"Sir George," a gentle voice called out. "Do you think Master Lucas is well?"
Reina asked her superior, George, as they waited outside Lucas's room. Her hands fidgeted, her nerves getting the best of her. Something about Lucas's strange behavior that morning had her feeling uneasy. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was not like her own master, as strange as that may seem. When George gave no response, her small shoulders sagged in disappointment.
For the past three years, since she was twelve years old, Reina had endured Lucas's beatings and mood swings in order to survive. As an orphan, like many others in the region, she considered it a great opportunity to work in the Arrendhart household. Still, many had left due to Lucas's cruel treatment, and Reina herself had considered leaving at one point.
Despite this, Reina couldn't bring herself to abandon her master. In fact, she even thought of Lucas as a lonely child who had been alone since Lady Shayla passed away giving birth to him. But this morning's behavior was completely out of character, with Lucas even apologizing - a word Reina never thought she'd hear from him.
Reina's long lashes drooped as worry creased her face. What was her master up to now?
◈◈◈
Upon returning to my opulent bedroom, I requested that George leave me alone and not allow anyone else to enter unless I specifically requested it. I then made my way over to the ornate rosewood writing desk by the window and sat down, taking a deep breath as I gazed at the blank piece of paper in front of me. I needed a plan – a foolproof strategy that would allow me to survive until the age of seventeen and bring some peace to my tumultuous life.
Jeez, I should've finished reading that trashy book.
While lamenting my hasty decision to abandon that novel halfway through, I jotted down all the major events I could recall.
First, the protagonist Kail, who was from a different empire, would not make his appearance for at least another decade.
Second, in the year 1347 Stella, four years from now, a civil war would erupt between the major clans in Sabarath, a territory ruled by the beastkin of Duran, another major noble household in Zerroth. After Viscount Raygar Duran, a protector of Sabarath and a beast lord of Zerroth was killed, the novel briefly mentioned how anti-Duran loyalists trapped Arrendhart in a stalemate, forcing Allistair to defend against them and the southern Sarkaz barbarians at the same time.
If I wasn’t mistaken, that's the start of Arrendhart's downfall.
When Arrendhart embroiled itself in a prolonged civil war, the war robbed a large part of its strength—making the household a delectable prey for other noble households; be it large or small. Exactly two years later after the incident, Lucas, only fifteen at the time, betrayed his own family by joining the enemy, serving as Richard's loyal doormat. After reaching his seventeenth birthday, he later managed to kill Allistair.
Later on, the royal capital went into upheaval due to internal strife for the throne, while Lucas became Lord of Arrendhart for only two weeks before being stoned to death. During this time, Richard's troops pillaged one region after another on their quest to expand their power westward in Zerroth, including the protagonist's village.
Then… Fullstop. Not sure why, but I stopped reading the novel right before the start of the protagonist's revenge arc.
Afterward, I’d hear my brother boasting about how the protagonist later obtained some unimaginable power, tamed various mythical beasts, and the vengeance he exacted with the help of his trusty companions. Later, as time went on, the hero united a few continents under his rule, and prosperity spread across the land and among the people for the next century.
A very cliche storyline with a predictable ending. Nothing exciting. Except for the MC being super OP-ed.
Unfortunately, my past decisions of not finishing the novel meant I wasn't omniscient about what the future holds. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure whether this world was the same one from the novel, or if I was thrown into a different universe altogether. Plus, I had an inkling that I transmigrated here, as Lucas and was killed, for a reason.
That's why I need to, no, I must know everything. From the history of this world, empire, to its royal and noble families, to how magic and other supernatural powers work. With renewed conviction, I decided on one place where most students dread to go except me. A library.
“George!” I raised my voice.
The door of my bedroom abruptly swung open. George strode quickly to my side, one of his arms at his back with his black coat's lapel swaying before coming to a halt.
His head dipped slightly. “Yes, young master. What's your order?”
“Take me to the library.”
◈◈◈
Magic portals.
A convenient, space-dimensional access portal to other places where Magineers had also installed magic portals. To build one, one would require a hefty amount of magic crystals, beastcores, and gold as well as an official grant from the emperor. Based on these requirements alone, I knew Arrendhart's coffers were likely brimming with inconceivable wealth.
