Merlin had known in the game, so he probably knew here as well, but he'd never told me anything about it.
"That makes sense. You two did seem close enough that when you suddenly ran over and asked him to participate in development, he agreed."
Viola, who had participated in developing the prosthetic arm with Principal Merlin, immediately backed up my words.
"You're a far more remarkable person than I thought."
...Looking at it this way, I really had gotten up to all sorts of things.
In any case, they were finally ready to listen. It was time to get to the point.
"So, I plan to take all of you into the Secret Archive."
"Why me as well?"
"It's in return for taking good care of Elisa."
"Isn't that too much for a small favor?"
Martina looked like she couldn't comprehend it. True, considering the rumors of the Secret Archive, handing over an immense reward just because someone took good care of a kid would be hard to accept. But having my pool of usable personnel increase was never a bad thing.
'Survival Academy' wasn't a game where you soloed everything.
No matter which route you chose, the game required you to form a party before tackling its challenges. I intended to do the same here—with a party even stronger than the one in the original story.
...And incidentally, this was also payback for Bella's behind-the-scenes scheming.
It was also a warning that anyone who touched the people around me would come to a bad end.
"Deciding the compensation for a favor is entirely my judgment."
I was genuinely grateful that Martina looked after Elisa. There were things I couldn't help Elisa with as a man, and I could do little for her inside the Magic Department. Martina nodded reluctantly at my answer.
"I see..."
"Yohan, when are we entering?"
I answered Lewis's question curtly.
"Tomorrow evening."
"Saturday evening... That is a suitable time."
"That's right."
"But I'm a swordsman... Will there be anything for me? I heard the Secret Archive was created for Wizards..."
"Don't worry. The first principal didn't consider only Wizards."
The event could be completed regardless of department, so even someone who was not a Wizard should receive a worthwhile reward.
"Tomorrow evening, then... where shall we gather?"
"Let's meet back here."
"To th-think I'd really be entering the Secret Archive, it's in-incredible..."
I heard the beastkin Wizard with the unorthodox talent murmur with anticipation.
Right, of course she should be happy.
Naturally, she was excited. I was handing them a rare opportunity they might not obtain even after spending hundreds of thousands of gold coins. Martina, Lewis, and Viola were visibly excited as well, even if they said nothing.
Only, Elisa's reaction was peculiar.
"Elisa. Is something bothering you?"
"Well... um. I, I heard that there's an o-object that grants wishes in-inside the Secret Archive..."
"It does exist, but don't touch it. It's an extremely dangerous object—"
There was no such thing as an object that conveniently granted wishes without a price. Elisa nodded dejectedly at my warning.
I wasn't sure why she was acting like that, but I gently stroked her head as a gesture of comfort and then spoke to the group.
"Then, let's all disperse."
The operation would begin the following evening.
We quietly scattered as if nothing had happened.