Chapter 80

Chapter 80, Doubt

The moment I grasped the Runestone, vitality seemed to circulate through my entire body.

It was weaker, but the feeling was somewhat similar to when Eriel had blessed me.

The difference was that the changes the Runestone gave me weren't limited to my body.

My heart pounded.

That feeling of my blood boiling, something I normally only experienced when deeply immersed in battle, came over me.

It felt like the flow of time had slowed.

The courage writhing inside my chest surged as though its restraints had been released, followed by a confidence that made me feel like I could do anything.

The explanation provided by the Mystery Protection Association had only said that it inspired courage.

But there were changes that couldn't be explained by that alone.

Of course, since they were positive changes, I didn't take them too seriously.

Instead, I opened Lucy and looked up the explanation of the Runestone.

Apparently, Lucy really was superior to the observation-type Mystery possessed by the Association, because her explanation was much more detailed.

I carefully read every sentence.

[Scq197, Runestone]

[An ancient stone from the distant past, inscribed with [Scq971, Runic Script].

It inspires courage and vitality in its owner and reduces poor physical condition.

In addition, the senses become sharper, and instinct and intuition also become more acute.

It may even allow the owner to perceive things they previously could not.

Furthermore, if the runic characters engraved upon the Runestone are deciphered, it will come to possess even greater power.]

“Wow.”

I whistled in delight.

No wonder it had stood out so much more than the other Mysteries.

The Runestone was a Mystery worthy of being called a jackpot.

Its effects were already excellent, and the assumption that it could evolve once the runes were deciphered had also been correct.

And most importantly, there was actually a connection to another 900-series Mystery.

When I opened Lucy and showed the explanation to my companions, both of them reacted strongly.

Bias widened her eyes, congratulated me, and clapped her tiny hands.

Arlin, who had always been deeply interested in 900-series Mysteries, asked if she could borrow the Runestone for a while so she could study it.

I readily nodded.

Though we would have to get out of here first.

I carefully placed the Runestone into my bag and checked my wristwatch.

It had already been nearly three hours since we arrived at the exhibition, and more than thirty minutes had passed since my regression was blocked.

“We should be able to escape now.”

Thirty minutes seemed like more than enough time for the Dream Fragment's duration to have expired.

It was time to leave.

I was curious about the Association's true intention behind displaying the Eye of Ra, and about who had stolen it.

But that curiosity wasn't enough to outweigh my desire to escape.

If I lived long enough, I might eventually learn the answers.

And even if I didn't, it wasn't particularly important.

Seriously, what kind of trouble was this?

I had seen far more Mysteries at the exhibition than I had expected, and if I stayed longer, I could probably see even more.

But I had no intention of remaining here anymore.

I raised my hand, flames already burning around it.

I was about to unleash the fire without hesitation, just like before, when I suddenly stopped.

The laurel-shaped brooch pinned to my chest bothered me.

The Association member who gave it to me had said it allowed the wearer to remain inside False Utopia even after the normal stay period ended.

When I checked with Lucy, it wasn't registered as a Mystery, so I had no idea how it possessed such an ability.

Maybe the brooch was merely a medium, and the actual source of the power existed somewhere else.

The important part was that I didn't understand its ability.

Since it wasn't registered in Lucy, I couldn't check its information.

I couldn't tell whether it only extended the duration of our stay, whether it had no ability at all, or whether wearing it might actually cause harm.

We're leaving anyway. There's no reason to keep wearing it, right?

Feeling uneasy, I removed the brooch and shoved it into my pocket.

Then I detonated the flames one final time.

With an explosion loud enough to make my ears ring, the fire swallowed my companions and me.

The smell of burning filled the air.

My vision turned black.

Then my consciousness faded.

When I opened my eyes, thankfully, I was back in reality.

The quiet scenery of the library spread before me, filled with the smell of books.

It was so peaceful that the chaos from moments ago felt like the lingering remnants of a dream.

I had clearly felt the sensation of death, yet here I was, perfectly fine in reality.

Now I understood why Arlin and the others compared False Utopia to a dream.

Everything that had just happened truly felt like one.

“...We're back.”

