NOVEL NEXT Chapter 60
Chapter 61
A dark blade suddenly slipped between the pages of the book. Just a light nudge with a finger could split the book in half. Yeon-woo spoke up.
“Hey, you wouldn’t want to get split in two like this, right? Stop those guys.”
Relin’s Archive trembled violently. Yeon-woo was trying hard to suppress a grin that almost escaped as he clung to the bookshelf with one arm.
Meanwhile, Shar, who was always perched on Yeon-woo’s shoulder, grabbed onto Relin’s Archive as it attempted to wriggle free. This eliminated the possibility of escaping through a spatial shift, as such shifts become unstable when in contact with something.
“I’m going to go down, so hold onto that dude tight, Shar.”
“Do we need to be wary of the other books?”
“Nope, just hold onto Relin’s Archive. Books value their own lives too.”
As soon as Shar gripped Relin’s Archive, the books that were aiming spells at them started wobbling and returning to their shelves, just like before the regression.
The difference was that last time he got lucky to catch it, but this time, he caught it through skill.
“I feel a bit of pride in this place again.”
“Hehe, that’s a relief!”
That was kind of a vague nuance, though.
He thought that Shar might still harbor some guilt about forcing him to regress. There was really no need for that. It might be good to discuss that when they returned to the dormitory.
Anyway, while Shar was holding onto Relin’s Archive, Yeon-woo managed to hop down between the shelves.
Once he landed, the archive had returned to the mystical and relaxed atmosphere it had when he first arrived. Sure, there was dirt and water scattered on the floor, but a broom that had flown in from somewhere started sweeping it all away with a swoosh.
“Does it feel like this place looks a bit more livable, or is it just me?”
“No, I think so too. As long as there’s a living space.”
“I guess there’s no living space here?”
“Nope, there is. In the boss room.”
“You sure know a lot about us. Have you ever visited the main archive?”
Suddenly, a voice that neither Yeon-woo nor Shar recognized interjected. The already quiet library, filled with the sound of fluttering pages, became even quieter.
It was a calm and cool voice that was somewhat familiar to his ears. It had been almost ten years since the last time he heard it. With a sense of longing, Yeon-woo turned around.
A silver-haired woman in a maid outfit walked briskly between the shelves, her braided bun embellished with strands of hair, creating an intricate yet vintage hairstyle that Yeon-woo could never manage.
The armed librarian, Riley. The only organic entity in Relin’s Archive and the gatekeeper of the archive.
‘Is she not going to tell us? She probably won’t.’
The situation had changed drastically since the regression. She hadn’t tired of fighting yet, and Yeon-woo was no longer a pitiful little kid in tatters. Well, as far as being a kid goes, he still was.
“That wouldn’t be the case. Greetings, adventurer from another world. Should I, as the archive’s manager, welcome your visit? How about it?”
With a thunderous crash, massive shields and hammers appeared to her left and right. They shook the archive just by hitting the ground. Riley elegantly picked up the hefty shield and hammer, clearly taking a combat stance. Shar tightened his fists and braced himself. Yeon-woo stepped in between them. He didn’t want to watch them fight. Not because of memories from before his regression, but because he had questions to ask her.
“Wait, wait! As the glorious first visitor, I’d prefer to talk instead of fight.”
“If you want to talk, then please let go of that child.”
At the end of her elegantly extended finger was Relin’s Archive. It was as if they were holding a hostage—the management program of Relin’s Archive.
‘What a misunderstanding! It’s not a hostage; she’s just threatening their lives to keep them from doing anything!’
[That’s basically what a hostage is….]
“Of course, I can let it go. But you must swear not to use the archive’s books to attack.”
Neither Riley nor Yeon-woo hoped for their conditions to be accepted. It was merely a bare minimum to accept the other’s request.
Naturally, if neither side backs down, negotiations would fall apart.
Before Riley could even express her refusal, Yeon-woo spoke up first.
“Sigh, fine, fine. Why are you staring at me like that? You’re going to make my heart drop! So, can I let go now?”
“…What?”
When Yeon-woo said that and stored away the Doppleganger while Shar released his grip, Riley blurted out a silly sound without even realizing it.
If it were in her own territory, that would make sense, but this was on the enemy’s turf, wasn’t it? There was absolutely no way that could be a rational decision. It had to be a lie.
Just as she gathered her thoughts along those lines, Relin’s Archive flew over and snugly nestled into her embrace.
The core management program of Relin’s Archive was retrieved. Now, it could instantly converge millions of magical books and unleash a barrage of spells at will. As the archive simmered in her arms, trying to organize the books in a huff, Riley said.
