The Library of Records(3)

Read the afterword)

The view changes.

From the surface of the translucent barrier I was just looking at, to inside that barrier. The Library of Records hidden inside the barrier came into view.

Unlike the outside burning in chaos and uproar, the inside of the barrier was quiet as if it were a completely different space.

The Library of Records, which caught my eye first, was also flaunting its appearance, shining pure white without even a trace of soot, and not even a small scratch could be seen on its outer walls.

If there was one thing that felt out of place in this quietness, it was the smell of blood seeping into the ground and rising with a fishy odor.

It had consumed so much blood that a thick scent of blood, similar to what I had smelled on the Sky Island, wafted into my nose.

And as I slowly shifted my gaze towards the source where blood was still dripping, what I saw was:

“Welcome, into my barrier.”

It was Idea, standing with a wide smile and holding a staff.

That appearance of greeting with a bright smile didn’t seem much different from how she looked on the Sky Island last time, but the current Idea could be said to be worlds apart from then.

I don’t know about her inner self, but at least on the outside.

Just the fact that the playfulness had disappeared from her smile made me realize that Idea had changed from before.

‘Why so scary.’

A playful smile was originally Idea’s key point.

When thinking of Idea, what came to mind was a character whose charm was a playful smile like that of a psychopath, but when that playful smile completely disappeared, I felt chills without realizing it.

Mu beside me also seemed to feel that Idea was different from last time, though not to the extent I did, as she fidgeted with her hair.

But it didn’t seem like she was scared, as Mu looked at Idea with her usual expressionless face.

“Idea……”

“Were you waiting for us.”

Following Mu’s relaxed words, I spoke while putting my hand on my waist.

She pulled us out of the museum, caused that explosion, put up a barrier surrounding the library, and now she reacts like this as soon as she sees us inside.

Seeing that appearance that could only be described as having set bait and waited, when I asked that, Idea nodded once as if affirming.

Then.

“There’s no need for long talk, right?”

At that figure raising her staff after finishing just one sentence, I made a big jump to the side, and Mu used short-distance teleportation to move beside me.

Then, immediately after we avoided our spots, a huge sword of lightning struck down from the sky, or more precisely, from the barrier, right where Mu and I had just been.

Crash───!!!

The power was so strong that not only was the ground deeply gouged, but even after the sword disappeared, weak electric currents were still crackling and bouncing on the ground.

“That might be quite dangerous……”

In the game, I always killed Idea before she could set up a barrier so I didn’t know, but the power of a curse user displayed inside the barrier was beyond my expectations.

It wouldn’t kill if hit, but it looks painful enough to easily take away at least 10% of HP.

So, deciding that I should continue the battle by avoiding as much as possible, I asked Mu:

“Meiyel, how long would it take to use magic strong enough to break this barrier?”

For Idea, whose profession is curse user, this barrier is essential for exerting her true power.

I hadn’t raised a curse user so I didn’t know properly, but I had seen them a lot in PVP and dungeons, so there were some basic facts I knew.

One of them is that curse users’ combat power inside their barrier, which can be called their domain, is almost twice as high as outside.

If possible, I wanted to capture Idea like Morgan and Isolde, so breaking the barrier would be the fastest method for me.

So I asked Mu if she could break the barrier, but the answer that came back was negative.

“Impossible…… The barrier is solid so it would take at least 10 seconds… I don’t think she’ll give us that kind of time……”

“Then there’s no choice.”

I didn’t make the senseless statement that I would block all attacks during those 10 seconds. No matter how amazing Aria’s body is, that’s impossible.

They say I can block hundreds or thousands of attacks coming straight at me, but it’s impossible to block even hundreds of attacks rising around Mu, not me.

And if I were to break the barrier, it would take even longer than Mu, needing about 15 seconds of concentration time.

Of course, since Idea wouldn’t give us that kind of time, I cleanly gave up on breaking the barrier and drew two swords from my scabbards, while Mu also gripped her staff and drew up the magic power in her body.

If we can’t break the barrier, there’s only one option left.

“Then let’s knock her unconscious as quickly as possible.”

“Okay…!”

Just like we did on the Sky Island, forcibly knocking her unconscious and making her unable to fight.

Moreover, this time it wasn’t a one-on-one fight like last time, but Mu who answered boldly beside me was also here, so it shouldn’t even take a minute to subdue Idea.

“Hmm~ Hmmm~ Hmmmm~”

Woong── Kaang─── Kiiiing────!!!

I don’t know where she got the composure from, but as Idea hummed and lightly waved her staff, rocks, ice, and saw blades rained down like a downpour from the barrier.

Each attack was dangerous, brimming with magic power.

