Mnemosyne’s Gate (2)

With a truly enormous task ahead, his desire to escape from reality arose. It wouldn’t happen, but if Jungjin edited the manuscript of -Prince of the Albion Kingdom- for publication, he would surely add the following to the Melchior section of the character introductions.

[A person who would do anything for his goal. He wants to be king no matter what sins he commits as revenge for his fate.]

‘And I’m stuck in the middle of it because the author bought a grudge against this character. This editing job is too hardcore, really.’

This was somehow even worse than the suffering he had experienced at the hands of authors before when he was an editor in the other world.

‘I can’t even retire.’

Where on earth could such an unfair contract be found? He had decided to do it, but it would make sense to give him some more alcohol and money, at least.

.

.

.

Two boys and a girl sat together around the northside of the dormitory. It was Isiel, Arthur, and Kleio. It was a place with an open view of the river and even the middle of the forest where the door was located.

“Is this a hidden place? Aslan has gathered a lot of people here.”

Arthur, using [Strengthening], looked into the middle of the forest excitedly. The area around the door was crowded, unlike usual. Kleio, who turned on Perception, was also able to see several members of the Capital Defense Force knights and twice the number of Cruel knights. The latter originally had no justification for being here, but Aslan pushed them in, and Melchior condoned it.

“Was Aslan always interested in the door?”

“Yeah. One of the things he was obsessed with was that.”

“Hey then, since it’s open, he can’t leave it alone?”

“Yes, but… it’s been more tense since guests haven’t come out since the last demon.”

“Good. I was so focused on the dungeon that I didn’t care about killing it.”

“Ah, it’s so annoying! I hate to see the black belt Cruel knights going back and forth from school.”

“What about it?”

“What if they disappeared?”

“Okay. Try praying. Maybe they’ll enter the door and vanish.”

“The first investigation team that entered three days ago didn’t come out, but they said the next team was being prepared.

“What? Already?”

“They’ve been collecting new volunteers for the past two days, and the Cruel knights are the ones volunteering.”

After turning off Perception, Kleio stopped as he was pouring hot liquor into a tin glass.

“By the way, Lei, you just said ‘already.’ Did you even predict this?”

Arthur was quick to notice his surprise at the differences in the manuscript.

“Well, that can be said to be the case. Are you ready to admire how great a fellow you have?”

Arthur and Isiel glared at Kleio. Kleio decided to switch topics, unable to save his joke.

“I was kidding. I told you my prediction is incomplete. I was wrong again. I thought that the dungeon would have a longer reset cycle.”

The reset cycle of the first dungeon, or remembered world, was described in the last manuscript as being three days long. Even if the difficulty level had been adjusted, it seemed appropriate considering the protagonist cleared the first one. The flow of time was different inside and outside the dungeon. Three days inside was about a week outside. Conversely, three days outside was only about a day inside here. Why did the time change? Had the difficulty been adjusted? Arthur prodded him again.

“Did your prediction tell you that?”

“Yes.”

Arthur, took out a bottle of alcohol wrapped in a woolen bag, poured a drink for himself. The cider’s apple smell spread into the cold autumn air.

“What happened to the knights that entered?”

Isiel, drinking rose tea, responded.

“They must be dead.”

The cold assertion was likely true. If you were a student at the Royal Capital Defense Force school, it was something you learned at the same time you enrolled. Kleio had skipped all the history classes the first semester and had known about the Door of Mnemosyne when he was cramming during the exams. The content in the textbook had been the same as the last manuscript. Every remembered world had a master clock that maintained temporal synchrony at its center. If the master clock couldn’t be stopped within the time limit, the clock would return to its origin and reset the dungeon interior. Dangerous beasts also lurked in the dungeon.

‘What’s more, the rewards for this dungeon aren’t variable. Just clothes. Arthur sold it to some nobleman in the last manuscript. Is there a need for the main character to come out and grab something like that? Let Aslan’s troops be cut off.’

