Chapter 64: Eldrite
Without another moment of hesitation, I grabbed my cloak and stepped out of the dormitory.
The night air was crisp, carrying the faint scent of pine and rain-soaked stone. The academy grounds were quiet, lit by the soft glow of mana lamps scattered along the path.
"Berno!" I called softly.
A small, sleek creature perched on the railing lifted its head. Berno—my ever-reliable companion—fluttered over, landing neatly on my shoulder. His crystal-blue eyes glinted with mild curiosity.
"Adventure time," I whispered with a grin.
Berno let out a low chirp, the kind that usually meant, You’re getting us into trouble again, aren’t you?
I chuckled. "Maybe. But it’s worth it this time."
Together, we started down the dimly lit path, the faint echo of our footsteps blending with the whisper of the wind.
Toward Eldrite.
Toward whatever secret that ancient building still guarded.
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Before the academy was built, this land used to belong to a noble family. Their private estate stood right where Eldrite Tower now rose—old, weathered, and wrapped in layers of history that most students never cared to notice.
"Isn’t this dangerous, young master?" Berno asked, his tone caught somewhere between concern and resignation.
I smirked, brushing the dust from my coat. "It’s fine. What could possibly be dangerous about a place inside the academy?"
Still, I wasn’t careless. Just before we set out, I had asked the Sage’s Bookmark a simple question—one that decided whether this little adventure would be an amusing diversion or a terrible mistake.
Was there any danger in Eldrite that we wouldn’t be able to handle?
The Bookmark’s response had been short and absolute. NO.
A hundred percent reliability. That meant no life-threatening danger awaited us inside.
That was all I needed to hear.
After all, with how monotonous things had been lately, I needed something—anything—to break the dull routine.
We moved through the academy grounds, past streets lined with patrolling knights and the distant murmur of cadets finishing their evening drills. The sun hung low, casting long shadows that stretched across the cobblestone path as we approached the main building.
And there it was.
Eldrite.
"It’s an old building," Berno said quietly, looking up at the tower that loomed before us.
I nodded slowly. "Yeah..."
I’d walked past this place dozens of times, maybe hundreds, but I’d never really looked at it.
Up close, it was taller than I’d imagined—its gray stone walls worn and cracked with age, ivy creeping up the sides like veins. The air carried a faint chill, as though time itself lingered here, reluctant to move on.
Yet, somehow, that ancient, slightly eerie atmosphere felt... inviting. Almost cool.
"Let’s go in," I said after a moment, lowering my voice.
We circled the building once, checking that no one was nearby. The knights rarely patrolled this far in the evening, and the students had no reason to come here. Perfect.
When I was sure the coast was clear, I glanced at Berno. "Ready?"
He sighed, as if regretting every life choice that had led him here. "If you say so, young master."
I grinned and stepped toward the entrance.
The massive wooden doors were already slightly ajar, their hinges creaking faintly as we pushed them open.
A gust of cool air greeted us from within—musty, heavy with the scent of old parchment and forgotten memories.
Magical orbs embedded in the ceiling flickered softly to life, illuminating the interior with a gentle, ethereal glow.
The sudden brightness revealed the sheer scale of the place.
A high, vaulted ceiling stretched overhead, and winding staircases coiled along the stone walls like the ribs of an ancient cathedral. The air was thick with dust and age, carrying the faint scent of moss and something metallic.
It looked like the inside of an old European church—except it wasn’t.
’What was this place used for?’ I wondered, my eyes tracing the intricate carvings along the pillars.
It definitely wasn’t a church. Most temples or sanctuaries in this world were far humbler in size and design.
It’s been quite some time since I woke up in Louis’s body, and in all that time, I’d never seen a structure like this before. Not once.
"What do you think this place was for?" I asked, turning to Berno. If anyone might know, it would be him—someone born and raised in the Empire.
Berno tilted his head, studying the walls in silence for a moment before shaking his head. "I’m not sure. Honestly, this is the first time I’ve seen a building like this."
That answer made me pause.
A building even Berno had never seen before?
’Strange,’ I thought. ’How has no one ever taken an interest in something like this?’
Hundreds of students must’ve walked past this area day after day, and yet... no one seemed to have noticed. Or maybe they had—and chose to ignore it.
The thought left a faint chill running down my spine.
"Are we going up?" Berno asked, pointing toward the staircase that spiraled upward into the dim glow above.
"No," I replied firmly.
He raised a brow, clearly surprised.
For most people, heading upstairs would be the obvious choice. Higher floors meant vantage points, secrets, maybe even treasure. But that was precisely why I knew better.
I glanced down at the center of the floor, where the stone tiles looked just a little too even. Too deliberate.
"We’re going down," I said, my voice low.
Berno frowned. "Down? You think something’s beneath us?"
I gave him a faint smile. "If stories, games, and every dungeon I’ve ever read about have taught me anything—it’s that the real secrets are never up there." I pointed toward the ceiling. "They’re always hidden below."
Berno stared at me for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. "You and your strange instincts again..."
"Call it intuition," I said, stepping toward the center of the hall. "Now, let’s find a way down before something else finds us first."
The faint hum of the magical orbs filled the silence as we began to search, the echoes of our footsteps blending with the low whisper of the ancient building—as if the walls themselves were holding their breath, waiting for us to uncover what lay buried beneath.