Library And The Enigma

The soft glow of the lantern flickered as I opened my eyes.

It was late at night.

The academy's clock tower chimed three times—3 a.m.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes. My body was still sore from the long journey, but I had no time to rest.

The library was my goal.

Most students were asleep. The academy's library was open all night, but few visited at this hour. That was good for me.

Less trouble.

I grabbed my coat and left my dorm. The stone halls were quiet, except for the faint hum of magic lamps. My footsteps echoed as I walked toward the Grand Library of the Royal Knight's Academy.

The library was huge—tall spires, golden decorations, and arched windows that shimmered under the moonlight.

Now, from where should I start?

Well, to find a solution to anything, we should first think about what clues we have, then proceed forward in that direction.

And I had a clue already.

The Great War.

In the story of REGRESSED HERO OF THE KNIGHT'S ACADEMY, the great war is one of the most important events.

And as you would have already guessed,the war is between all the other races against demons.

However demons are not alone because the magic beasts can be controlled by the demons,adding a huge amount of personel to their army.

The main plot in the first half of the web novel revolves around the upcoming Great War against demons.

However, there has already been a battle against the demons,more than 1000 years before the original story started.

The Great War against demons was the most important event in history.

All races had to unite to defeat them.

Knights, mages, and warriors fought with everything they had. Their names were written in golden letters, their deeds passed down as legends.

But not all history was glorious.

Some knights and mages turned to forbidden magic—desperate to win.

One such magic was Soul Binding.

It was rare, dangerous, and almost forgotten.

In the original story, an intermediate villain used Soul Binding in the later part of the first half. His power made him nearly unstoppable, forcing the protagonist to face a brutal battle.

So, I would have to search for some information in the HISTORY section of the library.

I scanned the shelves, looking for any mention of Soul Binding, but as expected, there was nothing.

Forbidden magic wasn't something a student could easily find. The academy wouldn't leave dangerous knowledge lying around.

If it were recorded, it wouldn't be under a book titled "Forbidden Spells" or anything obvious. It had to be hidden—maybe disguised as history, war records, or even religious texts.

Thinking logically, there was one place where such knowledge might still exist.

The Great War records.

The war had lasted years, and desperate times led to desperate measures. If Soul Binding had been used, it would be mentioned somewhere in historical accounts, though likely in a vague or altered form.

I moved towards the war history section and began scanning book titles.

Just as I reached for a book labeled "Legends of the First Great War," I noticed someone else in the section.

A girl sat in the corner, reading a very thick book. She was fully concentrated, her fingers slowly tracing the words as she read.

Her expression was calm, but there was something about her focus—it was as if she was searching for something, just like me.

And I recognised her after a few seconds of deep staring.

Though, the name of this institution is Royal Knight's Academy, there are two major departments namely swordsmanship and magic.

But the first year students have to study both of them simultaneously.

From second year onwards, the magic and swordsmanship departments are separated and you can choose whatever you prefer to.

My half sister Xantheve is in second year.

She was mentioned a few times in the story before the Great War, but there was not much effect of her on the storyline itself.

Instead, there were many second years who got entangled in the storyline with the protagonist, and died as a result.

Among them was one of the notable characters, the top student of Magic department, Selena Aurelius.

It was a great shock to the readers, when Selena died, even hailed as one of the most talented mage in the history.

Her appearance was just for a short while in the story.

Many readers trolled the author for this nonsense,but the author never changed this part.

Well, none of it matters to me though.

Ah.....

Now that I remember, it was mentioned that she is a friend of my half sister, Xantheve.

And that does change many things.

Even though I have planned to use Sylphyre to persuade Xantheve to undergo this binding ritual, the fact that I am her friend's brother, gives me credibility enough to keep her as a backup plan if the first one fails.

However, just going upto her wouldn't be effective at all, cause she is as cunning as Sylphyre.

Moreover, Selena must have heard about my character and behaviour from Xantheve.

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that she must be thinking of me as trash.

Well....

I stopped thinking in that respect and focussed on searching for the records of The Great War.

The book titled "The Legends Of The First Great War", only mentioned about the great knights and mages who fought in it and made an impact.

As I couldn't find anything relevant,I tried searching for a different book on the said topic.

I searched for several minutes, scanning through countless books in the history section, yet I found nothing useful.

Frustration built up inside me. If there were any records on the methods and tactics used in the First Great War, they had to be somewhere in this vast library.

I turned toward the librarian's desk, hoping to ask for help—only to find it empty.

Of course. The librarians only worked during the day.

That meant, at this hour, the only people inside the library were me and Selena.

Well, aside from the guards stationed at the entrance, but they wouldn't be of any help.

I sighed and moved to another section, searching frantically. As I pulled out yet another irrelevant book, a voice spoke from right behind me.

"Looking for something?"

I froze.

I turned my head slightly, and there she was—Selena Aurelius.

Her silver hair reflected the dim library lights, and her lean figure stood with perfect posture. But the most striking thing was her smile.

A gentle, knowing smile.

I narrowed my eyes. Why was she smiling like that?

Was she mocking me? Testing me? Or… did she already know what I was looking for?

After a brief hesitation, I answered, "I'm searching for a book on the methods and tactics used in the First Great War."

Selena tilted her head slightly, as if considering my words. Then, without another word, she turned around and started walking.

"Follow me," she said.

I hesitated again, but followed.

She led me toward a far-off corner of the library, where a small wooden door stood. I had never seen it before, nor had I ever heard of a storage room in this place.

Selena stopped in front of the door and pulled out a key.

Why does she have a key?

Without any hesitation, she unlocked it and pushed the door open.

The space beyond was much larger than I expected. The walls were lined with bookshelves, filled with dust-covered books and records.

And right in the center, on a large notice board, were bold words written in clear, large letters:

"RECORDS OF THE FIRST GREAT WAR."

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A/N :

Please comment down your thoughts,as it would really help me moving forward.

Next chapter : The Scheme And The Schemer.

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