Chapter 36

Chapter 36

I decided to return the Hwenian dictionary to its owner. Yesterday, I tried using the letter I learned to read the first page of a Hwenian book, but it was a complete failure. I gave up quickly in frustration.

Eriez was right. We were soldiers; fighting was our job and our talent. Even if I spent time studying this language, I knew I wouldn’t be able to learn it enough to speak it fluently. Besides, I suspected those who spoke this language in Minurd didn’t learn blindly from nothing like me.

If I could learn from someone fluent in this language… It would be so much more helpful, but if the prince wouldn’t teach me, who else could I ask? Besides, I wondered where his highness learned the language from.

I remembered him telling me this dictionary was created by a high-ranking Hwenian who exiled to Minurd. On the first page of the dictionary, his very long name was written clearly.

Sapain Elkara Miser El Hwenia.

It was very hard to read. When did this man arrive here? When did he die? The book didn’t look very old to me, or… did this have something to do with that Hwenian intruder who was killed recently?

The next morning, I went to visit Prince Camille. It was early in the morning, but none of the servants knew where he was. His Highness wasn’t in his bedroom, library, washroom, or any of the spare rooms. Just in case, I went to check the Sacred Room where the Virtuous Priestess was residing, but he wasn’t there either. All I saw and heard were women’s peals of laughter.

The servant who saw Prince Camille the last informed me, “I’m sorry, but all I know is that His Highness was at the library late into the night yesterday.” The servant added that after I left, the prince remained in the library until well after midnight.

“So, you never saw him leave?”

“I waited for a long time, so I could help him to his bed, but he never came out of the library. I think that perhaps he spent the night there.”

“But, I just checked there, and he wasn’t there!”

We looked at each other in confusion. Just in case I missed him, we decided to go back to the library. I walked into the inner area where His Highness found the Hwenian dictionary for me. I knew it was rude of us to look through his personal spaces, but I didn’t hesitate. What if Prince Camille was in danger and needed help?

I only had one option right now, and that was to continue to search for him. The only problem was how.

I was reminded of how the size and shape of this building differed much from what I saw inside. There had to be a massive hidden area in this building somewhere. That time when Prince Camille suddenly disappeared… I remembered hearing an odd noise and vibration. It sounded like some kind of a pulley dragging something cumbersome. It was evident that there must be some kind of a secret hidden door somewhere.

A place where Prince Camille hid more of his secrets…

I had no right to meddle in his affairs, but I still needed to know that he was safe. The fact that no one knew his whereabouts was a huge problem.

I looked at each shelf carefully. I tried to remember which direction that pulley sound originated. Where was this library located when seen from the outside of the building? Which area could hold a secret passage?

“Found it.”

I finally found the answer. It was a wall decoration that was the shape of a tree branch. It was on the western wall at the waist level, and from it, there was a long thin golden rope that could be pulled easily. There were other decorations on the wall with similar-looking ropes, but this particular one made an odd clicking noise when pulled.

“Let’s clear this area to have a better look.”

I called for a few of the servants and ordered them to take down all the decorations on the wall. When it was cleared, I could see a thin gap in the middle of the wall.

I made everyone leave and pulled on the golden rope.

Rumble, rumble… Screech…

The narrow gape suddenly widened, and a dark area appeared. I could smell something sweet burning from it. What could it be?

Was there a fire inside? The air felt thick and heavy, and feeling panicked, I ran in.

“Your highness! Prince Camille… Argh…. Cough, cough… Your highness!”

I came out of the area, unable to breathe. Quickly, I got a wet towel to cover my nose and my mouth. I grabbed a lantern and ran into the darkness again.

***

The hallway that was made out of a squeaky wooden floor wasn’t very long, but despite it, it took me a while to find the prince.

Along the way, I saw several rooms, but I passed them quickly. Each room was in a horrible condition, filled with strange pieces of metals and glasses. I continued to run until I found a staircase. I ran up only to find another hallway. I ran and ran, and I passed by so many doors…

This was a vast place, and it made sense that it was a mess. If only the prince frequented this area and no servants were allowed, there would have been no one to keep it clean. There weren’t any windows or ventilation, no lights and no lanterns.

It was a dark, dingy place, so what was the prince doing here? Why did he stay here so long?

I did find a few tools that could have been used to make fire and cook, but the whole place reeked of unpleasant medicinal smell. I didn’t think anyone actually lived here.

I sighed deeply. At least, I felt relieved that there wasn’t any fire. The air smelled of smoke, but I was slowly getting used to it. I felt dizzy, but nothing more.

Finally, I knew I was getting closer to his highness because the distinct sweet smell of the prince was getting stronger. The aroma was so intense that I began to feel nauseous.

“Your Highness? Are you here? Your Highness?”

At the end of the hallway, I saw a streak of light seeping through from a wall. When I got closer, I could hear someone’s voice. It wasn’t the voice I was hoping and expecting. Instead, I realized that the voices were those of the women downstairs. The wall was obviously built poorly.

‘So where am I…?’

I tried to picture the blueprint of this building and figure out my approximate location. I continued to look for his highness when suddenly, I found a door where the doorknob didn’t have any dust on it. When I opened it, the room was filled with a cloud of white smoke. At least, I saw that this room wasn’t as messy as the other rooms.

In the corner, there was a small metallic bowl on a table. It was giving off thick smoke, and I realized that the smell was coming from it. In front of it…. I saw the boy prince slumped on top as if he was asleep.

“Your Highness! Are you okay?”