Chapter 7: The War Hero and the Library’s Secrets

“Are you suggesting that His Majesty the Demon Lord is merely consolidating their power, unwilling to relinquish the position of Vanguard Commander?”

A demon, possessing some understanding of military affairs, clarified the situation for him:

“Wrong, entirely wrong! In terms of battle results, that woman named Claire secured an incredibly advantageous position for the demon race!”

“Although Falmond was retaken, the city originally served as a supply depot for human strongholds; now its interior is hollow, and the front lines cannot be replenished in time.”

“Once our grand army presses onward, the exhausted human soldiers will be easily overrun!”

“Furthermore, His Majesty the Demon Lord personally intervened in this operation, capturing one of humanity’s most crucial Saintesses and bringing her to the Demon Lord’s Castle—and not just any Saintess, but the Healing Saintess, who holds the most significant strategic value.”

“When future generations evaluate history, it’s entirely possible that Claire will be hailed as ‘the war hero who laid the foundation for victory’….”

***

“Saintess, this is the Demon Lord’s Castle Library. Please feel free to explore.”

Astolfo unlocked the corresponding door and introduced the library to Noah.

Before their eyes stood an astonishingly vast library, towering three stories high.

The sheer volume of books visible to the naked eye was already incredible, and when factoring in the various sections and small rooms, it seemed plausible that the knowledge of the entire world was preserved within its walls.

“Ohh!”

Even Noah, who prided herself on having seen much of the world, couldn’t help but let her eyes sparkle, emitting an irrepressible gasp of wonder.

“According to the hierarchy of the royal court members, the books here are divided into the Commoner’s Section, the Noble’s Section, and the Forbidden Section.”

“If there’s anything you need, please feel free to take it.”

Astolfo was quite pleased with Noah’s reaction, a hint of pride subtly gracing her usually placid face.

“Huh? Is that really alright? These are, after all, the Demon Lord’s Castle’s property, and I’m merely a human Saintess. Isn’t there anything I should be mindful of?”

Noah seemed a little confused by Astolfo’s generous attitude, her jade-like finger gently tapping her rosy lips, revealing a touch of innocent bewilderment.

“You jest, Saintess. As His Majesty the Demon Lord’s consort, if you lack the qualification to take anything from here, then very few in the entire empire would possess that right.”

Astolfo bowed slightly, expressing appropriate reverence and courtesy.

“For ordinary guests, I would advise them that ‘they may only borrow from the Commoner’s Section, the Noble’s Section requires prior notification, and the Forbidden Section is strictly prohibited.

However, for a Saintess who perfectly assimilated the ‘Essence of the Moon’ within a single day, I doubt there’s anything in this library that could stop you.

But to avoid any trouble, should you wish to enter the Forbidden Section, please invite me along; I can guide you through a relatively safe route.”

“Mm-hmm, got it, thanks, Astolfo~”

Noah strolled along, thanking the Demon Lord’s personal maid in a lighthearted tone, then darted into the ocean of books like a gracefully dancing butterfly.

Her nimble figure allowed only a glimpse of her fluttering skirt, its edges resembling delicate wings.

Noah’s reason for coming here first was, naturally, to investigate the cause of her transmigration.

Whether she wanted to return home was another matter, but remaining clueless about the reason for her transmigration meant allowing a constant, ticking time bomb of a threat to linger by her side.

After all, if she didn’t know the trigger conditions for transmigration, suddenly stepping on a landmine and transmigrating again one day would be irresponsible towards her current identity.

Fortunately, Noah had some inkling about the genesis of her current predicament.

The breakthrough lay in the two rings currently on her hand; these weren’t rings Noah possessed as the Healing Saintess, but rather two items belonging to Bai Tong, the player.

Players of «Arcane Radiance»—or as the locals called them, adventurers—had a total of four equipment slots, three special accessory slots, and two ring slots.

Beyond these, there was also a personal inventory and a storage chest at resurrection points, but for some unknown reason, the current Noah had only retained the two rings on her person.

One of them, the exquisite blue ring that had helped her fuse with the “Essence of the Moon,” was likely the culprit behind her transmigration.

The ring’s name was “Rosemary’s Embrace.” As a non-player, Noah couldn’t access its item description, but she vaguely recalled keywords like “protects mental state from influence” and “soul fusion.”

Moreover, this ring was the only world-class item ever obtained by a player since «Arcane Radiance» launched.

A “world-class item” refers to an artifact capable of serving as one of the cornerstones of the world, able to influence a fundamental rule of existence.

If utilized properly, it could even overturn a certain rule of the world itself.

Obtaining an item of this caliber as a player was roughly as likely as winning the lottery jackpot.

Given Bai Tong’s current predicament, it was hard to say whether this was a one-in-a-billion stroke of luck or a one-in-a-billion misfortune.

Noah knew little about this “Rosemary’s Embrace,” but…

Noah raised her right hand; adorning her slender, jade-like finger was a silver ring, utterly unlike the delicate “Rosemary’s Embrace,” instead exuding a cool, minimalist elegance.

This ring was named “White Dragon Blood Ring.” Bai Tong had acquired it during a special event, and it was one of her most cherished treasures, as well as one of the assets that propelled her into the top three players on the Asian server.

While wearing the White Dragon Blood Ring, by striking a specific pose, one could enter a half-human, half-dragon ‘dragon blood state,’ gaining various enhancements and boosts—Noah knew these descriptions by heart.

Thus, a bold idea sparked within her:

‘If I can enter the dragon blood state, will I be able to revert to my player identity?’

She mused distractedly, her fingers tracing along book spines as she searched for titles.

Action followed thought. She took a deep breath, her substantial chest rising and falling slightly, then clasped her hands together, assuming the familiar posture.

The blood flowing within her body seemed to follow her movements, growing warm and restless.

“Saintess, are you perhaps performing calisthenics?”

Astolfo, who had been following behind, tilted her head slightly, asking with a puzzled expression.

“No, nothing at all~.”

However, nothing happened.

Noah offered a slightly awkward smile, her gaze shifting evasively.

‘It seems something is missing.’ Noah began to ponder what other differences existed between her current self and her player self.

Although there was a fundamental difference between natives (NPCs) and players, items obtained by players were inherently products of this world; there was no reason why something usable by players couldn’t be used by a native.

“Huh?”

Her scattered thoughts re-converged in her mind. Noah, who had been searching for books by section, suddenly paused.

“The Young Heroine Astolfo?”

She stared at the intriguing title, blinking, frozen for a few seconds.