The first rays of dawn reached for the curtains on the windows, sending fingers of light through the gaps. In the silent recesses of the carriage, broken only by the rhythmic tapping of the ground dragon's feet and the turning of wheels, it felt as if various grains of gold had been scattered across the air, tumbling and turning before him.
Contrary to his expectations, they had not run into any trouble while travelling at night.
Hedin looked at the sleeping figure of Emilia, laying softly on the seat, her head supported by a pillow. He was sure that it was not the girl's intention to fall asleep. He was sure she intended to keep him company through the night but he was quite thankful she fell asleep.
He slowly removed the curtains, just enough for the light to fall on his face. He softly closed his eyes and rested in the light of dawn.
The carriage was travelling through another forest, one that was not as thick as the previous one and the road here was quite a bit wider. He did not doubt that they were getting closer to another settlement. He had no idea if it was the Margrave's domain or simply another checkpoint they would cross.
It was not long after that Emilia began to stir in her seat. A soft groan escaped her mouth as she spread her arms and got up from the seat. Groggily, she rubbed her beautiful amethyst eyes and looked at Hedin.
Instantly, realization dawned on her face.
"Oh! Did I fall asleep?!" She exclaimed.
Hedin shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I would have felt bad if you stayed up because of me."
"But still..." Emilia said, but Hedin doubled down on his statement so she was forced to relent.
Just then, a familiar high pitched voice sounded in their ears.
"Good morning!" Puck exclaimed, his arms spread wide as he appeared before Emilia in a shower of blue particles. "How were you, Lia? This guy didn't try anything shady right?" Puck turned to Hedin and asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It hurts my heart that you would think so little of me, Puck." Hedin chuckled.
"Can't help it. Father's paranoia, you know."
"Puck! You're being rude!" Emilia was quick to come to Hedin's rescue and reprimand Puck. The silly cat did not show any remorse and playfully cast out his tongue towards Hedin.
"Anyways, do you think we're close?" He asked.
Emilia swept the curtains aside and realization dawned on her face. She closed her eyes and some spirits appeared by her hand.
"That's right. Arlam Village is right up ahead. We'll be there in a minute." She said.
"Well, you woke up at a convenient time."
"My daughter does have excellent timing." Puck said, puffing out his chest.
...
Arlam village, contrary to Hedin's expectations, was not very large. He had expected it to be at least a town, but perhaps there was a reason it was called 'Arlam Village' and not 'Arlam Town'.
For a Margrave's domain, this place is down at it's heel. Isn't Mathers supposed to hold a high post in the royal court? How come his own domain is so small? It doesn't look like it can generate much in terms of taxes.
Just then, Hedin reprimanded himself. I shouldn't be putting my own world's standards to this one. Perhaps this one has a different system of governance and fund collection. Not to mention the Margrave's profits might not come from the village at all. There's also chance that he's a bit slow in the head and can't figure out how to grow his domain... I'll hold down on the assumptions.
The people looked at the carriage as it swept past. Undoubtedly, the carriage attracted attention wherever it went; and perhaps that was for a reason. Courting attention was an excellent way of flaunting power after all.
Passing by the village, with all of it's elderly, young and adults, passing by it's houses and keeps and making way onto paved brick roads, the carriage headed up a gradual incline.
And slowly, the outline of a large mansion began to form.
The carriage went through the metal gates, rode along the road which split the garden in half and stopped right before the fountain, behind which, some distance off, was the main door to the mansion.
Hedin and Emilia waited inside for a moment before the door opened with a smooth motion.
And there in the sunlight, in all her glory, stood the pink haired maid, Ram.
"Lady Emilia. Honoured Guest. We have arrived." She bowed and extended her hand to Emilia, who graciously took her hand and stepped down from the carriage. Hedin followed behind them and as he got off and look around him, he could not help but nod inwardly in appreciation.
The garden around him was dotted with various bushes and trees, cut expertly into fine shapes. A flower bed rested right along the wall of the building and each one swayed silently in the calm breeze.
Above, in the sky, a raven flew with practiced ease, watching everything with it's blank red eyes.
The mansion was a large building, white coloured with darker tone blended in seamlessly and vibrant banners that hung in some places off the side of windows. The entire structure, at least from the front, seemed to be divided into 3 compartments and right before the centre compartment, right under the main door stood another figure.
She was, as Emilia had said, exactly like Ram.
Hedin did a double take to really take in her appearance. He had imagined that Emilia was exaggerating their similarities, but never had he imagined that she was being literal. Rem was exactly like her sister, a rounded face, thin chin and a cute nose. Even her stature and way of standing was identical to Ram. The only clear difference, Hedin noticed, was in the colour of their hair, eyes and finally, the size of their chests.
