Chapter 6 - Down Below
Lilly was reading a heavy old book in between two rows of books somewhere in the library. It gave detailed descriptions of all sorts of mythic-class beasts she had never even heard of before.
Leviathans, rocs, qilins, dragons, wyrms, krakens, and finally, phoenixes, which she was reading about. There was more information on child phoenixes due to the simple task of finding one, considering one would appear whenever a phoenix died.
‘So they imprint on the first person they see after birth and lose access to their long-term memory until they are old enough to care for themselves… That explains his attitude towards Mia… And his inability to understand our language.’
She read on, hoping to find more about food or nests and how long it would take to raise him.
‘Ah, here! They prefer sleeping in hot environments, but not so hot as to make it difficult to breathe… I’ve never had that issue, so how hot are we talking? And three months seems long enough for a reborn phoenix to regain its memories.’
The only thing she found about their eating habits was that they eat meat of all kinds and seem to prefer it cooked. Lilly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking of how she would have to chew the meat for a while going forward.
‘Although it doesn’t mention having to chew it… It’s best to be safe, but it would be nice to know for sure.’
She sighed again. “You really don’t have to stay here, Janus. I’ll come see you if I need anything, I promise.” She looked at the librarian, who had presented himself as Janus, nearly hanging over her as she read.
He seemed torn between his duties to assist her and his desire to return to his book, but the latter seemed to win. “As you wish, My Lady. I’ll be at the counter if you need me.”
“I don’t think I’ll be here much longer; I’ve gotten most of what I wanted,” she replied, still looking at the book. But then she recalled another thing she had been meaning to research. “Oh, one more thing, Janus!”
Janus had started leaving, but turned slowly back to her with a firm smile. “Yes?”
“Is there any information on divine gifts or demigods here?” Lilly asked. She hoped to find some information on others with similar powers to learn about other potential threats to herself. She also found the topic interesting, but it was mostly for safety.
Janus seemed surprised by the question before he started searching his memory. “I don’t think there is. There are writings of myths and legends, but nothing concrete.”
Lilly was slightly disappointed, but she thought even legends could help her understand what else might exist.
But before she could reply, Janus, with a severe expression, added, “At least in the public section.”
“Is there a private section?” Lilly asked, feeling like she was on the precipice of a realm of forbidden knowledge. If all of this knowledge surrounding her was easy to access, then whatever was guarded had to be valuable.
Janus nodded but tilted his head slightly. “There is, but I don’t know what’s inside. Only the ruler of the city is allowed to enter. I would normally make a more thorough check of your identity, but just the fact that you have the flame is enough.”
“... Then, can I enter? Where is it?”
Janus smiled and turned around once more. “Follow me, My Lady, I’ll take you to the entrance. Just leave the book; I’ll handle it later.”
You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.
Lilly stood up to follow him, feeling excitement bubbling inside her. ‘Knowledge only for the Protector, I can’t wait to see! Is there something about the founding of the city, perhaps? The history of the Vermilion family?’
They walked to a corner of the library, closer to the entrance, through a dimly lit section where people would rarely walk before stopping near an old door. It had a different design than the rest of the library, giving off a more ancient feel.
“Give me a moment, please. I need to open a few barriers,” Janus said while removing a book from the nearest shelf. He opened it to reveal a magical formation etched into a thick plate of gold, which he took out and pressed towards the door.
His hand started glowing, illuminating the dim surroundings. A floating formation could be seen glowing faintly around the door, with one part rotating while others stood still. It looked like a giant lock sliding into place, ready to open.
Janus breathed out as the glowing stopped before removing the golden plate from the door. “That’s one…” he said, putting the book back in its place. Then he retrieved a long necklace he was wearing, pulling it out of his robe and revealing a key.
Lilly watched silently, feeling her excitement increase with every security measure Janus removed. She tried to keep her expectations low, but it was a struggle.
Janus put the key into a small hole in the door, where a smaller formation showed up around the keyhole. He twisted the key slowly and meticulously, making sure to hit the right spot before stopping and turning it the other way.
The formation dimmed after a few more motions, letting Janus pull the key back out. “That’s two. Now the door is open, giving you access to whatever is inside. The space is completely void of mana, so any enchantments might struggle to function properly if they’re used.”
Lilly watched as he opened the door. “That should be fine. The only thing I have with me is the staff.”
Janus nodded, gesturing for her to enter the door. “The door locks automatically, but there’s a button on the inside that opens it again. You can leave whenever, and I’ll probably be at my desk.”
Lilly thanked him as she walked past, through the door and down a narrow set of stairs. She sensed the lack of mana here, which made her feel strange. She had never been anywhere with no mana before.
‘Is it for security? Or does mana deteriorate paper?’ Lilly wondered as she walked down the steps, getting deeper and deeper under the library.
The door closed behind her, drowning her in complete darkness. Due to the lack of mana, no light could function down here. But a short and familiar incantation helped her light the stairwell up again, giving her a bright and circular companion. She knew using flames in enclosed spaces was a bad idea, so the ball of light came in handy once again.
After walking down about twenty meters, she reached the bottom, which let her into a circular room filled with shelves around the walls. She estimated there to be about 2000 books in the room, which both excited and disappointed her.
If there was one book behind all this security, it would surely have unimaginable knowledge. With this many, they might only be a bit more interesting than usual.
She noticed one part of the wall lacked shelves; instead, it had a gold flame symbol on it. ‘That makes sense, I guess. It might even be the symbol of the Vermilion Family. But…’
She approached the flame symbol, feeling a hint of interest. The opening on the wall was the exact size of the entrance she had come through and on the opposite side, making it a perfect place for a secret entrance.
‘And if someone with a unique family power wanted to hide something, the flame would likely be required to reveal it,’ Lilly reasoned, finding her own logic infallible.
So, left with no other choice, Lilly was forced to investigate. She put her palm on the mark, trying to insert a bit of the flame. The spark she inserted disappeared as if it was consumed by the mark, making her even more suspicious.
‘Does it need much flame? I guess I’ll try, but if I melt this thing… Well, no one will know for a long time.’
She tried inserting more flame, giving it a decent chunk this time. And right away, the symbol started glowing deep red. Not the sort of glow that molten steel would give off, but more of a soft, even glow.
‘Okay, something happened at least… Do I try giving it more?’ she wondered, feeling like that should have been enough for any standard magical contraption.
She didn’t have to debate for long; the wall started sinking into the ground, revealing another room behind it.
The new room was golden from top to bottom, way more extravagant than the first room. It was the same size, but there were fewer books here, counting only a few tens.
‘This is what I’m talking about! Those Vermilion guys sure knew how to make a hidden room! But… what could be in here? They could all speak to the dead, right? What would they need to record?’