Ch. 292
“The reason you’re showing me this… surely, it’s not what I think it is, right?”
“Care to take a look? The Royal Palace library isn’t that deep inside—it’s right here, next to the castle wall, so it’s quite easy to get into. It’s far from the palace where the royal family resides, so there are few guards. As you can see, it’s one of the easiest places to infiltrate.”
“Wow. You’re right, it looks doable… wait, no! You old woman!”
I said I wanted to see the next volume, and now she was pushing me to infiltrate the Royal Palace.
“As the owner of this shop, I am merely presenting what my customer desires most. If you only want to read it, isn’t breaking in yourself the only way?”
“Ugh…”
“It wouldn’t be impossible if you knew the map of this Royal Palace, the library’s interior layout, and the times when the guards aren’t present. Buying these three pieces of information is also the cheapest method, so I recommend it to you. You look like you have the skills to infiltrate the Royal Palace. What do you say? Will you buy the map?”
‘It had been such a peaceful day.’
I’d sunbathed in the afternoon, and even though I got lost in the evening, I stumbled upon an interesting sundry shop.
I’d only stopped by to take a look, so why was I now seriously considering breaking into the Royal Palace?
The worst part was that it seemed doable.
‘This is what happens when you’re too capable. If it were impossible, I wouldn’t be agonizing over it at all.’
“The only thing that bothers me is that you’d need a technician to pick the lock of the secret safe where the original text is hidden…”
“Safecracking? That’s no problem. I have an expert… Ahem.”
[My name is Rai! Specialty: safecracking! Hobby: getting into trouble with Master!]
[Be quiet.]
‘Alright. Let’s think this through.’
Option 1: Give up on the next volume.
I could pretend I never saw the Spirit of Illusion. I lived just fine without it before, and I’d probably live just fine in the future… but it was already stuck in my head.
Option 2: Infiltrate the Royal Palace library, secretly read it, copy the Spirit Formation, and bolt.
It was better than outright theft, but if I got caught even once, I was screwed.
Option 3: Power is a wonderful thing. Reveal my identity and formally request access from the Heidrike Royal Palace.
Wouldn’t they grant a request from Geenie Crowell, famous as a symbol of sacrifice?
lBut the fact they’d locked it in a secret safe meant Heidrike knew the book’s importance as well as I did.
I was a Spirit Mage from another country, and this was a nation of Spirit Mages. There was no reason for them to help me grow stronger—they’d be more likely to keep me in check.
Besides, if they asked how I even knew the book existed, that would be a problem.
‘I happened to see an illegal, hand-copied version. Could you lend me the next volume?’
Even I could tell that was a doomed scenario.
In the end, I concluded that Option 1 was the safest. The fact it was the only one with zero chance of getting me screwed made that obvious.
“What will you do? Will you buy the map?”
The old woman smiled slyly, as if she had no interest in my inner turmoil.
“Granny, there’s something I want to make sure of.”
“What is it?”
“How can you guarantee this map is real? And how can I trust that you won’t report me, not even by the slightest chance? If you can answer that, then I’ll pay whatever you ask.”
“Truly… it seems a customer I like has come for the first time in a long while. I don’t dislike a gutsy young lady. Let me introduce myself formally.”
It happened in an instant. A glint of metal flashed before my eyes.
As Rai moved in front of me and I took a step back, sensing the presence, a medium sword slammed down into the tabletop.
The old woman’s fingertips, which drove the blade in while carefully avoiding the map, were anything but senile. And the bird-and-rat crest engraved on the sword made it clear who she belonged to.
“Welcome to the Information Guild Helikke headquarters. I am the branch manager of this city.”
Damn it. She could’ve just said it—what was with pulling out a sword?
A curse nearly flew out of my mouth, but stopping Rai came first.
That hot-tempered creature was growling, ready to pounce at any moment.
“Grrr—!”
Rai bared his teeth and snarled, his face fiercer than ever.
When he did that, a grating sound like metal scraping mixed in.
He was trying to imitate a predator’s cry, but since he was made of metal, it could never sound quite right.
[Rai. Wait.]
[Hah! Damn it! Hah! Why! We have to kill her! That thing!]
[Even I don’t kill people just because they startled me. Especially not someone I need.]
[Grrr! Showing her emblem like that is a clear sign she wants to be killed!]
Showing me a sword was probably meant to assert dominance by demonstrating the gap in power. It could also be goodwill—a way of saying she could’ve attacked at any time, but didn’t.
In reality, I hadn’t even realized she was hiding a sword under her clothes.
And it wasn’t a dagger—it was a medium sword about two spans long.
‘As I thought, these types are a Spirit Mage’s worst enemy.’
