A few days ago, I was still trapped in the dungeon. I had thought that escaping from the room, with its four hard stone walls, was an impossible feat. At that time, I never imagined that one day I would be walking freely in a city such as this.
And now, here I am, unable to believe that I am free to walk in the middle of Elvian city, Ruvia. I can walk freely wherever I wish without worrying about being caught. In fact, the soldiers who once tried to capture me are now escorting me. The only thing that remains the same from before is the way they look down on me, just as the Elvian residents do. Even though Prince Keylan is by my side, the impression of a mixed-blood creature like me cannot be easily erased.
"Don't take it to heart. Long-standing animosity with humans makes them feel this way. They see the human blood in your veins as a stain," Keylan whispered, quickly understanding my discomfort.
"Then, does Prince Keylan hate me as well?" I asked cautiously, wondering what his true feelings might be.
"I have no reason to do so. The war happened a long time ago, and it has nothing to do with me living in this time. Besides, I wouldn't be walking with you if I hated you."
"If that's the case, then I'm relieved."
We continued walking on the wooden planks nailed to the giant trees' walls, the path known as Sroth, as the people of this city called it. When I looked up, I saw dozens of sroth spanning across the sky, connecting the towering trees. The great height of the trees and the thick canopy made it difficult for sunlight to penetrate down below. That's why, from the ground to the mid-section of the trees, each side of the sroth was adorned with lanterns. The combination of the colorful lantern lights and the dim sunlight created a mesmerizing view.
Keylan led me to various interesting places in Ruvia. In the morning, he took me to an Esze museum, where I learned a great deal about Esze. There were tales of when Esze first descended into this world through the gods, stories about the greatest Esze users of their time, and collections of historical viglets used in the great wars of the past. This was the first time I had become so interested in the facts about Esze, as I usually ignored them when Almira spoke about it.
At lunchtime, Prince Keylan invited me to eat at the most luxurious restaurant in the city. The size of the room, which was inside the trunk of a massive tree, indicated the importance of this establishment. Dozens of sroth were directly connected here, signaling that the room was crucial. Along with its elegant furnishings and dozens of attendants serving the customers, the restaurant on two levels exuded grandeur. The food served was equally fantastic. I couldn't say whether it was expensive, for the currency here was different from the coin system in Glafelden. I didn't know how their system worked. As long as someone else was paying, the price didn't matter. The food was delicious and unique, though I had to get used to the taste of Elvian food.
...!!?
Wait a moment.
Now that I thought about it, I remembered. I was currently in Elvian territory, and more importantly, I was free. The city's library must have books on the Crystal of Souls. Its information might be more complete than the ones in Glafelden.
"Prince Keylan! Does this city have a library?" I asked politely as I had just finished my pudding for dessert.
"Of course, it does. Do you want to go there?" he replied casually.
I nodded eagerly. "I'm curious about the library in this city."
"You seem to like reading, huh? Alright, let's go!"
Honestly, I hadn't expected Prince Keylan to grant my request. I knew my place. As someone just saved from the darkness, I shouldn't be asking for anything strange. If we had followed the original plan, we were supposed to head to the city government office where he worked.
Yes, you heard it right. In addition to being the Supreme Commander of the Elvian army, this young prince was also the head of the Ruvia city government. You could say he was the mayor of Ruvia, if it were Glafelden. That's why this man was so impressive. He held multiple positions and was able to manage them all simultaneously. It seemed he also had some very capable and efficient people supporting his work.
After walking for about fifteen minutes across the sroth and the many connecting bridges, we arrived at a large tree room. Two large doors wide open greeted anyone who wished to seek knowledge. There were many people visiting the library. Too many, in fact. The space felt as crowded as a market, yet it remained peaceful. According to Prince Keylan, many educated people in the city often came here to support their schooling.
All attention turned to us as we stepped inside. Most of the people were young, likely in their teenage years by human standards. Many eyes were fixed on Prince Keylan, and they quickly bowed and made way for us. It seemed they were taught to respect members of the royal family. Some pairs of eyes turned to me. Perhaps this was the first time they had seen a Haier-Elvian. Curiosity was clearly visible on their faces.
I ignored it all and walked toward the shelves marked with 'History.' Prince Keylan was busy with the teens who surrounded him, interviewing him like reporters. It wasn't every day that they got to meet a royal member during an informal visit like this. Meanwhile, his guards were busy separating the young ones from their prince. This was actually quite amusing. These teens must have admired the Third Prince. I'm sure he didn't expect to be surrounded by admirers. I couldn't help but laugh quietly as I watched him struggle, but I knew it didn't bother him.
The sound of my small footsteps echoed between the towering bookshelves. There were many books here that piqued my interest, but the time I had was not enough to read them all. So, reluctantly, I picked a few. I grabbed five books with titles that I thought might lead to information about the Crystal of Souls. But it was all in vain. Even after reading through them, I found nothing of the sort. I then picked up more books and continued reading until the evening.
"It's useless. I still can't find it," I muttered quietly. "This is harder than in Glafelden."
"What are you looking for?"
I jumped when the voice suddenly spoke. Prince Keylan was now sitting at the desk in front of me, smiling his warm, morning-sun smile, making me feel like I was in the morning, though it was already dusk.
"No, it's nothing."
"Are you sure? It seems like you've been looking for something here from the start."
I was confused. I didn't want anyone else, aside from Almira, to know my secret—that I wasn't from this world. It could be dangerous for me and my friends later.
But... what else could I do?
This information was incredibly hard to find. I needed it to find a way back to my original world. The man with high status seemed to know something, just as Almira had once said. I might as well ask him than leave it unanswered.
"A-Actually, there's something I want to search for."
"Oh... what's that?" Prince Keylan asked, his voice slightly intrigued.
"About the Crystal of Souls."
Suddenly, his face became very serious. An expression he had never shown me, aside from his warm smile. "How do you know about that?"