Chapter 10: The Solved Puzzle

“You? …What are you doing here?”

I froze mid-step, my mouth half-open, and my mind scrambling like a computer with 50 tabs open. It couldn’t be… could it? Yes, it was. Queen. The actual queen of the kingdom, standing right in front of me, glancing around Duke’s house like she owned the place. Wait… maybe she did.

Why was she here? At Duke’s house? And… because of Kiara too? My curiosity spiked instantly. Questions swirled in my head faster than a whirlwind. How did the queen even know about this place? Did she… care about the melons?

She tilted her head, eyes sparkling with amusement, and asked me in that light, teasing tone that made my brain stutter: “What are you doing here now, dear?”

“Dear?” I repeated silently in my head. Dear? The Queen just called me ‘dear’?

I glanced at Alicia. Her lips parted slightly, eyes wide, almost as if she were seeing a magical creature for the first time. She was shaking—subtly at first—but it was there, and it looked almost… cute. The kind of nervous-shaking that made you think, aww, she’s innocent, poor thing.

I had to get myself together. I cleared my throat and asked, trying to sound casual, “You’re here… for books too, right?”

“Yes,” the Queen replied, her lips curling into a small smile. Then she added in a voice dripping with sly amusement, “Seems you are too. And…” She paused dramatically, eyes flicking toward the table with my melons. “…I came here for melons. But it seems yours are the best.”

My brain literally froze. Melons? My melons? I mean, yeah, they were thanks to the system. Without it, I wouldn’t have even a single melon seed to my name. My chest puffed up a little in pride—and then I sighed because, of course, the world’s queen had to show up and make my personal pride feel like a national treasure.

I tried to break the tension with a casual gesture. “Alicia… meet the Queen. Don’t be nervous.”

Alicia’s shaking intensified. Cute, yes, but she was clearly struggling. Her eyes darted nervously between the Queen, me, and the Duke who had silently appeared behind his massive desk, observing everything with a raised eyebrow.

I plopped myself onto a chair, letting the weight of authority—or maybe just comfort—settle in. Kiara emerged from the room carrying a few more melons. Her movements were stiff, tense, almost as if walking on a tightrope over a pit of hungry lions. It was painfully obvious the Queen’s presence was more intimidating than any monster we’d faced before.

Alicia clutched her books like a lifeline, barely daring to blink. She wanted to hand them over and escape, as though royalities were some dangerous chemical that would dissolve her on contact. Kiara approached the table carefully and… sat on my lap?

Wait. What?

Alicia’s eyes widened. Her brain probably scrambled: Who is this guy? Even the Queen seems to respect him, and… why is Kiara, who hates men, sitting on his lap?

I held my hands up in mock surrender, trying to remain calm. “Kiara, I have something for you… go to the kitchen and bring me five cups of boiling water.”

Kiara nodded stiffly and scurried off. I shook my head slightly, mumbling under my breath: Thanks, system… again. Instant coffee to the rescue.

She returned in record time, placing the cups on the table. I pulled out my instant coffee sachets—another lifesaving system reward—and began preparing them. The aroma filled the room, and immediately I saw the Queen’s eyes light up.

“Wow… so tasty!” Kiara exclaimed, taking a sip. Her tone was almost reverent. The Queen, Duke, and Alicia all followed suit. Alicia’s first taste of coffee made her blink in surprise, then smile softly. She seemed genuinely happy, and I couldn’t help but feel a little warm inside.

The Duke’s satisfaction was subtle but noticeable. I prayed he didn’t ask me to deal with more royal orders anytime soon. My life was already complicated enough.

I turned my attention back to the Queen. “Okay, tell me… what exactly did you find?”

She sighed, a small, dramatic sigh that made me shiver unexpectedly. “Nothing much… I checked those books, but to be honest, they’re normal. But now… you’ve come to put in the effort to win…” She licked her lips, just slightly. My heart skipped a beat, and I had to resist the urge to fan myself.

Alicia noticed too. Her brows furrowed slightly, a tiny frown forming as she watched the Queen. She seemed a little offended, as though she had imagined her idol Queen in some perfect, untouchable light—not this… mischievous, teasing version.

The Queen’s gaze shifted, and her voice took on a slightly adult, teasing lilt. She pointed toward Alicia, who was sitting quietly next to me. “By the way… who is she?”

I quickly answered, “Ah… meet Alicia. She’s the library manager. And I think you’ll get your answer from her.”

Alicia, bless her, immediately straightened her back, puffed her chest out a little, and recited the story like a proud little knight. “Hello, Your Majesty Queen. Actually, Kiara ordered these books that day, so I separated them so no one could take them away. But I couldn’t deliver them earlier because of this incident. Today, I brought them with me. I also took them to my mother’s house for a day, so they would remain safe.”

I couldn’t help but pat her head. “Good girl, Alicia…” Then I realized mid-motion that she was not a puppy. “Sorry, sorry,” I muttered, retreating my hand. Alicia didn’t seem to mind, though.

