Ch.376376 – Library Expedition Team 3

<376 – Library Expedition Team 3>

The members of the <Organization That Plays with Oknodie> felt a sense of regret as they followed Dorothy’s guidance.

“Oh, there’s a shortcut over there.”

“There’s even a signpost?”

“The sign says that way leads to 5-person detention rooms instead of 10-person ones.”

“Are we really supposed to go all the way around like this?”

“Why take the harder path when there’s a clearly marked sign?”

The complaints of students who didn’t yet trust Dorothy’s abilities!

Even Sing, who rarely showed his face normally but specially joined this expedition, harbored doubts beneath his indifferent expression.

“There’s a reason for everything!”

As everyone’s complaints grew louder, Oknodie quickly stepped in to defuse the situation.

“Anyone who wants to reach the library would naturally prefer an easy shortcut, right?”

“Yeah, well said, little mouse. So why can’t we use that easy path?”

“Oh come on. It’s because we’re not the only ones trying to benefit from that easy path.”

Son Ocheon, who had been grumbling, flinched in surprise.

“What? Don’t tell me we’ll run into seniors if we go that way?”

“We’d encounter seniors who are more desperate and have done more research than us! The shorter and more convenient the path, the higher the difficulty of obtaining information and the fiercer the competition!”

“Then if there’s a single-person detention room somewhere…”

Oknodie smiled brightly and said:

“An extremely, incredibly, tremendously dangerous senior would be there!”

The students’ complaints immediately disappeared.

* * *

Hector’s Divine Group continued their library expedition in an extremely uncomfortable atmosphere.

The cause was a male student who leisurely walked at the front of the group, matching pace with everyone.

“Um, senior, when will you be heading back?”

“Don’t misunderstand. We just happen to be going the same way.”

“Would you perhaps like to go ahead?”

“How could I leave when I’m worried about my juniors? Consider this good fortune and think positively.”

“If you insist…”

The third-year senior Tetrapos was pretending to be benevolent on the surface.

At first, everyone was completely fooled by his words.

While checking the path at the front with Yuie, Tetrapos casually dropped some information that made everyone perk up their ears.

“If detention rooms are the first gateway to the library, then the second gateway is solving mana puzzles. Naturally, the main roads have larger puzzles, while the shortcuts have smaller ones.”

“Oh! Senior, do you happen to know the path with the smallest puzzle? The information I gathered only mentioned up to 25×25.”

That’s still a ton of pieces though?

Despite the students’ shocked expressions, Tetrapos maintained a solemn face and said:

“Bow down in worship. Before you stands a senior who knows a shortcut with a 2×2 puzzle.”

“Wow!”

“Isn’t that amazing?”

“That’s a puzzle you can solve just by placing the pieces!”

“No matter how good Oknodie’s gang is at solving puzzles, they’ll never be able to match this speed!”

“Hurray for Senior Tetrapos!”

“Three cheers for Senior Tetrapos!”

The morale of Hector’s Divine Group soared to its peak.

“Senior Tetrapos! Would you allow me to solve this puzzle for you?”

“Haha. Please, by all means, solve it for me.”

The students were half-joking, half-serious in their admiration for Tetrapos, to the point where some even volunteered.

Click.

Whoosh.

“Huh?”

“Why is that guy’s body fading… HURKK!?”

Until they directly experienced the fact that whoever solved the 2×2 puzzle would be teleported somewhere.

“Wait, where did Backs disappear to?”

“It’s teleportation. He wasn’t voluntarily disappearing—he was kidnapped!”

“Senior, what’s going on here!?”

Tetrapos revealed his gleaming teeth with a refreshing smile.

“It’s a teleportation trap. The puzzle is designed to send whoever completes it to a designated location.”

“You let him solve such a dangerous puzzle without warning? Backs even seemed to admire you!”

“Isn’t that what makes it so touching? He voluntarily stepped forward to solve a puzzle that teleports him to a professor’s research lab, all for my sake.”

“Good heavens!”

“Oh my goodness!”

“A professor’s research lab!?”

“If we were third-years, the quickest to notice would have formed a secret conspiracy to restrain someone and force them to solve the puzzle. Hahaha.”

The morale of Hector’s Divine Group plummeted from its previous high to rock bottom.

They’d heard that third-years were dangerous, but to this extent!

“Come now. Let’s honor the noble sacrifice of Mr. Backs and proceed to the third gateway. Would you like me to tell you about the next path too?”

“No. You can just stay quiet, senior.”

Yuie refused with a serious expression.

* * *

The members of the Organization That Plays with Oknodie clapped their hands in genuine delight.

“Woooow, amazing! The puzzle was solved in one go!”

“How can a 1000×1000 piece puzzle be solved in just 3 seconds!?”

