***
I didn’t know that the authors of all these books were the past High Priests.
Not caring for the perplexed look on my face, Pelos quickly turned the page.
It would be much better for him to summarize it than for me to read it, so I waited calmly without interrupting.
“What do you think?”
I asked and Pelos shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s the same story. The source of divine power is a great god, and the source of black magic is a lowly and vicious demon. So you must never use black magic. Well, that’s just a long list of such stories.”
“Read the next one, too.”
“You should also read the next one.”
“The beginning of Black Magic”.
It was the most unpredictable book among them.
Pelos picked up the book and I looked around quickly.
‘The Reason why Thousands of People Disappeared from That City’ seemed to be about the danger of black magic, ‘Introduction to Magic’ seemed boring, and ‘Black Magic Practice’ looked ……… quite interesting.
I selected a few books and placed them on the table where Pelos was sitting. He furrowed his brow slightly.
“I think you’re taking advantage of me.”
“You can at least do this much. If you are unhappy, leave now and call the Kingsguard. Did he say Hamel, what was that soldier’s name?”
He didn’t say anything and put his nose on the book again. That was good. If I had tried to read it, it would have taken me hours. I stared at his heavy looking armor and asked him something that had been bothering me all along.
“Did you infiltrate the Imperial Palace to use the library?”
“I had been researching black magic in my own way. I told you. I’m also interested in black magic.”
There was no change in the speed at which Pelos was turning the pages as he spoke.
“But why don’t you ask someone to help? No, if you’re Kibeon, they might just let you in.”
“ I don’t think of myself as Kibeon, and that’s what I wanted. This is not where I wanted to be.”
“What do you mean, it’s not the place?”
“A place like this, open to all.”
“This is for the royal family and the central nobility only.”
“That’s almost everyone.”
Tak – Pelos closed the book and picked up the one beside him.
“So you’re saying there are other places that are more secret?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Have there ever been only one or two people who have questioned black magic? This place is a fake that can relieve the curiosity of such people.”
“But it was pretty hard to get in here. The librarian wasn’t happy either… and she acted as if there really was something hidden here.”
“It’s hard to doubt the authenticity of a place when you’ve gone through so much trouble to get in. A jewel hidden in many layers is more valuable than a jewel thrown away on the side of the road. The librarian is merely employed by the Imperial Palace, so what can she know?”
I was even more annoyed because I couldn’t find anything to refute.
I was proud of having Astrilla’s seal, but now knowing this place was a fake.
“Where is the real thing then? Where are the real materials about black magic buried? Since you infiltrated the Imperial Palace in your armor, why are you in here?”
“I thought they would be here…Apparently not. Maybe the Temple and the High Priests don’t believe in the Imperial Palace as much as I thought they did.”
“You’re not even sure, but you went in undercover?”
“Just.”
“While impersonating your friend?”
“How did you know?”
“The maid you kissed on the back of her hand became my full-time servant.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why did you do that?”
“What is it?”
Pelos asked back with a thick look on his face, already knowing.
“It’s a fraud that you’re impersonating the Wibow family. I’m sure the gatekeepers of the palace weren’t fooled by your glamorous appearance and storytelling like my maid.”
“I feel strange to be complimented by you, Lady.”
Pelos trailed off.
Tell me. How did you impersonate the Webow with that one piece of armor?”
“You don’t believe it was just one piece of armor.”
Before I knew it, my nerves had shifted from black magic to the matter of his fraud.
I stared at Pelos with the look that said “I won’t give up until you tell me.”
At last he shook his head, and suddenly pulled a dagger out of his pocket and placed it on the table.
It looks like a very carefully crafted luxury item.
“What is this?”
“It’s been handed down from the Webow for generations…. I would say it is like an heirloom.”
“What??”
I held the dagger, surprised.
“Why do you have such a thing in your possession?”
“It’s a fake, to be exact.”
I looked at it again. It was too delicate to be considered a fake.
“This is a fake?”
“Well…it should be like that, don’t you think? Regardless of its monetary value, it contains the honor and history of the family.”
“It’s not for you to say, since you’re in the process of defrauding such a family heirloom, is it?”
He didn’t even pretend to listen as he continued to speak.
“So normal families would prepare two heirlooms, or worse, more.”
“Do you purposely make fakes to prevent theft?”
