Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Brother's Advice
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The Imperial Intelligence Department's archive room was currently even more bustling and frantic than usual.
That was because the dedicated staff deployed to uncover the true identity of the 'Key' that Oracle was searching for had been relentlessly rummaging through ancient documents day and night.
Of course, if the task were merely locating specific existing documents, they could simply seek the aid of Lisana Simon, who possessed a frighteningly perfect memory ability.
However, even a genius like her could not possibly handle the sheer volume of all the newly updated documents on her own, so additional help was desperately needed.
"Have you made any real progress, Lisana?"
"Ah, no, not quite yet..."
Even as she provided an answer to Celine, who had come personally to check on her, Lisana kept sorting through the mountains of documents in a weary daze.
Celine could not stand the sight of watching Lisana, who had not slept properly for three straight days and was completely absorbed in the exhausting task of poring over the files. She grabbed her shoulder firmly and spoke up.
"You must take a break and resume this later. You are on the very verge of collapsing again."
"Y-you truly think so...?"
Lisana, already nearing her absolute physical limit, nodded at Celine's sensible suggestion and accepted the cup of coffee she had brought, taking a slow sip.
After a few sips to calm her racing mind for a few minutes, she suddenly remembered a piece of news and tossed out a curious question.
"B-by the way, is it actually true that they are holding the official Intelligence Department dinner at the Golden Griffin?"
"Yes, it is indeed true."
"That is absolutely insane..."
Celine smirked inwardly at Lisana's incredulous and shocked reaction.
The rumor had spread like wildfire through the department, ignited by the Owl members returning from the Fraus Holy Kingdom, claiming that there would be a grand official dinner.
The rumor proved to be entirely true, and when the fact emerged that the Minister himself had proposed it, the entire Intelligence Department was left stunned.
That revelation alone was enough to shake heaven and earth, but the surprises did not end there.
When word got out that the Minister had personally and specifically chosen the Golden Griffin as the venue, the department descended into a state of near madness.
'It was probably just Christina nagging him incessantly, but what does it matter now?'
Celine, however, had already dined alone with the Minister at that very spot.
It was an experience on an entirely different level from a mere group dinner.
Thanks to that secret knowledge, she could revel in a quiet sense of superiority whenever she witnessed the shocked reactions of others.
"I-I am so profoundly glad that I joined the Intelligence Department..."
"So, in order to truly enjoy that dinner, we need to first uncover the identity of the Key, right?"
"Y-yes. But aside from the working assumption that it is an artifact, we have absolutely no other clue to go on..."
It was clearly no ordinary artifact, but with no idea where it was hidden—or even what it looked like—they were repeatedly hitting dead ends in their investigation.
"True, even the Oracle organization seems to be struggling for that very same reason. It would be a breakthrough if we at least understood its true purpose."
"R-right? Oh, speaking of which, what about the Minister? He has not made an appearance in the archive today..."
As Lisana asked the question, Celine stood up to offer her reply.
"He is currently off meeting with his younger brother."
"H-his younger brother? Why such a sudden meeting... Ah, I see."
Karl Barrmut—the Minister's younger brother and the esteemed second son of the ducal family.
He was the heir apparent to the Dukedom and an exceptionally brilliant artifact researcher.
"Well, I shall be going then."
"Ah, yes. Thank you for the coffee and the company..."
"And one more thing, Lisana."
"Yes?"
"You should really wash up. And change those clothes of yours too."
Lisana stared blankly at Celine's retreating back as she turned and left the archive. Hesitantly, she raised her own arm and took a cautious sniff.
"Eek?!"
That very day, several agents and staff members witnessed Lisana dashing desperately toward the showers in a panic.
Ahh, my precious slacking-off sanctuary is officially gone.
In the Minister's office, with Celine right there watching, I have to at least maintain the facade of pretending to work.
And heading to the archive is no better; my subordinates are completely swamped trying to solve the mystery of that Key or whatever Oracle is after—there is no way I can goof off alone in that intense atmosphere.
Having lost my sanctuary of peace, I racked my brain for alternatives until I ended up at the Imperial University.
I arrived under the convenient pretext of seeking advice from my artifact-researcher little brother—allowing me to slack off with a perfect justification.
Still, since I am already here, I suppose I should at least say a proper hello.
I asked a passing student for my brother's specific lab location and headed straight there.
After knocking and receiving permission to enter, I opened the door. Karl, who was fiddling with something at his desk, went wide-eyed with surprise.
"Brother?! What on earth brings you to the university so out of the blue...?"
"I have something important I want to seek your advice on."
"Advice? From me, brother?"
What, am I not allowed to ask you questions? Jeez.
I gave Karl, who still looked puzzled, a rough rundown of the current situation.
"I see. Oracle, huh... Father has mentioned them briefly, but they sound far more dangerous than I had imagined. Anyway, for a matter like that, you could have just summoned me to your office instead of coming all the way here."
If I had done that, I couldn't have successfully slacked off.
"So, do you have any educated guesses on the true identity of the Key?"
"Hmm... Give me just a second to think."
Saying he needed a moment, Karl rummaged through the large, crowded bookshelf behind him and pulled out a few thick books, bringing them over to me.
You aren't truly telling me to read all of these, are you, bro?
If that is the case, this big brother is bolting out of here without even looking back!
Contrary to my secret fears, Karl did not tell me to read them myself. Instead, he opened the books himself, pointed to specific passages with his finger, and began to explain.
"As you are aware, artifacts are relics from the ancient era—or tracing even further back, the mythic era. In a sense, they are like magic tools from that time, but they are fundamentally quite different."
The most significant difference from modern magic tools is that artifacts grow exponentially more powerful the older they are.
Even among today's finest magic tools, many can rival ancient artifacts in sheer might.
But absolutely nothing surpasses the power of the mythic era.
"It was the era when gods truly walked the earth, so that power is only natural. In any case, that is exactly why conflicts over them have raged since ancient times."
Apparently, the prevailing academic belief is that most of the decent ones have already surfaced and been claimed.
"Artifacts often look indistinguishable from ordinary objects without their proper manuals, so the possibility of overlooked ones being out there cannot be ruled out."
"So are you suggesting that the Key might not be an artifact after all?"
Karl shook his head decisively and opened a new book.
"What I meant was in regards to known artifacts. Something whose location, appearance, and purpose remain entirely unknown is far more likely to be from the mythic era."
I leaned down to read the specific passage Karl was pointing to.
"Are all of these mythic-era artifacts?"
There are a staggering number of them.
"Presumed artifacts, to be precise. Things like Archangel Angelus's feather, Sun God Fraus's light, Laplace's demon, or the Moon Goddess's tear—interpretations of the ancient literature vary, but they are commonly considered to be artifacts."
Ah, so it can actually be interpreted that way. Fascinating. Smart folks certainly think differently than I do.
"There are also the legendary seven stars the Moon Goddess supposedly left behind in fairy tales, but that is generally dismissed as fanciful, and since scant records remain, it is hard to say for sure."
That is good enough for me. This information will do.
"Thanks. I guess we will focus our investigation on potential mythic-era artifacts from here on out."
Though my subordinates will obviously be the ones handling the actual digging.
"I am glad I could be of some help."
"Yeah. But that metallic box-thing you've been fiddling with since I got here—what is it exactly?"
He was messing with it when I first arrived. Is it some kind of toy?
At my question, Karl scratched his cheek, looking quite troubled by the object.
"This is an artifact too, actually. A friend from my academy days became an adventurer and asked me to examine something he found in a dungeon."
Karl handed me the mysterious metal box.
It was significantly heavier than it appeared to be.
"Is it a puzzle?"
"Yes. I have thoroughly analyzed the structure, but it seems designed specifically not to be solved—it has been a real headache for me."
A puzzle made to be unsolvable? What a nasty and frustrating hobby for someone to have.
"So is the box itself the artifact?"
"Probably not. There is clearly something hidden inside."
"Then just smash it open."
"Pardon me?"
You just said there is something inside. If it won't open normally, then smashing it is the only option left to you.
It's not my problem anyway—Karl will figure it out.
I returned the box and suggested we grab dinner together, but he turned me down, saying he still had work to finish.
Man, I am seriously bummed out.
"Sm-smash it open?! Professor, what on earth are you talking about!?"
His student, trailing after him as he marched off determinedly with the metal box, freaked out and tried to stop him, but Karl ignored the protest completely.
"Brother said to smash it. So we are going to smash it."
"Th-the Iron-Blooded Minister?! B-but he is not even an artifact expert in the slightest...!"
Karl's brisk steps came to a sudden halt.
As he turned around, the student flinched hard from the intensity of his gaze.
It was the first time he had ever received such a look—as if he were a pest—from the professor he revered so much.
"If Brother says black is white, then it is white. Do not you dare presume to fathom Brother's true intentions. Do not even try to understand them. Our limited mortal logic means absolutely nothing to a man like him."
Smashing an artifact to extract its contents was a move entirely without precedent.
Normally, you solve the enclosing puzzle to access the interior—scholars refer to it as the Trial of Wisdom.
Suggesting brute force would earn you ridicule the very moment you said it.
But so what?
If Brother told him to leap into a pit of fire, he would dive in without a moment's hesitation. If ordered to the guillotine, he would lay his head on the block without a word.
He knew Brother never spoke or acted without a profound reason, so there were no doubts and no second thoughts in his mind.
"If you wish to remain my student, never spout such absolute nonsense again. Do I make myself understood?"
"P-Professor..."
Leaving his concerned student behind him, Karl headed to the garden, placed the metal box on a suitable rock, and fetched a heavy hammer from the tool shed. He raised it high above his head.
With all his might, he swung down, striking the box with a hard, decisive blow.
"This is...!"
Then, something truly astonishing happened.
The instant the hammer hit, with a distinct clattering sound, the metal puzzle encasing it unraveled on its own.
'I see! Impact. The solution was simply to apply a direct shock!'
The box-shaped metal puzzle flattened out completely, revealing the true artifact hidden beneath the surface.
Ignoring his gaping and stunned student, Karl reached out, picked up the relic, and looked toward the sky with reverence.
'Always guiding your foolish brother, even now, Brother.'