MSG – Volume 1 – Chapter 20
Solon had no clue what had happened in that bookstore, or else he would have been quite shocked.
He had no idea that someone else had been inside there, watching him as he used the teleportation formation to go and come back, and on multiple occasions nonetheless.
He could have been killed many times over without knowing whom or what killed him, or from where the strike came from.
Then there was the old man… the one who was actually a being capable of altering their form as they wished—a shapeshifter.
That individual had failed to trigger any alarm bells in his head and it was unknown whether it was because they had no thought about attacking him, or if it was simply because the uniqueness of their existence countered his skill in some way.
In either case, he was akin to someone with the sword of Damocles hovering over them while they were blissfully unaware.
He arrived a few feet away from the gate of the Rafflesia home without the guards realizing it until he was dangerously close to them.
These retards were actually dozing off while on the job!
'Simply seeking ruin and death.' He mused internally, and he himself was unsure if he was simply referring to the guards themselves or the ones who hired and appointed them to such an important post.
"Who!" The atmosphere around the gate became a bit turbulent as the ambient mana (mana in the air) heeded the call of the first guard to sense the 'intruder'.
The temperature was already starting to rise steeply and Solon was able to instantly deduce some facts about the guard.
Firstly, he seemed to be conversant in some red magic; maybe fire or lightning but definitely not plasma.
And second, his power level was at most in the lower stages of the Crowned Magus tier.
With his physical body's stats, it would have been quite easy to snuff the life out of him, requiring but one decisive strike, but this person was not his enemy so he simply identified himself before things could get dicey.
"Don't attack! It is I, Solon!" he declared in a seemingly hasty manner.
"£h?" The first guard halted his mana circulation.
The second guard on the other hand, blurted out a rude comment; "The trash?"
Solon did not pay him mind and simply said "Yes, it is I."
While the first guard slapped the back of the second one's head, causing him to yell an "Ow!".
"Apologies, young lord Solon." The first guard bowed slightly as he spoke. "You have caught us at an embarrassing moment. I hope that the young lord can overlook our mistakes. We have just been a bit fatigued lately as we went a bit too hard with our training in recent times."
Solon merely shook his head with a small smile like any 'innocent' young master would, as he said;
"Ah. There is no need to worry. I understand. You mean well for the Count who employed you, and to repay his gratitude so you are hard on yourselves so that you may be powerful enough to be of good service to him… right?"
"…Yes! Yes, of course the young lord understands!" the first guard said with a cheeky smile appearing on his face.
"Alright then." Solon walked in, past them. "Don't be too harsh on yourselves. Although your mages are more healthy and powerful than us 'mortals', you are all still humans, and hence should get some rest, okay?"
"Yes, young master. Thank you from concerning yourself with our wellbeing," the first guard said. "This Simba also wishes you good health."
"Thank you, Simba." Solon answered. "Goodnight."
As Solon passed through the gate, the smile on his face receded and his expression turned solemn.
He could hear the whispered conversation that occurred right after he left.
"Hey, Francis, why do we have to be courteous to him? Calling him 'young master'? He's just some trash!" the second guard protested.
"Shut it, Barney!" the first guard, Simba, reprimanded his co-guard. "Yes, he is a trash but if some people hear you say that, you will lose your head and your family will be right behind you when you kneel before the Jade Emperor!"
"Pah! Still, it sickens me to have had to bow to him." Barney protested. "Existences like him should be our slaves, not the other way around!"
"Tch. I can't say I disagree." Simba agreed with Barney. "However, it is what it is. I cherish my life and that of my loved ones. Better to suck it up and bow your head, telling yourself it's just some fleeting drama or nightmare."
.
Solon heard up to this point, and some more, by the time he reached the front door of the main building.
He entered and began to climb the steps, the other guards on night duty ignoring him after recognizing him.
Soon, he was in his bedroom lying down and staring up at the stone ceiling.
He seemed to stare into space for nearly eight minutes before he moved again.
Grabbing the novel from the library, he started to flip through the pages, diverting his thoughts to the finely spun tale inside of it.
Time went by and soon he had covered about five percent of the book.
The morning sun was beginning to rise on the horizon and he had yet to catch a wink of sleep.
He actually did not need much sleep anyway, so he did not care.
He simply turned to the side and turned off the candle; which he also never needed. He simply used it out of habit.
Back on earth, everyone knew that reading with little to no light was not a good thing. It negatively affects the eyes, amongst other things.
Even in this isekai, the mages that got a boost in all bodily functions including eyesight would still use light crystals and candles when reading anything.
He was about to continue his reading when he was suddenly interrupted by the glaring feeling of a change in his surroundings.
Looking up, he saw a black circle increasing in size to a size that could accommodate human-sized beings and things.
No one had stepped out yet but he knew what was to come.
It was time for a section of his memory to be audited… again.
'Sigh. The things we do for the sake of peace and harmony.' He thought.