“This, this…. Is it real?”

  Inside a dimly lit hall full of bookshelves, Alex exclaimed in great ecstasy.

  “This is huge.” Carefully holding the book in his hand, he ran to his master. “Master, you should check this.”

  His voice echoed through the whole hall. It was too loud to ignore.

  Unbothered by the commotion, the first prince checked the books on the bookshelves one by one. However, the old man, looking at his student, who was losing his breath after a short run, let out a sigh. However, when he saw the cover, he opened his eyes wide. The old man carefully received the book from Alex while scolding him.

  “Is this the diary of Duke Paul Avarice? Didn’t I tell you to prioritize the record from Duke Dylan Willow? Why are you getting distracted?”

  Although he said that, he, too, immediately read that diary.

  “Huh? So, his record is here? I have been searching for it for a long time.” The first prince said that after confirming the real cause of the commotion.

  “Your Highness, are you interested in his record?” Alex asked.

  “Not really. I was curious as to why he did not swear his fealty to the imperial family during his appointment as Duke. It has caused many controversies between Avarice House and the imperial family all this time.” As if losing interest, the first prince began to examine the books on the bookshelf again.

  “Hmm, I think I found the answer to it. If you read this diary, you will see. It seems that during his time as a Sellsword, he swore eternal loyalty to a saintess candidate.”

  “Is it true?” This finding also caught the old man's attention, and he began flipping the diary frantically.

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Oh, I see. That explains it,” the first prince flatly replied without looking back.

  “I found that he kept referring to her as his Gold or Golden Bird. If you looked at the last page of this diary, you would clearly see it.”

  After skipping to the part Alex pointed out, the old man fell into a deep thought. After a while, he murmured.

  “…………… This? … I think things are more complicated than we thought. This is not normal.”

  After he carefully handed it back to Alex, he turned to the first prince. “Forgive me, your highness, could you show me the key to this place again?”

  Facing the old man’s earnest request, the first prince silently took out the key and handed it to him. After carefully examining it, the old man carefully returned it to the first prince. What he requested was an equivalent to the request for the national treasure after all.

  “… The key is made of solid gold. The handle is shaped as a bird.” Then he turned to Alex. “That explains it. Alex, are you aware of the tombstone located at the cemetery of the main church? Do you remember the inscription of Saintess Catherine?”

  “Here rests the Saintess Catherine. She stood strong as a tall tree for the Golden Bird.” Alex muttered.

  “The monolith in the middle of the cemetery was also related to the Golden Bird. ‘I dedicate this to the Golden Bird for the future it brought.’ The librarian of the main church personally supervised its construction at that time.” The old man added.

  For a while, he stood still, looking at the diary in Alex’s hands. Then, he carefully took it back from Alex.

  “As I skim through this diary, I begin to think that our direction was wrong.”

  “I initially thought that the center of the event 800 years ago was Duke Dylan Willow and Saintess Lilia.” He spoke slowly while caressing the book's cover. “I was wrong. It was far off the mark. If the record here is to be believed, the center of everything lay in the Golden Bird.”

  “Alex, you did a good job.”

  “We should start over again from the records of the House of Avarice. Alex, you will handle it. I will also try to check the records from Saintess Catherine, too.”

  “Forgive me, your highness. Because of my incompetence, I wasted valuable resources and time.” He lowered his head to the first prince. It was true that he wasted a lot of time chasing the wrong clue. However, the first prince did not seem to mind it, as he did not even look back at him.

  “You do not have to feel bad about it. It is normal for the research process. We began from the dark after all. Several missteps are to be expected.”