Theo watched out the window as the head maid took various packages from a carriage, apparently sent by his sister. A number of them were apparently gifts, either that she received, or that she would plan to give, and she had them sent here rather then crowd up her room to deal with when she got back home during a vacation. She wouldn't be going to the Summer Hall for the first event there, that was for kids who hadn't graduated the academy yet, and those who already had, as well as nobles in general.

There was however a second event near the end of summer, that occurred during a school vacation, and that would almost certainly be attended by her.

Theo sighed, as he looked through a book. Zuuki was out delivering messages to nearby villages, but would be back soon, and Rowyn was busy training the guards who got uppity about his presence. Paza was attending to other matters and talking to the new head maid, so at the moment Theo was alone. The library was currently busy, new books were being brought into the room, so he was reading in the solarium. The natural light illuminated the room well, and there was an indoor garden he was surrounded by. There was also a tray of sweets and snacks that were nearby.

As he was enjoying the book, the doors suddenly swung open energetically.

"Theo! I have come to visit!"

Esre said that energetically, as he rushed in looking a bit dirty, as if he crashed into dirt or something.

"Esre? When did you get here? We didn't get any message bird about your arrival".

"Ah, there wasn't much point since I went much faster then the bird".

Theo narrowed his eyes in concern.

"And how did you do that by chance?"

"Ah, I used this really cool new magic tool we have been developing! A rocket! I used it to launch myself over here! It seems they still need to work on the landing mechanics though, but I crashed it into a large pond, and its self repair and recharging mechanisms are now hard at work. As such, I will be visiting for at least three or four days!"

"It takes that long to recharge?"

"Yep, and then I can ride it back home! But until then, I am here to play!"

"No no, before that, you jumped into some sort of muddy pit didn't you? You need a bath!"

As he said that, Paza and Amerlia appeared as if on cue. Amelia looked stunned, but Paza could only sigh.

"Its a pleasure to see you again, young lord Esre Yasuri".

Amelia looked over at Paza.

"Is this boy the son of that margrave?"

Paza paused for a moment.

"That is...technically correct. She is indeed a son of Yasuri, and also the young master's fiancee".

"Wait...she?" Amelia said, looking at Esre who pouted.

"I am a boy, so please use he".

"She, or rather, he, considers himself more of a boy then a girl. He absolutely hates dresses, skirts, frills, tea parties, lace, girls clothes in general, and gets along better with boys than girls and is more interested in boy interests and activities. Anyways, so and so happened, and to avoid a wedding in the Imperial Capital, they got engaged".

"That just wont do! As she is a girl, she needs to be brought up properly!"

"Remember, that child is a child of a different, granted lower ranked, noble, so while indeed the fiancee to our young master, our say over his education is far more limited, not to mention he is a guest here".

"I would say there is at least enough authority held by me to get her into some proper female clothes and get her cleaned up!"

"Thats right, you had not started yet when Esre arrived the first time".

Amelia's very traditionalistic ideals were a bit annoying. She had so far avoided using bad words too much, but it was clear she was not fond of Beastkin. She often treated him like a servant, and ordered him around despite having zero authority over him. And her expressions when she looked at him, disgust, disinterest, or hatred, said a lot. But these were minor expressions, and only when tired. She normally hid them well.

However, Theo was a bit puzzled by this.

Such blatant emotion...no way father would have accepted this normally. Something is weird with it for sure, the reactions are too strong. Is there something personal about it?

Theo couldn't help think such things, but one thing was clear. Esre and Amelia were already bitter enemies. As a traditionalist, Amelia wholeheartedly believed that if Esre should dress and behave like a proper noble lady, while Esre was very clear he was to be treated like a boy, and refused to even consider wearing such things. What made it worse was when Amelia spoke passionate, perhaps a bit too much, about how lace and frills were to help girls stand out and help them gather power and dominance. Of course she knew that girls could do so much more then that, but her traditionalist upbringing meant she valued those methods too.

If left to their own devices, they would squabble endlessly, so Theo snapped shut his book and looked at them all.

Amelia, go and inform my father about the fact that Esre has arrived in an....Yasuri like fashion, and that he will be visiting for a few days".

"She" Amelia corrected.

"He" Esre corrected back.