“Whoa...”

Arlin and Bias seemed unable to fully process it either.

They blankly opened and closed their hands, reminding themselves that this was reality.

I was used to the sensation of death because of my death regression.

They weren't.

This was probably the first time either of them had experienced dying.

Because of that, both of them remained dazed, deeply caught in the lingering feeling.

I left them alone so they could sort through it by themselves.

I don't really have anything to do. Maybe I'll browse the Gallery.

With that thought, I stood up and began heading out of the library.

Then I heard footsteps approaching from a distance.

It was Eriel coming toward me.

I stopped walking and waited for her.

Soon, she arrived right in front of me.

The smile on her face looked unusually bright.

“You're back! You returned a little earlier than I expected!”

Even her voice was brighter and clearer than usual.

I answered in a tired voice that contrasted sharply with hers.

“Something happened at the exhibition, so we actually came back later than I expected.”

“Something happened? What?”

I briefly summarized what had happened at the exhibition.

Eriel's eyes widened in confusion.

My explanation included the fact that my regression had been blocked, that the Eye of Ra had been displayed, and that it had eventually been stolen.

Eriel seemed so dumbfounded by the story that she opened her mouth slightly, then closed it again.

If anyone other than me had told her this story, she probably wouldn't have believed it.

Then again, if I hadn't experienced it myself, I probably wouldn't have believed it either.

What kind of idiotic organization would display a 900-series Mystery without any security measures?

At that point, it was far more likely that there had been some intention behind it than simple stupidity.

For example...

Maybe the entire goal had been to let the Eye of Ra get stolen.

“...That's a confusing story. I don't think the Mystery Protection Association would do something like that without a reason... It seems highly likely that there was some intention behind it.”

“If that's true, then what could they possibly have intended by putting the Eye of Ra there?”

Her answer was similar to what I had already thought.

There was a high possibility that the Association itself had intended for the Eye of Ra to be stolen.

The problem was why.

Why would the Mystery Protection Association deliberately want a 900-series Mystery stolen?

What did they possibly gain from it?

They had plenty to lose.

The most painful loss for the Association would probably be trust.

They had failed to respond to the theft and chaos, damaging their credibility.

The other factions who had attended the exhibition would also blame them.

Most of the relationships of trust the Association had built would probably be damaged.

No matter what reason there had been, the fact remained that the Association members responsible for security had completely disappeared from the exhibition hall.

“No matter how much I think about it, I don't understand. Why would the Association do that?”

“I don't know either. But it doesn't seem like you'll have any reason to get involved with the Association again, so I don't think you need to think too deeply about it. Instead, would you like to go for a walk with me?”

Eriel asked with a subtle look in her eyes.

It almost felt like an invitation to a date.

A date with a beautiful angel.

Normally, I would have had absolutely no reason to refuse.

But not today.

I rejected Eriel's invitation to go for a walk and started looking for a book.

The one with the dark red cover that the Mimic had spat out.

Since I had thought it was meaningless, I hadn't even placed it into the bag.

That meant I had to find it manually.

If I remembered correctly, Hwa-ryeon had been the last one to take it, saying it looked interesting.

As I headed to find Hwa-ryeon, I thought.

The people I had seen during the inspection, the ones holding dark red books against their chests while whispering about me.

They were probably Demon Worshipers.

The Mimic had spat out not only the invitation, but also a book with the exact same dark red coloring as the ones they carried.

That had happened because the Swallowing Mimic somewhere in the world had swallowed both items.

Which meant that near the Swallowing Mimic, there had been both a Demon Worshipers' book and an invitation to the exhibition.

A book related to demons and an invitation from the Association.

The Demon Worshipers and the Mystery Protection Association.

My instincts told me there was some connection between those two groups.

Eriel had said that I probably wouldn't have any reason to become involved with the Association again, so I didn't need to think too deeply about it.

“...”

I remembered the moment when the man who inspected me had said that the President wanted to meet me.

Is it really true that I won't get involved with them again?

Then why did I have such a strong feeling that I would encounter them again someday?

Carrying that uneasiness with me, I opened the book containing Hwa-ryeon's world.