“Arthur, can’t you just leave it alone?”

“Me, what… Lei, you are the only one who talks to me like that.”

Humans whose lives were connected to this world could let out a sigh of relief the confident and gutsy prince would act safely. Thanks to him, Kleio’s anguish only deepened.

‘Whew. I can’t tell him about the destruction of the world.’

“By the way, Arthur, what ether level are you? Has anything changed?”

Kleio could read the message himself thanks to Promise, but he instead asked.

“I’m still a 5th level.”

“Then, really, absolutely, no matter what, you should never enter that dungeon.”

“What else do you know?”

“I’m sure of this one. There is something there that [Attack Circle] is necessary for. You have to be at least level 6. Also, it’s better to bring a mana stone to use as a shield.”

“Can’t Lei help me? Your magic, that great spear, is way better. Not to mention your defense magic.”

Kleio’s eyes went wide at Arthur’s nonsense.

“Are you kidding me? Why would I enter?”

“There are fierce beasts and rare mana stones and precious magic tools in it.”

“I don’t even dream of risking my life for a reward. I’m not interested in that. Practice your swordsmanship.”

“But I have a desire to fight the beasts!”

Arthur’s eyes shone brightly as he said he wanted to compete with

“Isiel, have you heard? You have to cooperate well so that your lord doesn’t get angry.”

“Arthur isn’t a man of war.”

“Anyway, this dungeon is a place where a shield and a wide range are essential. Seeing that only beginners are pushing in, Aslan doesn’t seem to know. He scraped some old documents and couldn’t get anything with his unique skill!”

“Old documents?”

“Decaying sheets of paper are sometimes found in ruins or similar places. It is said that they hold knowledge about the remembered worlds beyond the door that our school doesn’t know. Well, I don’t know because I haven’t seen it, but my brother goes looking for those things.”

Kleio grabbed the tin glass tightly so as not to waste liquor.

‘Melchior’s unique skill isn’t enough to stop Aslan’s obsession with dungeons…’

Certainly, it was an act that couldn’t be explained without knowing that the treasures to be obtained from the dungeons laid the way to the throne. Initially, Arthur should have the dungeon’s loot. How could he get them back to the protagonist’s hand?

‘No, there’s nothing better to come out now. Let’s wait for the time being.’

“By the way, Arthur, is there a common document on the remembered worlds?”

“Usually, Aslan wouldn’t have to be so anxious. He’s a guy with a lot of money.”

“Hmm.”

“This is a secret, but I heard from Hilleyda that the king’s library has a lot of strange old documents and forbidden spells. I don’t know the truth because only those authorized by the king can enter.”

“Can’t Aslan be authorized?”

“My father is insane now. The deputy king must grant approval, but why would my oldest brother do that?”

“That’s how it works…”

The King’s library… he remembered it all now. The idea of decaying old paper sickened him, however, as it reminded him of the existence of the Palimpsest. It hurt to think of the kingdom’s other two princes as well, so his expression stiffened.

‘I need to cool my head.’

He remembered they had alcohol.

“Arthur, did you drink all that?”

“I only took one and a half cups. I can’t return it.”

Arthur shook the bottle.

“Hey! I originally brought it…”

“You want to take back what you gave away? How cruel…”

He couldn’t take it back with his wits or strength. Opening the circle would reveal their presence, so Arthur knew Kleio wouldn’t use magic.

“Okay. Stop drinking, Kleio. You’re too drunk.”

“What sort of liquor is the warmed cider?”

“I’m just drinking to warm my body up. It’s all to get rid of the cold.”

Isiel wrapped Kleio’s muffler a bit tighter, with a rough touch.

“I can’t [Strengthen] my body with ether-like you — I’m a wizard!”