"Paza, in the mean time, take Esre for a bath. Its still too early in the morning for me...and knowing Esre, he will probably find a way to need a second one anyways, so it will just be Esre right now. I will get Rowyn and we will put something together for him to wear".

"I guess the ones he is training are getting a stroke of merciful luck today".

"Certainly. In any case, I will have Rowyn bring the clothes to you, so you can just focus on bathing Esre".

Noble children were not allowed to bathe alone, forbid something happening to them. Until their thirteenth birthday at least, a servant, parent, or another trusted adult would need to be there with them. That way, if they accidentally slipped or hit their head, they wouldn't accidentally drown. Not to mention other possibilities. That was why Theo had to go get Rowyn instead of asking Paza to do it as well, as she would be unable to leave Esre alone when bathing.

Of course, not everyone always followed this rule to the letter, but still. Incidentally, the age of adulthood in this world was fifteen, although that was for legal standards. Often one might still be considered a kid until they were twenty even. That meant there was only two years between when a noble child could bathe alone and when they were legally an adult.

At his words, everyone seemed to disperse, which at least helped with the situation. On the way to get Rowyn however, Theo could pretty much hear Amelia complaining, loudly, about Esre.

Yasuri and traditionalists just do not mix at all.

Theo made a mental note of that while going outside to get Rowyn. That was where Theo saw the strange display of several knights prostrating themselves to Rowyn.

"Rowyn, may I ask...what is going on here?"

"Well, it seems they have gotten past the stages of rage, jealousy, and despair...and now they are on the stage of idolization".

"I see...you must have put them through a lot".

"To be honest, he was quite nice with them" the knight commander said as she walked over. "I saw some of their stunts, but figured if it was Rowyn, he could educate them well. Still, he was quite nice. I wouldn't have avoided damaging the face".

"Eh, I didn't want them to also blame me for messing up with girls".

"Ahahahaha, considering how much bloodlust they directed at you, that is very kind and considerate!"

Well, Rowyn did fight to help end discrimination laws against Beastkin, so I suppose being nice and considerate fits for him.

"Well, if you can take over, I need Rowyn for a bit".

"Let me guess, Paza is busy bathing Esre, and Amelia is currently complaining to ol swinger?"

"Yeah. My dad will probably explain things better. Seriously, I wish he had found a better head maid".

"Perhaps he hopes to educate her, and learn that traditionalists have a lot wrong?"

Theo thought for a moment.

"...I could see that. He is a teacher after all?"

"He is what now?"

"Well I mean, to me you know? He has taught me so much himself, and he is very patient!"

"Ahahaha, tthat is true kiddo. Still, I do think he could be a good teacher too".

Ah, that was close. My future knowledge slipped out a bit. He only teaches some classes at the academy sometimes, as a guest teacher, but still.

"By the way, how did you know Esre arrived?"

"We saw him fly overhead, and then run past afterwards".

"Ah...that makes sense".

While thinking that, Rowyn and Esre started to head inside when...

"Excuse me, young master!" a guard shouted as he ran into the garden and spotted Theo, quickly going towards him. "We have a bunch of people arriving suddenly! It appears to be Count Clover's son, as well as some servants!"

What?! Why are they here?!

Theo looked puzzled, but he figured it was something important. It had been nearly two months since they last met, and last time he met those three, they ended up in a large scale battle. They were the protagonists after all.

Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

"Okay, let them into the reception room, and make them comfortable. I will go get father. Rowyn, go get those clothes to Paza and Esre, and then join me!"

"Right! Understood!"

The fact all this is happening at once...its definitely a bad sign.

----------------------------------------

After intterrupting the duke's explanation to Amelia about Esre and how close they were, Theo's news brought them both to a halt. They quickly went to the hall, in order to see what was so urgent, but when they got there.

"Lord Cromwell! Theo! Oh thank goodness, you are both unhurt!"

Runo said tthat first, with clear signs of worry.

"You got here rushed and ahead of schedule, so I thought maybe you were hurt on the way here, but it seems you are okay".

"Father, you knew they were coming?"

Theo was a bit surprised.

