Chapter 197: Encounter (11)
“Come to think of it.”
While we were heading to the Room of Memories, Velita suddenly opened her mouth and said that.
“You two seemed to already know quite a bit about the Room of Memories, didn’t you?”
Velita’s gaze swept over Lian and Cecilia one after the other.
All the while, a strange smile lingered at the corners of her lips.
“Yes, that’s right. The two of them have already been inside before.”
Before either of them could answer, Windy May spoke first with a mischievous tone.
“Oh my.”
Velita put on a rather surprised expression.
“That’s impressive. I heard it's rare for ordinary students to even be aware of its existence, let alone receive permission to enter…”
“But didn’t Your Highness also know about it?”
“Well, I’m royalty, after all. I can’t exactly claim I found out purely through my own means.”
Velita asked,
“What did you two do to be granted entry into the Room of Memories?”
“Hmm, that’s a secret, so I can’t tell you.”
Though Windy May answered playfully, it wasn’t hard for Lian to notice that there wasn’t a trace of mischief in her eyes.
“More importantly, how much do you know about the Room of Memories, Your Highness?”
Windy May asked, shifting the topic.
“Hmm… I know as much as I’ve heard passed down.”
After a brief pause for thought, Velita continued calmly.
“It’s a hidden, secret space within the Academy that even members of the imperial family can’t enter at will. It’s also a place where one can borrow the wisdom of the Founders of the Three Families.”
Windy May nodded.
“If you know that much, then that’s more than enough.”
At her words, Velita smiled faintly.
“So, who are you hoping to meet?”
To Windy May’s question, Velita answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Talia Poas. I’d like to meet her. There’s something I wish to ask.”
“What is it?”
When Windy May asked, Velita smiled sweetly.
“That’s a secret, so I can’t tell you.”
Returning Windy May’s earlier words right back at her, Velita made Windy May visibly pout with a sulky expression.
“……”
On the surface, she pretended to sulk like a child, but in truth, she was calmly sorting out her thoughts.
‘Hmm.’
Windy May had long known that Velita was no ordinary person…
But truthfully, Windy May wasn’t particularly concerned about her.
She had seen many people labeled as geniuses, and she herself had once been called a peerless genius.
Besides, Windy May didn’t have the luxury of turning her attention elsewhere at the moment.
“……By the way, are we really allowed to go in too?”
Lian asked cautiously.
“I don’t see why not?”
Windy May casually shrugged her shoulders.
“You two have done enough to warrant it… and the fact that Yeriel didn’t raise any objections is proof of that. If nothing else, that guy is very strict about separating public and private matters. If I were just forcing it, he’d have stopped me already.”
As their conversation went on, the four of them soon arrived at the Room of Memories.
Windy May, moving as if it were second nature, opened the door and stepped inside, revealing the familiar interior.
“Just a moment~.”
Saying she needed to prepare, Windy May headed to the inner section first.
As the three of them waited in silence, Velita suddenly turned her head toward Lian.
That enigmatic smile still hovered on her lips.
“Is there anything you’d like to say to me, Sir Lian?”
“What do you mean?”
Lian asked calmly in return.
“Hmm, just something like… precautions I should take, or maybe some special advice? If not that, then…”
Trailing off, Velita gave him a meaningful smile with her eyes.
At that moment, someone unexpectedly interrupted their conversation.
“……I’ll answer.”
It was Cecilia.
Her expression was as calm as usual, yet there was an inexplicable sharpness in the air around her.
“There’s nothing in particular to be cautious about. The Founders of the Three Families… aren’t as strict about etiquette as you might expect. At least, that was the case with Siren Everglenn of my family, and with Talia Poas, whom Lian met.”
Cecilia placed particular emphasis on Lian’s name.
Her gaze lingered briefly on Lian before shifting to Velita.
“……”
“……”
As the two locked eyes, an oddly tense silence began to form.
At that moment, Windy May clapped her hands loudly.
“Alright, all set! Miss Velita, you may go in first.”
“……Thank you. Excuse me, then.”
Velita gave a slight bow and, without hesitation, opened the door and stepped inside.
“Cecilia, would you like to go in too? It’s fine if you don’t.”
When Windy May asked, Cecilia seemed to consider it briefly before nodding.
She, too, cast a brief glance at Lian before opening the door and disappearing beyond it.
Now, only Lian and Windy May were left.
Instead of heading to the door, Lian looked at Windy May.
She, too, was facing him.
“Then shall we have a little chat?”
“……So that’s how it happened.”
Lian explained everything that had transpired to Windy May without leaving anything out.
The story he heard from Amaruah, the matters involving Menoruka and Behad…
Throughout his recounting, Windy May listened intently, maintaining a serious expression, without making a sound or reacting outwardly.
Only after he finished did she nod slightly.
“Hmm… I suppose I’ll have to meet this Menoruka child myself first, and then go see the dragons directly.”
She murmured quietly to herself.
“And the sudden drop in contact from Aleph and Jemira is concerning, too…”
“Aleph and Jemira?”
Lian asked, and Windy May waved a hand as if to dismiss it.
“Oh, just the names of the friends we sent out on investigations. Don’t worry about it. More importantly…”
Windy May pulled out a small bundle from within her robes.
When she carefully unfolded it, a bizarrely shaped iron needle came into view.
“Have you ever seen something like this?”
Windy May showed the iron needle as she asked.
At first, Lian didn’t recognize what it was.
