Later in the day, I brought Tasha and Flora to my room and explained to them what I had done. As far as I could tell, they had no problems, neither with the delayed stay nor the possible change in destination and its reason. I feared that their tacit approval of the latter may have been due to a misunderstanding so I did my best to clarify.

  “I’m going to kill them. Every last one of them. When I find them, I will kill them.” Flora wore a concerned expression and said nothing.

  “I don’t think you should,” Tasha said with a strangely calm demeanour.

  “Tasha, I’m not going to get into the same pointless moral argument with you.”

  “I know, but I’m not talking about morals this time.”

  “Oh? Then why not?”

  “Because it would be a crime.”

  “Wasn’t that a reason to not do a lot of other things I’ve already done?”

  “I don’t think the King and the Princess would want you to do this.” I stared hard into Tasha’s eyes. “I mean...what if killing them creates a bigger problem.”

  “A bigger problem than letting them go? A bigger problem than letting them rob and kill someone else?” It was clear to see Tasha was already faltering. I took no pleasure in seeing this. I know she makes these pleas with me because of her sense of justice and ethics, and as a parent, I never want her to stop. If there’s one thing I don’t want her to blindly copy about me, it’s my personality.

  “But, what if they are already caught?” she finally managed to argue. “You won’t break into their cells and kill them,” she said more as a demand than a question. As far as my want for revenge went, maybe that would be going too far.

  “No, I wouldn’t do something like that,” I relented. Thinking on it a bit further, if the Harbingers actually find them in Brennan, it really would just end like that, wouldn’t it? Interfering with this kingdom’s laws goes way beyond what I am willing to do. But, that doesn’t mean I won’t at least be making an appeal. “One way or another, though, they will die.” Flora’s expression fluctuated between mild and great concern throughout the entire conversation and Tasha ended this discussion with a solemn nod. A notion of her reluctant acceptance of what I’ve become in only three months. Or maybe, that’s just what I’ve always been like and it only took killing a single person to realize this.

  It was somewhat awkward to immediately carry on with a new conversation after that, so I took my leave. I still didn’t tell either of them about the reversion of my guardian spirit powers, so I went to find somewhere to privately use them. Unfortunately, there was almost no improvement from yesterday as I found myself reeling over in pain and panting breathlessly after less than thirty seconds of four bolts. After picking myself back up and still feeling a bit unsteady, I decided to not push myself any further that day. However, what should I do for the rest of the day? I aimlessly wandered around the palace for a while before suddenly encountering Decius in the hallway.

  “Ah, good morning, Sir Braith. Are you having a pleasant day so far?” Yeah, no matter what he says, it just never sounds sincere.

  “Didn’t the king task you with a mission?” I asked, ignoring his greeting.

  “Indeed, and I have already sent out the missives to other Harbingers.”

  “So, what are you doing here, then? Are you too important to go yourself?”

  “Important?” Decius asked as he brought a hand to his masked cheek. “Oh, it’s just a matter of priorities. I have other duties to attend to here in the capital. Rest assured, though, Sir Braith, very capable Harbingers from multiple divisions are presently undertaking the mission.”

  “That’s...good to hear,” I said, wanting to put an end to my complaints. Decius gave me his usual invisible smile.

  “Is there anything else you’d like to ask?”

  “No, not really…”

  “Hmmmm?” I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his inquisitiveness.

  “Nothing that I think you can really help with.”

  “Oh, don’t be so sure about that. What’s on your mind?”

  “I’m just…” I considered my words very carefully, “wondering what to do for the rest of the day.” Maybe I should have thought a bit longer.

  “Looking for ways to relieve your boredom, is that it?” That wasn’t quite it, but I didn’t want him to know what was really on my mind.

  “You could say that.”

  “Well, as plain as it is in some respects, this palace has a fair number of amenities available. Is there perhaps a particular desire you wish to sate?” I did not like the way he put that. Not one bit.

