"Ughhh~."
The moment I entered the [Lady of the Night]’s memories, the first scene I saw was her standing in front of a large mirror, striking an unusual pose.
Her arms were raised, exposing her pale underarms, and she seemed to be aiming for some sort of sultry, mesmerizing effect.
...What the hell is she doing?
"Hmm... this feels like it would diminish my dignity. I won’t do it."
After spending a considerable amount of time pouting her crimson-red lips in various ways, she finally stopped her peculiar practice. She pulled out a notebook seemingly from thin air and marked an "X" next to an item on the list.
Then, she shifted to another pose, covering one eye with her bangs while leaning against the mirror at an odd angle.
"Mmm. This one’s much more intellectual."
She smiled in satisfaction and placed an "O" next to another item in her notebook, the one directly below the one she’d just crossed out.
Given her naturally cold and alluring beauty, the charismatic pose suited her atmosphere perfectly, making her look dangerously captivating...
"Hah. Ang~."
But the moment she tried adding bizarre sound effects and adjusted her posture awkwardly, the entire image of her shattered.
Until I’d seen this memory, I’d thought of her as a competent Constellation, admired and supported by other gods.
Now, she just felt like an ordinary, slightly eccentric older sister from next door.
The room behind her only reinforced the image—a messy space cluttered with posters and trinkets.
To think that this flawless, icy beauty couldn’t even tidy up her room... What a secret to discover.
It was doubtful she’d want anyone to see this memory.
Wait... why do those posters look so familiar?
No, no. Focus.
Why am I even watching this part of her memories?
The real reason I was here was to gather information for the major storyline I was planning: the twelve gods’ origins.
What I needed were the memories of her human life before she became a Constellation.
The strange antics she performed in front of a mirror as a god had absolutely no relevance to the story.
There would be plenty of time later to figure out her favorite posters and personal quirks.
I delved deeper into her subconscious, seeking the dreams and memories of her journey to becoming a Constellation.
And then I saw it.
The reason she was so obsessively focused on maintaining her “image.”
***
Flash!
I felt my consciousness return to reality.
Through the power of dreams, I had explored the past of the [Lady of the Night] and was now back in the present.
“Director? D-did you really see everything inside me?”
The [Lady of the Night] shrank back, her face as red as a ripe tomato, as she stammered out the question. Her usual tone was noticeably different, betraying her flustered state.
In the dream, I had witnessed her entire journey, from her childhood to her ascension to divinity.
Decades of memories unfolded before me, but to her, it likely felt like only the blink of an eye since it all took place in the realm of dreams.
“No... not everything,” I replied.
“Is that so?”
“I apologize for the sudden request to show me your story. However, I assure you I didn’t touch anything personal. I only gathered the information necessary for story development.”
“...You’re sure you didn’t see anything else?”
“Of course. I would never betray the trust of an investor who has chosen to work with us.”
...Though I may have seen a bit more than I needed to.
There was no need to confess the whole truth. Mentioning those moments wouldn’t do her mental health any favors.
“Very well.”
The [Lady of the Night] clearly had an inner vulnerability she wanted to keep hidden.
I had even seen the real reason behind her obsessive effort to project strength outwardly, a stark contrast to her true self.
“Now, I’d like to move forward with creating your character. As you mentioned before, there’s always a risk of distortion during this process, so I’d appreciate it if you could help guide the development.”
“You want me to help create the character?”
“Yes. If I make any mistakes, it could harm your divinity.”
“...Anything’s fine if it’s you doing it,” she mumbled under her breath.
“Sorry, what was that?”
The [Lady of the Night] murmured something too quiet for me to catch.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. I just need to contact my Apostle on the surface briefly. ...Very well, I’ve already spoken with the other gods, so working together on the character sounds like a good idea.”
She smiled brightly, her expression showing that she genuinely enjoyed collaborating with me on this project.
***
Somewhere on the Continent
The underground facility of Barrows, the largest secret organization on the continent.
Click, clack, click, clack.
A woman with her face completely veiled walked down the long corridor.
