Sekai Saikyou no Maou desuga Daremo Toubatsushinikitekurenainode, Yuusha Ikusei Kikan ni Sennyuusuru

Chapter 1. [Episode 25]
“The Truth About the Ancient Book”

 

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Early morning of the next day.

I grabbed a few sheets of parchment and an old book and was ushered into the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Mildiana Army of the Imperial Southern Territories.

Tea is served at the table, and I sit down on the sofa after the others retired.

Across the table sat Ludio Lambert, commander-in-chief of the Southern Territories and president of the Military School directly under the Mildiana Territory.

He holds a cup of tea in his hand and elegantly enjoys the aroma.

President Ludio said a little ruefully.

[No, but it’s nice to have a beloved student come all the way to see you, but it’s not …… spectacular.]

[I would have brought everyone with me, but it’s late. Besides, I wanted to talk to President Ludio alone for a moment.]

[Hm, well, that’s all right. But how could you be allowed to go this far? I didn’t think you, who was suspended from school, would be allowed to go to this room. …… I think our military’s sense of crisis management may have fallen to the ground.]

[Maybe. Maybe we should be a little more careful. Here you go.]

I handed the parchment I was holding to President Ludio.

[A reflection essay, is it?]

[I’m not sure. No, I had an incident of assault as soon as I entered the university. I thought I should apologize to the president of the university.]

[I had no idea that …… you had such an awareness, and above all, the content of this sentence is even more oblique. I am beyond amazed and dismayed.]

President Ludio looked lightly through the parchment and quickly tossed it on the table.

[The entire text is written in ancient characters. Did you show this to the guard?]

[Of course. I showed him that a soldier in the Mildiana Army could read this much, and he let me through with a bitter look on his face.]

[I see that…… the elves were on duty today, right? It must have been a great source of pride for you. There are very few elves who can read the ancient script, especially young ones.]

[There is no one more useless than a proud incompetent, so maybe they need to be re-educated.]

I said as I held the teacup in my hand and enjoyed the aroma.

[Let’s consider it. But this text is really bad. What were you going to do if anyone could read it?]

The text was not a reflection, but rather, a critique of the military academy to begin with and ended with a glowing description of the military’s incompetence.

[I could have been suspended longer or expelled. Well, even if there was someone who could read, I wasn’t worried because I didn’t think such a person would have been a guard in the first place.]

[I was so surprised to see you. You are such a troublemaker. What is the reason you came out here to see me?]

I handed a book I had brought beforehand to President Ludio.

He looks at the tattered book quizzically and tilts his head as he carefully flips through it.

[It was a book that was in the library, which only special students were allowed in.]

[This is a very rare book. It is not often you see a book written in an ancient script.]

Despite those statements, I already knew perfectly well when he only read the book in a sinking manner.

I tell it frankly.

[You wrote that book, President Ludio, didn’t you?]

[Why would you think that?]

[But first, let me ask you one thing. Do you have any idea what’s in that book?]

[……]

President Ludio maintains silence.

At first glance, he appears to be expressionless, but the corners of his mouth are slightly loose. It is a reaction typical of him.

Let’s take another breath here.

[The book itself seems to me to be several hundred years old. But this text, you see, has contradictory passages for being written hundreds of years ago.]

[What do you mean?]

[The fool and the wise are incompatible. It’s just that humans and elves are incompatible. But then, there is something wrong.]

I told the essential part of the article.

[“Harmony is a dream. But fools do not admit their mistakes. They have not learned from the end of their attempt to bridge the gap between man and the wild that will never cross.” This is a reference to the reconciliation between humans and elves, who misused the drops in the last days.]

[…… hou?]

[This author is sounding the alarm bells against humans exploiting the last drop, the elves. But then he denies reconciliation – that is, the alliance between humans and elves. This is a contradiction in terms.]

[What do you mean?]

[The result of the reconciliation between humans and beasts was disastrous, so much so that even now the homeland of Roca and her people is still at war. There can be no reconciliation between different species. But humans did not learn that and became allies with the elves. It’s reconciliation.]

And I would add it at the end.

[If the scourge described in the book had occurred nearly 500 years ago, the idea of humans and elves allying at that time would never have occurred. In other words, this book was written after the alliance between the two countries was formed. And why would such a book be in a library that only privileged students could enter?]

[Kukk …… ahahaha!]

President Ludio suddenly burst out laughing.

From my point of view, it was a predictable reaction.

[Well, I thought you were a very good student, but …… you are brilliant, Theodore. You’ve done it.]

[I knew it was written by the president of the university. It’s a bad sentence that shows off your mean-spirited personality, here.]

[Yes, it is. Hmmm, no, it’s hilarious. –In all the decades I’ve been president of this school,…… Theodore, I’ve never seen a student as bright as you.]

[I didn’t come to this conclusion on my own. If Liz had not shown me her white-wing phobia, I would not have known what the book was trying to tell me, and if Keith had not told me about Liz’s symptoms and the storm, I doubt if I could have come to this conclusion on my own. I don’t know if I would have been able to think this far on my own. Thanks to everyone, I guess.]

[But it’s a conclusion you’ll never reach if you can’t read an ancient script. Hmmm…living longer isn’t so bad after all.]

[How did you come up with this book, by the way?]

