Classes continued as usual. I attended them all. I did my work at the library and I studied.
Yet how the fuck was I able to not stay calm? What the hell was wrong with me? Deep down I knew the church wouldn't do anything foolish and they'd definitely send someone to keep an eye on me. But why couldn't I just calm down?
I kind of wanted to cry. The moment I thought about crying, tears welled up and almost started leaking. The fuck?
Emotional today, aren't we? Chuckling, I quickly wiped them off with my handkerchief before anyone could see. Someone still saw though.
Shia.
"Rare for you to show your face at the library," I said.
The library was fairly empty since most of the kids were busy with the festival.
Food stalls were one thing but they had fun rides and actual entertainment for once, which I planned on visiting.
"And rare for you to cry in public."
"Public? I don't cry in general mam."
"Really? So, you crying in secret in the bath every now and then was just my imagination? Oh, and that time you were crying in the closet. That time you were crying on your bed. That time you were…" She went on.
My face heated up a little.
Do I like cry when I'm sad or something? I might or might not have realized that. I did cry a few times but I could have sworn-
No, I couldn't swear on anything. A lot of things were beyond my control and frankly, I wasn't aware of a lot of things.
"Well don't worry about it, I won't tell anyone," She winked and left, or was about to leave but stopped. "Do you know where I can find this book." She gave me a piece of paper.
These things are super expensive, could you not mishandle them?
'Naked Westerners: A guide to anatomy.'
I rolled my eyes without meaning to. "Third floor, by the window, left isle."
"Just so you don't misunderstand, it's for research purpose for my fifth-year finals."
"I totally understand!" I gave her a thumpsup and she left with a half-smile.
Naked Westerners, huh?
Heh.
***
Time had stopped. Or at least that's what it felt like. An hour felt like days. My heart would race for no fucking reason and although I tried to stay calm, I sure wasn't. So much so that, by the afternoon, I was drenched.
I usually avoided showers past noon since I had a tendency to catch colds in my last life. But I guess it couldn't be helped today. Still, it's getting pretty hot… I guess summer wasn't that far away.
I made sure I looked prim and proper and then headed straight to the headmaster's basement. But as I was about to head in, I noticed someone waiting for me by the stairs. Shia.
I was running into her more than usual today. "Something wrong Sis?"
"No, just wondering how you'd deal with this."
"Are you like… enjoying this?"
"Who knows."
I was starting to think she might seriously think me of an exotic pet rather than her little step brother.
I headed in, she headed in right after me.
"Kind of small don't you think?" Shia said, entering the clubroom before me.
The usual three girls. They greeted me and weren't shocked to see Shia here. Someone else also greeted me, namely the priest. He didn't say anything though.
"This is my sister, Shia Barrack," I said. Hopefully they'd get the hint and start introducing themselves.
The girls did.
Arin.
The count's daughter was named Calamin. Sounded like something you'd read in a nutritional label.
The Margrave's daughter was named Sylvia. Now that was a pretty name!
And the priest?
"Zarbantha Marbantha."
Who the fuck names you people?
I tried my best to keep a straight face and maintain a neutral face. Still a priest is a plus point. He can easily help me distinguish between the church's preferred history and the actual history. But only if he was trustworthy. He spoke some Zamari guy sent him here to guide me. That was fine and all but who was he?
"So, first I'd like to start with the established history of Askavan. Or I'd like to say, but since lady Nisa has already gone through them, and we have Mr. Zarbantha here, it would be prudent to go over some history which might not be true. There's little credit to these stories and they may be seriously damaging to the high church's reputation so do not disclose any information to the public of what I'm about to say next. I'm only introducing this to address some concerns."
I kept a careful eye on their expressions and although I expected the priest to stop me, he didn't. He just stood in a corner listening.
"First of all, Lord Askavan came to our world approximately ten thousand years ago. He saw we were at war and constantly perishing. So, he cleaved the mainland into three parts and separated us."
The church also supported this bit.
"However," I continued. "Wars simply do not stop by merely enhancing distance; they are delayed instead. The Demigods or I believe they are also referred to as the 'bastard' children of Askavan and-"
I was pulling a blank.
"Slovia," the priest said.
"Right, Slovia. Their children fought monsters, connected the continents and ushered an age of peace. But said peace didn't last and we went on wars again and again till the high church took control of the world under the divine vestige of lord Askavan and thus we finally had peace."
I didn't necessarily deviate much from the church's story. There were some very good reasons. One of which was the priest.
"Now," I continued. "There are some bits that confuse me. A new god once claimed to have killed Askavan. A deity named Xorax was the one who stopped the final war. And we haven't seen Lord Askavan in the past eight thousand years." My eyes gradually fell on the priest and I stopped. "We don't see any mention of other gods and where they are either."
He was still neutral. Still the same as ever. "Are you referring to the fact that we cannot be sure whether Lord Askavan is even alive?"
So that's the one you're tackling.
"We cannot be sure of many things Mr. Zarbantha but I do believe lord Askavan is still with us, just in a different plane of existence."
"Interesting how you put it. Say my lord, has lady Alayla preached anything to you?"
"Not necessarily. I merely worked as a cleaner back at the church," I said, and without any shame. "I did not listen to any sermons and I wasn't invited to the weekly lectures."
"I see. Then allow me," he said. "Allow me to teach you the ways of the church and Askavan. I believe you have great potential."
"To be what?"
I knew this was coming.
"A priest… no, not just a priest. With your battle strength, you could be a templar knight and eventually…" his lips curled but he didn't say anything.
I knew it was coming but… but I still felt disgusted. I tried my best not let it show on my face.
"I would have liked to spend more time on this, but since it is a holiday and I'm still recovering we'll end our session here. No need to gather here next week," I said.
Felt like I was not making any progress at all. Despite taking this seriously, I hardly learned anything and I wasn't influencing them like I wanted to.
Still, taking this slowly didn't mean I was going to fail miserably. As long as I kept trying, it should work, or so I consoled myself.
But how the hell should I interact with the priest? So far he'd been awfully neutral but how much of that was just a farce?
"My lord if I may," the priest said.
"Go ahead."
"Shall I request the headmaster to provide us a better room? I believe we also have some new students who would like to join us."
"Sure."
Well, technically he 'is' the club advisor. And the man kind of had a lot of influence. Way more than typical nobles. Besides, the headmaster wouldn't even see me, a Baron.
Which did make me think though, how the hell did Shia know him and was so damn casual?
Seriously… this lady was something else.