The Hero Who Returned From Death Quits

49 – EP4. Crossroads of Life and Death

You can’t gain anything without risking danger.

He had known that a long time ago. Yet, he had tried to forget it for a moment of peace.

He looked up at the sky. The equator was filled with an indescribable unpleasant and eerie air.

The capital, supposed to be the safest and most peaceful place in the Empire, was the most dangerous place for them.

“…So, where should we go to find clues?”

“Well, I think we should start by confronting those knights directly… The problem is, even if we torture them, they won’t talk.”

“I don’t think we can gain much from that.”

“Why?”

“The last person I saw before being tortured and killed was Viscount Serindel. I overheard what he knew about you, but would the other knights know what he didn’t? All I know is that he ordered the royal family to capture you because of that ring.”

“Hm… Does that mean it’s something so important that even the close aides don’t know about it? Or something that poses a direct threat to the royal family?”

“I don’t know for sure. But for now, the most important thing is to uncover what is hidden within that ring. Maybe starting with the word ‘Tekamui’ would be a good idea?”

“Tekamui… It sounds ancient, but I can’t grasp its meaning.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I know all the commonly used ancient languages, but I’ve never heard of the word ‘Tekamui’. It seems to be from a different country rather than the ancient empire.”

“What could have happened that would connect different countries and the empire?”

“Should we start by searching for something like an imperial history book?”

“Sure, it’s not a bad idea.”

“But the problem is that there’s nowhere we can find out about it.”

“There is a place where we can find out.”

“Huh?”

“Our grandfather had a secret archive where he not only had a workshop at Matop, but also organized the material he gathered himself.”

“Where is it?”

“Just follow me. It would be nice if we had a means to hide our presence.”

“We have no choice. Let’s at least wear hoods for now.”

They covered their bodies with hoods and entered a narrow place.

“Is this not near the palace?”

From Noble mtl dot com

Angel said, feeling uneasy.

“Yeah, it’s near the palace. Don’t ask me. What can I do when our grandfather made an archive here?”

Peria replied, brushing her hair back.

“Yeah, this is it.”

She stopped in front of a wall and said.

“There’s nothing outside the wall, what happened? It’s not even dimensional magic.”

Angel said, touching the wall. Peria sighed.

“That’s why… just step back for a moment.”

As Angel stepped aside, Peria took out a key.

Then, she pushed the key into the wall.

The wall, which had no apparent holes, suddenly sank in as the key was pushed in.

“What, what happened?”

“Dimensional magic. This wall only allows the key to pass through and turns into a lock.”

She turned the key, and with a clacking sound, the wall turned and became a door.

“What is this…?”

He was dumbfounded.

“No, to think they went to this extent just to make an archive…”

He interrupted himself.

“No, it must be worth it to go to such lengths for these materials.”

Peria nodded her head.

“Yes. Although our grandfather is now confined to a trunk, he was once a historian. He must have collected ordinary things.”

Feria stepped into the room and spoke.

There was a feeling of dust rising and a smell of mold.

“…I wonder if the documents are still intact?”

“They were intentionally made to look insignificant.”

Angel went inside and looked at the countless shelves filled with books.

“There is mold here too.”

When she took out a book and opened it, the text was not visible due to the mold.

“Hmph, you’re impatient.”

Feria continued to walk quickly without hesitation.

“If I take this out….”

As she took out a book, light emanated from that spot.

When she regained her senses, the library was neatly organized as if questioning when it had become dirty.

“…It’s amazing.”

Angel looked at the book he was holding. It was also neatly organized.

He hastily put down the book he was holding and tried to take out a history book.

The book he saw was titled “Imperial History.”

The peculiar thing was that even though it was a series of several books, each had a different format.

He took out the first volume and read the preface.

This book is a record written in real time about events that took place in the Empire. The first volume of the history book that will continue from one generation to the next is being written now. October 4th, 1052, Karpen Asuss.

He raised his head in surprise. 1052? The present year he was living in was 536. He realized that it was because of a different calendar system.

“It says 1052, but it seems like the calendar system is different. Do you know when this is?”

“What? 1052?”

Feria approached him and looked at the preface.

“Before the Empire adopted the Tildaspectu calendar… In other words, it’s a record from when they used the Gition calendar, which was based on the phoenix.”

“Tildaspectu was the first saint, right?”

“Yes. After he defeated the corrupt magician occupying Martap and the Emperor-centered sect and died, the calendar system started counting from the year of his death, making it year 0. Before that, they used the Gition calendar.”

“But these books, they all have different formats. Does that mean we can find all the records from that time in these books?”

“It would depend on the last volume.”

Feria took out the last volume of Imperial History. And as soon as she opened the first page, she froze.

History repeats itself. 483 A.D., Caven Theodore.

Because her master’s name was written.

“Well, what is this book…”

As she flipped through the pages, various records were written. There were trivial things, but there were also meaningful records, such as the current emperor originally being the younger brother but becoming the emperor because the elder brother, who was originally the emperor, fell ill and died.

Peria, confused, exclaimed, “Come on, take out all the books!”

As Peria shouted, Angel pulled out all the variously named books related to imperial history and laid them on the desk.

She started reading the records from the first volume without delay.

While she fumbled through the records, Angel quietly began to examine other records.

“This! Isn’t this related to this?”

It was a few days later when Peria shouted loudly, calling Angel.

Angel approached her.

In Angel’s arms were groceries such as bread. It was obtained after much effort and hardship, fearing that they might not get caught.

Angel put them down and said, “What’s this?”

“Here!”

He looked at the part Peria pointed to. It was a book named “Magic behind the Empire.”

…The leaders of the Magic Tower sought to transcend the limits of human capabilities. Named the Philosopher’s Stone Project, it was an item that amplified magical power beyond the laws of nature. In the process of creating it, many humans had to be sacrificed, as they needed to understand how humans manipulate magical power. They were defeated and concealed by the priest Tilhaspetu, who believed the experiment had failed. However, the experiment was successful. It was called the Catalyst.

“…Catalyst?”

Angel raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Take a look at this too.”

The knowledge of the Catalyst was secretly passed down to only a few. They were the ones who conducted the most crucial research in creating the Catalyst, occupying the core of the empire until Tilhaspetu appeared.

“So, do you think this ring is related to the Catalyst?”

“Yeah. The Catalyst’s ability to amplify magical power was so powerful that it surpassed the laws of nature. I thought it was worth aiming for in the imperial family.”

“But, the book of imperial history doesn’t mention anything about it? It seemed like it was written by people of your sect.”

“Well, there was no mention of the existence of the Catalyst. Perhaps there wasn’t much information accessible from the lower ranks of the Magic Tower at that time?”

“But then, why did you think the Catalyst was related to that ring?”

“Take a look here.”

Various sects were mobilized to create the Catalyst, and among them, the sect that contributed the most, by killing countless humans, took the symbol of the Phoenix as its emblem. Even before the establishment of the Magic Tower, even before the empire, their symbol was a mythical bird symbolizing eternal immortality.

“Phoenix…”

“Yes. Because of this.”

“But you said it was a young phoenix. Isn’t it only focused on phoenixes?”

“Well, even if it’s called a young phoenix, it probably just means a successor of the school.”

“Hmm…”

Angel cocked his head and said,

“Well, that’s not important. What’s important is that the current situation outside is serious.”

“Huh?”

“We were given an extermination order.”