Chapter 64

[Ooh, you naughty Andert!]

[How dare you reject Her Highness the Princess! You lucky dog!]

The people gathered around pushed me, saying how could they be so heartless.

In the old pub filled with the wounded, some were crying, some were laughing. It was a chaotic mess.

But that very chaos was how we endured the war.

We couldn't move forward by being sad alone; we had to look at what we still had.

And eventually... the war would come to an end.

It was when Natasha, who was rarely drunk, was being cherished by all the soldiers gathered in the pub, playing small pranks.

[Andert, the owner wants to take a photo.]

I massaged my throbbing right arm and gazed blankly out the window. The moon was up.

"All of a sudden? It's not like we're leaving a record of a drunkard."

[They say it's for the newspaper. To boost morale, they want you to fix that messy hair, tsk.]

"If I appear in the newspaper like this, I won't be able to show my face anywhere."

I was practically dragged to the bar.

Natasha, who had been talking about marriage, stood beside me with a bright smile at that moment.

[This city seems nice. The people are good, and it's good that you've come back...]

"When you're drunk, everything looks good."

[You heartless Andert. This heartless guy. When the war is over, let's come back here together. For sure. Can we? Can we...]

Raphael, who had arrived at some point, stood opposite me and downed a drink in one go.

[Reinforcements have arrived, Andert. Take the photo and come out right away.]

"Alright."

Ah, thank goodness. I thought I'd have to live as a one-armed swordsman.

The pub owner and the soldiers, after some discussion, decided to take the photos in groups of eight.

With a drink in one hand. The photos would reek of alcohol.

[Mr. Andert! You should hold the glass higher, I think?]

I raised my hand higher to meet the owner's request.

[Don't raise it.]

I was told to raise it higher, but Raphael stopped me.

I turned my head reflexively. A large hand, scarred and rough, was holding my left arm.

[Don't raise it, Andert. Don't reach out any further.]

Just to take a photo. His red eyes were so fierce that my spine tingled.

I wanted to ask why, what was the problem, but no words came out.

Not just my voice.

My ears closed, my vision darkened. The pub and the people melted away. All my senses were submerged.

In the flickering world, only Raphael's voice echoed slowly.

[Absolutely. Don't reach out.]

When I opened my eyes again.

The first thing I saw was my left hand reaching out to a dirty bookshelf.

A green, old book was sticking out, just a finger's length from my middle finger.

If I had reached out a little more, I would have easily touched it.

"Absolutely. Don't reach out."

I recalled Raphael's warning and slowly stepped back.

My muddled mind cleared instantly. My narrow field of vision expanded, and I recognized the space I was standing in.

'This is the royal archive of Westwintree.'

And I was probably...

"I was caught in a mental magic trap."

Ah, that's why the memories came flooding back.

I took a deep breath and looked around.

Unlike before, it wasn't completely dark. I could see furniture like desks and chairs scattered around.

'I must have walked here while caught in the trap.'

The structure of the trap I was caught in was unique.

It seemed to have no relation to pressure plates or exits, but rather to pull up certain past memories to make the target indulge in nostalgia.

A target lost in nostalgia would naturally lose control of their body and be drawn in the direction the trap was leading, eventually pressing the green book.

And at the moment of pressing.

The trap would activate, and they would die instantly.

"...The smell of blood."

Sure enough, there was a large, unrecognizable mess of remains and stains spread out in front of the bookshelf.

It seemed to be a method of squishing the bodies like dough and periodically clearing them away.

'This trap must have been modified for defense by Mephisto's army.'

Indeed, fitting for an archive guarded by the Sword Saint.

At first glance, it didn't seem impressive, but it was a trap that could catch you off guard.

Just a few steps while lost in nostalgia, and death awaited.

It was perfect for dealing with intruders exhausted from overcoming difficulties.

But the Raphael in my memory didn't want me to rot in this dark, eerie archive.

That was just the kind of person Raphael was.

'Thanks, Raphael.'

And Natasha too.

"Indeed, the answer is perseverance."

Perseverance can overcome even mental traps.

After that, I walked along the wall, recalling the blueprint.

Inside the iron bars, enchanted with detection magic, were various items, so varied that they didn't feel like treasures at all.

From a wooden chair where a nobleman had died in his sleep (I don't know why it's a treasure) to a garden chair that the founding emperor's favorite concubine used to enjoy (same here).

"This is an ancient nail clipper used in the Holy War..."

What a great item, indeed.

Passing by the obscure treasures, I came across a famous one that made me gasp.

"The Lelaria Gauge."

So it was here.

The Lelaria Gauge is a magical device that can measure a target's combat power.

It's said to be quite accurate, and since this is the only one left, it's treated as a treasure.

Should I steal it?

'...Let's hold off.'

What would I do with a combat power measurement? I'm not obsessed with training like a monk.

"..."

I used Lu's trap disabler to neutralize the detection magic on the iron bars.

Then, I bent the sturdy bars and entered to steal the gauge.

I couldn't help it.

'It would be fun, after all.'

Now, I had one use left on the trap disabler.

To avoid the temptation to steal more, I casually checked the remaining treasures.

'There are quite a few items from the Roque Church.'

Finally, I arrived at a small, neat iron cage.

My destination, where the item I was looking for was supposed to be.

"Hmm?"

Dian Ket's diary!

It should be here, but why is there nothing?

I pressed my face against the iron bars and searched thoroughly. Indeed, there was nothing.

'It's definitely this spot.'

There's no way only Dian Ket's diary would have a transparency spell on it.

"Sure enough, the Sword Saint got to it first."

If that's the case, there's no need to look around anymore.

I didn't hesitate for long.

Without checking the remaining iron cages, I immediately descended the cliff.

According to the blueprint, the vault had four floors, but I never went up to the upper levels.

'Such a place is dangerous to stay in for too long.'

While checking the iron cages, I noticed that the locations of the treasures recorded on the blueprint were slightly different.

Perhaps the treasures' positions changed every time an intruder entered. The map itself was a trap.

'The diary might be on the second floor... but the higher I go, the more dangerous it will get.'

Vaults are usually designed to lure intruders deeper and crush them more thoroughly.

I moved in the direction of the exit marked on the map and planned my next move. In fact, there wasn't much of a plan.

'For now, it's better to hand Dian Ket's diary over to the Sword Saint.'

And then I'll steal it back from the Sword Saint.

Although I found an alternative, ultimately, this plan was a failure.

After 10 minutes of moving through the gaps behind pillars where the light didn't reach,

and 20 minutes of squeezing through narrow crevices in the rocks,

Shhhhh.

I finally heard the sound of a waterfall.

I stepped into the waterfall, illuminated by the faint morning sunlight, and moved towards the waterfall that looked like a melted star.

Beyond the curtain of water, a quiet willow forest would appear.

At that moment.

Swish.

A sword blade shot out, slicing through the waterfall.

The blade, lying horizontally, stopped just between my left ear and jaw.

If my reaction had been a bit slower, it would have pierced my lower jaw and embedded itself in the rock.

'The number is...'

Shhhhh.

The sound of the waterfall masked any movement. More importantly, the opponent was no ordinary fighter.

I instinctively touched my right ear. I felt Lu's magical device.

At that moment.

"Ugh."

A black hand reached out from beyond the waterfall and grabbed my face.

The strong grip pulled my face, and cold river water poured over my head.

The Milky Way pouring over the curtain of water filled my vision.

In the middle of it, a large man stood.