CHAPTER 125…………………………………………
Silph’s reconnaissance of the temple led to this conclusion:
- “This is going to be tough.”
“That’s it?” I asked.
- “The guards are on duty all day. The only time they leave is between 1:00 and 1:10 a.m.”
“And the entrance?”
- “As you know, only someone with holy power can open it.”
“Can magic bypass it?”
- “I tried blowing wind in, but it scattered as soon as it entered the library. Holy power seems to block magic.”
“Could we dig underground?”
- “Magic won’t work, so even digging inside would be hard. And if you got in, the guards would catch you.”
“I heard there’s a window. Did you check it?”
- “It’s very small, and the bars are close together. A human couldn’t pass through, but we could.”
“Could a book fit?”
- “As long as it’s not too big… yes, I think so.”
“Could we break the glass without the guards noticing?”
- “Hmm, that would be difficult. The area isn’t wide enough to mask the sound of breaking glass.”
“Right… then what if we formally request access to the temple? I need to see the prophecy, so we ask them to open the library.”
- “It’s where they keep forbidden books. Even you’d be denied.”
- “Even if you get in, it’s a problem. How would you deal with the guards while taking a book?”
- “Exactly. If it’s discovered later that the book disappeared, you’d be humiliated. Right, Gnome?”
- (nod)
I agreed—it didn’t seem likely to succeed.
- “Should I flood the underground? Magic doesn’t work inside, but it would outside.”
- “So you want to lure the guards outside. But how do we open the door?”
- “Ah… there’s the door. Eh, that won’t work either.”
While we were struggling to devise a plan, Salamander raised a short hand.
- “I have a great idea!”
“Really? What is it?”
- “Set fire to the underground!”
“…Fire?”
- “If there’s a fire, everyone will panic and move the books to safety! They’ll leave the door open! We sneak in and grab the book—done! Isn’t that brilliant?”
We stared at Salamander. He blinked, as if realizing he’d been a little too enthusiastic.
- “What’s with that look of disapproval?”
“That’s literally a crime! What if someone gets hurt?”
- “The water idiot will watch and make sure no one gets hurt! And stealing the book is also a crime, you know?”
“…We’re not stealing, we’re borrowing it. Just for a short while, then we’ll return it.”
- “Sounds the same to me.”
“No! Anyway, we can’t put others in danger for our benefit. We need to find a way to get the book without harming the temple.”
- “Tch! You’re picky.”
We couldn’t go in our true forms.
Approaching the library would be too difficult, and if the book disappeared, we’d immediately be blamed.
We couldn’t ask the spirits for help either—the library doors couldn’t be opened, and magic wouldn’t work inside.
“The only way is the window. We get in while the guard is away, break the glass, find the book, and escape without using magic.”
- “In ten minutes?”
“Yes, ten minutes.”
- “Whoa… that’s insane.”
“When’s the full moon?”
- “Three days from now.”
“Then we do it in three days. I’ll assign each of you tasks. Gather around.”
We spent the night planning.
Finally, the Raven Cycle began.
I gazed at the full moon and exhaled slowly.
My heart raced wildly, and my vision blurred.
Soon, my body collapsed, covered entirely in sleek black feathers.
Once the dizzying vertigo passed, everything was as clear as daylight—the darkened capital and the glowing temple alike.
“Let’s go, everyone!”
“Caw! Caw!”
As a crow, I took to the night sky with the spirits.
After about twenty minutes, we arrived at the temple.
Following Silph, we went to the back of the main building, where a window about 30 cm square was visible.
Since the library was underground, the window was close to the ground.
The bars were tight but wide enough for the spirits to pass.
Looking inside, we saw a small desk in the center of the library and a cleric standing guard.
We huddled by the window, waiting for the cleric to leave.
Time dragged, and finally, the cleric closed the book he was reading and stood up.
“He’s leaving!”
I nodded, and the spirits sprang into action.
[Everyone, we only have ten minutes! I’ll start first.]
Undine created a barrier using water energy she had gathered beforehand, mainly to block noise.
[Phew, it won’t last long since it’s not made with magic. Silph, your turn.]
[Got it, Undine.]
Silph called a gust of wind and sharpened its edge.
But the “blade” was tiny, needle-thin, because magic wouldn’t move inside.
Silph pressed the wind blade to the window.
Scritch, scritch, scritch…
[…When will this be done?]
[Is it even cutting?]
The glass was too thick, and Silph’s weapon too weak.
About a centimeter per minute, if that.
‘I didn’t realize the glass was this thick… this is bad.’
Half the ten minutes had passed, and only a tiny crack had formed.
‘I don’t think we can finish in ten minutes. Better to try again tomorrow.’
At that moment, Gnome tapped Silph’s shoulder.
[Gnome… what? Move?]
Silph stepped back, confused, as Gnome walked behind, looking like a general.
He picked up a stone, tossed it a few times, then hurled it at the window.
[Whoa! Gnome! That won’t break this thick glass…]
Thunk!
The sound was loud—and so was the effect.
The stone hit precisely where Silph had been cutting, and a spiderweb-like crack spread.
I carefully tapped the collision point with my beak.
Crack, tinkle-tinkle…
We watched the shards fall.
[…Gnome, one more time?]
[(nod)]
Gnome picked another stone, weighing it carefully. His brown face was serious.
He breathed steadily and threw it with perfect precision.
Thunk!
The crack spread even more.
When I tapped the glass with my beak at the weakest point…
Crash!
It shattered! The interior was fully visible.
Impatient, I pushed my head through the bars…
‘Ugh…!’
It went in, but I couldn’t pass.
Why does a crow’s belly get so big? I was slim as a human.
[Oh! Rian!]
[Ah, it’s stuck at the belly. We’ll pull you through.]
[Argh, seriously… don’t struggle! Gnome, you go get it. Gold cover, hurry!]
[(nod)]
While Undine, Silph, and Salamander helped me, Gnome entered the library.
Floating in midair, he inspected the bookshelves, then spotted one.
Straining, he lifted a large book over his head.
The title was hidden, but the cover was unmistakably gold.
[That’s it!]
[Looks right!]
[Bring it quickly!]
We nodded excitedly. Gnome extended his arms like whips to wrap the book.
It floated upward, slow like a beetle, probably because it was too heavy.
Then…
[Huh? Wait, what’s that sound?]
[…Footsteps!]
A faint, rhythmic sound reached my ears—it was growing louder. Ten minutes had passed.
[What do we do?]
[I’ll help Gnome. Undine and Salamander, pull Rian out.]
[Quick! If we’re caught, we’re done!]
Silph flew in, holding the book’s edge to assist Gnome, slightly speeding him up.
Undine and Salamander pulled me as hard as they could.
Just as Gnome reached the window, the library doors opened.
He and Silph hadn’t escaped yet.
“This is strange… I thought I heard something…”
The cleric raised a lantern, shining light slowly across the shelves toward the window.
I inhaled sharply from tension, and miraculously, my body slipped through the bars.
Tangled with Salamander and Undine, we tumbled backward—but Gnome and Silph narrowly escaped outside.
“Gah! The library window’s broken! The library window’s broken!”
Lights began turning on throughout the temple. Clerics in pajamas ran out, but it didn’t matter.
We were already escaping—with the gold-covered book safely on top of our heads.