“It’s the same logic I mentioned earlier. Once people’s curiosity is plausibly satisfied, they look no further.”
So, just like this place, fake heirlooms were also deliberately prepared.
Pelos continued his story.
“So the quality is almost as good as the real thing.”
“So how did you come by this? At any rate, I’m sure it’s still important to the Webow family.”
“What is it?”
Pelos put down the book and looked away.
“Did you really steal it?”
“No way! Do I look like a thief to you, Lady?”
“A little…”
“It’s a misunderstanding. This was given to me directly by Karen.”
“…In exchange for what?”
No matter how stupid Karen was, he wasn’t the kind of person who would give gifts. More than that, I don’t think he would give it to Pelos.
“I won the bet. “
“What bet? “
I stared at him, hoping for a bet in a sword fight, or at least in chess. Pelos slightly poked out his chest with a proud look.
“It’s a wine bet.”
I can’t believe Karen gave Pelos a family heirloom over wine. I have to cancel my earlier words. Karen was dumber than I thought.
“It was wine made in Ellywoon. It snows all year round in that region, and once the grapes are frozen and melted, the wine is made from them, and the taste is -“
“Excuse me.”
Thump – I tapped the table.
For a priest, he was quite fond of alcohol, and Pelos’s expression was slightly upturned.
“Anyway, that’s why you used this dagger to scam the guards, isn’t it?”
“More like spoofed. I just borrowed it for a bit. It would be a shame if I looked like a criminal that way.”
I averted my gaze as the criminal hit me.
At the same time, Pelos closed the last book with a bang.
“I’m done.”
“What do you think?”
“Feel like I’m being treated like a criminal?”
I stared at him without saying anything.
“I was joking. Well. …………. It’s just known facts. It’s not so different from what the world knows.” (Pelos)
What about ‘The beginning of black magic’? I’m a little curious about that.”
“There wasn’t anything unusual about it. It was more like a story. It’s a story about a man who had done his karma in ancient times, made a pact with a demon to gain great power, and was finally ruined.”
“It’s very didactic. It’s trivial.”
“There are just two things that bother me.”
“What is it?”
I hastily lowered myself.
That said, Pelos was smart, and he might have found some clues among those ridiculous books.
“Why did he define black magic as a pact with the devil? And why did he name it magic?”
“….. simply to create a bad impression, don’t you think? The word ‘demon’ doesn’t sound good.”
“But isn’t that, in other words, like admitting a being that is only opposed to God?”
Come to think of it, in order to accentuate God’s authority, it would be better to make people believe that his existence is unique.
“Why do you think that is?”
“I don’t know.”
Pelos shrugged.
“Black magic, so it could be because its power is similar to or even stronger than the divine power.”
“You’re saying it’s stronger than my strength?”
“Otherwise, he would have just explained it with a lower, inferior power. There is no reason to dare to create a demon, a terrifying being, to create a sense of fear, is there?”
“Is it so powerful that you just can’t say it’s inferior?”
“Yeah. There is a demon as opposed to a god. The sound of that is a disproof that divine power and black magic are minimally equal. Even though, in all of these books, God wins.”
“So what about magic then? You said there were two things you were interested in. Why did he name it magic?”
“That’s ……………..”
Pelos said unexpectedly.
“I have no idea.”
“You don’t know?”
“I have no idea. If someone who senses magic and directly confronts black magic, they would immediately realize that it is not magic.”
“Such a quick lie………….”
“That’s part of what I don’t understand.”
“Did you think that normal people would never see black magic directly?”
“I could see that being the case, but ……. I’m sure it’s not as crude as it seems. The other stuff is very well put together. The demons, the contracts, the triggering conditions, even the price.”
“No wonder people believe it.”
We sat across from each other and rested our chins on our hands on the table, troubled.
“He named it magic……….. Do you have any clues there?”
“That, too….. I don’t know, I can’t say for sure.”
What could it be?
Why did the temple use black magic and emphasize so strongly that black magic was a rogue power contracted with the devil?
And all this while the High Priest continued to write book after book.
The authors of the books that make up the bulk of this library were all High Priests.
If not, it was a priest or a wizard who had become famous, and it was safe to say that they were closely related.
In a word, this was a massive fabrication.
***
TL: I’m considering dropping this novel. It started out interesting but now it’s so boring. Barely any romance or fluff moments. To me it’s tasteless…