Ch.124Chapter 124 – The Forbidden Archives (1)

“Chancellor Behemdorf? Ah, you should have said so earlier. Haha. Please, sit wherever you’re comfortable.”

Only after realizing the visitor wasn’t from the Order of Light did Shin Jaehyuk awkwardly open the door. The Chancellor entered the room with a hearty laugh.

“You must be suffering from many visitors.”

“Well… Despite the palace filtering outsiders, nobles and clergy still visit in droves like peddlers. Ah, not that you’re a peddler, Chancellor.”

“Hoho… I’ll have a word with the Pope. Heroes who’ve fought fierce battles shouldn’t be disturbed while resting.”

The Chancellor’s voice was full of goodwill. After all, Kwak Taewoo was a hero who risked his life for the Empire, and Shin Jaehyuk was the one who ended this war. True heroes of humanity—S-rank hunters who proved themselves, unlike Adriano who boasted of being humanity’s strongest but disappeared without a trace after Hydra was summoned.

‘How shameless… All contracts with that disgraceful fellow must be terminated.’

While Chancellor Behemdorf inwardly cursed Adriano, Shin Jaehyuk and Kwak Taewoo’s expressions immediately brightened.

“So we won’t be bothered by clergy anymore? I love you…”

“But can the Chancellor really tell the Pope what to do?”

“Where do you think the church’s funding comes from? Who hired the Holy Knights as palace guards? The Pope’s position is less a spiritual leader of the Order and more like a religious minister of the Empire.”

“Come to think of it, you were the one who ordered the priests to heal Kwak Taewoo, weren’t you? Thank you for your kindness.”

“I should be the one thanking you. You sacrificed yourself to buy time to fix the magic cannon. How is your body now?”

“Fully recovered. And I can even do this now.”

Kwak Taewoo raised his sword vertically. A blue energy rippled along the blade. The Chancellor’s eyes widened involuntarily.

“Sword energy! To reach the level of Sword Master at your age…!”

“Hunters who can use sword energy are recognized as near S-rank, right? Great! I’ll be a meaningful force even when fighting the Four Heavenly Kings.”

He had been lucky. His mana control had dramatically improved while enduring the torrent from the mana road. Moreover, his internal mana circulation had accelerated, as if his constitution had changed. Due to this physical change, Kwak Taewoo’s sword energy had exceptional destructive power. If others wielded axes, he wielded a chainsaw. Kwak Taewoo was itching to test this new technique.

“If only those people outside would disappear so I could go to the training grounds… Tsk.”

“Hoho… Just be patient a little longer. I’ll take care of it today.”

With the Chancellor’s assurance, Kwak Taewoo stopped complaining. Instead, he changed the subject. Despite repelling the Demon King’s army, something still bothered him.

“By the way, do you know what happened to Duke August? Running away at the most critical moment. I wanted to crush him with my own hands.”

“Right, that bastard! I almost forgot. We witnessed the Duke committing murder, but it got overshadowed by the demon army’s invasion…”

Shin Jaehyuk carefully explained what had happened that day. The Chancellor nodded quietly.

“I see. Don’t worry. He’s currently imprisoned in the underground dungeon. He seemed to be plotting something suspicious… They’re probably interrogating him now to find out who else was involved.”

‘He was saying the Chancellor was oppressing the Emperor. Was that just a lie to escape immediate danger?’

The Chancellor that Shin Jaehyuk had met was a devout and courteous man. Since Jaehyuk prided himself on his accurate judgment of character, Duke August’s claims quickly faded from his concern.

“Anyway, thank you for everything. I came to check if you had any inconveniences, so I won’t bother you any longer.”

“Ah, before you go, I have a small request. Could I use the palace library?”

This was what Shin Jaehyuk had asked on his first meeting with the Chancellor. The Chancellor’s expression turned troubled.

