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 someone who could master one weapon after another in such a short time," Gruzhnil said.
I understood his reaction. I 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 training for a while, then we returned to the headquarters building. When we left, 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. I planned to visit the central archives. Honestly, I was still curious about the mysteries of Grivendal that had not yet been known. I knew some lore about them from its gameplay and side stories, but I felt these were not explored in greater detail by game developers. 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. The place was located in the city center near the imperial palace.
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 after delivering the material to Hellraider properly. As I entered the city center with bus, the streets looked increasingly as more people there appeared to own private vehicles. 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.
I saw receptionist there was a middle-aged woman wearing a single-lens eyeglass. 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 through the tablet as the teacher before instructed. She squinted when looking at the tablet for a moment and checked it on a PC-like device. Suddenly her eyes widened as if she were shocked.
"Please, sir, go inside and access anything here! However, be careful if you wish to open older 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 didn't know why her demeanor changed like that. Did she know something about me? Why did I not find anything strange at all in the information on my tablet? I didn't think about it too much and thanked her.
I entered a room that was very large and spacious exactly like national library. I wanted to search more deeply into the origins of the formation of the empire and its military order. 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.
"What's for, young man?"
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 would show me which books were suitable to find that information and was willing to explain them if I wanted. I agreed to his offer.
He took several books and scrolls that looked quite old inside upper part of cabinets through lift. 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 manuscripts 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 found 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 was mythologized that this planet was once the brightest great star in seven galaxies..." said archivist.
The expansion of Grivendal's power extended to other planets, which were also known to contain Starstone deposits. But the immense power of the Grivendal Empire didn't 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 archivist said that what was most often mentioned was the presence of a traitor within the 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.
The Graendall with the legion from the High Heaven fought the demon hordes. The climax was when the demon king set foot on Grivendal and slaughtered majority of forces from both of them. Only Grhemolus and Grhemus were able to face the demon king.
Grhemolus was nicknamed 'God of the Spear' because he fought with his extremely sacred spear named Grunginus. It was said that the spear was made from the core of the planet which contained the greatest Starstone energy. Grhemus fought using a sword and shield made from the same material as the spear Grunginus.
However, the most tragic event in history occurred where Grhemus was killed during the battle. The demon king also suffered severe wounds from Grunginus but managed to escape back to hell. The death of his twin brother left Grhemolus deeply devastated and ill for a long time, and eventually he also passed away. The nobles who exist today are descendants of them.
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.
"What I have said is in accordance with the texts that exist here. But remember this, 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'm 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 of the authorities were trying to conceal something that, if everyone knew, would likely affect their perception of them.
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 hell?