Chapter 12: Treasures

Naemon lay on the narrow bed, holding the notebook carefully in his hands. With a deep, tense breath, he began to read.

It was a diary. A diary that told the story of a little boy.

The boy's name was Sebastian Fledertod, and he was no ordinary child. He was a young genius from an ancient family of magicians—the Fledertods, one of the most powerful families known as vampire hunters.

Despite his genius, Sebastian’s body was, unfortunately, ill-suited for magic.

Naemon's pupils shrank as he read this. He turned the pages more slowly, his concentration sharpening.

Even ordinary commoners were better suited to magic than Sebastian. No magic potion or priest could change that. Sebastian felt ashamed and alone in his family of powerful magicians.

"What? Even commoners were better at magic?! I thought you were born a magician!" Naemon couldn't believe it. It was common knowledge that only high nobility could become magicians, which was the opposite of Aura Warriors. Anyone could become an Aura Warrior if they had access to a legacy, which is why Aura Warriors often became knights.

Adrenaline surged through Naemon. He wanted to leap out of bed and search through the other books and notes, but he held back. He needed to finish reading the diary first.

Despite everything, Sebastian's family loved him. But one day, as a young man, filled with pent-up shame and hatred toward the gods, he left his family. Where did he go? To this cave.

He lived in darkness, researching magic and ways to change his fate.

Over time, the boy became an old man.

When the old man realized how much time had passed, he decided to leave his cave once again.

He expected to see sunshine and nature, but what he saw shocked him.

Where green forests had once stood, there were now only charred remains. The fresh air had vanished, replaced by a foul stench.

Later, the old man learned the cause of this hellish landscape.

A vampire lord had made a pact with a demon. This pact granted the vampire lord immense power, which he used to launch an invasion against the mortals.

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The next news, however, broke the old man's heart. One of the first victims of the vampire lord's war was Sebastian's family, completely wiped out.

The family had barricaded themselves in their estate, deep within the invasion zone. They could no longer defend themselves. The wounds were adding up, and the food rations were running out. One day, in desperation, every single family member decided to take their own lives to avoid being enslaved or transformed by the vampires.

Sebastian's family had never treated him poorly, despite his weak body. He had always wanted to return to them with good news, to make them proud.

Sebastian Fledertod, the failed magician, decided to join the war. He spent his later years slaughtering vampires and their domesticated monsters. His intelligence and skill with magic made him as deadly as master mages, despite his lack of mana.

This part of the journal was not as detailed as the earlier entries, but one thing was clear: the old man never gave up his research. In fact, the war inspired him, and he made significant progress. Fortunately, there were plenty of test subjects in the form of vampires and monsters.

The war eventually ended after the vampire lord was beheaded, and the old man returned to his cave to continue his research.

The last entry was made shortly after the old man had a breakthrough. But before he could test the results of his research, his war injuries worsened... and the journal ended.

*Sigh*

Naemon looked at the journal in his hand, a sad expression on his face.

He glanced at the skeleton again. A tear rolled down his cheek. Thanks for reading on ManaNovel!

"Please forgive me, I had no idea. You suffered an even worse fate while I was crying here."

Naemon had learned not only his friend's story but also other things. Unfortunately, much of the notebook was still incomprehensible—it appeared to contain his research results.

Naemon got up from the bed and slowly walked to the table where Sebastian's skeleton sat. Once there, he placed the diary on the table and took the metal ring with the raven emblem instead.

"So this is the insignia of the House of Fledertod," he said, slipping the ring onto the index finger of his right hand.

"It not only marks the heir of the Fledertod family, but also serves as the key to that damned door!" Naemon pointed to the door with his index finger, but nothing happened. "I have to learn magic for that first. *Sigh*"

He patted his cheeks to motivate himself and continued. He began to remove the coat from the skeleton. "I'm sorry, Sebastian, but I can't leave such a good coat made of stone buffalo leather here." The book said that Sebastian had received this coat as a gift from his father, who had hunted and killed the stone buffalo himself.

Naemon put on the coat. It felt good to finally be dry and clothed.

"My friend, I have to move you to a new place for a moment," said Naemon. He gently lifted the skeleton from the desk chair and carried it to a corner of the room.

Finally, Naemon sat down at the table and took a deep breath. "It's time to take a closer look at the books. Somewhere here is..."