Chapter 269: Hiero

Together with Pafa I was looking things up in the academy library about the identity that had appeared from Raide’s bedroom last night.

We also ate lunch deliciously together in the library. Nimi’s boxed lunch is incredibly good! ...Next time I will have her teach me.

The academy’s books were well stocked, just as I had heard from Raide. I almost turned my attention to other books without meaning to.

I searched for books on races, but they were only traditions and made-up novels. I checked the insides thinking there might be a hint, but none of them fit.

In the first place I have never heard of, never seen, a power we can only barely sense even if we try hard.

Pafa had said it was watching over him, but I do not feel that sensation from last night now.

No matter how strong I make my power I cannot sense that something is beside Raide.

When you are really beside Raide, nothing but things that never run out of interest happen!

What is going on, honestly uuuu!

The People of Rieralia originally had a high drive to search, and among them Pafa’s line had it even higher.

Maybe that is why, at waking today Pafa proposed it and we came to the academy library...

I was looking up at a bookshelf when Pafa peeked her face out from behind it, hyoko, and asked.

"Hiero, did you find it?"

"No. Nothing at all. This has to be only in the castle archives, right?"

"Hmm~~, ask Relia and Tia?"

"If we ask the two of them we have to talk to Raide or he will worry. He will notice, but is that fine?"

"Nn~~..."

Pafa came out from the shadow, toddled up to me, and started worrying with a slightly troubled face.

As an aside it was not only us in the library. Faculty and instructors from the academy use it too, so people were here and there.

They greet us when they see Pafa and me, and having people here is very reassuring.

I mean, this library... it is pretty big. Being alone makes me a little uneasy.

Croana collecting this many books and materials for the students is amazing!

Aah, remembering that made me want to fluff Croanaaaa!

I let out a cute voice, glanced at Pafa who was still worrying... and hugged her from the side.

"Hiero?"

"No, you know? When a cute person is beside me I cannot help it."

"Hiero is cute too?"

"Naaaah, do not say Handful things."

Pafa smiled softly. I nuzzled her side-hair, hasu hasu hasu, and recovered my tired nerves.

Even if we are from the same homeland, cute is cute, so it cannot be helped, right!?

Pafa’s air is like Nimi’s. This wrapping air, or softness...

Then suddenly one book fell to the floor from the next bookshelf. I left Pafa at once and readied myself.

I had not felt a person’s presence. The book fell on its own?

I am sure Raide said Grize’s book fell to the floor on its own too... this time as well?

I exchanged looks with Pafa, who was watching the area the same as me, nodded, came up to the book, and picked it up from the floor.

The book was old like Grize’s book. I could not tell the title.

Pafa came close and we checked the bookshelf in front of us, but we could not find the place the book had been set.

I handed the book to Pafa, strengthened my power a little, and searched the library. No odd sensation.

"...Time."

"Eh? Pafa, did you say something?"

"Hiero, this has things about time written... in an old language ’we’ can barely read."

"Let me see."

Pafa had been opening the book and reading. I thought she murmured, turned my face, tilted my head, and asked.

Then Pafa turned her face from the book to me with a hard look. That made me start and peek into the book.

What... this is truly barely readable. Nimi and the others would not be able to read it, and Croana and the others would probably find it hard too.

Language and letters change with the ages. That did not change even when "we" had bodies.

Why is a being that can speak every language the common tongue? The People of Rieralia looked into that at the time and could not tell...

Meaning that "we" can barely read it is proof of how old it is.

On the page Pafa had open, a diagram of a clock was drawn.

Impossible... impossible! A clock cannot exist in this era!

Even the idea of time was vague. There is no way they could make a clock!

And yet what is written in the book is the very clocks that exist all over the world now.

There is no way a stupid story like that exists! If you open the next page there is even a record of the hours in a day!?

How hard do you think "we" worked to investigate the unchanging basics of morning, noon, and night!

"Hiero... here. This is odd. It is different from now."

"Eh, where? ...An absolute twenty-four hours does not exist... what is this? What does it mean?"

"Come to think of it Raide told me right after I was summoned. The king, the country, the world ’decided,’ so a day is twenty-four hours..."

"...Exactly twenty-four hours?"

"Un. Exactly twenty-four hours."

...When you live unchanging morning, noon, and night, Raide’s explanation does not feel like he said anything odd.

But something catches. How to put it... the way Raide said it is being a Handful.

I looked at Pafa’s face with a troubled smile. Pafa smiled the same way with a troubled face and tilted her head a little.

"Maybe he is being a Handful again?"

"Nfu. Probably..."

I gave you a hint, so go?

"Who was that!?"

"...!?"

At the voice that suddenly came from in front of us we left each other’s bodies in an instant, used our power, and readied the Sword of Rieralia in one hand.

A silver longsword with vine decoration wrapping it from hilt to blade.

A weapon only the People of Rieralia are allowed to bring out. We nodded to each other and searched for presence.

Nothing catches!? The voice was right in front of us!

A hint? I gave you a hint, so go? That is what the voice said.

A hint of what? Of last night’s presence? Go? Where!?

Naaaaaaaaah, honestly!! I do not get it! What is happening!?

I held the longsword in both hands with a bitter face and stayed on guard. Pafa held the longsword in one hand and the book in the other and spoke.

"Hiero, Raide is angry."

"Eh? ...It is true. Did something happen!?"

"Go, it said. Maybe this is what it meant..."

"...Seems so. Anyway Raide first. Let’s hurry."

"Un."

I nodded to Pafa with a serious face, dismissed the longsword, and ran to go to Raide.

Pafa has the book so we can look into it slowly later.

Reaaally!! It never gets boring beside a Handful eeeeee!!!

At that time Hiero and Pafa were taken by the voice and did not notice.

Even though other people were in the library, it was silent until the two of them left.

And that something transparent waved one hand. The two of them did not notice.

Both of you, please?