Chapter 39

"What do we do today?" I muttered out slowly.

I walked outside with Felix with no plan on what to do. I had no work left and we still had four days left till we left for the capital again. Tomorrow I can finally have sometime to myself for some training, but that's tomorrow…

"Honestly I don't know either. We are always working so suddenly having all the free time to ourselves feels strange." Felix says. "Let's go find work or something." I said jokingly.

"Doesn't sound that bad honestly." Felix says scoffing sarcastically.

Since I had all the free time to myself I might as well go do something that I am interested in. Reading.

"I'm going to the library. I haven't read a good book in a while." I said while stretching. "Lead the way. I don't know where the library is."

Felix takes the lead and I follow him through the crowded streets of the capital. We luckily grew no attention to ourselves, letting us pass through easily through the streets without being stopped.

"The streets are too crowded! I nearly got stepped on!" Amelia exclaims while trying to walk alongside me.

She could grow a lot of attention so I'd rather have her follow me on the ground. But that also is an issue since she's small, people don't look down when walking.

"Can't do anything about that. Just try your best to not get squashed.

We finally got through the entire crowd and made it to a more clear and open area. Amelia jumped back onto my shoulder and we kept walking through the less crowded street to the library.

"That building." Felix says while pointing in front of me. I looked in front and saw the building he was pointing at.

It was designed more like a cafe than an actual library. It had a hanging sign on top with a book on it, reassuring me that it was a library.

We walked inside to find a quiet atmosphere, silent and somehow warmer. There was a front desk where a man sat down and behind him were two flights of winding stairs that went up.

"Welcome, my lord. Please make yourself at home here." The man greeted in a pleasant and soft voice.

I walked in front of Felix and up to the front desk where the man sat. "Bring me the best books you have." I told the man quietly.

"As you say, my lord." He said as he got up from his chair. Felix and I walked upstairs where it was a vast room with bookshelves and seating arrangements all across the room.

All the bookshelves were filled up completely with books of all sizes. A few tables for seating were also arranged around the entire place, some near the window while some near the middle. It was a large room that was filled to the brim with furniture and other decorations on the wall.

The entire place was also dead quiet, other than the low sounds of pages turning or pens writing on paper. I could see a few people sitting around the tables as I walked past, focused on their books, possibly for studying.

We walked all the way to the back where we found open seats near the window on the right side of the room. We took the table and made ourselves comfortable, waiting for the man at the desk to bring me a few books.

Felix leans over the desk, looking around him with a bright smile on his face. "It's been a while since I came to the library. It feels oddly comforting." He said while leaning over the table.

I sat cross armed while Amelia climbed onto my head and laid down. "I can't remember the last time I came to one either." I told him while looking around with a big smile.

That was a lie. I never came to a library in this world. But this is the kind of library I wanted to visit in the past, never getting the chance obviously.

"We had one at home, why not go back home?" He asked me skeptically and in a low voice. "The atmosphere of a public library and a private one is different."

I glanced around the room to see the faces of everyone that was reading. A lot of them were staring at me surprisingly. Thinking that this was a library I wouldn't grow much attention since most were busy reading, seems like that's not the case.

"Tch. People are staring even in the library." I snickered. Felix scoffs softly in response. "Always growing attention."

Some time had passed and I heard footsteps approach us from in front of me. The man came back with a bunch of really big books and placed it on the table gently.

"These are the most read and rented books we had in the past two months. You may rent these books indefinitely." He said with a comforting smile.

I smile and nod in response to him. "I'll look through them all. Thank you very much!"

He leaves the two of us at the table with a stack of books that I could read from. Felix wastes no time and splits up the stacks and looks through a few books himself.

I slowly picked up a few myself and read the first pages to get the jist of the book. Most of them consisted of fantasy stories or heroic stories, usually being quite long and having more than three volumes and huge chapters.

None of the books were eye-catching or that interesting. Most of them were cliche books about kings or heroes, things out of fairy tales or children's stories. Then I remembered that this world is practically a fantasy world.

"These books are quite interesting! The stories feel so real!!" Felix said softly, reading through multiple books himself. I shook my head, trying to figure out why he was finding them so interesting.

"Most of these books seem quite… bland…" I muttered out.

Felix was shocked by my description of the books. "Really? They all seem good to me!"

"Not to me. It just feels cliched." I told him as I rummaged through the books.

My eyes land on an aged and pretty run down book. The pages were becoming yellow and could easily tear. It was a fragile book that I had to be careful when reading.

"A dragon's behaviour and habits." I slowly muttered out, reading the title of the book.

I slowly flipped the book open, trying my best to not damage it. It was well sized for a book but didn't weigh much. It had a few pictures and a lot of text that talked about dragons.