“Oh. The little mouse is quite something, isn’t she?”

Among the admiring students, Irene, who had been following the group as silently as Sing, couldn’t contain her curiosity any longer and asked:

“What kind of magic trick did you use?”

“It’s not a magic trick, it’s magic!”

Oknodie answered proudly.

“What kind of magic?”

“Memorize! Magic that manifests memories into form!”

Arcadia, who had been observing the picture, suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“This image engraved on the puzzle is ‘Portrait of the Smiling Countess Mercedes,’ one of the top 100 world masterpieces! Don’t tell me you reconstructed the original by combining the colors and atmosphere from just seeing parts of the puzzle pieces!?”

“…That’s right! I figured it out at a glance because I’m a genius!”

“That doesn’t seem to be the case. Was there a hint somewhere that revealed the existence of this masterpiece? Hmm, judging by the trembling of your eyes, there must be something engraved on that stone tablet over there.”

As they say, a dog that spends three years in a Confucian school can recite poetry—Arcadia, who had been taking care of Oknodie for over three months, immediately grasped the true nature of Oknodie’s magic.

━━━

You are snow falling in midsummer

You are a barren snow mountain in the dead of winter

You are one who searched for mystery in miracles

Here I offer a feast.

In honor of the follower of mysteries…

━━━

Pointing to the inscription on the stone tablet, Arcadia displayed her scholarship.

“The House of Mercedes was a venerable magical family known for their technology and magic that transcended time. They were an ancient family from before the Common Era, before the rise of noble families named after foods that are prevalent today.”

“Are you saying these ghost-like cryptic words are indicators pointing to Mercedes?”

“That’s right. Rozini, Sandcooker. As magicians, haven’t you heard of the name Mercedes?”

The two who had been secretly bickering in the corner quickly separated, avoiding everyone’s gaze.

“I’m so jealous.”

“They’re flirting again.”

“Just get married already.”

As jeers poured in from all directions saying it was already too late, Rozini’s face turned as red as her magic tower and she closed her mouth. Sandcooker quickly stepped forward in her place.

“Ahem. The House of Mercedes is essential when discussing ancient magical families. I’ve heard that the head of the Mercedes family lived so long that one might suspect they were the incarnation of a dragon. However, there’s one controversy about that famous painting.”

“The education level at magic towers these days is impressive. I can’t believe you even know about that controversy.”

“All of the Mercedes family’s children were adopted based on talent, and the family head never had a single biological child, nor did they ever take a wife or even a concubine. Therefore, the very existence of a Countess Mercedes is an incomprehensible mystery.”

Son Ocheon urged them on with an indifferent face.

“Why does it matter whether someone who died more than a thousand years ago had a wife or not? I’m more concerned about missing classes while we spend days looking for this library.”

“Of course it matters. Originally, that masterpiece was ‘Portrait of the Smiling Count Mercedes.’ This is the hidden image revealed when a renowned magician researched the original portrait and uncovered its true nature. The magic tower rarely discloses the true nature of the painting even to disciples, believing it contains clues to mysteries.”

Recognizing the existence of this painting and its true nature, which only high-ranking grand mages pursue in search of hidden mysteries, would be difficult without considerable scholarship and power.

While Arcadia, as a princess of the prestigious Ceviche ducal family, might have such knowledge, it was surprising that Oknodie, only 11 years old, would possess such insight.

“Could it be that the Foundation has a copy of this portrait with its veil lifted?”

“…That’s right! Papa showed it to me!”

As always, Oknodie used her papa as an excuse, and the students nodded in understanding, believing that with the wealth and power of the Wiheomhae Foundation, it was possible.

However, only Arcadia sensed something strange and tilted her head.

‘How odd. The trembling in Oknodie’s eyes and her awkward gaze are reactions when lying. Why is she trying to hide the truth?’

If not from the Foundation, where else could she have seen such a painting?

And why was Oknodie trying to hide that fact?

Son Ocheon, who couldn’t care less about paintings and magic, abruptly cut through Arcadia’s growing suspicions.

“So are we going to the library or not?”

“Hurry up! The next gateway is tough, so we need to prepare thoroughly!”

At Dorothy’s urging, everyone’s attention shifted away from the ‘Portrait of the Smiling Countess Mercedes.’

“What kind of gateway is coming up that you’re making such a fuss?”

“A forest!”

Everyone except Oknodie’s expression turned bizarre.

“Why is there a forest inside a building?”

“Why does this crazy library have such ridiculous paths?”

“What kind of forest is it?”

Dorothy, who was peeking beyond the passage on her tiptoes, cheerfully exclaimed:

“A maze forest that you can never escape from on your own if you don’t know the way!”