The Kingly Urge to Dote

Damocles makes her way upstairs. The king’s chamber is off-limits to everyone but him and her. The dark ceramic-laden antechamber is the size of a lobby, with couches, tables, and complimentary snacks and beverages; it was made to occupy larger summons which… has never happened.

But in the middle of the antechamber stands a young boy, around Damocles’ age in terms of appearance. “Milady!” he calls her. His long blonde hair, tied to a low ponytail, hangs to the side as he gives a slight bow. The abruptness of the summons must’ve brought back the boy’s formality towards Damocles. It’s been far too long since she saw him bowing—the last time was when they first met and before he knew how awkward she could be around with. Damocles would’ve chuckled, had it not been for the peculiarity of his presence here.

“Haruka?” Damocles raises her brows. “How come you manage to get here?”
“I was called by His Majesty.” he says. “…I think. I was reading in my room when I heard a voice inviting me to his chamber. I was also able to open the door to the antechamber, but he told me to wait for you.”
“Umm… would you reckon to have any idea as to why His Majesty summoned me directly?” he asks as Damocles looks down, fingers on her chin. “I don’t recall anyone other than you entering his chamber.”
“Hmm… His Majesty is known to be rather unpredictable at times. But even so, usually he relays his words to me if he wants to announce something to the library or the denizens.” she says. “I wonder what this is about myself.”

As Haruka ponders the same matter, his eyes trail to Damocles’ uniform, then to his own. His lips part. “—O..oh, please forgive me! I rushed here as soon as I heard his summons and… I wasn’t thinking about changing clothes…” he tugs at the bottom hems of his dark blue short pants and futilely tries to get them to cover as much of his thighs. He does the same for his socks, pulling them up. He then pulls his oversized light blue jacket to hide his shoulders proper, bare from his sleeveless buttoned white shirt.

“I’m aware these are… rather improper for a summons.”
“His Majesty wouldn’t care much about clothing.” Damocles says. “Besides, this is what you wear day to day, no? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with them.” she smiles.
“If… you say so…” his shoulders relax upon hearing it. “Well, then. Shall we?” Damocles nods. They walk towards the door to the king’s chamber and open the door.

Ceramic pillars and stained glass arts line shoulder-to-shoulder, left and right. They span the entire length of the room, basking the area in natural light as the lanterns on the pillars and the ceiling chandeliers are unlit during daylight. The two’s steps muffle as a long, dark purple stretch of carpet with gold patterns covers the tiles underneath. They stop before the short stairs leading to a throne with gold streaks—seemingly alive—adorning it with flowing patterns. Behind it is a big round window overlooking the library’s garden. Sitting on it with his elbows on the long dark wood table is none other than the king; a silhouette of him as he sits in front of the window, with his monocle reflecting light.

“Your Majesty,” Damocles kneels, and Haruka follows. “I- we have arrived to your summons.”
“Good.” he nods. “How are things, Kyna?” his tone dignified with a bit of rasp.

“All is good and under control.” Damocles nods. “The mana return procedure for the denizen ‘Emily’ has been taken care of, and she’ll be leaving the library to re-join her author in two days’ time. Two denizens are expelled for violation of the library’s rule.” Damocles says. “Shortly before the summons, a new denizen ‘Luna’ from the story Astral Scion upon a Goddess’ End has been welcomed. Relevant documents will be delivered later today for your perusal. The library’s mana receiver has also been tuned for stronger filtering.”

“I do not mean the library…” the king sighs.
“Your Majesty?” Damocles tilts her head.

“In any case, it’s good to see you doing well.” the king replies. He turns his attention to the young boy. “—Kumosaki Haruka.” as the boy’s shoulders jut. “I welcome you to my chamber.”
“T-the pleasure is dearly mine, Your Majesty!” he stutters.

“You are surprised.” the king smiles. “Be at ease.”
“R..right…” he exhales.

“Stand.” the king weaves his hand, and the stairs lower, bringing the platform down with them to level his height with the two. He gets up from his throne and faces the round window behind him. The light from outside casts a lighter shade to his suit of dark blue and velvet, his swept-back hair seemingly gleam. His gloved hands join at his back. It makes for a timeless appearance when attired to the form of a man in his forties that he assumes, the king once said to Damocles. He’s been alive for far too long that the word “alive” dulls against his time in the realms he has lived in, and definitely far too long to mind about fashion. Though, given his equally high position as the creator of the library, he might’ve heeded an advice or two to put some effort to look the part.

Damocles and Haruka walk closer to the desk. “The overworld faces a time of strife.” the king says. “The war raging up there is the biggest the land has faced.”
“I..I hear this is the first war where mages are involved.” Haruka says.
“Mhmm. With the knowledge of magic exposed to the public, it’s hard to resist the coming of a new era.” Damocles replies. “If you’ve seen me tinkering with the mana receiver, it’s so mana from the war will be less likely to get falsely flagged as art mana.”
“I read your report on it. Fine work, Kyna. Though, we need to keep an eye on it until the end of the war… which is yet to be in sight.” the king sighs.

