‘A study, just as the name suggests.’
Though the hidden space was cramped, the amount of materials was not insignificant. It would be impossible to examine everything at once. However, it didn’t seem like there would be another opportunity to enter this study, so if there was information I absolutely needed to obtain, now was the only chance.
‘It would be nice if I knew exactly what to look for.’
Since Father was not someone who acted without reason, there must be information in this study that I needed to know, and on top of that, he must have judged that I would be able to find it. With the thought of looking around for now, I slowly examined the bookshelves.
As expected, there were books that appeared to be about the family, and there were also books written in completely unreadable languages. Seeing as they weren’t foreign languages, they were likely codes. Just as I was beginning to wonder whether I would even be able to understand the necessary book if I found it, a book placed on the highest shelf caught my eye. Normally, books that aren’t read often are placed in high locations, but this was the most well-worn book in this place.
‘At least it’s fortunate that I have good eyesight from being a knight.’
When I stood on my tiptoes and reached out, the book was just barely within reach. The title of the book I pulled out by tapping it with my fingertips was <Succession of Divine Power>. After briefly checking the book, I understood both why it was hidden in this location and why it was so well-worn. This book wasn’t completed but was continuously being written in. It was a book where those who inherited divine powers, or those who observed them, recorded that history.
‘The Caesius family’s divine power was the ability to summon the dead.’
When the power was strong, they could bring not only the souls of the dead but also their divine powers, but as time went on, the number of those with such strength decreased. In the recent three or four generations, I had heard they used it in various ways, such as during trials or to summon those who died without leaving a will. However, perhaps because the Caesius family received their power thirteenth and last, their strength was inconsistent and often skipped generations.
I naturally assumed such content would be written in this book as well. However, the story of the predecessors written on the very first page was completely different from what I expected.
‘So to summarize, it’s true that Caesius was the thirteenth family to receive the ability, and it’s also true that it was a divine power granted by the gods when they tried to summon the power of someone from the Terina family, who had received their divine power third, after their death.’
The difference came after that. While other history books stated they ‘brought only the power,’ it was actually a ‘summoning of the soul.’ Moreover, it was extremely dangerous, requiring the soul of the very master who used the power as payment.
‘This is……’
I instantly understood why Father told me to visit this place.
‘The situation is similar to mine.’
Even amid the confusion, my eyes moved busily. I was fortunate that my habit of reading quickly persisted even when my mind was complicated.
The Caesius family’s power gradually weakened with each passing era, and from the third generation onward, they succeeded in concealing the original ability. The first Emperor, who was grateful for the Caesius family’s sacrifice, helped cover up much of the evidence.
The reasons for concealment were the danger of risking one’s life and to prevent being exploited by other families. Additionally, as the power of the divine ability weakened, no one after the 3rd and 5th Marquis had summoned souls. Afterward, they could only hear the voices of the dead, summon them for brief moments, or borrow the divine powers of the dead very briefly, so concealment wouldn’t have been difficult either.
However, after reading this far, I couldn’t help but have doubts.
‘Then does that mean Aila summoned my soul? Why?’
At least the Aila I remembered had absolutely no reason to summon me. Even amid the confusion, my hands moved busily. It was to obtain information about the 3rd and 5th Marquis Caesius, who had summoned the dead.
As I read diagonally at high speed, my expression gradually hardened. The soul summoned during the 5th generation had no problems whatsoever, but the soul summoned by the 3rd generation died without even lasting three years. The reason couldn’t be known, but according to the records, their limbs gradually stiffened. And this was exactly the same way as the 1st generation’s death. The difference was that the 1st generation lasted 30 years. The book suggested the possibility that this could be a side effect of a soul that didn’t match the body entering it.
‘Does that mean this body could die at any time?’
I felt as if my breathing had been completely blocked. It was an answer to something I had been constantly worried about deep down. As a result, the anxiety about when I might be expelled from this body disappeared, but a new concern arose about when side effects might appear.
