The Bookkeeper-Chapter 56: Return

The truth hurts—not necessarily in the knowing of it, but in how it strips away one’s ego. The truths Raiden spoke to the kingdom and its elders did precisely that.

Their honor, respect, and carefully cultivated maturity were being stung by a seventeen-year-old, and worse still, he voiced accusations that, even if denied, would forever tarnish their image as the wise elders they claimed to be.

However, from Alora’s expression and the confidence in her tone—speaking with the sheer determination of a Persian princess—Raiden knew she herself might harbor her own agenda against him. Still, the barrier around them was finally broken. But was it at a price Raiden could afford to pay?

It was a calm afternoon, and Raiden, alongside everyone else, sat cross-legged on the grassy field to the right of the mansion’s entrance.

They followed his lead as he guided them through everything he had managed to learn from Freya’s explanation of her mana usage. And yet, Freya herself remained in their midst, still learning from Raiden.

"I’d suggest we fill each part of our bodies with mana."

He reached for his face and touched the few bruises remaining from his encounter with Alora and June the previous day.

"How? Using the previous meditation skills you’ve learned on how to carefully tap into your mana. The same imagination. Scatter it across your entire body."

Raiden said and sank deep into his meditation. Whatever the kingdom had planned ahead, he had to make sure his comrades were in shape in terms of strength first, before reconsidering anything else.

And not only the kingdom—the assassins, Dawnbringers, and their most recent enemy, the Jasper family.

They all remained on the ground, eyes closed and breathing calmly like ancient monks.

However, just as they settled into their meditation, a loud crash echoed from within the mansion, prompting them to open their eyes in an instant.

Raiden’s heart began to race as he feared something might have happened to Ash, since she was the only one inside the house, sleeping. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

He instinctively rose to his feet and began sprinting into the house, and the others immediately followed.

However, the moment they entered, a huge wind blew against them, forcing them to grab onto the shelves on the wall as books scattered across the floor and some floated midair.

Now none of them could see the dark energy within the room, but Raiden could. The sensation grew thicker and thicker as it began suffocating him and the others. Someone was trying to steal the book.

Raiden held his breath and began taking bold steps with strong determination as he tried to reach the rails of the staircase in the living room. The hovering books slammed into his face and the dark sensation prevented him from seeing clearly, but he knew he had to get there.

He had done this before—even back then it was the actual storeroom with the real Book of Ashes, and yet he had managed to pull through.

Now, with only a camouflaged storeroom and a replica of the Book of Ashes containing just a fragment of the book’s overwhelming dark energy, he knew he could pull through again.

Yet that didn’t make it any less difficult. He had to pull ten times his weight through the mist. But he gritted his teeth and planted his legs firmly on the floor with determination. He managed to get his hands on the rails and then began forcing his way up.

However, he wasn’t going through this out of responsibility and curiosity alone, but fear and doubt. The thought that pushed him forward was Ash. Was she the one who tried to take the book? Had her hibernation caused her to become insane?

Each of his steps radiated a different thought, making him want to reach the third floor even faster. And finally, he pulled through, making his way upstairs.

Right before the door to his room, he could see someone in a blue dress lying on the floor with blood streaming from their head. The image wasn’t clear due to the dark energy radiating from the book room, which was opposite his room.

There were no enchanted stickers to contain the energy and pull the dark sensation back into the chest within the room. He had to use sheer strength to resolve this.

Without a moment’s hesitation, he pushed harder and made his way to the book room. He pressed his hand against the wall and gripped the door handle, then with all his might pulled the door open against the energy.

In the heat of the moment, he feared he might break the door from the force alone, but still, he had no other option. He had to pull through.

He harnessed all his strength and pulled the door with sheer determination, and the moment he closed it, most of the dark energy was abruptly pulled back into the room.

Raiden let out a deep sigh of relief and leaned his head against the door, trying to catch his breath. The sweat on his face stained the door as some dripped onto it. He reached for the key in the door and locked it.

The moment he did, realization hit him, and he reached for his pocket. His key to the room was still there, and that was when he turned his head toward the person who collapsed on the floor.

He immediately wore a smile of relief. It wasn’t Ash, but rather Aeris. She had come to steal the book.

At that very moment, the others also made their way through the thin sensation to Raiden, and the moment they saw Aeris on the floor, Leo hurried to check on her to see if she was still alive.

However, Levi, who was fully absorbed by what exactly was happening, walked toward Raiden while the others remained still, confused.

"I thought you said you would kill her the next time you saw her," Levi mocked.

However, Levi, who was fully absorbed by what exactly was happening, walked toward Raiden while the others remained still, confused.

"I thought you said you would kill her the next time you saw her," Levi mocked.

His words put a smile on Raiden’s face. Now they had seen the energy the book radiated, which meant they were most likely to believe the theory he had given them about the book—that each page was filled with enough dark energy to destroy a heart.

"Yes..." he gave them a reassuring nod.

Freya’s expression darkened. "She’s a traitor, then... so why is Leo checking up on her?"

Raiden paused for a moment and glanced at Aeris. Regardless of whether he would kill her, not only had she betrayed Raiden and put them in danger, nearly getting all of them killed multiple times, but she had also tried to steal the Book of Ashes—the sole book he was sworn to protect as the bookkeeper.

"I know what you’re thinking, Raiden... and yes, let’s sacrifice her," Levi said with a cocky smile.

Raiden also smiled. They were in need of someone to spy on the assassins, and considering each of them was already a powerful and effective ally, making them serve as a spy would be a very bad decision. They might end up dead.

But now, with their sole traitor, Aeris was once again around to be used against those who would betray them. Her blood wouldn’t be mourned, at least not among them—the guardians of ashes.

"Leo, I want you to heal her." His grin deepened. "We get answers on who sent her, and after that, we use her as bait."

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