"It's landing. It's landing!"
"Yeah, it is!"
The airship landed. The two, dozing off after growing tired of looking at the sky, clung to the window again.
"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!"
The airship slowly landed on the runway, vibrating and shaking. Epherene and Allen's bodies shook, and before long, the steward knocked.
—Professor Deculein. We've arrived.
I encrypted the Go board again, stood, and called to Epherene and Allen.
"Let's go."
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
As soon as I opened the door to the VVIP room, the steward and the captain were lined up in the hallway. I, familiar with it, walked between them, and Epherene and Allen followed hesitantly.
"…Wow."
The moment we stepped off the airship, a magnificent sight greeted us. Allen was amazed, and Epherene stood with her mouth agape. The Round Table was that unique a place.
"What is all this…?"
The Round Table was a round table. A spacious, round plate-like space. Pink sunset over the horizon colored the world, and the glass floor reflected the light.
"Hey, Deculein."
Someone called out to me. A familiar face approached from the other side of the runway.
"Oh. Did Leaf come too?"
It was Ihelm. He waved his hand as if pleased to see us.
"Gosh. Because of you, everyone in the tower is calling me Leaf."
Epherene glared at Ihelm, but he merely shrugged.
"Well, that's good. Much better than Epherene."
"What's wrong with Epherene?"
"I told you, it's not such a good name. Anyway."
Ihelm looked back at me.
"Deculein, the Round Table is calling you. Leaf and your assistant professor will follow me, and Deculein, you go there."
With that, Leaf, no, Epherene and Allen tilted their heads.
"Follow him. I'll go alone."
"Oh. Okay…"
"Be careful~."
Snap- Snap-
Ihelm snapped his fingers and guided them along.
"Follow me. The two newbies."
"What. Who's the newbie…"
* * *
'The Round Table Glass'
A restaurant with an old-fashioned sign. Classical melodies flowed from the pure white interior, and famous wizards who could be recognized glanced sat at some of the tables.
"Oh… Assistant Professor. Look at that one. He is the head of the Zoble School."
"Oh, right! Was he called Trajet?"
Epherene and Allen sat down, watching their faces. Thanks to Ihelm flagging them down, the waiter approached within 3 seconds.
"Can I help you with your order?"
"Oh, yeah. First, the 33-year-old fondue. And Parma Soup with Gersol. What else? Is there anything that came today?"
"Yes. Slehan and Roahawk-"
"Roahawk?!"
Epherene nearly began to drool, much to the surprise of both Ihelm and the server.
"Okay. I get it. Let's have the Roahawk steak."
"Yes. In addition, the special product of the Vholran region…."
While Ihelm was ordering, Epherene looked out of the window. Reacting to the Roahawk was embarrassing. Was this an unconscious reflex or something else…?
"Ahem! S-So here is the Round Table~."
An island of glass located in the middle of the sea. The scenery of the Round Table was amazing.
"It's a weird place."
After completing their order, Ihelm commented. Epherene asked quickly.
"Did they say Roahawk is available?"
"Yeah. I ordered the largest."
"…"
Nice. Epherene clenched her fist hidden under the table. It may not be as good as Pig's Flower, but it would still be delicious because it was Roahawk.
"Anyway, this Round Table, as you can see, is an artificially created magical space. There are restaurants, houses, bookstores, anything you can imagine. But I don't like to come here very often."
"Why?"
"This is a hotbed of people watching you. If you do well, you will receive envy and jealousy. There are a lot of damn old people milling about."
"Oh… but why was the Professor suddenly invited?"
"That's right. It was so sudden."
Epherene asked the question, and Allen nodded his head along with curiosity. Ihelm smirked and sipped at his teacup.
"It's because of his achievements."
"…What?"
"How much do you guys know about the Round Table?"
"It's just a place where magic schools gather?"
If knights had an order, wizards had a school. Officially, there could only be three schools per magic branch, and it was said that the Round Table was a gathering of those schools.
"Right. It's a gathering place of a total of twenty-four schools, but it's pretty exclusive. They despise the creation of new schools."
"Why? Wouldn't it be nice to have a new school?"
"…You're so simple."
Ihelm shook his head.
"If they say only twenty-four, it's 'only' twenty-four." In this Round Table, there can be only three schools per class, for 24. Schools that are eliminated will fall out."
"…Oh!"
Epherene and Allen only then realized what that meant.
