I finished reading and returned to the future...or rather the present.
“Phew...”
I, Elainya Originia, glanced up from the book I’d been reading and looked around the library. I didn’t see any sign of that nosy boy who’d talked to me earlier. Good, I can finally focus on my research.
Or so I thought, but a second later, that boy returned and dumped a pile of old books on my desk.
“These are all the books on Lord Veight that I could find! Oh, I see you’ve already finished reading his biography! It’s aimed primarily at children, so it’s not a rigorous account of his life, but it’s well written. I quite like it myself.”
The young Meraldian man smiled at me. He was handsome, but he kept getting in the way of my studies. He also talked way too much.
I adjusted my glasses and frowned at him. “By Veight, you mean Veight Von Aindorf, correct?”
“That’s right.” The young man’s smile widened as I said Veight’s full name.
If you’re trying to flirt with me, at least expand your knowledge base first.
I adjusted my glasses again and told the handsome but annoying young man, “I’ve come all the way from Rolmund to study Veight Gerun Friedensrichter, not Veight Von Aindorf. I’ve heard that Veight Gerun Friedensrichter was the real brains behind the rise of the Originia dynasty. He’s supposed to have been from Meraldia, but apparently, he was a man of many mysteries and not much is known about him.”
“I know which Veight you’re looking for,” he replied.
Then why did you bring me books on the wrong person? I sighed and said, “The other problem is that there are too many people named ‘Veight’ in Meraldia.”
“Well, everyone wanted to name their son after him. There were also a bunch of girls named Airia, Friede, and Othilie too! Hahaha.”
By “him,” which Veight are you talking about? I guess it’s probably the Aindorf one, I thought. “I am aware that Veight Von Aindorf is a legendary figure in Meraldian history.”
Apparently, he was a werewolf who left his mark on military tactics, politics, diplomacy, economics, education, magic, medicine, and even art. He served as the vice-commander of multiple Demon Lords—although that title wasn’t used anymore. These days, the leader of Meraldia was called the Commonwealth Chief. Without Veight, the Meraldian Commonwealth wouldn’t have come into being, and it was likely the corrupt Meraldian Senate would have exterminated all the werewolves in Meraldia. The history books claimed he laid the foundations for the three hundred years of peace we’d had since his death. He was as famous in Meraldia as Eleora was in Rolmund. Granted, there was no telling how truthful the history books were since facts tended to get exaggerated.
“People have heard of Veight Von Aindorf even in Rolmund, but don’t you think his accomplishments are a bit exaggerated? There’s no way a single human—or I suppose werewolf—could have achieved all that.”
The young man scratched his head awkwardly. “You say that, but this is what’s left after we took out a bunch of his deeds. He always was too humble for his own good. In all the joint research projects he did, he kept his name out of them and pushed the credit onto others.”
You talk about him like you knew him personally... I mentally quipped, then said, “Anyway, you’re getting in the way of my research. Tuition isn’t cheap, so I want to finish my research as quickly as possible and go home.”
“Aren’t you a member of the imperial family? Shouldn’t you be loaded?”
How do you know that? Also, if you do know that, why are you being so casual with me? Do you have nerves of steel or what?
I sighed and said, “My family name is Originia, and I am a distant descendant of Empress Micha, but we’re a tiny branch family. We’re so far removed from the main imperial line that we’re not even allowed access to the library in the imperial palace.”
Micha had given birth to many children, which led to the creation of numerous branch family offshoots. Furthermore, she’d reigned a full three hundred years ago. At this point, there were hundreds of people who could trace their lineage back to Empress Micha.
“Now go away. I’m trying to get as much research done as possible before I meet Professor Pastier.”
Professor Parker Pastier was Meraldia University’s foremost historian and an immortal skeleton who had mastered necromancy. I planned to study under him during my stay at Meraldia University and was extremely glad he agreed to tutor me after I sent him a letter. However, because my family was poor, I initially entered a different department and took advantage of the discount students received for changing majors. This meant I arrived a few days before the history classes were set to begin, and from what I’d heard, Professor Pastier was on vacation. As a result, I had yet to meet him.
“Um... So...”
“What?”
The young man seemed to want to say something, but after I glared at him, he sighed and gave up.
Finally, I can study in peace. Unfortunately, I still hadn’t been able to find any documents on Veight Gerun Friedensrichter. It’s strange. He’d been a noble and a member of the Commonwealth Council. You’d think someone who’d caused such a ruckus in Rolmund would have more written about him, at least in his home country. If I couldn’t find anything on him in Meraldia University’s vast library, the only other place left to look would be the Demon Army’s public records. The problem was, I’d already asked the Demon Army clerk, and they’d told me there were no public records available on Veight Gerun Friedensrichter. What a pickle...
After another fruitless search through the shelves, I returned to my desk and idly picked up one of the books on the Black Werewolf King that the young man had left behind.
“Oh, this is about the Aindorf family...”
Airia Lutt Aindorf had been Meraldia’s third Demon Lord and her husband, Veight Von Aindorf, had been her vice-commander. This particular book appeared to be a collection of letters written by various members of the Aindorf family. Many of them hadn’t been published publicly, as far as I knew.
“Wait... Are these all primary sources and not copies?!”
I flipped back to the beginning of the book to see who the author and publisher were. It had been published by Meraldia University, and the author—or rather, the person who’d written commentary on all the letters—was none other than Parker Pastier, the professor I was planning on meeting in a few days. Not only that, but the publication date was just a few days ago. This was a brand-new book! Additionally, it had been edited by a member of the Aindorf family. This was a supremely valuable book. I’ve gotta read this!
I started reading through the letters and began to learn about a completely new side of the famous Black Werewolf King.
Surprisingly, for someone who’d been famous for slaying Valkaan and destroying castles, it appeared the Black Werewolf King had been quite the family man. The letters he’d sent his wife and children while he’d been away attested to that. He was an honest and straightforward man, but he’d also had a soft spot for his family—basically, like one of the stay-at-home dads that had become popular in recent years.
“Hehe...”
It was heartwarming to read all the letters he’d sent. Honestly, it was hard to imagine he’d lived in the past with how modern his sensibilities were. It seemed he’d received many letters from nobles and generals in Wa, Rolmund, and Kuwol too. From the looks of it, he’d been personally acquainted with all the important people in every nation. It was impressive to think that so many people cared to send him letters in an era where magic communication was limited and there wasn’t an international postal system dedicated to delivering correspondence.
Furthermore, it appeared both Empress Micha and King Shumar had called him “Professor.” Meraldia University had always been the premier educational institution on the continent, but I hadn’t expected even foreign kings and empresses to have studied here. While I knew Veight Von Aindorf had been famous, I hadn’t realized he’d personally known so many important people. If he’d wanted to, he could have controlled every nation on the continent from the shadows.
“What do you think? Pretty interesting, right?” said a voice.
I came back to my senses with a start. I’d been so engrossed in my reading that I hadn’t noticed the noisy young man walking over again. He had a can of black tea from a nearby vending machine in his hands.
He held it out to me and said, “But don’t forget to take breaks, or you’ll strain your eyes. Here, drink this.”
“Um, I appreciate the concern, but we’re not allowed to bring food and drink into the library.” I pointed to the sign behind me, and the boy cocked his head.
“Oh, you’re right. I don’t have to worry about eating or drinking, so I never realized.”
What’s that supposed to mean?
Confused, I nevertheless took the canned tea. “Thank you, I’ll drink it later.”
“You’re welcome,” the young man said with a smile.