The Glory of Knights

Befitting a library counted among the world’s finest, books were piled high enough to reach the ceiling.

Placards classifying books were visible, but with just that, finding the desired records seemed distant.

Pernok approached a librarian carrying books.

The librarian greeted Pernok with a smiling face.

“Hello. What can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for records related to Banteras.”

“Banteras?”

The librarian, who’d been thinking deeply, tilted his head.

“Are you perhaps referring to the fallen Yuon Kingdom?”

“The land of knights, Banteras.”

“Do you happen to know what year in World Calendar it was founded?”

“Back then it was called Human Calendar.”

“Human Calendar… I’m sorry, but I’m hearing that term for the first time.”

Banteras once boasted influence so strong it might have become the first unified empire.

No matter that it collapsed from calamity, it was strange there were no records of a great power that flaunted world hegemony.

‘Yak also accepted World Calendar as the era. If they don’t know Human Calendar, when establishing the new era, they would have historically highlighted the transitional process with significance. But everyone knows nothing.’

Pernok asked the librarian, thinking his approach might have been wrong.

“Where are the oldest historical records?”

“Historical records are this way.”

The librarian guided Pernok to bookshelves densely packed at the far end of the second floor.

Various chronicles filled the bookshelves managed without a speck of dust.

Pernok scanned the books.

‘There are no records related to Banteras.’

Not only that, there weren’t even records about the Origin or Radiance, or the era Pernok had lived in.

Even if it was distant history, there should be at least one tale related to Genesis, but this place only contained stories up to when the Rakis Empire was still a kingdom.

“You can borrow 5 books at a time and must return them within a week.”

After the librarian bowed lightly, he descended to the first floor.

Pernok traced the books with his fingers and examined all the records.

He had expectations that memories engraved in his soul might react to related records, but he couldn’t feel any stimulus whatsoever.

‘The history I’m looking for isn’t here.’

Was even this library lacking capacity to contain the distant past?

‘Did he says there’s a place that stores records up to Genesis in the Rakis Empire’s capital or the Holy Kingdom’s Grand Temple?’

He recalled Yak’s words but soon shook his head.

Those two countries were located at the eastern and western ends.

Not only was the journey arduous, but if he couldn’t find the desired content, he’d wastefully consume only time.

Pernok, who’d been tapping historical records with his finger, turned his head sideways.

Beyond the library, two buildings caught his eye.

* * *

The historical society organizes old records and delivers them to libraries or academies.

Thinking there might be the desired answer there, Pernok entered the historical society.

When he showed the library pass, a society member approached politely.

“You couldn’t find the records you wanted at the library?”

“There was no history marked with Human Calendar.”

“Human Calendar?”

“First time hearing it?”

“Hmm… It seems difficult to know with my authority. If you tell me where you’re staying, I’ll try contacting a professor.”

“The Inn Where Moonlight Stays, room 203.”

Pernok also visited the archaeological society across the way.

If the historical society was a place that organized records, the archaeological society was a collective of inquiry that traced history through clues.

But he couldn’t obtain a proper answer here either.

“The land of knights? First time hearing of it.”

“Aren’t there related relics?”

“During the earliest time when Rakis was a kingdom not an empire, it was called the land of knights.”

Then he took Pernok to a place where old iron swords were stored.

Even examining the iron sword’s patterns closely up close, the Knight King’s memories didn’t react.

‘Even fairy tales are treated as jokes. Yet you’re saying two institutions researching history don’t know Banteras.’

Even if history before that disappeared due to uncountably distant time, Banteras was history sufficient to be recorded.

‘At this rate, I won’t even find Banteras, never mind the relics.’

Banteras built enormous tombs to enshrine dead kings.

There were retainers who separately enshrined the king’s remains, so even if the country perished, at minimum the relics and tomb remained.

Along with the tomb’s structure, the relics to be buried were decided simultaneously with the king’s enthronement.

The interior where the Knight King was buried was vivid enough in memory to immediately extract and draw like a blueprint.

But the process of finding that tomb was the problem.

Since Banteras disappeared without a trace, it wouldn’t be strange if anything was built atop it.

‘One clue is enough.’

Based on something related to Banteras, he could work backward to the tomb’s location, groping for the place it was buried.

‘Certainly Banteras exists. I can’t rule out the possibility it’s hidden because it’s too important a record. Or there might be someone who possesses related relics.’

Pernok switched his thinking.

‘What’s the possibility they possess it but don’t know its value, or hid it because they don’t know how to use it?’

With a gambling mindset, Pernok threw out a keyword.

“If relics related to Banteras come in, tell me.”

“Banteras?”

“An emblem looking like this is Banteras’ mark.”

Pernok drew Banteras’ emblem and delivered it identically to both the historical society and archaeological society.

