Chapter 135

“Come in, quickly. Hurry.”

“Yes, then… excuse me.”

After hearing my words, Roy dragged me into his room.

Yeah, almost by force.

Originally, I had planned to tour this mansion slowly with Lisa.

But thanks to Roy’s overflowing enthusiasm, that plan was postponed for now.

“Is this your room, Roy?”

“That’s right. My room.”

As I expected, Roy’s room was… how should I put it—if I had to describe it, a quiet room.

Just like his usual calm personality, his room was modest and tranquil, nothing flashy or extravagant.

Everything was neatly organized, with large bookshelves filled with an impressive number of books.

However, most of the books on those shelves were…

“Those books—are they all about ancient studies?”

“Nine out of ten are. The rest are about magic. There’s a chair here, sit down… do you want something to drink? Or maybe eat?”

“No, I’m fine.”

“All right. I won’t bother fetching anything then.”

Roy nodded and stood before the bookshelf.

Then, with eyes burning with a passion that differed completely from his usual demeanor, he looked at me.

“So, Gideon. You said you had something to ask about the Ancient Beings?”

“Yes. Recently, I had a reason to investigate that field, so I came to ask for your help.”

“You came to the right person. When it comes to ancient studies… at least within the Academy, there’s probably no one who knows more than I do.”

Roy’s confident expression and voice.

He was completely different from his usual quiet and composed self—like an entirely different person.

“But what exactly are you researching? Ancient studies cover a wide range.”

“The Evil Gods and the Evil Dragons. I’m researching those two beings.”

“The Evil Gods and Evil Dragons? Hmm… that’s quite an interesting subject you’ve chosen.”

With that, Roy turned toward the bookshelf and activated a spell.

Then, about ten books flew out of the massive shelf and landed before him.

“The Evil Gods and Evil Dragons. These should be all the books related to them, I think. There should be notes I wrote in here somewhere… where was it?”

While flipping through the books with magic, Roy swiftly examined their contents.

I quietly waited for him to speak first.

About twenty minutes passed like that.

“There were five Evil Gods in the ancient era, and around thirty Evil Dragons. Do you have any information that could narrow the scope?”

“Would there be any who directly intervened in the Empire’s history?”

“Hmm… that’s a tough one. Then let’s narrow it down to the Evil Gods and Evil Dragons who were in the Empire’s territory or nearby areas…”

Once again, Roy silently searched through his books, and I patiently waited again.

“Hey, Gideon. Those Evil Gods and Evil Dragons—are they connected somehow? Like, a cooperative relationship or a point of contact?”

“There probably is… no, please investigate under the assumption that there is.”

“In that case… there were three pairs where an Evil Dragon followed an Evil God, and two pairs where it was the opposite. Among them, the ones that settled in or around the Empire’s territory were…”

Roy walked to his desk and began writing something on paper, organizing his thoughts.

After a moment, he nodded and looked back at me.

“There are three Evil Gods and twelve Evil Dragons that might have influenced the Empire’s history. But among those, only one pair worked together.”

“Only one pair?”

“Yeah, just one. Before that, do you know about Muktaba’s history?”

“I learned a bit about it in history class.”

Muktaba’s history—suddenly brought up out of nowhere.

Well, I did know a fair amount.

I’d seen it in the game and learned it again in the Academy.

“Then you know that Muktaba was the last territory annexed by the Empire, right?”

“Yes. Originally, Muktaba was the land of nomads, wasn’t it?”

“Exactly. Hundreds of years ago—long before the Empire was founded—Muktaba was originally the land of nomads. Those nomads used to stay in Muktaba for three months once a year… you remember that from class, right?”

I nodded at Roy’s words.

But at the same time, I couldn’t help wondering.

Muktaba—the territory of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.

Why was he suddenly bringing up that region?

“At that time, the nomads worshipped a god in Muktaba. According to records, that god’s name was Bedir.”

“Bedir… you say?”

“Yeah. The God of Lava, Volcanoes, and Disasters. One of the two gods worshipped by the northern nomads. The other one was a god from the northernmost edge of the continent, but that one doesn’t seem related to your research, so let’s skip it.”

Roy briefly glanced through the books again, then continued his explanation.

“According to myth, Bedir was originally just an ordinary ancient god. But over time, he grew greedy for power and was banished by the other gods because of it. And just like the other cases of the fallen, upon being banished, Bedir transformed into an Evil God.”

“Was there a dragon that followed Bedir?”

“The Evil Dragon Suiroti. It was originally a normal dragon that served Bedir, but when Bedir became an Evil God, Suiroti also became an Evil Dragon.”

“What kind of dragon was Suiroti?”

“Hold on a moment.”

Roy brought over a book and showed it to me.

On the cover was a crimson-black dragon.

“According to this book, Suiroti was a dragon of ice and magic.”

“That’s unexpected. An ice dragon serving the God of Lava?”

