Chapter 118
Chapter 118
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 118
>Chapter Title: Hanging Out with Those Two Idiots
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A chill silence settled over the modest office.
- Are you... a Grimoire?
It was utter nonsense, utterly incomprehensible.
‘So, what the hell is he calling me right now?’
A Grimoire?
What even is a Grimoire? Exactly what it sounds like: a magic book. Grimoire(書). Don’t ask me to explain the “magic” part. Hell, I don’t even know why they’re called that.
Anyway, Grimoires are transcendent artifacts and all that jazz, but at their core, they’re just objects.
So, breaking down the Head Librarian’s question:
‘You a book?’
On the surface, it made sense. Words were coming out of his mouth, after all.
But did the meaning make any sense? Not even a little.
And then what?
- How could a Grimoire don a human skin?
It wasn’t some twisted “beast in human form.” A Grimoire wearing human skin?
I was utterly dumbfounded by the absurdity.
I’d bet my life that if Shine or Rayleigh had spouted this crap, one of us—me or them—wouldn’t have lived to see the sunrise.
After all, an intelligent barb that makes you chew it over stings worse than outright insults.
But.
I unclenched my fist and fixed my gaze on the Head Librarian.
Amid the faint sound of breathing filling the space, I pushed aside the bewilderment and thought calmly.
‘...Of all things, a Grimoire?’
It was too specific to dismiss as pure ravings.
If he were just a senile old coot, or some thug hurling personal attacks at strangers...
Why, out of all the words in the world, did he choose “Grimoire”?
‘...Does he know something?’
My thoughts naturally drifted to the Fire Mark.
Originally one, now two ever since I took down Destrow. Cryptic symbols with no clear change or discernible meaning.
That’s when it happened. After scrutinizing me for a long moment, the Head Librarian finally spoke.
“For now... have a seat. I don’t know what business brought you here, but I’d prefer we sort it out through conversation.”
“Yes, then...”
I moved to the sofa at his invitation.
Even then, his eyes followed me as clearly as if he were staring at a normal person.
First things first, before any real talk, I needed to clear up his misunderstanding.
“I’m not a Grimoire, to start with.”
“...Not a Grimoire? Don’t try to fool my eyes. I can plainly see the letters that make you up.”
What letters?
It was a contradiction.
Like Shine, once a Death Knight, philosophizing about “life,” or Rayleigh waxing poetic on “loyalty”—utterly incompatible notions.
But my fluster was brief. I continued calmly.
“I don’t know what you’re seeing, but I’m not a Grimoire. That said, if you’re asking about my business, it’s not entirely unrelated to Grimoires.”
“...Go on.”
It seemed he’d given up trying to convince me, just as I’d given up on him.
This was where I needed to organize my thoughts.
‘Let’s see...’
He didn’t strike me as a raving lunatic.
That meant he really saw something. A golden opportunity to pry info on the veiled Fire Mark.
But there was a catch.
‘Should I lay all my cards on the table about the Fire Mark?’
That was my dilemma.
The Fire Mark. In other words, whether to reveal it—and by extension, Grimoires—to the Head Librarian.
To get any info from him, I’d have to mention the Fire Mark’s existence.
My senior had vouched for him, so his lips were probably sealed tight...
‘But I don’t have the same confidence as I did with Senior Riheim.’
And what’s a Grimoire? A transcendent artifact that great houses would kill for.
An asymmetric force capable of upending the power balance, depending on how it’s used.
In front of something that could elevate a minor noble house to greatness, could even the Head Librarian resist greed?
Who knows. I wasn’t optimistic.
To be precise, it wasn’t about trusting the man—it was the situation I couldn’t trust.
In that short time, I weighed it. The risks of spilling versus the advantages. Was the gain worth the potential loss?
That’s when it hit me—a word that could fish for info without mentioning the Fire Mark directly.
It was...
Reverse Heaven.
What Destrow had called the Fire Mark.
“By any chance...”
I uttered it cautiously. And right after, the Head Librarian’s words made all my worries fade into irrelevance.
“...Do you know of Reverse Heaven?”
“...Reverse Heaven? Did you just say Reverse Heaven?”
“...?”
The Head Librarian startled, his eyes widening impossibly.
“Reverse Heaven, Reverse Heaven? You definitely said ‘Reverse Heaven,’ right?”
“...? Yes, that’s right.”
“No, how could this be... Hold on, Reverse Heaven? Don’t tell me that’s what happened? Yes, if it’s Reverse Heaven, then maybe...”
Muttering to himself, he suddenly snapped his head up.
“You... are you the master of Reverse Heaven?”
* * *
The Head Librarian held his breath, waiting for my answer. As if he wouldn’t miss a single syllable.
His cloudy eyes flickered with turmoil as I nodded carefully.
Then I realized I should speak, but his reaction was a step faster.
