The Tomb (2)
Narrow stairs led down to an underground chamber thick with an eerie chill.
Though brightly lit by flames, the cold, damp air filling the room felt like the riverbank one encounters just before crossing into hell.
Rough-hewn stone chairs and tables were scattered here and there.
"This is the entrance to the Tomb of Books and Swords. When the patriarch commands entry, the tomb shall open."
I sat on a stone chair with Jenice, surveying our surroundings.
The other participants and their guardians clustered in small groups, tense expressions on their faces as they awaited the trials.
Suddenly, I felt the item tucked in my pocket.
'A magic wand carved from a unicorn horn.'
It was a gift from Bastion Lamoff, handed to me just before we descended.
Truth be told, I was skeptical about relying on artifacts for magic.
For one, wands were consumable items.
They could amplify a spell's power depending on usage, but they might just as easily backfire.
Yet Bastion had insisted I take it.
'Young master, name it and it'll amplify your spells. Especially with nature magic— the unicorn's pure essence will aid you.'
He'd even added a plea for me to return unharmed.
Even after fulfilling his duty as disciplinarian, his genuine care touched me; I couldn't refuse.
Thinking about it, this was the first gift from a mentor in this life.
'Save it if I can, use it only when needed.'
That was when I noticed Jenice's fingertips trembling.
"Jenice."
"Y-yes? What is it, young master?"
"Nervous?"
"...Yes. To be honest, I'm worried. I don't know if I can be of any help to you."
Yet hidden in her embrace were two razor-sharp swords.
For the past twelve years, she'd kept them stashed high in the cupboard, out of sight from me and the other maids, pulling them out only occasionally to polish in secret.
I'd known all along and couldn't help but smirk.
"Be honest. In all the years raising me, has that worry of yours ever been useful even once?"
"......"
I'd never been a normal child from the start.
So it wasn't an exaggeration to say her fretting was utterly pointless.
Still, she let out a deep sigh.
"To me, you're still that adorable little baby. I'd give my life to protect you. But if that's not enough... I don't know what I'd do then."
"Ahh, a true loyalist! Thou art truly blessed, young one."
Hierniorn chuckled darkly.
I cut in before Jenice could say more.
"I've got a question."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"What are you curious about?"
"How'd you end up as my nanny? You weren't one in the Rnab family."
"Ah......"
It was a question I hadn't thought of right after reincarnating.
But bit by bit, I'd realized it.
My nanny wasn't ordinary.
'Her movements are different from the other maids. And her eyes...'
I planned to probe that mystery now.
Jenice scratched her head before speaking.
"I got lucky. I came to the Kirchheis family with Lady Ophelia, and when there was nowhere else to go, they hired me back."
"And before that?"
"I was Lady Ophelia's maid. She'd always doted on me since I was little, so she entrusted you to me before she passed."
"Just a regular maid in the Karso family too, right?"
"Yes, that's right......"
Her voice wavered slightly, but I didn't press further.
I wasn't interrogating her.
For now, this was enough.
Once we entered the tomb, Jenice wouldn't be able to play the ordinary nanny much longer anyway.
"This one wonders what talents Jenice possesses."
Truth be told, I had a pretty good guess.
After Bastion Lamoff was assigned as disciplinarian, Libiel and I had to endure grueling physical training.
They accounted for our young age, but it was still brutally tough at its core.
Through it all, Jenice had cared for us.
'She taught us injury-preventing warm-ups at first, efficient running techniques, and proper cool-downs after.'
She'd even personally instructed us in basic combat.
No ordinary ex-maid nanny could teach that.
And the calluses I'd spotted on her hands back then confirmed it.
Her left palm bore the marks of long sword grips.
'It's certain.'
Though the training methods differed from my past life, I'd wielded a blade for years myself.
I could see she'd trained to a high level.
Given her age, she'd likely started before ten.
"Once, the Rnab family trained girls into an assassin unit."
Hierniorn's offhand mutter.
The Rnab family's Silver Wolf Squad, forged in alliance with one of the Five Evils, 'Shan Meitz.'
Jenice might hail from there.
'A nanny who's a former assassin.'
But there was no reason to be wary.
I trusted her as much as Hierniorn.
Twelve years of daily proof that she truly cared for me made it possible.
"Thank you, Jenice."
"Pardon?"
The chamber was filling up.
As I stood, she blinked in surprise.
"And I'll be thankful going forward too. Just wanted to say it early."
"......!"
