Chapter: 9
“Wow.”
As expected of a ducal house.
Even if it had once nearly fallen into ruin, a ducal family was still a ducal family.
After passing through a small hall inside the annex, a library soon came into view. Books rose majestically toward the ceiling, greeting Linette like towering walls.
She stepped inside, unable to hide her admiration.
The archival library of the Holy Kingdom had been much the same. It filled her with a sense of nostalgia.
“Libraries have a feeling all their own.”
No matter how well preservation magic was applied, it could never erase that distinctive scent of books.
“I liked that about them.”
Linette murmured softly as she walked between the shelves.
The Holy Kingdom’s archives had been passed down for a thousand years. Because of that, even preservation magic couldn’t completely suppress the smell of aged pages.
That was why the place had become her only sanctuary.
A place her mother and younger sister would never set foot in.
Thanks to that, she’d been able to rest there peacefully with Gregorian.
Ah—come to think of it.
“Gregorian!”
Only then did Linette remember the gray mouse and look around.
…Of course he wasn’t there.
“I should ask a mage to make me a location-tracking artifact. That way I’ll know right away where Gregorian is.”
After all, he’d been with her since childhood. She had to make sure he didn’t come to any harm.
“Well then, let’s look for the materials first.”
Linette scanned the shelves. As expected, everything was meticulously organized.
By category, then alphabetically—easy for anyone to navigate.
She strolled between the shelves, skimming titles.
The Founding History of the Empire
—I’ve already read this.
Legends of the Continent, and On Magical Beasts and Monsters
—Oh, this is a different edition. I’ll take this.
Temple Cuisine Delicious Even Without Meat
…Why is this here?
The Goddess’s Legends That Grew Alongside the Empire
—Already read.
There were many old and valuable books.
But that was all.
“Ordinary.”
Nothing particularly stood out. There were plenty of rare volumes, but none of the materials she was actually looking for.
It was just a normal library with old books—nothing more, nothing less.
“Why? There’s no way it should be this ordinary.”
According to the Holy Kingdom’s records she’d read, the House of Chrissian possessed many secret documents tied to ancient legends.
Because they had gathered every scrap of information possible for subjugating magical beasts, the volume of records had grown immense.
That was why she’d assumed materials about the Saintess and the Star of Fortune would be here.
“If anything, the Holy Kingdom’s records are more detailed.”
Swallowing her disappointment, Linette organized what she already knew.
“The ones who helped Saintess Ygraine were three.”
The Star Witch.
A mercenary.
And a dragon.
Of the three, Linette focused on the one classified as the “mercenary.”
Records of the Star Witch virtually vanished at some point, and the dragon never appeared in human affairs again after the battle with the demon—making both impossible to trace.
That left only one.
The mercenary who aided the Saintess.
The nameless mercenary who stayed by Ygraine’s side until the Holy Kingdom was founded.
As a token of gratitude, the Saintess gave him a special gift—and afterward, like the Star Witch and the dragon, the mercenary vanished from the Holy Kingdom’s history.
“But the Empire’s official history records what came after.”
In the Empire’s founding chronicle, there appears a mercenary who aided the first emperor.
At first, even Linette hadn’t connected the two as the same person.
—
“Linette, there’s a family in the Empire that uses a star as their crest—just like us.”
Her father’s words from her childhood.
And then—
The star engraved on the back of the rosary her father left behind.
The star on the rosary, symbol of the Holy Kingdom’s holy knights who served the Goddess.
And the star within the shield on the crest of House Chrissian.
The shock of realizing those two might be the same…
If it hadn’t been for the rosary—her father’s only keepsake—Linette would never have noticed.
The mercenary wandered, crossed into the Empire, and by chance helped the emperor—who hadn’t yet been emperor—play a decisive role in founding the Empire of Dioren.
As reward, he was granted the title of duke, rising from a mere mercenary to the founder of a ducal house.
That house was House Chrissian.
