Chapter 98

Futile Effort (3)

After escaping the dungeon, I looked up at the gloomy sky.

Achel and Tyongi, who were standing nearby, noticed I had come out and approached me.

"Let's go."

"Yes."

I missed the secret and only got entangled in troublesome matters.

This time, it really was a complete waste of effort.

I climbed onto Tyongi with Achel and thought about our next destination.

Rapid, the largest metropolis in the eastern part of Saintea.

The prestigious talent cultivation institution of Saintea, 'Elphon Academy,' located in that city.

The next secret to find was hidden in the public library of that Elphon Academy.

So far, the secrets I had searched for were mostly in remote natural settings, but there were rare exceptions.

In a way, it could be considered the most ambiguous location among the secrets I had found so far.

***

Whoosh!

I descended into the forest, looking at the giant city that was starting to come into view.

Tyongi planned to leave it in the forest near the city and enter Rapid.

We had to get in and out quietly without drawing attention, so we couldn't bring the wyvern into the city and attract attention.

"I'll be back soon, so wait here. Try to avoid people, and if you do encounter anyone, don't attack."

Grrr.

The creature flapped its wings as if whining but nodded.

In the middle of this forest, it was unlikely to encounter anyone, so nothing would happen.

With that, Achel and I left Tyongi in the forest and headed to the city on foot.

'Hmm.'

We passed through the city gate without any problems and entered the city.

I walked down the main street, looking around.

As the largest city in the eastern part of Saintea, the streets were bustling with many pedestrians.

Among them, some particularly stood out, wearing similar uniforms.

"Ah, Professor Hermil. It's been a while since you've gone out. Did you take a vacation?"

"Vacation? Professor Teiji has started a new experiment, so I'm on my way to the shop to get the necessary materials."

The man, with tired eyes, conversed with a woman he met on the way.

I passed by, overhearing their conversation, and looked at the large building half-visible beyond the buildings in the center of the city.

It had a form different from a castle or palace, resembling a school.

'Elphon Academy.'

That was the academy located in this city.

Like in any fantasy setting, the academy was an institution that educated students, similar to a real-world school.

The difference was that the subjects taught were swordsmanship and magic, among others, since this was a fantasy world.

In the setting of Lasa, the academy was the only institution in Saintea and didn't play a significant role in the main story of the game.

Apart from minor side quests, there weren't many episodes related to Elphon Academy.

Regardless, my goal was to find the secret hidden in the public library of this academy.

'I need to check it out first.'

I decided to find a suitable inn and wait until nightfall.

While waiting for night to fall, I recalled the rough internal structure of the academy.

As the night grew darker, I went out alone and moved to the vicinity of the academy, avoiding being seen.

I arrived at the western wall of the academy.

The public library was located on the western outskirts of the academy.

There were several libraries within the academy, but the public library was open to anyone associated with the academy without any special conditions.

This lack of strict security was a good thing for me, as I had to sneak in.

If the secret had been hidden deeper within the academy, I would have given up and not even tried to obtain it.

It would be difficult to infiltrate deeper areas, and if I were discovered, things could get complicated.

'This level of risk is manageable.'

The academy was surrounded by high walls, making it impossible to see the internal layout from the outside.

I looked at the tall wall, like a castle wall, and heightened my senses to the maximum.

I could sense a few presences moving around the wall near my current position, patrolling the outskirts.

Judging by the weak magical energy, they were likely guards.

After confirming their positions, I performed a spatial leap to the air above.

In the dark night, it was unlikely that I would be seen unless I was extremely unlucky.

Floating high in the sky, I used a stasis field to stabilize myself and scanned the interior of the academy.

The vast grounds, equivalent to several football fields, were centered around a large main building, with numerous other buildings spread out.

I easily found the public library building on the western side.

There were almost no people moving around inside the academy, and no one was near the public library.

'...'

I had planned to just check it out if it didn't seem right, but... is this a good opportunity?

I returned to the ground, checked the surroundings again, and teleported to the top of the wall. I lowered my posture and looked down.

Approaching the public library didn't seem difficult.

The grounds were vast, and with my heightened senses and spatial leap, I could move freely.

I boldly entered the academy, moving between buildings while avoiding the presences.

Infiltrating the academy, it didn't feel strange anymore, but I thought I had tried everything.

I moved to the vicinity of the public library, hid behind the building, and observed it.

