I followed Lucas into the report room, taking a seat at the empty desk beside him. The room was small and dimly lit, with a typewriter neatly placed on the desk up against the wall.
Lucas began typing with practised ease, his fingers dancing across the keys as he recalled the details of our investigation at Fritz's house. I watched closely, taking mental notes on the structure and language he used. He seemed to know exactly what to write and how to structure the report. I couldn't help but feel a pang of inadequacy as I struggled to keep up with his pace just watching him.
The first practical typewriter was made in 1868, much like the time that this world seemed to be similar to, or reminiscent to. Although it was much larger than the one that sat before both Lucas and I.
As he continued typing, I couldn't shake off the feeling that I could do better. I had spent years in the library back in my world, poring over textbooks and learning about history, language, politics and law. I had written countless essays and papers, and yet I still struggled to keep up just watching Lucas's efficiency and skill in report writing.
With a ding, Lucas returned the carriage to indicate the start of a new line. "All done," he said with a sigh as he pulled the page out and held it up to his face to skim over what he had written.
I glanced over Lucas's shoulder, trying to catch a glimpse of the contents of the report. It was concise and detailed, summarizing the events at Fritz's house in a clear and organized manner. The report didn't mention the scroll, or any of the other conspicuous findings we had theorised as not only would Darius read this, but the government official too. Assumably from the Barros family.
Lucas stood up with the report in hand. "Let's go file this with Darius and that should be the job all done. Hopefully I can get my payment sooner than later," he said, gesturing for me to follow him out of the room.
We made our way down the hall and knocked on Darius's door for him to let us come in. He was sitting at his desk, surrounded by stacks of papers. He looked up as we entered.
"Ah, good work," he said with a smile, taking the report from Lucas and skimming through it with scouring eyes. "This is good… Exactly what you've investigated I presume? I'll be sure to send it off right away, the payment should come soon enough."
"Yes, we've covered all the details of our investigation," I replied, trying to sound confident.
Lucas grinned, clearly pleased. "Just doing my job," he said with a hint of smugness.
Darius nodded, placing the report on a stack of papers on his desk. "Well, good job, both of you," he said, his tone neutral. "Lucas, I have something for you to do, I'll need you to stick around. Eli, you can head out for the day. Just make sure to be back on time for your next shift tomorrow."
I thanked him and turned to leave, but Lucas blocked my way, a smirk on his face. I clenched my fists and just brushed past him to head out the door.
Before leaving I made sure to change back into my personal clothes—my simple suit with the red sash, leaving my work suit in a prepared garment bag. Back in the Victorian era, garment bags hadn't been made yet. To carry suits around, suitcases were the common option. This time, this new world had a one-up.
It was later in the afternoon. The warm sun glow contrasting against the cool winter air. Although it was wintertime, not a single spec of snow was to be seen. I had seen snow many times back home as I got to travel a lot to go snowboarding in the mountains even though I wasn't the greatest at it.
Adjusting my collar I walked a few blocks over to the library. With that new information I got today, I may be able to figure more out about this world.
Walking into the library I was once again greeted by the familiar atmosphere and a welcome from the same librarian at the counter. Thankfully I hadn't seen Caius around so I hopefully could do some reading in peace.
I headed up the staircase to look over the shelves of books in the history section. Walking down the aisle, I ran my fingers along the spines of the books, searching for a specific book on royalty.
After some time, I finally found the book I was looking for. It was titled "The Great Families of Our Kingdom: A Comprehensive History of Royalty and Aristocracy." I pulled it out from the shelf and flipped through the pages, scanning for any information on the Barros family and the Anti-Arcanist Law.
I looked over many names of royalty and unfortunately, some had either been scribbled out or ripped out entirely.
As I continued to turn the pages, I noticed that once again, there were several pages missing. Frustration gnawed at me. It seemed like every time I tried to gather some kind of information, important pages were mysteriously absent. This was the third time it had happened, and it couldn't be just a coincidence. The exact thing I was looking for was mysteriously missing or just out of my grasp.
