LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 78.1
Stage 3-11. Dark Attribute Magic
“…You seem a little excited, Ouga-kun.”
“Doesn’t it make your heart race, Reina? We’re about to uncover new knowledge, after all.”
“Hahaha! Ouga-kun, you’ve always had a researcher’s spirit. Hearing about an unknown attribute, I figured you wouldn’t be able to hide your interest.”
The Vellet family has several secret rooms.
Most of them are built underground, with entrances to the basement prepared on the first floor.
“…Amazing. I never imagined our house had a place like this.”
Following Father, we descend the stairs into the cold air.
“I had planned to tell you about this after you graduated from the academy, Ouga-kun. But since you’re so talented, the timing moved up. It’s a mixed blessing, having such a capable son.”
“So that’s why there’s a hidden passage in the head’s office?”
“Exactly. Reina will be supporting you from now on, Ouga. It made sense to inform her at the same time.”
“…It feels odd to say this myself, but is this really okay? After all, I originally came from his side…”
“Ouga-kun said he considers you family. There’s no need to doubt it. If you tried to run, Ouga-kun would surely bring you back.”
“That’s… true. Father-in-law, you’re absolutely right.”
“……”
Reina glanced at me briefly and let out a small laugh.
Though I had nothing to add and remained silent, for some reason, I felt a little embarrassed.
“This is the entrance to the Forbidden Magic Archive. Here’s a key for you to come freely. Just make sure not to lose it.”
“Got it. …Father, aren’t you coming in?”
“I still have work to do. Besides, I’ve read through it once before.”
“Understood. We’ll make good use of it, then.”
“Ah, one word of caution…”
Father leaned in close, speaking softly so Reina wouldn’t hear.
“Don’t get too… cozy with Reina just because no one else will enter.”
“Wha—?!”
“Hahaha! Judging by that reaction, I have nothing to worry about. Good luck.”
With that, Father returned to the surface.
As his figure disappeared, Reina tugged lightly on my sleeve.
“What did Father-in-law say?”
“…It’s better if you don’t know. And no, it wasn’t anything bad about you. Just a typical dad joke.”
“I see. For a moment, I thought he might have been warning us not to get too… physical here.”
“If you knew, why did you ask…?”
“True. I’ll be more mindful next time.”
“Geez…”
Sighing, I inserted the key and turned the doorknob.
With a low creak, the door opened, and dim orange lights flickered on.
The soft, gentle glow illuminated a small table in the center, surrounded by bookshelves lining the walls.
Every shelf was packed with old books, their age evident, confirming this was indeed the Forbidden Magic Archive.
“…Incredible. I was made to read many books under him, but I don’t recognize any of these titles.”
“The Vellet family oversees all information in the Rondism Kingdom. It makes sense they’d keep such a collection.”
“I see. That explains the strong connection between the Vellet family and the royal family.”
“But that’s not why we’re here. Let’s find books about dark attribute magic.”
“I’ll start from here to there.”
“Got it. I’ll take the opposite side. Once you find something, place it on the table.”
Reina and I efficiently divided the work, scanning the shelves for books about dark attribute magic.
…But we found nothing.
This is the last section…
Just as doubt crept in about whether such books even existed, I heard a thud as something was placed on the table behind me.
“Looks like they were all gathered here.”
“…Seems so.”
Reina had found three old leather-bound books.
None had any titles on their covers.
Each one, however, was as thick as my forearm.
“Should we think of this as a lot or too little?”
“I skimmed them briefly. Every page is about dark attribute magic.”
“Then three should be enough.”
“Let’s dive in. Time is precious. Please, this way.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I’ll get started, too.”
“……”
As I sat in the chair Reina had pulled out, she promptly settled on my lap.
Looking closer, there was only one chair, the one I was using.
“Ouga-kun, something wrong? Please turn to the next page.”
“…Right. The content takes priority now.”
I set aside my thoughts on Reina for the moment and began reading.
…But the text was faded, making it hard to decipher, so it took time.
“Should we skim for the important parts first?”
“No, let’s take our time and read from the beginning. This is an entirely unfamiliar domain for us.”