Ever since Theodore heard the captain introduce the man he had been interested.
Captain Ward did not put much stock in the tales of the man, he did found it interesting enough to tell his Lord. Therefore the man in question was held not far away.
Theodore impatiently tapped his desk. From the moment he heard the word 'paper' he had grown unsettled. The word paper was foreign to this world. How small is the possibility that this word would be 'invented' right when he was thinking of creating paper himself!
'Who was this man? What is his background? How can he be found along the road, mistaken for a simple peasant?'
Many questions were bombarding Theo's mind. He couldn't help but become unnerved by some of the possibilities. Since he himself was here, why would others not have the same opportunity? He had already unconsciously bombarded himself as MC to some fantasy novel!
The door opened and a scrawny, slightly tall male with brown untidy hair was presented in front of him. Both guards that escorted the man, as well as captain Ward, looked a little apprehensive at the situation. It was very uncommon for a peasant to meet a Lord personally in his study. Formally this was used as an important chamber for work and receiving guest of stature.
Theodore couldn't be bothered with such trivialities and had ordered Ward to bring the man to him ASAP.
Theodore sized the man up carefully. He saw a glimmer of intelligence in the green eyes of the man. That was the only clue that the man might be more uncommon than that he made out to be.
His slightly oversized clothes were a clear representation of his status as a peasant.
However, there was also the uncanny look of confidence. His eyes were steady, his hand were neatly folded behind his back. At the very least, he was not nervous about meeting the esteemed lord.
The contradiction made Theodore intrigued. Since the man kept a safe distance and did not speak before being spoken to, he was clearly trying to show basic etiquette whilst in the presence of a Noble.
Theodore gestured for the guards to leave. This left Theodore with Ward and the 'inventor'.
"Alright. My aide has introduced you a little to me. So far I can only say to be intrigued. Someone who is willing to risk imprisonment just to speak to me, it should be interesting at the least." Theodore said whilst leaning back in his chair. "Tell me about yourself first."
"My lord, my name is Callum. I was born in the southern valleys, in a small called Nassau. The nearest city is Brielle. It was during city-selections I was chosen as a page by sir Gafford. I was taller than most and stronger than most at that time. I followed sir Gafford for two years. He then told me I wasn't made out to be a knight."
"However, he said, but you're too bright to go and do menial work. He took me to a friend, sir Elbas, who worked as a scribe and aide to the lord and ask if I could study under him. For five years I studied under him and became a trusted scribe."
"Elbas then retired and a new man took over. He installed his own people and in the end fired me. At that time I was devastated. I contacted sir Gafford and he took me to a monastery. They can always feed another mouth and would always have work for a scribe."
"I lived there for three years. I spend a lot of time with monk Alwin. He and I spend a lot of time copying old books from the monastery. Only by copying would the next generation enjoy the privilege to read all of those classics. All that wisdom needed to be preserved!"
"So he once told me of his dream, to make these books available to the public and educate the masses, learn them to write and read."
"So we copied extra books, invited people to study the language with us. We had some success, but not many people were interested in our endeavour. We spend long days and night to prepare the books. I then developed my own dream. If everyone could have access to a library or at least a book. Would they not want to learn by themselves? That's when I started to research a way to create a medium that could be produced en-masse. "
"It needed to be cheap, quick to make, take ink well, and be reproducible at a large scale. I asked the monastery for investments, I asked nobles for investments, even the castle-lord and Sir Gafford."
"I failed for three years to produce the right results. But I was close! I created a substance I call 'Cotton Paper'. It is a white piece of pressed and dried cotton! It was too little too late. People who had invested in me wanted to have their money. Things got heated and I fled the monastery." He smiled wryly, his face showed his sorrow and in his eyes, the scars of his flight were reflected in his eyes, accentuated by the lights coming through the windows on the right.
'Not really knight like behaviour. Well, he did say that he wasn't cut out to be one. But some lessons definitely didn't stick. But then again, I can imagine that his life might have been threatened. I would have done the same.' Theodore thought. 'He's an honest fellow. But is he dependable?'