Chapter 49: Chapter 49

I stopped trying to flick Leila on the forehead and looked at Ernest, quietly asking, “How is it?”

“Hmm… This is definitely authentic. Here, see this engraving and certification text? It can only be engraved through a sophisticated process that a special machine only the Arcaider Auction House possesses.”

Ernest then began to pour out professional jargon. Things like: special engravings, magical engravings, in this case, the engraving blade was made with a machine exclusive to the Arcaider Auction House, using an extremely rare ore…

“Was he always like that?”

“What kind of person did you think he was?”

“Just, um… someone who seems really quiet and timid?”

She wasn’t wrong. However, when his area of expertise came up, he explained it so passionately. The sight was so amazing that I didn’t cut him off, instead waiting in silence for Ernest to finish speaking.

About five minutes passed like that.

“…Anyway, the value of just this case alone is enormous!”

“Alright. Then you take that case.”

“H-huh?” Ernest’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out.

“What I need is inside.”

“Th-that’s true… Are you really giving this to me?”

Was the case really that good? Well, even so, I didn’t need it.

“Yes. I think you need it more than I do. Don’t you agree, Leila?”

“I don’t know. Isn’t a case just a case?”

Ernest looked moved, saying, “Both of you are worthy of being the children of the best houses… Thank you!”

I shrugged. If others needed something more than me, I’d rather give it to them and see that kind of reaction than keep it to myself. Sometimes, what was unimportant to me could mean a lot to someone else.

Anyway, I needed to get to the point.

“By the way, the map material or year description doesn’t matter. Can you explain what the map means?”n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Yes! Of course!”

Ernest opened the case with trembling hands and took out the map. Even at first glance, this map looked quite old. It was torn here and there, however, the leather itself wasn’t in such bad condition. The corners were torn, but the contents of the map itself weren’t difficult to read.

“Oh, it seems real?”

“I think it really was bought at the Arcaider Auction House.”

Ernest nodded with a calm, yet even more maddened expression than before at Leila’s and my words.

“Yes, I’m sure of it. It’s genuine.”

“Do you want to know what it is about?”

Ernest studied the map in silence. Leila and I waited patiently, as Ernest’s eyes looked too serious to rush him. It reminded me of when I was honing my spearmanship and practicing magic.

“This map… it looks a bit difficult.”

“It does seem so.”

I nodded at Leila’s words.

Certainly, I didn’t know if it was because it was a treasure map, but the map wasn’t drawn in a way that was easy to read at a glance. You could say it felt like it was referring to a specific place rather than the entire academy.

“What is this? Is it a code?”

There were difficult-to-read letters written all over the map that seemed to be a code. Reading it was possible, but the meaning couldn’t be parsed out. There seemed to be some kind of rule to it.

Well, it was a treasure map.

But we had Ernest.

“How is it?”

Ernest was still worried, but there was no sign of panic or confusion.

“First of all, it doesn’t seem to be a typical map. Whether it’s the code or the locations marked,” he said.

“Then what should we do?”

“Hmm… First of all, I have to decipher the code… and more importantly, I have to figure out who made this.”

Leila tilted her head at those words, asking, “Is that important?”

I answered, “In the case of maps, since there are no separate standards, wouldn’t it be possible to make a rough guess just by analyzing the creator’s tastes or style?”

Ernest looked at me with surprised eyes and said, “I didn’t know you knew that much.”

“It’s just a guess.”

It wasn’t. Among the officers I met on the battlefield, there was one who had mastered map reading quite well.

“Dane is right. Objective facts are important when it comes to maps, but treasure maps like this tend to incorporate the creator’s ideas and tastes.”

Unlike topographical maps that were made for the general public, treasure maps of this type were bound to reflect the creator’s tastes to a large extent. If the creator was someone with bad taste, they could make it incredibly difficult with the intention of making the treasure impossible to find.

“Then it will be difficult to decipher?”

Ernest was startled by my words.

“How could that be? I will definitely find out the truth, on the honor of the explorer House Dylan!”

It was a spirited answer. Ernest immediately looked at the map with a light in his eyes and said something sweet.

“One thing is certain, this treasure seems to be inside the Academy.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Here, these forms were only used when building the Academy.”

I could only understand up to there. From then on, it was a series of professional jargon.

“…Dane. How long do I have to listen to this?”

“Just leave it. He looks excited.”

A few more minutes passed like that.

“…In conclusion, this architectural style used esoteric magic that only Saul Hangston could use at the time.”

Now I could finally understand it again.

Saul Hangston.

