As night approached within the massive chalk-white palace, Calca hurried down the corridors in a silver-white ceremonial dress, clutching the thick leather-bound book to her chest.
Was the First Holy King truly the type of person who forgot his original intent, gradually mistaking the process for the goal? Calca didn't think so—at least, she didn't see it that way. Although the diary expressed various frustrations as if venting, she didn't actually sense much genuine regret or resentment within its pages.
Someone truly dissatisfied with their Talent's ranking would likely use their research results to retroactively prove the strength of that ability, leading to biased findings. But he hadn't done that. Aside from the opening section, which felt like a playful, emotional outburst, the subsequent research didn't shy away from acknowledging the Talent's flaws.
In fact, it was almost comical; the Talent mentioned most frequently in the entire biography wasn't the King's own [Magic Affinity], but the fellow B-rank Talent [Arcane Vision]. At least one or two out of every ten sentences in the book seemed to belittle that specific ability, making the King seem incredibly petty. Reading through it, the entire biography felt like a diary written by a drunken STEM student. He vented his emotions aimlessly while intoxicated, but the moment his train of thought jumped back to his familiar field of expertise, he could logically explain the distinctions and classifications of mana with perfect clarity, even while hammered.
These insights didn't seem like the work of a bigoted man; they felt like the laws summarized by a young man who had ventured into the unknown out of pure curiosity. The First Holy King's behavior reminded Calca of the world's first scientists. To Grandpa Rosta, this might have been a fruitless endeavor, but without the King's attempts, how long would it have taken for humanity's understanding of mana to reach this level? The Slane Theocracy had even been willing to provide all the materials and labor for forging the Holy Kingdom's national treasures just to acquire this knowledge.
Of course, it was also possible the First Holy King had some Dwarf blood in him. After all, if you talked to a drunk Dwarf about ore, he would certainly speak with profound authority while taking the opportunity to insult every enemy listed in his Book of Grudges. Thinking of it that way made it seem quite plausible. Though the royal records didn't explicitly state it, perhaps the First Holy King had been on very good terms with the Dwarves early on.
Arriving at her bedroom, Calca pushed open the door. The First Holy King's origins weren't noble—you could tell just by his name. It only had two segments, unlike the royalty of neighboring countries whose names usually started with at least three.
As Calca tucked the book into her shelf and prepared to head to her private chapel to "fleece" some more magic, her peripheral vision swept over her luxurious bedroom: the intricate openwork carvings, the mirror-like polished floors, the light-bulb-shaped magical lamps... It all made her pause. She suddenly realized: did Grandpa Rosta truly fail to sense the truth about the King within that biography? No, he had likely just subconsciously ignored it.
To the current royal family of the Holy Kingdom, such foundational research could easily be delegated to subordinates. Geniuses only needed to take shortcuts by standing on the shoulders of their predecessors. This approach was efficient, but it was also arrogant. Furthermore, this biography sat on the first floor of the library, categorized as a basic introductory book. Yet, which of the priests coming there to teach didn't thirst for high-tier knowledge? Would they waste their opportunity researching the "foundation"?
When they were young and arrogant, they disdained touching it; by the time they grew old and realized its value, did they still have the energy? Moreover, the King had claimed in the book that everything relied on [Magic Affinity]; those without the same Talent naturally felt no need to dig deeper.
And so, the final step of the staircase had been leveled into flat ground. As expected, what we really need is a proper school!
Calca shook her head, turned to leave her bedroom, and closed the door. Just like the night before, the young girl took a slow, deep breath before the statue of the Wind God and knelt in prayer. A faint light began to bloom from her body, though tonight, her thoughts were not quite as tranquil as they had been yesterday.
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
I'm not the Queen Greatsword. (59 Chapters, Ongoing)
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