Chương 73: 72 - Raymond

Tristan walked fast for a man carrying a stack of books in one hand, and pulling Alexandra by the arm with the other. She followed him out of the library's entrance hall and back into the courtyard, where a light rain had started. The professor didn't slow down. His robes darkened at the shoulders.

"I'll take it from here, Tristan." Qafit stepped in their path, his expression unreadable. Tristan stopped.

"Sir, no need to bother yourself. I'll escort the intruder to the gates."

"Tristan," Qafit said. He looked at the hand holding Alexandra's arm. Tristan let go.

"Very well." The professor turned and walked back to the library. Alexandra rubbed her arm where he'd held her.

"I apologize for his behavior. We've been meaning to find a replacement for a while. Unfortunately, for all his flaws, Tristan is really good at what he does," Qafit said. Alexandra shrugged.

"I don't really care either way. All I wanted was to visit the library."

"I'm afraid it will have to wait, the Magus has requested your presence."

"It won't take long. We can just pop in and out. Then we'll go see Raymond," she said, waving in the direction Tristan had gone. Qafit shook his head.

"The Magus is a busy man. He asked you to meet him now, so that is what we will do." She grimaced.

"You can always come back to the library later," he continued.

"But I must insist."

"Fine." The Keeper led the way through corridors, arches, and courtyards as they walked around the tower and into the section of the Iron Library where the order was headquartered. The building was similar to what she knew, though the stones looked older. Unlike the academy, it was completely empty. Qafit paused at a corridor junction and looked left. Then he turned right without explanation. Alexandra followed. Behind them, she heard a door open. She didn't look back. Raymond had cleared the corridors.

She was almost certain of it. This had been planned to avoid her meeting full-fledged Keepers who would have been able to recognize her divine class. They climbed a flight of stairs, and soon arrived at the door to Raymond's office. Qafit knocked. The door opened on its own, revealing the same office where Alexandra, Louis, and Sera had teleported to the day before. The office was wide and bright, with windows on two sides.

The ones facing east looked out over the academy rooftops and the city of Kator below, a dense sprawl of grey and brown that ran all the way down to the coast. The ones facing north looked directly onto the tower. An empty desk. No inkpot, no quill, no stack of anything waiting to be read or signed. Two armchairs faced the east windows. A standing lamp in the corner, unlit. Raymond stood at the east window with his back to them, hands clasped behind him, looking out at the sea.

He wore black robes, though Alexandra didn't know if it indicated his rank, or if as the head of the Keepers of Iron Ink, he simply didn't bother. He turned. His gaze locked onto Alexandra.

"Thank you, Qafit. You can leave us." The Keeper bowed and closed the door behind him.

"Alexandra, I trust you've slept well." She nodded.

"I did." Raymond took two steps in her direction.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes." He stopped. His shoulders sagged as he exhaled.

"You have no reason to be so wary of me. I'm the same man as I used to be." She looked at him. He looked older, in his mid-thirties.

"Are you? A hundred years is a long time. Only a decade passed for me, and I know how much I've changed."

"A phenomenon we will have to discuss at length. But not now. No, Alex, I have not changed. Not because I don't want to, but because it's impossible for me. Do you know what they call me?"

"The Magus?" she asked. He shook his head.

"The Iron Vein Magus, to be exact. That's the name of my divine class. Iron Ink flows through my veins, making me incapable of forgetting anything. I remember the times we played together like it was yesterday." He paused.

"Out of all of us, I'm the one who's changed the least." Alexandra nodded but didn't answer. She could believe that such magic existed. She could even believe that Raymond was being sincere in his self-assessment. But she didn't buy it. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He chuckled.

"I know it's hard to believe. It doesn't matter." He gestured at the chairs facing the window.

"Let's sit. Would you like something to eat?" Her stomach answered for her.

"I'll take that as a yes." Raymond waved his hands and summoned a pastry tray from his spatial storage.

"One of the wonders of magic. I'm sure it'll grow on you." Alexandra took a seat and three pastries. She looked at the city down below. The Iron Library seemed to be located on a hill, as the building stood way above the sea. From the small corner of Kator she could see, the city was at least ten times the size of Esmera. She counted twenty ships docked in the harbor. Raymond sat next to her, and bit into a pastry.

"Sera told me about your adventures."

"You call that an adventure? An entire city, gone, just like that." He looked at her.

"Unfortunately, that is better than the alternative. Gods and demons respect the regional restrictions to avoid an all-out conflict. High rankers, and I'm not just talking about us summoned, are akin to nuclear weapons back on Earth. Getting them involved in lower-level regions would be a disaster. I can guide you to three thousand thirty one history books on the topic just on the first floor of the library."

