LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 303 - 303 Secret
303 Secret
Grimm’s hand trembled as he laid it on the massive book before him, a tome so large it could have doubled as a coffee table. He took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come.
It wasn’t just the eerie, human-skin binding that put him on edge, nor was it the palpable warmth and dampness that seemed to emanate from the book’s cover, making it feel almost alive.
No, what truly unnerved him was what he’d been told by the Presiding Judge. The book contained a Demon General
known as Secret Keeper, the first Demon General under the Forbidden Sage.
The Secret Keeper feasted on hidden historical records, seeking out secrets and destroying any trace of those who knew them so as to monopolize the secrets.
Legend had it that anyone who dared to pry into its guarded secrets would suffer a gruesome, torturous death at the hands of the demon. Many stories of people being chased by demons after learning some forbidden secret originated from this Demon General’s deeds.
And now, the Presiding Judge had tasked Grimm with unsealing the demon, alone.
He couldn’t shake the feeling that the Presiding Judge wanted him six feet under.
“Don’t worry, read the book according to my instructions and come back when you get an answer. I’ll ensure your safety.”
the Presiding Judge assured him confidently before he stepped in. He even gave him an encouraging thumbs-up.
Despite the reassurances, Grimm couldn’t shake the feeling that he was about to experience a special execution method—one reserved only for those unlucky enough to cross the Judges.
Grimm’s eyes were fixed on the book, its cover crafted from what appeared to be human skin. He took another deep breath.
As a key holder, Grimm had been eager to gain access to the third level of the library. The books on the first two floors were already more than enough for him and his colleagues at the Blackwater Arcana University, but the possibility of delving even deeper into magical knowledge was too enticing to ignore.
Forget it. I have to take some risks…
The Presiding Judge had promised him the right to borrow from the third level if he cleared the trial.
The promise of legendary and even Divine Realm magic was too tantalizing to ignore. It was a realm he hadn’t even dared to imagine before.
Although there was no such thing as ‘fortune favors the brave’ in their culture, Grimm still took a few deep breaths and gritted his teeth as he unlocked the book.
He heard a groan that sounded like a sigh, and the pages started to flip on their own.
The book finally settled on a yellowed page filled with sticky red notes, written in cursive common language, slender elven language, Moon Realm symbols, and wedge-shaped language of Orsis…
But before he could read any further, a pair of hands wrapped in chains shot out from the page and grabbed his shoulder like pliers. A sinking feeling rose in his stomach as he was suddenly transported to an unfamiliar place.
“To remember, or to forget?”
The sound pierced Grimm’s ears like a thousand knives scraping against a marble surface.
A towering figure, chained to a brass pillar by an endless array of razor-sharp spikes nearby was the source of it.
The chains rattled as the figure raised his head to look at Grimm. It was impossible to tell how the person was able to see through the stitched eyes, or how they were able to speak with the stitched mouth.
“Interesting…” the figure rasped.
“And which forgotten record do you wish to recreate from the river of history? Do you understand the price you must pay for this?”
“Eternal… Eternal Silence will be the price I will pay. As for what I hope to remember…” Grimm said nervously as he gulped.
“All the records of large-scale time fragmentation in Currere.”
…
The Demon General known as Secret Keeper was sealed, but William knew that this creature was a master at leaking secrets.
The Forbidden Sage’s authority was taboo, and the essence of taboos was the border that couldn’t be crossed. However, not breaking a taboo defeated the purpose of their value.
Thus, the five Demon Generals—secrets, oaths, commandments, morality, and order—under the Forbidden Sage’s command had a natural instinct to pursue their opposite. They could only unleash their strongest strength when they were on the brink of breaking a taboo.
The Secret Keeper wielded the authority of secrets and maintained its perfect state through the truth altar. It divulged secrets to mortals who yearned for the truth and then killed them to ensure its secrets wouldn’t leak.
As an embodiment of secrets, the Secret Keeper knew countless secrets, making it not inferior to many Void Sovereigns. This demon alone possessed half of the information on the third level of the library.
At the conclusion of the harrowing Moon Realm crisis that transpired a millennium ago, the Moon Realm existence should have been obliterated without a trace. Yet, the Judges saw fit to seal it away for all eternity, recognizing its potential worth. This was, at least, the decision that William made during its quest line.
Of course, the main reason was that he ended up having an additional book to add to his collection.
After transmigrating, William planned to interrogate this Demon General and extract information from it.
However, the Secret Keeper was stubborn and wouldn’t reveal anything, no matter how William threatened or tortured it.
Even offering to walk on the truth altar didn’t work, with the Secret Keeper saying, “I can’t kill you as long as you aren’t willing to die. Therefore, I won’t make a deal with you.”
William’s attempts to extract information were futile, and the Secret Keeper would hide in the deepest part of the seal whenever William appeared.
This only served to piss him off, but there was nothing he could do.
So, William decided to use someone else to pry secrets from the Secret Keeper. He would rescue the questioner just before the seal was activated.
William wasn’t sure if this ploy would work, but it was worth a try. The Secret Keeper might not have thought of this, as Lunar Monsters born from concepts didn’t think like humans.
When William saw the Secret Keeper drag Grimm into the book, he felt more at ease.
…
“Interesting…”
A smile crept across the chained Secret Keeper’s face.
“You’re the first mortal I’ve encountered who seeks to understand this. I must commend your spirit. However, you seem insatiable.”
Grimm mustered his courage and asked, “So? Can you tell me?”
Say no, say no, say no…
Simultaneously, he prayed fervently that the other party didn’t know the answer. His risk factor would decrease dramatically in that case.
“You’re a lucky man. I just so happen to possess the knowledge you seek. And I’m certain that exchanging this information for your life is more than reasonable.”
F**k…
Grimm fought the urge to let out a string of expletives.
Subconsciously, he reached for the Eighth Holy Spirit holy emblem dangling from his chest. The emblem had been personally blessed by the very person it represented and provided him with a sense of security hidden beneath the high-collared gown he wore.
He gained a sense of security from the holy emblem and said,
“Proceed. I’m ready.”
With the sound of chains clanking, the Secret Keeper extended its arms, gazing up at the ethereal sky.
“If you intend to shatter time on a massive scale, you must bring about significant changes at the Void Sovereign and Holy Spirit levels. According to my knowledge, only three such events have occurred on the Vic Continent’s history. The first was the 12 victories of the Moon Deceiver, Demuge. The second was the birth of a mother in Ravenwood, and the third was a miracle victory triggered by the Moon Realm Calamity during what you call the Moon Realm Crisis.”
“May I inquire where you intend to begin?”