“Hah... So you really are the master of Reverse Heaven? I see. Those letters... they’re definitely Reverse Heaven. It was Reverse Heaven.”
He really could see something?
Scrutinizing me even more closely than before, he sank back into thought, as if he’d heard my answer.
I watched him silently.
‘Reverse Heaven was the key?’
Honestly, it was unexpected.
After getting the clue “Reverse Heaven” from Destrow, I’d planned to hunt for leads in Rapiter, but I hadn’t held high hopes.
How many meanings does “Reverse Heaven” carry?
It’s a common euphemism for rebellion, and it broadly covers any act defying the natural order.
Linking it to Grimoires narrows it down, but that’s just a hypothesis—it could be Destrow’s personal term.
Even if it was called that in its era, names change over time.
So, I hadn’t expected much.
Yet his reaction sparked unexpected hope in me.
Why wouldn’t I be curious?
Regression.
I’d turned back time to the past.
This inexplicable phenomenon left a nagging thirst in my heart that I’d never voiced.
And now, a clue lay right before me.
Rarely excited, I waited for him to speak. How long did that agonizing pause last?
With a deep sigh that shattered the silence, the Head Librarian continued.
“First off, my apologies. I made a ridiculous assumption. A Grimoire in human skin? Absurd.”
“No, it’s fine. More importantly...”
“What Reverse Heaven is?”
He pierced my thoughts with a single line.
I answered his implied question.
But his response veered slightly from my expectations.
“Yes.”
“You’ve asked the wrong question. Don’t you already know what Reverse Heaven ‘is’?”
...True enough.
I knew what Reverse Heaven was.
It was a Grimoire. One whose use was unknown, gathering dust in the Decullan annex as an obsolete relic.
So, what should I be asking?
I paused to choose my words.
‘What do I need to know?’
My head grew complicated.
When I had no leads at all, I chased the single thread blindly. Now that the board was set, everything felt vague.
Knowing so little I couldn’t even pinpoint my ignorance.
“You look confused. How about we start from the beginning?”
“The beginning...”
“What sets Reverse Heaven apart from other Grimoires.”
“...!”
Had hanging out with those two idiots turned me into one too?
How had I overlooked such an obvious question?
“How much do you know about Grimoires?”
“Just the basics.”
“Transcendent artifacts forming the foundation of magic noble houses. Sources of immense power for their owners. Right?”
“Yes.”
Truth be told, not every magic noble house possesses a Grimoire.
Only about ten are known to exist on the eastern continent.
But one thing was certain.
Every house claiming noble magic lineage began with a Grimoire.
“Simple, but it hits the core. Do you know why Grimoires are called transcendent?”
“...”
I shook my head.
I’d only heard the hype, never witnessed their might firsthand.
They’re said to “amplify the owner’s power,” but even that’s unconfirmed.
All we have are the grand deeds of those who wielded them.
As my thoughts reached that point, the Head Librarian began explaining Grimoires.
“Grimoires grant their wielder the pinnacle of ‘laws.’”
“Pinnacle...”
“Why do secret arts have superiority?”
...Ah.
That’s when I instantly grasped what he meant by “laws.”
Take this example.
Magic is the study of mana’s laws. Every secret art embodies its own “law.”
The more advanced the law, the higher the grade. Crimson Flame is subordinate to Azure Flame for this reason.
—Fire that burns alone.
Crimson Flame’s independence...
—Fire that burns eternally.
Is outclassed by Azure Flame’s eternity.
At equal mastery, Crimson Flame’s blaze can never withstand Azure Flame’s. Even the same flames, but different laws within.
Like a crude iron sword unable to match one of tempered steel.
“But if it grants the pinnacle of ‘laws’...”
“Understand now? Why Grimoire masters lord over mages. How magic noble houses arose.”
“...Yes.”
Magic bearing the pinnacle law.
An unstoppable spear, an impenetrable shield.
Spells from a Grimoire’s power shred any barrier effortlessly, while its barrier repels any spell.
Only one thing pierces it.
‘...The owner of another Grimoire.’
“Of course, not ‘absolute.’ Magic has counters, and a counter trumps even a one- or two-tier law advantage.”
Still, its greatness remained.
Without a two-tier-or-more counter advantage, nothing withstands it.
Wait a second, though...
A sudden dissonance drew my eyes to the Head Librarian.
“Then Reverse Heaven is different?”
“Exactly.”
He nodded.
“Why else would it be called Reverse Heaven? Other Grimoires hold the pinnacle of laws, but Reverse Heaven...”
Meant this:
“Beyond laws. Cause and effect. Origin and result. Sequence and flow. Universal order. Free from all shackles, and ultimately... it shatters laws.”
Thus, Reverse Heaven.
The power that defies the heavens.
“...”
In short.
“The pinnacle of all Grimoires.”