"Yes. Their manor seems to have gotten an infestation of Flograts and Duskmites at the same time, so while fumigating and exterminating the property thoroughly, they need a place to stay for the next month or two. Since you all got along well last time, I figured it would be okay if they could stay here until the Summer Hall. But I wasn't expecting you to arrive this early, or so rushed. What happened?"

"We saw some sort of large, burning object head right towards the estate, so we got concerned you may have been attacked and rushed over to help".

"Large flying...oh, Esre".

August put the details together immediately, while Amelia was full of disdain and worry.

"Ah, you see. We just got a visitor from Yasuri".

The moment he said Yasuri, the three kids all flinched a bit.

"...by any chance, is it the third dau....err, son, Esre?"

"Yes, that is right. So you know him then?"

Runo looked away.

"Yeah, you could say that. He lives close by, and he often came over to play when he got bored. Sometimes riding on the back of a giant eagle".

Yasuri's region was mountainous, and it was host to a lot of tamed giant Eagles as a result as well as wild ones. However, this was the first time Theo heard of Esre being able to ride one.

"Yeah, he used some sortt of new, prototype, one person magic vehicle this time to get here".

"...it was probably too far away to make it within a day with a giant eagle".

Runo was clearly acquainted with Esre's tendency to be very hyper. Furthermore, since it was a Margrave asking a Count, he had very little means to resist or keep him in check.

As that was said, Esre rushed into the room. The way he was dressed, he probably did so in a hurry the moment he heard the news.

"I heard Runo was here! And Zak and Zoa too!"

Runo, Zak, and Zoe all seemed quite used to this sight. They even looked a little relieved.

Paza, did you at least manage to stop Esre until he was wearing a shirt and pants? I commend you on your abilities once more!

"Well, it was a bit chaotic, but we will welcome all our guests".

Esre ended up sending a letter to his father, informing him that he would probably also be staying over until Summer Hall. Since a lot of people he knew were here, but also...

"So Esre, I am curious, why did you really run off here unannnounced?"

Theo doubted that Esre was that impatient, he was still a noble after all. He definently wouldn't just take a rocket to get here on a whim. As boyish as he was, he wasn't some sort of reckless airhead.

Well, he was, but he wasn't that clueless. Probably.

"Ahhh...well, yeah. Mother came back from the Imperial Capital, and apparently looking at dresses and whatnot inspired her to try and change me again. There was a room full of it Theo! A room full of dresses with frills and lace that she was going to try and make me wear!"

"What, like there were racks with dresses everywhere? Thats a lot".

"No, I mean literally, I couldn't see the walls and barely any ceiling. It was all girls clothing! Even frilly pants and shorts with flowers on them! Bleh!"

"Well, that would definently explain you running off here. Was your father out? I would think he would have tried to stop it".

"Ah, someone kidnapped some of our citizens. He thinks it was Beastkin slavers".

"Even though its outlawed across the Empire now, they still try it?"

"I think there are people looking the other way as they are smuggled out to one of the kingdoms that dont have it outlawed. How disgusting! When we Yasuri find them, we are going to beat them black and blue!"

Rowyn was smiling a bit as he heard Esre's words.

"In the mean time, how about we head to the library? My father will be using his office, and the library has a large enough table for us all to sit down at and play Voizakun".

"Oooh! Sounds good to me!"

On the way to the library, they began to talk about certain topics.

"Did you hear the Summer Hall was going to have Sola Arcus?"

"Yeah! I have heard some of his songs on Crystal Recorders. They are fantastic!"

"I am also a big fan!"

"We have a number of them in the music room, so we should all listen to them sometimes".

"Yeah. Although, Crystal Recorders are not as good as the real thing".

"Wait, Esre, you have been to a live concert?!"

"Oh yeah. That wasn't my first time using the rocket".

"Wait, you used the rocket to go to a live concert?!?!"

"Yep! Thats how I learned about how long it needs to cooldown!"

And his mother still tries to make him be a proper noble lady? Thats just not possible!

Certainly, there were plenty of girls that were rowdy, rambunctious, spirited, athletic, and had at least some of Esre's other traits. But trying to get those types of people to be something they are not, especially when they made their mind up about something, was impossible.

As the children discussed some things, they entered the library. There were a bunch of books delivered by the large table in the back, probably some of Pelria's stuff she sent over, as well as some other books left out. And then there was also a messy part of the floor.

