Emperor's harem: Transmigrated with SSS mana talent
Chapter 86: [Grave Chant]

Chapter 86: [Grave Chant]

This time, it wasn’t practiced. It wasn’t noble.

It was real.

The smile of a predator.

Well, Kael mused darkly, if I can’t steal them... someone else can.

Venom, he thought.

The name echoed like a whisper in his mind.

And from the hollow depths within him, something stirred.

A slithering presence—half-sentient, half-malevolent—stirred from its slumber.

It didn’t need to be told twice.

Venom had already tasted Kael’s thoughts. Felt his intent.

It began to move.

A thin, shadowy thread crept through Kael’s sleeve, inching slowly toward his hand, like a whisper crawling along his skin.

Robin cleared his throat behind him.

"As per the duel’s terms," he said, tone formal, "you may copy the Rank 3 spell scrolls present here. Only ten are stored in the royal vault."

Kael turned, keeping his expression neutral.

"Only ten?" he asked, feigning surprise. "I would’ve thought the royal family had more in reserve."

Robin’s shoulders tensed slightly.

"Many were lost during the War of the Crimson Banner. Others remain sealed or forgotten. The ten you see here... are the finest preserved."

Kael nodded slowly, but he wasn’t truly listening.

His eyes were on Yue.

She moved like lightning.

And in that moment, he felt it—Venom brushing against his palm.

Cool. Silent. Hungry.

Robin cleared his throat again, louder this time.

Kael blinked. "Right. I’ll take them all."

His voice was calm, almost too calm.

Robin gave a short nod, then turned and stepped toward the designated shelf.

He began the process of copying the scrolls—his fingers glowing faintly.

Kael, now behind him, moved silently.

With a smooth motion, he reached out and brushed his fingers across the rows of untouched scrolls just beside him—too fast to seem deliberate, too casual to look suspicious.

Now, he thought.

The signal was sent.

From within his palm, the living shadow of Venom responded.

It unraveled like black smoke, sliding away from Kael’s fingers and across the polished surface of the shelf—vanishing into the narrow cracks between the scroll cases.

Gone. Silent. Invisible.

Robin’s voice cut through the moment.

Cold, steady.

"My lord... I trust you’re not touching anything outside the permitted section."

He hadn’t turned. He didn’t need to.

Kael froze, just for a breath.

Then smoothly pulled his hand back.

"Ah, apologies," he said, slipping into a neutral tone.

"Just admiring the arrangement."

He put on the perfect poker face—slightly confused, faintly amused.

Inside, his thoughts were sharper.

Old bastard isn’t simple, he noted. He felt something.

But it was too late.

Venom was already loose, crawling through the ancient seals and shadows of the vault.

And Kael just stood there, smiling faintly behind calm eyes.

After some time, Robin finally turned.

In his gloved hands were ten freshly copied scrolls—each wrapped in a protective silver binding.

Kael accepted them without a word.

His eyes flicked over each one, briefly comparing them to the originals still sealed behind the glass.

Robin watched him closely, and for a fleeting moment, there was something in his eyes—

Not impatience, but something quieter.

He looked... hurt.

Kael didn’t care.

He slid the ten scrolls into his storage ring, the air shimmering faintly with the ripple of mana.

Then he looked up.

Robin looked back.

Nothing was said, but everything was understood.

The message in Robin’s gaze was clear:

You got what you came for. Leave.

But Kael didn’t move.

He simply smiled faintly and stayed rooted in place.

He was waiting.

And just as Robin opened his mouth—about to politely but firmly usher him out—

a voice cut through the silence.

"Kael," Yue said.

Her tone was measured, calm—but Kael’s head snapped toward her instantly.

She stood a few rows away, her figure calm and composed, yet there was an edge to her motion.

Without looking directly at him, she gestured toward a spellcase nestled in the stone rack beside her.

"This is also Rank 3," she said, her voice steady.

"Umm... You need to look at this one."

Kael’s eyes flashed.

Without a word, he began moving—not directly toward the scroll Yue had pointed to, but along the same row.

His gait was unhurried, deliberate, like a man browsing casually... but every step was precise.

Robin frowned. "My lord," he said carefully, "this section holds scrolls that are either incomplete or undeciphered. There’s no value in wasting your time here."

Kael didn’t stop.

He tilted his head slightly, as if listening to something beneath the silence.

"I can feel it," he said calmly. "There’s a Rank 3 spell scroll somewhere in this row. Its mana is leaking just enough to whisper."

Robin blinked, then let out a faint scoff. "Feeling the mana of a scroll?"

He chuckled, but the humor didn’t reach his eyes.

"You must be truly gifted... or truly arrogant."

Kael said nothing.

His hands moved with a practiced smoothness, picking up one scroll after another. His posture was idle, even careless—but his fingers were anything but.

And then — accidentally— his hand fell on one sealed in deep black wax.

Totally an accident, of course.

He held it up with mock surprise. "Oh? What do we have here?"

The moment he raised it, a faint hum buzzed through the air, subtle but unmistakable.

He turned and casually showed it to Robin, whose jaw slowly dropped open in disbelief.

Kael leaned closer, gently pushed Robin’s chin shut with a smirk.

"Careful, old friend. You might catch flies."

Robin snapped back to his senses, flustered.

"M-My lord! That scroll—yes, it’s Rank 3, but it hasn’t been deciphered. It’s written in a language lost to the royal archives—ancient and dead."

Kael raised an eyebrow and examined the text.

Indeed, the script danced before his eyes in jagged, looping curves.

Completely unreadable.

"Useless, then," he murmured.

Yue stepped up behind him, hands behind her back.

"Not to everyone," she said calmly. "I can translate it for you."

Kael turned to her, interest sparked.

A faint smile playing on her lips. "I think you’ll like this one."

He narrowed his eyes. "What’s so special about it?"

She stepped closer, tracing a finger over the sealed black wax. The light around them seemed to dim just slightly as her voice dropped to a near-whisper.

"Can you guess its name?"

Kael shook his head, expression unreadable.

She looked up at him, eyes gleaming.

"Its name is... Grave Chant"