The book was rewritten a few decades ago from the original. The original was from centuries ago when dragons still roamed the skies and the world, quarrelling amongst themselves in the sky and ground.

"The book is quite accurate! Impressive a book like this still exists." Amelia told me through telepathy.

"How would you know? You were born only a few weeks ago." I playfully laughed at her.

"I see these strange visions in my dreams, as if they were memories from my past life!"

Wait a minute.

"Wait… so you get dreams of a past life?" I asked her skeptically. "Yeah…? Just like you do of your own past life."

This explains why she finds my dreams so normal.

"Well what have you seen so far?" I asked her through telepathy while simultaneously trying to read the book.

"I've seen memories from centuries ago. I still remember the dream like it was yesterday! It was as if I lived that many years ago."

"Yeah but what have you seen in detail?"

She pondered for a moment, thinking deeply about the dreams she's seen. "I forgot!" She exclaimed happily.

I sigh in disappointment. I expected to know some in-depth history of this world but I was met with disappointment.

"Is everything okay?" Felix asks, seeing my disappointed face. "Everything is fine~ I'm just disappointed." I replied back softly.

I kept reading the book thoroughly, remembering all the details which could lead to me figuring out why Amelia acts as she does.

The book was lengthy but I finished half of it by the time it was becoming dark. Amelia had fallen asleep as I read the book while Felix read a book about an adventurer who got lost in a cave.

The library's atmosphere was surreal. It made me feel at home, as if this is where I belonged all along. Many people were studying or just reading a book, passing their time in leisure in the library. Some left while more came in and took their seats.

Everyone read quietly but were surprised to find me in the library, relaxing with my butler and pet fox while reading about dragons. I would be too.

My focus from the book was shifted as I heard light footsteps slowly approaching our table. I wasn't expecting anyone to come this way as it was the only table in the back of the room. I glance up from the book and see someone approaching.

It was a young girl who looked to be in her adolescent years. She had dark hair that was braided hair that came down to her shoulders. I expect she would be looking for a book on one of the bookshelves so I put my focus on my book once more.

"U-uhm. E-excuse me?" A nervous and shaky voice suddenly came through quietly.

I look up and see the girl standing right next to us, shyly fidgeting with her fingers while being completely flustered.

"Can I help you?" I asked her with a slight smile, trying to make her feel more comfortable.

"I-I need to take a b-book from here… M-may I?" She said, stuttering in between.

I looked at Felix to see what he would say. He glanced at the girl and went back to reading.

"Sure. Take whichever one you need."

She quickly rummaged through the books, looking for the book she wanted. I went back to reading while she picked her book.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a book drop. Acting quickly, I grabbed the book from under the table before it fell. She shrieked loudly, bringing everyone's focus to her.

"Careful. Some of these books are quite old and weak." I said while keeping the book on the table. "S-sorry!" She exclaimed, keeping her voice low this time.

She finally picked her book and quickly took her leave from our table. I shake my head and keep reading my book which I somehow nearly finished.

"A-Artorius… Are you sure you didn't skip a page?" Felix asked me, surprised by the fact I nearly finished reading a near four hundred page book in one sitting.

I looked at the amount of pages left to read and calculate about twenty more. "Nope. I read all I'm pretty sure. I still remember everything I read too." I replied back to him.

Felix had finished about eighty pages of his book while I finished nearly four hundred. "It's getting late. We should leave soon." I said quietly while flipping to another page.

"I might rent this book for the trip. It's quite interesting!" Felix says excitedly.

"Were you always into books?" I asked him, curious of his love for books. "I had an interest in them but I never had the time to read them. Especially after starting work at the palace I barely had any free time."

I forget that he works all day and all night.

"Seems like someone needs a break." I said sarcastically.

Felix chuckles in response. "Wouldn't be that bad! Though maybe after we get everything settled."

The last few pages of the book had no informational value. It was just a summarized version at the end which brought an end to my reading.

I cracked my neck and fingers and stretched my arms out, feeling quite tired from the long reading session. I looked at the window to my left and saw it was getting quite dark.

A quick look at my pocket watch revealed the time. It was nearly six. We spent the entire day at the library.

"You done?" Felix asked me, seeing me close the book and pushing it aside. "Yes. It's getting quite late. Let's head back."

Felix nods in response and we both get up from our chairs. I carried Amelia in my arms and began walking away from the table.

As usual, as we walked away from our table more heads turned, some looked in fear and some just being nervous in general.

Felix took the book with him while I left mine at the table. We reached the front desk where Felix registered the book for renting while I stepped outside of the library, taking in the fresh air.

The sky was a pleasant blue colour, becoming darker as the sun sets. The clouds had a tint of orange and pink on them as they slowly drifted across the sky that slowly revealed the twinkling stars.

A gentle breeze started blowing past the street, even if the city was blocked by walls all around. Felix came out of the library with his book and smiled happily.

