Aman, who was left in the library after the priests had left, approached the fireplace.

'There must be something here...'

Aman, who was looking around the fireplace, cast a detection magic.

'Hmm... there seems to be something...'

But the magic presence felt from the fireplace was faint.

'Is it an easy code? Is there a place to press?'

He stood in front of the fireplace and looked at it for a long time.

'Huh? Is this it?'

Then, Aman found a slightly raised stone under the fireplace.

Aman wanted to press that stone right away, but he was not alone here, Brandy was also with him.

If the stone in front of him was the real button to the secret passage, Brandy would find out.

'Should I put him to sleep... and press it?'

Although his appearance, which had cast a transparency magic, could not be seen, Aman looked at Brandy with the most cautious movement possible.

Brandy had been in that state ever since the priests had left. He was sitting in a chair and muttering something, and then stopping, and repeating.

At first, he had listened to his story, but he had given up listening because he couldn't understand what he was saying.

"Then... I shouldn't have... shouldn't have..."

Aman, who was looking at the muttering Brandy for a moment, finally cast a sleep magic.

-Saaak

As a heavy energy enveloped Brandy, Brandy soon fainted and fell asleep.

"Then!"

As soon as Brandy fell asleep, Aman quickly pressed the suspicious stone in front of him.

-Clack! Screech...

"Of course! You sly stone! You hid something like this under here?"

As he pressed the stone, a small space was revealed among the ashes. But that space was too ambiguous to be called a space.

"Why is it so shallow?"

Aman, who had swept away the ashes that had fallen into the space with his hand, shone a light on it with a light magic, and something that looked like a code was revealed.

A round space in the middle of the code that was engraved in a circle on the stone slab.

This meant that there was something that fit in here.

"Hmm... ancient language..."

Aman's expression, who had been looking down at it for a long time, became grim.

[This space is only allowed to the gatekeeper. To open the space, you must become the gatekeeper. The next gatekeeper shall obtain the qualification by receiving his soul.]

"Ha, does that mean I have to kill the gatekeeper?"

It was a statement that didn't need to be explained. It meant that he could only open it by killing the gatekeeper or after he died.

Of course, it would be an unnecessary procedure if the current gatekeeper opened the door.

Aman, who had been looking at the sleeping Brandy for a moment, pressed the button again and closed the space.

'It's going to be dangerous.'

At this rate, the librarian Brandy's life was in danger. They had already asked about the fireplace as if they knew everything.

Then it was only a matter of time before the priests of the Demon God Cult found this button.

'And if it's the Soul of Shamos, it's not strange no matter what they do.'

Now that the Soul of Shamos, which they should have originally had, was gone, they would try to kill and take it, whether it was Brandy or whatever.

'I should cast a warning magic.'

Aman, who had cast a warning magic on the entire library, including the fireplace, left the library.

***

Aman, who had visited Lucas's room.

"How was the test?"

"It was easier than one plus one."

Lucas, who answered Aman's question indifferently.

"It took you 20 minutes, though?"

But Aman knew exactly when Lucas had left the test site.

"...It's because I didn't have the formula input. I had to make a new one and solve it... no, that's not it. So, do you have any complaints?"

"No, no! Complaints? Absolutely not."

As Lucas, who had been making excuses without realizing it, frowned, Aman quickly stepped back and waved his hands.

"Right, if you have any complaints, feel free to tell me anytime. More importantly, why did you come? You didn't just come to talk about the test, did you?"

"Of course... the Lord knows everything. Actually, I heard something."

"What is it?"

"On my way back after the meeting, I saw the priests of the Demon God Cult. For some reason, they were heading to the library."

"The dogs of the Demon God?"

Lucas also shuddered, calling them 'the dogs of the Demon God'.

"Yes. So I followed them in... and they were asking the librarian if the Soul of Shamos was here?"

"...!!!"

As Lucas, who had heard 'the Soul of Shamos', was startled and turned his eyes, Aman's head tilted to the side.

"Oh, oh? Why this reaction?"

"Kh, khum... it's just that they're looking for something that's not supposed to be here... that's all."

"Oh, oh~? I don't think so~?"

He really wanted to snap Aman's head, which was tilting with an 'oh, oh' sound.

Of course, 'the Soul of Shamos' was something that Lucas knew very well.

"Tell me. Why that reaction, Lord!"

"..."

"What did you do with the Soul of Shamos! Yes!?"

"T-that's...

"

It was one of the things he hadn't even cared about. No, he was dead, and the last time he had seen that thing was more than five hundred years ago, so it was natural.

"It's okay. What does it matter what happened to the things of the dogs of the Demon God? I'm just curious."

"Khuk... it was just a small prank that happened during an excursion."

"What prank? Yes? Please tell me!"

Lucas, who opened his mouth as if he had no choice at Aman's urging.

