THE QUEEN OF KRANE
I stood beneath the towering walls of the royal palace, staring up at the moon hanging silently above me.
Tonight, I had only one objective.
The Royal Archives.
I needed information about the history of demons, devils, and the ancient beings that still remained hidden from the world.
The Kingdom of Krane possessed the third-largest collection of knowledge on the entire continent. Rumors claimed that its royal archives contained records dating back centuries—perhaps even thousands of years.
If there was anywhere in the world that could answer my questions, it was there.
Fortunately, I already knew exactly where the archives were.
Grim's drones had mapped almost the entire palace.
All I needed to do was get inside.
I placed a hand over my silver locket.
A crimson light spread across my body.
My blonde disguise dissolved.
My clothes changed.
My presence transformed.
The harmless young man known as Will Gurberr disappeared beneath the night sky.
The Crimson Card had arrived.
“Time to get in.”
The Royal Archives were enormous.
The moment I entered, I was forced to stop and stare.
A gigantic hall stretched farther than I could see, with countless bookshelves occupying every corner of the chamber.
Books were not only stored along the walls.
They covered the ceiling as well.
There were shelves nearly fifty feet above the ground, with no visible staircases or ladders leading toward them.
Whoever designed this place clearly valued protecting the books more than making them accessible.
The entire chamber was dimly illuminated by scattered magical lamps.
Hundreds of thousands of books surrounded me.
I stared upward.
“...How exactly am I supposed to find what I need?”
I had come prepared to sneak through an entire royal library.
I had not prepared for a library the size of a small city.
Then—
“It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Crimson Card.”
I froze.
A woman's voice echoed through the enormous chamber.
“My foster daughter talks about you quite often. She hasn't stopped mentioning you since you saved her life.”
I slowly turned around.
A woman was walking toward me while carrying a ridiculous number of books.
She had long white hair.
Brilliant crimson eyes.
And resting upon her head was a magnificent silver crown shaped like the moon.
I immediately recognized her.
Merona Krane.
The Queen of Krane.
The woman stopped a few meters away from me.
“I also wanted to speak with you regarding your adventures in the Blood Kingdom,” she continued calmly. “You certainly removed a tremendous burden from our kingdom by stopping that war.”
She smiled gently.
“Now... how may I help you?”
A queen.
Inside the Royal Archives.
Standing directly in front of me.
Why?
I remained silent.
More importantly, I noticed something strange.
She wasn't afraid.
There was no alarm.
No guards rushing toward me.
No magical barrier surrounding the room.
If the Queen genuinely viewed me as an enemy, the entire palace would have been placed under lockdown by now.
So I stayed still.
Watching.
Merona tilted her head slightly.
“Are you here to read?”
She glanced around the enormous chamber.
“If you're searching for fiction, I recommend the fiftieth shelf. If you're interested in darker fiction, the seventy-sixth shelf has some interesting—”
“Merona Krane.”
Her expression stopped.
“The knowledge I seek isn't fiction.”
I stared directly into her crimson eyes.
“I want knowledge of the past.”
I paused.
“And information regarding beings that remain unknown to the world.”
Her smile disappeared.
“You mean the devils.”
I said nothing.
“My sources tell me you're under a devil contract yourself.”
“Your sources tell you correctly.”
I folded my arms.
“But the devil I contracted with isn't particularly interested in cooperating with me.”
“I see.”
Merona calmly walked toward the center of the chamber.
“Then sit.”
Two magnificent sofas suddenly materialized from the floor.
One positioned toward me.
The other facing it.
I narrowed my eyes before sitting down.
Merona took the opposite seat.
She raised one hand.
The books resting in her arms immediately floated upward.
They flew back toward the shelves, arranging themselves neatly into place.
At the same time, dozens of other books flew from the shelves and settled onto her lap.
She crossed one leg over the other.
“These contain the knowledge you're looking for.”
My eyes narrowed.
“I can even lend them to you.”
That sounded suspiciously easy.
“But there is one condition.”
There it was.
“A condition?”
Merona smiled.
“You will help me overthrow the current King of Krane.”
Silence.
I stared at her.
A rebellion.
Led by the Queen herself.
Against her own husband.
“You want me to help overthrow the King?”
“Yes.”
I leaned back slightly.
My first thought was simple.
Take the books and leave.
But before I could move, Merona picked up one of the books from her lap and held it toward me.
“Go ahead.”
I took it.
