[V11C20] Challenge of the Talentless

After passing through the corridor restricted to authorized personnel, then descending the staircase to the basement level, Cyril and Raul found themselves in front of a pair of iron doors.

There were no knobs or handles; only a magical circle drawn in gold paint right at the center.

This was the First Seal. Passing through the door did not necessarily require the Key of Knowledge, as any key with the corresponding magical formula could be employed instead.

The three other keys for opening the First Seal were managed by Library Society officials. However, only the Key of Knowledge’s wielder could proceed into deeper sections.

“At long last, it is my time to shine.”

Once Cyril removed his leather gloves, the jet-black ring on his right middle finger sparkled in opalescent hues and spoke.

This ring was the Key of Knowledge Sophocles, one of only seven ancient artifacts in Ridill, historically managed by Marquis Highown and the Lineage of Knowledge.

“Hey, long time no see, Sophocles,” Raul said, lifting a hand as he greeted the ancient artifact with the familiarity of an old friend.

“Indeed, it has been a while, breast-less Thorn Witch,” Sophocles replied in his usual dignified voice.

“Refrain from making vulgar comments while on my finger.”

This caused Cyril to furrow his brows, but the seemingly unconcerned Raul continued his conversation with the ring.

“So you’ll be guiding us through the Forbidden Archives today?”

“But of course. You must be relieved to have access to my extensive knowledge of the Forbidden Archives, yes? I give you permission to show more respect to me.”

“Well, about that…”

Raul scratched his cheek, and mumbled a question.

“If you know everything about the Forbidden Archives, do we even need to go inside? Can you just tell us what’s written in the books?”

A reasonable point.

However, Sophocles argued back while flickering a bright red.

“You fool! Do you know how amazing I would be if I knew everything written in the forbidden tomes!? No one would call me the weakest artifact anymore!”

“Is that what they call you?” Cyril interjected.

Meanwhile, Sophocles flickered a stronger light than before. He seemed incredibly expressive and emotional for an inanimate ring.

“While I am familiar with the contents of all publicly available books, access to the forbidden tomes is restricted even to me. Otherwise, I would become portable access to the Forbidden Archives.”

Cyril thought this made sense, but it led to another question.

“In that case, how much do you know about the Forbidden Archives?”

“Just a catalog: the titles, authors, and a brief overview for each book. However, communicating this catalog orally is also strictly forbidden. I am only permitted to directly transfer this information to my contractor while inside the Forbidden Archives.”

These severe limitations hinted at how dangerous the books of the Forbidden Archives could be if mishandled.

Even the knowledge that certain books were housed in the Ascard Grand Library was valuable information.

“I see. In that case, please disclose the catalog to me once we enter the Forbidden Archives.”

Cyril raised his right hand, and the ring on his middle finger radiated a white light as it drew a magical formula in the air.

Though looking tense, Cyril opened his mouth and spoke the words.

“I, Cyril Ashley, contractor to the Key of Knowledge Sophocles, command you. Grant us access to the wisdom dormant on your bookshelves.”

The floating particles of light reformed into a perfect mirror of the magical circle engraved on the door.

The iron doors slowly opened with a metallic creaking sound.

Cyril swallowed nervously, lowered his right hand, and clenched his palms, which were damp with cold sweat from the tension. The two weasels on his shoulders were looking at him with concern.

“Let’s go.”

Cyril muttered the words more to himself than anyone else, then stepped into the Forbidden Archives with Raul following suit.

Once the two passed through the doorway, the iron doors slammed shut with more than twice the speed they had opened, resulting in a forceful clang. The sound caused Cyril to flinch slightly.

Cyril and Raul found themselves in a short corridor leading to another door. This one had a doorknob.

Once Cyril grasped the doorknob, Sophocles spoke with a faint glow.

“This is the entrance to the First Forbidden Section. Brace yourself.”

Cyril turned the doorknob, opened the door, and raised the lantern held in his left hand.

The First Forbidden Section seemed to be a reasonably spacious room. The lantern’s light was not enough to illuminate everything.

The first thing Cyril managed to make out was the smell of old paper and ink.

Once his eyes adjusted, he noticed the neatly arranged bookshelves to the left and right. Another door was visible in the back.

Immediately afterwards, his ears caught the hushed whispers of the surroundings.

——”A human. A human has come.”

——”Oh, what a lovely surprise. He looks truly delicious.”

——”The human is an Ashley. I can tell by his scent.”

——”I wonder how sweet his blood will taste…”

——”Oh lovely… the Thorn Witch is here too.”

It felt as though a dark entity beyond the lantern’s reach had crawled forth and licked him from head to toe. Cyril caught a glimpse of that illusion for an instant.

The repulsive sensation of being licked by an invisible monster’s tongue sent shivers down Cyril’s spine.

Behind the frozen Cyril was Raul, who spoke casually as someone who had entered the Forbidden Archives several times.

“Wow… it seems more lively than usual…”

“That is only natural, as both Ashley and the Thorn Witch are here at the same time.”

Cyril took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, making an effort to keep his stomach tucked in.

He must not allow himself to be disturbed by the whispers of the sealed monsters… but he must not plug his ears to them either.

Because their whispers were also a form of “knowledge”.

