Chapter 34 - The Book of Doom (2)

A massive stone tablet stood alone in the very center of the underground study. It looked nothing like an ordinary slab of stone. Its surface was ominously black, its engraved letters red as blood. More than ten skeletons clung tightly to it, as though trying to conceal the inscription.

Yohan was somewhat taken aback, but spoke as calmly as he could.

"So you finally found the forbidden library."

The tablet before him had lain dormant there.

"I overlooked what was right under my nose. To think it was sitting right beneath the lord's castle all along."

The Miyatro domain was vast. Since it even encompassed the Abyss, some believed the baronial house's treasure vault lay buried there. That was why no band of thieves or tomb robbers could readily go after it.

Ilea was a little different. Not only was she unafraid of the Abyss, she already had a rough idea of where the forbidden library lay, thanks to the legacy of the Great Witch Rahel. The forbidden legacy sleeping within the library had been drawing her toward it all along. She had a guide of sorts. This was how she had become the first to discover the forbidden library in the original novel.

"You found it sooner than I expected."

"You don't seem very surprised."

"I knew you would find it eventually. It simply happened earlier than I anticipated."

"It's all thanks to the younger master."

Her eyes crinkling in a smile, Ilea looked toward the round table. Raguel was sitting there. He flinched guiltily and lowered his head.

"Y-Yohan. I'm sorry. Before I knew it, I..."

Entering the forbidden library required the blood and fingerprints of a Miyatro family member. Without Raguel's help, not even Ilea could have descended into it.

Ilea patted Raguel on the back.

"Don't scold him too harshly, Yohan. My suggestion left the younger master no choice."

Apparently, she had resorted to some trick involving magic.

'She used Baron Grian in the original novel. This time, it's Raguel.'

Events had changed a little, but a change of that magnitude hardly mattered.

"Don't look so downcast, Raguel. I have no intention of blaming you."

Ilea let out a small sound of admiration.

"How magnanimous. Then surely someone like you won't mind sharing the forbidden library with me? That place is truly... beyond words."

Desire flickered in her eyes. Anyone who had seen the forbidden library would have felt the same. A witch, of course, could only find it all the more enticing.

Yohan considered it for a moment.

'Ilea finding the forbidden library was inevitable.'

He had long since prepared himself for it. He had considered various solutions and played out different scenarios in his head, but they all led to essentially one conclusion.

'I can't keep the forbidden library to myself.'

He had no grounds to restrict her access, and arbitrarily barring her would only cause a serious conflict. Since they were working on the same side, he ought to avoid souring their relationship. For now, sharing it was the right choice.

Yohan nodded.

"You found it on your own, so you have a right to the forbidden library as well."

"That's a very unexpected response."

"But we'll need rules, since we'll be sharing it."

"Agreed. What specific rules do you have in mind?"

"We'll discuss that later. For now, I'd like an explanation about the Book of Doom."

Yohan looked at the massive tablet.

"You recognized it, just as I expected."

The stone tablet was the Book of Doom. More precisely, it was the original—its first chapter.

"Why did you bring it out?"

"To investigate what you are."

"With the Book of Doom?"

"Yes. It will be the first step in our research."

The Book of Doom was an accursed object that automatically recorded deeds contributing to the end of the world. If the Bible was a hymn to heroes and gods, the Book of Doom was a requiem for Demons and Apostles. What sort of research could she possibly do with it? Yohan could not understand.

"Explain it so I can understand."

Ilea smiled gently and nodded.

"Before we begin, let me tell you about a few things I've been wondering about."

She approached Yohan. The sun had already set, and he had transformed into a Demon.

"As we can see right now, your race changes between day and night. Your constitution is unprecedented. What's more, you could speak from the moment you were born, and you possessed fully developed cognitive faculties. At least, according to my father's account. Is all of that correct?"

There was another explanation for his language and cognitive abilities, but he could not tell her the truth. It was hardly easy to confess that he had possessed a body inside a novel.

"That's right."

"What's more, you can interfere directly with souls. You used that power to threaten Baron Grian and turn Sir Reil into an empty husk."

That was true. As a side effect of his power, Soul Slaying, Yohan could even see other people's souls. He could distinguish even a witch's spectral soul.

His gaze naturally fell to Ilea's chest.

"You can see it, then. My true essence."

A dark-red spectral soul was wavering there.

"I won't deny it."

"Don't stare so hard. It's embarrassing."

With a playful smile, she folded her arms over her chest.

Yohan sighed.

"We're getting sidetracked. Back to the point: what about interfering directly with souls?"

Ilea's expression grew serious again.

"To put it bluntly, your power is profoundly blasphemous. It challenges divine authority. According to scripture, the body perishes, but the soul is eternal. And when the body dies, the soul left behind ascends to heaven. Your power denies it even that chance. It negates the Church's very doctrine."

The inhabitants of this world believed in an afterlife. Soul Slaying robbed them of even the chance to return to the embrace of their god. From a religious standpoint, it was unquestionably a heinous power.

"It's difficult to believe such a power would be permitted to a mortal."

"And your conclusion?"