“Please, please, hold on for a moment, Rel.”
Her clear eyes turned to the black-haired boy with his arms raised in surrender and the blonde girl perched on his shoulder.
‘You know, Shar? We have to pretend we’re innocent people.’
[Got it! But why do we have to do that? Honestly, it wouldn’t be that hard to break through, right? Are you feeling soft for her because of some connection before the regression?]
‘Well, it would be a lie to say I have no feelings at all. But before that, I have something I want to ask.’
[What is it?]
As Yeon-woo and Shar raised their arms in surrender, about ten books surrounded them, encircling them.
As they moved slowly forward, engulfed by the books, Yeon-woo wondered what kind of situation they were in.
They were heading straight for the center of the archive. The innermost part of the archive, where the unique entity of the gate resided—essentially the “boss room.” This was the only place in the archive where people could communicate with each other.
“Please understand that I cannot fully let my guard down.”
“Ah, yes. This is more than enough. But can I lower my hands now?”
“Feel free.”
Phew, his arms had been starting to feel stiff anyway, so that was a relief. Thinking that, Shar and Yeon-woo lowered their arms.
‘Did I tell you? Riley reserves seat number 277 every night. What do you think that means?’
[…Oh? Now that you mention it… how did she manage to come outside the gate? You wouldn’t be able to book a seat without coming out, right?]
‘Exactly. That’s the part I wanted to get to. While I was planning to conquer Relin’s Archive early, it wasn’t just about Relin’s Warehouse; if I didn’t quickly establish rapport with Riley, I would lose my chance to ask about that. Riley holds the key to bringing Nea out.’
[Wow! Dad has everything figured out!?]
Stop talking about me like I’m some thoughtless person. It actually hurts my feelings, even if I pretend it doesn’t. The two of them exchanged explanations about why they were trying so hard to converse with Riley while continuing with their lighthearted banter to ease the tense atmosphere.
Unlike before the regression, they couldn’t just take the archive like it was nothing. However, they still wanted to make some effort to build friendly relations with her.
“We’re going quite a ways. Could you at least tell us about this archive on the way?”
“How interesting. Do you really think I would explain things to an invader or a visitor whose intent is unclear?”
“Well, you can’t really tell whether I’m an invader or a visitor, can you? I’m not particularly interested in defense systems or anything like that; really, even if it’s just to show off this space to someone, that’s enough for me.”
“……”
Unlike before the regression, she would ultimately be defeated and dispatched by someone, but he believed that she could survive maintaining good relations with humans. If this library could contain close to a million precious magical books, wouldn’t that be something to celebrate?
This was, after all, a matter of saving lives. Not just Riley’s, but also an opportunity for many lives to be saved thanks to the outstanding magical tomes. At the same time, wouldn’t it also be a chance to set a precedent that even the “master” of the gate could cooperate with humans?
Besides wanting to rescue her purely, it also benefitted what would happen next after bringing Nea into this world.
“…My master referred to this archive as a treasure trove. Even back then, Relin… the archive’s management program existed, but it wasn’t as free-spirited as it is now.”
“Was that a time before it became the gate?”
“Yes, it was. The story is from before this archive was entirely separated from the world and became an independent dimension.”
“So you knew we were using the term ‘gate,’ huh?”
“Books hold countless stories within them.”
The fact that she came out every night was not just to hide the gate’s location. She must have been learning about the outside world through the library’s books all along.
As luck would have it, the archive’s gate connected to the Hunter’s District. They could easily find out what situation they were in and how outsiders perceived that situation.
“Sure, it really is as beautiful as a treasure trove. Golden bookshelves, bindings decorated to suit the content of magical tomes. Anyone who loves books would go crazy over it. Was Relin the same way?”
Suddenly, the books surrounding them started acting strangely. They began to wobble as if they were woozy from drink. Yeon-woo, puzzled over why this was happening, quickly realized the reason.
‘No way… are they embarrassed?’
“Yes, indeed. A person who believed more than anyone that books contain life. Someone who called the books children.”
So, he was right. The way Riley spoke had a deep sense of nostalgia woven into her tone. Was she missing her creator?
“My master’s archive had one more place apart from here…but who knows what became of that one? But what do you think it feels like to lose half of those beloved children in an instant?”
Riley said, staring off into the distance. Her face, usually devoid of emotion, bore a look of loneliness in her eyes.
After a moment of watching that, Yeon-woo asked, “Do you want to go back?”
At her apparent unfamiliarity with conversation, she tilted her head as she fidgeted with her hair.
“Well, I don’t think so.”
(Continued in the next episode)