He was one of the founders of the Academy and a legendary mage, and the lecture hall I visited that morning bore his name. So, I spoke of the knowledge that came to mind.

“So, it’s a form that can never be used again?”

Ernest’s eyes widened at those words.

“You know?”

“Saul Hangston didn’t leave any disciples. Isn’t esoteric magic only passed down to disciples?”

“That’s right, Dane. You know a lot.”

If you stayed on the battlefield for a long time, you would meet all kinds of people and hear all kinds of stories, which would naturally lead to knowledge accumulation.

“So, what is a unique style?”

“It’s not that unique on the surface. But here, this part is special. The way he added magic to the pillars and applied magic mud to the frame was his invention. It’s not easy to recognize.”

It seemed that to explore, you needed to have a lot of knowledge in many fields. His explanation was unexpected.

“So, it’s referring to somewhere within the academy, right?”

“That’s right. Of course, we can’t investigate everything. There are so many buildings. I’d estimate there are probably over a hundred.”

Leila continued Ernest’s explanation, “That’s right. It’s not realistically possible. There are buildings that even professors can’t enter, and some are completely closed right now.”

“Hmm.”

That meant it was better to make our target clear.

“So if you decipher the code, can we find out where this building is?”

“Probably. So, like I said before, we need to find out who created this map.”

In the end, that was what mattered.

First, we needed to find out who created it, then we could find clues to decipher the code, and only by deciphering the code could we decipher this map.

My heart was secretly pounding. I felt like I understood why adventurers in stories were so obsessed with treasure maps now, at least a little bit.

“If we find out, let’s all look for it together. What do you think?”

Ernest nodded happily at my suggestion, and Leila agreed.

“Wouldn’t that be fun? This is my first time doing something like this. In fact, before coming to the Academy, even when I went outside the family, I always hung out with people from my house!”

Leila looked particularly excited. It was understandable, since Leila also had little experience in the world. She might have gone out a few times with her father, Duke Thermion, but those were outings where she was ‘served’ under complete protection.

“What do you think we’ll find once we decipher the code and go looking? An artifact? A jewel?”

Leila, who was excited, was disappointed when she heard Ernest’s subsequent answer.

“Maybe there’s nothing. Not all treasure maps are correct. Most of them have already been found, or they were made purely for the purpose of tricking people.”

“Then…there’s no point in searching for it?”

Ernest, seeing Leila’s disappointed expression, hastily waved his hand and said, “Uh, but this is different! Even if it’s a blind auction, the Arcaider Auction House strictly controls quality! That means that this map isn’t fake, at least!”

Only then did Leila’s expression relax a little.

Thank god.

I almost had to comfort her the whole way there.

“Anyway, I’m glad I met you, Ernest.”

If it weren’t for Ernest, I wouldn’t have known what to do with this treasure map. If I said as much, he’d work harder.

“It’s nothing. Just tell me. I’ll do anything you ask me to do!”

Just as Ernest and I were trying to confirm our friendship, Leila glared.

“When did you two become so close?”

“Well, that’s just how men are.”

“Boys only do that amongst yourselves? So stingy.”

She always got jealous about weird things.

“Then it seems like it’ll take some time, so no rush.”

“Yes. I’ll look into it as soon as I get back to the dorm. Oh, I’ll give this back to you, here.”

I tilted my head as I looked at Ernest, who was holding out the map.

“Isn’t it something you have to have to be able to decipher?”

“Oh, it’s okay. I memorized it.”

“Huh?”

I was speechless for a moment.

He memorized the map?

“What do you mean you memorized it? The code?”

Ernest shook his head at Leila’s question and said, “No. The map.”

“…”

“Why… Why are you looking at me like that…?”

Well, because it didn’t make sense. It was absurd. He didn’t just memorize the code, but the entire map?

“I-I’m not lying… I could draw the same thing right here, right now! Without looking!”

Why would anyone lie about something like that? It was just hard to believe.

“… How good is your memory?”

“Well, I don’t know about anything else, but strangely, things like codes and maps are imprinted in my head the moment I see them…”

So, that meant he had an incredible memory in certain areas, right? Our interests sometimes seemed to give us surprising abilities.

“Alright. If there’s anything you need to decipher the code, just let me know. I’ll help you with anything I can.”

“Me, too!”

Ernest looks moved.

“Th-thank you. I… am so happy. This is the first time I’ve looked for something like this with someone other than my father.”

This was our first time experiencing something like this, too.

“Then should we head back now? It’s already gotten quite late, and it’s time for dinner. I’m going to eat something with the others on my floor.”

Leila was probably on the seventh floor.

“What about you, Dane?”

“We didn’t talk about anything like that.”

