06: Resolution
Darius left the underground basement with teary eyes, he felt his heart had sunk to the bottom of his stomach after he watched his parents' last video message.
Moreover, when Darius' father's retainer called him "Your Majesty," it speaks volumes of his Father's status and Darius' true identity. It was hard for him to swallow the truth.
He felt all of his energy was drained afterward. When he returned to the house, Darius found the hot bath had already been prepared by Maria.
Thus, he soaked his body in the bathtub which was heated by firewood beneath.
Darius let out a relieved sigh as the heat seeped through his bones. Relaxing every tensed muscle he had endured since yesterday and now he had his time to sort his thoughts
The bath was illuminated by the dim light that was emitted from the spherical crystal in his chest, casting an irregular rainbow color on the ceiling. He then recalled the data that flooded his mind the other day.
"Alexa," he called the Magical AI
[Yes, Master.]
"I have been meaning to ask this. What is the meaning of those text messages from yesterday?"
[It's your status data, Master Darius. Well, to put it shortly, it's your lifeline as a Mage.]
"Status data? And… What about the other Mage? Do they also have a Magical AI as their assistant?"
[There's no Mage who had a Magical AI except yourself in this plane.]
"Except myself? H-how about Mr. Nobody?"
[I do not have enough clearance to tell you. One thing for sure, Mr. Nobody wished you to be the strongest mage on this plane. "Watch this kid for me." That's his last message before he departed.]
"Just like that?"
[Yes.]
'What does he see in me anyway? Is it because of my family background? Hmm, as I thought, he wanted something in return.' Darius began to analyze everything in one breath.
"I see," Darius said. "What else do you have for me?"
[Aside from assisting your progress to become the strongest mage with Arcanium System, I have designed the second system to help you rebuild your village. I am sorry for your loss, Master Darius.]
"Second system?"
[Yes. The Civil Engineering System]
"W-wait what? The Cevil Engenring System?"
'This kid is a total pleb!' Alexa cursed inwardly.
[Nevermind. I'll show you the image instead. Close your eyes and focus on my voice.]
When Darius did so, his consciousness was brought to a different place, a pseudo-dimension that existed within Alexa's imaginary realm.
Darius found himself in a vast, boundless library above the sky. The floor was the white cloud that expanded indefinitely. The walls were made of hundreds of meters tall bookshelves.
Ancient tomes, parchment scrolls, and countless scriptures flew freely like birds in heaven.
Darius was awed upon witnessing the spectacles before him.
"Welcome to the Library of Alexandria, Master Darius." Chimed a young girl, sitting on piles of books as her cushion.
She wore a frilly white dress, her blonde hair cascading down to her shoulder, hiding her budding bosoms.
Her cute, angular face seemed like never ceased to smile, her deep blue eyes emitting wisdom from eons past and also those that only existed in the future.
For Darius, Alexa's appearance was close to a goddess rather than a Magical AI.
"Alexa, is that you?"
"Yes, who else?"
Darius' face flushed, other than Maria, he never met with such a beauty in his life.
"Err, so, what images do you want to show me?"
Click!
With just a snap of her forefinger, Alexa manifested a big, transparent screen in front of him. From this, Alexa showed him the history of mankind from various eras in different universes and realities.
He saw prehistoric humans were hunting and gathering for their survival. Moving forward, in the medieval age, society thrived, and arts and cultures flourished in every nook and cranny for millennia. A few hundred years later, humanity had harnessed the power of technology and science and dominated the whole planet.
Wars waged in every corner of the world, it lasted for a few centuries, decimating almost half of its population. A horror that marked the end of an era. Despite this, humanity climbed up once more and was even greater than the previous generation.
Spaceships jetted around and about like busy bees, moon-sized space stations orbiting the Earth, moving in harmony with the other celestial bodies.
What made Darius even more terrified was that there were no humans who were able to wield magic, every human was equal, living in a utopian world where everybody had the same opportunity and became whatever they desired.
"W-what am I seeing right now? W-where is this?"
"What you see on the screen was the history of mankind on a certain small blue planet in a universe far far away from us. Earth." Alexa finally opened her mouth.
"There's another human civilization other than here?!"
"Of course! Millions of them, even. Scattered throughout galaxies and beyond!"
"Wow!" Darius was speechless at the height that humanity could achieve by sheer will and relentless effort.
As far as he knew, the world he lived in was boundlessly vast yet still very outdated if compared to human society on Earth.
The current feudal norms plagued the plain, enslaving the commoners and peasants to work like cattle all year long while the royalties, nobles, and aristocrats alike lived in luxury with a glass of wine cupped on their palms.
While he thought about this, Darius' heart wrenched upon realizing the struggle that the adult villagers had to endure to provide the supplies. He knew the grains were bought from the neighboring village every spring and the caravan would return in summertime.
Resolution flared in his heart, a will to make the livelihood of his village for the better.
"Alexa, I want to learn everything that is needed to survive and thrive in this unforgiving world."
"That's the spirit! Master Darius." Alexa said. "But of course, the knowledge and wisdom this library has to offer does not come for free."
"..." Darius was askew.
"First thing first, you need to learn how to obtain Loyalty Points," Alexa said, smiling mischievously.
[Quest]
[Time limit: null]
[Acquire Loyal Subordinates]
[Reward(s): 10 LP up to 1.000 LP]