Deep in the forest.
"Where are we..."
Without complaint, I followed the path into the forest.
I didn't have a specific destination in mind, nor was I familiar with the surroundings.
So, I let the journey unfold as it would.
"Hmm... Wasn't it here? It should be, right? Did Dad clear it out?"
Luna was searching through the bushes, mumbling to herself.
"Ah, right! Here it is!"
Her face lit up as she found what she was looking for, then she turned to me with a bright smile.
"What is this place?"
"Do you remember? Professor Robert was looking into something about Grandfather Levian."
Luna reminded me as she parted the bushes to show me.
"This is where Grandfather Levian used to stay!"
A small, fragile-looking hut stood before us, as if a gentle push could topple it over.
It was made of worn fabric and wood, and cobwebs adorned its corners, signifying long neglect.
"But why is this still here?"
Levian had died when Luna was about 9 or 10, which meant this hut had stood here for around a decade.
"There wasn't a reason to tear it down... Plus, Grandfather's things are here!"
Luna said with a cheerful tone, beckoning me through the underbrush.
She tugged at my hand, urging me to follow her inside.
"Cough, cough! Ugh... So dusty!"
As Luna lifted the tent fabric, a cloud of dust billowed out.
She flapped her hands, trying to clear the air.
"Soft Wind."
I cast a spell to sweep the dust away from us.
"Ooh... Hehe, thank you."
Luna said with a grin, then pulled back the tent cover completely.
"Wow."
The hut was barely large enough for one or two people.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})Inside, various items were neatly arranged: a few books, various items, and a thin cloth on the floor, making the space livable for one person.
Luna stepped inside, and I followed, peeking over her shoulder.
"Nothing has changed."
She said, her smile tinged with nostalgia.
"But why are these things still here?"
"Hm? Oh, I just never thought about cleaning it up..."
Luna replied, shrugging.
I was puzzled.
Usually, a deceased person's belongings are stored or rehomed, but everything here remained untouched, as if deliberately preserved.
I picked up one of the books, curious.
"..."
As I opened it, Luna's hand stopped me, her grip firm.
"Luna, could you let go...?"
I asked, trying to be gentle.
She looked at me, her eyes sharp.
“I haven’t let it go yet!”
“Understood. I’ll just look through this quickly and then give it back.”
“Hmm! Fine! I’ll let go then!”
Satisfied, Luna loosened her hold.
I gave her a small smile before focusing on the book again.
This book, left here and forgotten, was intriguing.
Any item that once belonged to Levian was valuable, no matter how trivial, because people cherish items once owned by noteworthy individuals.
"Let's see..."
I carefully dusted off the cover and turned the page.
"…What’s this?"
I was expecting something profound, but to my surprise, the book contained very basic magical spells.
The book wasn’t penned by Levian; it was just a well-printed volume.
Something felt off, so I kept turning the pages.
"Fireball, Wind Cutter, Water Ball, Wind Blaster."
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})It was a basic textbook, the kind used when one first learns magic.
By now, the spells were so elementary to me that I can use them without referencing the book.
Looking for something unique, I scrutinized the pages but found only simple content.
The book was old and lacked several parts compared to the material I had studied.
"Why would Levian have this book here?"
I was genuinely perplexed.
“Oh, that book. I remember seeing it a long time ago.”
“So you haven’t been here since you were a kid?”
“Yeah! Didn't I tell you? There was a magical beast encounter near here, and it was dangerous. Dad said I should stay away.”
Her explanation made sense, but then it struck me – shouldn't this hut be moved?
If magical beasts were around, wouldn’t they damage these relics?
On our way here, it seemed unlikely for such creatures to get close unnoticed.
There were soldiers patrolling, and the flat terrain outside the forest provided clear visibility.
The more I thought about it, the more questions popped up.
The soldiers seemed to be protecting the forest, and they deliberately did not touch the books.
But why?
This basic spellbook could simply be stored at the Railer Mansion, right?
And why would a wizard of Levian’s stature keep such a simple book with him?
My suspicion was slowly turning into certainty.
“Luna, can you do me a favor?”
“Hmm?”
She looked at me, head cocked.
“Can you check if there’s any magic or mechanisms in this spellbook?”
