The house owned by Hellraider at the foot of the hill looked larger compared to mine. The front part appeared to be supported by pillars.
When we arrived, he stopped training, glanced briefly in our direction, and then continued training again. I saw that Hellraider had never used a spear before in the game, yet he seemed to have already mastered it in just these few days.
"At first he trained with a sword, but in the last two days he has already become proficient in using that spear weapon. I suspect he can use any weapon he holds. There has never been anyone before in the history of The Graendall who could master one weapon after another in such a short time," Gruzhnil said.
I understood Gruzhnil's reaction. I myself knew that he could use various kinds of both long-range weapons and close-range ones. In the gameplay of The Mayhem, when Hellraider becomes part of The Graendall, he obtains various kinds of weapons that have already been modified by the technology of this military order.
We observed Hellraider's spear training for a while, then we returned to the headquarters building. When I had already mounted the go-kart, I glanced briefly toward Hellraider. He looked at us for a moment and ended his training by entering the house.
I hoped I could visit him more often.
After finishing the learning sessions, I was given one day to rest briefly before continuing on to direct military training. I planned to visit the Grivendal central archives. Honestly, I was still curious about the mysteries of Grivendal that had not yet been resolved.
I knew some lore about The Graendall and Grivendal from The Mayhem gameplay and its side stories, but I felt these were merely "decorations" created by the developers and not explored in greater detail.
I had already searched for the location of the central archives with the help of the tablet and by asking the local people who often greeted me whenever we met. The place was located in the city center near the imperial palace. It took about one hour if using public buses.
The next morning, I prepared to go after cooking my own breakfast again. This time I could buy red meat because of the compensation I received from The Graendall after delivering the material to Hellraider properly.
Inside the bus, as I entered the city center, the streets looked increasingly crowded but still relatively smooth. More people there appeared to own private vehicles. Perhaps this was because it was the capital of the central planet of the Grivendal Empire.
After arriving, I saw that the central archive building was shaped like a large dome in light blue color with a gold-colored framework. I began to enter it.
Previously, I had already asked my teacher at the headquarters about the central archives. He said that there were several manuscripts that could not be accessed freely by the general public. He suggested that at the reception desk, I should show the tablet containing my identity to the staff.
When I arrived at the large reception desk, the staff there was a middle-aged woman wearing a single-lens eyeglass called a monocle. She only looked at me with an unwelcoming gaze.
I said that I wanted to study the history of Grivendal further while showing my identity on the tablet display. She squinted when looking at the tablet for a moment and seemed to check it on a PC-like device.
Suddenly her eyes widened as if she were shocked and she looked back at me again.
"Please, sir, go inside and access anything here. However, be careful if you wish to open ancient manuscripts. You may ask the staff inside for assistance," she said in a tone that suddenly sounded as if she were welcoming an important guest.
I did not know why her demeanor changed like that. What I knew was that librarians were generally not very warm toward visitors. Did she know something about me from the database she had just seen? Why did I not find anything strange at all in the information on the tablet I was holding?
I did not think about it too much and thanked her.
I entered a room that was very large and spacious, with many large cabinets storing books and ancient scrolls. There were also several rows of computer devices that could be accessed freely. There were also many reading tables as commonly found in public libraries on Earth.
I wanted to search more deeply into the origins of the formation of the Grivendal Empire and The Graendall, and why this system of power could last for thousands of years and even expand to other planets without undergoing significant change.
I tried accessing the computer first; perhaps here it would show on which shelf in this library I could find the information I sought. I found an archive section that might answer my questions. I walked along the very large library cabinets, about the height of a three-story building. There was also a portable lift-like device with rails attached in front of the cabinets that could be used to access the higher sections.
I arrived at the section according to the information on the computer. There I saw a male library staff member who seemed to be elderly archivist, as his posture was slightly hunched. I immediately approached him and asked which section contained books that could give me that information.
The archivist asked for what purpose I was seeking that information. I was somewhat confused about how to answer. If I said it was just curiosity, he would chase me away and tell me to find other reading.
In the end, I showed my tablet again, and the archivist immediately became respectful and cheerful toward me. He said he would show me which books were suitable to find that information and was willing to explain them if I wanted. Of course, I agreed to his offer.
