Chapter 80: The Third Day of the Festival (IX).
The ancient book sees two humans wondering if what it's seeing is right?!
This blonde girl- her soul is something similar to its old master. Could it be?!
"...!"
The book, who has a mind of its own, quickly recognizes her and immediately lands in the hands of Analissa Blanchet. The heroine catches the tome looking confused, well this is part of the story but the streamer doesn't recall the ancient tome landing in her hands.
"Um..." (Analissa) turns to Lord Ein, maybe being able to give answers but even this leaves him stumped. "Hello there?"
Lord Ein chuckles looking at the tome with its delicate lining and its hardbound leather cover in good condition. The hidden archives and the heroine are not to be underestimated, things like flying ancient relics are even attracted to Analissa.
"It seems to resonate with your magical power, I could tell with its mana bonding with yours. Could this be a powerful relic relating to your magic? I have heard that often many divine relics would choose their own masters."
Analissa tilted her head slightly, brows knitting in confusion as her eyes scanned the tome. "I merely came for the wand. I was not expecting for the ancient book of clues to also be... optional."
'I knew there were other relics down here but in the game the heroine of the original story only interacted with the wand. The story is changing drastically, I don't know what to do.' She held the tone and felt its magic surging within. 'Lord Ein is right for some reason this magic tome resonates with me.'
"I could read everything." She whispered, wide-eyed, staring into the swirling script. The glow lit up her face in pale green light, her wonder impossible to hide.
Lord Ein stepped closer, his long coat swaying behind him. He folded his arms, eyes narrowing in intrigue. "Well then what does the first clue say?"
Analissa nodded, steadying the book with both hands. The pages turned on their own, stopping as her eyes locked on the riddle.
She read aloud, "For the first clue, you must answer this:
Humans, elves, demons, and dwarves.
Which one shall rise, which shall fall?
Beneath the pits of Nazareth, where their souls shall be tamed-
The fire burning their skin... who shall live?"
Ein raised an eyebrow, lips curling in a thoughtful smirk. "Huh... that's very insightful. I suppose it should be the demons right? I mean we're talking about fire out of all of them they are the most to survive. If it's the flames of Nazareth could it be... I know it's another term of hell."
Analissa's grip on the tome tightened, the questions here were based on the real life lores of the game- you can get the answer on some guides provided online but for the Japanese streamer she got the answers from her chat at that time. 'I remember the answer to this one but I'm having internal conflicts about whether I should answer immediately or not. Lord Ein might find me suspicious if I knew the answer. Honestly, I just got the answer because of chat helping me back then when streaming.'
She looks back at Lord Ein who was trying to take a guess, "Is the answer, demons?"
The tome lights up red, signaling that his answer is wrong.
"Agh- I really thought that was it." (Lord Ein) scratches the back of his head looking disappointed with himself.
'We don't have enough time, I have to answer all of them correctly so I can get back. Losimer would be worried sick without his caramel popcorn and... if Lady Evelyn doesn't see me soon I'm afraid she'll launch a whole investigation just to find me!' The heroine can see it now, knowing the kind of woman the villainess is, she won't hesitate to use everything in her power just to get what she wants.
Her heartbeat quickened. Still, she lifted her chin and spoke clearly.
"The answer is all of them," She answered, her gaze locked on the center of the page. "None are safe from the fires of hell. All will rise, and all will fall. All will pass beneath the lands of Nazareth, for that is where our souls are tamed. No one is immortal."
The moment the final word left her lips, the tome responded. A soft hum resonated through the air. Pale green light spilled from its pages, crawling across the floor in gentle, swirling patterns before fading into the stone.
She blinked at the fading glow, chest rising with a shaky breath.
It worked.
Lord Ein stepped closer, the long hem of his coat brushing against the stone floor as he hovered beside her, gaze fixed on the still-glowing tome.
"Good answer," He said with a slight nod, the corner of his mouth tugging into a rare smile.
