I Was Reincarnated as the Prince in a Villainess Story, so I’ll Use My Cheat Knowledge to Create a Noble Lady Harem and Make Them All Happy - 59

Chapter 59: Pushed Forward by a Hero

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー

The night around the academy’s research wing was quietly cold. Valis and the others returned to the laboratory where the analysis of the relics continued, carrying with them the book they had retrieved from the Forbidden Archive—the Book of Morrigan. On the central table lay the “silver bracelet” delivered from Beltea, along with a dagger hilt, fragments of crystal, and pieces of charred parchment neatly arranged. Tri-layered wards were in place, the scribes continued their notes without pause, and the atmosphere was taut.

“We will now attempt to activate the heretical magic, Valcode.”

The moment Valis announced that, the shoulders of the scholars in the room twitched slightly. Someone swallowed. Someone else adjusted their pen grip. Their reaction was understandable.

“I will take full responsibility. I will also be the one to perform the activation.”

By stating it clearly, the murmurs quieted almost immediately. But the tension remained. Even so, Valis continued.

“The goal this time is activation only. That said, we must naturally prepare for the worst. Milia, please.”

Milia stepped forward.

“I called in several of the Royal Guard elites, people who can use Divine Arts. They can take position right away.”

The door opened, and Royal Guards in white cloaks entered. 

No sacrificial catalyst… We shouldn’t be calling forth anything like Biblos—the demon-god-class. But the impossible is always possible.

The silver bracelet was set in the center, while suppression and neutralization circles were drawn around it. Preparations were complete. Milia stood by in combat vestments, and the Royal Guards took their stances. That was when—

“Let us join you as well.”

Turning toward the voice, Valis saw Ars and Mina at the entrance. Ars was fully armed, and Mina wore battle vestments Valis had never seen before.

“Father, Mother…”

Mina approached with a soft smile.

“Elfein-sama contacted us.”

Then she briefly squeezed Valis’s hand.

“Valis. We’re fine now. I’m sorry we were such unreliable parents when our son—fighting for the girl who will become our precious daughter—needed us.”

Beside her, Ars’s armor clinked.

“Whatever comes out, Mina and I won’t let it lay a finger on you. Go all out.”

Valis gave them both a small smile and adjusted the Royal Guard formation. The elites would support Ars and Mina. He signaled to the recording, isolation, and ward teams, and then nodded to Milia.

“Begin.”

Valis stepped toward the central table, positioning himself between the silver bracelet and the Book of Morrigan. He took a deep breath, stabilizing the cadence of his chant.

“Valcode: Call Servant.”

At the chant, black miasma began bubbling out of the silver bracelet. The miasma writhed like a snake and was drawn into the spine of the Book of Morrigan beside it. The paper arched as if heated, and the spine creaked faintly. At the same time, a shadow formed on the floor. It swelled upward, taking the shape of a gargoyle with bat wings.

“—It’s coming!”

Even before Valis raised his voice, Ars had already kicked off the stone floor. A flash—one step, one slash. The gargoyle was cleaved apart and dissipated with an ear-splitting, indescribable shriek. The Royal Guard’s ward repelled the miasma, and their benedictions cleansed the residue.

What remained was a Book of Morrigan whose spine had turned blue. Valis hurried to open it. Most of the text remained the same. But several pages at the end had been added. There, written out, was the unlocking code for the Archive Arts.

“So this is the seal-release code… I never would have thought the seal itself wasn’t Valcode but was an Archive Arts construct…”

Could a seal that strong truly be formed with Archive Arts? Because Valis was well-versed in Archive Arts, he couldn’t hide his shock. His fingers didn’t stop turning the pages. The text clarified the nature of the seal. If Archive Arts were used, then that seal wasn’t closed from within. It was a ‘lock’ that sealed it from the outside. There was a note, likely written by the author themself.

『If you can read this, then either this nation has been invaded by heretical forces, or the sealed Goddess of Vengeance, Morrigan, has revived for some reason. If it is the former, you must never undo this seal. But if it is the latter, then it means the time-seal placed upon the ruins has begun to degrade. For that moment, I leave here the time-sealing formula. If you cannot use it, then erasing the demonkind serving as the vessel or erasing the human serving as such… Should allow you to withstand the situation for the time being.』

A small but unmistakable light flickered to life in Valis’s chest.

Here it is. The means to break the seal and rescue Reina.

At the end of the page—an elegant handwritten signature. Likely the name of the hero who once called himself “Warlock.” The time-sealing formula resembled the structure of Distortio Locus, which Valis had invoked earlier with Milia and Feril’s help. If that was the case, then he should be able to use it through similar means.

The hero must have understood he was extraordinary. The mention of “alternative measures” is proof of that.

Not only had a path of salvation appeared. The effort Valis had devoted to honing himself since Beltea was bearing fruit. Valis himself was beginning to gain the strength to reach Reina and that realization rekindled heat in his blood.

* * *

After a short rest, preparations for the incursion began. Milia naturally volunteered to accompany him, and Ars and Mina stood armored and ready. But it was unknown how the remnants of the time-sealing formula within the ruins would react. Valis, with his deep understanding of Archive Arts, could likely protect himself. But there was no guarantee that he could protect multiple people at once.

“—I will go alone.”

The conclusion fell quietly. Neither Milia, nor Ars, nor Mina, nor Reina’s father Livele—who had rushed there—objected. The success of the rescue would depend on Reina’s mind and will. And everyone knew that the one who could reach her the most was Valis.

* * *

Once the decision was made, preparation was swift.

“Hmm, good thing you’re not all that tall, Valis-kun. Saves me the trouble of altering it too much.”

“You didn’t need to emphasize that last part.”

Milia laughed as she resized her white vestments to fit Valis.

“The threads woven into my vestments carry Divine Arts themselves, so they should resist miasma. And I’ll add reinforcement too, but even with Koma-chan feeding you mana, it’ll last maybe a day at best. So hurry back with Reina, okay?”

Beside her, Feril finished her preparations. She shifted half of Amon into “Koma-chan mode” and housed it within the Book of Morrigan, turning the book into a portable mana supply source.

“Prince, I think my limit is around two days. After that, Koma-chan will probably wander back to me on her own.”

“What a troublesome creature, only getting attached to Feril.”

The light banter eased the tension slightly. Valis readied the one-handed sword that he had tuned as a conduit for Archive Arts. If Reina resisted and wielded her sword against him, there would be no defeating her. But Valis renewed his resolve. He would at least block one strike.

* * *

At the heart of the castle, the black seal was still there.The same place. The same silence as that night. Only waiting.

Valis stepped forward and laid his palm against it. Behind him, Milia and Feril held their breath.

“Unlock—Code: Keyhole.”

He integrated into the unlock spell the special keyword written in the Book of Morrigan—the code that would unbind the anomalous locking mechanism. The black mass twisted. Layer after layer of interwoven bindings unraveled like chains coming undone.

“—!”

From the opened aperture, high-density miasma shot upward, but only for an instant. Soon the black thinned, leaving a pale residue on the rim of the now-revealed pillar opening.

“Please, Valis-kun. Bring Reina back.”

Valis placed his hand against the rim, speaking without turning around.

“I’ll take all of your hopes with me. Leave the rest to me.”

The world inverted once and Valis’s figure vanished beyond the opening.

ーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー