The day before the arrival of the Enchanted Ones,
In the Vincent library of South Utopia,
The library sat tucked between two weather-beaten buildings, its door half-shadowed as if the place preferred to stay unnoticed. Inside, the world dulled into a muted hush. Shelves of dark, time-softened wood rose to a ceiling crossed with old beams, each one etched with the faint scars of old age. The air held a cold stillness, tinged with the dry scent of paper and something older, like quiet memories that no one had bothered to clean away.
Books lined the aisles in uneven rows: some are elegant, some frayed at the edges, and others sagging slightly as though tired from being read too often. A thin trail of afternoon light slipped through the tall windows, landing in pale strips across the floorboards and catching dust particles that drifted like slow, uncertain snow.
The medium-sized library glass door was opened by a soft hand. A white-skinned man looking like he is in his twenties walked straight to the fiction corner. He took "The Last Days of a Knight" book from the top third shelf.
A single desk sat near the back, cluttered with notes, dog-eared pages, and an ink bottle left open as if its owner had wandered off mid-thought. There was a kind of worn beauty to it all.
He sat in the brightest place in the library. He didn't sit at the common table. He chose a chair with a private desk. The pages started flipping. Time passed as the sun slowly moved to its demise. The pocket watch was taken from the young man's coat, and it showed the time pointing at 6 o'clock and past 30 minutes. He rose from his wooden chair and placed his pocket watch back in his coat. He marked the last page he read before closing the book. He placed the book in the same place he took it from. He took all his materials and put them in a black bag. The librarian handed over the library checkout notebook.
"Here, Mr. Ariya, write the details in the checkout notebook."
"Ahh! Yes, I almost forgot that."
"Do you love reading books, Mr. Ariya?"
"More than anything in my life, sir."
"About your father, is Sir Heisenberg
doing good?"
"He is not home lately; I didn't get to speak with him these days. There must be a critical thing regarding some country issues. He will show up again. I just graduated from my college. I have now more time to spend reading the stories I like. This library is way more comfy and good. I appreciate the owner."
"Haha...it's been a long time since I heard those words. Yeah, the owner of this library built it to last long."
Scribe scribe
"Okay then sir, I shall take my leave."then,
Vasudev climbed into the horse carriage and left the place. His butler, Nicholas, was sitting beside him, glaring at his young master.
....
At the same time,
In a dark, cave-like hidden area,
Wearing an old gold-rimmed monocle in his right eye and sitting in a wooden chair, a man with some visible wrinkles near his eyes saw a man entering through the iron door; he was heavily armored with metal plates that looked like they came from the old Japanese shogun era. He wore the crimson-colored armor. Even though the armor on his body is light, he removed some of the armor plates along with a sword sheath.
The half-samurai-like young man had neatly combed hair; he looked more European and less Japanese. Speaking in terms of "arthe planet," he looked more like Cequean and less Pomyuse.
He heaved to pull out the 5 huge sack bags from the ground and placed them on the big cashier-using wooden desk in front of the monocle-wearing man. "Mr. Eye, this is the new result of our crew's hunt at the Tis woods. They got the heart of Mijuan for your organization. I know that you only take what's on the bounty board and not more than that. Don't you think it's a bit stupid of the Rijan Order? The name itself holds legacy. But...the infrastructure and behavior towards non-Rijan order members who are mutually cooperating is like acting like you are all a bit cheap."
"It's all the new deacon's decision. Nowadays they are not sane. They are planning something. I don't know where this will go, but he is going to bring some change that we didn't witness in these past years. All I wish is the growth of the Rijan Order; the bounty is pounds for the hearts of Mijuan you brought. Young man, you have grown much compared to past months. You know much now, but Tortuga, you should still work on gaining more efficient and versatile equipment. Just saying, I don't know about your budget and your responsibilities. The better the equipment and the weapons, the better the hunt and the better the safety." Mr. Eye cared for Tortuga and stayed calm during the whole speech.
"Hmm...well, next time. Captain Hilchmen said that he will reward us for the performance at the latest hunt. I will inform you once I get my reward." Tortuga, who has just undergone exploring the ruins near the tomb at Tis Woods, explained the part he played during the exploration and about a mysterious symbol that resonated with him. He included that he touched the symbol and it went normal...
"Anyway, did you chance upon any artifacts you took secretly?" Even keeping that from your crew members, it's okay. We are looking for artifacts and relics here at the Rijan Order. Tortuga, you can bring that sort of thing anytime." Mr. Eye wanted to ensure he still wants to sell something to him.
"No sir, I didn't encounter such things; the captain took all the relics in a safe case. Then, how much does that go for?"
"Hmm…"
"100 rupees (1 pound) for a damaged heart 200 rupees (2 pounds) for an undamaged heart; further calculating... it's 200 pounds, and my commission is 15 pounds; subtracting that... it's 185 pounds for you."
Mr. Eye took the money bills from the suitcase in the drawer under the table. And registered the amount of money in a note. Then he took a black pouch with a rope on it to tighten it or loosen it and put the money into it.
"Here, take it."
"Thank you, Mr. Eye, I will take your advice seriously and act accordingly."
***
In the utopia kingdom's Soncia Academy,
A black-vested man with red hair walked into the teens' dorm.
Arthur, who was standing beside the window, looked at the man standing at the door of their dorm.
The air in the dorm grew heavy. They felt the chill running through their spine. Their gaze immediately turned to the door. They saw their staff; he had a black blindfolded cloth. He had a sharp jawline similar to Arthur's. If you compare Arthur and the redhead, Arthur is very handsome.
He opened his mouth and said, "Unit 50, 2 left turns and 1 right, then again 2 left turns, in 30 minutes. You guys are smelly; take a bath! I am giving you guys an additional 15 minutes; just take a bath. What were you all doing all this time? Come fast."