Chapter 93: Shoot Towards Dawn (6)
“…The third daughter of the Gracia Family.”
“What?”
Ronan furrowed his brow. For a moment, he thought he had misheard. If it was the third daughter of the Gracia Family, it meant she was Shullifen’s younger sister.
Suddenly, he recalled the conversation between Shullifen and Aselle in the club building. They had mentioned Shullifen’s younger sibling who was mage and was undergoing training to enter Philleon. Was the Dawn Magic Tower where she was training? Ronan raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Why would she do something like that? What’s her motive?”
“I don’t really know… It just happened moments ago.”
“Dammit, what’s going on?”
“Ah, wait a moment!”
He left Eyrie behind and hurried over. The murmurs were growing louder. Soon, he saw a crowd gathering at the center of the library. Most of them were mages wearing red robes.
“Unbelievable, Miss Zion. Why would she do something like this?”
“This is outrageous. We should formally protest to the Gracia Family… Oh!”
“Let me through!”
Ronan pushed through the shouting mages and moved forward. In the midst of the crowd, there was a young girl standing there, not more than eleven or twelve years old.
Her disheveled, uncombed azure hair framed her face. She was wearing silk pajamas with a simplified embroidered bear’s face.
“Huh.”
When Ronan saw the girl named Zion, he let out a bitter laugh. They looked so alike, despite being siblings. She could easily pass as Shullifen with her slightly squinted eyes and long hair.
“Confess quietly, Miss Zion Synevan De Gracia. Why did you attempt arson in the sacred hall of knowledge?”
“I-I already told you… I don’t know anything… I was sleeping, and suddenly I woke up in the library…”
“You’re telling me that you weren’t trying to disrupt the fair competition and tried to cast a fireball in the library just now?”
“I really… I really didn’t…”
But her demeanor seemed completely different. Her large pupils were filled with tears. The mages questioning her were getting louder.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, Ronan smelled a familiar scent of roses. A girl with dark purple hair stood next to him, clutching her fist and glaring at Zion. Ronan patted her shoulder.
“Elizabeth.”
“Huh, Ronan?”
Elizabeth turned her head and her eyes widened. Ironically, they were standing right next to each other but hadn’t noticed each other until now. She also seemed to have hastily rushed out of bed. Ronan raised an eyebrow and asked.
“What exactly happened? Do you know anything?”
“That abominable Gracia has finally revealed her true colors.”
Elizabeth clicked her tongue and spoke with a venomous tone. Ronan frowned after hearing the explanation of the situation.
“So, you’re saying that this tiny kid fired a fireball at the airship? And just a moment ago, she tried to set the library on fire?”
“Yes. I saw her directly trying to disrupt the magical wave comparison.”
Ronan was so stunned that he could hardly speak. The incident had just occurred thirty minutes ago. Zion, dressed in pajamas, was caught trying to use fire magic in the library, but was stopped.
Naturally, chaos ensued, and some suspicious mages began comparing her mana with the mana detected during the airship incident.
Surprisingly, the results matched. Zion, who was arrested on the spot, denied any knowledge of both incidents. Erzabeth muttered through her gritted teeth.
“I have to report this to the head of the family as soon as I return. This is clearly an assassination attempt.”
“Do you really think she was targeting you?”
“Without any other reason, what else could it be? To involve such a child in a power struggle, it’s truly despicable…”
The angered voices of the mages were unsettling. In fact, it was a situation that could easily be misunderstood. In the past, Gracia and Acalusia had a bitter relationship, and there had been instances where they sent assassins to each other.
‘This could escalate into a problem shaking the entire continent.’
Amidst all this, the questioning of the mages continued. Zion, who had been under constant pressure, eventually burst into tears.
“Waaaah! Please believe me, I didn’t do anything!”
“Crying won’t change the fact that this is a serious matter. If you don’t properly explain yourself, it will only put you at a further disadvantage!”
However, the mages didn’t stop. They seemed completely unwilling to listen to Zion’s words from the start. Ronan couldn’t understand their attitude, but it wasn’t a pleasant sight.
‘I don’t remember.’
Ronan recalled what happened in the Forbidden Library a little while ago. Zion didn’t seem like she was lying. After observing the situation for a moment, he stepped forward, parting the crowd.
“Let’s do this in moderation, everyone.”
“Who are you?”
“She’s just a kid. You all need to calm down a bit.”
Ronan slowly approached Zion and stood in front of her. She looked up at him, her eyes widened.
“Wh-Who are you?”
“Huh, you both really do look alike.”
It was strange how similar the unfortunate girl looked to Shullifen, and even more strangely, Ronan found her kind of cute. He reached out and gently covered her ears with his hands. Zion’s eyes grew larger.
“Wh-What are you doing…? Please let go!”
She protested weakly, but Ronan didn’t release his grip. He addressed the mages surrounding them.
“You’re all focusing on the wrong thing. This kid is not the one you should be after.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Underground, the books are manipulating people. I almost got caught just now, and she might have faced the same thing.”
“What nonsense are you spewing? Outsider, stay out of this!”
Ronan sighed deeply. It was not easy to persuade the mages who were furious. He tried to speak again.
“Stop.”
Suddenly, a deep voice was heard from behind. Everyone at the scene turned their heads simultaneously.
Aun Philara was approaching from the corridor. Beside him, Eyrie, who had been in a trance, was floating in the air, following him.
“L-Lord Tower Master?”
The mages were taken aback and stepped back. A visible surge of mana, which one would expect to see only in battle, was emanating from Aun Philara’s shoulders. He scanned the scene and spoke.
“Disperse, all of you. Zion did nothing wrong.”
“Yes?”
