[AFYC] Chapter 7

Seo Ah slipped her hand inside one side of the thick coat. The employee watched her movements intently. She pulled out a small pouch inside the worn coat that seemed to be attached to it by a string. The mouth of the pouch was tied tightly with another string as if to ensure that whatever was inside would never be lost.

There was nothing particularly suspicious about this. It was standard practice for only one key to be issued per vault, making it the sole means of access. Many people would even have the key made into a necklace, wearing it day and night to keep it close. 

Fixed on the pouch, the employee’s gaze followed the white, slender fingers up to the woman’s face. 

Her face, framed by brown hair pulled back, was strikingly pale—almost translucent, like a nun who had spent her entire life secluded in a convent, untouched by the sun. Her rounded forehead, encircled by delicate wisps of hair, and neatly arched eyebrows gave her an air of serenity. The eyes that had briefly met his earlier were a light brown.

A pale face, brown hair, and light brown eyes—these were common traits. Even though her face was unusually fair, such fairness wasn’t rare among the people of Norfolk. Her hair and eye colour were also unremarkable. 

Yet, something about her had captivated his attention. 

At that moment, the woman successfully untied the pouch’s string and placed a key onto the tray. Her face, angled downward, now lifted slowly, like the moon rising from the still waters of a lake. Now facing her directly, the employee finally understood the strange aura she exuded.

She was like a white lily blooming amidst a bed of red roses or a cold breeze cutting through the warm winds of midsummer—starkly alien and unfamiliar. It was clear she wasn’t from Felphe, and she didn’t seem to be from the Norfolk continent either, despite her fluency in the common language.

The woman, who had been staring at the key, pushed the tray a bit closer to the employee. The gesture was subtly insistent, prompting him to retrieve the tray. His gaze finally broke away from her face and settled on the key.

The key itself seemed authentic. 

“Please tell me the vault number you wish to access.” 

“5555.” 

The employee, jotting down the number in his notebook, blinked in surprise. He glanced at the number he had written and then at the key before raising his head.

“Did you say 5555?” 

Seo Ah looked at him and nodded.

“…Yes.” 

In that instant, his suspicions about her appearance faded into the background. The number 5555 was like a magic spell, altering his personality. He checked repeatedly to ensure that this was indeed the key to vault 5555, and each time, Seo Ah answered patiently.

“Yes, that’s correct. …Yes, vault 5555.” 

“…” 

“Is there a problem?” Seo Ah asked, her gaze fixed directly on him as if puzzled by his hesitance. Only then did the employee believe this stranger wasn’t mistaken about 5555. 

“…No, there’s no problem.” 

Carefully, the employee lifted the velvet tray with both hands and offered a courteous explanation. 

“I’ll need to verify the key. Please wait here for a moment. Would you like some coffee or tea while you wait?” 

“Uh… no, that’s quite alright.” 

The employee bowed slightly and exited through a door designated for staff. He then quickly crossed the staff-only corridor and arrived at the key verification room in no time, wasting no second. As soon as he entered, he went straight to a storage area, which required four keys to unlock. 

A short while later, he emerged from the storage area holding an old document and a small box. With practised precision, he laid out the key, the document, and the box before pulling a thick magnifying glass from a drawer. He used the magnifying glass to enlarge the engraving on the key and began comparing it to the information on the document. 

It was opened on April 25th, 878, under the supervision of the then-president, Mathis von Witte…. The seal is present. 

After verifying the information engraved on the front, the employee moved on to the small characters etched on the side of the key, meticulously matching each unique number to those listed in the document. 

“AD…5608, …87…BX.” 

To his astonishment, the complex serial numbers matched perfectly. He calmly cross-referenced the information once more and found no discrepancies.