Chapter 149: A Strange Book (2)

Velrosa noticed the sudden stillness that had come over her brother. She studied him for a moment.

"Mal? Is something wrong? Do you want to buy this book?"

But Malrik was somewhere else entirely. He seemed lost in thought, his eyes fixed on the book as if he hadn't heard his sister's question at all.

"Who are you?"

Malrik asked in his mind, trying to understand why the owner of this voice was speaking to him specifically.

The voice fell silent for a moment.

Then a sharp, resonant female voice flooded his consciousness. She spoke slowly and with absolute confidence, as if she were announcing herself in a vast throne room surrounded by armies.

"You stand before Evangeline of House Arden. The Empress and Rightful Heir to the Blood Moon Throne, the Third Archon of the Realm of Arden, Commander of the Crimson Guard, the Dragonslayer, the One Who Defied the Void, the Cleanser of the Blight, and the Empress of Thorny Blood."

It took a few seconds for that endless list of titles to fully sink in.

Malrik blinked slowly, keeping his hand steady over his teacup, then replied in his mind with a sarcastic and mocking tone:

"Wow... that's quite a list of titles. So, what does an Archon and Dragonslayer want from me?"

A sudden, shocking silence prevailed in his mind, as if the very fabric of the ether itself had trembled at his insolence.

In the next moment, the voice returned, roaring with fury that nearly gave him a headache.

"Insolent! How dare you address an Empress like me in such a vulgar manner?! Bow down and beg for forgiveness immediately, you lowly slave! In my entire life, no one below the rank of a Saint has ever dared to open their mouth and speak to me like this!"

Malrik felt a faint prickling in his head, as if her sharp voice were starting to give him an actual headache. He closed his eyes for a moment and decided to play along just to get rid of the annoyance.

"Alright, I apologize, Your Majesty."Malrik replied in his mind, his tone still carrying a hint of sarcasm.

"Please, tell me what you want from me, or leave in peace. I'm about to get a migraine from that voice of yours echoing inside my head."

"Mind your manners!" Evangeline snarled again, before regaining some of her haughtiness.

"Buy this book immediately and return me to the great Arden Empire. When you do, I shall reward you with things and treasures you have never even dreamed of in your lowly life."

"And why me specifically?" Malrik asked, ignoring her insult. "Why didn't you ask anyone else in this hall full of wealthy people?"

"Because they are all scum, you ignorant slave!" Evangeline answered haughtily. "You are the only one here whose energy resonated with my soul."

"Resonance? What do you mean by resonance?"

Evangeline did not answer him. instead, she remained silent as if she found his question strange.

Malrik remained silent as well, his eyes fixed on the book.

Why was he the only one who could hear her?

He glanced at the book again.

It was nothing more than an ancient book sealed shut. Yet it could speak, and the voice inside claimed to belong to Evangeline, an Empress who had once ruled a great Empire.

The more Malrik thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

A book that could speak was already strange enough.

Then a thought occurred to him.

What if the book wasn't the one speaking at all?

What if the voice belonged to something sealed inside it?

Malrik's eyes widened slightly.

A sealed soul?

That would explain why he was the only one who could hear her.

My class...Soul Binder.

Malrik recalled the description of his class.

The Soul Binder was not merely a class that allowed him to summon the souls he had killed and bring them back to life. It was an Epic-class deeply connected to souls, allowing its wielder to refine and bind them through Soul Contracts.

Its authority even extended to the Realm of Souls.

So... my class allows me to communicate with the souls present in this world as well.

It seems there are still many things about my class that I have yet to discover.

Malrik looked once again at the closed book on the stage. He still wasn't sure what he should do.

"You! You insolent slave, are you still thinking?!" Evangeline interrupted him again, her voice filled with anger.

"Consider buying this book and returning me to the great Arden Empire the greatest honor you could ever receive in your mortal life! Move now!"

When Malrik heard the name, he was surprised. It sounded familiar.

The Arden Empire...

Malrik quickly searched through the memories of his original body. The name was indeed familiar. The original owner of this body had read about Arden many times before.

Arden was a magnificent empire, perhaps even the greatest empire the continent of Valtheria had ever known.

Roughly two thousand years ago, Arden was not merely a vast empire ruling over massive territories. It was the center of civilization in its era.

Magical sciences flourished there, and rune crafting reached levels that later generations could never match. Even many of the foundations of modern rune techniques could be traced back to the legacy of ancient Arden.

