Yes, that was exactly why I had frozen in place earlier.
The face in front of me was almost identical to Kashalia’s, like they were twins.
I had subconsciously thought that little yellow book had somehow made its way here.
But obviously, Kashalia’s main body, which was stored in the Demon King’s Castle Grand Library, could never have traveled this far.
And from what I could see now, their personalities differed drastically.
Evin and Cecilia looked over curiously, clearly wondering why my reaction was so strong.
The purple-haired girl, on the other hand, looked more puzzled.
“Kashalia? I’ve never heard that name before.”
I had forgotten that Kashalia was just the pen name the little yellow book had given herself.
But looking at the face that was exactly the same as Kashalia’s, a possibility suddenly occurred to me.
“Could it be… you’re one of the remnant pages of the Eternal Library?”
“Eh? Little sister, you know about the Eternal Library?”
This time she finally showed some reaction, but what she said next was completely unexpected.
“But I’m not the Eternal Library. I’m her sister, the Eternal Gallery. We’re twin holy relics.”
Twin holy relics?
I had never heard of that term in my previous life.
Sensing my confusion, the purple-haired girl smiled gently.
“Explaining it would take a while. How about I paint a picture of you, little sister, and we chat slowly? You can sit here for now. The other two little sisters can wait a moment. It’ll be your turn soon.”
We hadn’t been expecting that at all.
The expressions on Evin and Cecilia’s faces clearly conveyed that shared thought.
But they seemed to understand that with our current limited knowledge, they couldn’t really chime in.
So they obediently sat down on the nearby sofa, looking like little kids ready for a bedtime story.
There were also plenty of snacks and desserts here anyway.
As for becoming a model, I was pretty resistant to the idea.
But it was clear that if I didn’t do this, it would be hard to learn more information from her.
My strong curiosity won out.
After a brief hesitation, I sat down on the soft chair in front of her easel, acting as a temporary model while listening to the purple-haired girl’s story.
According to her, twin holy relics were a special type among holy relics.
They were even more powerful than ordinary ones, but far rarer.
Their greatest strength could only be displayed when both existed together.
She and Kashalia were a pair collectively known as “Eternal,” twin holy relics.
However, due to the successive millennium wars and catastrophes in ancient times, the two had been separated.
Not only that, as their power faded over time, their connection had gradually weakened until now they could no longer sense each other at all.
Their main bodies had also suffered severe damage.
Listening to her explanation, I finally understood.
So twin holy relics were stronger than regular holy relics.
Even though I had been quite skilled in my previous life, I hadn’t reached the top-tier equipment level yet, so it made sense that I didn’t know about this.
When she learned that I had already obtained the Eternal Library, Rotana looked surprised but also very happy.
Yes, this girl had given herself a name just like Kashalia.
Apparently she was quite a famous painter in the Constanterna Empire and had published quite a few art albums and illustration collections.
I was a bit curious about that, but what interested me more was her earlier mention of her main body being damaged.
“Does that mean you’re currently in an incomplete state too, Rotana?”
“Yes. If you can help me collect all the fragments, little sister, I can lend you all my power.”
Rotana smiled slightly.
As soon as she finished speaking, a quest prompt appeared in front of me.
System: Do you accept the quest [Search for the Fragments of the Eternal Gallery]?
As expected, holy relics wouldn’t be handed over so easily.
They were either incomplete or sealed.
And no wonder the puzzle was so similar to Kashalia’s back then.
It was basically the twin situation.
I pouted and accepted the quest.
Once I accepted it, Rotana was added to my inventory.
Eternal Gallery [Incomplete]
Item Description: A holy relic left over from ancient times, evolved from 349,100 ancient paintings. It combines the physique of truth-seekers and the divine power of gods, recording over a thousand years of historical deductions up to the present day.
Attributes: Holder’s Spirit +10%, Strength +10%, Constitution +20%, All-Element Resistance +10%, Will +10, Insight +10, Tenacity +10
Attached Skills: Quick Sketch of All Things [Records the current state and position of oneself or another target. After use, rewinds to the recorded point, restoring all states including skill cooldowns (this skill excluded). Cooldown: Three natural days]
All-Knowing Eye [Insight spell enhanced based on preserved paintings within the work. Can be used to appraise equipment and master various knowledge more quickly. Passive skill.]
The attribute bonuses were similar to the Eternal Library’s, but while the latter favored magic classes, this one leaned more toward physical classes.
More importantly, according to Rotana’s description, the attributes from twin holy relics could stack.
