Magician in Type-Moon

Page 356

The towering, massive door behind her opened its doors with a low, rumbling sound.

The Great Library of Alexandria.

I had heard of Matouchi before.

"The library bearing this name should have been destroyed long ago. Although some buildings have been rebuilt in modern times using its name, they are now entirely different things, so this..."

“Just as you said.” Monarch Mayastia smiled ambiguously.

"There are two great libraries in Alexandria. The one that was destroyed is the library that occupies the most important position in world history, a great library that has gathered knowledge from the past and present since the time of Ptolemy II. —Then, the other is the library at the bottom of the sea, which records forbidden wisdom and is full of mysteries that cannot be widely known."

"Then let's go."

Latio suddenly interrupted as Meastia spoke, turning around and saying.

Turn right at the entrance to the temple-like ruins—the Great Library of Alexandria—and walk straight down the corridor for a while.

Ahead of the corridor was a huge plaza with no walls on any side.

Looking up at the plaza above, which has no ceiling, one sees an underwater scene reflected in the sky, like a starry night.

"So what exactly happened?" Matou Ike suddenly stopped halfway through his walk and changed his gaze.

He fixed his gaze on the alchemist from the Atlas Institute, Latio, who was standing to the side.

"If I'm not mistaken, the story called 'The Pharaoh Murder Case' must have originated from your place, right?"

When questioned by Matou Ike, Latour responded, but her answer seemed unrelated to the question.

"Problems arose after Latio joined the excavation investigation."

"what is the problem?"

"The key to this large library has been stolen."

Matou Ike nodded.

"So, along with the stolen key, who else was murdered?"

"That's a really unpleasant way to put it, Lord Matou."

A flicker of emotion finally appeared on Latour's face, which had been as cold as ice for millennia.

"We didn't spread this news on our own initiative."

A voice came from afar. Matou Ike looked in that direction and saw a mechanical bird made of metal.

"you are?"

Matou Ike asked this question because he could tell that the thing in front of him was not a familiar or anything like that, as it did not have any spells like "shared perception" that could be used on familiars.

So this thing is "alive".

Matou Ike had only ever seen the technology to bring machines to "life" with Aozaki Touko, so this guy...

"Ah, this is how my body is now. After all, the key to the body (Sasha) that was originally preserved was removed, so I can only use this spare. How stupid of me."

"Sha is probably the ancient Egyptian term for mummies. If I remember correctly, it means a noble person."

Medea explained from the side.

"That's right. My name is Ptolemy I."

I also know a little about this name, Matouchi. He was the pharaoh appointed by Iskandar to build Alexandria.

"Then, the heart of Pharaoh Ptolemy I was stolen."

The mechanical bird folded its wings to its chest and touched them, and said this.

As it spoke, the bird puffed out its chest.

"My physical body, implanted with a security key, exists on the fourth floor—the deepest part—of the Grand Library of Alexandria. The excavation and investigation team once linked with that guy in order to investigate the Grand Library. But it was stolen by someone. At that time, the Grand Library of Alexandria should have been completely isolated from the outside world. It was only because that descendant of Kurdris activated me that the status quo was maintained."

Latio, who was standing next to him, nodded.

“Since the murderer may have infiltrated the excavation and investigation team, we may lose Ptolemy again. I cannot take that risk. And no one can be trusted. Only people like you who have no connection to the whole matter can be trusted by Latio.”

There was no pause in her speech.

Her family members were likely part of the excavation and investigation team, but there was no indication that she intended to exclude them from the list of suspects.

"I have one more question."

Matou Ike asked calmly and steadily:

"You mentioned that your true form should be located at the deepest point, but the excavation team clearly hasn't reached there yet. The heart of Ptolemy's body at the deepest point has already been stolen; doesn't that seem a bit illogical?"

"It truly is a mystery."

The mechanical bird. Ptolemy I nodded slightly, its metal wings fluttering gently, emitting a crisp mechanical sound:

"I learned of this because I received a communication before the information was cut off—the host's security key had been removed. However, as the backup, I was unaware of what exactly happened at the deepest point. The excavation team at the time only conducted investigations between the second and third layers, which were still far from the deepest point."

"Is it possible that someone or an organization completely independent of the excavation and investigation team infiltrated the area?" Matou Ike continued to press.

“Of course, such a possibility exists,” Ptolemy I admitted. “The Library of Alexandria does indeed have back doors in its structure. Those back doors were originally confidential channels between me and the Atlas Institute, used for emergency maintenance or information transmission. However, most of these back doors have become ineffective due to the sinking of the ruins.”

Considering that everyone infiltrated this place using Atlas's submarine.

Of course, magicians can do similar things, but it would be extremely difficult.

The pressure difference between the seabed and the land is enough to be fatal.

It's quite interesting.

Latio did not hesitate, his voice as clear as a machine:

“Latio knows you are collecting things that resemble fragments of gods. So, in return, Latio will provide you with an equivalent product.”