“Well…”
Luna had more expertise with magical items than I did, so she was the right person to ask.
She flipped through the book, checking it over.
“It doesn’t seem to have any mechanisms...”
Luna then pulled a book from her bag and opened it to a page on analysis magic.
The book didn’t look like a magical tool, but appearances can be misleading, so she decided to test it.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})“Activate.”
A bright light shone from her book, and the spellbook absorbed it.
A magic circle then burst forth and expanded around the book.
“…Huh?”
Luna’s brow furrowed.
“This is... a magical tool, isn’t it?”
Her comment made me smile.
“What kind of magic is it?”
“It looks like it might be illusion magic.”
She examined the magic circle with focus.
“Can you undo it?”
“It looks like I might be able to.”
She scrutinized the magic circle and picked up the spellbook.
Then, quite unexpectedly, she dropped it onto the ground.
Thud—
“Huh?”
“Did it work?”
Luna opened the book once more.
“Hmm… No, that didn’t do it.”
She tapped the book thoughtfully and looked at me.
“Rudy, could you hit this book hard for me?”
“Strike the book?”
“It seems there's a specific way to solve this... but it might take time to figure out.”
“And until then?”
“This book is tied to illusion magic. Illusion magic typically breaks when the caster or the object is directly affected.”
“…Ah.”
Luna meant that rather than analyzing the illusion, we should physically disrupt the magical tool to break the spell.
Rather than meticulously unraveling each knot, it's easier to just cut them all at once.
“Sounds like a plan.”
I grinned, took the book, and stepped out of the hut.
“Luna, step back a bit, will you?”
“Okay!”
Luna's attempt hadn't dispelled the magic—obviously, a stronger impact was necessary.
Yet, I couldn't risk damaging the book.
So, I collected just enough mana in my hand, neither too little nor too excessive.
I tossed the book to the ground and, with a precise motion, punched down towards it.
“Hup!”
Thud—
My fist made contact with the book.
The force was moderate, aimed to shock but not destroy.
“Wow.”
The book's exterior began to quiver, the surface transforming before my eyes.
“The magic’s been broken.”
Luna scampered over to me.
I lifted the book, now altered, and read the new title etched on its surface.
“…Necronomicon, production diary?”
I raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Back at the Railer mansion,
"Levian sought asylum in the empire..."
"I don’t know every detail. I was only following Levian’s last wishes. He claimed it was the only way to keep Luna safe, so I obeyed."
Luna’s father’s words caused Robert to frown.
"To protect Luna?"
"The empire believes Levian fled here."
"Hm?"
Robert was visibly skeptical at this abrupt change of topic.
Luna’s father clarified,
"Levian didn’t come here on the run."
These words made Robert’s expression stern.
The prevailing belief was that Levian had run away with the magic book.
Confusion swirled in Robert’s mind.
Luna’s father shook his head, watching Robert's reaction.
"That's not the story Levian shared with me. Upon his arrival, he immediately sought me out. He needed a place out of sight, away from prying eyes. Then..."
He paused, seeming hesitant to continue,
"He instructed me to give this book to Luna after his experiment was done."
"An experiment?"
Robert was puzzled about this so-called experiment.
And then it clicked—if the book before him was the same...
"Is that what Luna has?"
"Yes. He said that he would be dead by the time the experiment was finished, so he asked me to pass it on to her."
"Ah."
Levian hadn’t eloped with the magic book after all.
Nor was the book a product of some secretive lab.
This revelation struck Robert forcefully.
He had assumed the magic book had been created and then stolen, but the truth was different.
The magic book wasn’t created beforehand, and Levian hadn’t run away—he had come to this land of his own accord.
With Levian gone before concluding his experiment, those left behind couldn’t complete the magic book.
The experiment’s head had vanished.
'Dead by the time the experiment was finished...?'
Complex thoughts flooded Robert’s mind.
Amid his contemplation, Astina, who stood beside him, interjected.
"But what does it mean to keep Luna safe?"
"Didn’t Levian mention he had a purpose for coming here?"
Luna’s father’s statement made Astina nod.
"The Saint... no, the former Saint Beatrice. Levian said he sought this place out after speaking to her."
"...Beatrice?"
At the mention of that name, Astina's eyes grew wide, laced with astonishment.
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