Chapter 22

The wolfkins didn't have libraries. Instead, they had archives. Unlike a library, one couldn't borrow its contents. Everything must be read in front of the shelf where it was stored. One couldn't bring it to any other place, even within the same building. They didn't have books, either. Instead, they used scrolls.

“These are really similar to the mysterious scrolls back at school,” Meline murmured.

“I could sense their magic.”

Unlike the ones in school, these had normal letters that they could read. It didn't have lorem ipsum in it, either. Some of the scrolls discussed the history of the wolfkin, while others discussed their traditions.

“Now, where is the scroll that discusses magic…”

The three of them looked around, opening one scroll after the other. Some scrolls were written in other languages. Kade gave those to Meline. Meline would take a look, then return it to him when she realized it wasn't useful.

They spent an entire hour looking for any clues in the archive, but didn't manage to find anything.

“Should we ask for help?” Kade whispered, glancing at the archivist sitting at a desk near the entrance.

“I guess we could.”

They tidied up their disguise. Meline then walked over to the archivist, Kade, and Linda following behind her.

The archivist noticed their approach and looked up from the document she was reading. “How can I help you?” The archivist asked with a smile. “Anything you need?”

“... Magic,” Meline replied.

“Books surrounding magic in general?”

Meline shook her head.

“Oh, you mean wolfkin magic?”

Meline nodded. The archivist stood up and guided them to the second floor through a hidden staircase in the rear. It was hidden behind a bookshelf. He didn't see any warning signs. No ‘staff only’ or the like. Had they known this route, then they could have come here on their own.

It was as if the archive didn't want the public to know about this place, despite no rule banning anyone from entering. The second floor was dark. The torches were unlit. The only source of light came from the two small windows at the front section of the floor.

The archivist led them to a shelf. This shelf only contained three scrolls.

“It's this one here.”

“Thank you.”

The archivist left them, returning back to the first floor. Meline reached out and took one of the scrolls, opening it. It was too dark to see, so Linda used magic to create a small flame on the tip of her finger. She carefully placed the flames over the scroll, far enough that the heat didn't burn it.

A sudden ruckus happened outside, prompting the three of them to glance at the window.

“Probably a street fight,” Meline said, returning her attention to the scroll. The scroll was written in a foreign language.

Kade checked the other two scrolls. Like this one, the other two were also written in languages he didn't understand. He couldn't help this time.

“Can you read this, Miss Linda?” Kade asked. His professor shook her head.

“No, no luck there.”

“Give me a moment.” Meline quickly read through the contents.

“... I see…”

“Did you find something?”

“The Wolfkins used to have magical abilities that allowed them to store souls inside of items. It was said that a lost child taught them how to do so.”

“... Wait, really?”

It sounded like a big thing, not something one could find in a scroll in a mysterious section of an archive.

“Well, this scroll is pretty old. The way it was done is written, but maybe no one could replicate it.”

Back in the university, Meline had discovered a book discussing something similar. That book, however, didn't explain the technique. It only mentioned that such a thing could be done. She still had the copied book back home.

It was also introduced by a lost child, which made things even more mysterious.

“Could the hero's sword have a soul in it?” Linda frowned at the idea.

“It is stated that it isn't always a soul. Sometimes, the soul had departed, but the will remained.”

“The will?”

“It’s like an alternative. Instead of planting the soul, the person planted their will into their item. The item then acted in ways that aligned with the original soul.”

“I see…”

It made sense, considering that the sword had prevented the hero from fighting Meline. The sword's soul, or maybe the will its crafter left behind, had a goal.

“What if their goal with the fourth spear has something to do with this?”

“You mean they're trying to instill a soul into it?”

“Your spears are the same, right?”

Meline thought about it for a moment. “... True, they indeed sometimes feel like they have a will of their own.”

“But… why? Isn't that breaking any laws?”

Some laws in placed in the human world prevented certain kinds of magic from being practiced. Inflicting a soul within items had dark implications; thus, Kade wouldn't be surprised if such things were banned.

“In Demon Lands, we are aware that it has happened in the past, but none of us remember the method; thus, there are no laws against it.”

“You really should have made something.”

“I can't read the future, Linda. If I could, I would have done exactly that, I tell you.”

“By the way, can you copy these?”

Meline had copied and translated books from a foreign language in the past. If she could copy them, then they could study it in great detail after returning to the castle, away from risky wolfkin territory.

“It will take far too long, I tell you. Days, even.”

The scrolls weren't short. Copying them would take immense effort.

“It's quicker for me to take notes.”

“I'll write them down for you,” Kade offered.

“I'll guard the staircase. I'll warn you when someone comes up.”

“Alright.”

Meline said out loud things that might be important, then Kade wrote them down.

•••

It was nightfall by the time they finished. No one else visited the second floor of the archive throughout their time there.

“I got everything,” Meline said. It was time for them to return to the inn. The distance from the archive to the inn wasn't far, and teleportation took mana, so they decided to just head back by walking.

Unlike the second floor, the first floor was lit up. At least, that was the case when they entered. Even descending the stairs took a lot of effort thanks to the eerie darkness that occupied the first floor.

“Did the archivist forget we're still here?” Kade asked. It was darker compared to when they first arrived. The windows were closed, despite being opened previously. Not a single torch was lit up.

“...” Kade scanned his surroundings. Considering they spent hours on the second floor, it wasn't impossible that the archiver simply forgot. But that didn't seem like the case. How could anyone forget three people dressed in cloaks? Especially when they asked for a secretive part of the archive.

Meline and Linda exchanged glances. “Do you feel what I feel?” Linda asked.

“About how there are a lot of people outside?”

Meline nodded.

Linda approached the window, looking out. “... There are a lot of people outside, aren't there?”

Meline came closer to the windows, standing next to Linda. They kept their heads low, observing the world outside. Curious, Kade went behind them.

They could see a large number of wolfkin warriors hanging around the street in front of the archive. They were all fully armed, the archivist standing among them. They all looked tense.

“An ambush?” Meline murmured.

“Guess we're teleporting back.”

Meline teleported them away.