Chapter 284 - The Raven and the Lost Secret
Nathan Evenhart:
"Is that the same crow you saw in the underground tunnels of Nikolaus Wolves' castle?" Cylla asked, her voice cutting through the silence.
"I... don't know. Maybe?" I replied as I walked—almost ran—forward. My pace quickened, weaving between people in the crowd. The crow was a little far ahead, but we could still see it. Cylla jumped onto my shoulder.
"There it is!" she said, pointing with her paws.
No one else seemed to see or hear the crow.
Despite the ongoing banquet, the hall was still filled with nobles engaged in conversations or listening to staff explain various artifacts. I wanted to run or use magic, but I had to keep a discreet pace to avoid drawing attention.
"CAW!" The crow cawed again before flying off. It turned down a corridor, and we hurried after it.
As soon as we rounded the corner, I froze in surprise.
The corridor led to a single door—an isolated room. There was no one around.
I stepped inside, still hearing the faint sound of flapping wings. But what really caught my attention were the objects surrounding me.
"I don't remember passing by this room before…" I murmured. "Maybe it's so out of place that I just overlooked it."
The place resembled a pawnshop, filled with display cases containing old artifacts. Most were wooden sculptures, but there were also animal skulls, round shields, and oddly shaped axes.
"These things look really different," Cylla commented.
The atmosphere had a more rustic feel compared to the rest of the event. Fur coats were displayed next to numerous paintings.
"Yeah, these are... old relics," I replied while scanning the room, still trying to locate the crow. But it was gone.
There were also fragments of scrolls protected under glass domes. Some depicted strange paintings—one of which showed a grand feast.
"Oh! Looks like I have a visitor," a voice said behind me.
I turned around to see a staff member stepping out of a small room that looked like an office. He was carrying a stack of papers, and as he fumbled to reach into his pocket for his glasses, a few sheets slipped from his grasp and fell to the floor.
"Sorry, I think I came at a bad time," I said, trying to play it off.
"Nonsense," he chuckled, placing the documents on a chair.
Straightening his uniform, he approached us.
"Not many people come here. Most rush off to see the spell demonstrations and weapon showcases. Hardly anyone is interested in history," he remarked with a light laugh. "Are you lost, by any chance?"
"No. Actually, I'm interested in the objects in this room. They're... different," I answered, still searching.
The last time I had seen that crow, it had led me to a hidden section of a mural.
Cylla leaped down and began exploring the area on her own.
"There are quite a few interesting pieces here. Well... to younger folks, they probably seem like nothing but antiques. But I find the history behind them fascinating," the man mused as he walked through the room, motioning for me to follow. "May I ask your name, young man?"
"I'm Nathan Evenhart," I replied, stepping forward.
"Oh, Evenhart? One of the eight ducal families?"
"That's right."
He quickly adjusted his clothing and glasses, then ran a hand through his hair to check if it was neat.
"I would've preferred not knowing your surname. Now I'm a little nervous," he said with a chuckle.
"You can treat me normally," I replied. I was eager to learn more about some of the pieces in this little museum and didn't care much for noble formalities.
He seemed to ponder that for a moment before responding.
"I'm glad to hear that."
The man moved behind the counter.
"Unfortunately, my lord is quite overprotective of his collection and wants me to start locking things up. He has a special fondness for every item in this place. I was actually heading toward the door to close up for the night when you surprised me by coming in."
"I was just exploring different areas and happened to find this secluded room," I explained.
He continued sorting through some papers.
"Feel free to browse the items. If you have any questions, just ask. But fair warning—my time is short. I need to close up soon and join the other staff for the dukes' speech. You might not get scolded for skipping it, but I certainly will," he said with a laugh.
"I'll look for that crow," Cylla said as she padded through the room. "Maybe it's hiding somewhere around here."
"Alright, we should split up," I replied in thought.
I glanced at the counter and noticed a few wooden carvings.
"Any recommendations on what's worth looking at?" I asked.
He gave me a knowing smile.
"The thrill of finding a treasure is in the search."
I began wandering through the space.
I passed by helmets displayed in glass cases, swords, and gauntlets. There were also several sculptures—many of them broken. One in particular caught my eye: a bust of a man. Part of his face was missing, but the remaining details were remarkably well-preserved. It had likely been damaged long before it was discovered in some excavation.
Moving to another section, I found a collection of paintings—landscapes and family portraits.
"The paintings on the left are at least five hundred years old. They document the ancient lineage of kings and queens from the Three Kingdoms. An interesting sight to behold," the man commented.
I nodded in agreement, though what I was truly looking for was something far older.
Leaving the counter, he approached as I studied the paintings.
"Did you know that the identities of all royal family members remain anonymous during their lifetime? It's a security measure for the current generation. Usually, their names are only made public fifty to a hundred years after their death," he said. "But of course, you must already know that, being a ducal heir," he added with a smirk.
"It's just another system to protect the families and their branches," I replied. "I only learned who the prince was when he turned twelve and was officially introduced at his coming-of-age ceremony."
And the princesses… I only met them afterward. They didn't even appear at the ceremony…
"I was practically anonymous in my duchy as well. It wasn't until I turned fifteen that the other nobles began meeting me in person. Even now, to the public, they only know my name. My face remains unknown."
I continued wandering through the room, examining weapons, animal skulls, and even a few antique pieces of furniture.
"Do you have anything even older?" I asked.
He seemed to think for a moment.