Maybe because I rarely showed emotion?
Tears welled up in her eyes, her throat tightening.
"I'm always grateful you've grown so well. I'll never forget this moment. Lady Ophelia must be watching too, right?"
"Probably."
"I'll do my absolute best to protect you."
"Yeah, I know you'll do great."
That was when it happened.
An announcement echoed through the chamber via magic amplifier.
Participants, please proceed to the front.
Guardians, remain in your seats.
Children like me had to enter the Tomb of Books and Swords right away and face three trials.
Guardians watched from the waiting area.
They could descend briefly if called by a participant or spotting a problem, then return.
"Hast thou told Jenice to intervene only when absolutely necessary?"
'Of course.'
Guardians could intervene twice, thirty seconds each.
A third meant disqualification for the participant.
They'd have to try again next year.
That explained the thirteen- and fourteen-year-olds scattered about.
I walked forward with them.
Wary glances stabbed from all sides.
"So many brats entering the Tomb of Books this year. Be extra cautious. As thou knowest, Kirchheis children are... "
'Little devils.'
But my preparations were flawless.
I wouldn't be toyed with by mere kids.
In this Tomb of Books and Swords, I'd claim everything I wanted.
First: Admission to Eternalism, the school Ulfrik founded five hundred years ago.
Second: A replica of the divine sword Nirvana, his once-primary weapon.
"If all goes to plan, thou canst obtain it here."
'It will.'
I harbored no doubts.
As Jenice murmured a quiet prayer beside me...
"Art thou prepared?"
A heavy voice boomed, and the entire fortress shook as if crumbling.
"I shall open the tomb. Ready yourselves!"
Rohbark Kirchheis strode from the shadows.
The patriarch raised his right hand, clenching the air.
A magic circle visible only to the authorized flared across the ceiling.
A colossal spell to warp space itself.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The floor shuddered violently, as if trod by a giant, and the walls and structures began disassembling.
The moment the basement dissolved like grains of sand...
A new space bloomed like a flower in full splendor.
"......"
Endless shelves stretched in every direction, no matter where one looked—a vast cavern.
—Tomb of Books and Swords.
We children stood at its heart, while guardians took seats near the waiting area.
High-ranking kin and school heads filled the spectator stands.
Rohbark, at the pinnacle, gestured.
"Begin the rite!"
I drew a deep breath, steadying my mind.
I couldn't let the tension sweep me up.
Fortunately, I had my chatty guardian spirit.
"Hmmm! 'Tis been ages since this one smelled such musty tomes."
The surroundings were alien yet wondrous.
Innumerable books.
Weapons racked on towering shelves like city walls.
High kin gazed down from above.
An endless library, armory, and brutal coliseum all in one.
'Fascinating.'
It hadn't existed in the expedition era, so even I found it novel.
The idea of children trialing here felt savage.
Then...
"......"
I felt eyes on me.
Rohbark's.
Unlike Bastion beside him, the old man's gaze burned fiercely.
As if exerting silent pressure.
"Hrm, Extremism might truly offer thee entry. Asena vouched for thy talent five years back, and Bastion won't badmouth thy aptitude as disciplinarian... "
'Rohbark rates me highly too?'
"Likely so. Oh, and Garnas, Rohbark's second son, is in Extremism. Scum of a personality, but his magic talent was superb."
Extremism pursued magic and swordsmanship through rigid doctrines alone.
A school valuing immense power within disciplined forms.
Having produced the great Spellmaster Rohbark, it stood at magic's peak.
'But somehow, I don't wanna follow even if they call.'
"Knew thou'd say that, thou contrary brat... "
I had my own plans; Extremism held no appeal.
To surpass Rohbark, I wouldn't tread his path—that conviction remained unshaken.
'Who's that next to Bastion, though? Recognize 'em?'
"Dunno. Cloaked in black robes—even this one can't tell. Familiar silhouette, though."
Rohbark, Bastion, black robes.
The three sat aligned, eyeing me while murmuring among themselves.
Whatever it was, it felt off.
Thankfully, the mood shifted quickly.
"Look ahead, Tiberian. The tomb's spirits emerge now. Unpleasant, but fair folk."
As Hierniorn said, hazy figures slithered from between the shelves.
Mist clumps resembling ghosts.
The clearest stepped forward and spoke.
"I shall administer the first trial......"
Swallows echoed from all around.
In the bone-chilling hush, the first trial was announced.
"Find the 'most powerful thing' within this tomb... and bring it forth."