Fortunately, there were little bits of information I was able to grasp. The Barros family, along with the Wilder and the Hudson families set out the Anti-Arcanist law in the year 1686, in the city of Goldeen. It was to subdue any and all Arcanists with the power to utilise the magic that was learnt or passed down all across Ercadium and the other countries across the world.
If just three families could bring out such a law that could control the entire world, how much power did the city of Goldeen really have? Not only that but this world must not be that big compared to my old world then? I wonder how long ago this was established?
I closed the book with a sigh, realizing that I still had more questions than answers. The missing information frustrated me, but it also fueled my determination to uncover the truth behind the Anti-Arcanist Law and why it was put into place by these royal families. I couldn't shake off the feeling that someone was intentionally keeping me from uncovering the truth.
I picked up the book as I got up to walk down to the librarian's desk. As I was lost in my thoughts, the librarian approached me with a kind smile. "Is there anything else I can help you with, Elias?" she asked.
I looked up at her and realized that I hadn't even caught her name yet. "Actually, yes," I replied. "I noticed that there are pages missing from this book." I showed her the gaps in the text where important information should have been.
She frowned and examined the book closely. "That's odd," she said, pushing her copper glasses up the bridge of her nose to keep them from falling off. "We try to keep all our books in good condition. It looks like someone must've intentionally removed those pages without us knowing."
I nodded, my suspicions growing stronger. "Do you have any idea who might have done this?" I asked, hoping she might have some information.
The librarian shook her head. "I'm afraid I don't know," she said. "But I'll make sure to report this and see if I find out what happened."
I handed over the book with the missing pages to the librarian and she took it to place underneath her desk. "I'll make sure to let you know when we manage to sort it out," she said.
"Thank you," I said sincerely. "I appreciate your help." With a sigh, I turned to leave the library, feeling frustrated and at a dead end once again. It seemed like every time I tried to make progress, some new obstacle popped up, making it harder for me to uncover the truth about this world.
As I walked back outside to catch a carriage to Caius's, I couldn't help but think about how all these strange occurrences seemed to be revolving around me. The brooch-like pin I had in my pocket upon coming here, the royal families and their involvement in the Anti-Arcanist Law, the missing pages in the books I was researching—they all seemed to be connected in some way.
I tried to recall how I ended up with a job as a bounty hunter working under Darius so quickly after arriving in this world. It was as if everything fell into place too conveniently. I knew I was capable at work but it was oddly too quick. I remembered Lucas giving me that letter to meet Darius and that I was capable enough for this job I was unfamiliar with. Was Darius desperate to hire me? It all happened so fast that I didn't have time to question it. But now, I couldn't help but wonder if it was all part of some grand plan.
Waving out, I hoped on a public carriage that took me down near Caius's place, not right outside to hopefully keep some of my tracks hidden in case I was followed. I straightened out my clothes as I made my way up to his house and noticed the door was slightly ajar. Caius must be home, I wonder if he's cooking up a storm again.
A slight unease crept over me as I came to open the door further. The lights were all out and I could see paper, books, glass and furniture strewn over the floor like someone had broken in. I instinctively reached into my pocket for my phone so I could bring up a light but realised I didn't have it.
The sun was starting to go over the horizon so it had started to get darker and it was hard to make out everything with the lights all out or broken. Had someone broken in, but who? Why Caius's place of all people?
I brushed over the brooch in my pocket. With all these coincidences, were they looking for me? For this?
As he entered the dark kitchen, he heard a faint groan coming from the cupboards. My heart skipped a beat as I realized that Caius might be trapped inside. I rushed over to the pantry door and pulled it open, revealing Caius lying on the floor, his hands tied behind his back and over his mouth.
"Caius, are you alright? What happened?" I asked, rushing to untie his friend.
Caius massaged his wrists and mouth as he got back up. "Well, I think someone might've broken in don't you think?"