Ch.306306. Then that means they could be dead!?

“This is the only basement in the Belcatri mansion.”

I nodded at Wilfred’s explanation.

“Are you sure there are no other basements?”

“Yes, there are none.”

“What was this place originally used for?”

“I’ve only heard that Baron Everdin Belcatri used it as a training ground when he was young.”

A firmly closed, rusted iron door.

Even as I tried to recall the novel, this seemed to be the right place.

“Wilfred, you’ve done well. Go upstairs and wait there.”

“Understood.”

Only after confirming that Wilfred had gone upstairs did I raise my voice toward Olivia, who was standing there blankly.

“Olivia.”

“Huh?”

“See those chains and lock on the iron door? Breathe some fire on them.”

“…Breath?”

“In return, I’ll buy you plenty of clothes and food when we reach Lake territory.”

“Got it!”

Olivia nodded and opened her mouth wide toward the iron door.

ROAAAAR-!

In an instant, the firmly closed chains melted away.

As expected of a dragon’s breath.

In the original story, Madeline Belcatri spent a whole day learning fire magic to open this door.

And that was after consuming several expensive magic potions.

Of course, if I used fire magic, it wouldn’t take a whole day, but why bother?

Not when I have a dragon who can use such concentrated fire magic?

CLANK-!

The chains fell mercilessly to the floor, melting as they dropped.

I raised my hand triumphantly.

“That’s enough.”

“You’ll buy me clothes and food just for doing this much, right?”

“…Yes, now could you please go upstairs and wait with Wilfred?”

“But I want to come in with you.”

“If you go upstairs and behave, there are many beautiful jewels in Lake territory that I’ll buy for you too.”

“Should I go up now?”

Olivia strode up the stairs.

Taking a short deep breath, I opened the firmly closed iron door.

CREEEAK-!

When I opened the door, unlike the rusty, crude exterior, the inside revealed a completely different scene.

It was surprisingly well-maintained, with smoothly polished stones on the walls.

The dustless floor suggested that this place had been secretly used for a long time.

‘Of course. This was once where Everdin Belcatri trained his daughter Madeline, and also where he abused her.’

Moreover.

This place later transformed into Everdin Belcatri’s secret chamber, so Wilfred, who hadn’t been with the family long, wouldn’t have known about it.

Of course, I knew this place all too well.

I slowly moved forward.

Then, stacks of books came into view.

‘It’s among these books, isn’t it?’

Once again recalling my memories, I slowly browsed through the books.

Why did Madeline enter this place even after her father Everdin had turned it into his secret chamber?

She instinctively knew.

That something incredibly valuable was hidden here.

“Wow…”

As I browsed through the books and went deeper inside, various jewels and gold coins came into view.

It wasn’t as much as I expected—perhaps a secret fund for the Belcatri family?

By the way.

I was worried the Imperial Knights might have come first, but fortunately they hadn’t.

Perhaps they were still focused on their investigation and hadn’t thoroughly searched the Belcatri mansion yet?

Tilting my head, I started browsing through the books again.

There were gold coins and jewels, but the real treasure was in a place even Everdin Belcatri didn’t know about.

‘Is it this book?’

Particularly heavy and old…

A book titled “Travels to the Eastern Continent.”

Written by the legendary mage Phillips, who lived in this territory long ago.

It was a novel he had written himself.

RUMBLE-!

As I pulled the book from the shelf, suddenly there was a sound of something twisting.

In that moment, the bookshelf gently shook and slid apart, revealing a rectangular niche with a book embedded in it.

SWISH-!

I barely managed to pull out the book with my fingertips and dusted off the dirt.

This was the magic book that Phillips had hidden when he lived here.

The hidden piece that Madeline obtained in the original story, allowing her to become an extraordinary mage.

“Phew…”

To be honest, I hadn’t particularly planned to get this.

Wasn’t I strong enough without this magic book?

However, after coincidentally meeting Madeline, the existence of this book resurfaced in my mind.

Additionally, because of Lucien’s rampage, I had another reason to become stronger, which is why I came to obtain the magic book.

Just then, a system window message appeared before my eyes.

Will you acquire ‘Ancient Magic Book’? Yes or No

Without hesitation, I pressed the Yes button with my fingertip.

And then.

“AAAAARGH!”

A dark blue light flowed through my hand and into my body, freezing me.

