Mnemosyne’s Gate (3)

“What?!”

Isiel swiftly explained that Aslan, who had repeatedly failed to destroy the dungeon, was said to be angry with Arthur, who was sleeping well at night. His dignity was tested again and again with failure; then, he began to turn his ire towards his brother. When Arthur didn’t take the bait as Aslan insulted him, the slander started to turn towards Kision. When Aslan said that Arthur’s mom had an affair with Kision’s father, Arthur apparently exploded. Aslan was trying to push Arthur through the Door with three of his own knights. Thus, Isiel had come to find him.

‘In the previous manuscript, it was only mentioned that his mother had died. I didn’t realize he still had lingering emotions.’

Isiel’s tone became more urgent, as Kleio’s expression turned cold.

“Three of Cruel’s knights will accompany Arthur, but their purpose is not to destroy the remembered world.”

“If this investigation team also fails, Arthur could be killed. That’s Aslan’s goal, so losing a few knights would be fine for him.”

“We can’t let them do that.”

“Of course. Did you bring Beg’s sword?”

Isiel tilted the side of her cape to show her sword. After pushing her out of the room, Kleio took off his pajamas and quickly changed into a sweat and boots. Then, he hesitantly pulled out Varg’s mana stones from the safe and tucked them in his pocket.

‘If possible, I should only use one.’

He packed his bag with bronze, his subspace wallet with iron, and tucked his ash wand into his coat. He didn’t forget to attach the medal he had been awarded on his collar. As he left the room, Behemoth was still asleep on the bed.

‘Let’s not wake him. If I say hello, it would be like setting a death flag.’

His pace picked up as he ran down the dormitory stairs in the middle of the night. Reaching the lobby on the first floor, Cel and the Angellium twins were already waiting. As soon as Kleio arrived, everyone silently headed to the school forest.

.

.

.

Arthur stood outside Aslan’s barracks like a lost child. Looking at him, he felt young despite his tall and solid physique. Following him, an older man left the barracks. He put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, and hearing some muted response, he looked sad.

Arthur was the first to notice Kleio, and as his attention was drawn away, Zebedee also saw his pupil was approaching. Zebedee let out a faint sigh, immediately grasping the situation when he noticed Isiel following behind.

“I will skip the greetings. It’s sudden, but can we use your barracks for a while, professor?”

“Do it. Kleio, if possible, try calming this guy.”

“I will try my best.”

Zebedee’s private barracks were built opposite Aslan’s. Kleio entered first as the other students stepped in behind him while dragging Arthur. As Lippi took post at the entrance, Kleio opened his circle, using the [Soundproof][Shield] magic formula.

“[The secrets of the magic will be permanent.]”

The twins admired his magic.

“Have you put up a shield?”

“Yes.”

“That’s one Lippi, and I have memorized since we were four.”

“Awesome.”

“It’s a good thing to have Lei around.”

The twins were easygoing despite the solemn mood. They had been cheerful children even when the capital was in crisis in the last manuscript, so it was only natural that something like this wouldn’t faze them. Kleio, however, wasn’t as strong-willed as them.

“Arthur, you decided to run into the Door because your brother slandered your mother. I told you not to be swept away like that.”

Arthur shrugged with a smile.

“Since when have I ever listened to others?”

“Hey!”

“Don’t be angry, Lei. I’m kidding. I tried to listen to you… but Aslan is suspicious of Kision.”

“What do you mean?”

“My mother was mad and unwell, and he said, ‘Wasn’t she bewitched by Kision?’ He will eventually use that to commit treason.”

Kleio couldn’t blame Arthur for that. It was bullshit, but it was also a threat to Kision. Arthur, taking Beg’s sword from Isiel, was calm, and his gestures were measured. In other words, he clearly had no intention of changing his mind.

‘Rather than being angry or losing reason, he’s determined.’

“It sounds absurd, but this time… did you intentionally provoke Aslan?”

“Oh my, the wizard’s eyes can’t be fooled.”

“Do you want the mana stones or magical tools in there? I’m not interested in either, so why are you trying to enter?”

“Lei, you said you don’t work for free, that mana stones and magical tools were welcome. I’m trying to do some work to reward my wizard.”

“Bullshit.”

“In the meantime, I saw Aslan get boiling mad. If he’s mad with me, he’ll be less concerned about Kision.”

“Isiel, are you really okay with this guy?”

“Prince Aslan started it first. Insulting Arthur’s poor mother, who would stand by? Also, the work of training…”

Isiel looked at Arthur as if for permission, and he nodded slightly.

‘What else is there to do?’