"There are weapons from the ancient wars between the continents," he said. "I know young people tend to like weapons."
Judging by my expression, he must've realized that answer didn't satisfy me, because he quickly reconsidered.
"Come," he finally said. "I think I have something here that might interest you."
I followed him, my eyes scanning the surroundings.
"My beloved, I feel something strange in this place," Cylla spoke through our telepathic link.
"Strange? What do you mean?"
I kept walking, following the staff member.
"Maybe something's hidden here somewhere…" Cylla mused. From a distance, I could see her hopping around as she examined the objects scattered throughout the room.
I continued following the man until we stopped in front of a plaster model. It was impressive. The city's structure was unlike anything I had ever seen, and even the miniature people were sculpted with meticulous detail.
"This was crafted by a skilled artisan—one who wasn't a mage. He did everything by hand. A remarkable man," the staff member said. "This is a faithful reproduction of a city that appears in an ancient painting. The artist managed to capture the intricacies of that civilization's details."
I stepped closer, intrigued.
The model depicted a village with wooden and thatched huts. Tiny stone figures represented people wielding axes and wearing strange helmets. There was even a tavern, where some of the miniature stone men appeared to be drinking and talking.
"Truly impressive…" I murmured, surprised. "From what era is this?"
"I believe it dates back to a few years before the Age of the Founding Emperor."
So it's not from the Ancient Civilization…
I glanced around, but nothing here seemed to match what I was searching for.
"You're a tough one to please, haha," the man chuckled. "But I get it. After watching that spell demonstration, it's hard to compete."
"It's not that," I tried to explain. "I do think this is incredible, but I'm looking for something… older. Something from the Ancient Civilization."
He scratched his head, thoughtful.
"Most people don't really care about that kind of thing. At most, they're interested in enchanted relics. But you seem to be after something purely historical," he observed with a reserved smile. "Well, I do have an old mural fragment. No one's ever shown interest in it. Would that be what you're looking for?"
I struggled to keep my excitement from showing.
"My beloved, I found the mural!" Cylla's voice rang in my mind, filled with excitement.
"I'd love to see it," I said, doing my best to contain my enthusiasm.
"Great!" The staff member seemed pleased. "I think my master will be happy to know that someone besides him has an interest in these ancient murals."
We made our way down the corridor as he searched for the piece.
We passed by elaborate sets of armor and an incredibly ornate battle-axe. The place housed a wide variety of items, from traditional clothing to shelves stocked with potions and elixirs.
After a few more steps, we finally reached the mural.
The display case was strategically lit to highlight the artifact. It was a large, weathered stone slab—clearly incomplete. At some point, it must have been part of a much larger mural that had been broken into pieces. Some parts had been restored and glued back together, suggesting that the noble who owned it had tried to reconstruct it as best as possible.
"This is a rare find from the Ancient Civilization," the man commented as he stepped closer. "It's worth a fortune. Though, from what I've heard, the kingdom's authorities like to keep some of these murals for themselves," he added with a casual tone.
I continued analyzing the details. The runes were so worn down that they were barely distinguishable. Even the few legible ones didn't form complete words—just isolated letters.
"This piece was acquired at an auction," he explained. "Each noble took a fragment of the mural."
In the end, it was practically useless without the full set.
"Seems like a dead end…" Cylla murmured in my mind.
A slight wave of disappointment settled over me.
"At least now I know there are more murals out there. I just need to keep an eye on future auctions," I said, trying to sound a bit more optimistic.
Suddenly, sounds began echoing through the room. The noise came from the hallway and even from some points in the walls of the room. They were sound stones emitting a warning, requesting the presence of everyone.
"It looks like we all need to go see the Duke's presentation," the staff member said, rushing to the counter and grabbing a large stack of documents.
Cylla ran beside me as we followed him.
"I'll have to organize these inventory documents before I can go. I won't be able to join you," he said, apologizing.
"No problem. Thank you very much for your time," I replied. "What's your name?"
"My name is Siegfried Hraesvelgr VII," he replied. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Nathan."
"The pleasure was all mine. I wish I had had more time to see your collection. There are so many interesting objects. I imagine each one has an important story," I commented.
"You have no idea," he said.
"Let's go," I said to Cylla, and we left the room.
The sound of the summons echoed through the ship. Some people were rushing in a hurry. No one wanted the shame of arriving late, as it would be disrespectful to the dukes.
"Boy!"
A voice called to me.
I turned and saw Siegfried running toward us.
"Here!" he said, handing me what looked like a letter. "Before the mural was divided, they reconstructed as much as they could and transcribed the runes onto this letter. It's still imperfect, but at least they managed to recover as much as possible. It was left as a reminder for the nobles who bought the fragments."
I took the letter, surprised and excited.
"Are you sure? Isn't this valuable?"
"Nonsense. My master has the original document. This is just a copy. I should have left it next to the mural fragment, but I forgot," he said, laughing awkwardly. "I hope it will be a nice memento for you. Maybe one day you can see my master's entire collection."
"Thank you very much, Sir Hraesvelgr," I sincerely thanked.
"Just Siegfried is fine," he replied.
I stored the document in my storage bracelet.
"I hope it will be useful for you. Good luck," he said as he turned to walk away.
"Wait, what's the name of your master? I really hope to visit his collection one day."
He looked at me for a moment before replying.
"It's a modest noble family, but they like old things. My family has served them for a long time. I serve the Odinson family," he said with a smile before turning and continuing on his way.