The gift the Saintess gave him before parting was probably the Star of Fortune.
Considering everything together, Linette believed the Star of Fortune—lost from the Holy Kingdom—was now in the possession of House Chrissian.
And even if not, there should at least be records related to it here.
“There’s a problem if there isn’t.”
With a sigh, Linette stepped out from between the shelves.
Then—
“Huh?”
She instinctively looked around.
She’d heard something…
“A ghost? Or—don’t tell me the duke’s here?”
Honestly, Duke Derbel Chrissian was scarier than a ghost.
Frowning, Linette walked toward the source of the sound.
“Is someone there?”
But there was no one besides her.
Just as she stepped out from the shelves—
“……!”
Something black slammed into her at full speed.
Linette staggered but quickly regained her balance.
“What in the— Françoise? And Gregorian?”
Staring in shock, she looked at the two animals that had crashed into her.
The one trotting toward her with its mouth moving was a baby pig.
Clinging desperately to it, refusing to let go, was a gray mouse.
“How did you two end up together?”
“Kyuu.”
[This was absolutely not intentional. Our destinations simply happened to be the same.]
“Oh, I see. You brought Françoise to me so she wouldn’t get lost. Good job. I’m so proud of you, Gregorian.”
[No, that’s not—]
The mouse puffed up at the praise, his face faintly reddening.
[Do not think I’ll forgive you just because you say that. You abandoned me earlier!]
Well… it wasn’t exactly abandonment. You fell off.
But now wasn’t the time to argue with a sulking mouse. Smiling brightly, Linette crouched down and met his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Gregorian. I didn’t forget you. I was just overwhelmed.”
[This is all because of that pig! I told you to ignore it!]
“How could I ignore it?”
She’d been hearing such strange sounds.
“And you saw those strange animals too—how they kept staring at me.”
[That’s true…]
Gregorian reluctantly agreed.
“And this little one’s helping me too. Not as much as Sir Gregorian, of course.”
[What?]
Smiling, Linette lifted the baby pig into her arms. Cradled against her, Françoise cried proudly, “Kyuu!”
“I actually came here to find Françoise.”
[Ah!]
Quick-witted as ever, Gregorian immediately understood.
“So she helped me plenty.”
As Linette slightly bowed her head, the gray mouse scurried up her dress and settled on her shoulder.
Confirming he was secure, Linette began to walk away.
“But how did you get out? Emma should’ve been watching carefully.”
“Kyuu.”
The pig tilted its head, black eyes gleaming—clearly not understanding her words.
Linette sighed softly.
“Well, since you’re out already, it can’t be helped. Thanks to you, I didn’t technically lie.”
She patted Françoise and turned to leave.
—or she would have.
If not for that unsettling sensation gripping her chest.
[…? Princess, what’s wrong?]
Sensing her sudden stop, Gregorian asked.
“…Ah. It’s nothing—”
She tried to answer, but bit her lip unconsciously.
Her heart was racing wildly. Her stomach churned.
Like something terrible was about to happen.
Like someone was watching her with murderous intent.
That was when she heard it.
“What is that sound?”
The library looked no different than before.
[Princess, just now—]
The sound came again.
Louder. Heavier. As if something enormous were striking the walls.
Linette looked around.
The library was completely swallowed by darkness.
Perhaps because she hadn’t lit a lamp to avoid light leaking out, the darkness felt even deeper—
“Gregorian.”
[Y-yes, Princess.]
Even Gregorian’s voice trembled now.
“What time is it?”
[Ah, the sun hasn’t fully set beyond the western mountains yet.]
“Then the library shouldn’t be this dark, should it?”
[That’s right. Unless something enormous blocked every window—]
Following his words, she turned her gaze toward the window.
Linette sucked in a sharp breath.
Pitch-black darkness.
A window admitting not a single ray of light.
And within it, burning like the only source of illumination—
A pair of blazing red eyes.
“……!”
A magical beast.
