Reincarnated as a Genius Prodigy of a Prestigious Family - Chapter 344

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Reincarnated as a Legendary Talent Genius of a Noble Family Episode 344

226. Ancient Records Archive

The title conferment ceremony was postponed for several months due to the necessary ‘preparations’ and ‘procedures’.

That’s how all imperial procedures work.

Roughly estimating, it would probably be during the second semester of my second year.

Instead, I was able to receive the gift promised for the previous demon subjugation.

“Two craftsmen worked on this for nearly a year.”

It was my custom-made armor.

Chief Clerk Hank pointed to the armor stand with an extremely proud expression.

“Go ahead and lift the veil.”

As I approached and lifted the veil without hesitation, a chain mail of quite brilliant appearance was revealed.

“We used the world’s lightest metal with magical treatment to increase elasticity, and made it so it wouldn’t hinder movement at all. Additionally, the Magic Corps applied the highest level of enchanting to maximize its defensive power.”

The explanation from the official standing beside continued, and I lightly traced the armor’s surface with my finger.

Excellent texture.

It was thin and soft enough that it wouldn’t show even when worn underneath clothing.

When I shook it lightly, the thin chains moved with a rustling sound, but it wasn’t very loud.

Truly a masterpiece.

For weapons, I already had an arcanium sword and the spear Father gave me, so I couldn’t ask for more, but armor was different.

“It’s incredibly light as you said.”

When I lifted it from the stand, it felt like a feather, with only slight exaggeration.

“To add a bit more detail, each chain was forged through hundreds of tempering processes.”

Even to my eyes, which rarely found things surprising, this was an excellent piece.

“I can only be deeply grateful.”

There was one more amazing feature.

As soon as I put on the armor, it instantly contracted and fit snugly to my body.

The explanation continued as if they had been waiting for this moment.

“Finally, a special technique of the imperial craftsmen was used, giving it the characteristic of sensing the wearer’s body shape and adjusting accordingly.”

It seemed the gaps between the chains had become somewhat tighter.

What was even more surprising was that despite shrinking like that, it didn’t significantly hinder movement.

“Amazing.”

“This is His Majesty the Emperor’s grace.”

Ah, that’s right.

This was a reward received through demon subjugation, so officially it was His Majesty the Emperor’s grace.

“I can only be deeply grateful.”

“Is there any discomfort in movement?”

“None at all. It’s excellent.”

“Good. If you wear it continuously from today and get used to it, you’ll become even more familiar with it.”

As for armor, well, I wore it often in my previous life and this current life, so there wasn’t much discomfort.

I hadn’t tried the full plate armor that assault knights wear, but given my style, I probably wouldn’t have occasion to wear that in the future either.

Anyway, after acquiring the special chain mail, I followed Hank’s guidance to the Imperial Archive.

“The archive is in the 4th annex. By the way, the entire annex is the archive.”

The 4th annex.

Upon arriving at the place officially named the ‘Tower of Records’, what I faced was a tower that appeared to be about 40 meters tall.

The cylindrical shape decorated with an elegant feel was impressive.

“There are no windows.”

“You have good observation skills as expected.”

Hank smiled and added an explanation.

“This tower is the tallest among all buildings in the Imperial Palace. For that reason, looking down at the main palace where His Majesty the Emperor resides from the windows would be truly great disrespect.”

Ah.

That was the reason.

“Thanks to that, there are no windows, but the interior is very comfortable. We maintain optimal temperature, air quality, and humidity for record management.”

“Impressive.”

“I heard the archive at Sogress County is also impressive.”

I shook my head.

Our family archive that I frequented wasn’t quite this scale.

“It can’t compare to the Imperial Palace.”

In that sense, I was looking forward to it.

What kind of materials would be inside?

Of course, I didn’t have unlimited access to all materials.

The space I was permitted was the ‘Ancient Records Archive’ on the 15th floor.

I planned to acquire a bit more information about Arcana here.

By the way, there was no time limit.

“Welcome, Dane Sogress.”

As the door opened and I stepped inside, a magnificent and grand feast of papers unfolded.

Seeing my heart tremble at this sight, I think I would have enjoyed research and scholarship too.

“Welcome to the Imperial Archive.”

The person waiting inside was the head librarian.

He was an old man wearing a monocle, with a gentle impression and a goatee.

“My name is Ut Dominic. Our Dominic family has been entrusted with the important duty of managing the Imperial Archive for generations.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Dane Sogress, eldest son of Sogress County.”

In other words, he was a key imperial servant.

Some families had servants who continued the same work through generations like this.

Our family had them too, as did Duke Termion House.

“Today, following His Majesty the Emperor’s command to serve Dane Sogress, it’s a great honor. I’ve spent my entire life in this archive, but your reputation echoes throughout the entire Imperial Palace, reaching even these old ears.”

The flattery was quite natural.

Of course, praise should be accepted as praise.

“I’m grateful for your kind words. I too was quite surprised to hear that you’ve managed such a vast archive through generations.”

“It’s both our family’s pride and everything. In a few days, my son will inherit all of this, but meeting you before that feels like great fortune has come.”

After exchanging such flowery words back and forth, he finally got to the main point.

“The command I received today was to open the Ancient Records Archive on the 15th floor for as long as Dane Sogress desires. Is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“Good. Please follow me. Official? You may return now. I’ll contact you again when Dane Sogress has finished his business.”

“Understood, then.”

With Hank departing, I followed Ut toward the end of the archive. There was a platform there, and I could see a mechanical device I knew very well.

Click, clunk!

As I grabbed the handle and pulled it down, the platform carrying Ut and me slowly began moving upward, pushing us up.

