Chapter 11

My Heart and My Feeling (1)

    "An offer?" Grace slowly looked up.

    Esther nodded. After all, making a friend was better than making an enemy, especially if the other party was part of the mafia. Discussing mutual benefits could be more effective than any other form of coercion. Esther was worried that his notoriously tricky weapon would concoct more schemes if he didn't take action.

    Indeed, Tartarus had various plans to intimidate Grace, not fully trusting her to keep secrets, although it might not significantly affect the grand scheme of things.

    Deep down, Esther wasn't really afraid of the secret being exposed.

    A weapon that acted irrationally for its master and a master who barely cared about anything from the start was a strange relationship that somehow worked for Esther and Tatarus.

    "Well, my offer is..."

    Whoosh!!

    The soft sound of the automatic door announced the entrance of a young man with white hair carrying a large sword. His gaze went from Esther, who seemed about to propose something to the girl leaning against the bookshelf inside, to stepping forward to inquire about the situation.

    "What are you guys doing here?" The newcomer's face showed surprise and confusion.

    "Lens, how did you get here?" Esther asked, visibly startled, as the timely arrival of his counterpart in such a compromising situation made him swallow his saliva nervously. The situation could easily be misunderstood, increasing the newcomer's suspicion.

    Lens Regios was holding two thick books.

    "I was looking for information for a project in the new building. But the equipment I was experimenting with detected some strange interference signals in this part of the library, so I came to check. It seemed like some part of the forbidden archive was about to be accessed, and I was worried someone might stumble upon a curse or something," he explained with a puzzled face but paused as his gaze settled on the key in the young man's hand and then on the tattoo on his left arm.

    "Just to let you know, the old building is not a place to enter at all. Didn't the university announce that the AI controlling this section is malfunctioning? It attacks anyone entering certain book sections without a clear purpose for reading. If the forbidden book section is opening, it means we could be targets." The senior's golden eyes shifted to look around the room anxiously while he spoke.

    "Uh, where did that chain go—"

    Whoosh!!

    An object flew through the air swiftly, cutting him off. Its target was the engineering upperclassman standing in front of Esther and the others. However, he seemed to anticipate its trajectory, drawing his large sword quickly to intercept the mysterious projectile.

    Clang!!!

    A thick book was sliced into pieces with a single sword strike, and an alarm immediately sounded as the senior attacked it, acting on reflex without seeing what was thrown. Misfortune befell the young man with white hair as he realized he had just destroyed a forbidden item.

    "Damn, I accidentally sliced a book," Lens Regios muttered after seeing the weapon choice of Tartarus and realizing that destroying library property inevitably led to trouble.

    He prepared to flee... but it was too late.

    Librarians were already blocking the entrance to the old building, their guns, swords, staff, or even books drawn as if they had coordinated before. Magical array glowed as if at a festival, and the expressions on the young men and women's faces clearly indicated that anyone breaking the rules would not escape.

    The golden rule of not damaging any books in the library was about to be enforced, no matter the reason.

    The atmosphere was tense as one librarian shouted after being ensured the subject did not want to flee,

    "Lens Regios, third year, Military Engineering major, we would arrest you for intentionally damaging university property and resisting official duties. You have two choices: surrender peacefully or rebirth."

    Oh, no, as if faculty issues aren't enough. The young man thought as he held his head.

    "I didn't do it intentionally, and when exactly did I obstruct the work of the officers? I'd appreciate a better reason for my arrest," the young engineer argued calmly, with Esther and the others watching with wide eyes. The discussion he had with Grace earlier vanished instantly.

    "The system is one of the library's officers. There was a signal from the system regarding your behavior. Resisting the system means you are resisting an officer's actions. Moreover, you publicly discredited the system, tarnishing the reputation of this sacred place. Your attack clearly aimed at the book even though you had the capability to catch it barehanded."

    That was the answer from the librarian who had shouted the warning.

    Esther Devald was reminded once again that he was merely an ordinary person in this strange place.

    One AI library officer,

    One mafia daughter,

    One weapon (sadist) that'd been around since the principal's era,

    And one sacred spirit that could kill a demon bat in one slash,

    'My goddess, I wish I could be in a place with ordinary people.'

    He screamed inwardly, and of course, the one who heard him was none other than Tartarus standing beside him, who sighed deeply before rolling her eyes at him.

    "No way," was Tartarus's reply.

    The young man realized that life in his own home was the best after all.

    'If I had known, I would have stayed and read novels in my room.'

    Being ordinary while everyone around him was extraordinary made living truly challenging.

    As he thought so, a small-scale war erupted in the library. It seemed Lens wasn't about to let himself be captured easily over insufficient reasons. The young man tapped his large sword, which then disintegrated into dust before reassembling into a pair of smaller swords, better suited for dealing with large groups. He chose to dive into the fray without paying any more attention to Esther.

    Esther glanced at the one-versus-ten fight before walking over to pick up Grace, who was still looking confused. While Tartarus continued to complain in his head, the young man paid no mind, carrying the vampire girl back into the depths of the library in a princess carry, with Victoria silently observing and following along.

    The library's oddities grew as Esther encountered stairs that seemed to separate the old and new building areas.

    "Put me down already!"

    Grace slapped Esther's shoulder hard. He promptly let the vampire girl down to the ground, where she brushed her outfit and frowned at him. The incident caused them to completely forget about the offer, and Esther refocused on finding books.

    "Er, Snow, do you have books on magic and special powers? Like, odd powers that suddenly make people who've never had powers become powerful out of nowhere?"

