Iris

There was quite a boom that echoed from the other side of the library. A surge of familiar mana swept by, moving quite literally at the speed of light. Her skin tingled. She raised her eyebrows, and slammed her book shut.

She bent her knees, and jumped forwards. Another leap. And a final one. She shoved her feet into the floor, leaving two deep trenches in her wake. Wood splintered and dust kicked up.

“What happened?”

“My library was destroyed, that's what happened,” Noah said.

“No, not that. I sensed her mana coming from here. Is your seal okay?”

A vast number of books shifted on the floor. With a flick of his hand, the books flew back to their rightful places. The collapsed person on the floor however, did not budge. Noah had placed the emperor’s head on his lap.

“Only the lich managed to get through the seal. Rather, the magic came from this guy.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems like someone had prepared a protective spell.”

Mana swirled around Francis. It took a brief moment of analysis to figure out its source. Kim Hye-Sung’s mana.

“And the spell apparently has a component that wants to return to its origin.”

“Undo the seal.”

“What? No way.”

Iris shook her head. She was familiar with the mage. And something like that must have been in place for a reason.

“Listen. How long have you been in this library?”

“Close to a thousand years by now.”

“The world has changed. It's no longer what you think it is.”

“That’s not why I sealed myself here. I had to protect them!”

“No. The era of demons has already passed. The era of humans is in full bloom.”

“Who killed the Demon Lord?”

“The hero’s party. Hero Kraftei, Priestess Sein, Vanguard Serris, Mage Ryhelm.”

“I’m not familiar with them.”

“Of course you won’t be. They arrived a century after you sealed yourself in.”

“When you dared disturb me, I was under the impression that you were one of the only people that could survive in the hellscape created by the Demon Lord.”

“Well, you wouldn’t be that wrong. Either way, release the seal. Forever.”

“My senses tell me that you aren’t lying.”

“I didn’t know you had the blood of Truth running through you.”

“She’s asexual.”

“Ah. Then Misliyoni?”

“He’s a virgin. And gay.”

“Both the goddess of truth and god of lying? Impressive.”

Noah chuckled. He motioned to the collapsed emperor and raised his eyebrows. Most probably, that protective spell knocked him out as a side effect.

“What do you want to do with him? Frankly I don’t really care what happens to him, but you’re the one that brought him here.”

“Undo the seal.”

“I’ve already said no.”

“Just do as I say. Listen, the three of us are similar in ways you don’t expect.”

“This guy? You, I can believe. But this... Pathetic child of the Rayleighs? He’s a kid!”

“Can you believe that he’s the one that will end humanity?”

“Even jokes have their limit. Though, the classic Aeriors joke says that a kid wanting good food will end the world, so maybe that’s not possible.”

“To your mature eyes, he will be immature. How many centuries?”

“A little bit more than millennia by now. But in comparison, the heroes before The Great Shift are far too different from me.”

“Yeah. In that span of time, things really have changed. I understand that you might not believe that, but it's the truth. You have lived for more than a thousand years, and I myself have lived through a similar length.”

“When I look at your eyes, there is an immeasurable amount of time behind those. Can I ask how?”

Iris shrugged. It wasn’t exactly simple to explain the parallel universes that she travelled, and the various timelines and branches. She muttered something along the lines of being complicated to explain.

“Please, release the seal. I understand that you have your problems with it, but please. If not, why would you let us in?”

“I let you in for a simple reason. You either knew of me, or had the magical capacity to detect me. And the moment you entered, I analysed your mana. Compared to his... I do not know if the standards for men dropped, or if he is simply an expectation.”

“Standards for men? What about for women?”

“Those are far higher, believe me.”

“Interesting, but how did you know he was a man?”

“Is that not standard fashion for men?”

“He’s in a dress. We call that crossdressing.”

“What’s that? And has the fashion industry changed that much? Everyone wore dresses and skirts back then, except for the warriors.”

She cocked her head. The fashion of a thousand years ago wasn’t something that she cared to investigate, but Noah was a natural storyteller. Every word he spoke danced around. A brilliant image of caricature characters sparked in her mind. Using the classical art style of ancient murals, each word etched themselves onto her mental wall, twirling, dancing, and showing off the fancy clothes. Old brands and craftsmen, only kept in memory by a few history books. And his recollection was clear too. Long, vivid descriptions, despite being from a thousand years ago.

“Somehow, I’m curious about how you’d look in that ancient style,” Iris muttered.

His hyper-muscular build and height didn’t exactly fit with the feminine style. But perhaps that contrast helped. Then again, Noah in a battle skirt didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Certainly an interesting one.

“I heard you, and I think I still have some sets preserved.”

“How? But also, why?”

“‘Clothes Preserving Magic’ and in case I ever got homesick. Didn’t think I’d need to entertain guests with it, though.”

“Wait, then what about facilities? Demigod or not, you still need water and food.”

“You’re an inquisitive one. I built a channel that drains snow melt into a chamber. The water is fresh and clean. If you like, you can even take a bath in it. As for food, there’s a small farm on the other side of the mountain. Magically concealed of course. The automata grow and harvest it.”

“The food outside is far better than anything you can have here.”

“Intriguing proposition. Tell me, what happened to the Amstrasii Republic?”

“The what?”

“I suppose that means that they died out without living a large mark on history. Shame.”

“Maybe. I’m not a well read historian. Doesn’t come up in survival that often.”

And that much was true. No one ever quizzed her on an obscure part of history. It was unlikely anyone was going to do that either. It took a moment for her to realise she got sidetracked. Noah was amazing.

“Wait, no. Undo the seal.”

“It took you surprisingly long. But again, no.”

“What can I do to convince you?”

Noah stayed quiet in a ponderous silence. All she could hear was the whirring of the automata. Some moved on wheels, and others rudimentary legs. Certainly, nothing overly complex like the rare golems that the Atlas sometimes used, but it got the job done. In a quiet movement, he stood up and motioned for her to follow. Weaving through turns that she didn’t even know existed within this labyrinth of a library, they stopped in front of a metal door. A stamp etched into it made its presence known. Time eroded much of the shine and polish, but even at first glance, she could tell. Whoever the maker was, they had quite some skill. Francis Rayleigh meanwhile, levitated through the air at Noah’s fingertip. Past the door, she heard the soft running of water.

“You must be tired after your travels. Please, take a rest here while I think.”

“About releasing the seal?”

“It is not that I don’t trust you. Just... I need some time. I realise that maybe a thousand years might have affected me in certain ways.”

Iris nodded. It was the first time he ever showed any kind of vulnerability. First time she ever talked with him for so long.

“Apparently, taking a warm bath can help with thinking. And I assure you, this is the cleanest and purest water you can find.”