My thoughts deepened because I was reminded of Rovenin.
‘Someone strong in close combat with fast hands wears me down. If I can’t get faster, I have no choice but to slow my opponent down… for instance, with something like the Spirit of Illusion. No matter how fast they are, it won’t matter if they’re seeing illusions.’
No matter how I thought about it, I needed that Spirit. It might be the closest answer.
“Hmm…”
“Is that your only reaction? When I reveal my identity, people usually fall flat on their backs.”
Which was more surprising—this, or the fact that I was Geenie Crowell?
With an indifferent face, I stared at the branch manager, whose age—old or not—was now unclear.
The Information Guild was a dangerous, shady group that bought and sold secrets—something ordinary people could live their entire lives without ever knowing existed.
There was probably no group more secretive than them. But to me, they were just a bunch of people who were sometimes convenient and sometimes annoying.
Because after I bought information, there were always guys who tailed me.
Anyone who tried to uncover my identity got the gift of death. The same went for anyone who threatened me.
“Seeing how calm you are, you must have had an idea of what this place was.”
“Because it looks suspicious no matter how you look at it. Roughly.”
“You’ve got a good eye. I thought you weren’t ordinary from the moment you walked in. You had such a powerful aura, it reminded me of my younger days.”
“More importantly, I’m debating whether to smash this place to bits as payback for you showing off your strength in front of me, or to let it slide…”
“What did you say?”
“Will you tell me your motive for revealing your identity by drawing a weapon? I need to hear it before I decide what to do.”
I was petty. Knowing I’d been threatened and just letting it go was out of the question.
It was only polite to repay them for souring my mood.
“Don’t misunderstand.”
“Grrr—!”
As the branch manager spoke and pulled the sword back out of the table, Rai reacted violently, fur bristling.
“The reason I proved it with a weapon is because this is the mark of a branch manager. There are not even twenty people on this continent who possess a sword with this crest. Only branch managers of a major city like Helikke can own one.”
“I’ve seen a few begging bowls with a bird and a rat on them.”
“Low-ranking guild members carry bowls.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Then you could have just shown it to me quietly, couldn’t you?”
“Grrr!”
[That’s right!]
“If I pulled out a hidden sword, wouldn’t you attack me, thinking I was about to attack you?”
“Grrrk.”
[That’s also right!]
Damn it, Rai—making so much noise and chattering in two different ways.
“If you’re convinced, would you mind moving that wolf back?”
“…No, he’s a dog.”
“Do you think someone who governs the secrets of an entire city can’t tell a dog from a wolf? I don’t know how you tamed a wild wolf… but he’s been eyeing my throat for a while now.”
[I’ll rip out your throat and spit it out! Then I’ll slurp down that pathetic sword of yours!]
With a light gesture, I made the agitated Rai back away and stepped up to the table again.
“No one has ever realized Rai was a wolf before.”
“Please don’t treat me like an ordinary person. To reach a position like this, one must know more than others. Knowledge is power—that is one of many truths.”
The branch manager laughed heartily and sheathed her sword, but it wasn’t a particularly trustworthy smile.
It was strange how she suddenly seemed larger, as if her posture had changed at some point.
Had she been hunching the whole time to look like an old woman?
“Our Information Guild sells the truth. We live and die by trust. No matter what happens, we would never leak a client’s information or report them. If we did, who would trust and use our services?”
“You can’t report me, more like it. Your very existence is illegal.”
Buying a Royal Palace map was a crime, but selling one was, too. And it didn’t look like she was selling only to me.
If it was this organized, it was a major crime.
“It’s nice that we’re on the same page. We often sell information far more serious than this, so put your needless worries aside.”
“What to do…”
“It’s a mood! If you buy the map and the royal guard shift schedule now, I’ll give you a one percent discount!”
“That’s so cheap!”
One percent. Not even ten.
She was definitely going to quote an astronomical price.
I was still displeased about her suddenly pulling out a sword, but there was no hostility, and the blade hadn’t been aimed at me in the first place, so I decided to let it slide for now.
Above all, I needed her help to get to the Spirit of Illusion.
“If you are a Spirit Mage who truly seeks power, this is a golden opportunity! I swear on the heavens! You have to buy this!”
“Hmph. I can’t commit a crime just to read a single book.”
“You… I didn’t take you for that kind of person. Are you saying you won’t buy it…?”
“So we’ll go for a perfect crime. Hand over the shift schedule.”
Good grief. Even for me, how could I break into the Royal Palace library?
I’m a symbol of sacrifice, for crying out loud. I can’t do something like that. If my parents found out, they’d beat the ground and weep.
Therefore, I would leave no evidence—as if I’d never broken in at all.