novelraw Chapter 106 : Chapter 106
Chapter 106 : Chapter 106
Chapter 106: The Lost Library (2)
Monika looked around.
Solid walls surrounded the small space. Judging by the magic circles engraved on the wallpaper, it was clearly intended to prevent sound from leaking out. The entrance itself was sealed from the inside. In other words, Monika was in a sealed room.
Even so, this was a coffee house.
A place established to enjoy the culture that formed high society. Monika and Abel had just arrived there, guided by Penelope. It was probably a shop prepared for distinguished guests. It seemed they had encountered a few celebrities on their way to the sealed room.
“Good. We can talk safely here.”
Sreuk, it went.
Penelope's robe was removed.
‘How beautiful.’
Monika thought, glancing at Penelope's features.
Though she had been wrapped in a shabby robe, though she had only revealed a face without makeup, she could still be sure. That she was beautiful. That the adjective ‘beautiful’ existed for people like her.
Her golden hair, standing out in yellow, seemed to be made of melted dandelions,
Her skin was flawless, as if packed with white clay. And what of her pink, glossy eyes? They were as splendid as jewels enshrined within her coolly stretched eyes.
“Hello, Mr. Abel. It's an honor to meet you again.”
“Were we acquainted?”
Penelope, Abel, and Monika were sitting around a table. With their respective ordered drinks beside them.
Penelope had requested an espresso, Abel plain water, and Monika black tea.
“I was well aware of your fame, Lady Penelope. But I have no memory of meeting you.”
“That doesn't matter. You can just remember now.”
Monika wrapped her hands around the teacup filled with black tea.
She looked back and forth between Abel and Penelope.
“Remember now?”
“I do not recall.”
“Try a little harder.”
“I do not recall.”
“Must I really show you mercy?”
“There is no need for that.”
“The Dawn Leaf Theater.”
“A cultural heritage site that I destroyed.”
“The person who was singing at that moment.”
“I am glad they were safe.”
“Penelope Polastiras.”
“……So that was it.”
Abel nodded.
He hadn't noticed because he hadn't had the time. His purpose was only to act so that no casualties occurred, and the name of the woman who sang on stage was not important. It was enough that she had survived.
“You held me in your arms. Without permission.”
“It was an act to save you, Lady Penelope.”
“I know. I liked that about you. Since you held me once, I will possess everything of yours for the rest of my life. Isn't that a fair trade?”
Let me make you mine.
Abel. Mr. Abel Argento.
Penelope whispered so.
“There will be no loss for you. It's enough for you to live in my mansion, wear the clothes I choose for you, and dedicate yourself to me. Weren't you looking for a marriage partner anyway? I'll take you.”
“No, I……”
Abel tilted his head.
What on earth is this woman talking about?
He continued, with that question in mind.
“I do not wish for a true marriage. I only need an identity to carry out my duties. I cannot accept your request, Lady Penelope. I apologize.”
“It's fine. I won't accept your apology. You shall only offer me your affection.”
I feel like I've gotten tangled up in something really bad.
Monika thought, shrinking her shoulders. Opposite Abel, who sat with a stoic expression, Penelope's demeanor was unwavering and confident. It seemed she believed it regardless of logic. That Abel was hers. That he had to become hers.
Meanwhile,
“──Isn't that right, my daughter?”
Penelope's gaze shifted towards Monika.
“……Pardon?”
“You're Abel's daughter, aren't you.”
“I am not……”
“Why are you lying to me? It's obvious you're his adopted daughter. As a songstress loved by all, I know all too well about the love that pervades the world.”
Erotic love, friendship, self-love, and maternal and paternal love…….
The love between you and Abel must surely be paternal love, so why do you try to deny it?
Penelope muttered so.
“There's no need to be afraid. I won't take your father away from you.”
“No. Abel-sensei is not my father……”
“You shall become mine too. I will leave you Abel Argento as a father, so you shall become my possession as a daughter. It would be better not to refuse. You, too, are quite like Abel……”
Penelope's index finger touched Monika's prosthetic arm.
It was caressed. Although she couldn't feel the sensation with her prosthetic arm, she could clearly perceive it with her eyes. Penelope's touch was as considerate as stroking the keys of a piano. To be so considerate while talking so selfishly. Monika pursed her lips and swallowed her confusion.
“……quite beautiful.”
“No, I……”
I'm not, she thought.
As Monika barely managed to mutter,
“Lady Penelope.”
Abel opened his mouth.
“Monika is not my daughter.”
“Why do you open your mouth without my permission?”
“It must be because I have a mouth.”
Haa, it went.
Abel let out a sigh for all to see.
Inwardly, he thought things over. Penelope's intentions were highly suspicious. To discuss marriage over an anecdote from the Dawn Leaf Theater. It was illogical and felt like a joke. It was clear that she had approached him based on a separate plan.
“Let’s get to the point.”
Above all, he could feel divine power.
