Chapter 19: The Hidden Altar
Noah and Lucien entered the back room of the Grand Library, yet the room’s owner failed to notice them as he continued devouring book after book.
“Cleil.”
When Noah called out, Cleil slowly lifted his face.
“…Noah…?”
Recognizing the voice as that of a former classmate, Cleil showed his usual gentle smile.
“It’s been a while, Noah.”
“Yeah, it has been a while.”
“You’re the same as ever.”
“You haven’t changed at all.”
At Noah’s words, Cleil tilted his head and smiled shyly.
“Have I?”
“You really haven’t changed.”
“You still run straight to books the moment something unpleasant happens.”
“You still just hoard knowledge without putting it to any use.”
“Noah…?”
Faced with Noah’s sharp words, Cleil’s expression turned displeased.
“It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
“You were born as the eldest son of a count’s family.”
“You’ve learned the highest level of knowledge this country has to offer, and you can read whatever books you like without inconvenience because the people of your domain are working for you.”
“If you were doing something for your house or your domain as a count while working as a librarian, that would be one thing.”
“But you rarely return to your territory or even to your family estate, and you don’t attend soirées either.”
“You don’t use your knowledge for your domain or for the country.”
“What are you even stockpiling that knowledge for?”
“That’s…”
“This is a library operated by the state.”
“In other words, it’s funded by taxes.”
“The books here don’t exist just to satisfy your personal thirst for knowledge.”
One of the reasons nobles are allowed to remain nobles is because they study and use that knowledge to guide the country and its people toward a better future.
The form that takes does not matter.
Whether one becomes an official, focuses on governing a domain or running a business, or researches new crops, that choice is left to the individual.
What all of them share is that they return the knowledge they’ve gained to the outside world in some form.
Cleil, on the other hand, merely stored knowledge within himself and never released it outward.
The fact that Cleil was allowed to stay here could almost be called an act of mercy on the emperor’s part.
It was meant to be a place of learning so that he might someday put that knowledge to use.
Yet Cleil never noticed that, and instead shut himself away here endlessly.
Lucien, watching from behind, knew that even Eugene was starting to think it was time to reconsider.
If Cleil were to refuse here, Eugene intended to send him back to his count’s estate.
“In your world, there’s only yourself and knowledge.”
“You’ve shut everything else out, so you’re always passive toward people too.”
“You think that if you just keep smiling, someone will come talk to you.”
“Noah, I—”
“The shut-in of the Grand Library.”
“Do you like being called that?”
“Is simply knowing things the only happiness you have?”
“…Well, I suppose what you choose as happiness is your own business.”
“But the one granting you that happiness, His Majesty, has summoned you.”
“Come to His Majesty’s office tomorrow morning.”
“Huh?”
“His Majesty…?”
“Do I really have to go?”
Cleil, who hated leaving this place, made Noah let out a sigh.
“He wouldn’t call you without a reason.”
“No matter how pathetic your attitude is, His Majesty won’t say anything.”
“He just needs your knowledge.”
“Be useful once in a while.”
“…All right…”
“Hey, Noah.”
“Am I really that pathetic?”
“Utterly.”
“…I see…”
Leaving the slightly dejected Cleil behind, Noah urged Lucien along and left the room.
“Noah-dono, good work.”
When Lucien spoke to the tired-looking Noah, Noah let out a deep breath.
“…He’s always been like that.”
“He smiles so people won’t say anything unnecessary to him.”
“The words spoken by friends and women drawn in by that smile never reach him.”
“From my perspective, there’s no one more self-centered than him.”
“He did seem depressed when Emeryne-dono rejected him.”
“He thought he’d finally caught a fish, only for it to slip away.”
“Of course he’d be depressed.”
“She wasn’t family by birth.”
“She wouldn’t wait forever.”
“And I doubt Cleil even understood Emeryne-dono’s feelings properly.”
“He’s bad at sensing other people’s emotions.”
“That’s the downside of always running away the moment something felt unpleasant.”
“By the way, you didn’t tell Cleil-dono why His Majesty summoned him.”
“There’s no need.”
“He’s got it all in his head.”
“If you ask, he’ll answer immediately.”
“…That’s a strange kind of trust.”
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“Rote memorization is his specialty.”
“The contents of the books here are probably already all inside his head.”
“It’s about time he let some of that accumulated knowledge out.”
Lucien, who didn’t know Cleil very well, decided that if Noah said so, it was fine.
He left without saying anything further to Cleil.
The next morning, Noah encountered Dorothy as she was about to leave through the castle gate.
“Dorothy-dono?”
“Oh, good morning, Noah-sama.”
Dorothy was wearing plain clothes rather than her usual uniform.
“Good morning.”
“Are you heading out somewhere?”
“Yes.”
“I received a letter from my family last night.”
