Chapter 14: Zethros Kaerides

“Damn horse,” said Darnay as he rubbed his shoes on the ground to clean them of horse dung. Earlier during his walk, he had decided to check his pocket watch, but now he deeply regretted it because it had made him step in the horse manure on the road. This pair of shoes was also a birthday gift from his wife. Truly, it was an unlucky day for Darnay.

Now Darnay stood in front of a building made of a mix of wood and unadorned stones. The structure located on the outskirts of the Termion district was typically a place where books were stored or borrowed, commonly referred to as a library. Some people were still puzzled as to why the owner of this library had chosen to establish it in such a strategically poor location, especially since most of the residents nearby were illiterate and could not even write their own names without assistance. But since Darnay knew the owner, he already understood the reasons behind it.

With still an hour to spare before his meeting with a new lawyer who would be working in his law firm, Darnay decided to stop by this acquaintance's library because he indeed had matters to discuss with him.

The old wooden door wasn’t locked, just like always. Darnay gave it a gentle push and was greeted by the soft ding of a little bell above the frame, barely making a sound, as if it couldn’t even be bothered to welcome him properly. As soon as he stepped inside, the place fell completely silent. It was the kind of quiet that made all the noise from outside vanish the moment he walked in. The bookshelves stood in neat rows with books lined up nicely, though some of them had already gathered cobwebs.

The only sounds were his footsteps and the occasional breeze slipping in through a small open window in the corner. Up ahead, the wooden counter looked completely unattended, with no one around. There was just a half-finished cup of tea and a pen still dripping ink onto a half-written piece of paper, like someone had just stepped away for a moment.

“Still the same as ever,” Darnay muttered to himself.

Without waiting for anyone, he headed down the corridor to the right, walking over to one of the bookshelves. He started checking the books one by one, letting his fingers trail across the covers as he scanned the titles, focused on finding something in particular, until he stopped.

“Hm, guess this one’s for this month,” he said, pausing in front of a red-covered book titled Nicandro’s Journey Across the Aurendal Land.

Darnay grabbed the book without wasting another second. Once it was in his hands, he opened it straight to the middle, not to read it but to look for something hidden inside. As he had expected, there was a simple piece of thin rope tucked between the pages. He started pulling the string repeatedly, and with each tug, a bell rang from somewhere inside the building. The sound echoed faintly through the library from nowhere.

Darnay walked down the fourth corridor, the row of shelves that always looked quiet and dusty, like no visitor had ever bothered to touch anything there. He stopped in front of one of the shelves that looked completely ordinary, leaned against its side, and waited with his arms crossed.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, until a soft sound came from behind the shelf. It was the faint noise of wood shifting slowly. The shelf in front of him pushed forward just a little, then slid to the side, revealing a narrow dark space behind it.

"Oh, so it’s you, Darnay."

A man with messy hair and a wrinkled shirt stepped out from the gap. His name was Zethros Kaerides, a guy Darnay had known since their university days. They were never particularly close, and to be honest, Darnay had never been comfortable around him because Zethros's way of thinking had always felt extreme. Even now, Darnay could already hear the passionate shouting coming from inside that hidden room.

"That Aethelgard whore doesn’t deserve to live!" someone yelled from behind Zethros. "She lives in luxury while the people suffer. Just one of her dresses could feed an entire mid-sized city!"

“Her perfume costs more than my father made in a year!”

“If she walks past me in her carriage again, I swear I’ll spit on the wheels!”

“They taxed bread again last week. I mean bread! That’s all we’ve got left!

“They arrest us for pamphlets, but they drown the treasury in silk and wine!”

Without a word, Zethros pushed the bookshelf back into place. The wood scraped softly but firmly, then a small click was heard as the mechanism locked. Once the shelf was fully closed, the sounds from behind the wall also faded away, as if forcibly extinguished by the library's returning silence.

"I’m pretty sure today’s not a meeting day, is it?" Darnay asked, breaking the silence that had settled again.

"I changed the schedule," Zethros replied flatly. "It’s to throw off the Royal Agent."

This wasn’t the first time Darnay had witnessed something like this. He already knew the place wasn’t really functioning as a regular library. In truth, it was also being used as a secret meeting spot for a political club. Groups like this had already started to spread throughout the Capital, each one with its own political beliefs. Zethros’s group was one of them, called the La Ranthéin Club. The club itself was named after Marell Ranthéin, a philosopher who once advocated for total civic equality and was later executed by the Crown for inciting rebellion seventeen years ago.

Just like Zethros himself, the members of this club was filled with populist energy. Though, at least populism was something Darnay could still tolerate, because he once identified as a populist himself, though he had never pushed the kind of extreme violence that Zethros openly supported. Furthermore, Darnay himself used to be a member of this club too, although only for a short time, before deciding to leave and distance himself from politics altogether.