"Still, it feels wrong," Alexandra said.

"It does. I agree. Aaron cares little for his lands. He prefers to hunt."

"What about the others? How are they doing?" She swallowed her first pastry.

"Could be better. The years' toll hit them harder."

"How much harder?" Raymond looked at the sea.

"Some of them have forgotten where they came from. They've stopped thinking of it as home." A pause.

"A mercy. Others still yearn for Earth, and the news that only ten years have passed there will make things worse," Raymond said.

"Is there no way back?" He shrugged.

"If there is, we have yet to find it." Alexandra met his gaze.

"What about… you know who?" Raymond smiled.

"Oh." Then he laughed.

"So the little rumor I spread has already made its way to you. Lila. You can say her name. She will not sense it. As for your question, I believe she doesn't wish to return, though I could be wrong. We haven't interacted in years."

"You spread the rumor? Why?" Raymond's smile widened.

"To annoy her, of course." She opened her mouth. Closed it.

"You want to ask about Louis' village," Raymond said, his laugh fading.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told him. It's true. She does that. The Architects serve Peshan, the goddess of civilization. When they find places that refuse it…" Alexandra exhaled.

"Lila claims it's better than to let the barbarians fall prey to demonic worship," he continued.

"Let's just say she and I have our differences on the topic. But once again, acting directly would be a worse disaster than letting it happen."

"This sucks."

"It really does."

"You said acting directly would be worse. Does that apply to me, or just to you?" Alexandra asked.

"For now, it only applies to me. You're too weak to make a difference." She had nothing to answer to that.

"There's something I wanted to address before we go any further." His gaze moved to the tray, then back to her.

"Catching a malediction in under three weeks is a record." She ate the second pastry.

"Can you cure it?"

"Yes. But I won't."

"Come on, dude. That's not funny at all." Raymond stood and walked closer to the window.

"Curing it would be easy."

"Then…" She tilted her head.

"But it would be robbing you of a precious training opportunity." Alexandra rolled her eyes.

"Man, I can conjure another curse easily. It's really not necessary."

"Skills progress faster under duress. Real duress. If you know the curse will be gone anyway, it will stall your progress. You were a Warlock in Lone World Online, and while you're something else now, you seem to be capable of earning those skills anyway. Learning how to deal with curses yourself should be your priority."

"Do you know why I have access to some Warlock skills?" He turned to her.

"I don't. It's clearly related to your in-game class, but I don't know why they transferred over. Perhaps only the gods know, if they know at all." She sighed, and bit down on her third pastry.

"Fine. At least hunger is manageable."

"For now."

"What do you mean, for now?"

"Maledictions grow stronger over time. To be exact, they grow stronger while you're not actively combating them. In your case, while you're not eating." She stopped chewing and looked down at the pastry in her hand.

"Fuck. You're really not going to help me?" He chuckled.

"I will help you, of course."

"But you said—""I said I wouldn't cure you myself, but the Iron Library's academy is the perfect place to learn how to do it yourself. Which is why I've taken the liberty of enrolling you." He returned to his chair.

"As of this moment, you're a student of the Iron Academy."

"You could have asked."

"I could have."

"Who picks the classes? You?"

"For now, I prepared a great selection for you. You don't know enough yet," Raymond said.

"Don't you trust me, Alexandra? Ask anyone if they would like me to plan their classes for them. I'm sure you can imagine their answer."

"Yeah, I guess."

"You also get access to the library, as any student does."

"Full access?" she asked. He shook his head.

"Appropriate access for your rank. If you want to visit the upper floors, level up." She thought of her quest and winced.

"Yeah, I guess I'm in." He summoned grey robes out of his spatial storage.

"For you. Iron rank. You're a bit old to be wearing this color, but I'm already bending the rules for you and Louis." She took the clothes.

"It's fine. Thank you."

"Qafit will assist you in picking classes suited to your level." She nodded. Reached for a fourth pastry.

"We will talk again soon. I have to apologize, but I'm very busy." Alexandra stood up, grabbed a final pastry, and walked for the door.

"Oh, and, Alexandra." She stopped with her hand on the door. Behind her, Raymond hadn't moved from his chair.

"I believe it would be for the best if you studied at the Iron Library until Platinum and graduated as a Keeper of the Iron Ink. Maybe you can take my place as the leader of Tash's temple." He smiled.

"At the very least, having a second hero with us would make my life easier."

"How long have you been planning this?"

"Since I sensed you breaking through Laika's dimensional fabric." That was honest, at least. She left.