Chapter 362: An Unexpected Encounter(1)
Chapter 362: An Unexpected Encounter(1)
Ariel certainly made sure her presence was felt right up until the moment she left. But as much of an impact as Ariel made, the reactions of the others were even more of a spectacle.
As if they understood her plight perfectly, they looked at Arwen with pitying eyes or gave her light, comforting pats on the shoulder.
I couldn't help but stifle a laugh at the situation, which had turned a person into total scum in the blink of an eye.
Of course, Arwen spent the rest of the day trapped in a pit of gloom, overwhelmed by a sudden surge of guilt.
Part of it was that Ariel had seen through her inner thoughts, but mostly, she felt like a piece of trash just for having entertained such ideas in the first place—or so she said.
At any rate, Ariel returned to the Minerva Empire with the two other women. She mentioned she planned to head straight back to the dormitory to explain everything to her father and Adelia.
I wasn't sure how those two would react, but they were bound to be more than a little shocked. After all, an Angel—not just any other race, but an actual Angel—had suddenly appeared.
Until then, Arwen and I just had to enjoy the rest of our time together.
Since we had lost two days to the unexpected situation with Ariel, we planned to extend our stay. A week was far too short to truly enjoy ourselves anyway.
My reason for visiting Albenheim was partly to deepen my relationship with Arwen, but I also wanted to tour various institutions.
We had already visited the World Tree and Elodia, so what remained was the 'Holy Land'—the world's first library, where every book in existence was said to be gathered.
Today was the day we decided to visit that Holy Land.
"Whoa..."
As I stepped into the Holy Land with Arwen, an exclamation of awe escaped my lips at the sight before me.
Silence is usually the golden rule in a library, but the sight of the Holy Land was so far beyond my imagination that I momentarily forgot even that.
The ceilings stretched high above, and bookshelves reached up to touch them. Those shelves were packed tight with books.
There wasn't even a hint of that characteristic musty book smell; instead, the air was filled with a fragrant floral scent.
That alone would have made it worthy of the title 'the world's greatest storehouse of knowledge,' but what caught my eye even more were the archives drifting through the air.
Whether through magic or some other means, archives glided through the football-field-sized interior of the Holy Land. It was a truly magnificent, quintessentially fantasy sight.
"If the World Tree is a blessing and a gift from the gods, then this Holy Land is a source of pride that we of Albenheim achieved through our own hands."
As I looked around the Holy Land with sparkling eyes, Arwen, who had accompanied me, explained with an air of pride.
She was currently leaning halfway against me; as you might have guessed, her legs had almost no strength left in them due to the aftermath of last night.
If I were to let go even a little, she would likely slump to the floor. Still, one couldn't spend every single day in bed.
Besides, unlike our first night, she had adapted to some extent, so it wasn't as if she couldn't walk at all. I had also exercised a bit of restraint to ensure we had something to look forward to tomorrow.
With no one to worry about, we could simply enjoy an intimate date. The fact that the location was a library was a bit of a drawback, but it was more than enough.
"How is it categorized?"
"Primarily, it is organized by century. Those floating archives above contain ancient texts recorded when civilization was first established. However, they are written in the Ancient Language, so they require separate deciphering."
"Ooh. What else?"
"The history you love so much is categorized by period and by race. The books I have sent you through Siris thus far are but a tiny fraction."
As the explanation met my expectations, my heart began to race. The floating archives alone were a feast for the eyes, and the design itself was beautiful.
Even at a glance, the scale was much larger than a football field, and the white-toned design emphasized a sense of cleanliness.
Given how much time had passed, there should have been some signs of fading, but none were visible; everything was pristine white.
They must have taken measures with preservation magic. For Elves, magic was as natural as their own limbs, so preservation would be a simple task.
"Was the Holy Land designed to be this large from the beginning?"
"Indeed. As long as we receive the gods' blessing, we Elves shall never fall to external invasion. If such a thing were to happen, the world would have perished long ago."
"Come to think of it, Albenheim preserved its strength even during the Demon War, didn't it?"
"In exchange, Humans and Beastkin suffered many sacrifices."
As Arwen explained, Humans and Beastkin had faithfully fulfilled their roles as 'tanks' during the Demon War. The Dwarves had supported them desperately.
That didn't mean the Elves hadn't made sacrifices. It was just that at the time, Humans and Beastkin had enormous populations due to their high birth rates, whereas the Elves also suffered significant losses relative to their numbers.
However, Humans had only recently established civilization, and Beastkin were still living in tribes, so they were slaughtered helplessly.
There is a terrifying hypothesis prevalent among scholars that if the World Tree hadn't been born at the right time, Humans and Beastkin would have gone extinct.
‘But for a library, it’s quite lively.’
I had mentioned that silence was the rule earlier, but the Holy Land seemed different. For one, I could see people engaged in discussions all over the place.
It should be viewed as a hall for sharing scholarship and knowledge rather than just a library. In the first place, the Holy Land was an institution that only authorized personnel could enter.
When my manuscript was stolen, there was a reason I had asked Arwen to supply me with books from the Holy Land.
"How do you get those floating archives down?"
