Others Summon Knights, I Summon Legendary Memes

Chapter 43: Forbidden Library I

It was Aurelion’s fault.

Kael was completely sure of it.

Because normally, when someone heard the words "forbidden library," the logical reaction was to walk away.

Not get closer.

Much less try to enter.

And definitely not do it after surviving an extremist religious organization, an ancient dungeon, and a possible invasion of absurd entities.

"It’s a horrible idea."

"I know."

"We could get expelled."

"Probably."

"We could die."

"Possibly."

Kael pointed at Aurelion.

"And why does that make you smile?"

"Because it sounds fun."

"You’re a problem."

"Thanks."

The Little Fat King, sitting on Kael’s head, meowed.

As if he agreed.

Or was insulting both of them.

It was hard to tell.

It had all started that very morning.

After the conversation under the tree.

After the ancient records.

After the references to the absurd entities.

Aurelion had returned with an idea.

A terrible idea.

Of course.

"The murals."

Kael raised an eyebrow.

"What about them?"

"They’re not normal."

"Nothing about this story is normal."

"Exactly."

Aurelion smiled.

"That’s why we need to investigate them."

And now they were there.

In front of the oldest building in the entire academy.

The Arcadia Central Library.

A gigantic white stone structure.

Tall towers.

Huge windows.

Runes glowing on the walls.

Thousands of books.

Thousands and thousands of books.

Kael felt a chill.

Not from danger.

From the amount of reading.

"This is terrifying."

"It’s a library."

"Exactly."

Aurelion looked disappointed.

"You’re an academic disgrace."

"And you read for fun."

"Correct."

"That’s worse."

Before the argument could continue, a third figure appeared.

As always.

Without explanation.

Without noise.

Without logic.

She just appeared.

Seraphina was there.

Standing.

Watching them.

Kael almost jumped in surprise.

"How do you do that!?"

"I walk."

"That still doesn’t answer anything."

Seraphina tilted her head.

"Are you going to investigate?"

Aurelion smiled.

"Yes."

"I want to come."

"Of course."

Kael rubbed his face.

"Why do the three of us always end up in trouble?"

"Because you attract trouble."

"That was cruelly honest."

"Thanks."

The three entered the library.

Silence immediately enveloped them.

Endless rows of shelves.

Floating stairs.

Enchanted books moving on their own.

Librarians walking through the aisles.

Everything looked like it came out of an academic fantasy.

Kael hated to admit it.

But it was impressive.

Very impressive.

Aurelion headed straight for the historical section.

As if he knew exactly where to go.

Which was concerning.

Because he usually did know.

And that meant he had been planning something for a while.

"I don’t like that look."

"What look?"

The "I’m about to commit an academic crime" look.

"Ah.

That one."

"Yeah."

Kael sighed.

They were definitely going to end up punished.

The next few hours passed among books.

Lots of books.

Too many books.

Aurelion researched ancient records.

Seraphina reviewed archaeological texts.

Kael tried to collaborate.

Tried.

Most of the time he didn’t understand anything.

"What does this mean?"

Aurelion looked at the page.

"It’s a dialect from six hundred years ago."

"And this?"

"Another dialect."

"And this?"

"No idea."

Kael closed the book.

"Perfect."

The Little Fat King slept on a pile of historical documents.

No one dared to move him.

A librarian tried.

Received a look.

Immediately withdrew.

In the mid-afternoon, they found something interesting.

Very interesting.

Seraphina was the one who discovered it.

"Here."

The other two approached.

The page showed an ancient illustration.

Very worn.

Very old.

But clearly recognizable.

Kael stood still.

"It can’t be."

The image showed a fat cat.

Sitting on a destroyed mountain.

Exactly like the mural in the dungeon.

The same design.

The same posture.

The same expression of absolute contempt.

The same look of someone who had just destroyed a civilization and was annoyed because they interrupted his nap.

Aurelion frowned.

"That confirms the mural wasn’t decorative."

Seraphina nodded.

"It’s too precise."

Kael looked at the Little Fat King.

The cat was still sleeping.

As if nothing.

"I’m starting to get worried."

"I was already worried."

"Fair point."

