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Chapter 57 - To you, My friend [1]

[Vienna artifact, uncovered in 1913.]

That was the only concrete thing written at the top of the report — faded, typed in black ink with a faint coffee stain just underneath. The rest was a mess of speculation, photographs, and half-legible footnotes. And now, all of it was currently in Regulus' hands.

"You're kidding." She blinked in disbelief. "You're seriously assigning this to me?"

Across the table, her supervisor — a tall woman with horn-rimmed glasses and the patience of a saint — merely nodded while flipping through another document. "Yes. Consider it an exercise in independent investigation. We need to know what the encrypted arcane message on it says. You and your partner, Mr. APPLe, are smart. I'm sure the both of you would find something."

Regulus frowned. "This is way out of my league. This looks like something a historian or a senior researcher should handle. Or someone with a higher clearance above my level!"

"You don't need to crack the whole thing open. Just… try. Give us what you can. If it turns out to be nothing, you write a paper that says it's nothing. Simple."

The woman gave her a faint smile — not unkind, but final.

Regulus thought about refuting her more, but seeing her unyielding strict smile, she ultimately resigned the idea. "...fine."

And with that, the assignment was hers.

She left the office with the slim file tucked under her arm like it was radioactive. Her boots echoed down the hallway as she walked, muttering a soft groan.

"Found within the Schönbrunn Palace in

Vienna shortly after the Storm reversed the world to 1913... suspected to be from a noble, has an encrypted arcane message, possibly important…" She listed off aloud, rubbing her temple. "This is like trying to solve a locked diary written in a dead language."

A few ideas popped into her head. Research, cross-referencing the noble families, maybe contacting the archive teams. Or maybe just procrastinate long enough for the assignment to get quietly reassigned to someone else…

'Yeah. Maybe if I just stall this—'

But then... she remembered someone.

Someone annoyingly capable. Someone who wouldn't take it seriously at first, but would inevitably crack it open like a joke at brunch if he gets invested into it.

Isaac.

These past few months, she had some inkling of what that sly man had been doing, as well as how capable he was in regards to finishing his tasks without much trouble.

Not to mention his recent rise to the position of an assistant of a committee member of the Foundation, he was most certainly qualified for this type of thing.

Her footsteps slowed, and a sigh escaped her lips.

"...I can't believe I'm saying this. But he might actually be perfect for this."

She was confident that he'd help. After all, out of all the people in the Foundation, only they who came from the suitcase know that Isaac won't hesitate to help those behind him.

"Alright... I'm sure he'd have some good insights on this."

With that thought in mind, she immediately went looking for him.

---

"...no can do."

"...you've gotta be kidding me, mate."

Inside Madam Z's office, where Isaac was sorting a dossier by himself, Regulus proposed her plan to him only to be met with his outright and seemingly indifferent rejection.

Still holding onto the papers she was given by her supervisor, she laid them flat on his desk. "No, seriously, why? You're proficient in all European languages—I'm sure you're also proficient in its history, right?"

"This should be easy for you!"

Isaac lingered for a moment before smirking at her, not denying her claims. "Because that's your task, Regulus. Why would I, busy at work, help out with your homework?"

"Besides, who said I was proficient in history? Just because I'm good at the language doesn't mean I went in-depth with their history." He shrugged. "At least, to some extent."

Her eyes narrowed. "You're being annoying for no reason, you know that?"

He chuckled. "Can't say I don't enjoy it."

She grumbled in response.

He leaned back slightly in his seat, eyeing her from across the desk with that infuriatingly casual half-smile of his. The kind of look that said 'I'm having fun watching you struggle.' But Regulus didn't budge — not this time. She stood there, arms crossed, lips pursed in a stubborn pout that screamed I'm not leaving until you say yes.

After a few long seconds, Isaac sighed through his nose and rubbed the bridge of it with one hand. "Alright, alright. You've pouted long enough — what exactly are you dragging me into?"

Her face lit up — only a little — before she leaned in, placing her hand firmly on the paper she had slapped down earlier.

"It's an artifact." She began, her voice shifting to something a bit more professional now that she had his attention. "Found inside Schönbrunn Palace. Vienna. Just after the Storm reset the world back to 1913."

Isaac's smile subtly faltered.

Vienna.

That one word immediately tugged his thoughts — just from the sheer amounts of weight it carried.

He didn't even hear the next few words she said. His eyes lost focus, his hand idly touching the edge of the desk as that name echoed in his thoughts.

It was because Vienna... was the center stage for the sixth chapter of the main story.

'I didn't think I'd hear that word so early on...'

Well, it was a good thing they were currently in 1913, and not 1912.

"...possibly from a noble." Regulus continued, unaware of his sudden stillness. "And it's got some kind of encrypted arcane message on it, but no one's been able to crack it."

Isaac blinked and shook himself out of his stupor, clearing his throat.

Regulus noticed the shift in his demeanor but didn't mention it. Instead, she pushed the file closer. "I figured... you know, if anyone could get anything out of it, it's probably you."

He stared at the file for a moment, then finally picked it up and flipped it open.

His brow quirked.

"...It's a toy horse."

Regulus nodded. "Yup."

He held the photograph closer. It was just that — an old, possibly handcrafted wooden toy horse. Simple design. A bit of paint chipped off the sides. No strange sigils. No visible enchantments. It was... just a toy.

'But why does it look oddly familiar...?' His eyes narrowed, feeling uneasy. 'Strange.'

Isaac then exhaled through his nose and set the file down slowly, tapping his fingers on its corner. "You know... this might actually be more interesting than I thought."

Regulus blinked. "Wait, really?"

He shrugged. "It's from Vienna, isn't it? That's enough reason for me to give it a shot. Just let me finish this report and I'll go with you."

Her eyes lit up and she gave a quick, celebratory pump of her fist. "Yesss—! I mean... Thanks. I owe you."

She gathered the file again and quickly turned on her heel, slipping out the door before he could change his mind.

Now alone, Isaac leaned back in his seat once more.

He looked toward the window, then down at his hands, then finally whispered under his breath — quiet and almost reverent.

"...Vienna again, huh?"

Once more, it was that place again, far too many times already.

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