Orwell led them to a storage room, filing through a curtain of robes, flipping through them like pages of a thick dictionary. Finally, he found their respective name tags.
He presented the two robes like a salesman, matte blue fabric with white linings, its length reaching down to their ankles.
"Try them on. By the way, you don't need to carry them home. The library handles all the laundry. Just come here before work and take it yourself and return it here after your shift."
The two wore them. It was perfect for their sizes. However, Nuriel didn't examine it too closely, rather he stole glances at Vivienne who was right next to him. The custodian, noticing, chose to stay quiet.
She looked too stunning, but Nuriel noticed how the robes covered her entire body, leaving only her head free to observe. It was the perfect clothes for an assassin. It's as if Owhen wanted her to spy on them given how convenient the librarian robe was for her.
Nuriel stared at her face. Although she didn't show it, he could tell that her lively eyes were satisfied.
'You could hide so much weapons under there... lucky for you.'
Although it was bad news for Owhen University to dress her up like that, it benefited Nuriel, as it provided Vivienne the option of carrying certain things discreetly. Not to mention, since it was only a robe, she could wear more form-fitting clothes that didn't restrict her movements.
Satisfied, Vivienne was the first to return her robes. After that, she said her goodbyes and left the scene without saying anything further. Seeing the sight, Orwell stared at Nuriel in shock.
"Young man, you'll get no further in life if you don't have the drive."
Nuriel twitched. After that statement, he was also itching to leave.
"I'll keep that in mind," Nuriel replied. He took off his robes and returned them himself.
Before he turned to leave, the custodian stopped him.
"May the Witch bless you."
Nuriel sighed in his head. "May she bless your mind and soul." he gave a slight bow.
Before exiting, he continued wandering the silent halls of the massive library, finding random books and flipping through them. He did this over and over, circling the entire building before he saw two figures in the distance.
It was Yaromech, the knight from before, and a smaller figure.
Something clicked in his mind. The other person was most definitely Yushin of the Jin clan.
It was the first time he saw Yaromech in civilian clothing, but it was obvious that any amount of civilian clothing was fit for him as his muscle lines were clearly out in the open for anyone to gawk at.
Nuriel's gaze turned towards Yushin.
He had a smaller stature compared to Yaromech, who was built even bigger than Edward. He looked around eighteen, just right for freshman year.
His skin was pale, but not in the way that it was as white as snow, but pale as if his skin lost its life just like a zombie. He had rough, dark-shaded brown hair that dripped down covering most of his forehead. His red eyes were just as pale as his skin, but it exuded a flow that was more demonic-like compared to a human.
He had dark linings under his eyes, but it felt more like a part of him than a result of sleep deprivation. Despite that, his expression always looked like one that was constantly analyzing something.
But the most exotic thing about him was the clothing he wore, long tunics that hugged his frame, something similar to the ones used in ancient Eastern cultures.
To his side, he carried a sheathed sword, its hand guard designed in silver engravings.
Though it wasn't a surprise, this world had that European vibe to it despite the long passage of time, so the survival of various cultural traits he knew from Earth would also be possible.
This only goes to Nuriel of course, as he noticed the other people in the library catching strange looks towards Yushin as if he was some rare species.
'I wonder how restricted the ancient gates are... it's clear that the people here haven't seen this kind of clothing in their lives.'
He walked towards the two. To respect his job's duty, he didn't say a word till he was face to face with them.
Before he could say something, a screen appeared to him.
[Scepter Fragment Nearby]
He shoved his shock down to his stomach, preventing him from reacting in any sort of way.
'A screen? Shouldn't they only appear when I'm inside the Scepter System?'
He paused for a brief moment, thinking if this was another illusion. An idea of him being stuck in an eternal samsara of dreams frightened him, but another possible explanation made him calm down.
The last case when a Scepter message appeared to him in reality was when the untainted Scepter fragment approached him, so being near a Scepter could be a trigger of a stronger connection. Perhaps if he collected more fragments, he could use its abilities while awake.
'It seems they can't see the screen...'
After a moment of thought, Nuriel finally said his greetings.
"What are you doing?" he opened.
Yaromech struggled to put his words together. He was holding a large stack of books that went all the way up to his face.
"Just trying to find some material for this boy," he said, his face filled with worry and doubt. "Has Edward told you about Yushin?"
Nuriel faced Yushin, to which Yushin closed his hands in a fist and a palm before bowing, not saying a single word.
Nuriel was silent for a bit. To think such a gesture still existed. After a moment, Nuriel awkwardly mimicked the same greeting.
"Yes, he has. Let me help. Although my job contract only applies at the opening..."
The stress in Yaromech's eyes flew away. He settled the stack of books on the floor, to which Nuriel picked one from the top.
Differential Geometry Made Easy.
Nuriel's calm face almost shattered. Almost...
He continued picking up book after book from the stack, finding them to be even higher levels than the rest. Some titles he didn't even understand.
Nuriel lifted his head towards Yaromech, who was brimming with confidence and expectation.
. . .
"I'll see... what I can do..."
With his knowledge, he returned the stack of books to their respective shelves. Each time he placed one back, Yaromech looked more and more hesitant about his own choice of books.
Nuriel then picked out material that was more suitable for freshmen of Magic Engineering, using his body's knowledge and his prior experience.
The two followed Nuriel around like baby ducks. Then, after about an hour of walking around and searching, he went to the librarian's desk and checked the borrowing process himself.
"That should be it. I'll be off now."
Before he turned to leave, Yaromech stopped him.
"May the Witch bless you."
Nuriel sighed in his head even harder. 'That's enough blessings for a single day.'
He nodded at Yaromech with a smile before having one last look at Yushin. However, locking eyes proved to be difficult, as Yushin's demonic gaze seemed to eat something out of Nuriel's body.
'How scary...' he jested.
Exiting the library, he walked around the empty campus, hoping another scepter was nearby if he snooped around enough.
But nothing appeared to him. He even looked for Vivienne, but that proved to be just as impossible.
Nuriel hoped that she was successful in her mission, but that line of thought made him chuckle. Committing high treason only days after his new life might've been a world record.
***
The sun rose and fell in the blink of an eye. He returned home. Not finding Vivienne anywhere, he took this chance to try and learn how to clean a home. After that, he took a bath and changed into less formal clothes.
Nuriel was drinking tea near the balcony, enjoying the natural view.
He thought about ways of testing the scepter more. Back when he was in the dream realm, he was too absorbed to even use it. But this time, he'd try to use the scepter while in her dream.
. . .
The quiet overtook him. Unknowingly, he began reminiscing his life, but not his — it was his body's.
Nuriel didn't resist. He let the thoughts run through him like a flood of nostalgia.
He could feel the bitterness of the previous Nuriel. The family that absorbed his was a prominent family of swordsmen. Yuncandel.
They were known for their long lineage of masters. Every person that held their blood seemed to have extraordinary physical and magic strength. They were basically a family of superhumans.
'Could it be hereditary?' he thought.
Along the evolution of life, humanity must've mutated so that they could use magic themselves. Or perhaps even edited their genes directly which explained the presence of beastmen.
Regardless, one thing was likely. One of their children must be attending the university.
Yushin appeared in his mind. If he picked the College of Swordsmanship instead of engineering, he had the idea of indirectly helping Yushin beat up one of the Yuncandels in school.
'But that's too petty...'