After more than six hours of painstaking effort, Alex had combed through almost every bookshelf in the library, uncovering over 300 rare and valuable texts. He even paused for a quick meal amidst the stacks, not once losing focus on his goal.
Normally, Alex would prioritize the most important books—typically about 295 of them—then copy what he needed and move on. But this time, something felt off. Despite his thorough search, a nagging feeling told him he’d missed something. He had even searched for secret compartments or hidden chambers in the library but came up empty. Frustrated, he sat back, his thoughts racing.
Yulia, sensing his frustration, saw an opportunity. She walked up briskly, trying to divert his attention. “You’ve picked out almost every book in the library,” she said impatiently. “If you’re done, just take what you need and copy it already! I don’t have all day to sit here babysitting you.”
Her outburst only deepened Alex’s suspicions. Why was she so nervous? Her obvious anxiety confirmed what he had suspected—he had missed something important.
Even so, no matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. He sighed, irritated, until a sudden realization struck him. “Wait a second…” Alex muttered, quickly rummaging through his space bag. Moments later, he pulled out a small wooden box. Yulia’s breath hitched as he opened it, revealing a vial of Felix Felicis—liquid luck.
“Don’t tell me he’s actually going to use that,” Yulia thought, her stomach twisting in knots. When Alex uncorked the bottle and took a small sip, her worst fears were confirmed.
Felix Felicis worked its magic almost instantly. Alex’s senses sharpened, his thoughts became crystal clear, and even the library seemed to glow with subtle, guiding hints.
With newfound confidence, Alex wandered back to the shelves, following his instincts. Yulia, now regretting her earlier outburst, bit her lip nervously. “Why couldn’t I just keep quiet? Maybe he wouldn’t have noticed anything…” she thought. But it was too late. All she could do was hope he wouldn’t stumble upon the hidden treasure.
Alex stopped in front of a particular bookshelf. He didn’t consciously know why, but something about it felt… off. He scanned it carefully, his eyes narrowing as he examined the row of blank notebooks at the bottom.
At first, he had dismissed the blank notebooks as ordinary—after all, this was a family library, and personal notes or unused journals weren’t unusual. But something about them nagged at him now, thanks to the enhanced clarity provided by the potion. His gaze landed on one notebook in particular. “Why don’t I recognize the material on this cover?” he murmured, pulling it out. As someone well-versed in alchemical processes and magical creatures—thanks to years spent alongside Hagrid—Alex could usually identify materials on sight. But this cover was unfamiliar, and that set off alarms in his mind.
Yulia, watching from the sidelines, felt her heart drop. Her toes curled so tightly into the floor she might as well have been carving shapes into it. ‘He found it! What do I do now?’ she panicked internally, resisting the urge to lunge forward and snatch it out of his hands. But that would only confirm her guilt. She forced herself to stay calm, telling herself there was no way Alex would figure out its true nature. To anyone else, it would seem like just another ordinary notebook.
Alex frowned, flipping through the pages. They were indeed blank, with no magical fluctuations detectable at all. Yet his instincts screamed that there was more to it. He muttered spells under his breath, attempting various detection and transformation incantations. “Finite Incantatem! Revelio! Revert to form! Restore to origin!” Each spell yielded nothing.
Alex tried a series of spells, one after another, but the notebook remained unresponsive. The Revealing Curse didn’t work, nor did any Transfiguration spells. He frowned, tapping his fingers against the desk in frustration. “It seems just throwing magic at it won’t work,” Alex muttered. “Let’s see if good old physics can crack this.”
With that, he reached into his bag and pulled out a peculiar tool—a hammer labeled ‘No Damage Hammer.’ He raised it, preparing to smash it down onto the notebook. “Wait! What are you doing?!” Yulia, who had been observing, leapt forward in alarm.
Alex stopped mid-swing, turning to her with a sly smile. “Oh, what’s this? You seem... panicked. Is there something about this book you don’t want me to know?”
Yulia stiffened, realizing her outburst had given her away. She crossed her arms, trying to look composed. “Fine, I admit it. But what do you plan to do? Destroy it because you can’t figure it out? This book is Travers family property, and I won’t stand by and watch you ruin it!”
Alex chuckled. “Relax, I have no intention of breaking it. But if you don’t want me to smash it, why not just tell me how to open it?”
“You wish!” Yulia huffed. “Do you think I’d reveal family secrets so easily? And let me warn you—if this book is damaged, you’ll be banned from the library forever.”
Alex grinned mischievously. “Oh, don’t worry, I always keep my word. Besides, who said I’m going to damage it?”
Before Yulia could protest further, Alex brought the harmless hammer down with a heavy bang onto the notebook’s cover. The hammer, inscribed with a glowing ‘Analysis’ rune, sent a pulse of magic rippling across the surface.
Yulia’s heart leapt into her throat at the sound. The sheer force of the impact made her nervous, though she reassured herself the family heirloom was unbreakable. The book emitted a faint magical wave but remained sealed. Alex smirked. “Ah, there’s definitely something hidden here. Let’s see how much punishment it can take.”
He raised the hammer and brought it down again—and again. Each strike echoed loudly through the room, and Yulia hovered nearby, torn between outrage and nervous curiosity. Finally, after several more hits, a web of intricate magic patterns appeared on the book’s cover. The crisscrossing lines glowed faintly, forming a defensive barrier that practically screamed, “Keep out!”
“Well, that’s more like it,” Alex said with satisfaction.
Yulia, on the other hand, felt her shoulders relax. “See? You’re not getting in,” she said smugly. “That protection code is tied to our family’s bloodline. You’ll never crack it.”
Alex gave her a knowing look. “Oh? Is that so?”
From his coat, he produced a small crystal bottle filled with deep red liquid. Yulia’s eyes widened. “Blood?!” she blurted out. “How—?”
Alex ignored her, uncorking the bottle and pouring a few drops onto the book’s surface. The blood glowed faintly before seeping into the magic patterns. Moments later, the glowing lines dissolved, and the book emitted a sharp burst of magical energy before falling silent. Yulia stood frozen, her jaw hanging open. “How did you…?”
“Simple deduction,” Alex said casually, flipping open the book. “That protection was a bloodline charm, but I’ve dealt with more sophisticated versions before. Torquil’s blood worked like a charm.”
The notebook revealed its contents, and Alex couldn’t help but marvel at what he saw. “So, this is what Torquil really meant.’
The Salazar’s Grimoire Alex first get is nothing more than his research noted disguised as one, but this one is the true Grimoire The first page displayed the title of a spell: Ignis Tempora. Below it were two boxes. The upper box showed the complete rune structure of the spell, while the lower box contained detailed notes—precautions, dispelling techniques, and even annotations left by generations of Travers family members.