"Say, Brynhildr, how can we find this Crown you mentioned before?"
Klaus and Brynhildr went to check the first floor for this Crown, and after ten minutes searching, they still hadn't found it yet. The plan was to find the Crown perhaps hiding somewhere between the bookshelves, or on top of them. Klaus searched relentlessly, but alas, his effort resulted in nothing but wasted time and energy.
He sat down on the wooden floor with a sigh. Supposedly, the Crown looked like, as stated, a crown. Its appearance, weight, and size should be the same as a crown worn by a king or queen in a monarchy. Nevertheless, Klaus's search only gained him more frustration and exhaustion.
"...The crown is nowhere at the ground floor and the first floor," said Brynhildr with a hand over her mouth.
"Perhaps we've overlooked something crucial. Is there a hidden floor or something in this library, Brynhildr?"
"That's a possibility that we should consider thoroughly. Just so you know, each Personal Dimension is different, somewhat unique to each individual. So, in this case, there could be such a thing as a hidden floor."
After hearing Brynhildr's explanation, Klaus nodded with understanding. If his hunch was correct, finding a library's hidden floor shouldn't be a goal too hard to achieve. He'd read a lot of mystery books that detailed a wide variety of scenarios and crime scenes. This particular situation he was in had that same vibe.
There were two bookshelves placed near the wall. One of them was on one side of the walls. Without thinking much, Klaus scanned for any books stored in these two bookshelves that might interest him and pulled them out of their spot.
"What are you doing?" Bynhildr asked with a frown.
"Usually, hidden rooms or floors are hidden behind walls like these. In a library as big as this one, I'm sure there's enough room for at least one more floor, hiding from plain sight."
"...You're trying to find the hidden place by pulling these books out?"
"You haven't seen enough mystery dramas, Brynhildr. Books in a library act as perfect switches for someone to open and close the entrance to these hidden rooms or floors."
Finally, when Klaus pulled out a green book titled, "We Are a Family, Aren't We?", the bookshelf parted along with the wall behind it, revealing a winding stone staircase leading up.
"Your guess is correct. I'm surprised," said Brynhildr.
"Hey... isn't this the book you showed to me when we first met?"
Klaus showed the green book to Brynhildr, and she nodded in agreement. "Yes, since this particular book is written based on your previous life. I showed it to you the first time, to give you a hint, to show that you are one of those reincarnated people."
It made sense to Klaus when Brynhildr worded her reason this way. This place was his Personal Dimension, and it took the form of a library because of him. A book detailing his past life was not an oddity by any means because of this.
The library was a part of him.
Klaus let this fact linger in his mind as he went up the winding stone staircase.
Brynhildr watched him with judging eyes as they ascended to the "second" floor. He was quite a peculiar person, she thought. He collectively gathered information and deduced his conclusion without many flaws to it. He wasn't afraid to dive directly into danger despite the risks.
When fighting the Rank-C Draugr, Klaus jumped from the first floor without hesitation to carry out his plan.
People always have doubts. However, Klaus moved forward despite the possibility that his plan would fail.
"I suppose I'm lucky, Brynhildr. This place is lit with torches, so I don't need to create a source of light for us," said Klaus.
"You're different, Klaus Weber. You come up with a plan and adjust it according to the situation. Most people would be afraid when fighting with a Draugr, but you're calm."
"I try not to think too much. Why waste your time thinking about a problem that can be solved with a simple solution? Act immediately and carefully. This way, you won't have many regrets."
"...Not many people stick to rules they come up with."
"True, but I'm not one of them."
The library's hidden second floor could be described as a desolate place. There was nothing on the second floor other than a large crown at the opposite end, seemingly sealed inside a cuboid glass case. This scene floundered Klaus for a few moments.
"Is this it? That's the Crown?"
Brynhildr nodded with certainty. Every Crown in their respective Personal Dimensions was placed inside a glass case, hidden from plain sight. The Personal Dimension's owner must grab the Crown for him or her to gain full authority.
"So, I just go and grab it."
Klaus took a few steps forward before Brynhildr placed a hand on his shoulder. Startled, he looked at the woman with a confused expression.
"It's not as simple as you think, Klaus Weber. Crowns have Keepers to protect them from Draugrs. This one is no exception to the rule."
"Keepers? I'm the owner, right? I don't think there will be a problem for me to go get the Crown I deserve."
Klaus's assumption was logical for someone who was newly introduced to his Personal Dimension. Brynhildr knew this and nodded before proceeding to explain further about Keepers.
"Keepers protect the Crowns without regard to who they face. The fact that you're this Dimension's owner doesn't exclude you from being on the list."
Klaus rubbed his temples when he heard he would have to find a solution to get rid of the Keeper. He decided to listen to what Brynhildr had to say about these Keepers so that he could think of something.
According to her, the owner of the Dimension must defeat the Keeper to proceed to the next step. This seemed simple at first, but Brynhildr insisted that he mustn't let his guard down.
"You mustn't underestimate the Keeper. Each Keeper's strength varies, but they shouldn't be any weaker than a Rank-C Draugr."
As soon as Brynhildr said this, the room shook from a sudden intense pressure, and Klaus gritted his teeth. A ray of light struck the wooden floor and slowly condensed to take the form of a girl. More specifically, the light shifted to look like the Freda Klaus knew in his past life.
"...Freda?"
A moment later, Klaus's left arm rippled, and blood burst forth from the destroyed muscles.