——”Show me your face, let me hear your voice.”

——”Great witch. Grant us a shower of fresh blood.”

——”Feed me, feed me. Else I shall pierce your fair skin with my fangs.”

——”My beloved and beloathed… I beg of you, Thorn Witch, allow me a touch of your hands.”

——”Child of Ashley, give me a taste of your fear.”

It was as though their chilling malice was reaching out and choking Cyril. This was much different from the refreshing cool generated by Pikeh.

However, Cyril was a man accustomed to walking through malice.

(I need to get a hold of myself. Remember your purpose for coming here.)

After regaining his calm, Cyril delivered a command to the Key of Knowledge.

“Sophocles, disclose the catalog of the Forbidden Archives.”

“…Just to make sure, you are referring to the First Forbidden Section, correct?”

“No, I request the catalog of the entire Forbidden Archives.”

Right before entering the Forbidden Archives, Sophocles had mentioned that he was forbidden from communicating the catalog orally. Presumably, this meant he would transmit the knowledge directly into Cyril’s mind.

“…A word of advice. You had better stick to the First Forbidden Section for now.”

Sophocles warned Cyril in an unusually stern voice.

However, Cyril furrowed his brows and shook his head.

“I have been ordered to investigate all the way to the Deepest Forbidden Section. Show me the entire catalog.”

Cyril had heard about what happened eight years ago. During the Gluttonous Zoe theft incident, only the books of the First Forbidden Section were investigated.

However, they did not yield any substantial information. This was precisely why it was so important to examine the remaining sections.

In order to do so, Cyril would have to pinpoint the required books from the catalog, then investigate them one by one.

Realizing that Cyril would not yield, Sophocles relented.

“…Very well.”

The ring began shimmering in all the colors of the rainbow. The intense light was completely different from earlier, causing Pikeh and Thule to shake their whiskers in surprise.

“Disclosing catalog.”

Immediately, Cyril’s field of view turned completely white.

A world of white, white, and more white… Then the white was buried in floating letters, assaulting him like a swarm of locusts.

Some people possessed the talent to understand the contents of a book just by flipping through the pages.

Cyril’s mind had just been subjected to a similar phenomenon. An endless stream of letters was being violently packed into the head of a man who lacked the ability to read them fast enough.

With such a vast amount of knowledge flowing into his head, Cyril couldn’t comprehend a majority of it. The act of trying was already frying his brain, yet the torrent of information refused to stop.

“Ugh…! Argh…!”

Before he knew it, Cyril had dropped the lantern and fell to his knees.

Thule and Pikeh, who had been riding on his shoulders, descended to the floor and looked up at Cyril with concern. Raul also rushed over and shook Cyril’s shoulders.

“Cyril!? You okay, Cyril!?”

“…Ugh… Seven Scriptures of the Old Era… Book of Eferi Melg, Bible of Ludger.. Dragon Celebrations… Black Dragon Worship… Argh… Spirit Records… Ah… Author Unknown, Author Unknown, Author Unknown…”

Cyril continued mumbling incoherently as he clutched his head and stared at the ground with vacant eyes. Raul’s voice did not reach him.

Raul turned to Sophocles with tears in his eyes.

“Sophocles, what in the world is this…!?”

“…I warned him.”

Thule and Pikeh also questioned Sophocles, with Pikeh radiating an aura of frost, and Thule with one of worry.

“What did you do to Cyril?”

“Why did this happen?”

“The contractor to the Key of Knowledge requires both the mental resilience to endure the monsters of the Forbidden Archives and the intellect to comprehend the vast amount of information in the catalog. He is lacking in the latter area; it’s that simple. Good grief.”

Even while getting drowned in the torrent of information, Cyril could understand one thing in the corner of his mind: the talented Claudia would have been able to read the entire catalog after one or two tries.

And yet, Cyril was unable to do the same.

Sophocles had once asked Cyril to recite the ancient library laws from memory, and Cyril was unable to do so. Only now did Cyril realize how much of a disappointment he must have been.

If he stumbled at that level, how could he possibly take in this enormous catalog?

The torrent of information still refused to stop. Cyril felt like his head was about to crack open, and his spirit was ready to shatter.

(So what?)

Cyril gritted his teeth and dug his nails into the floor.

(If only I had a pen and paper.)

Cyril had never been able to memorize the contents of a book in one read. That was why he repeatedly wrote down the contents until he remembered them.

However, it was not permitted to bring quills and ink into the Forbidden Archives. Memorizing by writing was not an option here.

Thus, Cyril began writing the words on the floor with his index finger. Even if his writing would not remain, the muscle memory of his hands would remember.

Eventually, his fingernail cracked and blood started seeping out. Cyril kept writing regardless.

He could hear Raul, Thule, and Pikeh calling out to him with concern. From the other ear, he heard snickers from the monsters of the Forbidden Archives.

Cyril finally paused his hand, looking down at the ring on his right middle finger.

“Sophocles.”

“…Hmm, do you wish to leave the Forbidden Archives and rest?”

“No.”

Cyril’s blue eyes showed no fear, despair, or resignation. There was only a strong determination to overcome the obstacle before him.

“I’ve memorized the first ten, so do it again. I’ll get up to twenty now.”

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