It must have been from the moment he entered this place. Divine power was being emitted from within Penelope's body. It must have been to block off access from the outside by surrounding the walls. What was the reason? To set up another layer of a barrier in a space already cut off from the outside. Abel sorted through those who might have dispatched Penelope, and,
“Were you sent by His Holiness the Pope.”
He started with the most likely candidate, and,
“Oh my, you noticed?”
Penelope readily admitted.
“Let's stop the games. For what purpose have you come to see me.”
“To discuss marriage, I said?”
“Please tell me the real reason.”
“How frustrating, really.”
Penelope shrugged her shoulders.
“Listen carefully, Mr. Abel Argento. No, should I call you Lord Sword Saint? I don't lie. Everything I've said to you is true. It's better to keep my mouth shut than to bluff. That's why I haven't said it until now.”
The reason His Holiness the Pope dispatched me, she said.
Penelope explained with a smile.
“While I work as a songstress, I also……”
Suddenly, Penelope's index finger brushed across the tabletop.
A halo of light was engraved following the circular motion of her hand. A magic circle was being formed.
“I move under the command of His Holiness the Pope. I'm not as close to His Holiness as you are. Cases of being both a songstress and a cleric are rare, and that's why I only carry out missions from time to time, and……”
Tuk, it went.
Penelope tapped the center of the magic circle.
Abel's gaze narrowed. He could easily identify the symbols that made up the magic circle. The heart of the God of Oblivion ‘Fichte’. The heart of the God of Oblivion, made of five sections, symbolized the progenitors of all intelligent life, and those who could handle it were……,
“……The evangelists of the God of Oblivion ‘Fichte’ are rare, aren't they?”
That's right. Only the evangelists of the God of Oblivion.
Streaks of light began to pour out from the magic circle.
Abel closed his eyes gently. He reached out and placed a hand on Monika's shoulder. Monika looked around with wide eyes. As if she couldn't understand what was happening at all. Penelope stroked Monika's head. Towards the gradually fading Monika,
“Rest assured, my child. A mother doesn't put her daughter in danger.”
She whispered in a light tone.
* * *
There was light,
And when the light faded, there were books.
‘What is this…….’
Monika thought with a blank expression.
An infinite archive spread out before her eyes. Had she been teleported somewhere? But could a place like this exist somewhere in this world? Monika doubted, tilting her head. A library with a structure of circular shelves that delved deep underground, so deep that the end couldn't be seen. Monika had arrived on the top floor.
“This is the Lost Library.”
Suddenly, Abel opened his mouth.
Abel and Penelope were standing beside Monika.
“In other words, the palace of the God of Oblivion.”
“That’s right.”
Penelope nodded.
“The God of Oblivion has a wicked hobby. He collects the forgotten memories of his creations in his archive. In other words, this place is……”
“A library filled with the memories forgotten by all of creation.”
Abel and Penelope explained alternately, but,
“……I don't know why I'm here.”
Monika pointed out the part she truly wanted to know.
“I'm sorry, my child.”
Penelope smiled as she walked ahead.
“I didn't intend to bring you to the Lost Library too, but it just turned out this way. But you can rest assured. Even though it's the palace of the God of Oblivion, it's just that there are dangerous guards wandering around.”
“……You’re telling me to be relieved when it's dangerous?”
As Monika asked, staring at Penelope's back,
“Am I not here?”
Abel walked ahead and drew his beloved sword.
“But be careful. The guards here are unfriendly to visitors. It's because they believe that all forgotten memories deserve to be protected. To obtain information from the Lost Library, you must inevitably fight.”
“……I'll keep that in mind for now.”
One step,
As Monika reluctantly took a step,
“What information do you need.”
Abel asked Penelope,
“Memories about the cardinals who command the Parousia Denomination.”
Penelope answered Abel.
“There's a lack of records about which era they reigned. It's better to think that they were intentionally erased. His Holiness the Pope has judged that an investigation into this is necessary.”
“I agree.”
Cardinals unknown even to the Pope who had reigned for nearly a thousand years.
To understand them, there was no choice but to rummage through forgotten records. That must be why he dispatched Penelope, an evangelist of the God of Oblivion, and designated Abel as her escort.
Abel walked side by side with Penelope and looked back at Monika. Monika was taking steps, looking around everywhere. She seemed afraid at a glance. That's why it would be good training. Abel judged with a faint smile.
Above all, here……,
“Lady Penelope, I would like to ask a favor.”
He would be able to see it.
“There is a memory I want to show Monika. Would it be possible to make some time after the mission is complete.”
“The time we can stay in the Lost Library is not long. You must know that well?”
The Lost Library was the domain of a main god.
The time a mortal body could endure was limited. For now, he could move smoothly, but soon his breathing would become rough and his body would become heavy. He had to obtain the information as quickly as possible and then return.
“Then I will make some time.”
Abel muttered in an indifferent tone.
With the goal of finding Fleur's forgotten memory, which must be somewhere in here.
Because Monika would need it.