Suddenly, in a blink, the Queen was in my lap. I froze, hands hovering awkwardly near her shoulders. “Me too, meoto,” she said cheerfully.

I placed a hand on her head, trying to keep my voice steady. “Good… good. You did good work.”

She instantly beamed and ran off to sit properly, leaving me staring blankly at the empty space she had vacated. Everyone—including me—was utterly shocked. The Queen was not my puppy. Not even close. And yet… here we were.

Kiara, Alicia, and the Duke all seemed to recover faster than I did. Kiara darted her eyes between the Queen and me, clearly thinking, What even just happened? Alicia’s face burned slightly red, but it seemed more out of embarrassment than anger. The Duke just leaned back in his chair, smirking like he had expected some chaos but was enjoying the show anyway.

I slumped back in my chair, rubbing my temples. “I need a drink,” I muttered under my breath. Not system coffee this time—something stronger, perhaps.

Alicia, still holding her books, whispered to me nervously, “Erik… what… just happened?”

I shrugged. “I have no idea, but… it’s the Queen, so… you can’t question it. Just roll with it.”

She nodded slowly, her nervousness now laced with awe. Somehow, in her quiet, determined way, she managed to keep herself composed. Meanwhile, Kiara finally relaxed slightly, though she still cast nervous glances toward the Queen, as if trying to gauge what the next unexpected event might be.

The Queen’s voice broke through the silence, drawing everyone’s attention again. “You know, Erik… your melons are truly exceptional. I didn’t expect someone to put this much care into… melons.” She paused, eyes glinting with amusement. “I almost wish I could take a few back to the palace, but… no, these are yours.”

I swallowed hard, nodding politely. Thanks, system… again. My melons were suddenly of royal significance, and I had no clue how to handle the honor—or the potential embarrassment.

Alicia leaned closer, whispering, “Your… your melons are famous now?”

I gave her a flat, tired look. “Apparently… yes. Famous enough for a queen to personally visit me for them.”

The Queen laughed softly, a melodic, slightly mischievous sound that made me glance at her nervously. She seemed to enjoy every second of this little gathering, watching our reactions like a child watching a puppet show.

The Duke cleared his throat, breaking the Queen’s attention from me momentarily. “Shall we discuss the books now?” he said, though his smirk betrayed that he found the entire situation highly entertaining.

“Yes, yes…” the Queen replied, regaining some composure. “Let’s see what’s so important in these books.” She leaned forward slightly, her eyes twinkling, though a hint of amusement remained.

I glanced at Alicia and Kiara, both of whom were now trying to sit as properly as possible without toppling over. Somehow, this mundane trip to deliver books had turned into a royal comedy. And somehow, I was stuck right in the middle of it.

I sighed. Just another day in my life, where the system gave me melons, instant coffee, and now… the royal queen hopping into my lap for no reason whatsoever.

Yep… normal.

Meanwhile, Alicia carefully opened the stack of books she had brought, her fingers tracing the spines like a maestro about to conduct a symphony. Kiara hovered beside her, her eyes scanning the titles as though expecting each one to bite her if she wasn’t careful. The library had a quiet, almost sacred atmosphere—but with me and the Queen in the room, that sacredness had already been shattered into a million pieces.

My attention, however, had been stolen by one particular book. Its title was innocuous enough: “Find Our Own Class.” But flipping through its pages, I was instantly captivated. The book was a catalog of… classes. Beast classes, magic classes, warrior classes, crafting, alchemy, cooking even—basically every fantasy trope you could imagine—but all written with meticulous detail, diagrams, tables, and even flowcharts. My mind couldn’t help but wander.

Ahh… magic. Wish I had magic too…

But then a curious thought hit me. Lucy, Lilly, Urara, Kiara, Alicia, even the Queen herself… they all use magic? Or can use magic? Yet, while fighting earlier—or even in day-to-day life—I had never seen any of them casting spells. None. Not a spark, not a puff of fire, not a minor enchantment. That meant either only a few select people could wield magic, or maybe everyone could, but certain conditions had to be met. My brain immediately ticked into detective mode. Something here was off… and I had to find out.

As I read further, my eyes caught something scribbled on a page. A pencil? Seriously? Pencils exist here? It looked like a sequence of numbers:

222, 356, 856, 452

I frowned. Page numbers? Impossible. This book barely had 200 pages. Who wrote this? Previous reader? Or… someone recently?

I looked up at Alicia. “Has anyone rented this book before?”

Alicia adjusted her glasses and scanned the titles carefully. “This year, no one has rented it… ah, wait… someone took it a few days ago. But before that? Nobody… at least, not in the last few months.”

I exhaled a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. Thank God their months and years match Earth’s. I don’t think my brain can handle alien calendars on top of everything else.

I bent back over the page and studied the numbers. Something felt… deliberate. These weren’t random. Someone had left a code. A message.

“People read these books too, right?” I asked cautiously. “Did you see anyone read this book?”