"Do you all still need to hide like this?" Asked Darnay. "You know, a lot of clubs are starting to come into the public eye these days."

"Yes, because that's exactly why we got together and talked about it."

"Well, I see."

Since the news of the Three Pillars Assembly was announced weeks ago, many similar political clubs had begun to surface and were not too afraid to come to the surface, considering that the Royal Court was busy preparing for the assembly, so they lacked the manpower and time to take care of the groups that were clearly the hardline opposition.

"Alright, enough with this," quipped Zethros who was always the straightforward type. "You're here to pick up the book you ordered a few weeks ago, right?"

Actually, Darnay's purpose in coming to this library was to pick up the book he had ordered. Darnay had always been an avid reader because it was the only thing he could do to pass the time, but the problem was that the books scattered in the Palanthein Kingdom were mostly nonsense that passed the Kingdom's censorship.

"Right, the title is Karellian Theory."

Because Darnay wanted to read something other than how to be a "good Royal dog", he started looking for connections who could find literature that was considered illegal, so Zethros was the perfect person for that. From this smuggling business, Zethros was also able to fulfill his living expenses even though his library was quite empty of visitors.

"Yeah, yeah I remember," Zethros said. He sighed and then said, "Sorry my friend, you're very unlucky. My supplier said it was indeed a rare book, and a nobleman he couldn't name had already bought the book first," as he said that, Zethros returned the down payment that had previously been paid.

As Darnay accepted the money he say, "I see, what a pity," his face was full of disappointment that matched his words. But he suddenly reacted with the last sentence of Zethros word, "wait, noble?"

"Surprising isn't it?" Instead of answering Darnay's question, Zethros merely smirked.

Darnay couldn't deny his surprise. The book titled Karellian Theory itself contained Karellian's thoughts about the disappearance of human magic centuries ago. The problem was, even now most people still didn't know the exact reason for it. Although the Lumen Mae people claimed it was punishment for humans using magic to kill each other.

Karellian himself wrote in his book: Was that really the case? Did human magic disappear because it was truly a punishment? Or was there something being hidden by these religious leaders? What made it even more suspicious was how these religious leaders considered Karellian a heretic and infidel, forcing him to live as a fugitive with his fate remaining unknown to this day.

As for why Darnay was surprised about a noble buying the book, it was because aristocrats usually considered themselves devout followers of Lumen Mae. So it was quite strange that a noble would go so far as to illegally purchase such a book.

"Don't think too much about it, there are other books if you want-"

Before Zethros could finish his sentence, the library door suddenly swung open along with noises from outside. The bell rang again as the door opened.

"I-I'm hungry..."

But what caught Zethros and Darnay's attention was a girl staggering inside. What shocked them even more was her appearance with jet black hair that only reached her neck, but with bangs so thick they completely covered her face. Though through the strands of her hair, they could glimpse eyes as red as fresh blood.

Wearing clothes torn in several places and filthy as her mud-covered skin, the pitiful girl walked toward Darnay and Zethros who stood frozen, stunned by her sudden appearance. Then, after just a few steps, the girl collapsed to the ground as if the life had suddenly left her body with the sound of her falling to the wooden floor.

Seeing that, Darnay and Zethros, who had been frozen, immediately rushed toward the girl without saying a word. When Zethros slipped while running, Darnay reached the girl first. Kneeling beside the frail body, he could feel the faint tremor of breath still clinging to her.

As Darnay turned her over and patted her cheek, he saying, "Hey! Are you okay!?"

No matter how many times Darnay tried to wake her, the girl's eyelids remained shut over those red eyes.

"Put her here!" Zethros shouted as he cleared off the previously messy reception desk. "I'll call the doctor!" he added.

While Zethros hurried toward the secret room, Darnay decided to carry the girl from the floor, worried leaving her there might make things worse. Carefully, he lifted her body into his arms, and when she was fully in his grasp, Darnay felt almost no weight at all—her body was incredibly light, like a cotton.

Carrying something so fragile, Darnay moved slowly and with extreme care. When he reached the desk, he gently laid the girl down while checking if anything had been left on its surface. With the girl now lying there, Darnay didn't know what else to do but watch her breathing rapidly as if fighting through pain. According to Darnay's observations, the girl was around 7 or 8 years old, but he could not be sure as she could be older than that and her growth was hindered due to malnutrition.

"Uh...."

"Just wait a moment..."

Noticing the girl showing discomfort with the back of her head, Darnay hurried to one of the library shelves. He grabbed a book that wasn't too thick nor too thin, then wrapped it in the cravat he'd been wearing around his neck. Satisfied with his makeshift solution, he returned to the girl.

He carefully lifted her head and placed the cravat-wrapped book as an emergency pillow. "There, that's better," Darnay sighed in relief.