I could enjoy the high attribute bonuses from both the Eternal Library and the Eternal Gallery at the same time, unlike other holy relics that repelled each other and allowed only one set of bonuses to take effect.
But in the end, aside from me, probably no one else would possess multiple holy relics.
After all, they were as rare as mythical equipment.
What surprised me the most was the skill attached to the Eternal Gallery.
In certain situations, it could unleash astonishing effects, and it seemed like it could even synergize with Kashalia’s skills.
The Quick Sketch of All Things ability was basically like having a second life.
This also helped me understand how that mage from my previous life had been able to wipe out a hundred-man team.
No one could predict the full power of an empire’s top-ten mage when they went all out without restraint.
While I was still checking Rotana’s attributes, she had already finished adding the details to the painting in front of her in a short time.
“It’s done. Would you like to take a look?”
Cecilia had just stood up to grab some snacks.
Hearing this, she walked over, but upon seeing Rotana’s painting, she couldn’t help but look curious.
“Evin: !!! Why is An An naked in the painting you drew?”
Me: ???
I immediately snapped out of it and rushed over, using my hand to block a certain elementary schooler who was trying to get closer.
I looked at the painting Rotana had drawn.
Sure enough, just as Cecilia had said, although the figure of myself in the painting matched the pose I had struck earlier, I was completely nude.
The fair skin with a hint of pink, the faint but rounded curves hidden under my arms revealing an alluring pink bud, and between those slender, tender legs seemed to hide something that made one’s blood rush.
My face instantly flushed red.
After just one glance, I used my other hand to cover the eyes of a certain clueless little loli beside me and angrily said to Rotana,
“Why did you paint something like this?! And how can you imagine it in such detail?!”
“Cecilia, don’t look either!”
“Isn’t this a form of art? Besides, I really love the soft and adorable bodies of children.”
Rotana blinked and pulled out several art albums signed with her own name from nearby, flipping them open.
Every cover featured indescribable loli-type girls.
“Look, these are all paintings I’ve done. Even though they look like this, a lot of people really like them.”
So your profession is actually a doujin artist!
Your big sister writes little yellow books, and you draw little yellow picture books.
How am I supposed to complain about you two sisters?!
“This painting is confiscated!”
I gritted my teeth and stored the painting in my backpack.
After thinking for a moment, I also snatched the several art collections from her hands.
“These are confiscated too. You can’t corrupt children.”
Evin, who had been sulking because her painting was confiscated, pouted at the sight.
“Clearly An An just wants to keep it for herself… ow…”
Even though her paintings had been confiscated, Rotana didn’t seem too discouraged.
Instead, she turned her target toward Evin and Cecilia.
Evin naturally refused no matter what, muttering that her body belonged only to An An.
As a result, she got hit with a double combo from me and ended up crouching in defense.
Cecilia, on the other hand, didn’t mind at all.
Seeing this wayward girl about to become the sacrifice for a bestselling single-volume doujin by an artist over a single dessert, I, in the name of justice, immediately stepped in to stop the farce.
“You, stop harassing innocent little girls. I don’t have time to wait for you to draw some picture books. Once we get back to the Demon King’s Castle, I’ll give you plenty of time to draw slowly. Besides, don’t you want to see your big sister too?”
“I suppose that’s true.”
Rotana nodded, though she still didn’t seem fully convinced.
“Are there any cute little kids there?”
“Sort of one, I guess.”
I thought of a certain legal loli who was over fifty years old and added,
“You might even meet some of your own kind there.”
After handling things with the Eternal Gallery, this trip was basically complete.
After returning to the sixth floor of the Gloom City Ruins through the underwater secret passage, I was about to say goodbye to Evin and Cecilia to handle other matters.
Unexpectedly, Cecilia suddenly spoke up.
“An An, what is the Demon King’s Castle you mentioned earlier?”
I froze.
I hadn’t expected her to overhear the quiet conversation I had with Rotana.
“Demon King’s Castle? Is it related to the Demon King who’s enemies with the Bright Faction?”
Evin’s eyes lit up with great interest.
After all, everything about the Dark Faction was kept tightly under wraps by Epoch’s officials.
Anyone would be dying of curiosity to hear information related to the faction’s biggest boss.
Facing their two pairs of innocent eyes, I knew I probably couldn’t escape this.
But just as I was thinking up an excuse, a crisp, pleasant voice rang out behind me.
“The Demon King’s Castle means the castle where the Demon King lives. And the person in front of you is the current Demon King of the Dark Faction.”
A golden-haired girl suddenly appeared, floating in mid-air.
She smiled at us.
“Hello, my name is Alice. I am Epoch’s intelligent mainframe.”