“Oh dear… If I had known, I would have granted your request at our first meeting. Unfortunately, the palace library collapsed because of Deathworm. Many books were lost to fire as well. Restoration will take quite some time…”

Even the Chancellor himself seemed uncertain about the recovery period, trailing off. Shin Jaehyuk sighed in disappointment.

‘I need to research divine power…’

He had miraculously managed to summon the Spear of Light in the recent battle, but it had been too close. Not knowing what conditions were lacking, he had barely managed a lucky reversal after taking a beating from Hydra. If he could have drawn out the spear from the beginning, the battle wouldn’t have been so difficult.

He felt a strong need to discover the conditions for manifesting divine power and entering the avatar state.

Shin Jaehyuk suggested an alternative.

“Then I’d like access to the forbidden archive in the old papal territory instead. It houses as many ancient texts as the palace library, doesn’t it?”

“Oh? How did you know about that…?”

The forbidden archive. A place storing forbidden texts that even the Pope couldn’t freely access. If its location hadn’t changed since Longinus’s death, it would still be sealed in the old papal territory after Beelzebub’s papal massacre.

“The area around the old papal territory must be dangerous, occupied by demons… Ah, excuse me. I momentarily forgot who I was speaking to.”

A Holy Knight and Sword Master who had cleaved a great demon that no one else could defeat—a party that made worrying seem ridiculous. Chancellor Behemdorf readily granted permission.

“I’ll have someone deliver the key to the forbidden archive kept at the papal office. It might not be a bad idea to leave the city until public attention dies down.”

***

“Have you delivered the key to them?”

“Yes.”

The Chancellor’s personal attendant reported to Chancellor Behemdorf.

“They declined my offer to provide a guide, so I only gave them the map and key. They left immediately after receiving them. Having just departed, they should arrive before sunset at the latest.”

“With their combat abilities, they shouldn’t face any danger. Good work. You may go.”

Chancellor Behemdorf gestured dismissively while working on documents. However, despite being dismissed, the attendant hesitated awkwardly.

“What? Is there something else to report?”

“Yes…”

“What is it? Don’t keep me in suspense, speak plainly.”

The attendant closed his eyes tightly, as if bracing himself.

“D-Duke August, who was imprisoned in the torture chamber of the underground dungeon, has escaped after killing the guards.”

“What! How?”

Unexpected news. Chancellor Behemdorf shouted angrily before he could stop himself.

The underground dungeon wasn’t called a dungeon for nothing. True to fantasy dungeons, the cells were filled with mana suppression measures to contain superhuman criminals. Even a grand magician would find magic use impossible there.

“Th-there was a guard’s corpse at the scene with all bodily fluids drained. There was a wound on the carotid artery; it appears he was ambushed while delivering food.”

“Kuk, such fools… I repeatedly emphasized utmost caution when dealing with a Mein! Where is the Duke now? I’ll go myself!”

“I-I’m sorry. His whereabouts are currently unknown…”

“What!”

“I’m truly sorry! We have people searching for him…”

Ignoring the stammering attendant, the Chancellor deduced the situation. It seemed unlikely the Duke could escape and cover his tracks so cleanly alone. There must be accomplices—people whose positions wouldn’t arouse suspicion in the prison.

“Have the Holy Knights check the guards for any Mein. And we need to move up the schedule. Hurry with identifying the Emperor’s faction. We must quickly determine who’s loyal and who isn’t.”

Without knowing who was friend or foe, he couldn’t freely move his troops. If any traitors remained, they would go into hiding. Yet acting openly would provoke strong resistance from nobles unaware of the situation. The military should be mobilized just once—after identifying all the Emperor’s limbs, eliminating them all at once before they could resist.

‘Should I request help from those two?’

Chancellor Behemdorf thought of the two foreigners who would be outside the city by now. It was an attractive option. Their combat power would be a great help against the Emperor’s faction. After careful consideration, he shook his head.

