The black smoke saturated the entire room and made the atmosphere even dreary. Mr. C, who was supposed to be standing beside the bed, took several steps back until he reached a corner of the room. Even for an AI like him, this smoke was still corrosive. A thin film that was similar to a plastic sheet covered the butler as he waited to let the smoke disappear.
"Should I have killed that guide?" The master's deep voice came from behind the smoke and it reverberated inside the dark room.
Through the butler's eyes, he could clearly see the master. He was still sitting on the bed but some parts of his skin were dyed black and the glint on his eyes became a deeper red. His mouth was curved into a frown.
"It was the right decision to let the man live, master. You've decided to keep a low profile so if you killed that man, the first person they will put the blame on will be you." The butler answered because he was still capable of talking.
"That's right. I should rest for now and just look forward to what I will discover in that library." Cygnus closed his eyes and laid back down on the bed. Even after he was asleep the smoke did not dissipate not until the early signs of dawn.
As the sun rose, the corrosive smoke fully disappeared leaving the room in a sorry state. All sides and walls of the room were tainted black like it was scorched by fire. The furniture was destroyed except for the bed where the master was lying.
The butler did not make a move to fix the room because he did not have the ability to actually fix it. He needed to wait for Cygnus to wake up and restore magic inside the room. Even though time was slowly passing, the butler still did not move to wake the man up because it would be a fatal move.
After another hour, the master opened his eyes and looked around the room. "I already had a bad night and now even the room doesn't look pleasing to the eye." He sat up and snapped his fingers which summoned a large magic circle that filled the floor of the whole room.
With another snap of his fingers, the magic circle filled the whole room with a red light and when the light was gone, the room returned to its original look. The pristine white walls, ceiling and floor returned to their marbled color of white. The carpet returned to its original red color. Everything inside the room looked new.
After he changed his clothes, they went down to have breakfast as they waited for the hero to come back. The butler of the manor informed them that Sir Aberleign left early in the morning to take care of some things that needed this attention.
"Sir Aberleign said that the young master can explore while waiting for him to come back. There are many rooms in the manor that you will surely like and Sir Aberleign also informed me that you like reading books so the library has been opened for you." The butler passed the message that the Eternal Hero left with him.
"Thank you. I will check it out later." Cygnus nodded and before the butler could leave, he remembered something. "Have you seen the lady that was with me yesterday?"
"Ah yes, the lady woke up early and told me that she would go out and explore the city a bit more. Before I can ask if she'll need a guide, she already left." The manor's butler informed them.
"I understand." Cygnus grinned and continued to the dining room where the food was already prepared for him.
After an uneventful breakfast, Cygnus decided to explore the library that was located on the left wing of the manor's second manor. He quietly walked through the hallways until he reached a large wooden door. Cygnus pushed open the double doors and stepped inside.
The musty smell of books assaulted his senses as he continued to step forward. There was also the unmistakable earthy and wooden scent that came from every direction of the room as one of the small windows opened. They must have opened it to let the smell of stacked and dusty books be reduced.
Cygnus looked around the room and he couldn't help but notice that the place hadn't been used for a long time. The leather couches were stained by blotches of black which must have been caused by molds that had grown in the room. He walked up to the first shelf that was near him and skimmed through the titles of the books.
The long and slim fingers reached out for the first book that caught his attention. His pale skin contrasted with the brown binding of the book. One of the servants who happened to pass by was dumbstruck by the contrast of Cygnus's figure who stood amidst that desolate and lonely library. He stood for a couple of minutes before he finally came to himself and left in a hurry.
Cygnus looked back at the spot where the servant was standing. The door closed on its own before Cygnus returned to what he had been reading. He closed the book and placed it on the table before he started to walk around again.
The library was full of books that covered a wide variety of topics from magic to weapons to politics to economics to agriculture and many more. He only chose a couple of interesting ones then he settled on the couch and started to silently flip through pages of his chosen book. He passed the time in this manner until Mr. C came to get him since Sir Aberleign was already there.
They immediately left for the Justice of Light's main headquarters where the holy knight was staying. The ride did not take that long because the manor was only thirty minutes away through a carriage from the headquarters. As the carriage approached the place, Cygnus could already see the difference.
The streets near the headquarters were less crowded and there were no businesses around. It appeared solemn which only made Cygnus disgusted but he still skillfully hid his annoyance. Aberleign on the other hand seemed relaxed because of the report he got from the man he sent to look for that guide.
"Have you talked with that man?" He asked early that morning when the spy came back after being gone for the whole night.
"Yes," the man answered. "He told me that the reason why young master Rigel wanted to enter the kingdom's library was to look for records about you. He also said that it was because the young master admired you based on how eager he was to know more about you.
Aberleign stopped fixing the collar of his clothes after he heard those words. He turned around and looked at the man who was clad in black. He was kneeling while giving his report so he did not see Aberleign's reaction.
"That's good then. I thought that young master Rigel was not so keen on following me but this is good news." Aberleign chuckled before he turned around again to look at himself in the mirror. He continued to button his clothes.
After he was done changing, he dismissed his spy and called for the carriage. He left the manor and went straight to the palace where he was immediately granted an audience with the king. Aberleign went ahead to hug the king to show that they were indeed close.
"What made you come here so early in the morning?" The king asked after that brief hug. He gestured for the hero to take a seat.
"That is because I have a request to make," Aberleign answered. He sat down and gave the king a smile.
The king looked at the hero twice before he was sure that the person in front of him was really the Eternal Hero he knew. As a person on a high pedestal, he had never heard Aberleign asking for a favor. This would be the first time which made the king even more curious as to what prompted the proud man to request for something.
"What kind of request would that be? If it's not that difficult I can do it." The king gave a positive response.
"I would like for someone to get access to your library," the hero answered. "He is a young man under my protection and the son of Duke Ulysses Ginehart."
That name was famous even outside the kingdom of Lunaira. The king of El Merey was surprised to hear that name coming out from the hero's mouth since the duke was well known for his hatred of mages. Aberleign Sunox was not only a hero but was also a mage.
"That's an unusual request coming from you and I didn't know that you had been interacting with Duke Ginehart," the king commented.
"Indeed, but the second son of the duke is an excellent mage so I took interest in him. Luckily the duke dotes on his son and didn't stop me from interacting with the young man."