"Woah, there are a bunch of books in a circle like pattern here! With a blank spot in the middle. Was this some sort of ritual?" Esre asked, taking off his shoes and entering the library. Everyone else did the same. It was customary to remove shoes while in a library and either go barefoot or wear socks. This was in part to avoid tracking mud and dirt in, which would prevent any of that from transferring to any books somehow.

"Ah, sorry, thats my research area".

"Eh, for real? Let me see!"

"By any chance, are you researching more Guardian Spirits?"

Theo nodded, as Zak and Zoa also became interested in the research.

"A lot of this is on the Scholarly Owl, and the conditions for acquiring them. Considering the amount of magic tools made in Yasuri, I would imagine there are a few Scholarly Owls lurking about there".

"Nah, all the noise and rowdyness tends to chase them off. There might be one or two, but they wont reveal themselves easily. At least I never saw any at the Grand Library in our capital city of Yasuri, and if one would be anywhere, it would be there".

"Ah, it looks like you are researching enchanted items as well" Runo said, noticing one book. "Why is that?"

"...for personal safety reasons. Cant be too careful".

Aside from Esre, everyone understood immediately without anyone having to say anything. Esre was focused on some of the other research.

"You are also researching Vampires and Werewolves?"

"Yeah. It was just some gossip from a passing merchant, so I didn't think much of it at first, but I heard there were rumors that those creatures might be lurking inside the academy, so I thought I would make preparations".

"Ah, hopefully not, but I agree its best to be prepared" Zak said.

"Honestly, me and my brother like to prepare for such emergencies as well, so we can agree with this research".

"Yeah, those two are always wondering about stuff like that, they even are putting together a journal they call the Codex to be safe".

Theo was a bit surprised at the name that came out. IN the game, the Codex was a part of the menu system, that had written down lore of various locations, magic tools, monsters, and even people, what they were like, personality, strengths and weaknesses, things like that. It was certainly written like journal entries, and it was always in a way from the player's perspective, updating based on what they found. That way nothing would be spoiled.

So, I guess this is the in-lore explanation for the Codex then?

That was what Theo figured anyways.

Esre then stood up and declared something.

"I know, how about we all team up and form a group that looks into mysteries, oddities, and other cool things! We can call ourselves The Mysterious Research Group!"

"That name...its kinda cluncky. Cant we make it a bit better at least?" Runo said, not against the idea.

"I wouldn't mind it" Zak replied.

"Sure, sounds like fun" Zoa added.

"Id love to be a part of it too. I mean, someone has to protect you all anyways in case it gets dangerous" Rowyn pointed out.

"I will join as well!" Zuuki declared.

"I will support everyone as much as I can" Paza decided.

Theo decided to nod and agree as well.

I am basically courting death from my sister, but this group of people...the legendary hero, Rowyn, one or two Imperial Spies, the two protagonists, Esre who gives us a connection to the resources of Yasuri and who already has combat magic tools on him, this group is fantastic. I definently cant pass this up.

"But we are choosing a better name...we will call ourselves...The Enigma Solution".

"Ooooh, catchy. I like it".

"I get it, it refers to the group as a whole. We are the solution to the enigmas of the world".

"Fantastic naming, Theo!"

As they all cheered, Esre then raised his hand.

"By the way, I think they said you were looking for another Guardian Spirit. Does that mean you already have one?"

"Yeah, but I cant summon his full form properly. I could introduce you, but you have to absolutely swear you will keep it a secret forever and never tell anyone, okay Esre?"

Esre nodded eagerly. When he did, Rowyn tapped him on the shoulder.

"Yo! My full name is Rowyn Fraudwyn...ahhh, now I dont have to pretend in front of you. What a relief".

"Eh? Isn't he too physical? Didn't we see him eating and napping when I visited him last time?"

"Yeah, for some reason or another, Rowyn can manifest like this. You don't seem surprised he is a Beastkin though".

"Ah, that's because I went through the secret archives my father had a few years ago, and learned the truth about Rowyn and a few other things. I asked why we don't publicly announce this, and apparently every time we do, some rotten nobles respond by hiring mercs and other criminals to kidnap more of our people. Seriously, when I find those guys, I am going to beat them up!"

