“So, what brings you to me…?” Katrina asked as she sliced the bread. She had made the dough herself and baked it fresh in the oven. The warm steam carried a delicious aroma.
Yuri nodded.
“Yes. I came seeking your help.”
“What kind of help?”
“I want to enter the imperial palace.”
“The palace?”
Yuri nodded again.
“I hope the princess will invite me.”
The imperial palace, where the emperor resided, wasn’t a place just anyone could enter. There were a few areas open to outsiders, but only a tiny fraction. To go deeper inside, one needed the emperor’s permission or to be accompanied by a member of the royal family.
“Why?”
“Just curious. Isn’t it the most secretive place on the continent?”
“Why me, though? I thought you were close with your uncle.”
“Prince Ragna seems busy.”
“I’m busy too…”
“That doesn’t mean the princess has free time.”
“She has to bake muffins, make jam…”
“You must really like bread.”
“Yes. Actually, Cedric tempted me with bread.”
“Really?”
“She must like him a lot. Her expression changed instantly.”
“Because she respects her brother.”
“That’s a nice thing to say.”
Yuri thought Katrina was quite a decent person. Her manner was gentle, and her hobbies simple. She had never imagined a royal wearing a baker’s hat and baking bread herself.
Her brother seemed to have excellent taste even in choosing a spouse.
“Try some,” Katrina said, offering a piece of bread she had cut.
Yuri took a bite. The rich sweetness and buttery aroma filled her mouth.
“How is it?”
“Truly delicious.”
“How much?”
“Enough that if Jared choked on this bread and collapsed right here, I wouldn’t even care.”
“…?”
Jared glanced at Yuri but paid no mind as she continued eating.
Katrina laughed brightly.
“Wow, that’s high praise.”
“…?”
Jared shifted his gaze to Katrina, then quickly looked down.
Katrina covered her mouth, laughing as if she found it amusing.
“Alright. I’ll show you around the palace.”
“Thank you.”
“But won’t your uncle get upset?”
“He won’t. Ha ha ha…”
There was a reason Yuri insisted on asking Katrina. Ragna was already investigating the dark magic. If the culprit was inside the palace, he would know. Traveling with Ragna would only draw unnecessary attention.
Yuri wanted it to look like she was visiting the palace simply thanks to Katrina’s kindness, unrelated to Ragna.
“When would be good? Shall we go today?”
“When is the princess comfortable?”
“Anytime is fine.”
“Hmm…”
“Your expression says it all. You want to go today, don’t you?”
“Actually, yes.”
“Then let’s go. It won’t take long to tour by carriage. You’re not planning to see every nook and cranny, are you?”
“Ha ha, no.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Thank you. And please, feel free to speak casually with me.”
“How kind. When we get closer, I’ll let you.”
Yuri nodded.
“Then shall we depart now…?”
“Wait.”
Katrina grabbed Yuri’s wrist as she stood.
“Eat more bread before we go.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s plenty inside. Eat while I get ready.”
Yuri and Jared ended up eating bread until Katrina returned, and then they had to share their impressions.
“How was it?”
“Even if Jared suddenly had a heart attack while eating the bread…”
“Excuse me.”
Unlike when she was dressed like a baker, in her red dress she truly looked like the continent’s most noble bloodline, radiating grace.
Her bright blonde hair and green eyes complemented the red garment perfectly.
Katrina summoned a splendid carriage from somewhere on the estate and helped Yuri and Jared aboard.
As they approached the palace with her, the gates began to open even before they reached the checkpoint.
The guards who had accompanied Katrina waited at the palace entrance.
“We’re inside the palace,” Yuri said, carefully observing the view outside the carriage window.
She had visited before for banquets, but this was her first time entering the deeper parts with a royal.
“How is it?”
“As expected of the palace. The scale is incredible, and the decorations are exquisite.”
“Spacious, isn’t it?”
“Yes, very.”
“I wonder what our prince wants to see in this vast palace?”
“Excuse me?”
Yuri looked at Katrina, who just smiled and shrugged.
Well, Cedric was said to be intellectually in tune with Katrina. He was a smart man.
Whatever his reason, it was clear he had some purpose in the palace.
Yuri simply bowed her head.
“I’m just grateful.”
“If you’re thankful, please praise Cedric a lot.”
“Of course.”
As the carriage toured the palace grounds, Katrina explained the buildings they passed.
Yuri pretended to listen but was actually using her sixth sense to search for any traces.
It would be great to encounter the dark figure she had sensed last night, but she didn’t expect it.
Trusting her unusually sharp senses, Yuri activated her mana method.
Outwardly, she appeared to be listening to Katrina’s explanations, but inwardly she analyzed the signals her intuition picked up.
“That’s where His Majesty holds meetings. Though it’s more like he just issues orders unilaterally…”
“I see.”
“And that’s where the palace staff stay. I visited once; it’s quite well arranged.”
“Why did you go?”
“Curiosity.”
Suddenly, Yuri sensed something and looked toward a spot outside.
Noticing her reaction, Jared quickly spoke to Katrina.
“P-Princess, I have a question…”
“Yes?”
“Um… what kind of bird is that?”
“Huh?”
While he babbled nonsense, Yuri focused. The energy of the Soul Severance Technique flowed through his core and throughout his meridians.
A new sense, beyond the five senses, tracked the target.
Yuri smiled.
“Lucky.”
Muttering without realizing it, Katrina and Jared looked at her. Yuri calmly continued.
“From here, you can see the infamous imperial library, at least from a distance.”
Outside the carriage, a particularly tall building stood out. Its upper floors rose like a tower, while the lower levels were solid and rectangular.
It was the imperial library, where all the empire’s knowledge was gathered.
Inside, Yuri detected an energy similar to the dark figure who had sold drugs and vanished.
But she couldn’t yet tell if it was him or something related.
Katrina asked,
“Want to see it?”
“Is that possible?”
“Yes. As long as we don’t go underground, it’s fine.”
The library was famous for its size. Even the aboveground portion was massive, and the underground floors were even deeper.
“Please, I insist.”
Katrina smiled at Yuri’s words.
“Ah, so the place the prince wanted to visit was the imperial library. Not just skilled in combat, huh? No wonder you’re so much like Cedric.”
Katrina seemed to guess that Yuri’s reason for wanting to visit the palace was the library itself.
More precisely, whatever Yuri was searching for happened to be there, but she didn’t bother correcting her.
She just gave a vague smile, encouraging Katrina’s assumption.
The coachman turned the horses toward the library as Katrina directed.
Occasionally, palace staff stopped to bow their heads upon seeing Katrina’s carriage.
“That’s the imperial library…”
As they approached, the building’s imposing presence grew stronger.
The grand structure stood before them, its towering spire forcing them to look up.
The outer walls were intricately carved with images of saints, scholars, and mages who had left their names in history.
When Katrina appeared, the guards at the entrance saluted.
“You need to register here.”
“Understood.”
The list included names of royalty and some nobles. Below were Katrina’s, Yuri’s, and Jared’s names.
Inside, it was pitch dark without lighting.
An elderly man appeared, holding a lantern.
“It’s rare to have a princess visit.”
“Why say that so embarrassingly?”
Katrina laughed once, then pointed to Yuri standing behind her.
“Actually, I came because of a guest. This guest really wanted to see the imperial library.”
“I’m Yuri Briol.”
He seemed to be the librarian. Since Katrina spoke politely, Yuri returned the courtesy, and the old man bowed.
“Prince Briol has traveled far…”
He turned and led them inside.
Walking down the corridor felt like entering a cave. The scent of old books grew stronger.
Finally, the old man stopped and raised his lantern.
Yuri and Jared couldn’t help but gasp.
“Ah…”
“This is…”
The library’s interior had soaring ceilings, with bookshelves stretching all the way up.
Ladders leaned here and there to reach the high shelves.
It was literally a world filled with books.
“By any chance…”
Yuri asked without thinking.
“How do you manage humidity…?”
Without airflow, mold and bookworms would thrive. Yet this library was completely sealed and dark, which worried her.
The old man smiled faintly.
“We manage it with magic.”
“I see. I was worried for nothing.”
It was truly convenient that everything could be solved with magic.
“Please take this.”
The old man went over to a worn wooden desk that seemed to be his spot and handed over a lamp and a booklet.
Inside was a rough outline of how the books in the royal palace archives were categorized.
“The organization is a mess,” Yuri remarked.
The old man nodded in agreement.
“There are just so many books, and they keep piling up. We haven’t been able to keep them properly sorted. So, honestly, we don’t even know where some of the books are…”
The booklet only contained a vague classification system—nothing systematic.
Katrina spoke to Yuri.
“Yuri, why don’t you look around at your own pace? I’ll stay here and talk with Parkinson.”
“Is that alright?”
“Yes. Just don’t go downstairs. There are guards posted there.”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to her kindness, Yuri was able to wander the royal archives with Jared, carrying the lamp.
Once they put some distance between themselves and Katrina, Jared started talking.
“Wow, this is amazing, Your Highness. I can’t believe a place like this exists. My head’s already starting to hurt.”
“You’re talking too much.”
“With the empire’s princess here, how could I not? Ugh…”
“Shh.”
Yuri spread her magical senses again.
But tracking was difficult. She could definitely feel the presence of the man in black, but she couldn’t pinpoint his exact location.
It was as if the energy was reflecting from all directions.
“Is it because of the magic…?”
The various magical wards and devices installed throughout the royal archives were confusing her senses.
There was still plenty of time.
Yuri slowly moved along, scanning the bookshelves as she went.
Truly, every single book was a precious tome.
“Huh…”
Suddenly, a faint light flickered between the long rows of shelves.
Yuri stopped in her tracks. Jared, who had been trailing behind, bumped into her and then froze.
Yuri fixed her gaze beyond the shelves.
Someone holding a lamp was approaching.
She lifted the corner of her mouth into a slight smile and slowly stepped forward, facing the figure head-on.
The aura of the man in black was strong.
It was him.
The figure hesitated for a moment upon noticing Yuri’s light, then continued walking toward her.
The distance between them steadily closed.
Relying on the dim glow of the lamp, Yuri studied the figure carefully. Since he wouldn’t know who she was, this was a one-sided reconnaissance.
Soon, the figure became clear.
A tall, slender young man.
Yuri narrowed her eyes as she faced him. There was something oddly familiar about his face. The young man, passing by her, tilted his head in puzzlement.
And just as they crossed paths—
They both turned around simultaneously, pointing at each other.
“You!”
“You!”