—Years Prior Chapter 1–

1438 SC (Salvatore Calendar), Southern tropical region of Teigitan Kingdom, Duke Aivett's territory

In the pitch-black cellar, a female figure clad in lightweight leather armor and a gray dress made of stitched cloth slowly descended the stairs. Twisted horns on her head marked her as a member of the sheepfolk.

Little did she know that this place would be where she made a decision that would shape her entire life.

"It's so dark..." she muttered to herself, looking around. She picked up a thick book tucked under her arm, opened it, and began softly murmuring.

"O' [Book of Mela], I offer my magical power as thee price. Please dispel the darkness around me and illuminate mine surroundings until my magic is depleted!" As she finished speaking, the book in her hand emitted a strong glow, slowly enveloping her. In the dark basement, it was a dazzling sight.

This was a very special form of incantation system—spellbook magic.

Unlike conventional magic that uses the language of fairy incantations and communicates with elemental fairies hidden in the atmosphere, certain special elemental spirits reside in books. The content recorded in these books served as the means of communication with these spirits. They were called book spirits, and only those chosen by a book spirit could decipher the words written in the book.

"The musty smell of books... I love it."

The female sheepfolk was an adventurer, and her innate class was a [Curse Book User].

She was born in a village called Barli in the east of Duke Rulkes' territory in the Teigitan Kingdom, where the sheepfolk resided. The sheepfolk were peaceful by nature, but that didn't mean they were weak. They generally possessed remarkable physical abilities, and if they had the talent for magic, they often became versatile warriors.

It was there that she was born.

From a young age, she loved reading books. She loved it so much that she had read every book in every household in the village, reaching the point of complete familiarity.

However, that couldn't satisfy her. Therefore, when she came of age, she began traveling from village to village, vowing to devour every village's library...

Among the books, her favorites were those related to magic, whether they were introductions, guidebooks, or magical treatises.

...But the magic commonly known to the world was limited, and ordinary magic books soon failed to fulfill her thirst for knowledge.

To accommodate her nomadic lifestyle, she became an adventurer traveling across nations. She wanted to read magical books from all over the world. This unique trait led her to a strange fascination that she suddenly felt one day. Following that feeling, she ventured into a labyrinth and encountered the ancient spellbook she now held in her hands—the [Book of Mela].

From then on, the young girl possessed the rare class, [Curse Book User], a class that only a few possessed on the entire continent. She later became an A-ranked adventurer... And now, she had come to this cellar because she had received a commissioned request.

She was commissioned to come to the Duke's castle and decipher a book filled with ancient writings. It was said to have been brought out of a labyrinth by an adventurer and was offered to Duke Aivett.

"The reputation of a [Curse Book User] is well deserved," the young girl who followed her into the cellar said. "You're amazing. I'm really envious."

She was a new maid in this place.

"You're giving me too much credit," the sheepfolk woman replied with a somewhat bashful smile.

"Not at all, I really admire you! Oh, I forgot to do my job while chatting," the girl suddenly remembered that she was supposed to guide the way. She had lost herself in conversation because the [Curse Book User] was so friendly.

The girl immediately ran off and returned after a while, holding a thick book in her hands.

"Um, here it is." The young girl carefully handed the ancient book to the sheepfolk woman.

"Thank you. Let me see... Oh, it seems to be written in ancient Baryl script!" The sheepfolk woman gently touched the uneven marks on the surface of the book, and a strong sense of excitement began to spread in her heart.

This is a rare ancient book from the era of ancient heroes! It would be even better if it's a magical treatise!

"Ah, ah, ah! I've wasted too much time! I'm sorry miss, but I have to go back now, or the head maid will scold me. Um, um, you should be able to find your way back to your assigned room, right?" The clumsy girl handed the book to the sheepfolk woman and looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Go on, go on, you adorable little child." The sheepfolk woman was also very kind-hearted, even though such things were not allowed in noble households, she still indulged the naive maid.

After the girl hurriedly ran off, the sheepfolk woman put away her smile.

She wasn't in a rush to start studying the book in her hands, not because she wasn't excited, but because when she opened the [Book of Mela] just now, she noticed something.

Each spellbook had its unique function. And the special ability of the [Book of Mela] was life detection... Every living being would be revealed on a compass-like diagram on the [Book of Mela].

Being an adventurer was a profession accompanied by wealth and danger, and over the years, she had encountered numerous enemies' ambushes. If it weren't for the [Book of Mela], she might have already met her demise.

And now, according to the contents of the [Book of Mela], there was a living being here, behind that wall in the cellar. It seemed like they were imprisoned.

Was this place a prison? Why would a young child be confined here? She couldn't help but feel curious.

...

After groping around for a while, she finally found a protruding stone tile on the stone wall and pressed it down, causing a rumbling sound of a gate opening.

Behind the hidden wall, there was a prison cell, and the sheepfolk woman froze.

In the darkness, a figure appeared, but due to the lack of light, she couldn't see the person inside clearly.

However, it was a young girl, there was no mistake. That petite figure couldn't be older than twelve... Who was she? Why would someone so young be imprisoned here?