The books are tattered and brittle as if they would tear at a moment’s notice if not handled properly.

It seems like a centuries-old substitute.

[It’s that simple. I applied the ‘corrosion formula’. This is the result of the combined technique. …… Well, it’s interesting, so I’ll give it to you as an exam question next time.]

[I think I can still solve that test. It’s a composite of the deep-water jutsu and the dark jutsu. The water jutsu moistens the book and the dark jutsu accelerates the change of form–in this case, accelerated corrosion. The other pages don’t matter, so you just crush them up at random to make them unreadable.]

[No other student has been more ‘uninteresting’ to me as a student. Theodore, you are already more than a student. What do you think? If you are willing, I can hire you right now as a special exception with official military status.]

[I’m not interested in that right now. All I want to know is whether what is written in the book is true or not.]

[……It is all true. There is no such thing as falsehood, it’s the truth.]

[Would you say it’s also true that you fundamentally reject the alliance between humans and elves?]

[Yes. Even considering my position as an elf and an officer in the Imperial Army, I still think so. Humans and elves should never have crossed paths.]

[So the half-elf says that. Well, I don’t know enough about history to dispute the President’s philosophy, so I don’t care.]

[It’s quite refreshing to be able to cut them down to that level.]

[I mean, why go through all this trouble? It’s a good thing that Julian and I happened to find it this time because if we hadn’t, I don’t think anyone would have even picked up the book.]

The half-elf president shook his head there.

[First of all, let me clear up a misunderstanding. I produced this book a long time ago. It has nothing to do with the disappearances that are happening in this city right now. I simply created a story based on a horrific incident that happened in the past.]

[And why is that?]

[This was a kind of ‘test. I could say that it was a special kind of test that I had given only to special students since the time I took office as president. In the end, you were the only one who could solve it over the decades. And, fortunately, or unfortunately, you are the one who has appeared now that the tragedy of 500 years ago is being repeated.]

President Ludio turned his gaze to me as if reminiscing.

He puts down his teacup and looks at me with a sincere gaze.

[Originally, I was going to guarantee that anyone who passed this exam would immediately become a soldier under the same conditions I just presented to you. I also thought that anyone with enough enthusiasm and knowledge to solve this exam would surely bite on these conditions, but …… things are different now.]

[Is it because of the disappearance of the elves?]

[Yes. Since you refused, and not as a military man, but only as a personal favor – I would like you to help me to solve this case. If you are willing to come on board, I am willing to disclose all the information I know.]

[I don’t come from a noble family, and no one can vouch for my identity, so you’re okay with me?]

[You might be able to guess what I’m thinking when I say that …… would be helpful in a way.]

[I mean, as a personal favor that you can’t ask as a military man, you want me to try to solve the case without any military intervention on my part, no matter what the means.]

The president didn’t say anything, but he didn’t deny it. I guess it’s not unreasonable to say that as long as he doesn’t know if I’ll take on the job, he can never say ‘yes.

[I wonder if the president already has a good idea of the culprit or the full extent of the case, such as the whereabouts of the elves. And I think the only solution is where the military can’t get involved.]

[I’m not surprised anymore, but it’s brilliant deductive reasoning.]

[What happens if we just let it go?]

When I asked him cautiously, he said in a tone of conviction.

[This Mildiana territory will be destroyed, the alliance with the Kingdom of Tsefte Aria will be broken, and war will break out. There will be a great number of deaths.]

Something that Lieutenant General Ludio Lambert, Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Army’s Southern Territory Mildiana forces, could never touch, even with his power and authority.

And, perhaps, the military of the other territories could not even request the help of the emperor and his cronies, let alone ask for their cooperation.

The corners of my mouth naturally turned up.

[ It looks interesting. I’ll take it.]

[Let me be frank with you. You could die, you know?]

[You’re a terrible teacher to your students to do such a thing. Of course, I don’t mind. It’s more fun to have that kind of stimulation.]

[I believe in you, Theodore, ……. On that basis, I want to entrust this to you.]

From his pocket, President Ludio pulled out a coat of arms made of a special metal.

With its intricate and exquisite engraving, it is clear at a glance that it is a far superior gem to the magic silver crest that is the mark of a special student.

Is it a sign of being a lieutenant general in the imperial army?

[Take this to Warehouse 2 of the Great Library which is reserved for officers.]

[…… It’s a very plainly named room.]

[On the surface. Once you get inside, you’ll see that it’s a very special space. On the bookshelf in that room, there is only one book with the word ‘Mira’ written in ancient script on the spine. Go read it. It contains information you might want to know about this case.]

[But I think it would look suspicious if I brought something like this with me.]

[Look for an elf woman named Nia, the librarian. She is the only female elf who is the librarian of the Great Library, so you will recognize her immediately. Present your crest and tell her only to go to Warehouse 2.]

So you have subordinates you can trust.

[I understand. I’d better get going now, as soon as possible.]

[Of course. Just as well, because we will consider your suspension to continue until this case is over.]

[I’d rather not have to take those boring classes. I’m off then.]

I quickly got up from the couch and quickly left the room.

‘Mira’, huh? I guess it is a common name for a human female, but now what does it say?

Feeling more joyful than I had in a long time, I made my way to the Great Library of the Mildiana Territory.

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