Vaguely reflecting on my feelings as we talk about Rockmann, I suddenly realize something is missing. That source of all of the recent trouble—the doll that brought us here. The last time I saw it was when we went to our rooms at the staff dormitory (which is located between the gender-separated student dormitories) and Benjamine went to bed with him in her arms. I haven’t seen hide nor hair of him since.
I don’t particularly mind some old man clinging to my friend (namely her chest) disappearing, to be honest, but the fact is the Time Keeper was the most knowledgeable among us in regards to this past world, even if he was a vile little pervert. Maybe he just doesn’t want to deal with any of us but Benjamine and decided to hole up at the dorm.
“Where’s the Time Keeper?” I ask Benjamine.
“Oh, you want to speak to the Elder of Time?”
Looking used to the process, she sticks a hand into the cleavage of her white shirt and pulls out a brown string necklace.
What the...? What’s she got there? Oh no no, don’t tell me...
“Here I am!”
“Just how low can you sink, you awful little man?!”
Out hops the Time Keeper from a small bag tied to the string, his size reduced to that of a thumb. Rubbing his reddish round nose, he rests his chin on the edge of the bag and assumes an awfully relaxed pose, as if it’s only natural.
“Don’t be so harsh on him,” says Benjamine as I flip out at the doll, jabbing an accusatory finger at it. “He’s forced to live in such discomfort.”
Discomfort? Between Benjamine’s breasts? There’s no way this guy sees it that way. Evidently noticing me thinking something rude, she brings the gray gunny sack with the gnome closer to me, saying he doesn’t bother her at all because he stays inside the bag while he’s in her cleavage.
I know that, and it’s obvious. That’s not the problem here.
“Good for you that Benjamine has such a big heart.”
“’Tis only that yours is so small, dear.”
What was that, Time Gramps?
I grind my teeth in anger.
“Anyway, who was that?” asks the Time Keeper, the bag he’s in swaying from side to side as he turns to face the library.
He tells me to go back, but I refuse, since people might find it suspicious if I return so quickly. I’ve already had the young Rockmann ask me whether I’ve noticed anything strange about Treyse, and he’s not even supposed to know who we are and what we’re here for. It’s not that I suspect he’s figured out the former, but I can’t so easily rub elbows with someone so perceptive.
The Time Keeper folds his tiny arms and gives a thoughtful grunt.
“Perhaps he is already under the effects of some sort of time magic,” he says.
He?
“Who is ‘he’?” I ask him.
“The blond.”
Blond... So, Rockmann?
“There are faint traces left on his body.”
The Time Keeper gazes with half-open eyes towards the library. He appears to be so curious about Rockmann that he sways from side to side, making the bag he’s in swing like a pendulum. Why doesn’t he just get out of that bag and go there himself if it bothers him so much? Doesn’t look like he has such plans, though.
“Hey, you; you noticed anything about him?” he asks Prince Zenon.
Manners! You don’t just “hey, you” a prince!
Said prince, however, doesn’t seem to mind his attitude and bends down to the gnome’s level, giving a sincere reply.
“No, I haven’t.”
His plain robe’s ankle-length hem and tight neckline make him look like a real teacher.
“The air around him is most curious,” continues the gnome. “What spell must one be on the receiving end of to end up like that? He has broken the rules of time. My senses would run wild were I to find myself near him. How did you manage to sit by his side for so long? ’Tis honestly impressive.”
I can’t tell if he’s praising or disparaging me.
Looks like he really can’t handle Rockmann, despite being so curious about him. Maybe it’s just because they’re both womanizers. How unlucky for the gnome.
I don’t know what this “air around Rockmann” he’s talking about is, so all I can reply with is, “If you say so.”
Wait, forget all this, I still haven’t asked the prince the thing that’s been eating at me. He’s observing the shrunk Time Keeper with keen interest.
Facing him, I bend forward and pleadingly bring my hands together.
“Your Highness. Um... I have a big favor to ask...”
He gives me a questioning look.
“Could you cast a spell on me that would let me see anything possessing someone?”
His eyes scan the room for a moment before settling on me again.
“Are you talking about Necromancy?”