City ​​of Witches 839

Chapter 839 – #175_Deneb’S Circumstances (3)

#833

1.
Whether it was a bad omen or the state of his body after Keter’s machinations, Siwoo was trapped in an ambiguous, unidentified situation with no clear solution.

Duke Keter’s Ivory Tower remained firmly closed to outsiders, and there were two main things needed to resolve the current situation.

First, Siwoo himself needed to become stronger.

According to the Soul Witch, Gretel, the subconscious encroaches on the surface consciousness when the magic of the subconscious becomes overwhelmingly stronger than Siwoo’s.

To prevent that, Siwoo needed to increase his own power.
To be able to handle any future on his own, he needed to level up his specs.

Normally, having a combat power of around the 21st level would mean he wouldn’t have to worry about being killed anywhere, but the problem was that Siwoo wasn’t a typical witch.

Secondly, he needed to make an accurate assessment of the current situation.

Rather than moving based on mere speculation without clear data, the main point was to investigate as much information and magic as possible.

Perhaps he could find a way to fundamentally cure Siwoo’s abnormal state, or he might find a person in a similar situation while flipping through history books.

The reason why Amelia, Siwoo, Sharon, and Rurue headed to the Ars Magna Town’s Secret Archives was to gather more high-quality data.

So, what is this Secret Archives, full name ‘Valentinus Secret Archives’?

It is a massive library co-owned by the Truth and True Name Academic Society, the largest school in Gehenna, and the Emerald Tablet, which is of similar size.

All high-quality magic books and copies of papers that pour out from each academic society every year are stored here.
Rare books and forbidden books that have been passed down from before Gehenna are also stored here.

It was an archive of witches, with a vast collection of unique materials that could not be compared to the library of Trinity Academy, where Siwoo was in charge during his slave days.

The exterior of the Secret Archives, which he had only heard rumors about, was a dome-shaped building resembling the Roman landmark, the ‘Pantheon’.
The protruding front part was also similar in that it was reminiscent of the Parthenon temple.

“It’s bigger than I expected?”
“Ooh, it looks like a bunker. It’s quite well-built.”

They hadn’t even gone inside yet, but they couldn’t help but be impressed.
Even Rurue, who was stingy with praise, nodded in approval.

Well, Gehenna had always been good at building impressive structures.

“It’s even wider inside.”
“Have you been here before, Amelia?”
“Yes, a couple of times.”
“Sharon, what about you?”
“I’ve been here often too.”

This Secret Archives was not a place that Gehenna citizens could freely enter.
Access was restricted unless they had a record of contributions such as publishing papers, donating books, or contributing to the operating fund.

The reason why many independent witches belonged to academic societies was also because they needed a record of contributions.

Fortunately, both ‘Marigold’ and ‘Evergreen’ had built up enough achievements to freely enter the Secret Archives.

Amelia was a former Baroness, and Sharon was also a great witch of the elemental lineage with a long history, so it was only natural.

Rurue, who had recently become a citizen, showed what it meant to use money to get things done based on her massive inheritance.
She had obtained an entry permit by donating five years’ worth of operating funds.

“Siwoo, this way.”

After passing through the magnificent and beautiful entrance, which looked even more majestic up close, the interior scenery came into view.

“Wow…”
“Ooooh…!”

Siwoo and Rurue were mesmerized by the view of the Secret Archives, which was several times larger than they had expected.

The exterior alone was very large, but the interior had space-bending magic using the ley lines.

A large hall with a length of 100 meters and a width that could easily accommodate two carriages.
A round wooden ceiling, like an oak barrel cut in half, stretched along the gallery.

The gallery, which stretched straight, was lined with bookshelves at regular intervals, and the height of the bookshelves reached the ceiling, making it seem as if the pillars themselves were being used as bookshelves.
If Noah’s Ark from the Bible were turned upside down, it would probably look something like this inside.

Each bookshelf was filled with antique books, so if he had been the manager here during his slave days, he would have grown old and died while cleaning.

“I-Is all of this magic-related literature?”
“There are also history books.”
“Witches write a lot of books and papers.”
“I knew that, but…”

Siwoo, who had watched various professors from the sidelines, knew.

Like witches who had bet their lives on magic, they wrote an average of about five academic books the size of an encyclopedia each year.
If you include short papers, it might be even more.

But seeing the results gathered like this, it seemed like he had reaffirmed how serious witches were about magic.

“How are we going to find what we need among all this material?”
“Rurue, can you come over here?”

While Rurue, who had imagined herself buried in a pile of books, looked slightly disgusted, Sharon pulled her arm.
As expected of Rurue, who followed Sharon’s words well, she followed her, trotting behind her.