"Then…"
"Right. That's why Deculein was called."
Ihelm put down his cup.
"On the Floating Island and the Round Table. The potential for Deculein's thesis is slowly being proven. Oh, you know the Deculein/Luna thesis, right?"
"…"
Epherene closed her mouth. Ihelm didn't think much of it and just continued.
"So there are a lot of schools that are desperate right now. To which department is Deculein's thesis assigned? That's also important, and when he'll be recognized as an elder. Above all… the reason he published the thesis without telling them, that is the most important thing."
"What does that have to do with it?"
"The Round Table is an old-fashioned society, and being treated as the head of a school at the Round Table is of great value, you know? If he had told them in advance, even if he were expelled, they would have tried to take advantage of him as much as possible. Why didn't you give us time to discuss matters internally? Something like this."
"Ah…"
It was an easy-to-understand explanation. Their appetizers came out while Epherene and Allen listened. Epherene asked a question.
"Then why didn't Professor Deculein tell the round table in advance?"
"You know his personality. Confidence on the verge of recklessness. Self-esteem bordering on arrogance."
Ihelm laughed lightly. Then, he sighed.
"He's trying to break the hard-nosed order of the Round Table. It is a thesis published without anything held back throughout the Round Table, but it is a true revolution."
Epherene and Allen's eyes widened. As if the reaction was pleasant, Ihelm smiled and raised his spoon.
"You wouldn't know. But when you stick around Deculein or others at our level, every action, every word, every gesture has a political intention."
"Hmm… indeed."
"It's almost like a declaration of war. It'll be pretty fun when he becomes an elder, right? I never dreamed that I would say something like this, but he is a reliable guy at times like this. I don't like those damn old men at this Round Table either."
It was then that Epherene sniffed the aroma of the appetizer. She was momentarily startled. The tip of her nose felt ready to melt just from that. Seeing that expression, a smile played on Ihelm's lips.
"Eat. Enjoy now but be careful. Before long, a storm will rage around Deculein…"
* * *
I arrived at the Round Table president's waiting room. I didn't know what the meeting was about, but a quest notification popped up.
[Phase Quest: Keep the Round Table in Check]
◆ Acquisition of qualifications for the quest to become an elder.
It appeared to be the first step towards becoming an elder. As chairman, the position of elder was also one of the great achievements.
"Deculein."
Then, a robed woman called me from the other side of the waiting room. Carla.
"You're here too?"
"Your thesis was a good read."
"Thank you."
Nodding, Carla held out a letter to me.
"This is from Rohakan."
"…"
I grabbed the letter.
"Is this all?"
"The people at the Round Table seem very angry. They might be trying to kill you."
"Are they?"
The Round Table wasn't a friendly group. Rather, they were a hindrance to clearing the main quest.
"It doesn't matter. I won't die."
"…"
Carla didn't say anything. She simply sat on the couch in the waiting room and enjoyed the sweets set out on the table. I watched her cram the sweets in her mouth like a hamster.
"Is your business over?"
"I guess so."
Then the door to the waiting room swung open. Beyond the threshold was a group of wizards.
"Professor Deculein. It's meeting time."
Among them, the middle-aged man who appeared to be the leader spoke with a firm expression. I stood and followed him. Their steps were quick, but my stride was longer. I did not intend to lose dignity even in this small way. However.
"No."
The middle-aged wizard suddenly turned to look at me. His name was probably Devron.
"Come quickly! What are you doing, walking slowly?"
"…"
All the wizards stopped. I met their eyes as the silence grew long. I decided to be the one to break it.
"…Devron."
"What? Devron?"
"No courtesy opening the door is forgivable. No, I don't want to lose dignity by pointing it out. But."
I walked forward slowly, trampling the floor with the heels of my shoes.
"When a lowly thing that does not know his place grows arrogant not knowing the favor he is shown."
Stomp- Stomp-
Only my footsteps echoed through the hallway, and the magicians of the Round Table began to hide the hostility they had expressed through their eyes one by one, replacing it with fear.
"I don't want to accept this."
I approached the middle-aged man and looked down on him, forcing his gaze downward.
"Know your place. If someone like you keeps acting arrogant, I might kill you."
* * *
…After meditating, Sophien calmed down again. Finally, the peace called laziness had arrived, and the sloth was soaked in comfortable contemplation. She lay on the bed and looked at the Snow Globe. Snow was falling inside the glass while she thought of Keiron and the giant.