Its cities were among the greatest the world had ever known, while its palaces, temples, and magical towers stretched across vast lands. Its scholars and mages attracted talented people from across the continent, until Arden became the destination for anyone seeking to reach the pinnacle of knowledge and magic.

For this reason, its fall was not merely the end of an ordinary empire.

It was a collapse that changed the very shape of Valthera.

Its fall was not the result of defeat in war, an internal rebellion, or an invasion by another empire.

It simply collapsed, leaving behind a civilization that had endured for centuries, as if it had never existed at all.

To this day, historians have been unable to determine the true cause of its fall. No clear records were left to explain what happened, and the ruins that remained offered no definitive answers.

After the empire fell, its vast territories became a battleground for the surrounding powers. Empires and kingdoms fought over its cities, wealth, and lands until Arden was torn apart and its name gradually faded from the world.

Two thousand years later, almost nothing remained of that great civilization except scattered ruins and a handful of ancient records.

That is why historians now refer to it as the Ancient Arden Empire.

"You! You useless fool! Why are you spacing out like that?" the voice of the sealed spirit interrupted him sharply, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"Buy this book immediately before one of these scums takes it!"

Her shouting pulled Malrik out of his thoughts, and he felt a deep annoyance at her repeated insults and blind arrogance.

She was still acting like the absolute ruler of a world that no longer existed.

Malrik decided it was time to bring her down from her high horse.

"I apologize, Your Majesty." Malrik said coldly. "But unfortunately, there is no empire called Arden anywhere in Valthera."

The soul fell silent for a moment, then her voice returned, sharp with disbelief and haughtiness.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Have you lost your mind? It is the greatest empire in all of Valtheria, you ignoramus!"

"It seems you are the one who fails to understand the reality of your situation."

Malrik's reply was cold as ice, devoid of sarcasm this time.

"If you mean the ancient Arden Empire... then I regret to inform you that it fell and ceased to exist over two thousand years ago."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"There is no longer a throne waiting for your return. Your empire was torn apart, and its lands were divided among the other kingdoms long ago... You are now nothing more than a sealed spirit inside a book being sold at an auction, and it doesn't even look like anyone here is interested in buying it."

Upon hearing Malrik's harsh words, a sudden, heavy silence descended upon his mind.

Her arrogant voice fell completely silent, as if the sealed spirit had been struck by a violent shock that left her unable to respond or even comprehend what she had just heard.

Malrik sighed silently, feeling a faint pang of pity for her.

In the end, waking up to discover that the home you once ruled no longer exists, and that everything you built has been erased, leaving nothing but dust behind, was a cruel fate.

Unfortunately, that was the cold reality, and Malrik had no intention of sugarcoating it just to spare her feelings. Nor was he willing to put up with the arrogance of a ghost still living in the illusion of a world that no longer existed.

Suddenly, Malrik felt a sharp sting on his forehead, pulling him out of his conversation with the spirit.

He blinked several times and rubbed his aching forehead before looking up to find Velrosa standing directly in front of him. Her hand was still raised after delivering a sharp flick to his forehead.

"You finally woke up from your long daze," Velrosa said, crossing her arms as she looked at him with a mixture of suspicion and amusement.

Malrik rubbed his reddening forehead and tried to regain his composure. "I was just thinking about something."

Before she could ask what he was thinking about, Mia's voice echoed across the grand hall, cutting their short conversation short.

"Since we at the auction house have been unable to determine the true purpose or actual value of this mysterious tome... we've decided to leave the starting price entirely up to you. Is anyone interested in opening the bidding with whatever amount they deem appropriate?"

Malrik looked down toward the stage.

The sealed book was still there, resting silently inside its glass case.

Moments passed.

Not a single person raised a bidding paddle, and not a single crystal lit up in the VIP boxes.

No one was willing to risk their money on an unknown book from an ancient civilization.

Malrik kept staring at the book. He still wasn't sure what he should do.

He turned to Velrosa, who had returned to the chair beside him.

"Sister... what do you think of this book?"

Velrosa cast a quick, completely indifferent glance toward the stage before shrugging.

"I don't see anything special about it. Besides, our family doesn't have anyone skilled at breaking seals, so I don't see any reason to bother with it or waste money on it."

Before he could reply, the voice echoed in his mind once again. But this time, it was completely devoid of arrogance and had lost much of its previous vigor.

Just... take the book.

***

Author's Note

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