Others Summon Knights, I Summon Legendary Memes

Chapter 44: Forbidden Library II

Kael had a theory.

A very simple theory.

If an investigation started with a forbidden library, it ended with someone fleeing.

Or dead.

Sometimes both.

Unfortunately, Aurelion seemed determined to test it.

"We need to get in."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

Kael turned to Seraphina.

"Tell him something."

Seraphina looked up from a book.

"I think we should go in."

Kael felt the universe had betrayed him.

Again.

Two days had passed since they discovered the existence of the Restricted Section.

Two days.

Two days during which Aurelion had devoted every free second to investigating how to access it.

And apparently, he had succeeded.

Which was concerning.

Very concerning.

"How did you find the entrance?"

"I followed a librarian."

"That sounds illegal."

"Just a little."

"Aurelion."

"Yes."

"Someday you’re going to end up arrested."

"Probably."

"And I’m going to be right there beside you."

"Definitely."

The Little Fat King yawned.

Clearly used to this dynamic.

The three advanced through a hidden staircase behind a bookshelf.

Then through a narrow corridor.

Then through a door covered in runes.

Finally, they reached a small circular room.

And there they were.

The forbidden documents.

Kael had expected something more impressive.

Maybe magical chains.

Guards.

Ancient demons.

No.

Just books.

Lots of books.

"All this effort just to end up reading."

"That’s a very sad sentence."

"Thanks."

Aurelion ignored the comment.

He was already reviewing ancient documents.

Seraphina did the same.

Kael sighed.

And joined in.

The first few hours they found nothing.

Just historical records.

Myths.

Legends.

Incomplete stories.

Until Seraphina spoke.

"I found something."

The other two approached.

It was an extremely ancient manuscript.

The pages were worn.

The letters barely legible.

Aurelion began translating.

Slowly.

"And then the Monarch descended..."

He stopped.

Read again.

Frowned.

"That’s strange."

"What?"

"Listen to this."

He continued reading.

"The Monarch of a Thousand Naps observed the battle.

And judged that it was too noisy.

Therefore, he silenced both armies."

Silence.

Kael blinked.

"The Monarch of a Thousand Naps?"

"That’s what it says here."

"That’s the most ridiculous name I’ve ever heard in my life."

Aurelion pointed at the Little Fat King.

"I’m not so sure."

Kael slowly turned his head.

Then looked back at the text.

Then at the cat.

Then back at the text.

Again at the cat.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Definitely yes."

Seraphina nodded.

"It fits."

Kael started laughing.

He tried to hold it in.

He failed.

Completely.

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

The Little Fat King opened one eye.

"Monarch of a Thousand Naps?"

The cat looked at him.

"MONARCH OF A THOUSAND NAPS!"

Aurelion also began to smile.

"It’s quite appropriate."

"IT’S PERFECT!"

Kael almost fell off his chair.

"Oh, by the gods!

It’s literally a title based on sleeping!"

The Little Fat King stared at him.

Then looked away.

Silence.

The three students froze.

Aurelion blinked.

Seraphina tilted her head.

Kael stopped laughing.

"Wait a minute."

Silence.

"Did he just...?"

Aurelion nodded slowly.

"Yes."

Seraphina seemed genuinely surprised.

"He’s never reacted like that before."

The Little Fat King kept looking away.

As if the wall were extremely interesting.

Kael’s eyes went wide.

"It can’t be."

"No."

"It can’t be."

"I think it is."

Kael pointed at the cat.

"ARE YOU EMBARRASSED?"

Silence.

The cat kept ignoring him.

"HE’S EMBARRASSED!"

That was worse.

Much worse.

Because it confirmed everything.

The Little Fat King.

Destroyer of mountains.

Terror of abyssal beasts.

Nightmare of inquisitors.

Had just been embarrassed by a nickname.

Kael started laughing again.

Louder.

Much louder.

"MONARCH OF A THOUSAND NAPS!"

"Meow."

"HAHAHAHAHA!"

WHAP.

The slap came immediately.

Kael flew out of his chair.

Landed against a bookshelf.

"I KNEW IT!"

"THAT CONFIRMS YOU’RE EMBARRASSED!"

Another slap.

"AAAAH!"

Aurelion watched the scene.

"It’s fascinating."

"Agreed."

For the next ten minutes, Kael kept mocking.

And the cat kept punishing him.

Until they finally decided to get back to work.

Or at least try.

Aurelion kept reading.

And little by little, the jokes disappeared.

Because the records began to get strange.

Very strange.

"Here’s another reference."

"To the Monarch of a Thousand Naps?"

"Yes."

Kael tried not to laugh.

He failed a little.

But he controlled himself.

Aurelion continued.

"The Monarch appeared during the Fall of the Nine Empires.

And abandoned the place because the war interrupted his rest."

Silence.

"That sounds exactly like him."

"Too exactly."

They found another reference.

Then another.

And another.

Always the same pattern.

The Monarch appeared.

Watched something important.

And then reacted for completely absurd reasons.

Not for justice.

Not for heroism.

Not for evil.

Simply because he wanted to.

Like a gigantically powerful cat.

Kael began to feel uncomfortable.

Because that meant something.

The records were thousands of years old.

Thousands.

And yet they spoke of the Fat King.

That implied a terrifying possibility.

"What if he’s not unique?"

Aurelion looked up.

"What do you mean?"

"If there are records of the Fat King...

There could also be records of the other entities."

Silence.

Seraphina opened another book.

And found exactly that.

An illustration.

Very ancient.

Showed a canine figure.

Standing.

Holding an impossible stick.

Aurelion felt a chill.

"That dog again."

Kael looked at the drawing.

"He definitely doesn’t look normal."

Below it was an inscription.

Very damaged.

Aurelion translated slowly.

"The Dog of the End of Arguments."

"What?"

"That’s what it says."

"The names are getting worse."

"Much worse."

Seraphina turned the page.

Another illustration.

Another entity.

Then another.

And another.

As if there had been a whole collection of absurd beings.

Impossible beings.

Beings that appeared over and over again throughout history.

Kael swallowed.

"I don’t like this."

"I do."

"Of course you do."

"It’s incredible."

"You’re still a problem."

Aurelion smiled.

But then he found something else.

And the smile disappeared.

Completely.

"Here."

The room fell silent.

The text was written in black ink.

Much more recent.

Much clearer.

"What does it say?"

Aurelion read.

"When the second returns...

The door will begin to open.

When the third awakens...

Order will tremble.

And when the last appears..."

He stopped.

Kael felt a chill.

"And?"

"That’s all."

"What do you mean, that’s all?"

"The page is torn."

Silence.

No one spoke for several seconds.

Because everyone was thinking the same thing.

Second.

Third.

Last.

That implied a number.

A number of entities.

And if the Fat King was the first...

Then the second was about to arrive.

The window appeared before Kael.

[Estimated arrival: 39 hours.]

Everyone watched it.

Even the Little Fat King.

And for the first time since this investigation had begun...

The cat stopped looking bored.

His eyes remained fixed on the message.

As if he recognized something.

As if he remembered something.

As if he knew exactly what was about to arrive.

And that scared Kael much more than anything he had read in those books.

Because if the Monarch of a Thousand Naps was worried...

Then they probably all should be too.