Chapter 377

Words : 2312 Updated : Oct 11th, 2025

“You calculated everything?” Everyone was left speechless at Arpa’s outrageous statement. It seemed too serious to be mere bluster, from Arpa’s answer to their expression. Even absurd statements can feel true when spoken with such pure sincerity. “Huh?” Sensing the awkward atmosphere, Arpa hastily explained. “Ah, please don’t misunderstand. Not everything. You know those rooms we passed through? I carefully observed the mysterious phenomena occurring there, and compared them with other places to steadily narrow down the possibilities.” “...How many rooms have we seen up until now?” “132 rooms.” “...How do you even know that?” “Well, because I remember?” “...” Isn’t that even more impressive? The group finally had to realize that Arpa’s true ability lay in his perfect memory capability – something no magician would dare attempt. Having physical abilities rivaling a knight while also being intellectually brilliant, it was hard to believe even after seeing it. ‘It’s worth being surprised about.’ Watching the situation, Rudger understood their reactions. ‘Remembering every little detail that others might overlook. Even clever magicians can’t do that.’ Humans are creatures of forgetting. People don’t properly remember even what they’ve just seen unless they pay careful attention. Sometimes this feels like a blessing, but other times it can be a curse. No matter how much humans rack their brains and take notes, they cannot analyze the patterns of hundreds of changing rooms in real-time. Rudger had tried something similar but gave up after exceeding 50 rooms and left everything to Arpa because Arpa could remember it all. ‘Moreover, Arpa’s perspective is very different from ordinary people.’ Humans distinguish objects with eyes that have normal optic nerves. While the level of perception can vary with training, they cannot overcome biological limitations. For instance, perceiving ultraviolet and infrared spectrums with the naked eye, Arpa could do that. Arpa was a special automaton, the culmination of the Iron Kingdom Delica’s scientific technology, with only 2 units existing in the world. The subtle differences that others couldn’t distinguish, those minute differences were crystal clear to Arpa. This was a major reason why Rudger personally brought Arpa to the Night of Mystery. ‘Of course, from the perspective of those who don’t know this, Arpa might seem like a monster.’ The fact that Arpa was an automaton was a truth that needed to be hidden. Since little was revealed externally, Arpa’s results seemed somewhat overvalued. Of course, even if all secrets were revealed, the fact that Arpa was extraordinary wouldn’t change. Arpa himself didn’t understand why others praised him so highly. For Arpa, the ability to remember everything he saw without forgetting was ‘natural’. As ‘Type Alpha’, it was something he could naturally do from the moment he opened his eyes. Maybe that’s why Arpa couldn’t understand why others found this ability so impressive – an ability he possessed naturally without learning or effort. Worried that this might cause delays, Rudger stepped in to manage the situation. “Though you must have many questions, please restrain yourselves. That’s not what’s important right now.” “...Right. That’s true.” True to their quick-thinking nature as magicians, the three quickly faced reality. Yes. The important thing wasn’t Arpa’s ability. They couldn’t afford to be distracted by trivial matters when the library was wide open before them. Of course, there remained an unsettling mechanical feeling due to Arpa’s unnaturally perfect memory. But such minor doubts melted away before their burning desire to explore the unknown knowledge. Before beginning their main activity, Rudger asked Limrei: “Are there any special precautions we should take inside the library?” “There’s nothing like that here. Except that you can’t take items outside. Actually, not being able to take items out applies to the entire mansion anyway.” You can do anything from here on. That’s what Limrei said. “Then we can each look for the materials we want.” “That’s right.” “See you later then!” The group split up. Of course, Arpa stayed with Rudger. The two walked through the archives. Periodically lit crimson lamps gently illuminated the surroundings. This added a mystical quality to the dark and gloomy atmosphere of the archives. ‘Unlike the mansion filled with mysterious phenomena everywhere, this place is unusually quiet.’ Of course, not every space in the mansion would be full of strange phenomena but it was somewhat unexpected that the library, which all magicians desperately sought, would be this quiet. ‘Well, the quietness works in our favor anyway.’ Rudger carefully observed the bookshelf that filled one wall. The books were old but not worn or tattered. Like the mansion itself, the books were safely preserved without damage due to mysterious power. ‘Everything’s in ancient language. I suppose that’s to be expected.’ Rudger pulled out a visible book and briefly scanned its contents. The text inside was in ancient language. It was quite difficult to read, probably because it was handwritten by the author. ‘At this rate, even someone skilled in ancient languages wouldn’t be able to understand it.’ Of course, it wouldn’t be impossible to interpret if one took the book and invested long hours comparing the text. The problem was that ‘long hours’ were needed here. That was the worst condition in this time-limited place. ‘Only 3 days a year. And even then, you don’t get the full 3 days – you have to enter in the morning and leave before sunset. Even finding the library isn’t guaranteed due to the mysterious phenomena.’ Time was short, and there were many elements of luck involved. This was probably a major reason why there hadn’t been any significant discoveries despite the Night of Mystery being held for quite some time. In a way, it was strange that Rudger, who had just arrived here for the first time, immediately found the library and was examining books. “Leader. What does the book’s content say?” “Nothing special. Just a contemporary intellectual listing social conditions like a diary.” “Isn’t that amazing too?” “Historians and sociologists would be ecstatic about this content, but this isn’t what I’m looking for. I’m not a historian after all. If the mansion’s owner was a magician, surely somewhere here there must be books related to magic. The question was how to find them. People from long ago wouldn’t have kindly written titles on the book covers. This meant that even after entering the library, they would need to go through countless trials and errors to find what they wanted. “Arpa. Do you see any suspicious-looking books?” “Suspicious? They all look similar to me.” “I mean things like unusually worn books, or ones with slightly different specifications.” “No matter how much I look, they all seem similar.” So even Arpa’s eyes couldn’t distinguish them? ‘Should we go deeper inside?’ Rudger headed towards the depths of the library. The mansion’s library was spacious but eventually it revealed its limits, reaching an end. ‘Well, this is troublesome.’ The bookshelves were all arranged at regular intervals, making it impossible to determine what books were stored where. This meant they would have to examine each book one by one... As Rudger was thinking this, he spoke: “So how long do you plan to follow me?” At Rudger’s words, the group following behind revealed themselves from behind the bookshelves. Limrei, Roina, Sempas. The three looked quite embarrassed, as if they thought they wouldn’t be caught. “Have you all found the books you were looking for?” “Well, about that...” Roina hesitated to answer, and Sempas kept his mouth shut. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, Limrei spoke first. “Ah come on, boy. You know everything already, why ask?” “What exactly do I know?” “From the start, all the books in this mansion are written in ancient language. How do you expect us to read and interpret all that?” “You can’t?” Rudger asked. The question wasn’t meant to mock them. It was a genuine doubt – with two 6th-circle magicians present, why couldn’t they do it? “...” “...” Limrei and Roina were speechless. Though Rudger had no intention of belittling them, to think he would ask that seriously. “...I’m curious. How exactly do you think we should interpret ancient language?” “Isn’t Sage Limrei a Lexer class? And you even have the title of Sage.” “Does being a Sage mean you have to know everything?” “Isn’t that title given because you know a lot?” Limrei, whose lips had been twitching, burst out in anger. “Then why don’t YOU become a Sage!” “Why are you getting angry?” Rudger asked with an expression of genuine incomprehension. Seeing that expression made Limrei even more frustrated, but this time they couldn’t express their irritation. After all, Rudger held absolute authority in this situation. The reason they approached Rudger in the first place was partly because he was interesting, but mainly because he could interpret ancient language. Other proud magicians might have dismissed such rumors about Rudger but Limrei, with his years of experience, knew the rumors weren’t baseless. “So you all followed me because you wanted to ask for my help in interpreting the materials you found?” Limrei nodded reluctantly, and Sempas also nodded silently, seeming embarrassed. Only Roina fidgeted with her fingers shyly. “Well, that’s an understandable reason, but unfortunately I don’t have time to spare either. I also have materials to find, and for that I need to search this entire library.” “You don’t need to worry about that.” Limrei answered as if they’d been waiting for this. “I know how to find them.” “You’re saying that, Limrei?” “What’s with that tone? Am I that untrustworthy?” Limrei asked with blazing eyes. Usually, when a Lexer-class magician like Limrei shows anger like this, other magicians immediately become cautious and lower their tails but Rudger was different. “Yes.” “What?!” “You came to me for help because you couldn’t do it alone, so how can I trust you?” “...” The logic was so sound that Limrei had nothing to say. Even Roina and Sempas found themselves nodding unconsciously. “A-hem. So I’m saying we should help each other, like a trade.” “You said you know how to find books, but how do you know what books I’m looking for? That’s quite suspicious too.” “Hey! What other reason would magicians like us come here for! Isn’t it all to find books containing knowledge about magic!” “That’s true.” “If that’s what you’re after, I can find it with my magic!” “Magic, you say?” For the first time, Rudger’s eyes lit up at Limrei’s words. The others had the same reaction. Limrei frowned since they still seemed distrustful. “Tch. I’ll show you directly.” Saying this, Limrei held his stone staff horizontally and raised magical power. Closing his eyes and concentrating, Limrei eventually raised the staff vertically and lightly tapped the floor. Simultaneously, white threads of magical power spread out from the stone staff in all directions. Like a hedgehog curling up and raising its spines, countless magical threads connected with the surrounding books. Then the magical threads connected to the books began to change. -Thud. Thud. Some magical threads broke weakly and dispersed in the air, while others remained. No, they didn’t just remain – their color changed. Red and blue. Red and blue signals lit up above the books in view. “What is this?” “Book sorting.” Opening his closed eyes, Limrei answered while rotating his stiff shoulders. “Book sorting?” “It’s similar to detection magic. I modified and developed it separately. As the name suggests, it works on books to analyze specific words written inside and finds the books I want.” I see. So that’s why the magical threads connected to the books. At the same time, Rudger became very interested in Limrei’s magic. Like his [Source Code] magic, Limrei’s [Book Sorting] reminded him somewhat of programming. For instance, like a search function that could find specific words among countless letters. ‘So detection magic could be used like that too.’ Of course, unlike detection magic that spreads waves across a wide area space itself, this required direct contact with objects. But it was very useful in situations where you needed to find something among so many books. “I focused on the ancient words for [Magic] and [Mystery]. Even if we can’t interpret all sentences, we can remember specific words.” “So the lights indicate which books contain those two words?” “The ones where the threads broke aren’t worth looking at. Conversely, red indicates books that contain the words but with few occurrences. Among them, the ones we should pay most attention to are the books glowing blue. How about it? Do you feel a bit more respectful now?” Thinking they had finally shown an impressive side, Limrei asked proudly. Rudger opened the nearest blue-glowing book, quickly scanned the contents with his eyes, and answered. “Well, not bad.” “What? Not bad? You dishonest fellow! Why don’t you just admit you’re impressed!” “Even so, there are still many books to examine.” Thanks to the book sorting magic, the number of books to examine was narrowed down from 100 to about 10 but this library contained at least tens of thousands of books. Even reducing it to one-tenth still left thousands of books to examine. “That can’t be helped. Do you know how difficult it was just to narrow it down this much?” “Hmm. I see.” Recalling the magic Limrei had just shown, Rudger said: “Then we should narrow it down further.” “What? Who?” Rudger stared at Limrei and answered. “I’ll do it.”

Chapter 377

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