These attacks were completely opposite to the unflashy and simple combat style of curse users I had seen until now. Is this the combat skill of a curse user who has spread their barrier?

Indeed, as each attack was comparable to the lightning sword from earlier, I ran towards Idea with enhanced leg strength while not letting go of my vigilance.

“Meiyel!”

“I’m ready…!”

And Mu answered loudly to my voice shouting while running.

Glancing sideways, I saw that a large magic circle was already engraved on Mu’s staff as she moved, avoiding attacks with shields and short-distance teleportation magic.

The magic contained in the magic circle was handcuffs and shackles that temporarily seal magic power and demon energy.

Confirming that its preparation was complete, I unhesitatingly raised the back of my swords and charged at Idea.

“……!”

Seeing me approaching her, Idea’s hand gestures waving her staff also sped up, but no matter how many attacks rained down, they couldn’t match my speed.

Boom────

Using the attacks that were tearing up the ground with a roar as my footsteps, I reached right in front of Idea’s nose.

And just as I was about to swing my two swords.

“By the way…… Your students inside the library. Is it okay not to save them?”

I couldn’t swing them.

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh my, you really didn’t know? Kyahahahat!”

When I asked back while withdrawing my swords that had almost touched her cheek, Idea blinked and burst into laughter.

A laugh that was clearly treating me like an idiot. Seeing that, I felt rage rising, but separately from that, my head fell into confusion with doubt about Idea’s words.

At her confident laughter, I started to ponder whether Idea’s words were true or false.

But soon I folded my unnecessarily complicated thoughts. The idea that students were in the library didn’t make sense in the first place.

Clearly all the students were in the museum, so how could they have entered the library faster than us who arrived here by teleportation magic?

I was about to sneer at Idea’s words that could only be dismissed as nonsense no matter how I thought about it, but I had to freeze once again at Idea’s next words as she opened her mouth looking at me.

“You don’t think it’s a lie, do you? I’ve been guarding this place the whole time. Plus, Teardrop, ah, you might not understand this way? I mean, my subordinate who put up the isolation barrier in the museum, wouldn’t there even be forced teleportation magic in that child’s barrier?”

“……”

Is it a lie? Or is it the truth?

I tried to discern it by looking into Idea’s eyes, but I couldn’t discern it by looking at those eyes that had become as cloudy as they could be.

Therefore, the only way to determine the truth of Idea’s words was the clues I knew now.

In the game, Idea actually entered the library, so it’s probably not a lie that she can check inside the library. As for whether there’s forced teleportation magic in the isolation barrier, absolutely not.

Rather, how many times had I fallen victim to the forced teleportation magic in the isolation barrier? It wasn’t once or twice that I had been troubled by being separated from party members because of it in the game.

Therefore, what Idea said was probably true with high probability. And even if it wasn’t true, if the students were inside the library, I had to save them.

“……You did something despicable.”

“Sometimes there are opponents who fall for such despicable acts, you know.”

“Tch……”

At Idea’s mocking words, I put my swords back in their scabbards and grabbed Idea’s neck, slamming her to the ground.

“Kagh?!”

“Meiyel, cast the magic.”

I think it’s a bit violent, but it’s fine to this extent since she mocked me. It won’t even crack her bones at this level anyway.

After subduing Idea in the blink of an eye, I ordered Mu who was behind, and Mu approached my side and tapped Idea’s arm with the staff she had been preparing.

“『Seal』.”

Blue magical handcuffs and shackles bind Idea’s arms and legs.

With this, Idea’s magic power and demon energy were restricted. To check if the restriction really worked, Idea desperately wriggled her body, but no magic was activated.

Only after confirming that did I get up from my spot and approach the door that looked like the entrance to the library.

“Then I’ll go inside the library, so Meiyel, keep a close watch on Idea.”

“Okay…… She can’t use her powers since we restrained her anyway……”

“Right, then I’ll be back.”

Just in case, though it’s unlikely, I left Idea’s surveillance to Mu in preparation for Idea breaking free of her restraints and escaping.

Then all that’s left is to save the students who may or may not be inside the library.

I opened the door of the library and stepped inside, receiving Mu’s farewell.

If they’re really inside, I’ll make these guys taste hell later.

“You said we’re going to read a book?”

“Yes, I said we’re going to read a book.”

“What did you say the title was just now……”

“It’s ‘The Story of Swordswoman Aria’. Not a mistake or someone with the same name, but that Swordswoman Aria who is teaching you all.”

In a situation she couldn’t understand well, Arin clutched her head.

It was surprising enough that they had entered the Library of Records, which no one had ever entered before, due to Shati’s teleportation magic misfiring, but on top of that, they met a woman introducing herself as the librarian and now she says she’ll let them read a story from what seems to be that legendary book.