Aurelion flipped several pages.

They found more references.

More drawings.

More records.

And all of them were strange.

Ridiculously strange.

One illustration showed a canine creature holding a huge stick.

Another showed a frog sitting on a throne in an elegant black suit.

Another depicted a hooded figure crying while watching a bright image suspended in the sky.

None of them made sense.

And yet they appeared repeatedly.

In different eras.

In different cultures.

On different continents.

It was impossible.

"Why did all civilizations record the same things?"

Aurelion remained thoughtful.

"Because they saw them."

Silence.

That answer was the most logical.

And also the most terrifying.

Kael dropped into a chair.

"I don’t like any of this."

"I do."

"Of course you do."

"It’s fascinating."

"You’re a danger to society."

"Thanks."

Then something strange happened.

Seraphina looked at one of the pages for several seconds.

Longer than usual.

"This wasn’t in the dungeon."

Kael and Aurelion approached.

The illustration showed something different.

A door.

Gigantic.

Covered in unknown symbols.

In front of it were several silhouettes.

Among them:

The cat.

The canine figure.

And other forms impossible to identify.

Above it was an inscription.

Very deteriorated.

Aurelion began translating slowly.

"When the entities return...

The door will open again...

And the world will remember..."

The last line was destroyed.

Illegible.

Kael felt a chill.

"Remember what?"

"I don’t know."

"That doesn’t help."

"I know."

Silence returned.

For the first time.

Even Aurelion looked uncomfortable.

And that was concerning.

Because he usually enjoyed this kind of mystery.

Too much.

The sun was beginning to set when they heard footsteps approaching.

Quick footsteps.

Nervous.

A librarian appeared between the shelves.

He looked agitated.

Very agitated.

"What are you doing here?"

Aurelion smiled.

"Researching."

"I can see that."

"Then I’ve already answered."

The man ignored the comment.

He looked at the books on the table.

And paled.

"Who gave you access to these records?"

Silence.

Kael pointed at Aurelion.

Out of instinct.

Aurelion pointed at Kael.

Also out of instinct.

Seraphina watched them both.

Disappointed.

The librarian closed his eyes.

"You didn’t have authorization."

"Technically, no one said we couldn’t."

"Because no one imagined you’d try to enter."

"That’s fair."

"It’s not fair."

The man took a deep breath.

Then lowered his voice.

"If you found what I think you found...

You need to stop."

Aurelion immediately showed interest.

Bad sign.

Very bad sign.

"Why?"

The librarian hesitated.

For a few seconds, he seemed to wrestle with himself.

Finally, he answered.

"Because the later documents disappeared."

Silence.

"Disappeared?"

"They were removed."

"By whom?"

The man swallowed.

"By the Restricted Section."

Kael felt a chill.

That sounded important.

And dangerous.

Especially dangerous.

Aurelion smiled slowly.

Exactly the smile Kael feared.

The smile of someone who had just found a new obsession.

"There’s a restricted section?"

"No."

"You just said there is."

"Not officially."

"Perfect."

"It’s not perfect."

"It is for me."

The librarian immediately understood what was happening.

And he seemed to suffer emotional damage.

"No."

"Yes."

"You’re not going in."

"Not yet."

"Aurelion!"

"Yet."

Kael covered his face.

Because he already knew how this would end.

And he also knew something worse.

He was going to go with them.

Again.

Because he had clearly lost all ability to make smart decisions.

As they left the library, the Little Fat King opened one eye.

He looked at the documents.

Looked at the illustration of the door.

And for a fraction of a second.

Just one.

His expression seemed to change.

As if he recognized it.

As if he remembered something.

But the moment passed so quickly that Kael thought he had imagined it.

That night.

As they walked back to the dormitory.

The window appeared again.

[Estimated arrival: 41 hours.]

Below it appeared another line.

One they had never seen before.

[Warning.]

[The Second Compatible Entity has detected information related to previous events.]

[Interest level: High.]

Kael stopped.

Aurelion did too.

Seraphina watched the window.

And for the first time in a long while.

All three felt exactly the same thing.

They had found something important.

And they probably should have left it buried.

But it was already too late for that.