Chapter 81: The Third Day of the Festival (X).
The journey of the heroine and her sidekick named Lord Einsel was near its end. The heroine who was expecting and calculated the time that they needed to finish in order to go back to the last event of the third day of the festival seemed unlikely.
They'll run a little late.
"In any case to the next puzzle!" (Analissa) pulled on Lord Ein's sleeve as she held the book on the other hand. They walked together side by side once more, the masochist couldn't help but admire the ancient tome that's been helping them all this time.
"You know, you ought to bring that book with you back to the surface. Who knows it might be a priceless divine artifact that you can sell." (Lord Ein) held his chin, the book who seemed to have its own mind flew beside him and hit him from behind. "Ow!"
"I don't think the book likes your suggestion, milord."
"I... got the message. How nice that it can understand what I'm saying, then that's how you know it'll catch a hefty price." He tries to get a reaction from the book again but this time it flew below, almost tripping him. "Oof-! Okay, that's getting annoying, you're not so easy to bully."
The book somehow feeling satisfied flew itself to Analissa's chest.
It didn't like the blue-haired man.
"For some reason the book seems to like me." She held the tome gently like a baby. The book was enjoying the comfort of Analissa's warmth. "Thank you for helping us get to the wand of light. I never managed to say my thanks due to all the puzzles we had to solve- it must be lonely being here alone with no one to be with."
The book nods.
The Japanese streamer who had only known the ancient tome from the visual novel game suddenly became attached. It's... like a feeling of finding your favorite in-game item display and now you can actually use it?!
"I'm Analissa Blanchet by the way, that's my name. It's lovely to meet you." She decided it's best to get on its good side.
The Masochist thought the blonde girl was crazy talking to a book to the point of even formally introducing herself. Though...knowing that the charm of this woman is godly. Not only all of the men in their academy are infatuated but... now even the women and sentient beings are being added to the list.
A few more minutes of walking- they finally arrived at the final test.
'This should be the last one.'
The pedestal stood quietly at the center of the chamber, its stone surface unbroken by cracks or weathering despite the years. Square in shape, it rose to about chest height, each side smooth and carefully chiseled, the corners sharp as if freshly cut. Dust had gathered at its base, but the pedestal itself seemed untouched by neglect, as though someone had made the effort to preserve it.
Its pale gray surface bore faint tool marks from its maker, subtle ridges that caught the light in uneven lines. There was nothing mystical about it- no carvings glowing faintly, no aura thrumming in the air.
Just stone. Solid, steady, and waiting.
"...!"
The ancient tome flipped and flipped until halting on a worn, yellowed page. Analissa leaned closer, tracing the lines with her eyes as she read aloud, each word resonating with her heart."To find the right owner, the last test is about your power. Place your hand onto the pedestal- to see if the wand... sees you as its new master."
Lord Ein blinks, furrowing his brows looking a bit in disbelief, "That's the final test?"
The simplicity of it unsettled him.
No riddles, no cryptic verses, no elaborate puzzles like the challenges they had faced before. Just a straightforward command.
His voice dropped lower, edged with suspicion. "Are you sure the book is not leading us into a secret encryption, apologies milady but that sounds just too easy to be true. You... just put your hand on the pedestal?"
The heroine nods with confidence, this is indeed the final puzzle. She recognized this moment- it was exactly how the visual novel had unfolded in the story she remembered with the help of her chat. "Mm, don't worry. This part is easy."
She stepped forward, her fingers brushing the cold surface of the pedestal. With a breath to steel herself, she pressed her palm flat against it.
Prick.
The easter egg of the story is that the wand is looking for a host that has a compatible mana and body type. The former saintess, her soul is linked to the wand. If the wand detects a user that is not affiliated with the element of light it will reject them and even shut itself off.
"Ouch." She winced as something sharp slid into her skin. Hidden beneath the stone, a needle had darted up, drinking a small bead of her blood. The pedestal checked to see if the guest that wandered into the forbidden archive... is good enough to be their new master.
Lord Ein tensed, hand twitching toward his weapon hearing her cry. "Miss Analissa-!"
"No." But she raised her other hand to calm him, watching as a glowing script unfurled across the pedestal. It was the wand itself that judged, seeking not only mana but a body and soul capable of carrying its bond. "I-I'm fine it's just a prick."
The blood vanished into the stone, swallowed whole, and the chamber stilled.
The wand of light appears in front of them.
Then, in bold, golden letters, the message revealed itself:
It was something Lord Ein couldn't read.
"What does it say?" He asks, calming down after seeing that his friend is alive and well.
Analissa smiles, giving the good news to her friend with a thumbs up. "Welcome back, you may now claim... what's rightfully yours."
"That was anticlimactic." (Lord Ein) rolled his eyes, arms crossing over his chest in exaggerated annoyance. The so-called hidden archive- shrouded in mystery, whispered about in legends was supposed to be perilous and dangerous, its secrets guarded by impossible trials.
And yet, this blonde girl had just... waltzed in, brushing through every challenge like a seasoned thief picking locks.
He sighed, though amusement tugged faintly at his lips.