Swordsmen using ether inside their bodies could prevent cold from affecting them. In the case of a wizard, they could use magic to warm themselves, but it wasn’t the same as how a knight could. It was the same with hemostasis and healing. Even a great wizard couldn’t heal their own wounds. In other words, a wizard couldn’t use any magic to actuate the ether inside their bodies.

“You’re so troubled for a wizard. Yesterday, you couldn’t even walk. Isn’t this alcohol my just payment for helping you then?”

“That’s…”

Now, Isiel had concluded that Kleio was painfully weakened by being exposed to cold air. First of all, he had been solving the issue with the tiplaum, and there had been his meeting with Melchior and the Flag, but he couldn’t explain that those were the cause of his poor health. And, although aware of his frustration, Arthur joined the teasing.

“Isiel is worried about you now. She even carried you home before.”

“Yes, so stop drinking what’s left.”

Isiel grabbed Kleio’s glass as he tried to snatch it away. It was then a black cat landed between the three, relatively light on his feet despite his large body.

“What?! (Alcohol?!)”

Behemoth had a cute look on his face that could only be seen around alcohol. Isiel’s eyes widened in a display of emotion that was rare for her.

‘I guess she really likes cats.’

Her hands fluttered as she tried to resist her desire to pet the cat. She quickly pulled back the cup, but Behemoth, with his front paws on Kleio’s arm, licked the edges of the cup she held.

“Meoooow (A warm cider in the cold is wonderful.)”

After finishing Kleio’s drink, the cat began to try and steal the bottle from Arthur.

“Meoooow (Give me some more of that drink, too).”

Was it possible for drinkers to communicate with each other even if it wasn’t with human words? Arthur asked permission from Kleio, then poured half a drink into a glass on the ground.

“This cat is asking for a drink, right?”

“Okay… you won’t even give it to me.”

“Meooow! Meooooow! (Pour just a few drops! Give me a drink!)”

Behemoth only became silent after taking all the remaining alcohol. After drinking enough, Behemoth felt better and stuck to Kleio’s knee.

“Under Aslan’s support, the knights of Cruel are allowed to challenge the dungeon while Arthur has only one job to do: Practice training.”

“To hear that from someone who always oversleeps…”

“I told you, I’m a wizard, and you’re a swordsman. How could we be treated the same?”

***

Six days after the door opened, the second investigation team had also not returned. That dawn, Behemoth informed him that several people had gone to the door again. The door’s color was still green, so Prince Aslan had organized the third team with Cruel’s knights. Every three days, four knights would enter.

As it turned morning once more, the third investigation team also didn’t return. Kleio was lying down with Behemoth atop his arm.

“The color of the door is still stable, so the knights of the Defense Force are observing… The second prince is tired, so he will immediately organize the next search party.”

“Is this all because he’s so impatient?”

“Even outside the knights, there are plenty of motivated people who have come to the capital to check out the dungeon. The demons aren’t going to pop out right now, so what does the prince care if he loses a few knights?”

“Then, should the students go out for a while?”

“The Capital Defense knights are there, and the door is still stable. Why would they need the students? I don’t think there’s a need to worry.”

“I’m glad. Honestly, it’s good that Aslan is reducing his power.”

It was scary that people were dying, but the well-trained knights were voluntarily jumping into the adventure.

‘Not my problem.’

Arthur and Isiel’s reactions were similar to his. Right now, they didn’t know what waited inside, so it was natural to be cautious.

Now, as Kleio dug into his blankets, he heard an urgent knocking on the bedroom window.

‘What?’

He only knew one person who would come through that door at night. But, as if to prove him wrong, he could hear Isiel’s quiet voice outside the window.

“Get up, Kleio.”

“No. Isiel, why are you here…”

Opening the window, Isiel came in with the cold breeze to explain the situation.

“If you want to enter the male dormitory after midnight, you’d have to wake the supervisor. I don’t have time for that right now.”

It was clear that it wasn’t normal if Isiel was willing to break the rules.

“What is it?”

“Arthur went through the Door of Mnemosyne. I need your help!”