After Tanya's departure, Alex scanned the hall, his eyes drawn to the entrance through which the royal family had arrived. Arthur noticed his gaze and asked:
Arthur: "What's wrong, Alex? Why are you staring at that entrance?"
Alex: "I don't know, it just intrigues me."
Arthur: "You should just focus on the banquet."
Alex: "Alright."
With his hands tucked into his pockets, Alex walked away. Seeing him leave, Ella turned to Arthur:
Ella: "Where is he going?"
Arthur: "I don't know… but I hope he doesn't get into trouble."
Alex slowly slipped through the crowd until he reached the entrance that led to a long corridor.
Alex (thinking): Well, time to stick my nose where it doesn't belong. This banquet was boring anyway.
Unbeknownst to him, someone was watching from afar. Alex advanced down the wide, brightly lit corridor.
Alex (thinking): So many doors… Which one should I take?
He reached the end of the hall and found himself before a massive door. Looking it up and down, he smirked.
Alex: "Bingo."
He pushed it open and entered a vast library. Towering shelves stretched up three stories, filled with books as far as the eye could see. Suddenly, a floating blue orb drifted toward him. A voice echoed from within it:
Orb: "Good evening, dear visitor. May I have your name and know what you seek in my library?"
Alex blinked in surprise.
Alex: "Your library? This is yours? And… what exactly are you?"
Orb: "I am Olden, guardian of this library for a thousand years."
Alex: "A thousand years? That doesn't make sense—the kingdom has only existed for three hundred."
Olden: "You are correct. But when the capital was built, I already existed. Back then, this was merely a cave. The sovereign turned it into the castle you now know."
Alex: "And the books? Explain that."
Olden: "Originally, there were no books. Every volume here, I wrote myself. They hold the memories of great men long dead and my own knowledge of this world. I am a spirit. Millennia ago, a man created me to gather and preserve knowledge eternally. I embody those who seek to know, and in return I harvest their wisdom. That is why even this collection remains incomplete."
Alex: "So why write them?"
Olden: "For a boy I met a thousand years ago. He desperately wished to learn the world in its entirety. Later, the first king asked me to write more, and built me this place."
Alex glanced around the shelves.
Alex: "Sounds boring. But since I'm here, I've got an idea. You know almost everything about this world, don't you? Even beyond what's written down."
Olden: "Not everything, but enough."
Alex: "Then I want a book about the true genesis of this world. All the stories only go back four thousand years, but I don't buy that humans just started existing then. What about dragons and elves, who can live for nearly a thousand years? Do you have something on the birth of the universe?"
At his words, the orb shifted shape, transforming into a small girl with flowing blue hair.
Olden: "For that question, you'll need more than a book. So, young one… keep this to yourself."
In an instant, Alex was transported into another space.
Olden: "What you seek is what my creator left me—his memories."
Words appeared before his eyes, and as Alex read them, visions consumed his mind.
This world was born of eternity, forged by the force that governs all—reality itself. Some called it GOD, not the gods who manipulate causality on vast scales, but GOD as the very essence of causality…
Just by reading, Alex witnessed the creation of the universe. He pressed on until a passage stopped him cold:
The earth was first filled with beasts, but the first intelligent beings to emerge were the dragons—creatures of immense essence, living nearly three thousand years. Some, through cultivation, even surpassed that span…
Centuries later, beings deeply attuned to nature were born—the elves. They created magic as we know it, worshiping a spirit that incarnated within a tree. That spirit soon rose to divinity. Yet it was not the first, for in distant lands elves had already birthed civilizations, raising concepts and beings alike to godhood. And then came… humans.
After millennia of progress, humans achieved technological heights never before seen, and waged war against both elves and dragons.
Alex (thinking, startled): What was that?! I wasn't just reading—it's like the knowledge was flooding straight into my head. There's too much. My mind can't handle it. If this keeps up, I'll fry my brain! And all of this… I've never heard any of it before.
Olden: "You've reached your limit. You cannot endure any more."
Suddenly, Alex was back in the library, Olden once again a floating orb.
Olden: "Ask for the book you desire, and I shall bring it."
Alex: "What are you doing to me…?"
But before he could recover, Tanya's younger sister appeared, having followed him all this time. Her cold voice cut the air:
Princess: "What are you doing here? You shouldn't be in this place."
Alex (thinking): Of course… Just when my head is splitting.
Alex turned to answer but froze. Instead of speaking, he lunged forward, grabbing the princess and pulling her away. Confused, she gasped—an entire shelf collapsed where she had just been standing.
Alex: "Are you alright?"
Flustered, her heart racing, she stammered:
Princess: "Y-Yes… you can put me down now."
Alex: "Alright."
He set her down gently.
Alex: "Then allow me to take my leave, Your Highness. You're right—I shouldn't be here."
Hands back in his pockets, Alex started walking away. The princess stared after him, unsettled.
Princess (thinking): This… wasn't part of my plan. Damn it. But… it's fine.
Then she called out:
Princess: "Wait… What's your name?"
Alex paused before replying:
Alex: "Alex. Alex Andreas."
Melty: "Thank you. I won't forget it."
Alex: "Don't worry. I was just doing my duty."
And with that, he walked off.
Alex (thinking): I don't know why, but this girl feels like trouble. I get the feeling I should never have met her.
END OF CHAPTER
NEXT CHAPTER: First Mission