Perhaps this was better entertainment than what awaited outside. A duel where the outcome had been predetermined long before the first strike. After all, who would dare let the crown prince lose? One scratch on his royal highness, and the fool responsible might not live long enough to regret it.
"My hand feels numb... I should heal this first." (Analissa) chuckled nervously looking at the small wound on her hand.
Lord Ein nodded, turning to the wand of light- the whole reason why they went through the trouble of going to the archives. "Mm, let me grab the wand for you so we can get out of here faster."
"Thank you kindly." She focuses her mana on healing her hand as Lord Ein grabs the wand out of the Pedestal.
The chamber rumbled.
"...!"
"...what?"
Dust sifted down from the high, vaulted ceiling as jagged cracks raced along the marble floor like spreading veins. Shelves groaned and toppled, ancient tomes spilling into the abyss that opened beneath them. The air itself seemed to shudder, heavy with the metallic tang of magic gone wrong, while the once-quiet archive groaned as though it were alive and angry.
"Oh- what now?!"
Lord Ein was not enjoying the new adventure that he signed up for.
"Hold on, this shouldn't be part of the test! This is not-" (Analissa) couldn't finish her next words looking at Lord Ein. 'This is not supposed to be in the game?! Once the heroine obtains the wand of light it should be a smooth way out and she'll be teleported back to the library!'
"What's happening?!" The Knight unsheathed his sword, His grip tightened, worried that the crumbling archive might lure out its monsters that they've been avoiding.
Analissa's hands shook as she fumbled with the ancient tome. She slammed it open, pages fluttering until words carved themselves onto the parchment in blinding light. She read them aloud in a flat, irritated tone: "The wrongful hand has touched the wand. The rightful owner is not recognized?!"
Lord Ein shot the glowing book a withering side-eye, his expression flat as if blaming it for his own mistake. How was he supposed to know he wasn't allowed to touch the oh-so-sacred wand first?
"What?! Is it because I touched it first?! That's just utter hogwash I say!"
Analissa groaned, grabbing fistfuls of her blonde hair before huffing at the world, the archives, and whoever designed this insane place. "I completely agree!!!"
"This is shit-!" (Analissa) continues, she snatched the Wand of Light from Ein's hand, clutching it tightly as the rumbling worsened. "I have the wand now! Ayo please stop crumbling! Please for the love of Buddha I have the wand in my hand!"
She begged for the archive to stop crumbling, but it didn't.
"We're cooked!"
There was no way out, the chance for them to escape is low and she can't bring back her promised popcorn to Losimer! Their bodies wouldn't be found for centuries, probably! It'll be pummeled, they'll starve inside the archives!
Historians would say the students that were trapped were probably a couple!
The Japanese streamer was overthinking before she felt the book right beside her feet.
"Wait-! The ancient tome-!" She grabs it, asking a desperate question. "Book, do you know a way out of here?! Please tell me you know the way!"
Lord Ein braced against the shaking floor, sword raised uselessly against falling debris. "What does the fancy book say, Miss Analissa?!"
"WAIT FOR IT TO WRITE DAMN IT!" She yelled and waited patiently for the ancient book to finish writing.
Golden light carved itself furiously across the page, ink appearing stroke by stroke. The heroine recognized this immediately, it was a light spell for teleportation! Something so advanced...
"Okay, okay! It gave me a teleportation spell made out of light! Okay, okay as long as it has light I can teleport wherever it is!"
Lord Ein barked out a half-mad laugh, she trusted the girl and felt assured that everything was going to be fine to the point he even managed to get a few jokes out. "Wonderful! Now would be a good time to use your beautiful, amazing and spectacular new wand!"
'This is an advanced spell but better trying than dying!' (Analissa) gritted her teeth, clutching the wand.
At first she thought of the light...
Vast images appeared in her mind.
The garden and its flowers, the stadium with its people's cheering... and so many places that have light.
"Where is the light... where is the light... but one where there are no people..."
For a fleeting moment, she thought of Lady Evelyn- her light.
The villainess, with her warm smile that could ease any storm, her unmatched kindness that never wavered, and those soft hands that had always steadied her own. And those eyes... sharp yet gentle, eyes that could spot a lie no matter how carefully it was woven.
"No...!" (Analissa) focused and this time she kept the image of the empty library alive.
Word by word she reads the spell incantation written by the book.
"Light everlasting, hear my call. Shine upon the hidden road and open the way. Wherever you dwell, I shall follow- carry me to your glow!" The air split with a sharp crack, as if reality itself had been torn open. From the ground beneath them, a blinding circle of radiant glyphs ignited, spiraling outward in layers of intricate sigils that shimmered and shifted like living light.
"Back to the library!"
Golden lines wove together in patterns too precise to be human, each stroke burning with sacred brilliance.
The magic thrummed in the air- steady, primal, relentless like the heartbeat of the light itself demanding their escape.
"Hold my hand!" She shouted.
Lord Ein didn't hesitate. He seized her hand just as a massive slab of debris tore free from the ceiling, crashing down toward them.
"[Light Magic: Radiant Passage]!" The spell erupted.
Their figures vanished in a flash of searing light-
"Ngh!"
The impact thundered a heartbeat too late, the stone smashing into the spot where they had stood and shattering the floor into a storm of dust and rubble.
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