Chapter 232 - 3−36
The place the Emperor led me to was unexpected.
"...This is?"
"My Office."
The room was quite sparse, containing only a desk, a chair, and a bookshelf. However, documents were scattered across the desk, showing signs of work.
"Are you surprised? That I actually work?"
I flinched at his words.
"I did not mean it that way. ...I apologize for the misunderstanding."
"No need to sugarcoat it. I know well enough that you think I'm a tyrant with nothing in his head but swinging a sword."
I can't... exactly say that's not true.
A man who didn't care about the future of the Tratia Empire or the continent, acting only for his own pleasure. That was indeed how I evaluated the Emperor.
"You're not entirely wrong. Normally, I wouldn't want to do this kind of work, but Lute is the only rare human who wants to help me. I'm only doing it because I have to."
The Emperor was unusually talkative today. The intimidating aura that made me tremble just by being near him remained, but the atmosphere felt somewhat softer than when we had met before. Why had he suddenly softened his attitude and brought me to his private Office? My anxiety grew as I wondered what he wanted.
As I stood huddled by the Office door, the Emperor touched the frame of his own portrait, the only decoration on the wall. The intricate gold frame began to sparkle. Immediately after, the wall began to move with a low rumble.
Rose, still caught in the Emperor's grip, chirped in surprise and struggled to escape.
What is this?
As the wall moved, a stone door appeared. The massive door showed its age with cracks in places, exuding a heavy presence. The magic circle drawn across the entire door seemed to be guarding the room beyond. The Emperor opened the door without a change in expression. Beyond it lay a massive room, far larger than the Office and equal in size to the Library we had just left.
"This is..."
"Come," the Emperor said to my stunned murmur, stepping inside. I followed him cautiously.
A comfortable armchair sat in the center of the room, and shelves were neatly lined with magical tools I had never seen before. Even more impressive was the spiral staircase running along the walls. The entire wall was a bookshelf, lined with countless books.
"This is the Emperor's Archive. It is a place where only successive Tratian Emperors are permitted entry."
"...Eh?"
"It's a rule made up by those who tried to protect this country. It means nothing to me."
A place only the Emperor could enter... that meant... I was currently in a very serious situation. The Emperor was committing a terrifying taboo within the Tratia Empire. Ignoring my shock, the Emperor smirked.
"It is currently noon. I will give you half a day."
I couldn't keep up with what was happening and simply stood there. But the Emperor, unconcerned, tossed Rose onto the sofa and turned back to me.
"You may look through this Archive as you please."
"This room? Anywhere... anything?"
"Yes. There is information here that only successive Emperors among the royalty could know. It will be much better than wasting time in the Library with its useless information."
Information only successive Tratian Emperors could know...
I swallowed hard. If that were true, it might hold a clue to undoing the Dragonewt Ability.
"It is a generous offer, but may I ask the reason? Why are you letting me into this room?"
"There is no reason."
What?
"It is mere curiosity. I don't care what happens to Nana. But if you truly are my destiny, I want to see how you struggle in a situation like this. That is all."
"I-I am not!"
I tried to say I wasn't his destiny, but the Emperor cut me off by raising a finger to my face.
"Choose one book. I will give that book to you."
His sudden proposal threw me off balance. I was more confused than happy at such an attractive offer.
"Only one book...?"
"It's more interesting with conditions, isn't it?"
The Emperor smirked and looked at the clock on the wall.
"As I said, you may stay in this room until midnight."
"And if I cannot find the book I seek by then?"
"In that case, it means you failed to seize the chance. A game you can redo has no meaning. It's just boring."
Meaning I had to find the one book I needed among tens of thousands... no, perhaps hundreds of thousands of books. And in only half a day. This was surely a whim of the Emperor, which meant this was likely my only chance to ever enter this room. My pulse quickened. Was it anticipation, or was I being crushed by the pressure? As I gripped my hands in front of my chest, the Emperor leaned down to meet my eyes. His sharp eyes looked like burning flames up close.
"When the clock strikes midnight, you will never be allowed in this room again. ...I am giving you this chance only once."
The Emperor spoke with finality.
After the Emperor left the Archive, only Rose and I remained. As time ticked away, I felt utterly lost.
"It's no use. I can't find anything..."
I looked at the clock; it was already eight. Only four hours left. And yet, I had only covered about a fifth of the spiral staircase. I would never make it at this pace.
"I thought this shelf would be about Dragonewt Abilities... but maybe it's on a different shelf."
I pulled out books, flipped through them quickly, and reached for the next. My eyes were blurry, and though I usually loved reading, my concentration had long since snapped. Still, I couldn't stop.
"Kyu?"
Rose wrapped herself around my neck, looking worried. I stroked her head with one hand and gave a weak smile.
"...It's no use. This book says the same thing as the others. ...Now, let's check the next one."
Having looked through so many books, I now understood the Dragonewt Ability to some extent. But there was no mention of how anyone other than the caster could undo it. Both in the Calria Villa and this Archive, every book stated that an awakened ability was absolute and could not be undone even if the caster died.
Is there really no way? What will happen if Theodore-sama never regains his memories?
Most importantly, I had no idea how the two of us could safely escape this country. I slumped and rubbed my eyes. My head was fuzzy, and the words were swimming. Still, I stretched, shook my head, and looked up at the seemingly endless stairs again.
"I won't let this chance end without finding a single clue... I absolutely won't."
I forced myself to stay strong.
"Kyu!"
"...You're right. I have to stick it out until the very end. I don't want any regrets."
Rose rubbed her face against my cheek as if to cheer me on. But time wouldn't stop. Three hours left, then two, then less than one. I wiped the sweat from my forehead as I scanned the stairs ahead. I didn't want to look down, but the lack of clues was making me increasingly anxious. The sound of the distant clock's second hand didn't reach me, yet it felt as if it were ticking right in my ear.
"This book is about the transformation from dragon to Dragonewt... no. This one is... a picture book?"
Among the thick academic texts, I pulled out a thin volume.
"...What cute illustrations."
Perhaps because I had been chasing small text for so long, I was drawn to the pastel-colored picture book and flipped through the pages.
But I don't have time to look at picture books right now.
Just then.
"Kyu!"
Rose, who had been sleeping quietly on the stairs, suddenly spread her wings and began thrashing about as if trying to shake something off.
"Rose, what's wrong?"
"Kyu!"
"Why are you suddenly acting up! Oh, please calm down."
I reached out to catch her, but she dodged my hand and crashed into a lower shelf.
"Rose!"
I rushed to her side, and she chirped weakly, tilting her head.
"...Were you sleepwalking?"
"Kyuuu..."
"I see. You startled me. I'm glad you're okay, though."
I picked her up with a sigh of relief. Then, my eyes fell on the shelf in front of me.
"...I should have seen this shelf earlier."
Was this book here before?
At the far right of the bottom shelf was an aged navy book with no title on the spine. I reached for it, drawn by some inexplicable urge. If I had been in my right mind, I wouldn't have reached for it with so little time left. But I was strangely curious. There was no title or author inside the cover either. I flipped the pages as if driven by something. Then, I froze in shock.
"Eh... this is!"
"Kyu?"
Rose flew in front of me, surprised by my sudden exclamation.
"Rose, we did it! Thanks to you, I might have found something incredible!"
I hugged the book to my chest and told Rose. She seemed to understand my joy and flew around me in circles. But it was too early to celebrate. The clock showed only five minutes until midnight.
"Oh, it's already this late. Let's get back to the room immediately!"
"Kyu!"
Clutching the book tightly, I hurried down the spiral staircase and left the Archive.