Was it because I ruined the welcome party? Well, it didn’t matter. We would get to know each other little by little. It wasn’t like we were sharing a room.

“What about you, Ernest?”

“I live in a four-person room at Amaldi Hall, but everyone seems busy… Maybe it’s because we’re in different departments, but I haven’t even seen them around yet.”

Ernest offered a rather positive interpretation.

“It’s alright! Since there’s no one around, I can work harder to decipher the code!”

I wondered if he would end up neglecting his academy life and only focusing on deciphering codes.

“Take your time. There’s no rush.”

Anyway, we walked towards the dormitory. I felt people staring at us as we walked, but we were already used to it and didn’t notice anything.

“Everyone seems to be looking over here…”

However, Ernest was unfamiliar with this kind of attention and was cowering. Leila patted Ernest on the back.

“Shoulders up. You’ll get used to it soon, right?”

“I-I’m a little scared…”

“You were so confident when you explained the map.”

Well, I guess he would get used to it soon.

By the way, was it because I got the Ancient Magic from the fountain and made a circle? I felt like my senses had expanded more than before. I could feel the magic power around me more vividly.

They said that everything in the world had magic power, but I never thought that even a single leaf could be filled with magic power. It seemed that Ancient Magic was truly amazing.

As soon as I finished unpacking, I would have to test this out.

After parting ways with Ernest, Leila and I entered the Dantère Hall and got on the elevator. Leila looked at me enviously as she pressed the buttons for the seventh and ninth floors.

“When will I go to the ninth floor?”

“Once there’s a room available?”

“They said they’d check the people on the eighth floor first, then the seventh floor. That’s why they tell you to go to the higher floors from the start.”

I tilted my head at Leila’s grumbling.

“Why are floors so important?”

“Well, that’s the tradition. For generations, only the best students have access to the top floor. I want to be an excellent student until I graduate.”

If that was the case, I could give her the ninth floor. But if I said something like that out loud, I’d just hear people say I was being arrogant and condescending, so I kept quiet.

“Dane, what are you doing tomorrow?”

“Attending class.”

“I’m going to eat with my classmates and seniors!”

So, she asked because she wanted to say that.

“Yeah, sounds nice.”

“What’s with your reaction? I told you so you’d be jealous, but you’re acting like a fool.”

“I can eat with you all later when I have time. There’s Ernest, too.”

Although I hadn’t had many opportunities to do so since my reincarnation, I was still used to eating alone.

“Alright. How come you’re always so indifferent?”

It was too long a story to explain.

“Anyway, I’m leaving. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes. See you tomorrow.”

Leila got off on the seventh floor, and then I arrived on the ninth floor.

When the door opened, the first thing I saw was Priscilla.

Priscilla from the Theology Department, who shook my hand and was startled by the backlash from my magic power.

“Oh, freshman. How was your first day?”

“A bit hectic.”

When I thought about it, a lot happened.

In the first class, a person named Altur suddenly came up to me and asked me to join the student council.

Also, I gained unexpected harvests in the Misty Garden and created a circle filled with ancient magic…

Then, I beat up Bronn’s group, who were harassing Ernest.

Later, I won a treasure map I got from throwing daggers.

“It’s like that on the first day. You, especially so. Was there anyone who bothered you?”

I answered with a smirk.

Priscilla nodded as if she understood.

By the way, it was strange…

“Where are you going?”

Priscilla was quite taken aback by my question.

“Oh, um… I have something to do.”

“Something to do?”

Roll call was coming soon. Where was she going?

“It’s alright! I’ve never gotten caught before!”

I shrugged and said, “Well, it’s not my concern.”

Priscilla smiled brightly and said, “As expected, you know my heart well.”

We met for the first time yesterday.

Priscilla winked once, opened the window, and jumped out. I was a little surprised for a moment, but I didn’t bother to go closer to look. I figured she’d be alive.

By the way, what would she be going to do just before the roll call?

As I was thinking, I arrived at my room and immediately started to organize my piled-up luggage.

“There’s not as much as I thought.”

Books on the bookshelf, clothes in the closet, other items in drawers, and important items given to me by family where they could always be seen.

Where should I put the small, precious familiar’s egg?

Things like the Nighthorn that my mother gave me could be carried around at all times, but the Familiar’s Egg was a bit difficult to carry around in a case. My second sister said not to put living things in the subspace, so of course my subspace wasn’t a good idea.

“Hmm…”

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to at least infuse some magic into it since I couldn’t do it the day before.

But that was when…

“What’s this?”

Whooooooong.

Why was this egg suddenly reacting?