“However, she might get manipulated again, so two mages of 4th circle or higher will escort and protect her. The detailed situation will be explained in an emergency meeting soon, so please follow along without asking any questions.”
Aun Philara gave his orders. The mages, unable to refute his command, scattered. He turned to Ronan and spoke.
“Ronan, would you mind accompanying us for a while? I heard a brief explanation from the librarian, but I don’t fully understand what’s going on.”
Aun Philara’s face was more serious than usual. Ronan took his hand off Zion’s ear and nodded, relieved.
“That works out well. I had some questions of my own.”
****
Zion Synevan De Gracia was placed under protective custody rather than confinement. Aun Philara temporarily closed off the library as a precaution.
Ronan, Aun Philara, and Eyrie headed straight for the entrance to the Forbidden Library. Aun Philara, who had been keeping his mouth shut, finally broke the silence.
“…First of all, thank you for saving Parte. She was in a severe state of mental deterioration, and if you had been a bit later, it could have been dangerous.”
“Thank goodness she’s safe.”
Parte was the missing person Ronan had found. Hearing that she was unharmed, Ronan let out a sigh of relief. Aun Philara, with an uneasy tone, continued.
“I heard it just now, but… I need to confirm it once more. Did you really find her inside the Forbidden Library?”
“Yes, that’s right. I was even attacked by a talking book.”
“How could such a thing be… Could you provide more details about the situation?”
Ronan nodded, then began to explain the bizarre events he had experienced just moments ago. Witnessing a woman’s disappearance when he woke up, following her into the Forbidden Library, encountering the intrusive books in his mind, and the attack by the woman controlled by those cursed scraps of paper. After hearing the story, Eyrie reacted with astonishment in her voice.
“This is impossible. Just yesterday, we confirmed that there were no security issues…! Did you not see any defensive magic or alarm systems while passing through the tunnels?”
“I didn’t see anything like that.”
Ronan shook his head. The labyrinthine passages seemed to be completely unobstructed. Aun Philara pursed his lips.
“…This is a serious matter.”
His expression was far from casual. Even the 7th circle mage felt tense in the presence of something inside the Forbidden Library. Ronan raised an eyebrow.
“Is this really such a big deal?”
“Yes, it is. In the Forbidden Library… There’s a presence that should never be allowed to emerge.”
“Is it that book, Vijra, or whatever it’s called?”
“Vijra is dangerous too, but… ”
Aun Philara trailed off. For a while, no one said anything, and the only sounds in the library were the footsteps of the three of them. Finally, they arrived at the entrance of the Forbidden Library.
“If you don’t want to talk, you can tell me later. Let’s go in for now.”
Without hesitation, Ronan pulled out a book from the shelf, titled ‘Stepping Back’ and it opened the entrance. Eyrie, who had witnessed the smooth action as if he were opening the door his own house, mumbled in amazement.
“…I might need to choose a different book.”
The three of them entered the library’s hidden area where the shelves had disappeared. After descending down a long staircase, they eventually reached a labyrinthine section of the Forbidden Library. Suddenly, Ronan’s eyes widened.
“Huh?”
Multiple layers of thick mana shields blocked the passage. The transparent barriers were so densely stacked that they obscured the view beyond the corridor.
Boundary magic seals were evenly inscribed on the walls, ceiling, and floor. Stepping on them caused loud noises to resonate or triggered magic that sent you flying elsewhere. Eyrie raised an eyebrow.
“What’s this? It looks perfectly fine.”
“…This can’t be happening?”
It was completely different from when Ronan had gone through earlier. If Ronan hadn’t been suffering from a temporary form of dementia, there should have been no defensive magic. The conversation he had with Aun Philara came to his mind.
‘Could it be…?’
During the airship incident, he mentioned that a fireball had appeared when he swung his sword. A wide-ranging interference magic, Ronan’s swordsmanship that cut mana.
Suddenly, Ronan pulled the hilt of his sword and swung it into the empty air.
Swish!
Along with the sensation of cutting through the wind, the layered forms of mana shields began to disperse like smoke. The eyes of both Ronan and Eyrie widened.
“This…!”
“As expected.”
The boundary magic circles also gradually disappeared. It seemed to be some form of illusion magic. Since neither Eyrie nor Aun Philara had noticed it, it was undoubtedly a powerful spell.
When they first entered, it seemed that the spell was released when Ronan drew his sword to illuminate the way. Eyrie covered her mouth with both hands.
“This doesn’t make sense, since when on earth…!”
“This situation doesn’t look good.”
Eyrie nodded in agreement. The fact that the defense spells were lifted suggested that additional seals on the highly dangerous books in the vicinity might have been undone. Ronan, gripping his sword’s hilt, spoke.
“It’s the same guy who casted the perception interference back then, isn’t it?”
“…Seems like it.”
“The fact that it has been reactivated again means that the caster is nearby. Damn it.”
Ronan cursed. There was undoubtedly someone around here playing tricks. Aun Philara, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
“I… I owe an apology to everyone.”
“What’s with the sudden apology?”
“I mentioned that there was a presence that should never leave the Forbidden Library. That’s Tower Master Lorehon.”
Ronan’s eyes widened. The topic he had wanted to ask about was Tower Master Lorehon. He hadn’t expected Aun Philara to bring it up first. Eyrie asked in a bewildered voice.
“Tower Master… What are you talking about?”
“I apologize for deceiving you, Eyrie. Tower Master Lorehon has not left to train.”
“Then…?”
Aun Philara closed his eyes tightly. Through his lips, a mournful voice seeped out, as if announcing the imminent death of a loved one.
“…Tower Master Lorehon was devoured by Vijra last winter.”
