Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

Unlike the library they had found inside the shed, the one inside the mansion contained 'normal books.' There were no traces of dark magic or rituals that would send shivers down anyone's spine.

William and 03 worked together, browsing through the books for anything related to the seal on their bodies. It was a powerful seal, and neither of them knew how to destroy it.

03 grew increasingly frustrated. He searched and searched but found nothing. What he really wanted to do was punch something—he even clenched his fist in preparation—but he restrained himself, knowing that making noise at that moment would be foolish.

"I can't believe we went through all of this just to find nothing," he said. "Now they'll know someone was here."

He was starting to give up. William, on the other hand, refused to surrender. Stuart was right there with him, helping search for information about the seal.

At one point, they even heard noises coming from the hallway, which filled them with fear and panic. But no one entered, and nothing bad happened to them.

"I found something," Stuart said.

William and 03 quickly moved to where Stuart was, and they both read the same pages he had been examining.

"This is the same seal you two have—at least, it looks the same. But we have a problem," Stuart said.

"What is it?"

"To break it, you'll need the blood of the person who placed the seal on you," Stuart explained.

That was certainly a problem. Now William understood why Jonas had been so confident about the seal and unafraid that someone might find a way to break it.

How could they obtain the blood of the person who placed the seal if they couldn't even leave the place or use magic? It seemed impossible.

03 realized this too, and his anger turned to sadness. "We're going to be slaves forever… This is heartbreaking."

He sat on the ground, knees drawn up, hugging them tightly. The sight of 03 like that broke William's heart. 03 had been a good friend and someone who didn't deserve to be in this situation.

"Who placed the seal on you?" William asked.

"Someone from a gang—famous slave traders who roam around capturing people," 03 replied.

"Those are the same ones who placed it on me too! Hey, we can find them. I have someone on the outside who might help us," William said.

When 03 heard this, it was as if life returned to his face. He no longer looked devastated, and even a hint of a smile appeared.

"Are you serious? Don't play with me like this," he said.

"Of course I am. Why would I lie to you? But I don't know how long it will take to get out of here. It might take a year…"

William was hoping that his influence on Victoria might lead her to grow stronger, and perhaps she could find a way to obtain the blood.

Even with such a long timeframe, 03 wasn't discouraged. His eyes still burned with hope. "That's not a problem. Even if it takes five years, it'll still be worth it! What do you think about talking to the others about this?"

03 was referring to the other slaves working in the mines with them. Both had lost hope of ever leaving that place, but now they might have a chance to reignite that hope.

William, however, remained cautious. "Let's first see if they're really trustworthy. We can't let anyone ruin our plan."

"Right, right. I'll do my best to talk to them without revealing too much," 03 said.

"Good."

After obtaining what they needed, they left the library. Stuart reactivated the magical formation, but they couldn't completely hide their traces.

"Will they know it was us?" 03 asked.

"They won't know who it was, but they'll know someone broke the barrier. We should avoid talking about this and return safely to our rooms," William whispered back.

It took them much longer to return to their rooms. They couldn't risk being seen, as that would certainly raise suspicions.

William couldn't stop thinking about the guard he had spoken to before leaving. The guard knew they had left.

'Will he say something to Jonas? What should I do?'

03 had a different room, so they eventually parted ways. When William returned to his room, the guard was no longer standing in the hallway. He had accepted William's request and gone to rest—or perhaps to drink and join the party.

That night was difficult for William. He tossed and turned in bed, thinking about what would happen the next day and about the guard.

The next morning, someone knocked on William's door. Unlike previous times, the knocking was much harder, as if the person was in a hurry.

William answered, and it was Jonas. "I'm calling everyone for a meeting. Go to the courtyard, now."

After dressing, William left his room. In the courtyard, he saw a large crowd.

It wasn't just the slaves like William and 03, but all the workers under Jonas' command.

The only person missing was Wendy, and William wondered why.

Jonas stood in front of his employees and spoke in a harsh tone. "I've called all of you here today due to a security breach that occurred last night. Someone broke into the library."

Everyone exchanged glances, looking surprised. William tried to appear equally shocked.

"I know some of you are learning magic in secret, and that might be the reason you wanted to access the library to obtain books on the subject. For that reason, every single one of you is a suspect in this matter."

William sighed in relief. He had been afraid that Jonas would immediately link the slaves to the incident, but apparently, other workers had also caused trouble in the past and present.

"We're going to interrogate all of you today, so your shifts are suspended," Jonas said.

The situation wasn't looking good. William wasn't the first to be questioned, so he used the time to walk around.

He searched for the guard who had seen him the previous night. It wasn't hard to find him. The guard was hiding behind a tree, enjoying the gentle morning breeze.

It was as if he had been expecting someone to approach him.

William leaned against the tree and whispered, "I need to talk to you."

The guard didn't even look at him. "I know you're the one who broke into the library."

His tone was resolute. William instantly realized he wouldn't be able to convince the guard otherwise, and with the evidence the guard had, his fate seemed sealed.

"Don't get me wrong—I won't tell anyone it was you," the guard said. "I think we can work together from now on. What do you say?"

William couldn't comprehend why the guard would want to collaborate with him. Surely, if the guard handed William over to Jonas, he would receive a hefty reward.

"What do you have in mind? I just can't understand how a guard like you can work with someone like me."

The guard smiled. "I know you're strong. The only problem is the seal on your body. And tell me, what makes you think I came here to work for Jonas willingly? Can't I have my own motives?"

"I see… Well, let's work together, then." Continue your saga on My Virtual Library Empire

"The first thing we should do is establish our story."

They talked for a while, hidden behind the tree. They needed a convincing story about what had happened the previous night, and that wasn't difficult to fabricate.

The only thing worrying William was the fact that the guard had seen him leave shortly before the library was breached. But now that they were working together, that was no longer a problem.

When it was time for William to tell his story, he knew exactly what to say.

When the guard was questioned, his account aligned perfectly with William's story.

"Yes, I saw him leaving and accompanied him to the bathroom. After that, he returned to his room. I didn't see anything else."

Jonas trusted his guard. "Well, so it wasn't the slaves… Who could have done it?"

There were just too many people working for Jonas, and it was getting hard for him to find the culprit.

What made things worse for him was the information that came next.

"Sir, there are no stolen books. Everything is at the exact same place."

One of the things that might help Jonas find the culprit was something like a book in its possession, but now, he wouldn't have that luxury. He was lost.

William was both happy that no one had found him, and worried at the same time. The guard knew his secret.

Would he ask for things? Would he try to manipulate him? Only time would tell what intentions the guard had.

'For now I should focus on using my sword to help Victoria...'

She was the only one capable of helping William escape.

During the afternoon of that same day, William stayed inside his room and used the sword to communicate with Victoria, who was close to leaving her village.