"If gods were included then they would be the answer." (Analissa) replied, really thanking her supportive audience for guiding her along the way back in her past life.
He moved a bit to the side, casting a brief glance at her before continuing, almost as if lecturing but in a way that invited her curiosity. "Quick thinking, you're right, elves can only live up to five hundred. If they're lucky they can live up to a thousand but who would want to live for that long. Dwarves on the other hand can live up to two hundred and for demons- it depends what tribe of demons they belong to I suppose."
He let out a quiet breath. "In the end, no matter the lifespan... all things have their final day. You're quite good at this, Miss Analissa."
Analissa let out a nervous laugh, awkwardly rubbing the back of her neck.
"Haha... it's just a lucky guess. I suppose I get lucky when it counts." She straightened up, putting on a cheerful tone. "Ahem! To the next challenge! Time is of the essence, is it not?"
Before she could say more, the pages fluttered on their own, stopping at a glowing symbol. A soft hum vibrated through the air. Suddenly, a narrow path of green light extended from the base of the pedestal, crawling across the floor like living ink. The glow was gentle but unmistakable, illuminating each stone tile beneath their feet and casting a faint emerald hue across the chamber.
Her brows furrowed in curiosity. "This is... tricky."
Analissa took a cautious step forward, following the glowing trail. It curved around broken columns and led them deeper into the chamber, until it stopped at a stone wall that shimmered slightly- an illusion, concealing the next part of the challenge.
As they approached, the illusion dispersed, revealing a puzzle altar embedded with tiles of varying shapes and colors.
"It looks random," She said, kneeling beside the stone panel, "But it's not. It's a layered pattern... like a painter's palette poured out by accident. All I have to do is guide it back into shape."
Her fingers hovered just above the glowing tiles. One by one, she slid them into place. Each movement was precise, instinctive. She didn't pause, didn't question herself. Shapes rotated, colors aligned, and within moments the panel began to glow brighter with every correct motion.
Lord Ein stood frozen, watching in stunned silence as she worked with uncanny ease.
It was as if the puzzle was designed for her. When the final tile clicked into place and a soft chime echoed across the chamber, Lord Ein finally broke his silence.
He blinked, then gave a breathless laugh- half in disbelief, half in admiration.
"Well... that was fast." He slowly brought his hands together and began to clap- genuinely, clearly impressed. "Well done, Miss Analissa. That was nothing short of incredible."
Analissa rose to her feet and gave a casual shrug, a playful glint in her eyes.
"Lucky guess," She said with a grin. "I'm good at those."
Lord Ein kept clapping for a moment longer, shaking his head with a soft chuckle.
"No. That wasn't luck. That was brilliant." As if in agreement, the tome glowed faintly behind them, and the green trail extended once more, beckoning them toward the next mystery hidden in the ruins.
The glowing path led them into a long corridor filled with puzzle stations, each more arcane than the last. The tome pulsed faintly behind them, as if recording every success.
The next puzzle was a floating sphere with shifting symbols and rotating rings.
"Align the houses of the sun," (Analissa) read aloud. She watched the symbols for only a moment, then reached out and rotated one ring clockwise. Another followed, almost automatically under her control.
Click.
The rings aligned, done in under ten seconds.
"First try again," (Lord Ein) muttered under his breath, visibly impressed.
They moved on.
A wall suddenly lit up with dozens of glowing constellations. One of them blinked faintly.
"A star map," (Analissa) murmured. "It's upside down."
She flipped the map in her mind and tapped four stars in sequence.
Wrong.
A soft warning chime echoed.
"Wait, I missed one- there." She tapped the fifth star. The entire wall lit up, and the illusion dissolved.
Lord Ein raised a brow. "That was barely even a mistake."
Next, a platform rose from the floor, displaying several floating crystals.
"Each crystal vibrates at a different tone," She muttered, listening carefully. "I have to recreate the melody from the samples in this book..."