“You don’t seem very surprised. Everyone who rides this elevator asks about its operating principle at least once.”

That makes sense.

This was something with Drenik technology applied to it.

The Empire rejected Drenik so much, but in reality, Drenik’s technology was widely utilized within the Imperial Palace.

There’s no irony quite like this.

Well, from one perspective, maybe it was practical?

Drenik’s mechanical engineering was very precise, and while maintenance was essential, it operated using less energy compared to magic and was suitable for creating more delicate mechanisms.

“It’s a Drenik mechanical device.”

“As expected, you knew.”

“Thanks to Father teaching me many things.”

“I see. Count Sogress played a major role in the Empire war, so I imagine he saw and heard many things.”

Ut added.

“This archive has countless magic spells and mechanical devices running throughout. Starting from simple magic that maintains humidity and temperature, there’s also finely tuned magic for each section. And what about the mechanical devices? While magic handles temperature and humidity control, they also effectively move books around and push people up like this while protecting all the books when necessary.”

It was quite a lot to add, but thanks to that, the ride up to the 15th floor wasn’t boring.

Clunk.

As the elevator stopped and Ut and I got off, the elevator descended again.

“If you need anything, just call for me or pull this lever here to summon the elevator.”

“Understood.”

“Well then, shall we go inside now?”

15th floor.

What greeted us wasn’t books packed densely against the curved walls, but simple walls.

However—

Click.

When Ut pulled a lever attached to the wall, the walls split apart and revealed what was inside all at once.

What appeared was a grand feast of records.

All sorts of records including papers and books that filled the walls, just as I had imagined moments ago.

“Welcome to the 15th floor, Ancient Records Repository.”

Ut spread both arms with a proud smile.

“His Majesty the Emperor commanded that you be allowed to stay as long as you wish.”

I had already heard that.

It was welcome news since I naturally had no intention of staying just an hour or two and leaving.

But since I had to return to the Academy, staying for several days would be difficult too.

“As you well know, copying records is strictly forbidden, and naturally taking records outside is also prohibited.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Good. Then, please enjoy yourself to your heart’s content.”

And it was then that Ut, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Oh. Please don’t be too surprised if strange things happen while you’re staying here.”

“Strange things?”

“A ‘specter’ lives in this archive.”

Specter?

I wondered if it meant a being with only a soul and no physical body in the literal sense.

Like Saint Aimar we encountered in the restricted zone when we went on our first adventure in first year at Ernest’s suggestion.

Of course, such a thing couldn’t exist within the Imperial Palace.

“By the way, it’s not a real ghost or specter, just a nickname we use among ourselves.”

As expected.

“There must be a reason for such a nickname.”

“There is. It’s the archive’s oldest guest. Let’s see… it’s been about 10 years now. Since coming to this archive without missing a single day.”

Such a person must have a story.

“So please don’t be surprised if you meet them, and treat them kindly. They’re just… a pitiful person.”

A dream, huh.

“Though even that won’t last much longer now.”

I nodded at the cryptic words.

“I will.”

“Then, have a good time with the written word.”

With that, Ut left, and I was left alone on the enormously vast 15th floor.

Records piled abundantly along the cylindrical walls.

Ancient Records Repository.

Naturally, I chose this place to find records about Arcana.

“It would be nice if I could find the location of the next concentrate while I’m at it.”

There’s no rush, and it’s not something I need right away, but I am curious.

What kind of power would the fifth ancient mana concentrate bring?

Of course, that’s not the main purpose.

“Let’s take a look at what’s available first.”

There’s only one reason I came all the way here to find the Ancient Records Repository.

Acquiring knowledge.

Learning more about Arcana through the Mini Golem’s existence only made me more curious.

Now I have someone to ask when questions arise.

“There’s quite a bit of time until returning to the Academy… I should be able to stay at least four days.”

From now on, I’ll be staying at the dormitory prepared by the Imperial Palace and going back and forth to this place.

“It’s a bit disappointing, but what can I do.”

Originally, I should have been at the camp right now, going through the program and having the sparring matches I was looking forward to.

I joined the camp specifically for that one thing, so it’s a bit disappointing.

Still, well, I ended up doing something else interesting, so it doesn’t matter.

By the way, you can request meals here too. Though it’s difficult to eat right here because of record management.

Anyway, I took a look around the repository walls once.

The Arcana records I was looking for were easier to find than expected.

“Here they are.”

Most of the ancient records here are naturally unreadable to me.

Because I don’t know those scripts.

But there’s one script I became able to read after obtaining the mana concentrate.

Ancient Arcana script stands out clearly to my eyes.

“They called it the kingdom of records.”

The quantity isn’t as much as other ancient records, but it’s still quite substantial.

This would be enough to make Arcana feel wronged.

Such records remain scattered everywhere and are passed down to future generations, yet there’s no one who can read them.

According to Ernest, it’s because the linguistic system is completely different and there’s no ‘key’ that can be deduced.

That key is usually oral traditions that are passed down, or people who become mainstream.

However…

For some reason, all the people of Arcana completely ‘evaporated’ at the time of destruction.

More precisely, they just disappeared.

No, that’s just speculation.

“Is it time to find out now?”

The Mini Golem also doesn’t know about the actual situation of the destruction since it wasn’t around during the fall.

So now, let’s see…

Step, step.

Could it be the ‘specter’ Ut mentioned?

Just as I was about to reach out my hand, I felt a presence from behind.

It was when I turned my head.

What the.

“…”

I see a familiar face.

Isn’t that the fellow I saw on the battlefield?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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