And now, I could finally see such magic portals with my own eyes. An arc-shaped magic portal stood erect in front of me—one of the few ones available in Aeir. However, if someone were to ask the exact number of magic portals in the whole of Arrendhart's territory. My answer would only be: I hadn’t the slightest clue.
I guess I'll ask George, I decided, sneaking a glance at him on my left.
I scrutinized the portal before me that was perched atop a white granite platform. With my eyes strained, I made out elaborate carvings on its base. Embedded within the geometric designs were various unknown symbols. Even though I had never seen them before, I deduced them to be some sort of magical or runic symbols. Directing my eyes on the portal's center, I noticed a series of blue, warped ripples spread out in wavelengths that all peaked at the same altitude. The fluctuations resembled gentle waves that built to a crest before breaking on the shoreline. Two armed guards stood on either side of the portal, clad in iron armor emblazoned with wolf emblems on their chest plates and broadswords at their hips.
“Set the direction to Zerroth Grand Library,” George demanded, his tone firm.
Almost immediately, both guards dropped their helmets once and intoned a series of incantations simultaneously. Every vowel and consonant registered in my ears sounded foreign, yet ancient. Right then, the air molecules vibrated, and a deep echo resounded. In a short amount of time, the formerly blue portal hued into an almost translucent mirror.
“Let's go, master,” George said.
With a deep breath, I stepped forward into the portal, plunging into darkness before being greeted by bright light as I emerged on the other side. I was in a white space that stretched indefinitely. Except for a pearly orb perched on a tall pedestal a few feet away from me. When I stared down beneath my feet, there was a large circle with an octogram inside containing symbols I had seen earlier. Suddenly, George took a step forward and walked ahead. Trying not to be left behind, I trailed behind him until we reached the pedestal.
As we both reached the pedestal, a figure materialized out of thin air, perhaps sensing our presence. A little girl, no taller than a meter, floated above the orb. With a bobbed haircut framing her round face, she looked like a child, but her non-human-like pupils betrayed her cute appearance. Within her white irises was a glowing circlet of inscribed symbols.
“Athena, grant us access to the inner sanctum of the library,” George said, breaking the silence.
Smiling in an artificial way, the girl’s mechanical voice spoke, “Please provide your identification.”
George gestured to me. “Master, please place your hand on the orb.”
Upon touching the orb with my palm, it glowed and released a torrent of bright lights which almost blinded my eyes. Gradually, the white horizon morphed into a completely new environment. I peeked through my eyelids before opening my eyes wide, gawking at the scenery. Simultaneously, a distinct, sweet musky scent with a hint of vanilla quickly attacked both of my nostrils. A unique smell that seemed all too familiar—the smell of books. My head automatically angled upward as my eyes darted at the library's inner architecture.
The vast open area was shaped spherically and columnated, with pendentive segments divided by Gothic-style ribs vaulting the ceiling above. In total, five massive columns lined around the perimeter. The fluted columns, which rested on broad quadrilateral corinthian bases, gave the impression that the ceiling was higher than it actually was. There were endless rows of bookshelves that reached up before the start of the roof dome snuck in between the lofty columns.
Perhaps to make it easier to find the books that were stored on upper shelves, tall, movable ladders were positioned in front of the bookcases. To the front of the bookcases, a few tens of feet away, was a row of gently rounded tables. It was hard to estimate the true number of books contained within this single library, but it seemed to be in the hundreds of thousands, if not millions. Enough books to describe the vastness of this place. I then fixated my attention on my surroundings.
Aside from the library's grandiosity, few people were seen bustling about. One man was pushing a cartful of books while another was climbing up the ladder putting the books away manually. When I had thought the use of magic was banned inside the library, one librarian was casting a spell in one corner, resulting in the books on his cart careened off in all directions which eventually landed on their designated shelves.
While I was marveling at the magical display, a nonhuman entity walked toward us. With a pair of humanlike limbs and torso except its head, an orange cat with broken dark stripes wearing a long red robe was slowly approaching us. When his feet halted, he brushed his whiskers with his human fingers and nudged his tiny glasses up above his pinkish nose. The feline's sharp heterochromia eyes fell on both of us—seemingly displeased at our presence.
“Hurry up and state your business,” the cat talked, his sharp canines peeking through his mouth. “I haven’t got all day, you know.”
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