"Anyways, if I summon his full form, the strain on my body is severe. I have been practicing to make it easier on myself, but its not easy. I still cant move, but I can talk a bit now and maintain a light barrier around myself, but its a very shabby and unreliable one".

"Ah, that's a shame. I really wanted to see it".

That was when Runo noticed something odd.

"Huh, hold on. Why do you have research about the Black Dragon among here. Its been dead for nine years, you dont need to worry about it".

Ah, for him of all people to save that...the gamer in me wants to giggle a little, but its because of that Black Dragon that he is one of the people who kills me in some of my runs of the game.

Certainly, the Black Dragon is dead. But Theo knew all too well that its legacy lives on, and it might not stay dead. In fact, there are at least five Black Dragon related calamities that Theo knew of. Not only that, but his sister got involved in three of them directly, caused many issues, and that led to Theo's death on more then one occasion in the original games.

Well, there were an almost ridiculous amount of things that could kill Theo. There are some instances, in the worst case scenarios, where Theo dies before the endgame even starts.

"Oh, yeah!" Esre shouted, remembering something. He took off his backpack, and got out what appeared to be a wand. In this world, any spellcasting device no longer how big it was, it was called a wand. But the one Esre took out was interesting. It was a wand that was taller then Theo, but had an adjustable staff so that it could be easily shortened. Not only that, but it had a dual power system.

"I know you prefer Coldsilver, but I thought there might be a case where you still need power, so I split it inbetween a Coldsilver power source and a Magic Crystal power source. This way you can get a surge of power sometimes, but also maintain spells. I made sure to attune it so it works best with Celestial, Storm, and Void magic. It can also store up eight spells, and you can customize them, but they can only be middle tier spells at most. The outer casing is made from Floatstone, so not only is it light, but you can have it fly to you once you attune it. Perhaps you might even be able to use it to fly!"

"Oooh! This is really great! And I love the silver and red design! Also wait, are these dragon engravings on the side?"

"Yep!".

Theo quickly took the staff. As it was brand new and never been attuned before, he was able to attune it to himself easily, pushing his mana into it and registering it as his. He then swung it around a few times.

"Ah, I cant properly practice with it in here. We should go outside".

"By the way, your sister has a strange taste in books".

Theo turned around, to see Runo rummaging around through the books.

"You looked through it?"

"Just to be safe. Huh, this one is interesting...I don't see a name on it, but its quite a large black book".

Runo took out one book in specific, and proceeded to open the pages.

"Woah! How does it...this is interesting knowledge! How did she find such a book, this was what I was looking for...this method though..."

Hearing those words, Theo broke into a cold sweat. He ran back to Runo and pulled him away, and saw the book.

"Oh crap...Its the Delzar Archive!"

The moment Theo said the name, Rowyn, Zak, and Zoa drew their swords, Runo quickly snapped out of his daze and drew his wand as well. Esre put on his Power Knuckles, and Theo aimed his own wand at the book. Even Zuuki and Pasa took out knives from hidden locations.

Theo kicked off the ground and sent himself backwards, as he and Runo attacked with magic. Esre thrust out his fist and sent a magic blast at the book, and Zuuki and Paza both threw knives at it. Following up with that, Zak and Zoa launched magical bursts from their sword, shooting lasers at the book. Rowyn meanwhile swung with mana infused into his blade, and sent a flying slash right at the book.

But a barrier appeared that stopped all of their attacks, although Rowyn's made a bit of a crack. The doors to the library suddenly shut closed, and then they disappeared entirely as the space warped and bended. The library, which was already quite big, suddenly expanded with bookshelves appearing endless, and it was to the point it had become bigger then the manor itself, with the book taking a high ground position very far away from them.

"Tsk! It set up a Realm!"

"So, the rumor is true...the Delzar Archive, a book of evil temptation that when threatened, even is capable of defending itself and even escaping if necessary".

Theo knew of the book well. In two years, it would appear in the Academy and was the cause of at least three different calamity routes, although apparently its just the person it chooses is random, and its a singular route, according to some websites.

This is a book that will directly lead to Theo's death, and it had arrived to threaten him two days early. And now they were trapped in its Realm, locked in a fight for their lives.