The Library That Held All Worlds
The preparation for the field trip is underway. But with training woven into it.
The words hung in the air, “the Record Library,” and Morgan took the materials I had shown her, slipping away to examine them closely.
Isolde, ever the reluctant one, had only been dragged along for the sake of infiltration. To truly see the library’s form, Morgan had sat in silence, eyes fixed on the illustrations drawn within the documents. Yet from somewhere, a voice answered her.
“The Record Library… if you’re talking about that, I’ve heard of it before.”
The speaker was not Morgan, but Isolde, who stepped through the door and entered the professor’s office. Moments later, Mu followed her in, closing the door behind her with a soft creak.
Squeak. Thud.
“Mother, I’ve arrived right on time.”
“Good timing, Mu.”
Mu bowed her head with a knowing smile, clearly having brought Isolde to the academy at my exact command.
And at the perfect moment, when I was about to share the necessary words with Isolde, Mu had arrived. I praised her for that while directing my gaze to the newcomer standing before my desk.
“Hm.”
Isolde had already snatched the materials from Morgan and was now scrutinizing the simplified illustration of the Record Library. She flipped through the pages at lightning speed, as if speed-reading.
After a moment, she finished reading everything and handed the documents back to me, stating, “I don’t understand these encrypted characters, but the picture is unmistakably the Record Library. It matches exactly what I saw in the ancient tomes.”
“Even if I don’t know what those ancient books were, I’d bet it’s the correct one. This is the definitive Record Library.”
Although Isolde’s magic was no match for my Meiel’s, her broad knowledge would surpass mine. So her recollection of the ancient texts was almost certainly accurate.
The illustration in the documents was so detailed it could have been pulled straight from the game—exquisite to the point of perfection.
At my words, Isolde’s eyes sparkled with curiosity as she asked, “I only know the Record Library exists. I’ve never heard anything about what’s inside it… Do you know anything about the interior?”
“I can’t give you a full answer. But I will say this: even if we visit the Record Library this time, we won’t enter it. We’ll only be stopping Idea.”
“…I see. Then there’s nothing for it.”
Clearly disappointed by my words, Isolde’s expression showed it. Even after three days with us, she seemed far too relaxed.
No, perhaps this really was her true self—something I had never seen in the Isolde I knew. The unfamiliarity made her feel distant.
Yet I could understand her disappointment. The Record Library was said to be guarded by soldiers and librarians from the Undersea Kingdom, and no one had ever entered it.
That was why the rumor circulated: anyone who entered and read the books there would awaken all of existence. For a mage like Isolde, it was surely the one place she desperately wanted to visit.
Of course, though.
‘The reality was completely different.’
The rumor and the truth were never the same.
Even when I played the game, I had never entered the Record Library, but I remembered the lore it was explained with. The library could only be entered by those who met certain conditions. Otherwise, like Idea, one had to force their way in through sheer power.
And if you opened the central book at the heart of the library, you could experience the history of everyone connected to the person who had turned its pages. That was the story I remembered.
In short, the books in the Record Library did not awaken all of existence—they simply let you experience the history of the people recorded there.
Of course, things might differ if you actually entered, but based on what I knew, that was the case.
After finishing my thoughts, I watched Isolde’s obvious disappointment. Suddenly, Mu approached me.
Wondering what was wrong, I looked up as Mu handed me a single letter.
“Mother, this is a letter from Principal Mira that arrived today.”
“A letter? What does it say?”
“It seems to mention that the king has summoned us for tomorrow.”
“…The king’s summons?”
My head tilted in confusion at Mu’s unexpected words. Then realization dawned, and I let out a short breath of surprise.
At this point, there was only one reason the king would summon us.
The matter of the Sky Island. I had hoped to keep it quiet from Mira, but it seemed the limit had been reached.
Of course, since I had already finished organizing the necessary information, I had plenty of time to stall.
To confirm my thoughts, I asked Mu, and she answered correctly.
“The summons comes because of the Sky Island?”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Then tomorrow will be rather troublesome.”
A summons from the king.
Just imagining it made the weight crush down on me like a chill. But I couldn’t refuse the king himself. If it had been any ordinary noble, I would have cut them down without hesitation.
But against the king, I still lacked the power to defy him.
In the end, I nodded in agreement to Mu’s words and took the letter she offered, stuffing it into my pocket.
Then Morgan, who had been quietly listening after Isolde snatched the documents, rose from her leaning against the window and opened her mouth.
“By the way…”
“Hm?”
I turned to her, and Morgan casually dropped into a seat on my desk.
Unlike the earlier curiosity about my future, her eyes now held pure, innocent curiosity. She asked, “I still haven’t heard properly, but what exactly do Isolde and I need to do?”
“Ah, right. We haven’t properly explained that part yet.”
Isolde nodded in agreement to Morgan’s words.
What were they supposed to do? I mulled over her question for a moment and showed an expression of confusion—why were they even asking something so obvious?
Of course, I had kidnapped these two for the important future quests. But outside of that, the peaceful daily life already had places for them to be used.
I stood up from my seat, opened the professor’s office door that had been shut, and answered her.
“Naturally, you’ll both be my apprentices.”
Two were definitely more convenient than one, after all.
Once upon a time, in the deep sea where not even a proper person’s trace remained, a building was erected.
Built with the goddess’s divine power, the structure contained only one book. That book began to record the stories of the world’s people within itself.
How much time had passed? In that vast space, where only one book existed, a librarian created by divine power appeared.
The librarian had protected the library and its books for a long time, ensuring no one could open them.
After such an extended period of guarding, a new kingdom had arisen around the library.
No one knew what happened after that. Only that the kingdom assisted the librarian in protecting the library, and the reinforced walls remained impregnable to anyone who wished to look inside.
And within that library slept all of existence…
Swish.
Idea rolled up the ancient document she had been reading and slotted it back into its original shelf. The content she had once read with her brother Isolde hundreds of years ago now seemed nothing more than a childish fairy tale.
“Idiots.”
Since learning of Isolde’s kidnapping, Idea had gone wild for days. But now, all her emotions had been sorted.
Therefore, after obeying the Demon King’s command and unfolding the ancient document once more, she opened the door and stepped out—to find all of existence.