Laughably, the face I thought of first at that moment was His Highness the Crown Prince. After that, the greed I had held in the carriage today felt utterly absurd.
* * *
After being dazed for a while, I belatedly came to my senses, remembering the knights waiting outside. After reading and memorizing the necessary content once more, I put the book back in its original place. When I used the knife to draw blood and returned to the study in the same way as before, I saw the knights standing right in front of me. Even without looking at their expressions, I could feel they were all quite angry.
“What happened? If you were going to move somewhere, you should have told us in advance.”
“I’m sorry. I heard there was a magic circle that activates when blood is offered, so without realizing it…… I really didn’t think it would work.”
Sir Sepiel was the first to speak. Sir Ken, who had narrowed his eyes, kept giving me suspicious looks even while I was answering. It was such a poor excuse that even I wouldn’t have believed it.
“Are you sure you did it unknowingly?”
“Yes. The Marquis, I mean Father, didn’t inform me about such a secret space.”
It would be a reasonable explanation, but the guard knights’ expressions showed no sign of softening.
“We came here to protect Sir Aila. We can’t help it if you don’t trust us, but at least let us know in advance when you’re going to move.”
Sir Ken sighed and summarized the situation. The new truths I had obtained inside the study were too heavy for me to feel relieved at having avoided immediate interrogation.
“Yes. I’ll do that. For now, I’ll just return to the banquet hall. I’m sorry for causing unnecessary worry.”
When I came outside to return to the banquet hall, the sky had completely darkened. It seemed the time I spent in the study was longer than I thought.
‘I understand why they were worried.’
I was inwardly apologizing to the guard knights as I moved forward. A familiar flash passed by. It was a precursor to a premonition. Since entering Aila’s body, I had thought I was only seeing things that would happen immediately, and this time was no different.
I clearly saw scenes of an assassin appearing not far from here and the guard knights fighting.
‘They really came targeting me?’
Of course, the Caesius family estate would be easier to infiltrate than the Imperial Palace, but I didn’t think forces trying to attack Aila would actually come. His Highness hadn’t even spent a proper night with me, he had merely helped an omega whose heat cycle had triggered, yet I couldn’t believe I had become a target for assassination so immediately. No, in fact, I still couldn’t believe that His Highness had helped me through my heat cycle.
‘No wonder he put so much effort into protecting his fiancé?’
Seeing how they didn’t immediately fall even after receiving attacks from the guard knights, they seemed to be somewhat skilled. I wondered if it would be better to warn them in advance, but soon shook my head. The assassins’ attack was fated to fail anyway. There was no need to step forward first and reveal the fact that I had noticed the assassins’ presence faster than the guard knights.
‘Instead, let’s walk a bit more slowly.’
I decided to create an environment where the knights could notice the anomaly more quickly. Premonitions were never wrong, so before we reached the banquet hall, arrows came flying. Sir Ken, who noticed the killing intent, hid me behind him. The knights swiftly surrounded me and took up a defensive formation.
‘One of them can even use sword aura.’
I habitually assessed the assassins’ combat strength. Then, as if my body unconsciously leaned forward, the knights tightened their formation even more.
“Sir Aila! Don’t expose your body outside.”
Although they were insufficient in skill, they were still His Highness’s direct guard knights, yet my fingertips itched as I just received protection like this. I suppressed the impulse to do something and crouched down. I knew well that it wouldn’t help if the person being protected became a nuisance.
‘It’s something that can be handled sufficiently even without me stepping in.’
Their skills weren’t bad, but they weren’t at a level to match the guard knights. As I judged, the assassins fell to the ground as time passed. Whether their eyes had gone mad with certain defeat, the last remaining man screamed and rushed at me.
I reflexively drew my sword, and Sir Ken blocked the front. However, before the assassin’s and Sir Ken’s swords could even clash, the man who had been rushing forward boldly collapsed to the ground.