She tapped them in sequence.
One note off.
She winced, looking at the book again and remembering the answer to this puzzle when she was streaming it to her chat. "Too sharp."
She adjusted.
Perfect harmony. The puzzle unlocked.
Another room. This time, a riddle carved in gold: I have cities but no houses, mountains but no trees, and water but no fish. What am I?
"A map," She answered immediately.
Lord Ein didn't even have time to blink before the door to the next room opened.
His face was like this (.O.)
They passed into a new chamber where a ring of levitating tiles circled above a glowing pit. Each tile bore an ancient numeral.
"Sequence puzzle. Fibonacci... starting from zero." She leapt from tile to tile with expert grace. The tiles glowed behind her with each correct step.
Lord Ein crossed his arms and let out a slow, stunned exhale. "You're either unnaturally gifted... or hiding a lifetime of training."
Analissa laughed, brushing hair from her face but deep inside she was dying and hoping that her cover won't be blown- half of these puzzles are not from this world that's for sure. These are the puzzles made by the developers after all. "Would you believe me if I said I'm just good under pressure?"
Lord didn't answer- he just smiled, following her as the path lit once more.
And so they continued.
Puzzle after puzzle.
Light-based reflections. She solved it.
Color blending alchemy. She solved it.
Magical mazes that shifted as they walked. Solved.
Sometimes a second guess.
Sometimes a single adjustment.
But always fast. Always certain.
By the time they reached the final seal, the tome glowed brighter than ever- almost proud.
Analissa stood tall, barely winded.
"You've... answered them all correctly in the first try. Have you done this before?" (Lord Ein) finally asks.
Analissa, who was expecting the questions, thought it would be a good idea to give a logical excuse. "U-Um... yes! I've read books about these puzzles before, I had done a bit of research before coming here and I'm glad it's paying off."
'Some of the stuff I answered on my own but for the harder riddles and puzzles I left it for my chat to give solutions. Sorry Lord Ein, I'm being a hypocrite again but my identity as an otherworlder must not be known by anyone.'
Especially, the villainess.
"Hmm..." (Lord Ein) could only shake his head and mutter, "In all my years, I've never seen anything like this."
"W-What is it, Lord Ein?"
At first, if the young nobleman was being honest he underestimated the blonde girl. He thought she was easy to fool and manipulate. He would bargain that she won't be able to pick up things that most people like him can. Yet, there are these... walls.
Guarded walls, that it makes it seem that they aren't there because of her innocent and pure appearance you'd think she's harmless.
"Nothing, it seems I was wrong about my perception of you. I have underestimated you, even though I couldn't answer some of the riddles correctly yet you did all of them in less than a minute."
"Oh tis is only luck." She replies, hoping Lord Ein would drop the subject off because she's already feeling guilty of lying this much.
"All the riddles and puzzles? I might be smart but even I, the great Einsel the genius, would've taken more time to answer all of the challenges. No... I refuse to believe this is all luck... don't tell me-?!" Lord Ein's eyes widened as he leaned in, staring at her like she'd just grown a second head. "You're actually a genius in disguise and you're just fooling around when you're with me because of academic pressure?!"
Analissa blinked.
Slowly.
"..."
Lord Ein straightened up and crossed his arms, nodding thoughtfully. "Well you've scored top in the entrance exams I suppose it should be only natural. It's just you act so aloof when it comes to Lady Alarie that I completely forgot your other smart personality. My respect for you has improved."
And gaining Lord Ein's respect is no easy task.
Analissa gave a nervous chuckle, scratching her cheek as she averted her gaze.
"T-Thanks..." She said, unsure whether to smile or panic.
'Thank god he turned normal! I managed to fool him. I thought he was going to accuse me of stealing someone else's body. I'm glad I'm keeping up my facade, I studied my butt off to not be found out. Analissa is book smart in the original game. I'm so happy I caught up with their curriculum.'
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