Book Restoration System: Savior Of The Forsaken Legends [BL]

"I've imparted to you all the knowledge I know about book restoration. It is up to you now what you would do with it. Whether you cultivate it through experience or let it rot like all the lost knowledge in the books that we failed to save."

Auri squirmed in his seat, unsure how to respond. Things would always get awkward whenever his grandfather started being philosophical, so he just sat there and feigned interest in the content of the torn page he was trying to repair.

'Oh, wow. Is that a worm?'

"I know you don't want to be here, but you could at least pretend that you are listening."

"I-I'm listening, though." Auri sweat-dropped.

His grandfather crossed his arms with a grunt. "You can't fool me, boy. I can see through you. And I'm aware there is a different path you want to take. Something about a game, is it not?"

Auri shrugged. "It's not like it matters what I want anymore. I'm here not because I want to, but because I have to. I have to learn this... restoration stuff and everything so I can take over this shop someday, right?"

"I never forced you to come here. You walked in on your own."

"Are you saying you don't want me here, Grandpa?"

"I'm saying you made that choice."

Auri fell silent, unable to refute his grandfather's words.

"Every day, you come in here looking like you've bitten a rotten page," his grandfather continued. "But you still come anyway. You don't run away."

Auri averted his gaze and looked down at the untouched book in front of him. "I just don't want to disappoint you the way my brother did. Even if I don't like it here, I think I would be sad if no one takes care of the things you've worked hard for someday."

"And that's what makes you different from Lucius. You come not because you like it. You come because you know it matters."

'I just don't really have much of a choice.'

His grandfather started rummaging through one of the drawers he had never paid attention to before. He pulled out something, and when he spun back, there was a small wooden box resting in his hands. He handed it to him.

"What's this?" Auri asked, inspecting the object.

"Open it."

Auri lifted the box's lid and took a peek inside. "A key?"

"My father gave that to me when I inherited the workshop. And just like him, I gave it to my son, your father." His grandfather let out a grievous sigh. "But unfortunately, he got caught in the fire that almost ravaged this place, so it returned to my possession."

Auri gulped. "So, why are you giving it to me?"

"If it's not you, then who else?"

"What is this for?" Auri asked.

"A key to another workshop."

"Wait, we have another one? Where?"

His grandfather shook his head. "I don't know. I tried to look for it but I couldn't find it. It might not even exist at all."

"Then what am I supposed to do with this?" Auri squinted at the key before shifting his suspicious gaze toward his grandfather. "You are not telling me to find this workshop, are you?"

The old man only smirked as he headed towards the door. "The key belongs to you now, so that's completely up to you."

Auri took the key out of the box and inspected it.

As it was from his great-grandfather, it had an ancient-looking appearance. It was long and made of gold that remained polished even after years of not being in use. It had a very intricate design that resembled the hand of an antique clockwork.

Auri pocketed the key and shoved its empty box in his personal drawer. He planned to turn it into a pendant for a necklace (because it would look cool) but he didn't have any cord to use at the moment. He'll just have to find one in his bedroom later.

With this key, he had become the official owner of a mysterious workshop that hadn't been found for a hundred years! How cool was that?

Well, not so cool.

Any books inside, if there were any, would have rotted by now, unless his great-grandfather was able to preserve them against natural decay using ancient methods. But of course, his great-grandfather could do that! He was a legendary book restorer after all. He must have been knowledgeable about sophisticated techniques developed by ancient civilizations to protect scrolls from external damage like pests, mold, and moisture.

"I wonder what kind of ancient books are inside the second workshop... Wait, no! No!" Auri shook his head vigorously. "Why am I thinking about this? I'm not interested in those books. Not interested at all!"

It would be a lie if he said he wasn't curious about the second workshop, but the thought of managing two workshops in the future only gave him a headache.

Ring!

Auri fetched his phone from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. The name flashing on the screen just made him rethink all his bad choices in life. But he needed a distraction, and this could be the distraction he needed. He slid his thumb across the screen to answer the call.

"Hello, Auri?" a male voice flittered out of the speaker. "Where are you?"

"I'm at my grandfather's shop. What's up, Jim?"

"Well, I'm outside. You up for a coffee? It's on me. I have something to discuss with you."

"Ah, hold on."

Walking towards the door, Auri peeked inside the library to look for his grandfather. He found him on the old wooden rocking chair tucked in the reading nook of the library. It was his favorite spot. If he wasn't stitching a broken book, he would be found here, reading one instead. What a total bookworm.