“So much mana dies—turns to residue… Those savages still turn to violence for solution even after all these years.”
“I’m rather worried for the overworld’s library, Your Majesty. I know the war doesn’t reach its country, but the civil unrest and impacts to the global economy might affect it.” Damocles says. “My influence on the overworld library is limited as well, and so will be my capabilities to help should the need arises.”

“No need to worry. I can handle things there.” the king turns to face them. “Rather than the overworld library, aren’t you more worried about Vane, child?” a chuckle.
“Va-?!”
“M-milady?!” the young boy, startled by her yelp. The mere mention of his name is enough to make Damocles lose her composure. She’s stiffer than Haruka was. She shoots a sharp peek at Haruka, a pout. The boy is far from the last person she wants her troubled love life to be revealed to, but one has to imagine the mental preparation people usually need to go through before telling even their close friend of a most private thing. And for such a secret to be revealed by the king so leisurely is nothing short of unfortunate as it is unique.

“I..it’s got nothing to do about him.” she directs her pout to the king and crosses her arms. “Well… he did skip last week’s visit… I’ll be sure to ask him about th… a-about one of the books he borrowed. The due date for returning it is next week.”
“You’re quite the late bloomer, but I’m glad to see you beginning to live the life you should’ve had ever since you met him, Kyna.” the king smirks.
“It’s Damocles.” she clears her throat. “Please keep things formal during a summons, Your Majesty.”

“Is this how you always talk to His Majesty…?” Haruka asks. “I… get the feeling that I’m seeing something I shouldn’t have…”
“You may have heard that I and Damocles have been here even before the library’s inception, Kumosaki. I personally took her in all those times ago. This is nothing more than our usual banter.” the king smiles, replying in her stead. “Pay us no mind.”

“Let us turn our attention to the matter at hand.” Damocles erases the look that expresses how NICE it’d be if the king had just done so from the beginning! “The universe has never faced such an influx in the use of mana. We need to check and reassure that both natural mana recyclers are working properly.”

“The Skybound Expanse and the Pale Sea… I understand about the sea, but wouldn’t the Expanse be the domain of the Pillars, Your Majesty?” Damocles asks. “Surely they possess the wisdom to handle any kind of fluctuation in mana residue.”
“True, yet I am nevertheless curious. What good would the creator of this library be if he himself is not a mere soul in pursuit of knowledge? Perchance, we might learn valuable insight to better equip the library for more tasks.” the king smiles. “But the sanctity of the Skybound Expanse is to be kept, so I will head there myself.”

“So… that means…” Haruka puts his hand on his chest. In his head is an idea of what the king wants from Damocles, but still not from him.

The king puts his hands on the desk as he looks at the two of them. He takes a deep breath. “Damocles, Judge of the Library. Kumosaki Haruka, Tear Hunter.” he calls the two, with his voice ringing throughout the chamber hall. Haruka gulps—the king hasn’t lived up to the boy’s expectation of one, until the sudden shift in his voice and bearing.

“By my decretum, the two of you are to investigate the Pale Sea. Find out how the land handles recycling a massive amount of malevolent mana residue, and resolve any and all disturbances should the need arises.”

“…Your words are my command, Your Majesty.”
“Y-Your Majesty?!”

And now he does know what the king wants from him.

“I-if I may ask…!” his hands are all over the place, but they eventually point to his face. “W..why would you want me to join the Pale Sea investigation too…?!”
“I mean Haruka no offence, and I have no doubts that this decree is something you have planned with all its benefits considered.” Damocles rubs her chin. “But if I’m allowed to know your reasoning…”

“Of course you may know; what kind of king do you think I am?” the king laughs, yet Damocles and Haruka exchange looks, their eyes saying, he might be the good kind of king, but he sure skips a lot of steps in his explanation. “‘Tis rather simple: The Pale Sea is a vast stretch of land where most detection instruments malfunction due to the different laws they operate in. Kumosaki, you’re one of the first denizens to arrive here, and someone Kyna trusts. Having some company throughout the journey would be greatly appreciated, no?”

“I..I’m just a company, huh…” it’s a mix of emotions under Haruka’s sigh; relief for the better part of it, yet a twinge of disappointment.
“Belittle yourself not, Kumosaki.” the king smiles as he sits on his throne, catching his worry. “I wouldn’t subject my daughter to such a-”
“Ahem.”
“—Damocles, to such a lonesome, solitary quest.”

“It would’ve been fine that way as well, though…” Damocles ponders. “You’d constantly tell me to fetch books you could’ve fetched yourself, leaving me to wander around the library by myself with just a scrap of paper containing what the books were about.”

“Not even a title…?” Haruka’s almost too afraid to ask.
“Not even a title.” Damocles repeats with a sigh.
“Was there… something that prevented you from asking the denizens or other librarians?”
“Yes, which is the fact that back then this was still his personal library. He hadn’t appointed me to Judge of the Library, let alone started safekeeping denizens.”
“S..sounds like a long time ago…!”
“That was to get you into reading, child.” the king boasts a proud smile, almost like holding his urge to put his hands on hips and puff his chest. “Now, then. This summons is concluded.

“You may use the library’s facilities and assistance from Lyria and the other denizens to their fullest in preparation for the investigation.”