"Let's go." He simply says before taking the lead and walking away.

I sigh and walk with him through the street that is lighting up with lanterns and torches. The streets were not as busy as they are in the afternoon but many were still outside, walking around with family or buying things at stores.

"Seems like the city was revived. All the holes on the roads were fixed and the new drainage system is being implemented quite easily." Felix says as he frantically looks around him, seeing the kingdom growing.

"We've pretty much used up all of our money to do this. Hopefully tax collection can help us make a gain this month." I replied back.

The amount of reconstruction work I've done to this city is too much. I focused on this city on purpose so that it can become the main hub for trade and so on. But that was a downside. If only the capital grows then the entire kingdom won't grow.

"Tax collection should lead us into a positive. We've had reports of people moving into the kingdom more and more over the weeks. Especially the capital. People are setting up houses near the capital too."

It's been sometime since I took a trip outside of the capital. I haven't seen anything happening outside, or at least no reports of it other than the usual growth.

We walked through the city back to the palace while I got lost in my own thoughts, thinking of how to reconstruct this kingdom more.

"You seem to be thinking quite deeply, is everything okay?" Felix suddenly asked me, taking me out of my thinking bubble.

"Oh, no it's fine. I was just thinking of how to reconstruct the other parts of the kingdom." I replied back.

"I have an idea. Why not start mining in the mountains? Some adventurers went inside the caves to find many minerals and raw materials in the caves and it was quite safe." Felix suggested.

His idea somehow clicked into my mind, opening a completely new idea that never popped up in my mind.

"Is that so? Send out an investigation tomorrow and bring me the report after two weeks of investigation."

There's only three kingdoms that mine raw materials. Since raw material is only found in areas made up of mountains only those three kingdoms can actually mine.

But since Faunus kingdom also has a mountain range which is tall and snow capped, it is an untapped gold mine, literally.

There could be rare minerals that can be found in these caves. Crystals, iron, diamonds, gold and even more! If we can start mining with new machinery that I could make up, we can pretty much boost the economy by ten folds.

"Seems like an idea is brewing in your mind. I'm excited to see." Felix says with a gentle smile. I looked at him and nodded. "Big ideas."

We made it to the palace as I thought more about this idea that Felix had said. Amelia was still asleep and curled in my arms as we entered the palace's courtyard.

We noticed a carriage inside the courtyard, standing idly with a chauffeur I hadn't seen before. I became curious and looked at it as we went past. It was nothing out of the ordinary, except why an unknown carriage would be inside the palace.

The doors opened and inside we saw a bunch of luggage, not belonging to us. What's happening?

"Welcome back, my lord. I'm sorry about the mess. Family is still moving in."

Right. I forgot about that.

Vincent apologised for his family's mess as they just moved into the palace. I agreed to house them since I had no use for nearly twenty rooms in a palace. It gets lonely.

"It's fine. Just get settled and be ready for dinner." I told him in a voice that oozed with disinterest.

Vincent was used to my slightly rude behaviour. Even though I didn't actually hate him, I acted rude with him for fun.

"I hope my family is not much of a nuisance. I do have two offspring but they are well behaved!"

"It's fine. Just remember that you are a worker here, not family."

I walked up the stairs to go to my room. Amelia was still asleep so I wanted to put her down on the bed so she could rest easily. Felix went to help Vincent with moving in the luggage.

As I walked down the hallway I heard the sounds of two children talking and a feminine voice laughing softly. I turned the corner towards my room to see Vincent's wife and two kids.

They noticed me walk in and freeze in their spot. I was unfazed by them and kept walking towards them.

"G-good evening, King Artorius! Thank you for letting us live in your castle! We are forever indebted to you." Vincent's wife exclaims as I walk past them.

His son looked like a younger version of Vincent. Black hair and blue eyes, facial structure similar to Vincent. He seems to be in his adolescent years, early adolescence.

His daughter however, looks like his wife but with blue eyes. Genetics is really well split it seems.

"Make yourself at home. I already set up everything for their education. You will attend the national academy of the kingdom, free of charge." I told them casually.

The three became surprised and shocked. They only expected to stay at the palace, not also go to school, one of the best schools in this world.

"T-thank you… Thank you so much…" His wife cried out softly. She held her mouth in shock and tears didn't take long to come out.

"Settle in for a few days. The school year hasn't started so you won't be falling behind. It starts in a week and you won't have any entrance exams. You're both already enrolled."

I walked past the three as the family shared a moment together. I had to put Amelia to sleep first. The three of them were not notified of this since Vincent wanted me to say it to them, as a surprise.

There's no reason for me to be harsh with Vincent. He cares for his family deeply and I respect a man for that. He's a father and a loving husband, I couldn't just overlook his dedication to his family.