The public library was a two-story building with windows only on the first floor.

'Librarian?'

Through the closed glass windows, I could see a man sitting near the entrance, likely the librarian.

There were no other presences inside the library.

Now... what should I do?

I just needed to sneak into the library, find the secret, and get out.

The librarian was dozing off, so I could probably slip in through the front door without being noticed.

However, it was better to be cautious, so I decided to enter through the window.

A spatial leap couldn't be performed through a closed window, so I had to open it.

I checked the surroundings again and approached the library window, which was out of the librarian's line of sight.

When I tried to slide the window, it wasn't locked.

I slowly opened the window without making a sound and immediately teleported inside.

'Done.'

I successfully entered the library.

I confirmed that the librarian was still dozing off, closed the window, and headed to the second floor without any obstacles.

The secret was hidden in the bookshelves on the second floor, specifically in the section with historical books.

The second floor was much smaller than the first, and I remembered the location of the bookshelf, so I found it quickly.

Surrounded by dusty books, I clenched and unclenched my hands.

'This is the right bookshelf... but...'

I found it, but there was one last problem.

The symbol of the secret was on the wall behind this bookshelf.

In other words, I had to move the bookshelf to reveal the wall. But...

'...How am I supposed to move this alone?'

The bookshelf wasn't extremely large but wasn't small either. It was taller than me and about twice the width of my outstretched arms.

I could probably pull it away from the wall, but that would create noise.

I had to move it slightly inward, which meant I couldn't drag it on the floor.

I tried to gauge the weight by grabbing the bookshelf and applying force, but it didn't budge.

There was no other way.

I started carefully removing the books from the bookshelf and stacking them on the floor.

I could probably lift an empty bookshelf a bit. I really tried everything.

It took quite a while to remove all the books from the bookshelf.

Finally, I managed to lift the bookshelf.

I carefully lifted one side of the bookshelf and moved it away from the wall, then looked into the gap.

I hoped to find the symbol of the secret on this wall, but...

"..."

There was nothing.

Just a layer of dust.

I scanned the gap again, but nothing changed.

I frowned.

'...What?'

Why is it not here?

I double-checked the surrounding bookshelves, but this was definitely the right location.

I crossed my arms and thought.

Could someone have discovered the secret before me?

If someone else had found it, they would have moved the bookshelf to check the wall, but even if my actions caused some butterfly effect, it was hard to believe someone had done this before me in the library.

'...Or maybe the timing is off?'

Perhaps the secret hadn't been created yet.

If it was created between now and the future game play, it wouldn't be here yet.

I couldn't know for sure.

But one thing was clear: I had wasted my effort again.

Two failures in a row... I couldn't help but laugh.

'Really, my luck is terrible.'

Did I use up all my luck finding the secret in Caldric?

I succeeded in finding all the secrets in Caldric, but failed in Saintea.

I felt a bit disheartened, but it couldn't be helped.

I sighed and looked into the gap of the bookshelf one more time before turning around.

If I got another chance, I would come back and check.

I left the books on the floor and headed for the stairs to the first floor.

I was about to leave through the window when...

"..."

I quickly retreated from the stairs and hid behind a nearby bookshelf.

The stairs to the first floor were directly opposite the front door, and someone had just entered.

【Lv. 46】

'...A student?'

The person who entered the library was dressed in what looked like an academy student's uniform.

She had blonde hair, golden eyes, and a strangely noble aura.

The dozing librarian woke up, looked at her, checked the time, and spoke cautiously.

"It's almost time to close the library..."

She nodded and replied politely.

"Please, just a little longer. I'll leave before 10 PM."

"...Alright. Here's a spare key. Please return it tomorrow."

The librarian confirmed that all the windows on the first floor were closed and left.

The woman approached a bookshelf and started browsing the books.

I hid between the bookshelves on the second floor and watched her, frowning.

'What now, really...?'

I was standing near the stairs, so it was awkward to sneak down.

I decided to wait, as she planned to leave before 10 PM.

Rustle. Rustle.

In the quiet silence, only the sound of pages turning echoed in the library.

While waiting for her to leave, I stayed quiet.

"Hey, you rat on the second floor."

I was startled by her sudden voice.

She slowly closed her book and looked up at the second floor.

"Since you've been caught, come out. Are you an assassin sent to harm me?"