“I thought it was a response to my report about the divorce, but it simply said to come home once, so I’m going even though I don’t want to.”
She looked slightly uncomfortable as she spoke.
Since marriages were also ties between families, they likely had something to say to a daughter who had divorced on her own.
Dorothy herself didn’t seem to know why she had been summoned.
“Be careful.”
“Yes.”
“If they say anything unpleasant or strange, don’t hesitate to use my name.”
“Hehe.”
“His Majesty told me the same thing.”
“Just make sure you come back safely, he said.”
“It’s a house in the noble district, though on the outskirts, so I should be back by evening at the latest.”
“If it gets late, I’d like to say I’ll come get you, but I don’t know how work will go.”
“Still, if you contact me, I’ll send a carriage from the marquisate, so don’t hold back.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
“Then, I’m off.”
“Take care.”
They exchanged smiles, and Dorothy headed out against the flow of those going into the castle.
“Long time no see, Cleil.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
In the room were Eugene, Cleil, Lucien, and Noah.
“So?”
“How was it?”
“What do you mean?”
Having been told only to come here, Cleil didn’t understand the question.
“Noah didn’t tell you anything?”
“No.”
“Noah?”
“There’s no need to worry, Your Majesty.”
“It’s all in Cleil’s head.”
“If you ask him, he’ll answer anything.”
Eugene shot Noah a reproachful look, but Noah responded nonchalantly.
“Noah…”
“…Fine.”
“Cleil, I called you here about that group in Joya that sought blood and pleasure.”
“The ones from Joya?”
“Weren’t they wiped out?”
“We dealt with most of them.”
“But it seems some survived and have started causing trouble again.”
“Cleil, where are the altars those people used outside of Joya?”
At Eugene’s question, Cleil began to think.
The records were in the Grand Library.
The contents of those records surfaced in Cleil’s mind.
“…Most of them are within Joya.”
“But several exist within the Empire as well.”
“Among them, the place that could still be usable now would be the altar in the territory of Count Cotevar.”
“Count Cotevar’s territory?”
“That domain is close to Joya, but is there really such a place?”
“Yes.”
“That house originally has roots in Joya.”
“Because of that, several members of the family were drawn to that group.”
“The altar is in a cave in the mountains.”
“It’s merely been left alone, not buried or destroyed.”
“I see.”
“But Cotevar… I feel like I heard that name recently…”
“…Ah, damn it!”
Eugene slammed his hand on the desk in irritation.
“The Cotevar count’s house is Dorothy’s family home.”
“She said she was called back there today.”
“Dorothy-dono’s…?”
In Noah’s mind rose the image of Dorothy leaving through the gate that morning.
She had looked troubled as she said she’d been summoned by her family.
She had said it was about the divorce, but she didn’t seem certain.
If that wasn’t the case, and the current Count Cotevar was involved with that group—
He had nothing but a bad feeling.
“Noah, go to the Cotevar estate immediately.”
“Lucien, contact the Third Knight Order.”
“The Cotevar estate is the one right after turning left at the fifth corner from the front gate, then right at the ninth corner.”
As Cleil immediately gave the directions, Noah rushed out of the room.
Lucien followed after him.
Left behind were Eugene and Cleil.
“I hope Dorothy is safe…”
“Your Majesty, who is Dorothy-dono?”
“She’s a lady-in-waiting serving Aurelia.”
“Until recently, she was Count Miller’s wife.”
“Well, she’s Noah’s beloved.”
“…I see.”
“Then all we can do is pray for her safety.”
“Yeah.”
“By the way, you look a bit more like a living human now.”
“Noah scolded me.”
“He told me that since I’m stockpiling knowledge with someone else’s money, I should put it out into the world.”
“…He’s the only one who still speaks to me the same way he did back then.”
“Everyone else gave up halfway.”
“Cherish friends like that.”
“Sometimes there are people who, no matter how far apart you’ve grown, somehow show up at the most important moments or turning points in your life.”
“Yes.”
Cleil hadn’t seen Noah at all and knew of him only through rumors.
Even those rumors rarely reached Cleil, who had shut himself away in the Grand Library.
They weren’t close enough to call each other friends, but back in their school days, Noah had been the one who complained while still looking out for him.
“For now, you’re fired from your librarian job at the Grand Library.”
“Eh?”
“That’s a problem.”
“Or rather, I don’t want that.”
“Work.”
“Since you finally came out, I’ll put you to good use.”
“A black workplace is a bit much.”
“It shouldn’t be as bad as it used to be.”
“Starting today, you’ll work as my aide.”
In less than an hour, Cleil lost his beloved librarian position and was appointed as the aide of the very man who fired him.
“I didn’t ask for such a drastic life turn…”
“Spill everything in that head of yours.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Cleil stepped out of the calm, unchanging space he had known.
It was the first moment his awareness turned outward.