Viviane sat on the ground, her gaze lingering on Medrauta’s sleeping face. The knight’s silver hair gleamed beautifully in the soft lighting of the room, casting an almost ethereal glow against her face.
Viviane pursed her lips, conflicted. Despite the situation they were in, the noblewoman couldn’t help but admire Medrauta’s fairy-like beauty as the knight laid still in her lap. Medrauta’s breathing was soft and quiet even in the silence, and for a moment, the forbidden thought of wanting this tenuous peace to continue for a little longer crossed Viviane’s mind. While Viviane didn’t know what exactly was happening to Medrauta at the moment, the knight’s vital signs seemed to be fine and she appeared to be resting so peacefully.
The only problem was that she had no idea how much time had passed since Medrauta first fell unconscious, nor was Viviane aware of the consequences of Medrauta’s condition. A wish to prolong it would be irresponsible to say the least. Viviane lowered her head and pressed her lips against Medrauta’s cheek gently, allowing herself that fleeting moment before finally wrenching her gaze away from her beloved.
Countless books were strewn across the floor around them, their contents spread wide open for ease of access as Viviane attempted to peruse their pages for any information that could be of use to her current predicament. Earlier, Viviane had spent most of her time going through the plethora of books in the library, attempting to divert her attention from the overwhelming worry and concern that she felt for her knight while also working toward a solution to their troubling circumstances.
As Viviane’s goals were simply to awaken Medrauta or reach the top of the tower so she could somehow destroy the orb powering the witchspawn and signal for reinforcements, she focused her efforts on finding anything related to the tower they were currently inside or even something that might elucidate the nature of Medrauta’s condition.
While the latter ended in failure, the same couldn’t be said for the former. The tower’s library was filled with a vast variety of books from history and religion to architecture and mathematics. However, its method of organization vastly differed from the structured method that Viviane was used to in Avalyne Academy that emerged as a result of Lady Rose’s efforts, making it difficult for the noblewoman to find what she needed in the tower.
However, her efforts hadn’t been completely in vain. Perhaps it was simply luck or perhaps she had Aluvsha’s hand guiding her, but Viviane had managed to find several books detailing not only the history of the tower she was currently within, but also a more general treatise on the towers themselves and their purpose.
That said, learning more about the tower’s history didn’t exactly help her when it came to finding whatever hidden mechanism that opened the way to the top. Viviane sighed as she flipped through the pages of an adjacent book. She’d already gone through the ones surrounding her, but she’d need to move in order to get new ones.
Just a bit more... Viviane thought to herself as she accepted her fate. Her gaze had already alighted upon the tomes of a distant bookshelf, her sharpened vision easily making out a few of the titles written upon their spines. She knew she had to get up, but even so, she wanted to allow Medrauta to rest on her lap for just a little longer before begrudgingly getting up.
After collecting a few books and stacking them to make a passable book-pillow for Medrauta to rest her head on, Viviane gave her beloved knight one last look before heading toward the bookshelf that had caught her interest earlier.
“According to the stuff I read before, this tower is called a ‘shield tower’, huh?” Viviane murmured to herself as she browsed the contents of the shelf. If she was being completely honest, all the titles caught her eye, but she was looking for something very specific.
Viviane had become well-acquainted with the term “shield tower” after going through various history books. Constructed even before Soleil ascended the throne, the shield towers were originally designed for the sole purpose of projecting some kind of magical energy over a large area, allowing it to amplify spells or enchantments for the sake of protecting the villages that were built around them.
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“Found it!” Viviane reached upward, sliding a book off the shelf with a satisfied smile on her face. The era that preceded Soleil’s founding of the Avalyne Empire was primarily dominated by witches who were hunted by witch hunters. That much was common knowledge. However, the shield towers were apparently constructed by neither witches nor witch hunters much to Viviane’s surprise, a fact that caused her to seek out the book she now held in her hands.
“Let’s see...” Viviane said as she flipped through the pages. “Ah! Here it is! ...The shield towers were created and maintained by the Order of Paladins during the Witch Queen’s rule. Spread throughout what is known now as the Avalyne Empire, they served to amplify the effects of a Paladin’s Oath...”
Viviane’s voice trailed off, her brow creasing as she came across the unfamiliar word while reading aloud. A previous book on history had already familiarized her with the Paladin Order albeit briefly.
Although the tome hadn’t been detailed, it had mentioned the Order of Paladins, a faction separate from both the witches and the witch hunters during the tumultuous era of the Witch Queen’s rule. While the witch hunters focused on hunting down and slaying witches as per their name, the Paladins served as defenders of the people instead, erecting defenses and patrolling the villages that people managed to establish despite the Witch Queen’s oppression.
At first, the information had left Viviane quite perplexed. Despite being an avid reader, she had never actually heard of Paladins despite the pivotal role they apparently played in Soleil’s final push against the Witch Queen. Their existence hadn’t been mentioned in class nor any of the books found in the academy’s library, leading Viviane to think they were nothing more than a mere fabrication upon first encountering the term.
However, continued reading revealed detailed records that were simply too complex to be falsified. This, coupled with the book she was currently holding, gave Viviane a chilling revelation. A faction with such a storied past should have been remembered throughout the ages just like the witch hunters had been, but their complete disappearance from history could only mean one thing.
They were systematically erased from history... But why? Viviane attempted to come up with a few hypotheses based on what she’d read so far, but to no avail. The Paladins hadn’t betrayed anyone, nor had they caused harm. She couldn’t claim to be an expert in Paladin history, but her rudimentary knowledge of their role in society provided no hints as to why anyone would omit their presence from the history books.
The only individuals who would want such a thing would be the witches, but seeing as the book she was holding dated back to the era of Soleil’s rule, it was safe to assume that the Witch Queen had already been slain and all surviving witches had gone into hiding by the time of its publication.
Viviane sighed, shaking her head. It was a question she’d have to leave for another time, and while she was certainly interested in solving mysteries, she knew that there were more pressing issues right now. She soldiered on, looking for a solution.
“...Paladins often used code words only known to those operating within a specific tower.” Viviane’s once-languid voice picked up in speed and excitement as she read the final sentence of the paragraph she’d stopped at, quickly moving on to the next. “These code words could open secret doors or reveal hidden rooms when spoken in the right place!”
Viviane nearly jumped for joy as she finished the sentence. Alright! We’re finally getting somewhere!
“Medrauta, look at this! I found—” Viviane had whirled around ecstatically, hoping to show Medrauta her discovery as her excitement overrode her memory. It was only after turning around did she remember that her beloved knight had fallen unconscious as a result of a seizure. The noblewoman lowered her gaze, pursing her lips in silence as her enthusiasm quickly faded away.
Ah... Right... Viviane sighed, closing the book and walking over to her still-sleeping knight. Carefully, she moved aside the book-pillow that she’d created for Medrauta earlier and rested the knight’s head on her lap once more. She had no idea how long she’d spent inside this tower, but it was only after she sat down that she noticed how mentally drained she’d become.
The noblewoman leaned against the bookshelf that stood behind her, closing her eyes as she held one of Medrauta’s hands tightly. For now, Viviane would permit herself a brief moment of rest, hoping that she would be greeted by her knight’s shining smile the next time she opened her eyes.
Please wake up soon, Medrauta... And when you do, please wake me too...