But before long, his expression hardened.
It was significantly smaller, but it was unmistakable.
Wasn’t it eerily similar to the spear that had been deeply embedded in Lancia’s chest—where her heart should’ve been—in that nightmare he had not long ago?
Noticing his reaction, Windy May’s gaze sharpened.
“Looks like you know something. Can you explain it?”
After a moment of hesitation, Lian opened his mouth.
“……It might sound absurd, but I saw it in a dream.”
“A dream, huh.”
Windy May nodded.
“What kind of dream was it?”
“I don’t remember it clearly… but it was embedded in the chest, close to the heart, of someone I knew.”
He paused briefly, then continued.
“The difference was that it was much bigger than the one you’ve shown me, Professor. It was like a spear. And the person it was stuck into was already dead in the dream, but I got the feeling that I was the one who fought them.”
“Was there anything else strange?”
“The surroundings were devastated. As if a war had taken place.”
“Hmm…”
Windy May let out a low hum, as if intrigued.
She fell into brief contemplation before murmuring to herself.
“A gift of prophecy… Now that’s a rare one…”
“Sorry?”
When Lian asked again, Windy May gave an abrupt and seemingly irrelevant answer.
“Oh, nothing. I was just saying I’m a bit jealous. I always wanted to have that myself.”
Anyway—
She gave a small shrug.
“Then it’s my turn now. Listen carefully, alright?”
Windy May began her explanation in a calm voice.
“I also went down to the underground sewer recently. Just as you said, Lian, the traces were faint but I could clearly detect the lingering presence of a dragon. But while I was investigating, I was suddenly attacked.”
She spoke almost offhandedly.
“The attacker was Anguster. You know who that is, right? Anyway, he already looked like he had been dead for quite some time. And in his chest was an iron needle almost identical to this one.”
She paused to take a breath.
“On the surface, Anguster’s corpse was horrifically damaged, but once I retrieved and examined it closely, his muscles and internal organs were surprisingly intact. There were barely any signs of decomposition. And the way he was moving—it was entirely different from any known necromancy. I think this iron needle has something to do with it.”
Windy May let out a soft sigh as she finished her explanation.
“The Cultists of the Evil God, the iron needle, and dragons. There’s definitely some kind of link between the three… But for now, there’s nothing conclusive.”
Lian nodded silently, and Windy May nodded as if agreeing with his silence.
Then, she handed him the iron needle she’d been holding.
“Just in case, take it with you inside. Ask if they know anything about it.”
“Understood.”
Lian carefully received the iron needle.
As he began walking toward the door, Windy May suddenly called out to stop him.
“Right, there’s actually one more thing I should tell you.”
“Yes, please go ahead.”
“It’s about Princess Velita.”
Windy May continued with a neutral expression.
“She seems to be quite interested in you, Lian. Being the object of an imperial’s obsession is… exhausting. You should be careful.”
She shook her head with an expression of slight disgust, for some reason.
“It’s already a headache even if it’s purely well-intentioned. But from what I saw… it didn’t look all that pure.”
“……”
Lian gave a silent nod.
In truth, he already knew that better than anyone, even without her warning.
After a brief farewell, Lian opened the door leading to the Room of Memories.
That strange sensation he had once felt enveloped his body again.
The illusion of time twisting and space distorting.
Soon, a familiar landscape unfolded before his eyes.
An endlessly vast white space,
And at its center, a worn-out chair.
It was the same place where he had previously met Talia Poas.
“……”
But this time, Talia Poas did not appear.
Instead, someone cloaked in rags was squatting beside the chair.
He could only see their back, but even at a glance, their frame appeared similar to or slightly smaller than Lian’s.
‘Who is that?’
Siren Everglenn had likely appeared again to Cecilia, his descendant.
Besides, he was known to be a large-built warrior, so he clearly wasn’t the person here.
Then could it be Rikerka Valentin, the remaining one of the Three Founders?
But he, too, was said to be a sturdy-built man.
Unless the bizarre rumor that he was secretly a woman turned out to be true, Rikerka Valentin seemed unlikely as well.
Not to mention, he was famously obsessive about cleanliness, so there was no way he’d be draped in rags like that.
‘……Could it be.’
At that moment, Lian remembered something Yeriel had told him before.
All the people who had appeared so far were Founders of the Three Families, but Yeriel had said someone else could appear as well.
If so, then perhaps…
“……”
Just then.
The rag-covered person stirred, sensing a presence.
And slowly—very slowly—they turned their head to look at Lian.
Even though they were merely covered in rags, somehow, their face was completely obscured.
Only the eyes.
Only their eyes could be seen.
Eyes that shimmered brilliantly like sunlight reflected on the sea, yet were as dark and deep as the abyss.
“……It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Lian instinctively lowered himself in a polite bow.
“My name is Lian Gwendil. I’m a student of the Academy, and I came here through the Room of Memories. If it’s not too discourteous… may I ask your name?”
“……”
The ragged figure silently stared at Lian.
A stifling silence hung in the air. Then, at last, the person quietly opened their mouth.
“……Tia.”
Whether they were old or young, male or female—
It was impossible to tell.
But one thing was certain: the voice was so beautiful it seemed to belong in the songs of ancient sailors, a voice so enchanting it felt like it could steal one’s soul the moment they heard it.
Even though it was muffled and cracked, the underlying beauty could not be hidden.
The ragged figure spoke again in a hushed voice.
“……Bojador Arpentia.”