  “If this palace really has so much, I’d like to hear about all available options, if you don’t mind.” I thought I could see just the tiniest hint of a smirk.

  “Truth be told, as much as I’d love to give you a personal tour, I’m actually on the way to somewhere right now.” Good, he’s finally going to leave.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “Well, sorry to have taken up your time,” I said, forcibly making it sound as insincere yet unsarcastic as possible.

  “Not at all. Also, if you are in need of it, there is a servant just around the corner. If you ask, I’m sure she would be more than willing to attend to your needs.” Decius bowed slightly and left. I didn’t like how Decius got in the last word like that but I would leave it at that. As I turned the corner, there was indeed a servant sweeping the floor. She instantly made a big berth between the two of us and bowed low when she saw me. Well, do I find someone else? After a brief moment in thought, I made my decision.

  “Do you know if there is someone who can show me around the palace?”

  ****

  “I must say, I did not expect this,” I said, voicing my opinion to the one guiding me.

  “Oh, think nothing of it, Braith. If anything, it was an oversight on my part to not have provided you with a tour until now,” the king said.

  “Well, I’m sure a servant would suffice.”

  “Only if I had properly instructed them to begin with. However, with me, you can be certain that you shall see any part of the palace you wish to visit.” Well, couldn’t you just relay that to the one servant who will guide me around?

  “I understand. In that case, thank you in advance.” Yeah, let’s not get into an argument like that. He’s already here anyways.

  “Such gratitude is unwarranted for something such as this. Now, where to first? You’ve already visited the gardens, but perhaps you’d like to visit its overlooking balcony?”

  “I would prefer to remain indoors, if possible.”

  “Of course. Tell me, do you smoke? We have a parlour with quite the selection.”

  “No, I don’t smoke.”

  “I see. How about swimming? We also have a large pool for such leisure.”

  “I can swim, but I think I’m more in the mood for something else.” I can already tell this isn’t going to be much of a tour.

  “Well then, maybe the lounge? It also duals as an art gallery of sorts.”

  “What sort of art?” I asked, my interest piqued.

  “Paintings, sculptures, and other such artisan works.” Oh, right. Yeah, that would be the typical art. Besides, what would be the point in seeing that other kind of art…

  “Ah...maybe another time.” The king gave me a look as if to ask me to just outright tell him what I was looking for already. Maybe this really was just pointless. Should I just find a quiet place again and torture myself until I can regain my powers? “Is there a nice, quiet place where I can seclude myself?” Might as well just ask for this. It would be more than awkward if someone finally walks in on me during the next time.

  “Well, I have a private study.” That’s too much. Just imagining myself doing that in the king’s private room...let’s avoid that.

  “That’s not quite what I had in mind…”

  “Hmmm….” As patient as the king has been so far, am I perhaps starting to push at its limits? “The royal library, then?”

  “The library?” It’s been so long since I’ve come across written books, I had nearly forgotten about the existence of libraries.

  “Yes, we have a modest collection of books kept in the palace. Have you ever been to a library before?” The king appears to have misinterpreted my apparent bewilderment.

  “I have…” in my old world, many times in the past, “not been to any libraries.” If the king went on to ask me which ones I had been to, the discrepancies of my past would likely have been impossible to explain. “I have heard of them, but I have never had the pleasure of visiting any of them.”

  “In that case, I would be more than happy to invite you to ours, assuming you are willing of course.”

  “I’d love to see your library.” Amazingly, this was not a lie. Despite living in Midgard for the past eight years, I knew precious little about this world, its culture, histories, and many other manner of details. What I learned from Lars in Befson sufficed for living out my daily life and avoiding extreme misunderstandings, but it went little more than that. Other than some sparse details about the War of the Nines, Lars told me little about the various countries of Midgard. I assumed it was because he simply did not know much about them, but from time to time, I thought maybe he just didn’t want to recall certain things. With all of this mind, I shall show no restraint in learning all I can during my time in the capital.