“I’m ready. When I cross the Door and disappear, a telegram will be sent to Viscount Kision. It is triple-sealed with magic and can only be opened by the blood of my blood relatives. That way, even if an official or an investigative team is dispatched, there will be enough time to prepare his soldiers.”

‘Are you trying to usurp the throne by force rather than military training or receiving the crown?’

Cel, who was yawning weakly, responded to Isiel in a casual tone.

“I’m the same too. I made a contract so that the assets that I inherited from my grandmother will be converted into cash. Since I wrote the ether imprint contract, it will surely be fulfilled.”

Kleio glanced frightenedly between Isiel and Kleio. Both twin’s eyes shone brightly as they responded.

“If you don’t come out by tomorrow, I’ll pretend to be sick, and Lippi is supposed to go back to Viscount Angellium to deliver all this news. Dad will be able to cover the rest of the matter.”

Leticia pointed to the ivy leaf ornament on Lippi’s head.

“People only look at that to distinguish us. I will pretend to be Lippi. Actually, those ivy leaf hairpins were mine.”

“You…”

“People look down on us since we were young, and they don’t really know what we can do. Thanks to that, we have some freedom of movement.”

Kleio was confused by the information suddenly pouring out. Even Lippi and Leticia, who were still young children, were joining Arthur in this plan that risked their lives. Cel smiled as she looked at Kleio with an expression that asked, ‘What about you?’

“You asked on the train before if I met Arthur before school. Alright, very well. He’s our lord, though I don’t know why sometimes. He’s such a person.”

Thus came the confirmation.

‘Damn. I’ll have to look into the details when Cel says stuff like that. It’s more than the last manuscript. The fate of this kingdom is set in the hands of teenagers!’

Kleio clenched his fist, feeling a sense of disbelief and unfairness for no reason.

‘Yeah, Alexander was eighteen when he started warring. But this is a modern country no matter how I look at it…’

Albeit one with magic and swords, these children were serious enough to risk their lives, which had been the same before as well. It wasn’t surprising that Arthur’s companions, the prince who was farthest from the throne, was comprised of women and children. Those who drifted further from power took his hand to change the world.

‘But it’s too fast though… The Angellium twins are thirteen… What is this?’

While Kleio felt lost in the chaos, Arthur tightened his bootlaces and stood up straight, smacking Kleio’s soldier.

“I’m sorry to be the last to inform my helper and wizard. After properly rearranging the forces, I tried to be a little nicer.”

“Arthur, it’s easy to get ready after saying something so cool, but you didn’t even have a sword!”

“I really don’t have any. But with something that precious on me, Aslan would’ve noticed.”

“Is this okay?”

Kleio pointed to Beg’s sword, which Arthur fastened to his belt.

“It was okay because it was a gift from a wizard that the prince loved as a comrade.”

“I’m sorry the circumstances had to be revealed like this, but now the situation is like this, so let’s go and see.”

Isiel spoke up impatiently.

“Yes. First of all, we must ensure that Cruel’s knights cannot enter. Is there any way of doing that?”

After calming down, Kleio recalled the contents of the last manuscript. The first dungeon was ‘The Queen’s Garden.’ It wasn’t very dangerous except for the final boss, and it only held plant-based monsters. As he feared from the start, Aslan’s knights would pose a more significant threat than the monsters.

“I’ll manage that. I was given a knight’s rank by Melchior, and it is known that I have a close acquaintance with him, so maybe I can push Aslan.”

“Lei, you know of both my brothers’ personalities.”

“Anyone with eyes could see it. Anyway, it’s better to have Arthur, Isiel, and Cel inside, right?”

“Right.”

“Okay.”

“…But let me ask one thing. Arthur, did you know what was going to happen in the future?”

Regardless of future memories or visions, this couldn’t be done without conviction. Arthur certainly knew something; he had been too prepared not to.

“‘A dispute between two princes and two rivers will come. An era of war will come.’ Because I knew it too.”

“What?”

It was a passage from the last manuscript. The rest of them weren’t surprised to hear it as they had already listened to the quote before.

“Lei, until the day you said you would be faithful to me, I had no guarantees. While I was preparing, I felt my heart was heavy, contemplating whether it was pointless to take the lives of those around me. But when I heard about the details of the predictions from you, I was completely sure-.”

Arthur laughed happily.

“My mother’s prophecy wasn’t wrong.”

“Are you saying that your mother gave you the same prophecy that I saw?”

“Yes. My mother had the ability of prophecy. She made bizarre prophecies that no one wanted to hear. If I hadn’t seen my own visions, I might’ve never listened to her.”

“What else was there? Any examples?”

“She prophesized that her son would become king.”