The Book That Wasn’t Written

When her gaze landed on the figure that was laughing, the figure looked human but didn't feel like one. Its appearance couldn't be distinguished due to the shadow hiding its features.

The unknown figure had stopped laughing at this point.

"Welcome, child of the bloodline of Mystoria," said the figure with no emotion.

Rin wasn't surprised that the entity knew about her. After all, it was more powerful than she had imagined.

Before Rin could even wonder whether to respond or stay silent, the figure bent down and touched the ground. The scenery began to change from an endless void into a garden filled with flowers, plants, and more. There were two chairs facing each other.

The figure, still hidden in shadow, walked slowly toward the chairs and sat. Then, calmly, it said, "Aren't you going to sit, Rin?"

Rin couldn't think anymore about what to do and decided to sit and speak with "It," to find out its motives. She walked toward the table and sat down, asking,

"May I ask what is your reason for bringing me here?"

"It" didn't answer Rin's question, but instead began speaking on another topic.

"To clarify something, I am not related to the artifact in any matter. I am rather curious about humans. I want to learn about their desires, emotions. I want to learn about it all," said "It" with excitement while staring directly into Rin's eyes.

"And the reason for bringing you here is to see human emotions in their true shape."

Rin had guessed correctly: the being sitting in front of her was not human. And could guess it had ulterior motives.

"There is no need to be scared. An event is happening sooner than you expect," said "It," still staring at her.

"I will send you back to where you came from, and we will never meet again. You are no fun."

The figure suddenly tapped the table, and Rin's body began to break. She let out an ear-piercing scream.

Rin thought to herself, It hurts so bad. This is nothing like the pain from before. Is this what it meant by 'We will never meet again'? My death...

Soon, her lower body and most of her upper body had broken into dust. Yet she was still alive. She couldn't scream anymore—her voice had vanished.

When "It" clapped its hands, Rin lost all consciousness.

...

In the morning, Rin awoke, slowly regaining her senses. The memories of what had happened returned and she began trembling, more frightened than she had been when encountering the artifact.

Still dazed, she thought about asking someone for help or knowledge. But she dismissed the idea. There were only two possible outcomes:

The first was being accused of rituals to summon an evil entity.

The second was being accused of having a mental illness.

So, she had to rely on herself in this matter.

She sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the ceiling while breathing heavily. She placed her hand over her chest where her heart resided, then leaned back against the bed, covering her face with her arm.

She began talking to herself. "Have I encountered a being I shouldn't have gazed upon?"

...

After a few hours had passed, she went to her office to finish work. Soon, it was near midnight. She put away the documents, changed her clothes, then went to sleep.

Unexpectedly, she had no nightmares that night. Instead, she felt calmness seeping into her body.

Today was one of her days off, and she had no more work for the following days, giving her more time to rest.

Rin wanted to investigate all the anomalies that happened the day before. But she had no leads.

The text in the book had been erased. There was also the strange figure that pulled her into another dimension or world.

She decided to investigate slowly, without raising suspicion or coming into contact with further danger.

I should receive a reply today from the Empress, she thought.

With that reply, a disciple will also arrive. Am I just exposing more people to danger?

I will keep the artifact sealed until I find someone specialized in artifacts, or obtain a three- or four-star artifact to use. If I could obtain a five-star artifact, it would be huge. But they are mostly heavily sealed and can't be used at will.

Artifact danger levels ranged from zero to five stars.

Zero-star artifacts could be used and kept by anyone, even civilians.

Five-star artifacts were used only by top mages, warriors, and knights.

Rin could easily obtain a three-star artifact, but using it would raise suspicion.

As for a four-star artifact, it would require a special request and a full investigation.

She would try the three-star artifact. If it didn't show results, she would follow through with applying for a four-star. It would attract attention, but she could find ways to manage it.

After reorganizing her thoughts, she exited the room and changed into more flexible attire. She planned on training until the escort she sent out returned. The trip would take twelve hours, so at the earliest, he would arrive in the evening.

She went to the office after changing and grabbed a saber from a hanger holding multiple weapons: a rapier, a short sword, two daggers, and a decorative sword mostly used for ceremonies or diplomatic outings.

After grabbing the rapier, she went to the garden in the back.

Guards were patrolling the area. They were grade three.

Merit grades ranged from zero to seven. Grade zero represented ordinary people without fighting mastery or talent. There was also a special ranking from one to three stars.

Rin was a one-star. The soldiers couldn't compare to her.

Lance was a grade six.

She began training her mana flow by infusing it through her body to ensure she could cast spells at any time.

Most magical alignments didn't require chanting. Chanting was only needed to draw mana from the surroundings, rather than using one's own.

After training her mana flow, she switched to accuracy training.

Rin could use four types of magic: wind, nature, healing, and sealing.

She was the best human in the current era at sealing and had full control over wind. Her nature and healing magic were at basic levels.

Not everyone could learn every alignment. Having four elements was both good and bad.

After around an hour and a half of practicing her wind accuracy, Rin started to feel hungry. She hadn't eaten dinner the night before and didn't follow a strict mealtime.

She grabbed her sword from where it rested by a tree and started heading to the dining hall.

After she sat down, the food was served within minutes.

...

After eating, she looked at Aria and said in a calm tone,

"Prepare the bath and a change of clothes."

Aria nodded and went to fetch another maid to help fill the bathtub.

Heating the water was simple for Aria, who could use fire magic. All they needed was to fill the tub first.

...

While the bath was being prepared, Rin sat in the living room, drinking a cup of tea with two small pieces of carrot cake.

Rin adored carrot cake. If she wouldn't gain weight, she would eat them daily and in larger quantities.

Soon, the maid returned to inform her that the bath was ready.

There was still a bit of tea left, as well as one cake piece. She grabbed the teacup and finished it in one gulp.

She told the maid, "Keep the cake piece away from air. I'll eat it after lunch."

Then she went to take her bath.

Rin took long baths three times a week, anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours. She only left the bath when she felt completely re-energized.

...

After about two hours, she went to her office to check for any mail.

Most unimportant letters were delivered without escorts. A maid would place them on a desk in the office.

Rin returned to training. Soon, it was near evening. She decided to eat lunch and then read the newspaper to catch up on current events.

One downside of her position was that she couldn't go out freely. She mostly spent her time inside the manor.

She kept reading until she grew bored and decided to read a novel instead.

The sun had set. Around eight o'clock, a knock came from the front door.

Rin, who was sitting in the living room, could hear it clearly.

The butler entered, bowed his head, and handed her a letter.

She opened it quickly, read it, and sighed, her tone laced with anger.

"Even when slavery has been abolished, we still find ways to use people."

Rin hated slavery. She knew it hadn't been truly abolished, only reshaped—into low wages and dependence.

She tried to make up for this by improving her maids' and butlers' food, living spaces, and by gifting them items as "rewards."

She knew exactly how little they made.

"The boy sent as your disciple is waiting in the carriage. Shall I bring him in?"

Rin, who was supposed to be his teacher, felt disgusted with herself. She was simply raising another human puppet.

A few minutes later, the butler returned with the young boy.

The boy, already trained in etiquette, bowed respectfully and spoke with admiration:

"Hello, Master. I am your humble disciple, Rui."