    "Such knowledge is primarily in the general book section, except for creating Homunculi, genetic engineering, using energy from hell, using heavenly energy, summoning high-level demons, and information about transmitting energy through dimensions, which are in the forbidden book section. I assess that your current level of understanding is insufficient for this knowledge."

    "Power and Sacrifice."

    Suddenly, Tartarus spoke up, causing Esther to raise his eyebrows in surprise. Shortly after, a blue light appeared in front of them, leading everyone forward.

    In astonishment, Esther observed the second floor, which resembled a large grassy field with trees bearing books as fruits, and the third floor, which was submerged in water. Below, the bookshelves were engulfed in eternal flames, but none of these were their destination.

    Until they reached the last floor... the fourth floor.

    Esther looked around at the haphazardly arranged books. Although there were shelves, the ominous aura emanating from within was palpable. The shelving varied from wooden shelves adorned with talismans to massive safes. He accidentally stumbled onto a floating bookshelf, headfirst, before steadying himself.

    The light led Esther to something resembling an altar, behind which stood a large, engraved glass depicting a goddess holding a golden shield with a white owl on her shoulder, representing the goddess of wisdom and war, a symbol of all-encompassing battle.

    Suddenly, he thought of the university's coat of arms, which had a rather peculiar requirement.

    It was seldom used, even in ceremonies—a simple design of two overlapping 'W’ with the world depicted behind it. It was a rule of the university that the coat of arms was to be used only in significant events or when it was necessary to represent the university in external wars.

    The letters were derived from the words "war" and "world"...

    'In the end, no matter how long peace lasts, the world will always crave war.'

    The young man silently observed the image of the deity above. Though it seemed distant, it paradoxically felt mysteriously close. His hand involuntarily reached upwards, lost in thought, before halting at the booming voice of the AI throughout the library.

    The light led him to a book with a black cover. Of course, it wasn't titled 'Power and Sacrifice' as Tartarus had mentioned. It was unmarked, both on the cover and the spine—a black book whose origins were unknowable.

    'This is why Snow is needed...otherwise, it would have been found even though he spent his lifetime.'

    Esther took a deep breath to calm himself before reaching out to touch that book...

    The room's lights went out instantly as his fingertips made contact with the book. His eyes widened instinctively before scanning the surroundings. Esther realized it wasn't an ordinary event where every light source simply extinguished; even the sunlight streaming in was gone.

    Esther recognized that this object was mentioned by Tartarus and sought by Snow.

    'There it is...nothing here is ever ordinary.'

    Surrounded by utter silence, void of any auditory input, Esther couldn't even see his own hands.

    Moments later, the light reappeared.

    'Can't be true.'

    Esther bit his lip as the scene before him unfolded. Whether it was an illusion or not, the scent of grass and the breeze that swept through were real. The sun's rays made him feel a burning heat, unlike the library's cold floor but warm as if earthworms were steaming buns below.

    It was the forest beside the university, one of his territories.

    'The Warrior's Tomb.'

    It seemed like a place that simulated real memories of the former days in his mind. The place had long been changed in the present day.

    "Is this the past?" Esther mused, his jasper-black eyes scanning the area.

    "It isn’t."

    Esther looked up, only to dodge swiftly as the person who spoke earlier leaped down from a tree branch. The impact of their landing vibrated the ground, startling Esther as he finally saw his interlocutor clearly.

    The last time, he was stunned by witnessing battles.

    The last time, he was shocked by the skills of those close to him.

    But this time was different. He wasn't shocked by others anymore.

    Because the person before him...was himself.

    Esther Devald.

    "A doppelgänger?" Esther coolly inquired.

    "Ha, ha, ha! That's so me," the other him laughed gleefully, spreading his hands wide. "Esther, Esther, what did you expect from seeking a book to answer your questions about your powers? The soul, the spirit, your power was split in two the moment you touched the book. And of course, a part of it was absorbed by the book for analysis. A world where everything turns into letters, and it wants you to enjoy reading it."

    "If you're me, how do you know all this?" the real Esther asked. "Our memories should be the same, right? Why do you talk so much?"

    "Hey, I'm the information giver here. As I said, the book always wants to be read. But sometimes, transmitting information in other ways is better," the doppelgänger's eyes sparkled. "Let's say I'm an obstacle for you now, a piece of your mind tasked by the book. Personality, memories, and even your combat techniques stored in your head...100%."

    "And of course, that includes weapons and powers, which I must say, aren't so easy for me to read either."

    "So, I have to defeat you, right!!"

    The doppelganger laughed, "You are me, and I am you, but I might have a deeper insight into your head. Don't tell me you don't know your true self that well. Have you forgotten, or were you made to forget?" His shirt, carelessly unbuttoned, revealed cartoon patterns inside, showing that even his tastes were completely taken over.

    "Is it hard to hide what you've been taught, even though it hardly relates to using powers? Is it necessary to walk with such an odd step to prevent someone from knowing you have the assassination skills? Plus, after seeing blood the other day, weren't your powers triggered back?"

    "Ho..."

    It seemed like I really got some information.

    Esther had been itching for a fight with someone for a long time, but due to reasons in the past, he hesitated to engage with anyone, whether it was because of being watched or something else. But now, there was someone he could fight with, and ironically, it was the person he wanted to brawl with the most in his life.

    I’ve actually wanted to beat the shit out of him for a long time.

    Who would fight with themselves?

    Who would battle someone they couldn't harm?

    Normally, if you're hurt, I'm hurt.

    But now, if you're hurt, it's your problem; if I'm hurt, it's mine...