“But according to the records, it was more famous for magic than for ice. Most of the dragons’ unique magic—what’s commonly called Dragon Tongue Magic—was said to have been created by Suiroti.”

Listening to Roy’s explanation, I quickly organized my thoughts.

Bedir, the god said to have once resided in Muktaba.

And the ancient manuscript I discovered right before transmigrating into the game.

I had found that ancient text beneath the mansion of the Isrinbloom Ducal Family.

That is to say, in the mansion located in Muktaba.

The connection to Muktaba… didn’t feel like a coincidence.

“Did that Evil God and Evil Dragon do anything in the Empire’s history?”

“They didn’t do anything.”

“…Pardon?”

“To be precise, there’s no record at all. Actually, I don’t think a single Ancient Being is mentioned anywhere in the Empire’s history.”

Roy closed the books that had been laid open and continued explaining.

“The Ancient Beings all vanished before the Empire was founded. There are no records of any that coexisted with the Empire.”

“Not even one?”

“Yeah, not a single one. The only reason we know Bedir’s name is because he was said to have settled near the Empire’s borders—but he’s not actually recorded in the Empire’s history.”

That, I hadn’t expected.

Not a single Ancient Being appearing in the Empire’s historical records?

“…Just wondering—what about the Dragon Intezer…?”

“He’s not one of the Ancient Beings. Intezer appeared in comparatively modern times.”

“So, you’re saying there are no Ancient Beings tied to the Empire at all?”

“According to the records, that’s right. Of course, it’s possible there were connections that simply weren’t recorded.”

After hearing Roy’s words, I fell silent in thought.

There were no Ancient Beings recorded in the Empire’s history.

Of course, since my ancestor had been sentenced to Record Erasure, perhaps that part of history had simply been wiped out.

‘There’s no solid proof yet, but by the look of things… it really seems like Bedir and Suiroti are the ones. I should probably start by learning more about them.’

I kept thinking.

Seeing me that way, Roy hesitated before speaking again.

“Um, Gideon? Was that helpful?”

“Hm? Ah, yes, Roy. It really was. I mean it.”

And I truly did mean it.

Thanks to Roy’s explanation, the vague paths ahead had finally become clear.

‘I had no idea which Evil God or Evil Dragon I was even supposed to look for… but at least now I know where to begin.’

Of course, I couldn’t be certain that Bedir and Suiroti were the ones I was meant to find.

But from the circumstances—and my instincts—it felt right.

So first, I had to investigate the two of them.

“I-I see! Then, Gideon, if you’d like, I could dig up more information on them. There might be more books about Bedir around here somewhere.”

“Let’s look together. I can’t keep relying on you for everything.”

After that, Roy and I went through countless books on ancient studies.

For hours, we searched for information about Bedir and Suiroti—but in the end, found nothing.

That’s how scarce the records were about that Evil God and Evil Dragon.

“Noona, are you mad?”

“…Yeah, I’m mad.”

Lisa wore her usual expressionless face.

But her eyes—anyone could tell—were sulking.

“You ditched me right after we arrived and didn’t come back until dinner.”

“Ah, Noona, that’s…”

“Hahaha! Hey, Lisa, go easy on him. Gideon said he had something to talk about with Roy.”

Nia, standing next to us, laughed as if she found the situation amusing.

But Lisa just turned her head sharply, her eyes still showing that pout.

“Forget it. Let’s just go eat dinner.”

“Come on, Noona, don’t be mad. What can I do to make it up to you?”

“Hmm, well…”

Lisa glanced toward Nia.

“Hey, sis, we’re going to the shopping district tomorrow, right?”

“Weren’t we? Gideon needs to buy clothes, and you said you wanted a swimsuit.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Lisa smiled faintly and turned back to me.

“If you promise to spend the whole day with me tomorrow, I’ll forgive you.”

“Alright, Noona. I promise.”

“Hehe, good. Oh, and tomorrow, you’re picking my swimsuit. Choose something pretty, okay?”

“Uh… y-yeah, sure.”

I looked into Lisa’s eyes again.

Playfulness—and something else.

A hint of expectation.

Meanwhile, around the same time.

Somewhere deep beneath Muktaba.

—Suiroti.

“Yes, my master.”

The dragon that had slumbered for centuries.

Upon hearing its master’s voice for the first time in hundreds of years, the dragon slowly opened its eyes.

“What is your will?”

—Someone has spoken our names—names that should have been forgotten. I could feel their curiosity toward me.

“Are they other races? Shall I go find them again…?”

Suiroti began to rise.

But at the next voice, he relaxed once more.

—No, not other races… humans, it seems. You need not act yet. But… soon, you may have to. Be ready to move at any time.

“Yes, understood. But… is the preparation proceeding well?”

—Smoothly. I’m turning one of those Isrinbloom brats into my apostle—my pawn. Once that pawn is ready… I shall attempt again the plan that failed centuries ago. This time, there will be no Swordsman of Water to stand against us.

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