And not just any ordinary story, but the story of Professor Aria whom she knows well.

Of course, it wasn’t just one surprising and unbelievable thing happening, but they kept happening one after another like layers of mountains, so now even the dazed feeling was gone, but still holding her somehow aching head, Arin turned to the four standing beside her and whispered:

“What should we do…… Should we follow what that person calling herself the librarian says?”

“But the instructors must be waiting for us at the museum……”

“Um, but still……”

“Hm?”

When Arin asked about their next actions without being able to make up her mind, Kana showed a similar reaction.

However, right after that, Riana raised her hand slightly to speak, and everyone’s attention, including Arin’s, focused on her.

When the attention focused on her, Riana seemed to flinch for a moment, but soon cleared her throat and carefully offered her opinion.

“We’ve entered the Library of Records that no one has ever entered before, isn’t it a waste to just leave like this? Plus, the chance to read that book only passed down in history probably won’t come often……”

Of course, reading Professor Aria’s story might cause some problems later, but I think it wouldn’t be bad to read it.

Adding that, when Riana gave her opinion to read the book as the librarian said, Shati and Pina, who had been standing quietly, nodded vigorously with shining eyes.

“I agree with Riana too! This kind of opportunity will probably never come again!”

“Shati is right. We might never be able to enter this place again for the rest of our lives once we leave here.”

It was a library they had luckily entered due to a teleportation magic misfire in the first place.

The coordinates inside the library were completely unreadable, so it had to be considered impossible to intentionally teleport to the library after leaving, and there was no guarantee that such a lucky mistake would happen again in the future.

This was probably the first and last chance.

Arin was almost swayed by these sweet words from Shati and Pina, but when she thought of Isolde and Morgan who would be fighting the demons in the museum, she couldn’t easily make up her mind.

“But I’m still worried about the instructors…… Of course, worrying won’t help us do anything, but they told us to wait outside the museum……”

Although they probably couldn’t help in the fight against the demons, couldn’t they at least request help from the surroundings and call for reinforcements?

As Arin hesitated thinking like that, what ended her hesitation was the librarian who had been standing quietly pretending not to hear the five’s whispering.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Time flows differently inside the book and in reality. It’s summarized, but it’s still seeing a person’s entire life story, so if you saw it in real time, you’d quickly become an old person.”

“What does that mean?”

“Even if you read the entire story in the book and come out, probably not even a minute will have passed in real time.”

Even after reading the whole book, only a minute in real time.

The moment those words came out, the worries Arin had been having until just now became completely useless.

Arin was also very interested in the Library of Records and the book the librarian was holding.

If it’s not even a minute in real time, there’s no need to worry.

Kana, who had been worrying like Arin, seemed to have made a decision too, as her eyes sparkled looking at the book the librarian was holding, and the other three had made up their minds from the beginning, so Arin finished her deliberation and answered the librarian:

“Then I’ll read that book.”

“An excellent choice.”

At Arin’s answer, the librarian smiled contentedly and stroked the pages of the open book with her finger.

Flash──!

Then the letters on the page the librarian stroked began to shine brightly, illuminating the surroundings.

“Ugh…!”

“Ah, my eyes again……”

“It’s so bright……”

The pages of the book shining and emitting light like a light source.

At that light shining even more painfully than the pure white space of the library they had seen earlier, the five covered their eyes without anyone taking the lead.

However, the librarian looked straight at the brightly shining book and leisurely opened her mouth.

“As I said earlier, the story you will read is the story of Swordswoman Aria. I will now send you into the story, so please close your eyes and wait for a moment.”

“W-Wait a moment! I think you said it earlier too, but what exactly does it mean to enter the story?!”

The words “even after reading the whole story and coming out” that she had heard earlier.

Arin, who had been squinting her eyes closed at those incomprehensible words, barely opened her eyes and shouted at the blurry librarian she could see.

But unfortunately, the librarian only smiled gently at that question and turned the shining book towards Arin.

“You’ll have to go in and see for yourself.”

Don’t worry. I will definitely enter as well in the role of narrator.

The librarian’s voice was heard as if fading away, swallowed by the book’s light that even caused ringing in the ears.

With that voice as the last thing they heard, Arin and everyone’s consciousness sank into the book.

And when they opened their eyes again.

In a blue space like the deep sea, a very familiar-looking woman with light red hair appeared before their eyes.

A woman looking around the blue space suspiciously with a familiar face, familiar voice, familiar body.

If there was one thing slightly off, it would be:

<Father! What’s my name?! Aria? Is this my name?! I’m so happy, Father! I’ll work hard for you, Father!!!>

Perhaps it was that Aria, with a personality very different from their memories for some reason, was shouting towards the air with an extremely bright voice.