Alicia shook her head. “No… this book isn’t on the normal shelf. Our library has three sections: one for rent-and-read, one for read-only, and one for rent-only. This book is from the third section. Mostly royal patrons come here, so few people are interested in this type of book. Even children avoid it. It’s… basic knowledge, apparently.”

I felt my face heat up. And here I was, reading it like some genius detective… no wonder it looked strange.

But the numbers… they still nagged me. 222? 356? 856? 452?

I muttered under my breath: “Two… two… two…” My mind raced. This world had two moons, two suns, two lives… and apparently two versions of everything, maybe, if the system’s logic was consistent. “Two books, two pages, two words… maybe it’s that simple.”

Then it clicked. Oh. Shit.

Page 2. Line 2. Word 2.

I grabbed a notebook and scribbled furiously, deciphering each number:

I read them aloud: “EAS… AEE… YEAAA… EAL…”

Nothing made sense. Magic words? A spell? Or maybe some secret code for a door? My brain felt like it was doing gymnastics without a safety mat.

I showed my scribbles to Alicia. She squinted at them for a long moment, lips pursed, her brows furrowing like she was entering some intellectual war zone. “Hmm… something’s strange here,” she finally murmured.

I leaned in. “Strange how?”

“These words… pronounced…” she began slowly, “like EAS also pounces on its last alphabet, S.”

My brain went click-click-click. So if EAS = S…

Alicia continued, “Then AEE = E, YEAAA = A, and EAL = L.”

I gasped. My finger hovered over the notebook. “S… E… A… L… SEAL!”

“Seal?” Alicia echoed, her voice curious. “I’ve heard this name somewhere.”

Before I could respond, the Queen’s voice floated across the room, tinged with curiosity. “It’s a small but famous shop for medicines… why are you looking at it?”

My pulse spiked. Seal Shop… something’s going to happen there. But what? When?

Suddenly, a piercing scream cut through my thoughts. Kiara’s scream. My head whipped toward her in shock.

A man had grabbed her.

Not just a grab—a full-on, panicked, horrifying kidnap attempt… right here, in Duke’s house.

Kiara struggled, flailing her arms, her face pale as her nails dug into the man’s forearm. “Let… me… go!” she screamed, her voice shaking but fierce.

Everyone froze. The Queen’s eyes narrowed sharply, the subtle amusement replaced by deadly seriousness. The Duke’s chair scraped back, and he moved with the speed of someone half his age, though I’m sure his intimidating presence did half the work.

I sprang into action instinctively, system alerts already buzzing in my head. Reward for protecting a royal? Please. I needed that bonus.

The man had his eyes fixed on Kiara, clearly not expecting anyone else in the room to react so quickly. But reaction I did. I grabbed the nearest chair—a heavy, wooden one—and swung it with precise force at the man. He yelped, stepping back just enough to loosen his grip. Kiara stumbled forward into my arms, coughing and shaken but safe.

The Queen didn’t just sit there. In an instant, she had drawn a slender dagger from her side, pointing it with precision. Her voice was like ice and fire combined: “Release her. Now.”

The man froze. Something about the aura in the room—me, the Queen, the Duke—made him realize this wasn’t a playground fight. He turned, bolted, and in seconds, disappeared out the massive front doors of the mansion.

Kiara sank into my lap, trembling. “I… I didn’t expect… someone…” Her words faltered, and I held her tightly, trying to reassure her.

Alicia leaned closer, whispering urgently, “That man… he must have been after something related to the books… or maybe the SEAL shop clue. Why else would he target Kiara here?”

I nodded slowly. It all connected now. The numbers. The code. SEAL. And now… someone trying to snatch Kiara. Whoever it was, they had resources and information. And they weren’t afraid to act.

The Queen’s eyes, now sharp and calculating, flicked between me, Kiara, and Alicia. “This is more than a coincidence,” she murmured. “You need to be careful. Whoever is behind this knows far too much.”

Kiara buried her face into my chest. “I… I just wanted to bring the books. I didn’t… I didn’t expect anyone would—”

I gently placed a hand on her back. “It’s okay. You’re safe now. But we need to find out who did this… and fast. That SEAL shop clue isn’t just a coincidence. It’s a warning.”

Alicia’s hands shook slightly as she held the open book. “Then… we follow the code? We decipher it completely?”

“Yes,” I said, voice firm, my mind already racing through strategies. “But we need to act carefully. Whoever wrote those numbers… whoever kidnapped Kiara… they’re not amateurs. And they might already be watching us.”

The room fell into tense silence. Outside, the sun shone brightly, mocking us with its calm. But inside Duke’s mansion, danger had just barged through the front doors—and I knew, deep down, this was only the beginning.

Kiara peeked at me from my chest, eyes wide. “Erik… will… will we be okay?”

I swallowed hard and gave her a small, reassuring smile. “We will. But… it’s going to get messy.”

The Queen leaned back in her chair, a tiny smirk playing on her lips despite the tension. “Messy? Oh… we’re just getting started.”

And with that, I realized… my quiet library day had officially turned into a full-blown royal-level crisis. With magic, codes, and kidnappers in the mix, nothing in this world was ever going to be simple again.