Seeing how isolated I was, I wondered what my current status was. Why was I in a house like this castle, and why did that woman kiss me? Uh, forget that woman; it seems she was just using me as an outlet.
I paced back and forth, thinking. If Asta was a citizen of the Veridia Kingdom sold by his father, does that mean I am now a slave purchased by the residents of this house? Damn, that's most likely true. But... Wouldn't it be strange for them to buy a slave like Asta? I mean, his body is very thin and weak, almost as if he was dying before I entered his body, or was he already dead? There must be a reason they bought Asta, but what?
Realizing I was just speculating and guessing – it's not efficient in my current situation. I'll set that aside for now. I need to gather information about this world as quickly as possible before someone comes.
I looked around and then, next to the stained glass, I saw a neat desk with stacks of books. I approached it, but there was hesitation within me – those books used an alphabet different from Earth's – I was seeing an alphabet like this for the first time.
I shuffled through the books – looking for the one I needed, then I saw a white book with a small ribbon in the middle that seemed to be a "Diary." I didn't dare open that book because it would be very dangerous if the owner got angry that their private book was opened – so I put it further away. Besides, I saw a small thread on the side of the book that seemed to be a trap; if the book was opened, the thread would break and the owner would know!
I breathed a sigh of relief, not just because I managed to spot the trap, but because it could be proof that I didn't open it.
Okay, moving on.
I found the last book with drawings of castle-like buildings. My eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the alphabet seemed readable: "Statecraft of the Veridia Kingdom and its History."
Huh?
I opened it and found that the letters that felt foreign earlier were now very familiar, as if I had known them for a long time. I nodded, understanding something.
"Hmm... Is this because of Asta's knowledge?" I couldn't help but smile at this. "Hehe... At least there's a silver lining. I don't need language lessons."
I paused for a moment, something holding me back from reading. I was afraid that if I focused too much on reading and someone suddenly came from behind without me noticing, it would be dangerous. Besides, I couldn't read if I wasn't focused because, I had to admit, without Asta's knowledge, I couldn't read. Therefore, I had to access his mind.
I searched for a small mirror on the desk to reflect the area behind me so I wouldn't have to turn my head.
Uh, shouldn't there be a small mirror in a house like this?
Finally, after a while, I found it next to an inkwell that still used a quill pen!
I positioned the mirror facing the door behind me.
Alright, now I'm safe! I need to read as quickly as possible before someone enters this room. My time is was extremely limited.
I opened the first chapter about the geography of the Veridia Kingdom, and my eyes quickly scanned for important information, ignoring the useless words.
"The Veridia Kingdom is one of the five kingdoms on the Avalon continent. The other kingdoms are not mentioned here." Okay, wherever I am now, I'm in the Veridia Kingdom. Since the Veridia Kingdom is close to the sea and has a volcano – its resources are very abundant because the sea provides fish, and the volcano, specifically Mount Namea (the largest volcano), makes the surrounding land fertile.
I looked up to see the view from the window. If Mount Namea is the largest volcano, it should be visible from very far away.
I saw it! But I seemed to only see the foot of the mountain, and even that was from a corner of the glass, and the distance seemed very far because the mountain was covered by clouds.
I continued reading. There was no information about which region Mount Namea is located near. However, the capital of the Veridia Kingdom is the capital city of Solvent, which also serves as the center of trade, meetings, and gatherings between kingdoms.
Flipping the page.
"Useless." There was no important information on this page as it was just a summary. I moved on to the next chapter.
Flipping the page, I found chapter two, but it only discussed the regions within the Veridia Kingdom, each with its own leader, like a representative of the people: Blackbourne, Scotland Yard, Havient, Median the port city, and–!
I flipped through the pages; it was starting to become useless. My time was very limited as the sun grew hotter.
I glanced at the mirror and then back at my book. But so far, all I found by flipping through the pages were: Regional divisions, statecraft, laws, diversity, and others!
Damn it!
I kept flipping the pages, my sweat dripping, my eyes constantly checking the mirror.
Until finally, I reached the final chapter, titled "The Tainted." Yes, that's what was written.
I wanted to close the book immediately, but something held me back. What did "The Tainted" mean? From all the books I read in school, I had never heard a term like this.
I couldn't read quickly this time because the writing was very strange and messy, unlike before, forcing me to focus:
"The clan we praise. The clan we respect. The clan we honor. The clan that stood at the forefront to fight our enemy, the Demons – now they instead use the very same power used by those demons. They have betrayed us. 'The Tainted' is the fitting name for them, the traitors who use Mora."
Mora? I remembered when Park Ji-hun and I performed the ritual and we mentioned Mora...
I flipped the page because the writing in the book was very large – filling one page with just a single paragraph.
"As long as they remain, the peace of our kingdom will be threatened."
The further I read, the more chaotic the alphabet became; the letters twisted, stretched, curved, and enlarged as if for emphasis. It started to look like a baby learning to write – it was completely illegible. Finally, I reached a part with clearer writing.
"Kill them all..." My hair stood on end. "Kill without regard for age; infants, adolescents, adults, the elderly. Kill... Because they are demons."
The letters in the word 'Demons' stretched to the edge of the page...
Wait! Wait! This is completely off-topic from the subject of this book. They wrote something like this in a statecraft book?! Do they justify something like this? And... Who exactly is the clan they are referring to?
I removed my hand from the book, then rubbed my own arm because it felt cold, while recalling Asta's childhood memories that looked so green and bright, which then turned into the gloomy atmosphere of Rusty Village.
Don't tell me that Ravencrest is the clan they mean... I froze, then stared back at the book. Next to it, there were still some smaller writings, but they were damaged.
Creeak...
Someone was opening the door! Reflexively, I closed the book, my eyes instantly darting to the mirror I had set up. The figure visible was...
"What are you doing?"