"One last thing. You weren't crushed by the Apostle's presence. If anything, you were the one trampling him."

No matter how strong a sentient being's mind, it was bound to be cowed before a great being. Yohan had shown no trace of that. It was inexplicable.

"All these circumstances have led me to a hypothesis."

Ilea pointed to the Book of Doom.

"Would you touch it? If I'm right, it will certainly react."

Only Apostles could read the original Book of Doom.

"... I see what your hypothesis is."

Ilea suspected that Yohan was an Apostle.

"But you're probably wrong. Only twelve Apostles exist in this world. It's an unwritten law."

Ilea shook her head.

"We don't know even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this world. We have far too few pieces of the puzzle to be certain of anything. If we let ourselves be bound by truths and unwritten laws, we'll never discern even the world's outlines."

She was not wrong, but Yohan remained skeptical. There was a sound reason the Apostles numbered twelve. He knew it because he had read the original novel.

Watching his reaction, Ilea spoke.

"There's no harm in trying. You have nothing to lose."

Yohan shrugged.

"Well, at worst, I'll waste a few minutes."

That was hardly much of a loss.

Yohan approached the massive stone tablet and slowly reached out. A hint of anticipation filled Ilea's eyes, while his own expression remained blank. The instant Raguel hiccupped, Yohan's hand touched the Book of Doom.

* * *

Late at night, after curfew had fallen, a man and a woman in black hoods whispered in a dark alley.

"Is that everything of note?"

"Yes, Inquisitor. It's only the first day, so I have little to report."

"No, that's enough. The mere fact that the Baron doesn't know Sir Reil's whereabouts gives us a great deal to work with."

"... Actually, it's understandable that the Baron wouldn't know."

"What do you mean?"

"Baron Grian Miyatro wasn't the one holding the real power in the castle. He had stepped back from the forefront of affairs."

"Have you identified who is acting in his place?"

"I'm not certain yet, but I suspect it's his eldest son. In effect, I conducted the entire conversation with the boy."

"Isn't the Baron's eldest still a little child? And blind, at that."

"As I understand it, he brought an illegitimate son into the house to resolve the succession issue. His name is Yohan Miyatro. Despite his considerable youth, he's remarkably clever. He seemed to have no trouble governing the domain."

"He seems to have made quite a good impression on you. I trust that isn't too subjective an assessment."

"... His reputation within the castle was also excellent."

"Understood, for now."

The Inquisitor murmured under his breath.

"A horned spirit appearing in the south, an Apostle manifesting for the first time in five hundred years, and an illegitimate son who suddenly appears and takes the domain in hand. This peaceful backwater has grown troubled in more ways than one."

He raised his gaze as though looking at a distant mountain. The lord's immense castle filled his eyes.

"An eerie place."

Weathered by the years, the old castle looked venerable rather than shabby, but it was a little too ominous to call beautiful. The mist coiling around it resembled a serpent, and the silence blanketing its surroundings felt like someone's soundless scream. The Inquisitor shuddered at the chill.

He spoke.

"Shaperia, that will be all for today. Continue your investigation into Sir Reil. I'll keep working outside the castle as I have been."

"Understood. Then I'll take my—"

She stopped short.

"But, Inquisitor, what is that inside your coat?"

A purple light was seeping from the Inquisitor's chest. He immediately rummaged inside his coat and pulled out a pitch-black book. Shaperia's face filled with bewilderment.

"W-why is the Book of Doom—!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down."

Possessing the Book of Doom was classified as one of the Seven Sins. Anyone caught with it was immediately bound to a punishment frame. There were, of course, exceptions. Inquisitors were not punished for carrying it. Given the nature of their work, they frequently confiscated copies from heretics, and sometimes used them when posing as heretics themselves. Inquisitors and the Book of Doom were inseparable.

Shaperia knew that perfectly well. Something else had shocked her.

"... Why is the Book of Doom glowing?"

"I don't know either. I've never seen anything like this."

The Inquisitor stared at the Book of Doom. An ominous purple light streamed ceaselessly from the black book.

"Stand back for a moment."

Steeling himself, he opened it.

Beneath their black hoods, both faces filled with horror. New words were being inscribed in the Book of Doom.

『 Chapter 13, The Book of Deception and Chaos 』

─ Raise your heads, all evils; let us sing of the thirteenth end.

Blood-red letters continued to form. The Book of Doom, which had contained only twelve chapters, was writing its thirteenth. It could mean only one thing: the birth of a new throne. The thirteenth apocalypse was beginning.

The Inquisitor immediately tucked the Book of Doom inside his coat. His voice trembled.

"I must contact headquarters at once. We'll meet again soon."

"W-what should I do?"

"Stand by for now."

With that, he hurried away.

Left alone, Shaperia stared blankly up at the night sky. Everything she had experienced over the past few days had been so extreme that it scarcely felt real. It was as though she were dreaming.

"... What in the world is happening?"

She made the holy sign of the pentagram toward the moon.

"Saint Marziel. Please grant us the strength to overcome this turmoil."

Her prayer scattered in the moonlight, whether it had reached its recipient unknown.

Shaperia remained there for a long time. The figure watching her vanished into the alley.