"…A giant."
An ancient ruler with an infinite lifespan and near-godly potential. However, they had been reduced to the phrase of a myth that a bard sitting near a bonfire recited.
Tick-tock-
Sophien had met the giant's eyes. She discovered a member of a species thought to be extinct. His pupils had an unfathomable depth, revealing a soul that possessed insight into the world, the universe, and the origins of all things. He was connected to the truth.
Tick-tock-
The Giant and the Snow Globe. And Deculein and Keiron. Sophien traced her memories, thinking about the curse given to her, the power of regression.
Tick-tock-
Suddenly, a certain place came to mind. The Imperial Library, where all the history of the continent slept. But Sophien had never visited there before.
"I never knew I would be going there in my lifetime."
Sophien pushed herself out of bed. She immediately opened the door to the dressing room. It was full of wonderful clothing from the continent and her family. She looked at them and pondered before putting on a hooded robe.
She left the bedroom and went down to the basement. Two knights stood at the door of the dark library. Their eyes widened with recognition as Sophien approached.
"…Your Majesty-"
"Shut up."
"…"
That was the end of it. The two knights said nothing further, and Sophien opened the door to the library.
Creak-
The tall old man that served as librarian appeared first through the gaps. He was fumbling through the bookshelves, sorting out the books. The owner of this palace appeared, but he didn't even acknowledge her. No, he couldn't. The librarian Lexil had already gone blind.
"Hey."
The librarian pulled back his wrinkled hands and turned around. He seemed to have sensed something in her unusual tone and energy.
"…Your Majesty?"
"Right. Are there any legends or myths from the continent, especially books related to giants?"
"Ah…"
Lexil bowed quickly.
"Yes. I have them; I will guide you."
"Good."
Sophien followed Lexil. The corridors of the Imperial Palace library were long, containing only books, papers, and trees. A question came to mind while she was walking around, looking at the numerous books.
"Librarian. Did anyone other than me visit this library?"
"Yes. There is one. He comes quite often these days."
"Who is it? You mean that you accept outsiders so easily?"
Then the librarian stopped in front of a certain bookshelf. It was a space full of old books. Sophien looked up at the books and listened to the librarian.
"It's the Count Yukline."
"…Count, Deculein?"
"Yes."
Sophien smirked.
"Can you tell me what books he's read?"
"Yes. Of course."
When the librarian reached out, several dozen books came at once under his magic.
"Also, I have a summary of his thoughts."
"Thoughts?"
"Yes."
Sophien couldn't hide her surprise. Lexil took out the books Deculein had read and placed them on a desk.
"I lend the book and receive permission for my magic. What my magic is, is to win the thoughts of the readers."
"Take their thoughts?"
"Yes. It's a magic that requires the subject's consent, but the professor was happy to comply."
"…Good. Show me."
Deculein's thoughts. What was he thinking while reading this book? It seemed kind of fun.
"Was there anything unusual about him?"
"He was a very polite nobleman."
Lexil laid his hand on the books, and he Copied the thoughts that Deculein had as he read. This was why Lexil was able to work as a librarian in the Imperial Palace for so long. Of course, it wasn't an ability that worked without the other party's consent, not only by word but also by mental permission. But all of the thoughts they had while reading could be copied and put on paper.
Lexil was the only surefire defense mechanism of the Imperial Palace Library.
"Good. You can go."
"Yes."
When Lexil left, Sophien picked up the thinnest of the many books, starting with the collection of poems [The Bard's Giant].
"Hmm."
There was nothing special about this book. A lyric book, it just recorded the song of the bards as they were. Therefore, there was nothing special about Deculein's thoughts that were copied on the pages of this book. Did he enjoy it as if he was savoring it, or did he quit after reading a few pages?
"There's nothing…"
But the Book of the Bard, its final chapter, held Deculein's thoughts. Several lines were laid out. Sophien had a little trouble understanding them.
—There are few references to the songs of the minstrel. Nothing special. However, at the end of a certain song, the phrase 'giant and emperor' is particularly concerning. Lyrics close to the prophecy that the giant recognizes the emperor and the emperor recognizes the giant. Reading those bizarre lyrics, I'm hoping for some reason that Sophien is happy…
He wanted Sophien to be happy. The Emperor's eyes were stuck on one such cheeky sentence.