*He wanted a quiet life. He got a war hero's title, a mountain of paperwork, and two beautiful women he's too scared to answer.*
Lion Fou Bartfort—reincarnated mob character, reluctant marquis, and self-proclaimed future background extra—just wants to live unnoticed. But three days after the great war ended, his desk is buried in urgent documents, his compensation is being docked for every missed deadline, and his sarcastic AI partner Luxion never lets him forget it. Worst of all, he can't stop
Blooming After the War - The Great Library's Secret Letter — The Shadow of Eclipse and the Saint's Vow
Morning in the royal capital of Velmuth began with the clamor of postwar administration. Light filtered through the windows of the Bartfort family's temporary residence, falling softly across the writing desk as if to ease, just a little, the oppressive air that had hung there until yesterday. Lion Fou Bartfort set down his quill and touched his fingers to the leather bracer wrapped around his left wrist. A plain bracer, modeled after Luxion's terminal. Its texture brought back the sleepless hours of the night before.
(Luxion's fiancée data... I need to look into that more.)
Lion exhaled deeply. The past his partner was hiding. A record of an engagement to a woman from the old-human era. That image surfaced every time he closed his eyes. A woman with silver hair. A lonely smile. A gentle voice calling Luxion's name. What it all meant, Lion still didn't know.
" Master. Are you planning to abandon your paperwork and go out somewhere today?"
The red single eye floating in the corner of the desk spoke in its flat, uninflected voice. Luxion hovered in the same spot as always. With the same voice as always, observing Lion the same way as always. But to Lion, that "same as always" no longer felt the way it used to.
"Yeah, something like that. I'm going to the grand library."
Lion answered as he stood. His voice lacked force. Luxion's secret wouldn't leave the corner of his mind.
" The grand library? If you're looking for documents on old-civilization relics, materials under royal custody aren't open to the public. There's a high probability it'll be a wasted trip."
"Shut up. I'm going to go and see for myself."
Lion cursed under his breath as he grabbed his jacket. The truth was, there was a mountain of things he wanted to ask Luxion. Who was the fiancée? Why had it been hidden? What was Luxion keeping from him? But even if he asked now, he'd only get the same answer.
"That data is unrelated to you, Master."
Those words pierced Lion's chest like ice.
(Unrelated, huh. As if my partner's past could ever be unrelated to me.)
Lion bit his lip. Luxion's red eye flickered slowly, brightening and dimming. A pause, as if it wanted to say something. But Luxion said nothing more.
When Lion stepped out the front door of the residence, the morning air brushed cool against his skin. The streets of the royal capital Velmuth still bore the scars of war, yet were slowly reclaiming their everyday rhythms. Wagons came and went along the cobblestone roads, and the boisterous voices of merchants drifted from the market. At the reconstruction sites of burned-out houses, the rhythmic sound of craftsmen swinging hammers rang out steadily.
On his way to the grand library, Lion suddenly stopped. From across the street, a familiar figure came running. A small girl with flaxen hair streaming behind her, heading straight toward him.
" Lion! Good morning!"
It was Olivia. A scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Magic, and though born a commoner, she had awakened the power of a saint during the great war—now there was no one in the capital who didn't know her name. A white blouse and a deep green skirt. Plain clothing, yet somehow her figure seemed almost divine in the morning light. Her blue eyes sparkled as they fixed on Lion.
"Oh—yeah. Olivia. What's up, this early?"
Lion asked, taking a half step back. He was a little overwhelmed by her energy.
" Um, I saw you heading out somewhere, Lion... Would it be all right if I came along? I'm sorry if I'd be in the way."
Olivia peered up at Lion's face. Her blue eyes wavered anxiously. She was worried she might be a bother to him.
"You're not in the way. I'm going to the grand library—you want to come?"
Lion said it bluntly. The truth was, he'd intended to go alone. He'd wanted to investigate Luxion by himself. But seeing Olivia's face, he couldn't bring himself to refuse.
" Yes! I'd love to! I want to be helpful to you, Lion!"
Olivia's expression lit up, and she skipped into place beside him. The distance between them was close enough that their shoulders nearly touched. Lion shifted his body away, just slightly.
(Too close, seriously...)
Lion muttered inwardly. Olivia's affection for him was now so obvious it couldn't be hidden. It had been there since before the great war—all along. How he should respond to those feelings, Lion still hadn't found an answer.
The two of them walked side by side along the cobblestone road. The morning market was full of life. Carts piled with fruit, the smell of freshly baked bread, the calls of fishmongers. Lion took in the clamor while feeling the presence of Olivia walking beside him.
"Lion, what are you going to look up at the grand library?"
Olivia tilted her head and asked. Her flaxen hair swayed softly.
"Documents on old-civilization relics and AI terminals. Luxion's—no, never mind."
Lion started to speak, then closed his mouth. He hesitated over whether to tell Olivia about Luxion's fiancée data. No—there was no way he could. He couldn't confide in her something he hadn't even sorted out himself.
" Is it about Lux? You seem kind of down lately, Lion. Did something happen?"
Olivia looked at Lion with a serious gaze. Her blue eyes wavered as if trying to see through to the depths of his heart.
"It's nothing. Just a little short on sleep."
Lion averted his eyes. Looking into Olivia's direct gaze, he was afraid she'd see through his lie.
" Lion, I want to be a help to you. I want you to tell me anything."
Olivia's voice trembled, just slightly. She was worried about what was in his heart. She sensed keenly that something was tormenting him.
