Curiosity

"My class?" I asked to be sure.

Nicholas' eyebrows raised, "Yes. I wonder what your class is. Do you mind?"

I'm silent. I was speechless not to answer Nicholas' question; it wasn't without reason. However, I wonder if I can believe it if I say what my real class is?

"All right. I see," Nicholas replied, he said after realizing that I still didn't want to say what class I belonged to.

"What do you understand?"

"I see your situation. I never thought we'd meet again."

His speech was getting less clear. This was the first time I'd met him that afternoon in the library. However, why did he say he could see me again. Was there something else he wanted to talk to me about?

He smiled, closing his eyes. Then his left hand was raised and seen waving goodbye. I, who didn't understand, just nodded while letting him leave this place.

When Nicholas seemed out of sight, the young man suddenly turned around and spoke loudly to me. He said something that I didn't understand.

"Don't worry. We will pick you up!"

I'm silent. Pick me up? Is he a school bus driver?

A few minutes later, Eve came with a shopping bag made of paper. The woman glanced at the archer repeatedly as if wondering what had happened. She continued to walk quickly until she reached the front fence of her house.

"Is he your friend?" Eve asked, pointing at Nicholas with her thumb.

"No. We haven't even gotten to know each other yet," I answered.

I know the name Nicholas because he borrowed a book from the library. If he hadn't, I might have called him the archer, just as Eve calls him.

"Why? Did he threaten you?" Eve asked, a worried expression appearing on the woman's face.

"He didn't threaten to kill me. He was asking the basic question, what class do I have."

"Then what did you answer?" asked Eve.

I shook my head; why am I telling him.

"Thank goodness. Just be careful that you don't tell anyone about your class," said Eve; I nodded without denying that I was new to this world.

But all of this that happened raised a substantial question in my head. Why can't I tell people about my class? What's wrong with the Paladin Class? Why do people I meet always feel anxious and worried about me because of my class?

The three questions I might find in a book I borrowed from the library. At least just a general explanation before I ask Eve any further.

The woman walked in and put the shopping bag on the dining table. I saw her hands taking out the items she bought one by one, starting from cooking ingredients and snacks, until a pack of candles surprised me the most.

This house is lit using oil lamp lighting, made from kerosene to make it last longer. So then why did Eve buy a pack of candles that were even slimmer than the ones I'd seen before?

"You can turn on the light, Arthur," Eve asked, telling me to light the entire room lit by the oil lamp.

Quickly, I turned on the house's light without exception. The distinctive aroma and the unique process of igniting make this activity enjoyable for me. Just as I turned on all the lights, I saw that Eve had entered her room with a box full of candles she had just bought.

I have no idea what's in Eve's room. The door was always closed, and Eve asked me not to enter her room without permission. Even if Eve left, she chose to lock the bedroom door tightly, closing off what was really in the room.

I was the only one left in the living room, accompanied by a thick book I had just borrowed from the library. I decided to find out what exactly happened to me, especially about the Paladin Class.

I took the bright yellow oil lamp and brought it closer to the book I was reading. The cover is attractive, and the number of chapters is large enough to contain two pages of paper.

I thank the people who run this Adamas program. They input the Latin alphabet all over the village, maybe the world. With this system, I don't find it difficult to find information from any book in the world.

My eyes began to search, looking for the correct chapter according to my needs. Finally, I found a chapter in the middle of the book explaining Adamas.

"All right. What will we find here?" I muttered, turning the book pages to the Adamas chapter's page numbers.

The description is quite clear; Adamas own four classes. Starting from the Templars, Paladins, Janissaries, and Hospitalers. However, the names are really foreign to my ears. Are the four was a character in fairy tales?

When I opened the next sheet, I was surprised to find another class different from mine. They came from the Izunaya Empire with four different classes, starting from Samurai, Hwarang, Chu Ko Nu, to Estri.

I'm sure the next sheet will explain about different classes in other kingdoms. When I opened it, it was exactly what I had predicted. Now, it is the turn of the Great Dynasty of Qoba to explain their classes and their differences from the two previous kingdoms, starting from Mutaharrik, Mamluk, Cataphract, and Amazon.

They give it a unique and exciting name. However, I haven't found what I'm looking for. Every time I open the book until the end of the chapter, not a single paragraph explains why I have to hide my class.

"This is strange. Am I not going to find it in this book?" I asked, confused.

Suddenly the door to Eve's room opened, revealing the woman who came out with puffy eyes. I was surprised because I didn't hear any crying from her room.

"What's the matter, Eve?" I asked, worried.

"Eh? There's nothing. I just yawned a few times; it looks like I'm sleepy," Eve replied, trying to brush it off.

But tears from sleepiness are different from tears from crying. I saw that the door to Eve's room was quite open; many candles stood firmly adorning a place with a photo.

She immediately closed the bedroom door and began to approach me by forcing a smile, "What are you reading?"

She picked up the thick book and looked closely at the title on the cover. Her eyes widen; she must be surprised to realize I borrowed a book about this world and its history.

"Are you that interested in this world?" Eve asked, flipping through the books as if she was reading fast.

"Nope."

"Then why are you borrowing this book if you're not interested in all of it?" asked Eve.

"I just wanted to know something," I answered curtly.

Eve was silent. Our eyes met in the dim darkness of the silent night, so quiet that we could hear the faint sound of the wick in the burning oil lamp.

"What is it?" asked Eve.

"It's about my class, Paladin," I replied.

"What's with that?"

"Why do you keep telling me not to tell anyone else about my Paladin Class? What exactly are you hiding from me?" I asked, looking for as much information as possible so that the question I asked could be answered completely.

Eve fell silent; not a single word came out of her mouth about the answer to my question. Then, her puffy eyes suddenly turned away, no longer staring at me in silence.

After that, she quickly turned around and avoided me silently. Her demeanor was suspicious; the gestures she showed made my heart even stronger if there was something wrong with the 'Paladins' in this world.

"If you can't answer it, I'll tell everyone that I'm a Paladin and let me find the answer to my question myself!" I said, standing up and taking the book I borrowed.

"Wait!"

I quickly stopped walking to enter the room, just as Eve said to me. My eyes widen, looking at her with seriousness.

"I can't say what happened to a Paladin, but maybe I can tell you a little about the man who taught me the skill of using a spear."