Then, with the pain of my body being torn to shreds, my skin tore and bones twisted.

Blood flowed from my nose, mouth, and eyes, and there was a disgusting sensation as if bugs were crawling inside my body.

“COUGH-! URRRGH-!”

As my vision narrowed and I was about to lose consciousness,

the system window appeared before me once again.

━Ancient Magic Book acquisition complete!

┗Magic +30

┗Endurance +10

┗Wisdom +30

*

“…Are you okay?”

I opened my eyes with difficulty at the sobbing voice.

There I saw Olivia pressing down on my body with her head, along with Wilfred.

“Olivia, I’m fine, so could you move aside a bit?”

“Ah, okay!”

Half-raising my body from the bed, I turned my gaze to Wilfred.

“…Where am I?”

“In a bedroom at the Belcatri mansion. I heard a scream and went downstairs to find you collapsed. I immediately cleaned the room and moved you here.”

I smiled gently as I looked around the surprisingly clean interior.

“You must have had a hard time in such a short period. How long was I unconscious?”

“A full day, sir.”

Feeling uncomfortable, I touched my body.

Bandages were wrapped around my forehead, and it seemed there was still sharp pain remaining.

“Who treated me?”

At that, Olivia raised her hand high.

“I, I treated you!”

“You know healing magic too?”

“No! I learned a lot about herbs from my father! You should be able to run around again soon!”

She saved my life…?

That means I could have died!?

Giving up on trying to make sense of the confusing situation, I gently leaned back against the bed.

“Thank you. I might have really died without you.”

“I’ve almost finished brewing the medicine, and once you drink it, you’ll really be fine.”

People are truly unpredictable.

To think I owed my life to Olivia, whom I had just asked for a breath of fire…

If I had brought Jawill Wilson, who knows nothing about herbs, the thought alone is terrifying.

By the way.

Despite the lingering pain, an indescribable power flowed through my body.

Olivia seemed to notice it too, tilting her head.

“But why are you stronger even though you’re injured?”

“…Huh?”

“Do humans normally get stronger when they’re hurt?”

I had an ominous feeling that if I said yes, Olivia would immediately start abusing her body to become stronger.

I put on an urgent expression.

“That’s not it. The strength I’ve been training for all this time has finally seeped into my body.”

“Really…? Can I get stronger than I am now if I train too?”

Should I enroll her in the academy and fix her personality first?

Seeing that she can handle herbs, she might be a good talent with just a little mental adjustment, better than taking bride lessons.

Not to mention her combat abilities.

Of course, Robert, who wants his daughter to marry, would never allow it.

“But to become stronger, you need to train your mental strength first.”

“Mental strength?”

“You need to reduce your violent temperament. No matter how strong you become, if you fight hastily, you’ll make frequent mistakes.”

“I haven’t made many mistakes in combat so far.”

“You’ve made plenty of mistakes in front of me.”

“T-that’s…”

“You might not have noticed your mistakes when sparring with someone weaker than you. But what if your opponent is a strong person like me?”

“Okay. I’ll try to train my mental strength first…”

Olivia hung her head dejectedly and left the room.

Wilfred, who had been standing behind, stepped forward and carefully spoke.

“…I haven’t reported your injury to the Imperial side yet.”

“Good job. If we had mentioned it, Emperor Mallius would have worried.”

“…Pardon? Emperor Mallius?”

Wilfred blinked in confusion when I mentioned Emperor Mallius.

Ignoring his reaction, I continued.

“After I drink the medicine Olivia brewed, I plan to leave for Lake territory right away. Could you prepare a carriage?”

“The carriage is already prepared. I’ve also found a coachman.”

“You’ve worked hard. You stay here and wait for the Imperial investigation to finish. I’ll send a letter to the Imperial court when I return to Lake territory.”

“Thank you. If I come to Lake territory, I will serve Lady Madeline with all my heart.”

“…We can discuss your devoted service once you actually come to Lake territory.”

“Understood.”

Just then, Olivia re-entered the room.

Judging by the plate she was carrying, she seemed to have brought the medicinal decoction.

“Drink this.”

An ominous smell wafted up to my nose.

The color was dazzlingly vibrant with all sorts of hues.

Is this an assassination attempt?

If she can’t have me, is she trying to ruin me?

After being lost in thought for a while, I slowly turned my gaze to Olivia.

“…Just so you know, I’m immune to all poisons.”