"...Thanks. But right now, I still don't really understand it myself."
Lion murmured quietly. That was the most honest he could be.
Olivia said nothing—she simply kept walking beside him. Her presence, strangely, made his heart a little lighter.
Before long, the two arrived in front of the grand library in the central district of Velmuth. A stately white stone building, with a great arched door towering at its front. Boasting the largest collection in the kingdom, this institution was a hall of knowledge where nobles and scholars gathered. But perhaps due to the chaos of the postwar period, there were few patrons today.
Lion pushed open the heavy wooden door. Inside, the old smell of paper and ink tickled his nose. Bookshelves stretching to the high ceiling stood in orderly rows, and light streaming through the stained glass painted the floor in colorful patterns. In the silence, only the faint sound of turning pages echoed.
As he approached the counter, a woman looked up. She wore silver-rimmed glasses, her chestnut hair gathered at the back in a single bundle—a woman with a calm air about her. She looked to be in her mid-twenties. Dressed in a deep navy robe, she held in her hands a booklet that appeared to be a catalog of old books.
"Welcome. How may I help you today?"
The woman looked at Lion and Olivia with a gentle smile. Her voice was quiet, seeming to melt naturally into the library's stillness.
"I'm looking for documents on old-civilization relics and AI terminals."
Lion stated his business.
"Most old-civilization technical texts are under royal custody. Only a very small portion of fragments is open to the public."
Eleanor said this apologetically. She seemed to have immediately sensed that his hopes had been dashed.
"Figures."
Lion's shoulders slumped. Just as Luxion had said. Materials under royal custody weren't easily accessible.
"However, the basement archives hold a great many old documents that haven't yet been organized. There should be some old-civilization-era manuscripts and personal records among them. If you'd like, shall I give you the catalog?"
Saying this, Eleanor held out the catalog she'd been holding. A thick, old, leather-bound volume.
"Yeah, that'd help. Thanks."
Lion took the catalog. It was heavy in his hands.
"The basement archives are down those stairs over there. It's a dim place, so I'd recommend bringing a magic-stone lamp."
Eleanor pointed to a magic-stone lamp placed at the edge of the counter. Inside the lamp, a small magic stone gave off a faint light.
"Got it. I'll borrow it."
Lion picked up the magic-stone lamp. Beside him, Olivia was peering intently at the catalog.
"Lion, I'll help too. I'll do my best to be useful!"
Olivia clasped both hands in front of her chest and said it with determination. In her eyes overflowed a strong desire to be of help to him.
"Yeah, I'm counting on you."
Lion nodded with a wry smile. Olivia's earnestness was just a little embarrassing.
Guided by Eleanor, the two descended the stone stairs leading to the basement archives. The stairs were narrow, each step worn down. The air was cold and chill, and the smell of mold and old paper grew stronger. The faint light of the magic-stone lamp dimly illuminated their feet.
The basement archives were far larger than he'd imagined. In the low-ceilinged space, old bookshelves stood in rows like a maze. On the shelves, dust-covered leather-bound books and bundles of parchment were piled carelessly. The air was stagnant—it was clear no one had touched this place in a long time.
"Amazing... so many books."
Olivia let out a breath of admiration. Her blue eyes sparkled in the dim archive.
"Yeah. But it's not organized, so finding what we're after is going to be a pain."
Lion opened the catalog. With every page he turned, the smell of old paper rose up. The catalog was densely filled with shelf numbers and the titles of the books held there.
"The old-civilization shelves are... this way."
Relying on the catalog, Lion headed deeper into the archive. Olivia followed close behind him.
Threading between the shelves, the two reached the deepest part of the archive. There stood shelves even older than the rest. The lettering on the spines was faded, and some of the books were on the verge of falling apart.
"It's around here. Let's split up and search."
Saying this, Lion stood before a shelf. Olivia headed to the next shelf over and stretched up on her toes to peer at the upper tier.
"Lion, this book looks really old."
Olivia pulled out an old leather-bound record. A thick manuscript, with an unfamiliar crest carved into its cover.
"Let me see... Hey, isn't that a manuscript copy of a record by an old-civilization engineer?"
Lion peered at what Olivia held. Comparing it against the catalog entry, it did indeed appear to be a manuscript copy of a record by an old-civilization engineer.
"Let's open it."
Olivia carefully turned the pages. The old parchment rustled. It was densely filled with something written in old-civilization script. Characters Lion couldn't read—but Luxion might be able to decipher them.
"...Lion, this."
Olivia's voice suddenly turned serious. She was pointing at a single spot on the page. There, alongside the old-civilization script, a single word was written.
"Eclipse...?"
Lion read the word aloud. It was in the old-civilization language. He didn't know what it meant. But the sound of it sent something cold running through the depths of his chest.
"Can you read this script?"
Lion asked Olivia.
"A little. I studied the old-civilization language at the academy. Um... 'Eclipse.' It's a word meaning 'annihilation.'"
Olivia stared at the page and translated slowly.
"Annihilation...?"
Lion's expression stiffened. A bad premonition swelled in the depths of his chest.
"Lion, may I read more of this record? I feel like something important is written here."
Olivia looked up at Lion with a serious expression.
"Yeah, go ahead. I'm curious too."
Lion nodded. The two leaned against a nearby shelf and read through the old manuscript together. Olivia slowly deciphered the old-civilization script, and Lion listened.
"...Eclipse is a final weapon the old humans developed to oppose the new humans. An auto-execution program embedded in the old civilizat
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