Auri returned to the call. "I'll meet you there. Can you wait?"

"Of course. I'll be waiting."

After the call ended with a low beep, Auri started tidying the workbench. He shoved the books inside a drawer and slammed it shut with more force than necessary. The joints of his fingers had been cramping for hours. If he were to hold a scalpel and dissect one more book, his hands might fall off and turn into a parchment.

"Ugh! I'm not touching any book ever again," Auri grumbled as he exited the workshop with his soul barely attached to his body.

Auri stopped to look at his grandfather again, contemplating whether he should let the old man know he was leaving or just leave him to his books undisturbed.

When the book his grandfather was holding fell on the ground, it left him no choice but to approach the rocking chair that the old man was resting on.

Auri shook his head, smiling as he picked up the fallen book and placed it on the desk. For a moment, he just stood there and stared.

Slumped slightly forward, with his chin tucked towards his chest, the old man looked as though time had become a thick blanket over him. The desk lamp cast a golden glow over his features, highlighting the deep lines on his aging face. His hands—scarred and calloused—rested on his lap with a slight tremble. It was probably due to the cold, or maybe because he had worked for far too long already.

This man had carried the legacy of the Books' Savior with those skilled hands for many decades. And he was supposed to carry it forward.

Auri swallowed hard, a heavy lump forming in his chest. He didn't know if he could ever live up to his expectations. He was still unsure if he would want to.

Reaching for the worn blanket hanging loosely on the old man's knees, he pulled it up and draped it across his thin shoulder, careful not to stir him awake.

Auri lingered for another second until he remembered someone was waiting for him outside.

A quick glance at the wall clock told him it was already past ten o'clock. He should close the light and let his grandfather rest.

Auri flicked the lights off as he opened the front door and almost had jump-scare. "What the fuck?"

Right across the shop's entrance, a woman was standing with an anxious look on her face. She was in a rather peculiar attire: a tattered olive green cloak over a dirtied white dress. Cradled close to her chest was an object wrapped in a piece of cloth like a newborn baby.

"Who are you?" Auri asked after his initial shock subsided. "What are you doing in front of our shop this late at night?"

The woman took a step forward; her eyes had a mixture of hope and desperation. "Y-You are the savior, right?"

Confusion only contorted Auri's face. "What?"

"The savior, that's you, isn't it?"

Auri caught a glimpse of the reddish brown leather beneath the cloth and came to realize what her weirdly phrased question meant. "Ah, yes. This is the Books' Savior shop."

"Then—"

"But as you can see, we are closed."

"Closed?" she repeated as if the word just shattered her last remaining hope. "B-But I need this fixed now..."

Auri's left eye twitched in irritation. Who the fuck asks for a book restoration service at ten o'clock in the evening?

"Can't you help me? I'll reward you with—"

"Miss, are you being serious right now?" Auri snapped.

The woman took a step back, startled.

"I've been here all day, forced to fix so many books when I should be coding for my game. And now you want me to miss an appointment with a friend just so I could fix yours? Do you think I'm a saint who creates miracles to save all the books in the world?"

She blinked multiple times, taken aback by his sudden outburst.

Auri raked his fingers through his hair and took a deep breath in. "Sorry. I didn't mean to vent out on you. I just... ugh! Never mind. Why are you so desperate to get that book fixed anyway? Is it a gift for someone? A family heirloom?"

The woman cradled the book in her arms like a mother would to her child. "I need to save them. Dietrich and the others, all their saga are being destroyed. This is all that's left. If his last saga falls apart too, then they will be forgotten forever."

Dietrich? Saga? What the hell was she talking about?

"Please help me, Savior." The woman grabbed his hand and gave him a pleading look. "You are our last hope."

For a second, Auri almost gave in, but he shook his head and retrieved his hand from her hold. "Like I said, the shop is closed. If you really want that to be fixed, come back after sunrise and wait for the old man to open the shop. Or find someone else instead. It's up to you. But I'm not doing it. I'm so done with books for tonight."

The woman fell silent, but she kept her eyes glued to him. It was unsettling. It was as if she was trying to read him.

"I suppose I have no choice but to wait," she said, backing off. "I will return once you're ready to hold the book."

Auri opened his mouth to protest, but she had already turned away, blending into the shadows of the empty street. It was such a bizarre encounter, but something told him this wouldn't be the last time they would meet.