Rem walked to them and bowed.
"Welcome back, Lady Emilia." Rem said. Her eyes briefly travelled to meet her sister's after she caught sight of Hedin but she collected herself quickly.
"Hello, honoured guest. We are happy to host you for the time." She bowed again.
Hedin nodded. "Where is the host, might I ask? It would not be polite for me to not greet the lord of the land."
"Sister sister. It would seem the guest is quite polite."
"Indeed Rem. But do not be fooled by the exterior he presents. In there lies a deeply disturbed individual."
Silence.
Hedin was at a loss for words until Rem spoke.
"Master Roswaal is gone for important business in the capital. He will be able to greet you on the morrow. Until then, please enjoy our hospitality." She said.
"Indeed. We will be happy to host you on behalf of our master. But please do not take this act of kindness for granted." Ram chimed in.
"I see." Hedin said simply. He did not wish to engage in banter with the maids. Doing so would only make him appear insecure and threaten his position when later negotiating with the Margrave. Although he was fairly certain that what he had helped Emilia secure back was an important object, he was not sure to what extent. He lacked information. As such, it was better to be on the careful side.
But inwardly, he was quite disturbed. What maid talks with a guest like that? It would seem I'll also have to talk to Mathers about his employees.
"Rem, Ram. Please don't trouble Hedin too much, okay?" Emilia said, making the maids bow in response.
And with that, they headed inside.
The main door led to a large hall. Two spiral staircases led to the first floor, right below which was a hallway that extended further into the ground floor. The wall held various lamps and windows. The lamps were turned off and the interior enjoyed the illumination of sunlight. The ground was covered by opulent carpets, bright red and golden in colour with white outlines.
Emilia broke off from them and Hedin was escorted to a room by the blue haired maid.
The mansion was full of hallways and various rooms. Windows lined the hallways and those which weren't were decorated with art pieces and various trinkets - armors, strange devices, wands.
They passed by dozens of rooms.
It's structure was, in all respects, quite akin to a labyrinth, Hedin mused. While walking through the labyrinth like mansion, the layout of which he was quickly beginning to map out, he could not help but sense the odd feeling of anger, fear and anxiety in the maid before him.
This isn't just wariness. Why is she afraid? More than that, why is she so angry? He narrowed his eyes. His head was covered by hat and coupled with lighting, it made him appear quite intimidating. But he did not think it sufficient to induce fear.
"Um, Miss?" He called out.
He felt the maid tense up, although no reaction was visible to the naked eye. "Yes? Honoured guest?" She looked over her shoulder and quickly back again.
"I heard from Emilia that there was another resident of the mansion? Someone named Beatrice?" He asked.
Rem quieted down for a moment before answering.
"That's right. She dwells in the forbidden library. No one can enter without her explicit permission." With that, she quieted down.
Before Hedin could push the small talk (he was quite bad at doing so), the maid turned to one of the doors and spoke. "This will be your room for your stay at the mansion, dear guest."
Hedin nodded and twisted the door knob.
Suddenly, as he swung the door open, a strange feeling overwhelmed his senses. One of alarm, as if something in the air had shifted.
And sure enough, instead of the room he had been expecting to see, comprising a bed, wardrobe, and light filtering through windows; he was greeted by an expansive hall.
Bookshelves lined the hall as far as he could see; centuries of knowledge all compiled into hundreds upon hundreds of books and tens of thousands of pages. The fragrance of paper and leather instantly hit his nose as he observed the library. Somewhere along the library, it split off into two floors, holding even more books.
And there, right before the door seated upon a high chair was a... girl.
Hedin stopped, just before his foot could step into the library, for he felt if he entered without caution, he would be thrown out. He observed the girl quite curiously and he was sure he already knew who she was.
"Miss Beatrice?"
"Hmm? And who might you be in fact?" Her voice was pitched high, and in all respects, like a small child.
Her attire consisted mainly of violet and pink and was adorned with frills everywhere.
The long skirt was split right below the waistline to reveal her legs from the front and the hem extended right to her feet. Her skin was fair, if a bit pale and her blonde hair was styled into drills that hung off from the sides of her head. Her eyes weren't like any humans eyes, instead, they were filled with what looked to be butterfly symbols. And finally, atop her small head, rested a little crown.
"Oh. Emilia told me. I'm a guest here." Hedin said, observing the library with interest.
"May I come in?"
"You may not, I suppose." Beatrice instantly shot down his request and looked up from her book for the first time. As her eyes locked onto Hedin's figure, Hedin felt a change in her emotions.
