CG Chapter 63: The Origin, long forgotten

 

Tom noticed a young boy waiting for him to come out of the workshop.

 

Lost in thought, Oliver imagined the grand achievements he would reach if he could enter the library with Tom and become an apprentice scholar.

 

"You did well. The workshop had all the equipment I needed. Now, I need you to lead me to the city's biggest library." Tom smiled gently at the boy; his smile radiated warmth akin to that of a caring older brother.

 

Oliver's childish curiosity made him want to ask Tom about his eye patch. However, as a young scholar who pursued knowledge, he knew better than to question those who held his fate in their hands.

 

Despite its peaceful nature, Sollaria wasn't a haven; people here, like in any other kingdom, would need to fight tooth and nail for their every meal.

 

"I am afraid I can't do that. The biggest library is the Lumina Archive Library. It is within the cathedral. Thus, only high-ranking nobles or people of the church can enter it."

 

Oliver hesitated as he tried to come up with an alternative, "I can still show you the way to the second biggest library. Although it is not as big or grand as the Lumina Archive, it still has more books than you can read in a lifetime, but it is extremely costly to enter."

 

After thinking for a while, Tom asked, "Does the cathedral have any grand knight to guard it?"

 

"No, the number of grand knights the seven kingdoms have is less than ten. Even though the church of 'Lumina' represents one of the two highest authorities within the kingdom, it can't just have a grand knight laying around to guard it." Oliver carefully answered every question Tom had.

 

He tried his best to get into Tom's good books, but alas, he didn't know that Tom didn't have any good books to speak of.

 

Hearing Oliver's answer, Tom grinned.

 

Without a grand knight guarding it, the 'Lumina Archive' wouldn't have the ability to stop him from sneaking in and finding out all the information he needed. But since he had enough time, Tom decided to check the other library first before doing anything risky.

 

…

 

When they reached the library, Tom handed Oliver his fee before dismissing him. He seemed indifferent to the disappointed expression on the young boy's face, which was on the verge of tears.

 

As he entered the library, Tom witnessed beauty like no other. The grandness of the Astral Library was something out of human imagination.

 

The walls of the library were covered by climbing plants that were accompanied by the light coming from the mosaic glass, giving it a mystical feeling.

 

Seeing the number of books that filled the library, Tom began to feel excited. He could already feel he would get the information he needed here.

 

Knowing that his time in this knight world was limited, Tom planned to expand his knowledge bank to as much as he could before leaving.

 

He had already experienced it before, how knowledge and experience from each world would slowly build upon each other to create an existence capable of facing any challenge.

 

Tom didn't want to let arrogance cloud his mind he knew that despite his vast sea of knowledge, what he knew was still limited.

 

He reached the peak of what is humanly possible, he mastered all non-arcanum arts. However, when it came to the vaster realm of fantasy and mythical powers, he was but a child that still had a lot to learn.

 

He quickly gathered his thoughts as he paid the entrance fee and began the search for the origin of the knight power system.

 

Flipping through the numerous books, Tom disregarded the lies and propaganda placed by the kingdoms. He tried to find the truth within each book before merging them together.

 

Behind the rows of books laid a book titled 'The Origin, long forgotten.' According to it, the knight system originated more than six thousand years ago.

 

"They say that everything came from the gods."

 

"They say that knighthood came after the ages of old when pagans ruled."

 

"They say that the light came from the true gods."

 

"They say a lot, and a lot is said."

 

"The old went far away, and here we come anew."

 

"The truth lay far away."

 

"We who seek the truth of the old, what will our destinies be?"

 

"Will the new come for the old? Or will we…"

 

After he read through the book, Tom had a strange feeling. He felt as if he had seen a similar writing style before, this playful yet mocking tone.

 

Quickly flipping back to the first page, Tom tried to check for the author's name. Unfortunately, he was disappointed by the initials T.P.

 

Doubt made its way to Tom's mind. However, he didn't let that stop him. He was sure there was something more to this; he would find it no matter what.

 

"T.P. T.P. T.P. Who are you? If you are Bon Vincent, which I am most certain that you are, then why are you hiding your name all of a sudden? And why did you choose T.P. out of all letters."

 

"Bon Vincent, an explorer. A…" Tom was about to laugh after realizing the truth. However, he kept it down when he noticed the crowds around him. "Bon Vincent, a seeker of truth who faced the seven kingdoms alone to find the secrets they hid. The Pioneer."

 

'Things are coming into place. While I am not sure where the knight system originated from, except for the fact that it didn't come from any god. At least I now know that there was another path to power before the current knighthood system, and for some reason, the people of this world see that system as something unholy.'

 

'If I want to find the truth behind the unholy then I would have no choice but to go to the most holy place here.' Tom's heretical thoughts lead him to one conclusion, with all of the lies spread by the kingdoms, only the churches and the royal families might know the truth.

 

The benefits were clear to Tom. Once he understood how the power systems are formed, then he would have an easier time to adjust and play around with the myriad paths to power in the starry sky.