We walked for a short while, then took the large cabinet lift and walked inside it where there were arrangements of smaller cabinets. He took several books and scrolls that looked quite old. We walked out of the cabinet arrangement to a reading table. He then opened all the books and scrolls and asked what I wanted to know.
I asked everything that was in my mind. The elderly archivist showed me the writings that explained my questions while also explaining them verbally. I felt that he had served at the central archives for a long time, so he could immediately answer all my questions.
I obtained new information that had never existed in the game's lore before. This empire was founded several thousand years ago by twin brothers who were the sons of a pair of farmers. The planet Grivendal was once only inhabited by many tribes that fought one another.
When the twin brothers reached adulthood, they received a miracle from the Archangel Marsiel, who granted them supernatural power. The twin brothers were Grhemolus and Grhemus.
With their power and leadership, they united the warring tribes into a kingdom. As the kingdom grew larger, Grhemolus decided to make it a single authority in the form of the Grivendal Empire. The forces under Grhemolus's command were called The Graendall. After Grhemolus became the first emperor, he appointed his twin brother Grhemus to become the supreme commander of the military order The Graendall.
In addition to granting miracles to the twin brothers, the archangel Marsiel also blessed the land of Grivendal to become fertile so that agriculture developed rapidly.
In the course of the empire's journey, The Graendall discovered an abundant energy source originating from within their planet called "Starstones". The discovery of this energy caused the development of Grivendal's science and technology to accelerate. They created advanced devices ranging from computers and daily tools to powerful military combat equipment.
It is mythologized that the planet Grivendal was once the brightest great star in seven galaxies.
The expansion of Grivendal's power extended to other planets, which were also known to contain Starstone deposits, though not as abundant as the central planet. I thought that they still wanted to protect the energy source from the hands of opposition.
The immense power of the Grivendal Empire did not last forever. At one point, a massive invasion of demons from the realm of hell occurred. The cause was not known for certain. However, the staff member said that what was most often mentioned was the presence of a traitor within the Grivendal government who offered souls to the demon king.
Before the Grivendal Empire was formed, many tribes worshiped the demon king by offering human sacrifices to him.
Emperor Grhemolus asked the archangel Marsiel again to provide assistance to The Graendall when fighting the demons from the hell portals. Aid descended in the form of legions from the High Heaven, helping the military order.
The climax was when the demon king set foot on Grivendal and slaughtered majority of forces from both The Graendall and the High Heaven. Only Emperor Grhemolus and the supreme commander Grhemus were able to face the demon king.
Emperor Grhemolus was nicknamed the "God of the Spear" because he always fought with his extremely sacred spear named "Grunginus." It is said that the spear was made from the core of the planet Grivendal, which contained the greatest Starstone energy. The spear looks unique because it is made up of two helix spirals that are close together, but at the end the spirals widen slightly and are followed by blade looked divided by two. Grhemus fought using a sword and shield made from the same material as the spear Grunginus.
However, the most tragic event in Grivendal's history occurred then. Grhemus had to lose his life during the battle. The demon king also suffered severe wounds from Grhemolus's spear but managed to escape back to the realm of hell. The death of his twin brother left Emperor Grhemolus deeply devastated and ill for a long time, and eventually he also passed away.
The nobles who exist today are descendants who inherited the blood of Grhemolus and Grhemus. They were the ones who initiated the idea of conducting expeditions into the realm of hell in order to find a way to defeat the demon king.
However, to this day it has not reached a clear resolution because of the high casualty rate, so only about thirteen expeditions have been carried out during the existence of the Grivendal Empire.
The archivist finished all the information I asked about and gave his closing words to me.
"What I have said is in accordance with the texts that exist here. But remember this, young man: history is not absolute and is determined only by those in power. I know several stories behind this, but throughout my life, I have often received threats not to say everything that should not be known. I am sure you are still curious, but not everything must be sought immediately. Let time be the one to answer it," He said in a soft tone.
I returned home from the central archives, not feeling relieved but instead becoming even more curious. Especially because of the final sentences spoken by the archivist. In fact, some of the explanations in those texts matched the lore of The Mayhem.
However, I felt that both the Grivendal Empire and The Graendall were trying to conceal something that, if everyone knew, would likely affect their perception of the highest authority.
If I tried to uncover the secret behind that history, would I be deliberately throwing myself into danger again—perhaps even greater than what I faced in the realm of hell?