Chapter 139 Hero's Path
"Ugh, cough cough! Phew... my body feels like lead. This is just terrible. Plus, my joints hurt, and I feel awful."
"Ugh, complaining right after waking up? Typical of you, Quollio."
"Don't act like I was sleeping on purpose. I couldn't talk, but I was barely aware."
"Yeah, yeah."
With a frown, Quollio looked unhappy. Even though he was exhausted, he seemed to be in great spirits. Seeing my friend sitting comfortably in the reception chair, I secretly sighed in relief.
"Repeating! Aegir Library is currently closed! No entry for the public!"
"What's the situation? What's going on?"
"We're handling it! Don't go inside!"
"Wait, my son is still inside!"
"Is Kalifa okay?!"
"Get it together already! You're a knight, right?!"
"Hey, quiet down! Can you all calm down?!"
"Tch, it's a big mess now."
"...Well, it makes sense. With the random attack and this, there are still rescuers on the second and third floors."
Outside the library, it was crowded with people. Ironically, the chaos outside was worse than what was happening inside. A few knights who rushed to the scene were desperately trying to calm things down, but it didn't seem to be working.
"Looks like that damned barrier's keepin' on expandin', ain't it?"
"Yeah. At this rate, everyone outside will be knocked out too, damn it."
(A really quiet hellscape is about to happen, huh, haha.)
Lyam muttered with a serious face. She was completely worn out from using healing magic on everyone she rescued. Now, other knights were taking care of the healing, but she should rest for a while.
Still, the problems weren't solved. If we didn't fix the Library:RE soon, we'd face the terrible future Ruthless talked about.
"...Guess I gotta even the score on my own."
""!""
And there's no hero just waiting around for that future to happen.
"Stop it? You plan to go back into that barrier?"
"You saw it too, Lyam. I can keep my mind inside the barrier. Just gotta push through."
"With the power of your white beast, you might be able to move inside the barrier. But I don't think it'll be that easy."
"Hah. I'm Hiiro. That level of pressure? Piece o' cake, right?"
"...Even if that Magi drain is just the opening act?"
"Opening act? What opening act?"
Opening act, huh? Hey, hey. Is there more than just that drain barrier?
"Yeah. According to a catalog I read before, the barrier of Libra:RE has 2 layers. The first layer drains Magi. And the second layer... the closer you get to the center... intense mental pollution awaits."
"...Changes in second layer?"
"It doesn't change; it adds on. Even if you miraculously get through that, there's a chance you'll be attacked from the balance itself. You can't expect support from magic because of the barrier. Do you understand, Hiiro? How reckless you're about to be?"
Wow. Quollio's concerns are all serious. It feels like a huge problem that could take more lives than we have.
"Hey, it’s like crackin' open a vault."
I couldn't help but smile sharply.
The people left behind. Those who wish to save them. Those who want to fix the situation. Our exhausted friends.
And the only one who can do it is me.
The situation is saying it.
The world is saying it.
Fate is telling the story.
If you don't do it, who will?
"──Bein' reckless an' bold? That's my goddamn stage, ya hear me?"
With everything set up like this, there was no way I wouldn't be fired up.
"Hah. I figured it would turn out this way."
"...I felt that way too."
Even while shaking with excitement, I smiled, and was met with a big, exasperated face.
Nice, both of you. You're starting to understand what kind of guy I am.
"Hiiro. Take this."
"What the f*ck is this? You want me to read shit in a situation like this?"
"Idiot, of course not."
What Quollio handed over was a book he never wanted to let go of during the rescue. I thought it was a joke, but I didn't get the intention.
What is this, does it have some kind of strategy in it?
"To stop the library: RE, we need to perfectly balance that plate. The book on it right now, 'Belverion Saga,' has 629 pages. This 'Snorri's Edda Collection' has the same number of pages, and the cover quality is quite similar to other books with the same page count. I think this is the book with the highest chance of balancing, as far as I know."
"Wow, you got a damn good memory. Do you know every single book in this library by heart?"
"Ah, it's not a big deal. I just used to come here a lot, so it's just luck."
(Hey, so he checked the weights on the balance inside the barrier and found the matching book. That's impressive.)
"Yo, stop embarrassing me with that smart shit."
"Just either praise me or be jealous!"
The strategy was Quollio himself. Having a genius friend is definitely a good thing. And just like Ruthless said, Quollio was also struggling to deal with that balance.
"...Alright then, let's do it."
I've been entrusted with that will. No one can stop me now. With my determination clear, I take a step forward.
"If the 'Invincible' Hiiro is here, I'm sure it'll be fine. I can trust you, right?"
"Pfft! You're finally getting it. Hey Quollio, where's the cheer as I stroll this path?"
"Hmph. Just suffer as much as you can."
"You piece of sh*t."
"Enough chit-chat, hurry up and finish. I was still in the middle of reading."
"Tch, you bookworm... let me handle it."
With the encouragement echoing the bravado from the day we first met and the same annoying banter, I took a deep breath and exhaled.
I raised my head and glared ahead.
There was nothing visible blocking my way to the altar I aimed for.
So let's go all out.
Embracing the will I received (the Snorri's Edda Collection), I took a big step forward, and then...
"──Fckin' let's goooo!!!"
Like an arrow released, I dashed straight ahead.
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