Chapter 6

So, that night, I decided to head to the underground of the castle.

I felt a little pain in my heart for betraying Alberto, who believed in me, but this is more important than that. It's a forbidden book.

I want to take a good look at it, touch it, and observe what kind of magical circuits are woven into it.

If I just go in, take a quick look, and come back, there shouldn't be any problems. ...Probably.

In the middle of the night, I woke up, got out of bed, changed into comfortable clothes, and went out into the hallway.

"Ah, I need to hide myself so I don't get caught."

As I muttered and focused, a vortex of air enveloped my body.

--Wind magic, 'The Hermit.'

This magic uses air lenses created by the flow of wind to bend light and make one invisible.

It can be detected by a skilled user due to the unnatural movement of the air, but it should work well enough against the castle's soldiers.

Incidentally, the original 'The Hermit' would be dispelled if the caster moved, but I've modified mine to follow me if I move slowly.

That said, if I move too fast, I might leave a residual image, but at a walking pace, there's no problem.

I passed by a few soldiers on the way, but they didn't seem to notice me.

The journey went smoothly, and I easily reached the stairs leading to the underground.

There was no guard at the entrance, so I went down the stairs.

As I descended the old spiral staircase, I felt a prickling sensation on my skin.

--This is the barrier, huh.

It's more noticeable as I get closer.

Moreover, this barrier seems to be designed to prevent it from being broken from the inside rather than to prevent intrusion from the outside.

It seems there's definitely something dangerous inside.

When I reached the bottom of the stairs, I found myself surrounded by stone walls, with a small door in front of me.

This must be the center of the barrier. I feel a strong resistance when I try to touch it.

First, I need to dispel the barrier.

However, I can't just break it by force. I can't leave any traces of my intrusion.

The best approach would be to control the barrier and gain permission to pass through.

"Before that, I should probably set up a barrier just in case."

If I set up another barrier from the outside, I'll be safe even if something happens inside.

As I focused, a bubble-like magical force spread out from me.

--Water magic, 'Heavenly Water Canopy.'

It's not just a simple barrier; it's specialized in dampening shock and sound, so even if a massive explosion occurs inside, it won't be noticed outside.

After that, I slowly examined the structure of the barrier.

...Hmm, I see. It's a very strong barrier, but it seems that those with royal blood or those granted permission can relatively easily gain passage.

By rewriting the control system of the barrier... there, now I can pass through without any issues.

All that's left is to unlock the door physically.

--Using earth magic, 'Stone Form,' I created a key, inserted it, and turned it, and the door opened easily.

When I opened the door, an unusual atmosphere wafted out from the room.

A torrent of magical power of various colors, sounds, and scents... This is incredible.

There are magic books for wide-area destruction, life refinement, and spatial transfer.

Wow, this is a treasure trove.

But what particularly caught my attention was the presence emanating from the back.

To put it simply, it's a sweet, fragrant scent mixed with something ominous, as if it's beckoning me.

This is probably the forbidden book Alberto mentioned.

What should I do... While I was thinking, my feet had already moved toward the back of the room, drawn by the presence of the forbidden book.

Oh, this is a control-type magic. It has a strong compulsion.

It seems to incorporate a spell that restricts the target's movements by making them smell something.

It's likely used by the demon.

If someone who doesn't know any better enters this room, they'll be drawn to break the seal on the forbidden book.

It makes sense why such a strong barrier is in place.

Of course, I won't fall for it.

The countermeasure against control-type magic is simple. Even if my body is controlled, I can overwrite it and dispel the effect by staying calm.

So, I cast a control-type magic on myself, and my body became free.

With my body free, I stepped deeper into the back of the library.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, are you crazy? You, of all people?"

A heavy, resonant voice echoed.

Looking at the back of the room, there was a mist-like presence on a pitch-black book.

It had a human-like shape, and its red eyes glowed brightly as it stared at me.

"Despite escaping my control, you still come here without running away. You must be either incredibly brave or just plain stupid... Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. I am the demon Grimoire. Nice to meet you."

The black mist—Grimoire—smiled cheerfully at me.

"Wow, I'm surprised. Aren't you sealed in the book?"

"Hehehe... After a long time, the seal has started to weaken. That's why I can partially come out."

Indeed, the book Grimoire was sitting on was in tatters.

The seal woven into the book was worn out and could lose its effect at any moment.

"Hey, kid, what's your name?"

"Lloyd."

"Hmm, Lloyd, I will break the seal in a few years and fully revive. Then I will destroy this country. Since I was sealed by the mages of this country, I have the right to do so. ...But Lloyd, if you listen to me now, I might spare your life."

Saying this, Grimoire twisted his lips and pointed to the book with his finger.

"Will you destroy the seal on this thing for me?"