‘No. I can’t involve outsiders in imperial family matters. Especially not for something so shameful and secretive. If things go wrong, I alone should bear the disgrace.’

***

The path to the old papal territory was not smooth. As if to prove Kwak Taewoo’s claim that 70% of the world had once been covered by demons, groups of demons lined every route.

These were wild demons that had settled in Eden’s ecosystem after crossing the Hell Gate. Not being drafted into the Demon King’s army, they were neither intelligent nor powerful, so they weren’t dangerous. Just annoying due to their numbers.

A bluish sword energy split a rabbit demon’s upper and lower body. Though the wound should have spilled entrails, no blood flowed. The sword energy had cauterized the wound as it cut.

“With that level of proficiency, you could definitely beat Skyscraper, if not other S-ranks. Compared to the Sword Demon, your cutting power is higher but your swordsmanship is lacking.”

Shin Jaehyuk honestly assessed Kwak Taewoo’s position. He could defeat Skyscraper, but the rest would be difficult. The other S-ranks each possessed something special that couldn’t be overcome with mere swordplay.

But conversely, this meant Kwak Taewoo’s skills had improved enough to be comparable to S-rank. Considering that the number of S-ranks had remained unchanged from the original seven, this was a remarkable achievement.

It was an impressive accomplishment, but the person himself seemed far from satisfied.

“The power is better than expected, but the mana efficiency is terrible. Is it because of my strangely altered constitution?”

Perhaps due to raising his internal mana circulation to match the mana road’s speed in an extreme state, the mana flowing through Kwak Taewoo’s energy channels was ten times that of other awakened ones. As a result, he had developed a peculiar constitution with powerful effects but extreme mana consumption.

“Mana premature ejaculation.”

“…”

“Don’t be too disheartened. It’s a problem that will naturally resolve as you level up and increase your mana. If you’re in a hurry, you can get an artifact that increases mana recovery.”

“…Let’s drop this subject. How much further to the old papal territory?”

Shin Jaehyuk checked the map. It was filled with terrain familiar to him.

“We’re almost there. From here on, I know the area, so we don’t even need the map. Follow me!”

Shin Jaehyuk confidently led the way. After pushing through plants and trees that had grown abundantly by absorbing demonic energy, a massive wall appeared before them.

“We’ve arrived. The now-ruined old papal territory.”

“So this is your past life’s homeland…”

Once revered as sacred for its powerful blessings and magic, the glorious walls couldn’t escape the passage of time. Having been abandoned for so long, the walls were stained with moss and dust, with many collapsed sections.

The two squeezed through the rotted, tattered gates to enter the papal grounds.

Marble buildings filled their vision. Familiar buildings.

“The chapel, the Holy Knight training center, that’s the priest dormitory, and beyond is the assembly hall… It’s just as it was in the old days.”

Visiting his past life’s homeland in his current body gave him a unique feeling. Shin Jaehyuk’s gaze lingered on each building, recalling memories.

Being here in person, he remembered the structure and facilities of the papal territory clearly. The forbidden archive would be deep inside, past the grand chapel, in a hidden underground area. Next to Iscariot’s laboratory.

“But it’s been too long since I’ve been here…”

Shin Jaehyuk’s eyes grew cold as he carefully examined the landscape from his memories.

Swish, swish. A sound like leaves rustling in the wind filled the air. It was strange—there wasn’t a single tree or blade of grass in the ruined garden.

Kwak Taewoo soon discovered the source of the sound. Demons occupying the ruins had detected the presence of life and were crawling out. Perhaps from Beelzebub’s domain, they all resembled insects.

As the demons moved, their thin antennae rubbed against each other, creating sounds like rustling leaves. Demons that had multiplied over four hundred years covered the marble, their small sounds combining into a bustling noise. It felt like standing in the middle of an autumn garden.

Shin Jaehyuk’s lips twisted glumly.

“Looks like some cleaning is needed.”

Light began to rise in the space of memories that had been neglected for four hundred years.