Traces of the Starting Knight
Ludenberg Lavante opened his eyes. A throbbing headache assaulted him.
"Damn it. More incomprehensible nonsense. What the hell is this 'it' that's coming for me?"
He clutched his pounding head and rose, opening the window. The dim predawn light faintly outlined the room. It was far too early to start the day. Frost had formed on the glass, and a clear yet biting wind from outside playfully brushed his face before passing. As the breeze eased his headache, Ludenberg pulled out a pen and jotted down the words from his dream.
The Starting Knight. A history lost to time. The enigmatic woman, Raha. It. The evil fate.
'In the end, the evil fate is coming for me. Wait. Could 'it' be connected to the evil fate? Since it's coming to find me...'
Having already decided to accept Raha's words to some extent, Ludenberg didn't dismiss them lightly. If the unknown was approaching, he had to uncover clues about them. He listed his priorities on a blank sheet of paper.
Unseal Raha. Find out what this 'it' is that's coming for the evil fate—and for him.
'Just in case, I should look into the Starting Knight quickly. Raha said unsealing her seal requires finding clues about the Starting Knight. There has to be some change once it's done.'
Even if that change was unfavorable, Ludenberg figured his situation couldn't get any better—only worse—so he resolved to pursue the information Raha had dropped.
'First... to the Wisdom Pavilion.'
The Starting Knight. He'd never heard of it in his life, but the Wisdom Pavilion held nearly every scrap of knowledge in the Solemnute Empire. There might be even the faintest trace.
Upon arriving at the Wisdom Pavilion, Ludenberg sought out the librarian. She was sorting through a chaotic pile of books. Spotting him mid-task, she greeted him warmly.
"Hello. Back again?"
"...Yes. Here for some assignments."
The librarian's expression shifted subtly at his excuse. She looked at him with pity and said,
"Oh... that assignment. It'll probably take a while. Want some help?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Haha, got it. You're diligent. If you need anything, come to the entrance."
"Understood. Oh, but..."
"Yes?"
"Do you know anything about... the Starting Knight?"
Ludenberg asked just in case she might know. He didn't really expect her to, but with the bizarre dreams and mysteries surrounding him, he had to chase every lead as quickly as possible.
"Starting Knight? No, first time hearing it. A book title?"
As expected, she knew nothing. Ludenberg resigned himself to searching alone.
'Of course. No librarian could know every book in this vast Wisdom Pavilion. Fine, then... history section it is. It has to be in the forgotten histories.'
He headed to the shelves holding historical tomes. Faced with an endless sea of books, his vision blurred.
It wouldn't be easy finding info on some unheard-of knight called the Starting Knight.
"Haa."
He sighed once and began his search.
...Hm?
Unaware of the curious gaze fixed on him.
About two hours later, as Ludenberg sighed again in frustration over his lack of progress, someone approached him.
"Something wrong? You've been searching nonstop."
Sharp eyes. Silver hair neatly tied back. A woman in her early thirties, perhaps. But she was a stranger to Ludenberg.
He turned the question on her. "Who are you?"
"Ah, right. New student this term? I'm Nah Tes, professor of history at Solemnute Adem. You?"
"Ludenberg Lavante."
"Lavante? Oh, I heard rumors about a new enrollee. That you?"
She showed no particular reaction to his name. Ludenberg recalled that Solemnute Adem's professors never mentioned curses or such nonsense around him.
'As expected of people who don't buy into idle rumors.'
"So, why are you tearing through the history section like this?"
"Looking for something personal."
At his vague reply, Professor Nah tilted her head. "Looking for something?"
"Yes."
In that moment, Ludenberg debated whether to reveal what he sought or brush it off.
'Searching this whole Wisdom Pavilion alone could take months. A history professor might know something about the enigmatic Starting Knight.'
The decision came quickly. He didn't want to waste excessive time on dream nonsense.
"Mind sharing what it is?"
"Information on a being called the Starting Knight."
"What...?"
Her reaction was one only someone with prior knowledge could have. Ludenberg was caught off guard as his hunch proved true.
'Too easy. I figured it'd take much longer.'
"You know it?"
"Where'd you hear about it? Not something you stumble across easily."
"...Can't disclose the source."
"Fair enough. Everyone has secrets."
Professor Nah didn't pry further, her nonchalant attitude leaving Ludenberg even more flustered.
"Ever heard of the Star Pilgrims?"
She asked abruptly.
"Setra cult's special priests who wander the world restoring lost knowledge, right?"
"Spot on. I'm one of them. We seek out forgotten or vanished records, restore them, and pursue new knowledge."
It was intriguing to meet one in person, but Ludenberg couldn't hide his bewilderment at the sudden pivot.
"Why bring up the Star Pilgrims out of nowhere...?"
"About a year ago, we found an ancient record in some ruins. Thickness of a single book, I'd say. Better call it a book."
'An ancient book? No way...'
"That book..."
"Yeah. The one about your Starting Knight. But it's so worn we can't even decipher it properly. And it's in ancient tongue from ages ago—deciphering the intact parts is no picnic."
"You can just share such material so freely?"
To Ludenberg, it sounded like a historically priceless artifact, yet here she was, spilling it casually. He couldn't fathom it.
"No issue. We're announcing it publicly soon anyway. Star Pilgrims share discoveries and interpretations with every historian in the empire the moment we start analyzing."
"Why?"
"If even one person finds a clue, it becomes valuable to all. No reason to hoard it. Our mission isn't personal glory—it's the pursuit of knowledge."
"I see."
"Anyway, we've only decoded a snippet so far. Just a passage."
"A passage...?"
"'Raise your sword for the fallen. Give hope to those who crave life. Starting Knight, you shall be the vanguard of hope.'"
She recited it flawlessly, then continued.
"That's all we've cracked in the past year. Interested? I can copy the material for you."
Ludenberg couldn't grasp her attitude. He hadn't offered payment or anything—just said he was searching—yet she was eager to share more. It was unlike anyone he'd met.
"As I said... is it really okay to hand this out so easily?"
"Ludenberg Lavante. You're a student, right?"
"...Yes?"
"And I'm a professor."
"Yes."
Her sudden questions left him puzzled again.
'Out of nowhere?'
"So a student asked his professor about something he didn't know. No reason not to answer. I like eager students. And as I said, anyone into history will know soon enough. Got time?"
"Yes."
"Follow me. Better give it to you now. We made plenty of clean copies anyway... and I'll cover it in class soon."
Professor Nah led him to her office in the theology faculty. It was Ludenberg's first time there since enrolling. Unlike the knight faculty, theology students' uniforms lacked rank brooches. Instead, they bore unique ornaments—likely denoting their cults. It felt mystical to him.
After the trek, she handed him a neatly prepared book in her office.
"Here."
"Cleaner than I expected."
"It's a copy. You don't know the toil Setra priests went through to make it pristine. Damaged parts are left blank, of course. Anyway, done looking? Head out—term's just starting, you're busy. Probably won't understand it anyway."
"Thank you."
Ludenberg expressed his gratitude. Thanks to her, his time was slashed dramatically; even he, wary of others, couldn't withhold thanks.
"Sure. See you in class."
"Yes."
Back at the dorm, Ludenberg opened the book. He doubted he'd grasp it fully, but since he'd spent the day on it, he'd skim through.
The language differed from modern imperial tongue.
'As expected.'
He couldn't parse a single character.
"Tch. What am I supposed to do with this?"
As Ludenberg grumbled,
[Found it.]