‘It’ll need roughly a month for rumors to spread on rumors.’

The historical society’s gathering was next month.

The archaeological society brought in relics every half month.

Their word of mouth would spread to fellow members and might stimulate those who had the name and emblem of Banteras.

‘If no one comes, I’ll have no choice but to bury the Knight King for a while.’

There were still many powers to find.

He could only hope to quickly find the Knight King’s tomb within the breathless journey until the throne succession war 4 or 5 years later.

* * *

Pernok spent roughly a month going between the library and inn, passing time appropriately.

His head, which activated spiritual power and mana, reached a level of remembering all content seen once.

The time needed to comprehend all records of the new world wasn’t very long.

Another half month training mind and body while organizing insufficient content he couldn’t obtain from Yak.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door carefully.

Pernok closed his book, stood, and opened the door.

A small-framed middle-aged man with bushy white beard stood there.

He showed an emblem drawn on palm-sized paper right away and asked.

“Are you Pernok who drew this?”

“If so. Are you from the historical society?”

“The archaeological society. But you look younger than I thought…”

At the gaze that seemed to want to confirm something, Pernok smirked.

“Never mind worthless talk, just give me the item.”

“Item?”

“The society promised to show me first if relics related to ‘Banteras’ came out. Didn’t you come to show me a relic?”

That moment, special color stirred in his eyes.

“So you do know Banteras.”

“…?”

“My introduction is late. I’m archaeologist Kelt. I ran here from a distant place after seeing the emblem you drew.”

Pernok’s prediction that someone would certainly know Banteras hit the mark.

Making them come find him rather than him finding them was the correct answer.

“Are you affiliated with the society?”

“That’s right. But the society won’t know I came here. Banteras is my personal research to the end.”

“Does the society leak client addresses for private research?”

“If you’re displeased, I’ll apologize. But you’re also looking for Banteras, aren’t you? I guarantee the historical society or archaeological society won’t know those records. When I confided this great discovery, everyone ignored it and dismissed it as nonsense.”

All sorts of hurt emotions were mixed in Kelt’s voice.

“But since there’s someone who pursues Banteras like me, I believe Banteras will now be proven as truth not fantasy.”

“How much do you know about Banteras?”

“I’ve been looking for the path to Banteras’ holy land for a long time. I excavated various relics too. It seems a bit difficult to talk here though?”

Pernok felt it was worth confirming whether Kelt’s words were baseless confidence or not.

When he gestured with his chin toward the room, Kelt entered as if he’d been waiting.

The two people faced each other across the table.

“How much do you know about Banteras?”

“The land of mages. A great power that contested world hegemony.”

Then Kelt tilted his head.

“Mages? That can’t be. Banteras is the land of knights.”

“You excavated good relics, I see.”

When Pernok smirked, Kelt realized he’d been tested.

“Don’t tell me… You thought I was playing around?”

“I wanted to confirm what level of information you had. I couldn’t obtain anything related to Banteras here.”

“Ahem, that can’t be helped. Most records from 300 years ago were lost.”

“Lost? Why?”

“When Rakis was still a kingdom, there was a huge war on the continent. I heard most historical materials disappeared then.”

“Then past records can’t be found?”

“I heard there are old records in the Rakis Empire or Holy Kingdom. But those places are difficult even for nobles to enter. People like us have no choice but to grope for truth by excavating relics.”

Kelt asked with doubt.

“But how do you, someone who’s not even an archaeologist, know about Banteras?”

“There are records that have been handed down.”

Kelt’s eyes widened.

“Records? How far!?”

“Things about their culture, politics, society.”

“Oh! That’s exactly what I was looking for!”

“Do your relics have useful records written on them?”

“Relics are merely symbols. I luckily obtained a stone tablet with Banteras recorded by following emblems carved on relics. It contained stories about the holy land. After excavating several more relics, I came to trust the records. But no one believed my words.”

Kelt looked at Pernok with intense eyes.

“I will definitely prove Banteras.”

“Because you want to succeed?”

“No. I want to show the truth to those who drove me as a fraud!”

Pernok scanned Kelt’s shabby attire and nodded.

“Are you researching Banteras alone?”

“That’s right. But don’t worry! Though I’m like this, I’m someone the society counts highly from relic excavation to record searching! So, could you show me a bit of the records handed down to you?”

“I want to see the relics you found first. That way I can decide what I’ll tell you.”

As if wanting to avoid useless probing, Kelt immediately placed an old pendant on the table.

It looked like a common accessory, but it was by no means common in that era.

‘The symbol of city gate guard knights.’

Because it was an item those who became knights used like identification.

Pernok placed his hand on the pendant embedded with Banteras’ symbol.

[Your Majesty! Please reconsider!]

[You personally going to war is not acceptable!]

That moment, the Knight King’s memories engraved in his soul surged up.