“Open it.”
I opened the cover.
Blank.
Nothing.
Not a single word.
Not even a title.
“What...?”
“You cannot read it.”
Merona's voice remained perfectly calm.
“Without permission, the knowledge stored inside these archives cannot be accessed. The same applies to every other book in this chamber.”
She slowly raised her hand.
“Only someone possessing the authority of the crown can grant access.”
I stared at the blank pages.
So that was the trick.
Even if I stole the books, they were useless.
I closed the book.
“Fine.”
I looked directly at her.
“Why?”
“Why do you want to remove your own husband from the throne?”
Merona remained silent.
“Is it because you want to place one of your children on the throne?”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Perhaps you fear that another consort might influence the succession?”
Merona shook her head.
“No.”
Her expression became strangely tired.
“I love all of my children equally.”
“Then what is your reason?”
“The King is incompetent.”
“Incompetent?”
Merona nodded.
“After Princess Quina and Prince Erwin returned from the Blood Kingdom and reported what truly happened there... everything changed.”
Her voice hardened.
“The King discovered the truth behind Sacred Soul's lies.”
I listened carefully.
“And rather than opposing them...”
She closed her eyes.
“He bowed.”
My expression changed.
“The King has decided that Krane will submit to the will of the Sages.”
Merona's fingers tightened around the book.
“He has ordered that this information never leave the royal family.”
So that's what this was.
The King wasn't trying to fight Sacred Soul.
He was afraid of them.
“And you?”
“I refuse to accept it.”
Merona's crimson eyes sharpened.
“So I decided to raise the banner of rebellion.”
She leaned back.
“I have managed to persuade several captains from different knight squads to support me, including a number of important military figures.”
She paused.
“But it isn't enough.”
Her gaze locked onto mine.
“I need someone stronger.”
“Someone like me.”
“Exactly.”
She smiled.
“And if we succeed, I will grant you special privileges.”
I remained silent.
The proposal was tempting.
Very tempting.
But I immediately recognized the problem.
Merona was underestimating someone.
Cros.
If the King truly planned to follow the Sages, then removing him from the throne could provoke Sacred Soul into direct intervention.
Merona might win the rebellion...
Only to start an even larger war.
I couldn't afford that.
Not now.
Not when I was finally beginning to understand how deep this conspiracy went.
“I'm sorry, Your Majesty.”
Merona raised an eyebrow.
“I won't join your rebellion.”
For the first time, genuine surprise appeared on her face.
“But—”
“However...”
I leaned forward.
“There is something you haven't considered.”
I placed the blank book on the table.
“You haven't realized your own position yet.”
Merona's eyes narrowed.
“I won't participate in this war.”
“But there are other options.”
I slowly stood.
“Listen carefully.”
My voice became colder.
“You told me there were only two possible outcomes.”
I pointed toward the book.
“Either I agree to fight alongside you...”
Then I pointed toward the palace.
“...or I walk away.”
Merona remained silent.
I smiled.
“But you forgot a third possibility.”
Her expression changed.
“If you refuse to grant me access to these books, I will make a deal with the King instead.”
I stepped closer.
“I will offer him my assistance.”
Merona's eyes widened.
“And the moment I do that, your rebellion collapses.”
Silence.
I continued.
“You brought me here because you believe I can change the balance of power.”
I smiled beneath my mask.
“You were right.”
I turned toward the shelves.
“But that also means you have made a mistake.”
I looked back at her.
“You told me about the rebellion before securing my cooperation.”
I paused.
“And now you've given me leverage.”
The Queen stared at me.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then—
She smiled.
Not angrily.
Not bitterly.
Almost... amused.
“I see.”
Her voice was quiet.
“So that's how you intend to play this.”
I didn't answer.
Merona gently placed the book on the sofa beside her.
“You've won.”
I stopped.
“You may read the archives.”
I turned around.
“On one condition.”
Her smile widened.
“You do not involve yourself in my rebellion.”
I nodded.
“Agreed.”
Merona raised her hand.
The darkness surrounding the vast chamber slowly began to fade.
One by one, ancient magical seals embedded within the bookshelves illuminated the room.
The archives had opened.
And for the first time, the history of this world was finally within my reach.
I walked toward the shelves.
Behind my crimson mask, a faint smile appeared.
I'd come here looking for information about devils.
Instead...
I'd discovered a rebellion.
And somehow, I suspected that this was only the beginning.