Chapter 3: Deciphering the Script

After receiving her punishment, Mapel promptly began her training in the courtyard, while Owen headed to the study.

The study was located on the third floor—the top floor of the castle—right in the middle. It wasn’t very large. Directly across from the entrance was a glass window, in front of which sat a desk and chair. On both sides of the room stood bookshelves filled with a variety of books.

[Whoa! You’ve got quite the collection. Just what I’d expect from a wealthy noble.]

Winston knew that all of these books were made from parchment. Each one was extremely valuable—far beyond what commoners could afford.

Approaching the bookshelf, Owen ran his right hand across the spines of the books, a nostalgic expression appearing on his face.

[These books are the result of many years of accumulation by the Eisen family. My father loved books and often read to me when I was young. Thanks to him, I grew fond of reading too. I’ve read every single book in here.]

[Alright, alright, enough reminiscing! Let’s get to the main task!] 

Winston urged.

[I know, stop rushing me.]

The so-called “main task” was for Owen to quickly browse through the books so Winston could gather and decipher the written language of this world, and store the data in his database.

There were many advantages to this: Winston would be able to directly provide translated books or blueprints from his world. And in future system upgrades, the interface could use characters Owen was familiar with.

Owen casually pulled out a copy of The History of Dawn, opened it in his hands, and started flipping through from the first page. He moved quickly, since he didn’t need to read every word.

Even so, Winston kept urging him to go faster—faster, even faster!

Wasn’t this fast enough already?

In the end, Owen had to press his thumb against the edge of the book and flip through the pages rapidly by letting the book bend and spring back, finishing a book in just over ten seconds.

He repeated the process with a few more books until Winston finally told him to stop.

[Is that enough? I was flipping so fast—were you really able to record the text in those books?] Owen asked, doubtful.

[It’s done. Not only was everything recorded, but the deciphering is complete too.]

[Huh? It’s already done?]

Owen was astonished. To think that an entirely unknown script could be deciphered in such a short time—was this the “high-tech power” Winston had mentioned?

[Haha, that’s nothing. I’ve got a lot more surprises waiting for you in the future.]

[Oh? Then I’ll be looking forward to it.]

With the deciphering complete, Owen sent a guard at the door to summon Ryan, then sat down at the desk to handle the pile of documents that had accumulated from the previous day.

Knock knock!

Before entering, Ryan knocked on the door, then stepped inside and bowed with a hand over his chest.

“Master, you called for me?”

After finishing the last word, Owen set down his quill and looked up at Ryan.

“Yes, Ryan. Take some people and clear out the storage room at the far end of the first floor of the castle. Move all the clutter elsewhere. Then, hire some workers to dig a square pit in the center of the room—about one meter deep, and covering roughly half the room’s floor area. Finally, fill the pit with sand.”

“As you command, Master.”

Ryan turned to leave and carry out the task, but Owen suddenly remembered something and quickly called him back:

“Wait—one more thing. Cover the windows with curtains.”

“Understood. Any other requests, sir?”

“Hmm… No, that’s all. You may go.”

Ryan bowed and took his leave, while Owen resumed handling the paperwork in front of him.

As the castle’s steward, Ryan was undoubtedly very competent. As long as a task wasn’t dangerous, he never questioned it and always completed it thoroughly and efficiently.

The reason Owen wanted to set up a sand pit inside the castle was to make it easier to transfer objects from the other world in the future.

As for why sand was needed? That had to do with something Winston called the “conservation of mass,” though Owen didn’t fully understand it.

Winston had explained it in simple terms: the total mass of both parallel universes must remain constant and equal. Any cross-universe transfer must be balanced—if one universe gains mass and the other loses it, it could cause serious problems.

So, to receive something from the other world, an equal amount of sand would be exchanged in return. A simple and effective principle.

…

Owen spent the entire morning staying in the castle handling administrative work. In the afternoon, he went out with Mapel—who had completed her training—heading to the experimental field where the incident occurred yesterday.

The moment they left the castle, Mapel went into full alert mode. She walked ahead of Owen, her right hand never leaving the hilt of her sword, her expression sharp and icy. The townsfolk they passed all instinctively stepped aside.

[Whoa, is your knight on her way to kill someone? She looks terrifying.] 

Winston joked.

[That’s your fault!] 

Owen cursed inwardly.

Still, Mapel acting this way might hurt Owen’s image as a lord, and that wasn’t good.

With no better option, he tried to reason with her.

“Mabel, there’s no need to be so tense. What happened yesterday won’t happen again.”

“That won’t do.” 

Mabel said, stopping and turning to face him. 

“Yesterday I also thought it was safe—and look what happened. Protecting my lord’s safety is a knight’s duty. I must ensure that nothing can get close to you, Lord Owen.”

“So, in order to protect me, you’re not even going to listen to what I say anymore?”

“Uh…” 

Mapel was momentarily speechless.

Not obeying orders meant disloyalty—and a knight was supposed to embody loyalty. When Mabel had been appointed as the chief knight, she had pledged her loyalty to Owen.

This put her in a bind. She was suddenly torn, unsure of what to do.

“All right, Mapel. I know you’ve never been fond of thinking too much. I can’t bear to see you struggle like this.”

Owen smiled and shook his head, then continued,

“Protection and loyalty are both important—you don’t have to choose one over the other. But your protective behavior has gone a bit too far. Look over there at that little girl. I know she admires you greatly—she even once gave you flowers. Now, she doesn’t even dare come near you.”

Mapel looked in the direction Owen pointed and, sure enough, it was the little girl who had once given her flowers. The child was now keeping a safe distance, clearly frightened.

After hearing Owen’s words, Mapel suddenly understood—she had overreacted.

“I sincerely apologize, Lord Owen.” 

She said, her face filled with guilt. 

“A dull knight like me may not be worthy of serving as your chief knight.”

“Don’t say that, Mapel.”

Owen’s expression turned serious as he corrected her,

“You’ve been my companion since childhood. I know you well and trust you deeply. There’s no one more suited to be my chief knight than you. Besides, last winter, you completed the task my father entrusted to you brilliantly and saved the lives of many people—including mine. You are an exceptional knight, and that is a fact. I won’t allow you to deny yourself like that.”

Hearing such praise, Mapel’s cheeks flushed red, and she looked down in embarrassment.

“Yes, Lord Owen. I will do my utmost to fulfill my duties as chief knight.”

“Good. Then let’s go.”

This time, Mapel followed obediently behind Owen. As she looked at his back, a small smile formed on her lips, and her heart felt warm.

[So… what exactly happened last winter?]

On the way, Winston couldn’t help but ask Owen, curious about the story.

[Hmm… I’ll explain it to you in detail when I have the time. For now, let’s focus on the task at hand.]

[Alright then.]

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter