Mira stared at me silently for a moment, then lowered her eyes to her knees, pressing her index fingers together.
"…I'm sorry, Master. I can't use magic. It's just… not possible for me."
"Ah, it's fine. Though I can't really read this if I don't learn how to do it…"
She placed a finger to her chin in thought, her voice softer now. "I've heard whispers though. They say something about picturing a line or thread from your 'core' to whatever object you want to pour your mana into."
I hummed thoughtfully. "I see, it kind of makes sense. I guess I have no choice but to try that."
Turning back to the book, I sat up straighter and closed my eyes, placing my hand on the sigil. I then took a deep breath, before visualizing what Mira had told me.
"W-what was it again? A thread from my…core, right?" I asked, my voice uncertain.
She nodded, gesturing from her chest toward the book.
"Yes. Imagine a line flowing from here to there. At least… that's how I think it's supposed to work."
So I did. I pictured a golden thread unraveling from a bright orb in the center of my body, forming a path through my arms and into the book. As a result, I started to feel a faint yet warm feeling spreading through my nerves.
"Master, the sigil. It's glowing," Mira said, poking my arm repeatedly.
I forced myself to hold the image steady, not wanting to break my concentration until I was certain it was done correctly. In the end, I stopped feeling that warmth and opened my eyes to see the sigil glowing faintly.
"Oh, I did it. Let's see if it really works…" I muttered, mostly to myself, flipping back to where I left off. The pages that had once been blank were now filled with writing. I also made sure to flip through each page, and confirmed that I was successful.
Mira brought her hands together in a soft clap.
"Congratulations, Master. I knew you could do it." Her voice was flat, but there was genuine warmth beneath it.
I rubbed the back of my head, smiling awkwardly at her praise.
"Well, it's thanks to you I could figure it out, so thank you Mira."
Her eyes widened briefly before softening into a small smile. "I'm just glad I could help, even a little."
Now that I was able to read the contents, I began reading from where I left off.
From what I learned, the author created the book by combining his Skills, which is why it has such a complex system. Light Kagami clarified that while he is the original author, heroes who receive this book also have the ability to insert their own knowledge into it.
Depending on the quantity, it'll require a large amount of mana to do so, and the author advises the reader to use it wisely. Well, it's not like i'm Einstein, so I doubt anything I learn is useful…
It did raise questions though. How would I know if anything I've learnt is already written?
I'd have to read the whole thing and remember what is already there before I decide on what I need and don't need to add. It was a waste of time, precious time I could use to….uh…
The rest just was just information of this world's nations, along with a detailed map. Aetheria – that was the name of my new Earth. It had four continents instead of seven, but the world hadn't been fully explored yet.
Magic, while useful for exploration, wasn't nearly enough on its own. The book claimed it would take much more to unravel their world fully.
This continent was called Kremantin, named after some explorer from the past, Krema Vinti. On Earth's map, it would've been somewhere between Europe and Africa. It's supposedly the second largest continent in this world as well. The others were Menfor, Lintur, and Tantser.
I skimmed through until I reached the section about this kingdom – Elysandria.
'The Kingdom of Elysandria stands among the most prosperous nations of Aetheria. Founded in the year 40 of the Summoning Era by King Rymer Broch I, it rose from fractured city-states into a unified realm. Though young compared to its neighbors, its influence and stability are notable.'
'Elysandria's policies welcome most races, granting them rights of travel, trade, and settlement within its borders. Yet slavery, while regulated, remains lawful—a remnant of old practices that some argue undermines its otherwise progressive image.'
'The kingdom was ruled for over five decades by King Ormen Bernt Ravenshield, under whom the previous Hero was summoned. His reign ended with his death, after which the crown passed to his daughter, Elisabeth Bernt Ravenshield. Her ascension marked a turning point, as her rule began amid great political tension and foreign interest in the Hero Summoning ritual.'
'Elysandria shares borders with several other nations, maintaining trade and wary diplomacy alike. To the east lies…'
I stopped reading there, already bored of the endless description of politics and borders. At least now I understood more about the world, and their calendar was different from the one I'm used to.
Having lost interest in the book, I set it down on the nightstand and sat up, stretching my arms. Mira perked up beside me like a cat, leaning in as if I'd suddenly become interesting again.
"Did you find it useful?" she asked curiously.
I shrugged. "Just a bit of geography."
Her head tilted, brows furrowing as she tried to repeat the word. "Jeo…grafi?"
I paused, considering how to explain. "Hmm… basically, I learned about your world."
She let out a soft "ah," nodding slowly. "I see… it must be quite different from the world you came from."
"It is," I admitted, turning to gaze out the window. "The technology, the conveniences… a lot of things are better than this place. But it was far from perfect."
"Do you miss it?"
I glanced over to her, rubbing the back of my head. "I'm not sure. I wouldn't really say I miss my world, but rather the people I knew there, I guess? What about y-"
I bit my tongue, realizing how insensitive my next words would've been. Asking about her past was likely a bad choice, as curious as I was.
"N-nevermind, it was nothing."
"No, tell me."
Her gaze was locked onto mine, unyielding and firm. Frankly, it caught me off-guard.
"A-ah… well, uhm, I was just…" I rubbed the back of my neck, fumbling over my words. "…trying to ask about… your past."
The last part slipped out barely above a mumble, as if saying it softer would somehow make the question less risky.
"…My past?" Her voice was quiet, but there was something in her tone that I couldn't quite identify.
"Y-yeah, your past." I repeated, then quickly waved my hands in defense. "Only if you want, though! No rush!"