"We Elves simply fly up and retrieve them using magic. A Human like yourself can simply ask another scholar for assistance."
"Ah. Come to think of it, quite a few Human scholars visit, don't they? Is there any discrimination or anything like that?"
It was a prejudice that arose because they were Elves. If only scholars recognized by Albenheim could enter, wouldn't it be even stricter for Humans?
Surprisingly, however, Arwen shook her head in denial. She looked around and pointed to a group engaged in a discussion.
Looking that way, I saw two Elf men of indeterminate age engaged in a friendly... no, they were having a heated argument.
Furthermore, there were people standing behind them, and I discovered something surprising there.
Humans and Elves were mixed together. In terms of ratio, they were about equal, and each of them was chiming in.
"As you can see, there is almost no discrimination when it comes to scholarship. To have set foot in the Holy Land means that, transcending race, one is of benefit to that field of study. Therefore, there is no reason for discrimination."
"I see. Still, wouldn't the Elves' influence be stronger? Humans have short lifespans, so their accumulated knowledge must be significantly less than that of Elves."
"That is true. However, Humans possess something that Elves do not."
"Something we don't have?"
"A shift in perspective."
I understood immediately with that one phrase. Elves had great memories and long lifespans, so they had a lot of accumulated knowledge, but as had been mentioned repeatedly, they were quite conservative.
On the other hand, Humans were progressive and had a very strong spirit of challenge. Combined with their excellent learning ability, they were growing stronger by the day as generations passed.
Because of that, they often put their lives at risk, but they never stopped.
"It is not at all rare for a single spark of insight to shake an entire field of study. Astronomy is particularly impressive. The theory that it is not the sun and moon that revolve around this planet, but rather this planet and various others that revolve around the sun."
"Ah. That... huh?"
My eyes widened as I looked at Arwen. The field she mentioned was Heliocentrism, the most famous theory in astronomy.
Thinking about it, something felt off. Chronologically, it would be normal for the people of this world to believe in Geocentrism over Heliocentrism.
Yet, from what I had learned in books and even from the professors at the Academy, they had adopted Heliocentrism.
‘That doesn’t make sense.’
In my previous life, Heliocentrism was a theory that was only barely proven in the early modern era. It was a hypothesis that gradually came to light after Newton's law of universal gravitation was revealed to the world.
That alone was enough to surprise me, but there was one even bigger problem. And that was none other than the existence of 'gods.'
Luminous symbolized light and thus the 'sun' of this world, while Mora, conversely, symbolized the 'moon.'
Finally, Hirt was the Goddess of Nature who symbolized this planet itself.
Naturally, Hirt would have to be the center, and normally, Luminous and Mora should revolve around her.
The biggest reason the people of this world would have no choice but to firmly believe in Geocentrism over Heliocentrism was the existence of the gods.
"If nothing else, there must have been a huge backlash from the Church. Were there no problems?"
"There were far too many. The man was immediately executed for sacrilege. However, that Human did not back down from his claim until the very end."
"And yet they adopted Helio... no, that theory?"
"There was an Elf scholar who delved deeply into that claim. That individual discovered many things after three hundred years of research. Why we fall vertically when we drop from a height even though the world is spinning, why we cannot feel the planet rotating, and so on. In particular, he studied lunar and solar eclipses for three hundred years and even calculated the distances. As a result, everyone came to accept it."
What kind of obsessive freak of an Elf was that? I was so stunned I was speechless, but his sheer tenacity was worthy of a thumbs-up.
Even though the first person to claim it was executed for sacrilege—a fate most would avoid out of fear—he researched it without a care.
They might be conservative and stubborn, but it seemed their unique racial traits had worked in a positive way.
I stood there with an expression of undisguised admiration when a sudden question occurred to me.
"Then what about theology? I imagine theology must have been turned upside down too."
"It began to change toward the idea that symbolism and scientific fact must be kept separate. Even that scholar did not deny that it is the gods who watch over mortals."
"I bet they fought a lot."
"It is the reason the religious and scientific communities dislike each other."
It was following a path similar to, yet different from, my previous life. In the days when science was lacking, people would tremble at the sight of lightning, thinking a god had descended.
However, as science developed and the reasons for those phenomena were revealed one by one through scientific fact, that belief faded significantly.
Because of that, religion became closer to faith in the true sense of the word. It didn't matter whether one believed or not, and unlike here, there were many atheists.
But it would be different here. The religious and scientific communities would likely fight until the end of the world.
"The Holy Land stores knowledge that would interest you. From the study that the brain controls our organs and body, to the fact that tiny beings invisible to the naked eye threaten our lives. There is so much that it is a headache just deciding what to check first."
"History is enough for me."
"Hehe. That is a very 'you' answer."
At my sharp reply, Arwen gave a soft laugh as if to say, 'I figured as much.' I responded to her laughter with a smile.
As much as I wanted to read every book in the Holy Land, it was practically impossible. After all, this was a library that had continued from the founding of Albenheim until now.
So, rather than trying to read a bit of everything, it was better to delve into history, which I loved most. I could read other things occasionally.
"Will you stay with me?"