Matou Ike raised an eyebrow slightly and repeated, "An equivalent product?"

“Hmm.” Latio nodded, his eyes, as deep as the ocean, were completely calm. “Although it is different in nature from the fragments of gods you have collected so far, it is certain that this was taken from the body of the Greek god Zeus.”

............

After chatting for a while, Matouchi and Medea decided to take a walk alone.

Because in any case, it is necessary to learn more about this great library.

The library itself has four floors.

The first layer is the outer perimeter, which is where Matouchi and Medea are walking at this moment.

The second floor is the main body of the library, which was the gathering place for information collected and disclosed by the Atlas Academy and Ptolemy at that time.

The third tier is the forbidden library, a place where even this library forbids access to knowledge.

The fourth floor is the management building that oversees all of these things.

Judging from Atlas's perspective, the management building here is probably the server room.

As the two were walking down the corridor, another shadow appeared.

It's the wall leading to the second floor.

The walls are filled with various ingenious designs and vibrant colors.

Nearby, a long-haired man was holding a notebook in one hand and writing or drawing with a pencil in the other.

"Lord Mayastia... I heard that your assistant is imprisoned on the second floor."

"...Ah, did you know? They're really fast at gathering intelligence."

Monarch Mayastia shrugged.

"I've heard that the Atlas Institute is a group trying to avoid the destruction of the world."

Matou Ike spoke in a relaxed tone, seemingly casually throwing out a topic.

Meastia did not give a perfunctory answer; her gaze was calm, and her tone was serious: "That's exactly right."

He paused slightly, as if organizing his thoughts, before continuing, "In the past, the first Dean of the Atlas Institute recklessly proved the existence of the end of the world. It was not a lie, but a real and concrete end. To avoid such an end, the alchemists of the Atlas Institute have since embarked on a difficult path."

“They have enhanced themselves,” Meastia’s voice was slightly low, “possessing the ability to think at high speed and in parallel, making themselves ‘optimal beings’ capable of continuous deduction and prediction. These alchemists have spent almost all their mental resources focusing on the omens of the world’s destruction, constantly searching for countermeasures.”

Upon hearing this, Matou Ike raised an eyebrow, seemingly intrigued by the term "optimal organism."

Miss Latio seems to be just that kind of person.

But he didn't interrupt; instead, he waited for the other person to continue.

“However,” Meastia lowered her voice, “they discovered an unexpected trap during the battle.”

"What trap?" Medea interjected, a hint of curiosity flashing in her eyes.

When faced with her own question, Meastia looked up at the wall.

Looking at the intact library walls, it was as if he squinted his eyes, which were hidden by his hair.

"This is something that is difficult to express in words. It is self-evident to the people of the Atlas Academy, but over the long years it has been given other meanings and traditions. However, the most original reason is that it is almost synonymous with the means of destroying the world, as a means of avoiding the destruction of the world."

Matou Ike frowned slightly, as if a great and noble hero had suddenly turned into a putrid corpse.

As expected, anything associated with magicians is beyond redemption.

Matou Ike shrugged, calmly returning to the main topic: "So, what is Lord Meastia's opinion on the theft of the security key?"

Meastia sighed, her gaze lowered slightly, as if considering how to phrase her words: "It's still uncertain. The tricky part is that the crime scene hasn't been identified. And in fact, that in itself is exceptionally difficult."

He paused, stroked his chin, and continued, "To confirm the scene of the theft, we must go to the deepest part. But the paradox is that without the security key, we simply cannot get to the deepest part."

"So, this has become a vicious cycle," Matou Ike concluded.

“That’s right,” Meastia nodded, her gaze complex. “It’s been stuck from the very beginning. Even in locked-room mysteries in detective novels, the locked-room state is mostly only effective when the crime occurs. In this case, the situation is even more complicated—because getting into the scene itself requires breaking through the deepest barrier.”

"In other words, if you want to solve a mystery, you don't even have the right to 'stand before the mystery'," Medea interjected coldly, her tone laced with sarcasm.

Matou Ike lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then raised his eyes and asked in a calm but direct tone, "Lord Mayastia, I would like to confirm why you participated in the joint excavation and investigation with the Atlas Institute?"

Meastia raised an eyebrow slightly, but answered without hesitation: "It's simple. As a member of the archaeology department, I yearn to understand the truths forgotten by history. It is my duty and my pursuit."

"Then, does the reverse also apply?" Matou Ike asked immediately, her gaze fixed on Meastia.

The other person's expression faltered slightly, showing a hint of confusion: "What do you mean?"

Matou Ike raised his hand and made a gesture in the air, his tone still calm: "For example, rather than letting the secrets of the Alexandria Grand Library be revealed to others, it would be better to destroy it completely."

A sudden stillness filled the air. A faint smile played on Mayastia's lips, carrying an indescribable meaning.