At that same moment, Zethros reappeared from the secret room accompanied by a group of men whose faces burned with curiosity, they also the same men who had been gathered there in secret meeting.

"Here, doc, the poor girl," said Zethros, pointing toward one of the men in the group.

A man in a brown jacket walked up to the girl, carrying a medium-sized black case in his hand. He set it down on what was left of a table. Darnay didn’t know the doctor’s name, but he had seen his face a few times before, since the man often came to this library too.

The doctor opened the case and took out a tool used to check a heartbeat, the kind people usually call a stethoscope. Without wasting time, he carefully listened to the girl’s heartbeat while the people around them watched in silence.

"Um..." the unfamiliar doctor murmured as he used the stethoscope. After a few minutes, he took the earpieces out and said, "Just from her heartbeat alone, her condition’s really bad. But looking at her overall state, I think she hasn’t eaten in days."

"That’s terrible..."

The people nearby could only mutter in sympathy at the girl’s suffering. They had actually suspected as much from the start when they saw how painfully thin she was.

"But aren’t some temples starting public kitchens these days?" one of the men asked.

"Are you stupid? Look at her features. The temple’s head would stone her to death before letting her die of hunger."

Maybe because the girl’s condition was so dire, these men hadn’t noticed the signs usually seen in children considered cursed by society’s standards. But many thinkers like them felt deep sympathy for children who were unfairly persecuted by the followers of the Lumen Mae faith. As a group that always spoke out for human equality, of course, this kind of social issue was never far from their attention.

"Those heartless bastards!" Zethros cursed. "How long will they keep using their illusions to control the people—"

"Cut your usual speech," Darnay interrupted. He knew if no one stopped him, Zethros would go on for hours. "Right now we need to think about what’s going to happen to her."

Hearing that, Zethros and the others fell silent in agreement. Sending the girl to an orphanage was out of the question, since most orphanages in the Kingdom of Palanthein were closely tied to the Lumen Mae temples. And it didn’t take much imagination to guess the terrible fate that would await her there.

The people around looked hesitant, standing at a crossroads between wanting to help and fearing the consequences that might follow. Some stared blankly, as if weighing the burden they’d have to carry if they decided to take her in. Money problems, lack of time, or simply not being mentally ready were the excuses that kept echoing in their minds, holding them back from taking a step forward.

Someone whispered softly, “I want to, but…,” yet the words faded before they could turn into resolve.

Darnay couldn’t really blame them, since he himself was already swamped with his own work. He was afraid he wouldn’t have any time at all and would end up neglecting her.

Eventually, the doctor let out a sigh and spoke up. “Alright, she’ll stay at my clinic for now.” He didn’t stop there and added, “But please, if you have any conscience, help me financially. Right now it’s not just food that’s hard to come by, but medicine too.”

Hearing that, they could finally breathe easier. Everyone thanked the doctor for his kindness in such a dire situation. Many of them began taking out money to donate. Darnay didn’t want to be left out, so he handed over the advance payment Zethros had returned to him earlier.

With the matter settled, the crowd began to break apart, their voices fading into the steady hum of the street. Some left in silence, hands tucked in their coats, while others spoke in low murmurs about the girl. Zethros stayed behind only long enough to give Darnay a brief nod before following the doctor, the two of them carrying the poor girl away toward the clinic. Darnay watched them until they disappeared into the tangle of alleyways, then found himself standing alone in front of the library. The door behind him was shut, and the street ahead felt strangely empty without the knot of people that had been there just moments ago.

“How long will this keep going on,” Darnay muttered, lamenting a situation that wasn’t getting better.

He walked on, his pace slow, taking in the restless life along the streets of Palaion—a city that seemed to grow more crowded and worn out with each passing year. His eyes wandered over the familiar sights, beggars squatting against the wall with their arms outstretched, their voices hoarse from repeating the same request all day long, an emaciated man darting across the gutter, chasing a rat with desperates face, as if catching it could determine whether he was alive or not and a housewife clutching an empty basket with a grim face, returning home without the fruits of her labor at the market. All around them, carts rattled on the uneven cobblestones, and the shouts of the merchants had no spirit at all.

But on the way, his gaze landed on a familiar face—a man in his late twenties with curly hair reaching his neck. It was Kallein Dasmyr, someone who already had an appointment with him earlier and was also a new employee at his law firm. Kallein seemed to notice Darnay too and came over at once.

“Darnay, sorry, looks like I’m a bit late,” Kallein greeted.

“It’s fine, I think I’m a bit late myself,” Darnay replied, then asked, “What’s with your clothes? They look kind of messy.”

“Oh, this…” Kallein glanced down at his outfit. “Haha, back in the previous block I got caught in the middle of some housewives rioting in front of a bakery…”

“Hah…” Darnay could only sigh again.