The inside of the library was even larger than they had imagined.
A dome of dazzling colors shimmered under the glow of magical lamps, casting a dreamlike hue over the entire space.
The entire structure of the library was built like a spiraling tower. From a connoisseur’s perspective like Irene’s, the bookshelves were made of top-tier dragonbone wood—a luxury beyond measure. Practically every inch of the spiral tower was lined with books of all sorts.
Even Irene was momentarily stunned.
“What a huge library… It’s way bigger than it looked from the outside,” Clarét exclaimed.
Irene explained, “It’s not just appearance. They probably used spatial magic to expand the interior.”
Using spatial magic itself wasn’t particularly difficult. The hard part was maintaining it in a magic array form so it remained stable! Irene might not be able to cast spells, but as someone who had transmigrated here, there was no way she wasn’t curious about magic. Her theoretical knowledge was solid!
The magical prowess of the Holy Magus King… was terrifying, to say the least.
It was a level of mastery far beyond what ordinary people could even imagine.
A power like that—such unchecked ambition—naturally drew down divine punishment.
Meanwhile, Clarét had already stepped forward and begun flipping through the books on a nearby shelf. Within seconds, she gasped in shock.
“They’re all grimoires?! Every single one?! Could it be that this place holds every grimoire in the world?!”
Thankfully, the grimoires were written in the common tongue. While the phrasing and structure had evolved, Clarét could more or less still understand them.
After all, a magic swordsman is still a mage—of course she’d be curious about spell forms!
Irene glanced sideways at Clarét, who had already buried herself in a pile of books, and muttered under her breath, “Weren’t you the one who said we shouldn’t come in? But now that you’ve seen a mountain of grimoires, you’ve forgotten all about that. Mages really are a bunch of weirdos.”
Perhaps it did take a weirdo to learn magic in the first place.
Just as that thought crossed Irene’s mind, the sound of footsteps echoed through the vast space—prompting all three girls to tense up at once.
In a place like this, footsteps could only mean one thing. It definitely wasn’t a living human. More likely, a deranged magical creature.
Just as the three of them prepared for battle, a girl in a maid’s uniform emerged from the corridor ahead. She lifted the hem of her dress slightly and gave them a graceful curtsey.
“It’s been a very long time since anyone last visited the library. Welcome. I am Aruru, third-model magical automaton and administrator of this library. What kind of books are you looking for? I can assist you in finding them.”
Magical automaton?
Irene instinctively glanced at Lilisah beside her and caught the odd glint of longing in her heterochromatic eyes. That was the gaze of someone who had just seen a member of her own kind.
But even if they were both magical automatons, Aruru’s craftsmanship was clearly inferior to Lilisah’s. She’d likely been built solely for book cataloguing and retrieval, without any intricate detailing. Her joints and assembly seams were clearly visible, unlike Lilisah, whose appearance was indistinguishable from that of a real human.
Still, unlike the other magical creatures, this automaton didn’t attack outsiders indiscriminately.
Irene gazed at the ocean of grimoires before her. Each one was a priceless treasure. Bringing even a single volume back outside would be worth a fortune! Unfortunately, the slots in her travel satchel were limited—she couldn’t take many with her. But after coming all this way, wouldn’t it be a shame to leave empty-handed…?
A seed of greed quietly began to sprout in Irene’s heart.
“I want the most expensive book here!”
Irene spoke without hesitation.
The magical automaton nodded and said, “Please follow me, ladies. The most valuable book is located on the top floor of the archive, which requires an elevator to access.”
Irene and Lilisah followed behind the automaton, stepping onto the magitech elevator. After pressing the ‘F’ key to interact, the lift began to ascend toward the upper levels of the library.
Moments later, the elevator came to a stop. The automaton stepped aside and said, “Ahead lies the book with the highest value. However, not everyone is permitted to enter the Final Archive. Please proceed with identity verification.”
Without a second thought, Irene stepped forward. Hanging above the entrance to the archive was an eye-shaped device, similar in design to the one in the central tower, though much smaller in size.
She walked up with a ‘might-as-well-try’ attitude. Who knew—maybe it would accept her?
After all, this magitech city was built a thousand years ago. It was only natural for bugs and loopholes to exist in the system!
The automaton’s voice echoed once more: “If verification fails, however, the library’s automatic defense system will activate. We ask for your understanding.”
Eh!?
Automatic defense system?
“W-What’s that supposed to mean?”
A sudden wave of guilt hit Irene.
The automaton continued, its tone devoid of emotion: “Please direct your attention to that mechanical giant over there. If verification fails, it will carry out the sentence.”
Only now did Irene realize that the massive iron column in the center of the library wasn’t a support beam—it was a magitech colossus the same height as the library itself! If that thing threw a punch, she’d be nothing more than Irene paste.
She snapped back to her senses immediately, cold sweat trickling down her forehead. In a small voice, she said, “Um, Miss Administrator, I suddenly feel like a normal book is just fine. Could I maybe skip the identity check?”
“I’m afraid not. Once the verification begins, it cannot be canceled. Your understanding is appreciated.”
The automaton gave a polite bow as it spoke.
Unless there was a system glitch, there was no way she could pass the verification! So trying really did mean dying! She quietly shot a glance at Lilisah, signaling her to grab her and run the moment things went south. Now that Lilisah had drained her magic power, her combat strength was nothing to scoff at!
Super reliable!
The large eyeball on the door blinked twice, its red glow intensifying. Irene’s face turned pale.
Crap. I knew it wouldn’t work!
“Ding-dong! System verification complete. Welcome home!”
“Lilisah, get ready to—huh?”
Irene had been just about to bolt when she realized something was off with the voice. Wait, what? It… passed?
The system must’ve glitched after all, right?
The magical automaton stepped aside and bowed politely.
“Honored guest, the Special Archive is now open for you.”
Irene glanced around. Only after confirming that the mechanical giant truly wasn’t going to attack her did she cautiously step inside with Lilisah. The so-called Special Archive wasn’t very large—more like a private study than a grand chamber.
But the books stored here were anything but ordinary! Irene skimmed the shelves. Every single volume was a rare gem. Without hesitation, she began stuffing them into her travel backpack.
After flipping through a few books, her attention was drawn to one particularly exquisite volume. Its binding was far more ornate than the others. Curious, Irene opened it and discovered—it seemed to be someone’s personal diary.
The contents gradually drew Irene in.
“Continental Year 1145: The king unified the western lands and was crowned. The king’s shadow stood beside her. This year was later marked as Year One of the Magic Calendar.”
…
“The king attempted a military expedition into the demon realm. Her shadow followed her into war.”
…
“The king’s genius was unmatched. She dared to try and reconstruct the very laws of the world. The age of natural-born dominion is coming to an end. We believe humanity is heading toward a brighter future.”
…
“The king possesses no human emotions. She can’t even remember the names of her closest companions who fought life and death beside her.”
“No… that’s not it. She can’t remember anyone. Is this the price she paid for her power?”
“The king’s shadow, who spent every waking moment by her side, has disappeared.”
…
The entries were disjointed and fragmented, and Irene could only make out parts of the meaning. Yet there was a strange, captivating magic in the words that compelled her to keep reading.
Much of the middle had been scribbled out—only the final sentence remained legible:
“The king failed to fulfill her dream. The shadow took her place. The king loved all of humanity, but the shadow loved only her king—her sister. The shadow hated the world that took her sister away…”
That line sent an inexplicable chill down Irene’s spine.
And just then, a pair of hands gripped her shoulders from behind.