On either side of her, individuals stood in rigid formation, bowing their heads as she passed.
Whirrrr.
When the woman reached the end of the hallway, the tightly shut door slowly opened.
As she stepped inside, the door closed firmly behind her.
Only then did the tension gripping those left in the hallway finally release, allowing them to breathe again.
Click, clack.
The woman entered the dimly lit room, settling herself into a plush chair prepared solely for her use.
The chair, carved from the skulls of various species, gave off an unsettling aura.
“......”
The [Lady of the Night], the sole queen of Barrows, leaned back against the chair’s backrest. She conjured a small bottle from thin air and poured its contents into a glass filled with ice.
Raising the glass to her lips, she savored the drink.
Before her stretched dozens of magical screens, each displaying the current state of the continent.
The information, gathered by Barrows’ subordinate guilds across the land, was immensely valuable.
Many would pay astronomical sums for even a fraction of the data shown on just one of these screens.
Yet, the queen’s empty gaze remained fixed on the void, uninterested.
“Akashic Archive... is it?”
It was a name she had been hearing more and more frequently lately.
Initially, she thought it unworthy of her attention—a mere game running on handheld devices.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is freēwēbηovel.c૦m.
But the actions of the game’s developers had far surpassed anything she could have imagined, even with the extensive network of information Barrows controlled.
They had managed to contact leaders across the continent and opened five theme parks—all while eluding Barrows’ watchful eyes.
Was this the work of Constellations?
Even if so, the speed was incomprehensible.
Something was there.
Something that might even pose a threat to Barrows' existence.
She had already ordered her executives to investigate [Akashic Archive] and its parent company, DreamStory, but progress had been nonexistent.
Tap, tap, tap.
The queen tapped her finger against the armrest of her chair for a while before finally rising to her feet.
She extended her hand, and a handheld device from across the room flew into her grasp.
“I’ll look into this myself.”
***
[This is the Akashic Archive]
[Where all heroic epics of the world are recorded.]
[It contains the essence and souls of countless heroes who saved the world.]
[You are the candidate for the position of the new Archive Administrator, succeeding the previous one.]
For the queen, these introductory lines were far from captivating.
The first encounter with virtual reality was novel in its own way, but that was all.
It wasn’t enough to pique her interest.
With an expressionless face, she quickly skipped through the introductory narrative.
[You can now enjoy the newly released episode. Would you like to proceed to the recommended episode?]
A notification window appeared before her.
The feature allowed players to experience new stories before delving into the vast backlog of accumulated tales. However, unfamiliar with the game’s mechanics, the queen clicked the accept button without much thought.
Flash!
Her vision was engulfed in light, and she found herself transported to somewhere within the Archive.
“Ah, you’ve arrived,” a familiar voice greeted her.
Behind the Director stood a dozen or so statues.
The statues were arranged in a circular formation under a domed ceiling, reminiscent of a pantheon.
“Judging by your expression, you’re surprised that a place like this exists in the Archive?”
This space was markedly different from the library-like Archive filled with shelves of books she had seen before.
“As I mentioned before, today’s training will continue. However, this session is a bit special.”
Snap!
The Director snapped his fingers, and one of the statues began to glow with a peculiar light.
“Stories are typically stored in the form of books—that’s the norm. But in some cases, they take on other forms, like this, when a contract with our [Archive] is involved.”
The glowing statue started to fill with color, gradually taking on lifelike features.
“This character from a completed story will assist you in today’s training, so there’s no need to worry.”
Tap, tap.
What had been a statue moments ago now fully resembled a human woman who walked over to stand beside the Director.
“Meet your instructor for the day, Queen Thystinada.”
“...Impossible.”
The queen was stunned.
She had thought it was merely a resemblance.
But the name was the same.
It was unmistakable.
It was her.
She had entered this place intending only to gather information, never expecting to see her again.
Someone she believed she would never meet again.
Someone who had long since departed to serve the Constellation she now worshiped.
“Why... why is my sister here?”
Her cherished elder sister.
The one she never thought she would see again.