"If you wish, I can leave you to yourself for a while. I would like to read a book myself for the first time in a long while. Ah! There is no need to worry about a potential attack. Not only is the use of magic strictly forbidden in the Holy Land, but the eyes of the gods are upon it."
Then I could read with peace of mind. The security magic here would be far stronger than the ones installed at the Halo Academy.
Furthermore, the fact that the eyes of the gods were upon it meant that acts of violence were impossible. The moment someone committed violence, they wouldn't just be kicked out; they would be struck by divine punishment.
I nodded at her explanation and began to walk. The archives where history-related books were located required a bit of a walk.
"Hmm? Excuse me. Is that person perhaps..."
"Looking at the red hair, it seems so. And with the Queen by his side, it's certain."
"Did he come to see the Holy Land?"
"Who knows. He's a scholar, so perhaps he came to do research."
The whispers that had been audible since I entered the Holy Land increased. Arwen was one thing, but this damn hair of mine made it impossible not to stand out.
Still, since they were all distinguished scholars, they didn't readily approach me. They either went about their business or continued the discussions they had briefly paused.
Actually, that was normal; scholars are people who generally don't care about anything outside their own interests.
Especially those who have achieved progressive results in their field. True monsters who immerse themselves only in their own research.
‘I hope these people don’t have any weird misconceptions.’
Or look at me as a research subject. I tried my best to ignore the gazes that were beginning to fix on me from all over as I moved toward the history hall.
As long as I had the reliable shield known as Arwen, they wouldn't be the first to approach. In particular, they likely knew well why I had arrived in Albenheim.
Thinking that made me feel more at ease than before. For now, let's look through some history books.
"...Ugh."
As soon as I arrived at the history archives, a reaction of sheer exhaustion escaped me. And for good reason—the sheer volume was overwhelming.
Usually, history books focus on the modern and contemporary eras, while ancient to medieval times are explained briefly.
But look at what was in front of me now. History books were meticulously categorized by era.
From books recorded thousands of years ago to the most recently published ones.
‘This... this is insane!’
What a beautiful storehouse of knowledge. It wasn't just simple history books; they were finely categorized here as well.
Race, culture, politics, society, religion, art, science, and so on.
Since the basic framework was history, it only told how things developed and changed, but even that was more than satisfying.
I stared at the countless stacks of books with my mouth hanging open like an idiot before quickly snapping out of it.
Just in case, I glanced to the side and saw Arwen puffing out her chest with a proud look on her face.
"Do you like it? These are books you may borrow as you please from now on."
"Can I really borrow them whenever I want?"
"Yes. However, I hope you do not forget to return them. Even if you are Xenon, the loss of knowledge is a sensitive issue for scholars."
"That won't happen. More importantly, what should I read first..."
The volume was one thing, but there was such a variety that deciding what to read first was a dilemma. First, skip the books recorded in ancient times.
Since ancient books were written in the Ancient Language, reading them was nearly impossible. Unless they were translations, but this was a library filled with 'originals.'
The Xenon Biography would likely have its 'first edition' stored here if possible. If it were announced that the manuscript would be stored here, it might even lead to a war with Helium.
‘I’ll have to think about where to store the manuscript.’
I thought it would be better to settle that matter firmly. It was an essential process to prevent conflict.
"Look around. I shall go and find a book for myself for a moment."
"Okay."
After Arwen left to find a book, I began to examine the books on my own.
First, let's look at the most recently published ones. And then I realized just how many books I had already read.
‘I’ve read most of these?’
There were only the books that Siris had delivered. There were no books that weren't in the Holy Land, which meant I had read that many.
Furthermore, I had just finished reading all sorts of books under the pretext of data collection from Elena.
I skimmed through the recently published books and looked to the side. The further to the side I went, the older the publications were.
‘Books related to the Race War...’
Still, the most interesting thing was the Race War. The largest of all wars, which could be called the essence of history.
History where various opinions were exchanged depending on the perspective and the race. I thought it would be best to focus on the Race War today.
‘Not something recorded from a Human perspective, but something from an Elf perspective... Huh?’
While searching for a book, I suddenly found one that caught my eye.
The title itself was ordinary, but the author was familiar.
[Iker Lightsinger]
Iker, who had been the commander of the Elven forces during the Race War but was imprisoned for actions that went against the 'law.'
A tragic hero whom countless scholars claimed that if he hadn't been imprisoned, the Race War would have ended in a victory for the Elves—or at the very least, they wouldn't have suffered such a humiliating defeat.
A history book written by such a hero... it was unusual. Even the title was exploring the unique pride—the arrogance—of the Elves.
‘Is this also related to history?’
I was interested, so I had to take a look. I pulled the book from the shelf.
Whether the books stored in the archives were self-maintaining or not, there wasn't a speck of dust on it. By the way, I never knew a book like this existed.
I took the book and headed leisurely toward a table. An Elf who looked somewhat like 'Thor' was reading at the table, but I ignored him.
Then, with anticipation, I turned to the first page...
[Fucking knife-ears. I hope they all just die.]
"......?"
A sentence filled with shock, horror, and self-loathing met my eyes.