  When we arrived, I saw a couple of guards posted right outside the library’s doors. Based on that, it was clear that these books were quite important. For a moment, I was concerned that this visit was more of a token gesture, but these doubts were assuaged when he introduced me to a man named Albert seated at a desk inside the library. He was the royal librarian and the king gave him express orders to show me around the room and help me find any resource that I wished to peruse. Albert nodded in acknowledgement, but I could tell from the way he glanced at me that he did not exactly think I was suited to being in such a place. As if to directly address this, the king asked me a question.

  “Braith, you can read, right?” I blinked a couple of times at him. He then pointed at a book located on the nearest shelf. “Do you know what the title of that book is?” I tried reading the king’s expression to verify whether or not this was a joke.

  “An Early History of Enchanting Masterwork Arms and Armours...by Lord Addison Vaughn.” The king cast his gaze over to the royal librarian, but he still did not seem too approving of me. At the very least, based on the king’s reaction, he had no real doubts over my literacy.

  “Have you ever read anything on this subject?”

  “I have not.”

  “How about on enchanting or smithing in general?”

  “I am not well-informed on either topic.”

  “Are they things that you are interested in?”

  “To some degree.” The royal librarian coughed.

  “Ah, it is probably time for me to return to my duties now. Well then, farewell, Braith. I hope you find whatever you are looking for here.”

  “Thank you, your Majesty.” I restrained the reflex to bow as Albert did when the king took his leave. He scowled at me before seating himself once more. Well, as long as he doesn’t get in my way, I was fine with this. I scanned the various volumes before eventually coming across a book that clearly looked to be newer than most of the other ones. The Treaty of Ironshield: Aftermath of the Nines’ War. I guess this looks promising.

  **********************

  During the following ten days, I spent most of my time reading books in the library. In addition to the first two books from the first day, I read over a dozen other books. This was not because I was an exceptionally fast reader, though. Most of the books, although some of which were quite thick, were printed with a larger font size and on thicker paper than the books I was used to reading. Well, I guess they had the size and feel more similar to children’s books, although their length and the topics they covered were much different.

  During this time, I was frequently invited to more training or sparring sessions, which I declined, as well as tea parties with Leonora, Flora and Tasha, which I accepted one time. Honestly, it wasn’t that bad, and I did enjoy the food, but I just felt so out of place. You could say that three girls at once was more than I could handle alone, but I would say it was just better if the three of them spent time together without me instead. In the end, I politely declined further invitations, insisting that I had found some books in the library that I just had to finish reading.

  Spending so much time reading first started off as a way to kill time, and then an excuse to avoid others, but after a while, I found it to be a rather relaxing quotidian. I was a great student…initially, but even back then, it wasn’t like I was like that because I really enjoyed it. I just wanted to live up to my expectations. But, having the time to peacefully do something, learn something interesting that might actually be useful, and knowing that I didn’t have to do more for someone to…knowing that it was fine just doing what I was doing so far put my mind at ease as the days went by. On the tenth day, I even briefly forgot about what I was waiting for as I took out another book to begin my day in the library once more. Before I even finished reading the first few pages, though, the doors to the library opened.

  “You, what are you doing here?” Albert, the royal librarian asked. I looked up from my book to see what was going on. Then, I saw Decius casually enter and immediately look in my direction, completely ignoring Albert. Initially perplexed, I just looked back in confusion. “Answer me,” Albert demanded in a strong voice, but restraining himself from shouting.

  “We have received all of the reports,” Decius began, looking straight at me as Albert got up from his desk. “Would you like to hear them now?” I could sense Decius’ invisible smile as he asked me that question. It took a couple seconds for things to finally click in my head.

  “Y- you found them?” I spluttered out as Albert walked right up to Decius. Decius continued to ignore Albert as he walked past him and went right up to the table where I was seated.

  “Follow me,” he said, symbolically extending out one hand to me.