Unfortunately, Lysander wasn't at the library. It wasn't entirely unexpected, but it was the first place I thought to look. Feeling a bit disappointed, I dropped by the library's front desk and returned a few scrolls. The spellbooks fell into the basket with a thump, startling Thron, who was busy transcribing a work behind the counter.
"What seems to be the problem? Was that third-circle spell not to your liking?"
"Ah, no, it was fine. I already learned it, so I'm just returning it."
He stared at for a second, then placed down his quill and sat back. "You already learned it? But it's been barely two days."
"It was an easy one, called Reflection. The runes are pretty straightforward, so it didn't take much to morize." I quickly regretted saying as much. One thing I learned was to avoid drawing attention. A slave wasn't supposed to be threatening, after all.
"Even so," he said, shaking his head, "Two days is probably a new record or sothing. Care to show ?"
I hesitated but decided against it. "I'd rather not. I'm looking for an elderly man nad Lysander. Do you know where I can find him?" I didn't hold much hope. There were likely thousands of visits every week, and even the head librarian would have a hard ti keeping track.
"Lysander? Of course I know where to find him! Might as well ask where the king lives," Thron huffed.
"Oh, sorry. Is he soone important?"
"I guess you could say that," Thron chuckled. "He's one of the few ninth-circle casters at the Divine Throne. Kind of an odd fellow, though. Always obsessed with research and obscure magic. Then again, you can't expect soone of that talent to be normal. What makes you think he'll see you?"
From my short ti among the mages here, I learned exactly how rare a ninth-level caster was. They were n and won who moved mountains. Each of their words held the weight of an emperor, and no one dared to offend them. With Lysander's identity, it was amazing he bothered speaking with at all! Why indeed did I expect him to see ?
"I didn't know he was that incredible, but I still want to try. He helped learn a few spells the first ti I ca here, after that other librarian ran off. He gave so useful information, which I wanted to follow up with."
It must have sounded convincing enough, because Thron stroked his cheek, deep in thought. After a mont, he said, "Well, I suppose it won't hurt to try. But don't say I didn't warn you. He's not often kind to any who disrupt his work, or any visitors, for that matter."
I breathed a sigh of relief, waiting patiently as the librarian wrote a few instructions from . The list of turns and stairs kept growing. There was no way I'd find that on my own.
As Thron finished, he blew on the paper to dry the ink. "By the way, you ntioned that priest left you?" he asked with a frown.
"Yeah. I don't rember his na, but he wasn't exactly friendly. As soon as we got to the third floor, he left and made it very clear I wasn't to ask anything."
"That guy..." Thron said with a sigh. "Sorry about that. He was supposed to show you around and help you make a few selections, but I guess Lysander took care of that anyway. I can't exactly bla him, as his father was one of the casualties of the war, but it seems we need to have a chat."
"It's okay. And thank you for the help." If I made a list of all the tis people had treated poorly since coming here, it might even be longer than the instructions to Lysander's quarters. From the look of things, he was at the top, where the upper echelon and important guests resided. Figures.
As I climbed higher within the Divine Throne, the priests seed of a different quality, with finer clothes and an array of magic items like staffs and wands. Unused to the sight of a Demonkin, many stared at with disgust and hostility. The more powerful they seed, the greater the hatred, making it obvious my presence was unwelco among the upper echelon.
Aside from the atmosphere, the structure itself beca increasingly more lavish the higher I ascended. The lower levels were built like a Fortress, with arrow slits and reinforced walls and doors. Here, the windows were wide and spacious, overlooking the expansive complex and giving views outside the walls, to the city of Roann.
It was truly a magnificent sight, one that ca close to taking my breath away. The city sprawled for miles in all directions, with streets like rivers, flowing with joyful throngs of people. Crowded markets and extravagant architecture gave a sense of the affluence of the kingdom.
From what I'd heard, the Divine Throne was the crowning jewel of the city. Even so, an enormous castle challenged the claim, rising to near-equal heights on the other side of Roann. It was the ho of the King of Radia, where the royal family and their nobles lived. I'd seen little of their family, aside from the first and second princes. I felt a little affinity for the first prince, who had allowed Soltair to choose that fateful day in the warehouse. By all reports, he was strong and noble, unchallenged by any of his generation. The second prince, Vorinc, was soone I knew a little too well. Ever since our first encounter at the mage training grounds, he had constantly protested and rallied the mages against , using his influence and status to make it so even Selena was reluctant to train for long. Just thinking of his arrogant face caused my mood to sour, and I soon lost interest in the city.
The sequence of instructions led to an interior corridor, devoid of windows or passages. It was dark and narrow, ending in a door that supposedly turned into a flight of spiral staircases. I paused midway down the corridor as my mana, unbidden, rushed into my body. Instead of the usual seductive warmth, it was a bitter cold that sent shivers down my spine.
The sensation got my thoughts racing. Why would the entrance to the wealthiest and most influential level of the Divine Throne be shrouded in shadows? I looked down at the instructions, quickly reading over them until I found my error. Looking at the city distracted , and I ended up taking a wrong turn.
Simple enough, but it still didn't explain the sudden rush of mana. I looked around, taking a few hesitant steps back to the exterior corridor. Before I got far, the sun was blotted out as a group of figures walked by. One looked in as the passed, and his eyes narrowed.
"There she is," he said loudly, drawing the attention of the rest of the group.
I backed away, reaching for my mana and drawing confidence from its strength. There was no reason a group of priests might be looking for . None.
They piled into the corridor, smiling widely. They swaggered forward, stopping as they ford a semicircle around . I counted nearly ten of them, but no continuity between their deities. Most wore the trappings of the Sun God, but I spotted disciples of Water and War, as well.
"You've led us on quite a chase, filthblood," one spat, leaning against the wall. The other priests moved respectfully around him, and I couldn't help but feel his face was familiar. My breath caught in my throat as I recalled the conversation with Thron, the priest's na coming to my lips.
"Davin."
His eyes widened, but his lips curved into a smile. "I'm surprised you rember . I guess that makes this personal."
"Personal? You barely talked to . What are you trying to do?" I asked, buying ti as I looked around. The priests continued to spread out till I was fully surrounded. For so reason, I was sure which ones currently held their mana, a feeling completely new to . They glowed with a faint light visible to my eyes alone.
Davin's smile disappeared, and he stood up, agitated. "You claim to have done nothing, yet you swagger along our halls, polluting this place with your re presence. When they sohow allowed you into our holy library, filled with the faith of thousands, I could barely contain myself. Now, I don't have to."
I stiffened, his remarks bringing a surge of indignation. Even though I knew he wasn't here for words, I couldn't stop them from flowing out. "I'm not here because I want to! You think I asked to be a Demonkin? To be Reborn as a hero? I just wanted to die!" My voice fell to a whisper, but my words pierced the stunned silence. "To die and be forgotten."
The priests looked at each other, taken aback by my sudden outburst. They all looked at Davin, who shook his head, as though clearing his thoughts.
"If only that were true. I can't fathom the depth of your sins and wickedness, who made even the rciful gods condemn you and place you in the body of evil."
"Yeah, that's why we destroyed your county in the first place!" another priest chid in.
"My country?" I asked, having regained control of myself. As far as I knew, I had no country. Perhaps he ant the beast kingdom, which my host supposedly was enslaved from.
"Enough chat," a burly priest in the back said. "Why talk when we can show her? I can't tolerate this abomination staining our halls any longer!"
Auras erupted from the priests in all directions, slamming against as they all grabbed their mana and began to cast spells. I took a deep breath and steeled my will. It was about ti I had my first fight.
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