Doubt? Perhaps. But maybe this extended a bit further than that.
Yet, there was an emotional that dwarfed it. A lingering shadow. Sorrow.
"I see." Hedin replied simply.
They continued to stare at each other for a moment before Rem spoke from behind him.
"Lady Beatrice, this is Master Hedin Haverill. He helped Lady Emilia in the capital." She explained.
Beatrice huffed, shaking her head.
"How unprofessional. Can you not even introduce yourself I suppose?"
Hedin realized his blunder and instantly screamed inside his head. He had messed up the first rule of being a gentleman! Always introduce yourself first!
Man... I was too engrossed in studying her. He was indeed too engrossed in doing so. He could feel the same amorphous substance, mana, as described, wrapping all around Beatrice. It was unlike the other spirits he had seen, Puck and the transparent dots of light. He did not know in what respects she was different.
"My sincerest apologies, Lady Beatrice." He regarded her respectfully. As a spirit, something inherently above mortality — and more than that, as someone in possession of centuries of knowledge, she deserved respect in Hedin's eyes. Whether she kept that respect needed to be seen.
"Hmph! At least you have the heart to apologize." She said. "You can enter, I suppose."
Receiving her permission, Hedin entered - studying the library with unconcealed curiosity.
Rem stood silently outside the room, not moving. It seemed as if she were frozen in time.
"This is the second largest library I've seen. Provided, I still haven't seen the entirety of it." Hedin could not help but mutter. The first largest library he had seen was located in China. Well... was located in China. He had been there alongside a group of 23 other hunters, in reconnaissance for suspicious great one activity. Suffice to say, the city had been destroyed after 3 days of their arrival, and the blasphemous creation of a great one - a reanimated Dinosaur Skeleton had smashed right through the library.
"Second largest, I wonder?"
"Well, I have travelled far and wide." Hedin smiled.
"Hmph!" Beatrice hmphed before closing her book and hopping off her chair. "You seem like the troublesome type. Stand still while I check something." She said, drawing closer.
Check something? Hedin wondered. But feeling no ill will, neither did he feel his instincts warning him, he held on, curious to see what she would do.
As she reached within arm's length, she reached forward and touched his abdomen.
Due to her short stature, she was only as tall as his hips and so, she had to reach upwards.
Instantly, Hedin felt something.
Pain. Heat. It felt as if lava was flowing through his body, twisting and churning and reaching out from his abdomen. The mana inside him seemed to roar as it rushed out, drawn by Beatrice with a single command.
His muscles seemed to cramp up, his heart seemed to stop, yet, he did not say anything.
He would be wrong to say that the pain was insignificant, but he had gone through worse things.
Though, on reflex, his hand shot out instantly, grasping the spirit's tiny wrist into his hand. But he stopped himself.
The heat stopped just a few heartbeats later. Beatrice looked up to meet his eyes.
"What was that?" His voice, as he noticed, came out strikingly cold.
"I drew out your mana, I suppose. It's commendable that you're able to not cry out in pain, much less stand." Beatrice said, unconcerned with the icy glare she was receiving. "Do not think of it as an attack." She said, breaking her wrist free from his grasp.
"I was merely checking if you were a threat to the mansion or not."
"Shouldn't there be more steps you can take before doing that?"
"But that was the most practical was it not?" Beatrice hopped back onto her chair. She met his eyes again.
"Speaking of, that was quite a large amount of mana you have. Not to mention your spiritual affinity. You have a talent for magic, I suppose. But your gate is unusual."
Hedin, feeling a bit winded, shook his head to regain focus.
"Unusual?"
"I won't explain more than I have to, I suppose. Ask the Elf girl to give you more lessons." She waved her hand, shooing him away.
"Go away now. Go."
Hedin looked at her for a few moments, feeling a bit dissatisfied by his treatment.
Inwardly, he was beginning to wonder if it was a good thing coming with Emilia.
Everyone in this mansion seemed to have some problems. Some were drowned in sorrow and were sociopathic. The maids were disrespectful and strangely angry. And reportedly, the lord wasn't that far off. Seeds do not fall far from the tree and all.
"Well... I bid you farewell, then." Hedin said, slipping outside and closing the door behind him.
And as he met Rem's eyes, filled with doubt, yet still that lingering anger; he had but a single thought in mind.
Would Reinhard's offer still hold valid, I wonder?
...
Throw some stones.
Bonus chapter at 150.
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(Image Here)
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A/N: Read upto 10 advanced chapters on my patreon: patreon . c o m/Yesnth Just remove the spaces from between.
Cheers~