I started to regret asking as she lowered her gaze, her expression unreadable, before finally looking back up at me.
"I don't really remember much. I apologize, Master."
I stared at her for a moment longer, trying to figure out whether she was lying or not. My eyes flicked toward her broken horn, but the sincerity in her voice made me smile sheepishly. "A-ah, right, sorry. Of cour-"
"But," she cut in, "I don't mind it. I don't need to remember my past when I can make my future with you. As your servant, that's all I should think about. The past is only for reflecting on mistakes to avoid, after all."
"Yeah, uhm, I guess so."
An awkward silence stretched out between us, almost suffocating. Then—
"I lost it when I was younger."
Her sudden words caught me off guard. "Huh? Lost what?"
I pieced it together instantly the second she raised her finger, pointing to her horn. "I saw you staring at it, so I thought you were curious."
I rubbed my forearm, grinning awkwardly. "I-I guess I was slightly curious."
She jabbing a finger at me out of nowhere, making me flinch. "Are you sure you want to hear about my past?"
I quickly regained my composure once I realized she wasn't actually going to poke me, then nodded. "I mean, if you don't mind telling me, then I kind of want to hear it."
Didn't she say she didn't remember???
"Alright then. Well, first of all, are you familiar with the races of this world? The humanoid ones, I mean."
I shrugged. "Like dwarves, elves and stuff?"
She made a so-so gesture with her hand. "Not quite. While elves exist, I've never heard of a 'dwarf' before. In our world, there are ten races." She paused, counting on her fingers. "Humans, beastkin, elves, fairies, mellets, devils, halflings, lizardmen, and narelith."
Her last finger pointed at herself. "Then there's the tenebrim, like me."
I nodded slowly, trying to absorb it all, not recognizing half of what she'd said. "Oh, so you're a tenebrim?"
She nodded, her flat expression carrying the faintest hint of smugness. "I am. Our race is the strongest physically too, both our men and women."
I recognized most of the names, but mellets and narelith were completely new to me. I also remembered Gux mentioning Tenebrims earlier, which was the same race as the man we fought. "I've never heard of mellets or narelith. Are they that different from the others?" I asked, leaning in slightly.
Her hand shot forward to flick me, and I instinctively flinched back to the other side of the bed. "W-what was that for?"
She crossed her arms with a huff. "You're not supposed to change the subject. This is about my past. At least ask about the tenebrim."
I blinked at her sudden shift in tone, then raised my hands with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, sorry. I don't know much about tenebrim either, so… could you tell me more about them?"
I tried to sound more eager this time, hoping to smooth things over.
Her expression softened into a satisfied little smile. "Well, we tenebrim are one of the rarer races, at least in cities and towns. Unlike you humans, we prefer living apart from the others, fending for ourselves. Our kind are born with exceptional strength, and our bodies are naturally more resilient to harsher environments."
I carefully inched back toward her as she went on. "It's not hard to recognize us. Unlike other races, we have dras." She tapped the stub of her horn. "These horns are like our pride and identity. There are many who also have markings on their body, some more than others."
I hummed, biting my tongue before I'd pointing out the… irony of her words, considering one of her horns was broken. "Do you have any markings then?"
Without a word, she turned her back to me and lifted her shirt. My head jerked away on instinct, though I couldn't resist stealing glances. Her skin was covered in faint, dark-red patterns, like tribal tattoos etched across her back. They didn't look inked, but rather as if they belonged to her, part of her very being.
A part of me wanted to reach out and touch it, but I had to remind myself that touching a girl so casually would be inappropriate and creepy. That and the fact that I lacked guts.
"You can touch it if you want, Master."
"H-huh?"
Her words caught me off guard, but I managed to keep my voice even as I played it cool outwardly, while being a mess inwardly. It was then I realized just how often she guessed my thoughts with unsettling accuracy. Could she actually read my mind?
The idea made me nervous, but I forced out a soft chuckle and reached out. My hand hovered before pressing lightly against her back.
A girl's back… I want to hold her. I want to wrap my arms around her. I want to bury my face in her bosom…
Wait, no! I can't think of that if my theory is right. She'll read my mind otherwise!
"It's… kind of cool," I said casually, retracting my hand back as if nothing had happened. "When did you get it?"
After all, if she can read my thoughts right now, she already knows I'm a creep. She'll then think I'm the same as other lecherous men when my intentions are totally pure!
"We tenebrim are born with these marks," she explained, smoothing down her shirt and turning to face me again.
"They differ by bloodline. Sometimes abilities come with them. We can't use magic, but we're all able to use Skills. Normally one has to acquire them, but most tenebrim are born with a skill unique to their lineage."
"Unique to your lineage, huh? That's pretty neat." I leaned back, mulling it over. "Though it's kind of a bummer you can't use magic. Is there a reason for that? And… what about your unique Skill?"
She gave a little shrug. "We tenebrim don't have a functional 'core.' Perhaps not even a core at all. I'm not sure about the details, so I could be wrong."
"So the 'core' is what lets people use magic, then?" I asked, tapping my chest absentmindedly. "That would mean your capacity and ability to channel mana depends on it too, right?"
She nodded once. "I think so, yes."
"And your special Skill…?" I pressed, hoping to coax something out of her.
"Secret." She answered immediately with no hesitation, like it was the most natural response in the world.
I slumped back in defeat, backing down. I wasn't in the mood to argue with someone who'd be stubborn. "Right, right. A secret it is, then."
I opened my mouth to prod her further, but before I could, a dull thud echoed through the stone halls outside.