Strange Feelings

Delivered to Theodore were five tomes titled History of the Empire, Origins of the Circle of Mages and the Mages of the Mage Tower, Elementary Magic Theory, Geography of the Vespar Continent, and finally, Monsters and Beasts: Mutation or Evolution?

Considering that the books were supposed to quell his boredom while he was restricted to the workshop grounds, Theodore found the selection to be particularly malicious.

When it came to the history and geography of this continent, the memories of the Demon Lord were more than sufficient. Even if Theodore was interested in the different interpretations of events, sifting through the hefty tomes to find a few slivers of disparity wasn't the most entertaining of activities. At least when Annaliese was recounting myths and history, she inserted her own conjecture and made it all the more interesting, nothing compared to these bland texts.

For what it's worth, Theodore still looked through them. It was boring and tedious, but he *was* still curious about what little differences there were. It cannot be said that the efforts were worth it, however.

There was nothing to be said about the book on elementary magic theory. From the content, it was presumably something used to teach first-year apprentices or preparatory students with little to no understanding in regards to magic.

Lastly, there was the book about the beasts and monsters, the words handwritten instead of printed. This one was the only interesting thing in the bunch. The texts were speculative in nature, written more akin to an observational journal than a textbook. It spoke of the emergence of mutated beasts and the increasing frequency of their sightings in recent times. There was even a map of the recorded sightings included, with a great deal of them located within the bounds of the empire. The journal, however, was painfully short compared to everything else sent to Theodore. It ended rather abruptly as well, making it seem as though pages were missing.

In curiosity, Theodore checked the one who wrote the journal, discovering the author to be one Annaliese. Theodore wondered if this was the same Annaliese he knew.

(I suppose just because she's a master enchanter, that doesn't mean that she can't work in other fields. I'll ask her about this if I ever see her again.)

It took Theodore merely ten days to go through all of the books. Feeling rather unsatisfied with his experience thus far, Theodore waited impatiently for Albatross's next visit. The last he saw her was nine days ago when she came to pick up his letter. He told her that he would be done with the books within ten days or so. He'll have to wait one more day, or so he thought.

That afternoon, Albatross came to visit despite having nothing to deliver or pick up. For discretion's sake, she arrived at the rear entrance instead of the front.

"What's your business with us today?" asked Theodore in a stoic manner. He had no intention to get involved with this strange girl more than he had to.

(After all, she might be someone sent to spy on me. I can't have that.)

"Oh, nothing much, I just thought that you might want a catalog of the books available for borrowing," said Albatross with a smile plastered on her face.

"Well, that *would* be nice, actually. Better than having someone else randomly select them in my stead. I can't exactly say that geography and history was an exciting read."

"If you want something exciting, then I am afraid that I'll have to disappoint you, the Mage Tower's collection doesn't include anything like fairy tales or storybooks. Most of them are either textbooks or boring old thesis papers."

Likely due to Theodore's apparent age, it seemed that Albatross assumed that he wanted something more suitable for children.

"Textbooks can be fun too, depending on the subject," said Theodore, his arms crossed and feeling none too pleased with the assertion. There was a childish part of him that refused to be looked down on. "Regardless, let me see the catalog. Hopefully, there are a good few things in there that will catch my interest."

With his hands open, ready to receive whatever thick tomb that would have all the available books. Yet, against his expectations, nothing landed upon his open palm.

"Sure, just tell me the sort of books you're looking for," said Albatross, her rigid smile unchanging.

"I thought you're here to hand me a catalog?"

"Well, I do have the catalog, but it's not something I can just hand over, you see." Albatross pointed to her own head with her index finger. "Because it's all in here."

"You memorized it? The thousands of books within the tower's library?"

"All seven thousand six hundred sixty-one, to be exact."

'Photographic memory' was what it was called in accordance with the Demon Lord's memory. At least, that was the memory that surfaced when Albatross revealed her memorization of the library's catalog.

"I see, that's impressive," said Theodore, trying to appear amazed. Somehow, it doesn't feel quite real to him yet, as if there was a part of him that thought Albatross was just pulling his legs.

"Oh, this is nothing compared to the amazing things you mages can do. Compared to that, this is just a meager talent," Albatross flattered in a rather casual manner, her tone making it sound like she's just making conversation. In fact, Theodore almost did not notice that the other person was flattering him.

"I suppose..." Theodore replied as he slowly raised his caution. He wasn't quite sure what he was feeling, but something in the back of his head was warning him of the person before him. Perhaps it was the memories of the Demon Lord, or rather, the instincts formed from the experiences within the memories, warning him of this person called Albatross.

It would be fine if she was just being humble, but Theodore can't help but feel that there was more to her from the moment they met. Whenever Theodore looked at her, there was a certain discomfort in his chest, feeling constantly something eerie from her.

"Go on, just tell me what you're interested in and I'll narrow it down for you," said Albatross, gently urging Theodore to make his selection without appearing pushy or impatient.

"Well, I mean, I don't have anything in mind yet."

"I see, that's a shame. I was hoping to be able to bring you new books when I come to collect the ones you borrowed tomorrow. Then again, I suppose I could always pick the new ones up after returning the borrowed books. Perhaps you'll make up your mind by then?"

"Yeah, I'll sleep on it."

"Thanks, I appreciate that. Now then, I have other jobs to run. I'll be back tomorrow morning."

With that, Albatross waved Theodore goodbye as she rushed off elsewhere with that large satchel of hers slung over her shoulder.

(Thanks? What for?)

Theodore couldn't understand the meaning behind her words. He wondered if she was lowering herself towards him. He wondered if that's what all the apprentices-in-name had done towards all the mages in this city. He then concluded that it was only natural for them to do so. Pitiful it might be, the truth was that their lives were never in their hand once they entered this city.

The same could be said for himself.

Feeling rather disturbed from the brief exchange, Theodore returned to his room, having a brief rest before moving on to his assignments and training.

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End of Chapter 38

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