“All the materials in the Secret Archives have an indexing function that makes it easy to search. You can search for the tags of the books you need in this crystal, and… if you do this, you can also check the related materials in the references.”
“Oho…”

At that moment, when Rurue’s eyes were sparkling at the Gehenna-style new technology, a presence was suddenly felt from the side.

“Oh my.”

She had approached so quietly that they were startled.

When they turned their eyes, a witch with long blonde hair styled like a European princess was standing there, holding a large book in her arms.

Her blonde hair, which was a lighter shade than Amelia’s, was curled so well that it would probably take at least two hours to style.

Her attire was the orthodox witch’s uniform, almost to the point of being rigid.
Except for the gold thread embroidered on the sleeves, there was no sign of any attempt to look stylish.

The intelligent, sharp green eyes behind her rimless glasses made it clear what kind of personality this witch had.

“It’s been a while, Marigold.”

Unlike Amelia, who bowed her head in greeting without showing any signs of embarrassment, Siwoo was very surprised.

At this distance, it was possible to gauge the other person’s skill without having to take off his eyepatch.
Unless they intentionally hid it, the aura of a great witch’s magic was visible to the outside.

But this witch, who had suddenly approached, was hiding a terrifyingly refined magic, unlike her docile appearance.

“Count Gremory, have you been well?”
“I’m the same as always. I heard that you, Marigold, have had some recent unfortunate incidents.”
“I’ve handled it well. Thank you for your concern.”
“Count…?”

One of the seven Counts in Gehenna, like Kohav, Yesod, Gemernai, and Adonai.

Her level was a whopping 23rd level.

It was amazing, but Siwoo, who became nervous whenever he saw a strong witch, was unnecessarily cautious.

“There are many people I haven’t met before. I’m Metis Gregory. I’m the head librarian of the Valentinus Secret Archives.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Shin Siwoo.”
“I’ve heard your name. I would appreciate it if you could leave now.”

Metis requested a sharp eviction at the same time as her polite greeting.

Siwoo couldn’t understand what was going on, so he looked at Amelia and Sharon.
But Amelia and Sharon also looked quite embarrassed.

“Count Gremory, he received letters of recommendation from Count Yesod and Count Gemernai.”
“Is that so? But the full authority to manage the Secret Archives is with the Gremory family. That means I also have the right to refuse the letters of recommendation.”

Only then did the group realize that Metis’s appearance was not for a friendly reason.

“To be precise, what I’m refusing is only Shin Siwoo’s access. I’ll gladly welcome the other members of your group.”
“Hey, did you say Count Gregory?”
“Rurue! Just stay still for now!”

Rurue, who suddenly appeared and was walking towards Metis, who was trying to kick Siwoo out.
Sharon desperately tried to stop Rurue before she caused an accident.

Siwoo calmly asked.

“Why is that?”

If there was even a point of contact, he might have been able to guess the reason.
But Siwoo and Metis were meeting for the first time today.

They were not in a position to turn him away without any ulterior motives or malice.

“I would like to know the reason.”

Siwoo was a unique research subject that most witches would be interested in.
If this entry cut was a material for bargaining, he planned to turn his back without any regrets.

It was a bit of a pity to leave the work to his lovers, but Siwoo had a lot of work to do.
There was no reason to enter the Secret Archives by indulging in unreasonable demands.

“Because it violates the regulations of the Secret Archives.”

Metis said calmly, without any sign of apology.

As soon as he heard her answer, Siwoo was able to understand the identity of the frustration he had felt at the same time as Metis’s appearance.
It wasn’t just the pressure from her refined magic.

“Isn’t it possible to access it if you meet certain requirements?”
“Shin Siwoo, the Secret Archives is not just a place where books are gathered. It is an ark of wisdom where the current witches and their predecessors, and their predecessors, rest, a legacy that deserves to be revered.

It is a place that should be open to witches who have certain qualifications. From a macro perspective, it is because witches have contributed to the development of magic through the process of inheriting imprints over generations.”

“……”
“On the other hand, I don’t think of Shin Siwoo as a witch. He’s just an irregular who popped up out of nowhere. According to the regulations of the Secret Archives, those who are not witches cannot be allowed to enter, even if they have a letter of recommendation.”

After that, Metis did not make any demands such as ‘I’ll let you in if you do ~ for me’.

She had finished what she had to say and was just blinking her eyes as if to say, ‘Try to refute me’.

It meant that she really wasn’t trying to do anything for her own benefit.

A person who adheres to the principles she has established.
A person whose strictness, repeated over a long period of time, has solidified into an atmosphere.

Metis Gremory, whom he had met for the first time, was, in short, a suffocating old fogey.