บท 78: Chapter 78 - Mental Space Again
The streets of Vesta were calm once more as Seraphina made her way back to the inn— it was a welcome peace from the activities she had during the day, much had happened in little time.
Her mind buzzed with the events of the day: the nobleman at the library, the knowledge she had gleaned, and the encounter with the man from the slums.
After thinking about it while walking, she decided not to mention the latter when she reached the room— some things were better left unspoken for now.
She arrived at the inn and didn't bother interacting with anyone, making her way straight up to her room and pushing open the door, finding Samuel lounging on his bed, and Edwin seated at the small desk, organizing his notes as always.
"You're back."
Samuel said with a smile as he noticed her, turning to face her he laid on his side.
"So, how was the grand library expedition? Did you scare away the scholars with your charming personality?"
Seraphina gave him a sidelong glance, unamused, as she set her things down.
"I met someone."
She said, ignoring his jest.
"Lorian Velk. A minor noble— son of a baron."
Samuel's grin widened and he teased her a little.
"Oh, noble connections already? Moving up in the world, are we?"
Edwin's gaze sharpened, setting aside his notes.
"What did he want?"
Seraphina sat on the edge of her bed, and unwound, removing her cloak and her shoes as she relaxed her body.
"He noticed my books on knights and struck up a conversation. He's aspiring to be one himself, starting at Fortia Academy this year. Apparently, he's just broken into the cleansing stage."
"Impressive."
Edwin remarked, nodding.
"That shows talent, at least."
Samuel interjected as he mentioned that with a playful addition.
"Not as much as our Seraphina, now that's talent."
"He was eager to talk."
Seraphina continued, thankful for the compliment but not allowing it to get to her head or distract her.
"He mentioned rivalries within the academy, minor alliances between noble houses, and some ongoing disputes. Nothing groundbreaking, but enough to give us a sense of how the local nobility operates."
Samuel leaned forward, intrigued.
"And he just gave all that up for free?"
"He wanted to impress me."
She replied dryly.
"I doubt he thought much of it."
Edwin nodded and Samuel couldn't help but agree, it was definitely better than nothing.
"Useful nonetheless. Nobility is always playing their games, and knowing where the cracks are could give us leverage if we need it."
Samuel smirked— as he had a sudden thought.
"Still sounds like someone was trying to win you over, just like someone else at this inn. What, did he offer to take you to his home?"
"He did, actually."
Seraphina said with a faint, sarcastic smile.
"But I'm not interested."
She shifted the topic before the man had time to reply— as time went on they became more friendly with each other. Their previous interaction which worked on the basis of them being knights of her house had since changed.
They now treated her more friendly— especially Samuel who interacted with her more like a friend than a servant. She was thankful for this, it made interacting with them much easier.
"What about you two? Did you find anything useful?"
Samuel's grin faded, and he leaned back on his bed with a sigh.
"Not much. Just the usual tavern rumors— monster sightings, some whispers about goblins, but nothing concrete about the forest or the hooded figures."
Edwin folded his arms as he added to the other's summary.
"We'll keep trying tomorrow. Someone at the guild must know something useful, but it might take time to get them to talk."
Seraphina nodded, her focus returning inward.
"Good. Let's regroup in the morning."
The conversation ended there, each of them retreating to their own thoughts.
Seraphina changed into her nightwear and slipped under the blankets, though sleep was far from her mind. Instead, she allowed herself to sink into the depths of her mental library— something she hadn't done in a while.
She simply didn't have the time to properly do so, with the many things they have been through. Using the mental library took energy, and while she wouldn't feel tired when she woke up, she also didn't feel rested— with all the action they had been through she needed to stay sharp.
This was why she had put aside using it until she was free, but now with the addition of new books, she couldn't help but check it out.
The transition was seamless, and soon she was standing amidst endless shelves of books, the faint glow of her violet eyes and the white orbs illuminating the space.
As she was navigating the shelves looking for the books she had stored before, she noticed the serpent shelf had changed. The serpent shelf was special, no matter how many normal books she stored they wouldn't be added to the shelf, instead, it only stored books related to her knight training so far— specifically her training method and aura sensing information.
Yet to her surprise, the books she had collected earlier on rudimentary knight training methods were now placed here, aligned neatly on a previously empty shelf.
Her brow furrowed as she moved closer to examine them. As she reached for one, something unusual caught her eye— the words on the cover seemed to shimmer, as if alive.
When she opened the book, the text on the pages began to shift and writhe, the words moving as if seeking one another— moving in such a way that resembled ants.
She flipped through all the pages to see if it was the same for all, and to her surprise, it was— all the words in the book were constantly moving and shifting, making it impossible to properly read the book.
She then checked another book— and another. In the end, she found that all the books she had added today related to rudimentary knight training, had been added here, and they were all the same.
As she was observing the moving words, a thought came to mind— they seemed like they were trying to do something, so why not see what it was? She grabbed another book and placed it beside the first, and to her astonishment, the words from both books flowed off the pages, merging in midair like drops of ink.
Slowly, the text formed a new shape— a blank-covered book with partially filled pages.
Curious, Seraphina reached for this new book, but as she scanned its contents, she noticed gaps— sentences that trailed off, paragraphs abruptly ending.
It was incomplete.
She set the new book down and spread out the original texts on the floor of the library space, arranging them side by side.
As she did, the words from each book flowed outward, gathering into a cohesive stream that converged into the incomplete book.
It was as though the library— her mind— was reconstructing fragmented knowledge into something whole.
Her violet eyes gleamed as she stared at the newly formed book— and as she was observing it she felt a sudden pain surge from her eyes; like they were burning.
Clenching her eyes, she fell to the ground, the pain spreading outwards and causing her entire head to ache soon enough— a mind-splitting headache.
It was like the headaches she had before, but much worse, it was as if her mind was being split open from the inside out— it was so painful that it forced her out of her mental space.
She woke up in reality with a scream, clenching her head in pain— her scream waking up the others in the room as well.
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