Chapter 28: The Sovereign of the Unwritten

Haruki had originally intended to take out a healing potion, but given the current situation, there were far too many teachers in the room. He was also afraid that they might think he was making a joke out of the situation.

Haruki eventually decided to step outside for some fresh air. He took a few steps back before slowly making his way out of the room.

Vila merely watched Haruki as he silently endured a pain that no one else could understand. In the end, she decided to let him go without saying anything.

Haruki then left the academy to see what had happened to the city. Normally, horse drawn carriages would be passing through the streets at this time, but now, not a single one could be seen.

He slowly walked past the houses, many of which had been destroyed, while others had been reduced to ashes by the invaders.

Haruki did not utter a single word. He simply stared at the devastation surrounding him. Some nobles had even decided to flee the kingdom.

As for the commoners, most of them had perished. Haruki continued walking until he accidentally came across several commoners who had been left disabled by the incident.

Haruki eventually decided to return to the palace to investigate further. He hurried towards it.

...

Upon arriving at the palace, Haruki found numerous objects destroyed by Philip’s Rift Gate Magic. He opened his system once more and claimed his daily reward.

Haruki then began searching through the system for an Invisibility Skill, hoping to avoid being attacked by any soldiers who might suddenly appear.

Fortunately, he managed to purchase the skill, despite the enormous number of coins required. However, Haruki considered it a worthwhile investment, not only for the present situation but also for the future.

He activated the skill and began exploring the entire palace, searching for clues that might explain why the Arcane Kingdom had been invaded.

He also activated his Light Magic to illuminate the darkness. Although he was somewhat frightened, he had already come this far, so there was no turning back.

Haruki searched through every room in the palace. After spending two hours looking for clues, he still had not found anything.

That was until he entered the bedroom of the King of Arcane.

Inside, he found numerous valuable objects and a portrait of the king hanging on the wall. At first, he could not find anything that seemed remotely suspicious.

However, Haruki sensed a strange aura emanating from the king’s bed. His curiosity was piqued, and he slowly lowered himself onto the floor before lying flat on his stomach to look underneath it.

There, he spotted what appeared to be an iron door handle.

He moved the bed aside, revealing the hidden entrance. Although the handle was made of iron, the door itself was wooden and riddled with holes.

"After everything I’ve read in this novel, I never knew the King of Arcane had a secret room."

Haruki slowly pulled on the handle, only for it to come loose in his hand. The door refused to open.

"In that case..."

He drew his dagger and forcibly pried the door open. Eventually, it gave way, releasing a strong, musty smell that suggested the room had been abandoned for a very long time.

Haruki cautiously descended the staircase, strengthening his Light Magic as he went. With the growing illumination, he gradually found the courage to continue.

...

After descending for what felt like a long time, Haruki finally reached the bottom. The moment his feet touched the floor, every torch along the walls suddenly burst into flames.

Yet, despite the mysterious occurrence, he did not sense any immediate threat.

Haruki extinguished his Light Magic, as the torches had already illuminated the corridor. He slowly ventured forward, and the farther he went, the stranger the aura became.

Strangely enough, however, he did not feel threatened by it.

Eventually, he discovered another door. It was not particularly large, yet he could sense that the strange aura was coming from the other side.

Haruki examined the door carefully before reaching out to touch it ever so slightly.

The moment his fingers made contact, the door swung open on its own, almost as though it were pulling him inside to witness whatever lay beyond.

"I hope there’s nothing too strange in there."

Haruki stepped inside.

One by one, the torches began to ignite, gradually illuminating the enormous chamber. The room was far larger than he had expected. He had initially assumed it would be nothing more than an ordinary chamber.

Once every torch had lit up, Haruki finally saw what lay within.

Seven statues stood before him, each posed in a peculiar manner. One of them had been shattered, leaving behind only the lower half of its body, from the waist down to its feet.

Some of the statues possessed wings, while others had horns. Yet, among all the statues Haruki could see, only one was missing its entire upper body.

"Why is this one broken?"

Haruki lowered his gaze slightly and noticed an inscription beneath the damaged statue. It appeared to be a name or perhaps a title.

To his surprise, he could read the words clearly.

**’The Sovereign of the Unwritten.’**

"Huh? What is this?"

"I’ve never read anything about this in the novel before."

Haruki remained silent for quite some time, staring intently at the statues. There was something about them that felt strangely familiar, particularly their aura.

Yet, whenever he tried to recall where he had encountered it before, his mind drew a complete blank.

The longer he remained in the chamber, the stronger his uneasiness became. It felt as though something or someone was watching him from the shadows.

"Hah... I’d better leave before something happens."

Haruki quickly made his way towards the door. Even so, he occasionally glanced over his shoulder to look at the statues behind him.

He managed to leave the chamber safely, although the lingering chill continued to cling to him.

He hurried back up the staircase, reactivating his Light Magic to illuminate the steps and ensure he could see where he was going.

As he climbed higher, a faint glow gradually appeared above him, signalling that he was finally approaching the exit.

...

Eventually, Haruki arrived back in the King’s bedroom. He quickly closed the hidden entrance behind him.

For a moment, he stood there in silence before becoming frustrated at his failure to discover any clues explaining why the kingdom had been invaded.

"Ah... well, at least I found something new."

Haruki then left the palace and headed back to the academy, although the secret chamber continued to occupy his thoughts.

For some reason, out of all seven statues he had seen, he found himself particularly drawn to the one whose body had been reduced to nothing more than a waist and a pair of legs.

And then there was the inscription.

**The Sovereign of the Unwritten.**

The title remained an enigma to Haruki. More than that, it left him with a strange, lingering feeling as though there was something important he had forgotten.