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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“Milia, get ready to go out.”
“Huh? Why?”
“I’m going to show you something interesting.”
“Mister, are you sure it’s okay to bring her along?”
Viola looked at Milia with concern.
Milia had practically no combat ability. I shrugged at Viola’s question.
“I can protect one non-combatant.”
The hidden archive, as I remembered it, only contained illusionary monsters. I could clear it easily even by myself.
With a group of eight, we could probably just spam magic and be done with it.
The recommended party size for the hidden archive was two or three, but we had eight.
And three of them were mages.
If the front line held the monsters back, even third and fourth-tier magic would be enough to obliterate the illusions.
My goal was to overwhelm the hidden archive with sheer firepower.
The question was how the job-specific stat bonus, +5, one of the rewards in the original story, would be applied.
Perhaps it would be added to a hidden stat, like in my status window, or maybe the ancient headmaster’s spirit would appear and personally tutor each of us. Or perhaps it would be applied as experience points gained from clearing the hidden archive.
Regardless of the method, the premise was that the bonus would be applied.
There was a chance that it wouldn’t work in reality, of course.
“…But gaining experience safely is a good enough reward in itself.”
“Huh? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I patted Milia’s head, who was excitedly dressed in her going-out clothes, and looked at the others.
Karina, wearing her veil, was chatting with Elisa.
Viola was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed.
Milia, happily being petted.
And the three others who would be joining us.
Eight people would be too conspicuous, so we would split up and arrive at the library at different times.
We would look like a study group.
We even brought backpacks for disguise.
“Is everyone ready?”
“…R-Ready.”
“I’m ready.”
“Me too. Let’s go.”
“Then let’s get going.”
I grasped the handles of Karina’s wheelchair and started pushing.
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The library, bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.
We quietly entered and stood before the entrance to the hidden archive.
Eight people was a bit much, but fortunately, the library was almost empty at this hour.
Few students studied diligently on a Saturday.
The only other person present was the librarian, whom I had bribed beforehand.
Money could buy anything in this world.
I stepped forward and scanned the area.
No sign of Bella.
I had concealed our movements as much as possible, so Bella wouldn’t know about the raid until after we were done.
Fortunately, she wasn’t particularly perceptive.
I had deliberately taken control of the monitoring artifact to prevent her from learning about my presence yesterday, but I was still wary.
In the original story, she had ambushed the protagonist and tried to steal the rewards.
“Is this it?”
“Yes. Karina, do you see the purple book?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the key to opening the hidden archive.”
“Amazing…”
Karina’s voice was filled with excitement. She had a soft spot for these kinds of things. I imagined her expression beneath the veil and looked at the others, who were approaching.
They waved at us as they got closer.
“Hello~”
“Good evening.”
“There’s an unexpected guest.”
“Hi!”
“I didn’t expect Miss Milia to be here.”
Martina seemed a bit surprised, but her surprise was tinged with concern.
Milia was in the General Studies department and had no combat abilities, so it was understandable.
I shrugged and answered her unspoken question.
“I brought her along. Protecting one person isn’t a problem.”
“If Sir Johann says so, then it must be fine.”
She accepted my explanation surprisingly easily. I had expected her to lecture me, considering her personality, so her easy acceptance was a bit disconcerting.
“You seem to trust me quite a bit, considering you’ve never worked with me before.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Martina looked at Lewis, Shuri, and Elisa in turn, then smiled gracefully and said,
“I’ll be in your care, Sir Johann.”
“Likewise, Miss Martina.”
We shook hands and gathered everyone together.
Seven in total.
After confirming that there were no other people around, I quietly pulled out the purple book.
It looked like an ordinary book, but some of us knew better.
I handed the book, which was starting to emit a faint blue glow, to Karina.
“Would you mind opening it to page 231?”
“Page 231?”
“Yes.”
Karina quietly turned to page 231.
It would appear blank to those who weren’t worthy, but when held up to the setting sun by someone who was worthy, the words would appear.
“Karina, would you mind reading it aloud?”
“Alright. ‘When the hour of the dog and the wolf arrives, the secret hidden in the twilight shall be revealed…’”
As Karina’s beautiful voice faded, the bookshelf where the purple book had been placed turned translucent.
We stared in awe.
“This is… the entrance to the hidden archive…”
“Let’s go in.”
“But won’t other people see us?”
“It’ll close once we’re inside. I’ll lead the way. Milia, you can push the wheelchair.”
“Okay!”
Milia excitedly took over pushing the wheelchair.
My hands were now free… Time to go in.
“I’ll explain the precautions once we’re inside. Follow me.”
I stepped towards the translucent bookshelf.
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“Amazing…”
Whose voice was that? It didn’t matter. It expressed everyone’s feelings.
I gathered the group, who were staring at the vast archive filled with countless bookshelves.
“Karina, I’ll leave any healing to you.”
“Leave it to me.”
“Milia, you’re in charge of the wheelchair. If things get dangerous, take Karina and retreat.”
They probably wouldn’t be in any danger, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
“Okay!”
Milia replied energetically, as always.
“Lewis, you’re on point, as usual. Focus on blocking the enemies, not attacking.”
“Understood.”
I appreciated his formality.
“Elisa, Martina, Shuri, you’re on rear support. Stick to fourth-tier magic as much as possible. If a powerful monster appears, use third-tier magic, one person at a time. The order is Elisa, Shuri, then Martina. Use third-tier magic in that order unless I give you different instructions.”
“Is there a reason for the specific order?”
“To conserve mana. Third-tier magic is overkill for most dungeons. It’s important to use only as much magic as necessary.”
“So you want us to conserve mana.”
As expected of a top student, Martina quickly grasped my meaning.
“Correct.”
“Mister, should I stay behind Lewis and support him like before?”
“Yes. And Karina and Milia should stay between the mages and Viola.”
I didn’t want them to be too far back and get ambushed.
Milia and Karina moved forward at my instruction.
“Remember this formation. Never break formation, no matter what. Understood?”
“Yes!”
Their voices echoed in unison.
“Then let’s begin our exploration of the hidden archive.”
I moved to the rear.
The mages needed a bodyguard.
“Be on your guard. This place was created by the first headmaster, but it’s also a test of your abilities, so I’ll be commanding you as if we’re in a real dungeon.”
The seven of them nodded.
I pulled out my shovel.
It had been a while since I had used it like this.
I planted the shovel in the ground and used my skill.
“Crafting.”
[Wow, a scissor lift? Really?]
The hidden archive was now sealed, accessible only with my permission.
I knocked on the newly created wall a few times, then turned and looked at the path ahead.
A seemingly endless wall of bookshelves.
The hidden archive.
One of the most popular events in the original story, “Andras’s Arrangement.”
We were the first to discover it.
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