"Was it about five hundred years ago... no, the dogs of the Demon God were holding some kind of festival, weren't they? So I was just passing by and was going to take a look..."

"And...?"

"That book was placed right on top of the altar. So well... I borrowed it for a while."

"You stole it, you mean?"

"Stole it! I was going to return it someday...!"

"...And?"

Lucas seemed to hesitate for a moment at Aman's question, and then he clapped his hands once.

As if he had thought of something.

"Right! I died, didn't I? I couldn't return it because I died. Right, it was because I died."

Lucas even nodded his head, as if he was very pleased with his answer.

"Lies... you didn't even plan to return it from the beginning, did you!"

"Khuk...! Anyway! But why are they looking for it here? I definitely kept it safe in my lair... uh...?! T-that cube...!"

"Pardon? What cube... huh!? Don't tell me you put it in that cube in the test site!?"

They were so surprised that they looked at each other with wide eyes and their mouths agape.

"...Did you get that cube from Hasel?"

The strangely familiar cube he had seen in the last code-breaking test. It was the moment he realized why that giant cube was so familiar.

'It was mine.'

But for some reason, that cube was here in the academy test site of the empire.

"...Yes. There was nothing in it when I opened it..."

And there was nothing in it? When he had put a code on that cube, 'the Soul of Shamos' was definitely in it.

"There was... nothing?"

"Yes..."

It had definitely been kept safe in his lair until right before he died. But it disappeared after he died?

"Hasel opened it... and brought it here?"

"Oh, my father would never do such a thing."

"...Then?"

Aman couldn't answer Lucas's question.

The person who had stolen(?) the book was right in front of him, and the person who had last received the book was Hasel.

But it might be at the academy now. There was no culprit other than Hasel.

"What happened... find out."

"Yes, sir."

-Flash!

Aman, who had disappeared like a light with his answer.

"How annoying."

The holy relic of the Demon God? Right, it was none of his business who had it or where it was.

But that was something he had, and that thing was wandering around here and there without his knowledge?

He felt strangely bad.

"Damn it. It would have been better if I had just died...!"

This was all because of reincarnation. If he had just ended his life and had died, what would he care about such things?

"Phew..."

Lucas, who let out a long sigh, collapsed onto the bed.

***

Hasel's lair.

"Father!!! Father!!!"

"...Can't you come a little more quietly?"

Hasel frowned at Aman's frivolous call.

"It's urgent. It's a very urgent matter."

"What is it?"

Hasel's gaze was disdainful as he looked at Aman, who was panting even though he had come by teleportation.

"Phew! I mean that cube. Was it originally empty?"

"No?"

Hasel, who was so calm, unlike Aman's urgent attitude.

"...What was in it?"

"There was something that the dogs of the Demon God loved."

Lucas was right.

"Was that... the Soul of Shamos?"

"Was it? Well, there was a book in it. It must be a holy relic. Why that?"

"Where did you put it, by any chance?"

Hasel, who was thinking for a moment at Aman's question.

"Hmm... was it about ten years ago... well, there was a pitiful human who was desperate to use magic, so I gave it to him."

Aman felt his heart sink. He had prayed that his father would not have done that!

"...Why did you do that?"

"Because he was pitiful? No, I went on a short excursion, and a human was wandering around, saying he wanted to use magic, so I gave it to him. It seemed like he was being scammed."

Hasel continued to speak calmly, as if he didn't care about Aman's sorrowful expression.

"That's not really related to magic, is it?"

"Right? But it was a cube that the previous Lord had left behind, and when I opened it, that was in it? It was a little uncomfortable to keep it in my lair, and it was annoying to take it to the Demon God Cult. So I gave it away."

"..."

Hearing that, Hasel would have done that and more, but he had nothing to say.

"And what. I heard that the dogs of the Demon God had been looking for it for hundreds of years... I thought they would find it within a few hundred years if I just left it alone, so it was a favor on my part?"

Now Aman realized what Lucas had said to him.

That he resembled his father, Hasel, a lot.

"I see..."

"No, more importantly, why? Why are you suddenly looking for it?"

"No. The Demon God Cult is sponsoring the academy where I'm on an excursion... and they're searching the academy for it."

"Hmm... right? Should I hide it again?"

His head was starting to hurt. Hasel's problem-solving method was also very similar to his.

It was simple... and simple.

"No..."

"But... how did you know it was in the cube?"

As Hasel's eyes suddenly turned sharp, Aman's heart sank again.

"...Pardon? When did I ask if it was in the cube?"

"Haha, son. You keep forgetting one thing."

"W-what do you mean?"

"That you are my son."

Aman, who stepped back as Hasel got up from his seat. It was a defensive posture that had been activated without him realizing it.

"W-why all of a sudden..."

"It's no different from saying that what you grew up to be... is me."

Aman got goosebumps all over his body as Hasel smiled, closing his eyes.

And he felt it instinctively.

'I have to run now...!'

(End of Chapter)