NOVEL NEXT Chapter 366: Finally
It all makes sense to Leon now.
She was almost an inch taller than Crimson. However, despite the Archon's overwhelmingly oppressive presence and slim, elegant physique, Crimson actually looked more like a dedicated frontline fighter with her athletic build.
Different roles, probably.
He had to admit—they were both… generously built. In that regard.
Or it could just be a coincidence. Maybe it's normal for their race.
The Archon woman called out to him, speaking in his own language. Leon's eyes quickly darted away guiltily.
Was I just comparing their chest sizes? Get your head together!
He released a mental sigh of relief—it seemed she hadn't noticed his wandering gaze at all.
Good. That would have been awkward.
Looking at them both more analytically now, they did appear quite similar—leaving aside the distinctive golden symbol markings on the Archon's red body and other minor differences in their features and bearing.
"Get down from the creature," she commanded simply.
All of them dismounted after her, following her lead.
Leon immediately observed how far they'd traveled from the arena. They were now on top of a mountainous cliff face, and there was a cave entrance carved into the sheer wall where the giant creature had just landed.
We're miles away from the city now. Completely isolated.
Actually, "landed" wasn't quite accurate—the massive creature was still flying, just hovering perfectly in place despite its enormous size.
How is it even doing that? The power and control required...
This marveled Leon as he considered the creature's incredible ability to maintain such stable flight.
The Archon woman entered the cave entrance and gestured for Leon to follow, speaking in his language. Then she said something in Pyrrhan to the other two, which probably conveyed the same instruction, because they both followed as well.
Once inside, Leon's eyes wandered everywhere, taking in the unexpected interior.
It wasn't dark at all despite being a cave—some kind of bioluminescent moss or crystals provided steady illumination. And despite the entrance being small enough to fit only two people at most passing through side-by-side, the interior space was absolutely massive.
This is... this is incredible.
The inside had been carved deep into the mountain itself, creating what resembled a giant ceremonial hall rather than a natural cave.
But the space was mostly empty of furniture or decorations. What Leon did notice immediately were intricate symbols covering every surface—the ground, the ceiling, the walls. Everywhere he looked, there were carefully carved glyphs and patterns.
What do these mean? Protective wards? Historical records?
Also prominently featured was a giant shelf carved directly into the cave wall itself, filled completely with hundreds of texts of various sizes and conditions.
Leon's eyes lit up immediately with genuine excitement.
Books! Finally!
There were hundreds of volumes here, compared to the mere dozen or so he'd glimpsed in that hateful Vice Chief's personal tent—the tomes he'd pointed at before, which had nearly gotten him executed.
That still pisses me off. I was actually terrified then.
His anger flared briefly as he remembered that moment of absolute fear, caused by his weaker strength at the time and complete ignorance about the Holy energy power hidden within him.
I didn't know what I was capable of. Now I do.
Not letting the anger overwhelm him and get the best of his judgment, Leon refocused on the present.
They seemed to be walking deeper into the carved hall when Leon stopped the Archon woman by speaking up:
"Can I look around and examine these texts for a while before we continue our discussion?"
I need to learn their language immediately. It's the key to understanding everything.
She stopped walking and turned to face him. First, she formally introduced herself, since he'd been addressing her without knowing her actual name.
"I am Vyrra Ignivar, the last Archon of the last surviving Pyrrhan clan."
Her words carried profound sadness within them, a weight of loss and responsibility.
Leon noticed the emotion clearly but chose not to comment on it.
Last Archon. Last clan. They're dying out. That explains a lot.
He also introduced himself simply: "My name is Leon."
He added that he'd arrived here involuntarily through the red portal, to which she showed absolutely no reaction or surprise whatsoever.
She knows about the portals, too. Not surprising.
Regarding the tomes, she told him firmly that he could freely read anything on the lowest shelf, and absolutely nothing else if he valued his safety.
Her voice became sharp and threatening as she continued: "Do not read anything else. Those upper shelves contain our clan's most sacred secrets and techniques."
She paused meaningfully, her red eyes boring into his.
"I will know if you touch them. And there will be consequences."
She said something briefly to Crimson in Pyrrhan, which Leon still didn't understand, then departed toward another section of the cave with the Vice Chief.
Before leaving completely, she added one final warning: "Don't touch anything else. Ira will be here keeping watch."
She glanced meaningfully at Crimson, who looked nervously between Leon and her scary Aunt.
So that's her real name. Ira.
Leon learned in that moment that "Crimson" had actually been his own nickname for her—her true name was Ira.
After the Archon Vyrra had left with the Vice Chief, Leon tested his theory by saying her name aloud:
"Ira."
Her immediate reaction—head snapping toward him, eyes widening—confirmed it absolutely. That really was her actual name.
Good to know.
After confirming that detail, Leon immediately purchased the translation item from his cosmic system shop, finally committing to the substantial cost.
No more delays. I need this now.
Like a glitch in reality itself, the item materialized directly in front of him out of thin air.
SHIMMER! APPEAR!
This startled Ira considerably, making her jump back slightly with wide eyes.
What sorcery—?!
Leon had to spend a moment calming her down with gentle gestures and a reassuring smile.
It's okay. Just weird magic, even I don't understand. Relax.
After she'd settled somewhat, Leon examined the translation item carefully in his hands.
It appeared as a wooden rectangular cover with elaborate carved symbols covering every surface. It was designed to hold a very small book—more like a journal or notebook than a full tome.
The casing itself was surprisingly solid and well-made.
In the system interface picture, it looked much bigger. Did I... did I get scammed?
Doubt crept in as he turned it over in his hands.
I paid 120,000 Causality for this! There can't possibly be scammers in the cosmic shop... right?
He quickly reviewed the item description and usage instructions to verify:
[Translation Grimoire Casing - To activate: Insert any book written in the target language into the casing. Then channel your own mana into the device. The linguistic patterns will be absorbed and integrated into your consciousness within seconds.
Be aware of your own limitations.]
Okay. That's the process. Let's try it.
Ira was watching the entire time curiously, fascinated by everything Leon was doing.
What is that strange object? How did it appear from nothing?
This was genuinely interesting to her—she'd never seen anything like spatial storage items so upclose before, which his materialization resembles slightly, or if she had, she wouldn't be this shocked.
She had seen her Aunt do something similar to this from afar in battle, but never from this close; it was fascinating to her.
Leon, feeling slightly less hopeful now about whether this would actually work, picked one of the books from the bottom shelf as instructed.
It was a slim black book with symbolic decorative patterns on its really old leather cover—probably some kind of basic text or primer based on its simple appearance.
Here goes nothing.
He brought the small wooden casing closer to the book, noting how it could clearly never fit the dimensions—
But just as the casing touched the book's surface, it suddenly moved on its own initiative!
SHIFT! EXPAND! ENCASE!
The wooden container magically changed shape, growing larger and reconfiguring itself to perfectly accommodate the book, then sealed around it completely.
"Wow!"
Ira gasped audibly in shock at witnessing the transformation.
Sorcery! Actual sorcery!
Leon released a huge sigh of relief.
Thank god. I didn't get scammed after all.
Without wasting another second in his excitement, Leon immediately placed his hand on the newly encased book and began channeling his mana directly into it as instructed.
FLOW! ABSORB! INTEGRATE!
Finally! I'll be able to communicate freely with them and her without any language barriers or misunderstandings!
The nightmare of the past several hours—being unable to speak, unable to understand, unable to explain himself—would finally end.
No more confusion. No more fear. Just normal human communication. Finally.