Chapter 159 - 154: The Keeper of Forgotten Knowledge
The evening air was pleasantly cool as John and his companions stepped out of the Royal Library.
The bronze doors closed quietly behind them.
For a few moments, none of them spoke.
The peaceful silence inside the library still lingered in their minds.
Finally, Lythriel stretched her arms over her head and let out a long sigh.
"I never thought I’d spend an entire day inside a library."
John smiled.
"And?"
She thought for a moment.
"...It wasn’t bad."
John raised an eyebrow.
"That’s high praise coming from you."
"Don’t get used to it."
Sylvara laughed softly.
"I think you enjoyed the biographies."
"I only liked the parts with the famous swordsmen."
John grinned.
"Of course."
---
The streets outside had changed since morning.
The afternoon crowds were gone, replaced by people finishing their work for the day.
Shopkeepers closed their shutters.
Street lamps, enchanted with soft golden crystals, flickered to life one after another.
Their warm glow illuminated the stone roads without the need for fire.
John looked up at one of them.
"Magic?"
Aerion nodded.
"Light crystals."
"They absorb mana during the day."
"At night, they release it slowly."
John watched the crystal continue to glow.
"No maintenance?"
"Very little."
"They’re replaced every few years."
John couldn’t help admiring the ingenuity.
Back on Earth, something like this would have been considered revolutionary.
Here...
It was simply part of everyday life.
---
The group walked slowly through the Scholar’s District.
Unlike the bustling market streets, this part of the city remained calm even during the evening.
Students continued discussing lessons beneath the trees.
Several professors walked together while debating magical theory.
One elderly scholar had become so absorbed in reading a book that he nearly walked into a fountain.
Lythriel caught his arm before he stumbled.
"Oh!"
The old man blinked in surprise.
"My apologies."
"I was distracted."
He looked down at the thick tome in his hands.
"I finally found a first edition."
John chuckled.
"I think the library has that effect on people."
The scholar smiled knowingly.
"It certainly does."
After thanking Lythriel once again, he continued on his way—this time paying a little more attention to where he was walking.
---
As they entered another square, music drifted through the evening air.
A young woman sat beside the fountain, playing a violin while several children listened quietly.
The melody was gentle.
Peaceful.
People passing by slowed their steps, some dropping a few coins into the small wooden box beside her.
John stopped.
"So music exists here too."
Lythriel looked at him strangely.
"...Why wouldn’t it?"
"I mean..."
John rubbed the back of his neck.
"I’ve just been so focused on monsters and traveling that I never really thought about it."
Sylvara smiled.
"People still need songs."
"They always will."
John listened until the performance ended.
The audience applauded politely.
The young musician bowed with a grateful smile.
It was another small reminder that the world didn’t revolve around battles and ancient mysteries.
People laughed.
Worked.
Studied.
Performed music.
Lived ordinary lives.
---
Eventually, they reached the central plaza they had visited earlier.
The fountain now reflected the golden glow of the enchanted lamps.
Children had gone home, replaced by couples taking evening walks and families enjoying dinner from nearby food stalls.
The smell of grilled meat drifted through the square.
Lythriel immediately looked toward the source.
John noticed.
"...Hungry again?"
"I had a very educational day."
"I deserve food."
Sylvara giggled.
"You always deserve food."
"I know."
---
They bought skewers of grilled meat from a cheerful vendor whose small stall attracted a steady line of customers.
The elderly man worked quickly, turning the skewers over glowing charcoal.
"First visit to Valenor?"
John laughed.
"Is it really that obvious?"
The vendor smiled.
"You’ve been looking around more than you’ve been looking at the menu."
"I suppose that’s true."
The man handed each of them a freshly cooked skewer.
"Then welcome."
"May your stay bring good memories."
John accepted it with a smile.
"Thank you."
The meat was tender and seasoned with herbs John didn’t recognize.
It wasn’t extravagant.
Just simple food cooked well.
Sometimes...
That was enough.
---
After dinner, they returned to the Silver Stag.
The common room was far busier than it had been that morning.
Travelers shared stories over mugs of ale.
Merchants discussed tomorrow’s trade.
A bard performed quietly near the fireplace, his lute filling the room with a warm melody.
Roland looked up from the counter.
"Welcome back."
"You were gone all day."
John nodded.
"The library was... larger than expected."
Roland laughed heartily.
"I’ve heard those exact words more times than I can count."
He poured four glasses of chilled fruit juice.
"On the house."
"For surviving your first visit."
Lythriel accepted hers happily.
"I could definitely survive another."
John looked at her in surprise.
"You want to go back?"
She shrugged.
"There were more interesting books than I expected."
Aerion calmly sipped his drink.
"The library claims another soul."
"I wouldn’t go that far."
"...Yet."
Everyone laughed.
---
As the evening wore on, the inn gradually became quieter.
Some guests retired to their rooms.
Others remained by the fire, speaking in hushed voices.
John found himself sitting near one of the windows, looking out toward the softly illuminated streets.
His thoughts drifted back to the damaged manuscript.
*"Guardians appointed during the world’s earliest age..."*
The words refused to leave his mind.
If they were true...
Then the Dragon Kings had held responsibilities far greater than simply ruling dragonkind.
But what had they guarded?
And what had happened to them?
A quiet voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Still thinking about the book?"
John turned.
Sylvara had quietly joined him.
She held two cups of warm herbal tea.
She handed one to him before taking the seat beside him.
"I am."
He admitted.
"I feel like I’m standing in front of a door."
"But I still don’t have the key."
Sylvara looked out the window.
"Maybe."
"Or maybe you’ve only just found the path leading to it."
John looked at her.
She smiled gently.
"You’ve only been here one day."
"You don’t have to solve every mystery immediately."
John laughed softly.
"I know."
"I just..."
He paused.
"I’ve spent so long wondering why I was reborn."
"And now I finally have a lead."
"It’s hard not to chase it."
Sylvara nodded in understanding.
"I would too."
The two sat quietly, enjoying the peaceful silence.
---
At that same moment...
High above them...
The fourth floor of the Royal Library remained illuminated.
Inside a private study lined with ancient scrolls and weathered books, the elderly scholar from earlier stood before a large oak desk.
Spread across its surface were several documents far older than those available to the public.
One parchment bore the faded image of a colossal black dragon.
Another showed an ancient tree whose branches seemed to touch the stars.
The old man carefully unfolded a final document.
Its edges had become brittle with age.
Across the top, written in elegant script, were words that had not been spoken aloud in centuries.
**"The Covenant of the Dragon Kings."**
The scholar adjusted his spectacles.
"So..."
He whispered.
"The wheel of fate begins turning once more."
He looked toward the window overlooking Valenor.
Far below...
John walked back to the Silver Stag, completely unaware that someone already knew exactly what he was searching for.
The old scholar reached for a small bronze bell resting on his desk.
He rang it once.
A few moments later, a young librarian entered the study and bowed respectfully.
"You called for me, Master?"
The old man nodded.
"Tomorrow morning..."
"I would like you to invite a young traveler named John to my office."
The librarian looked surprised.
"The visitor from today?"
"Yes."
The old scholar smiled faintly.
"I believe..."
"He has questions."
"And perhaps..."
"I possess a few answers."
---
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