“Oh, hello again,” I said. “I don’t think I ever got your name.”
“I can’t share my true identity,” she gestured at her mask, “but you can call me Leah.”
“Nice to meet you again, Leah.”
“You as well.”
“And my name is Anatoly,” said the elf, standing up from his desk and giving me a short bow (closer to a nod, really). “Welcome to my bookstore.”
“My name is Lucille,” I said, returning the nod-bow. “It’s a nice place.”
“Thank you. Is there anything in particular you’re interested in?”
“History. Preferably from the last hundred years or so.” It was more important that I find information on the world than anything else.
The elf pointed toward a shelf to my right. “That shelf there has history books arranged in chronological order, with the most recent books on the top. It might be a bit high up to reach, but you should be able to read the titles. If you need any assistance, feel free to call me over. I will be finishing up my chat with Miss Leah.”
“Oh no, it’s alright,” said Leah. “It’s getting late, and I’ve already taken up too much of your time. I’m also feeling quite hungry. Would you like to join me for dinner once you’ve finished helping Lucille?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, but I actually had a large lunch, and I’m not feeling up to a meal just yet,” said Anatoly. “Maybe next time.”
“A shame,” said Leah. “Next time, then. Well, Lucille, it was lovely seeing you again, and I hope you find the books you’re looking for.”
“Thanks. Enjoy your meal.”
“Have a good night,” said Anatoly. “Thank you for stopping by.”
As Leah and her bodyguard walked out of the store, I considered telling them about the man who had been following me, but decided against it. Unless her bodyguard was incompetent, she would have nothing to worry about from such a man. I watched them leave, and when I turned around, although I hadn’t heard him move, the elf was right behind me.
“Gah, what the-”
I flinched back and instinctively reached into my purse for a weapon that wasn’t there. Yes, it was an overreaction, but I was still on edge, and he was a lot more terrifying than I had expected him to be. He must have been close to seven feet tall, and up close, his limbs didn’t seem thin at all, and were instead lean and toned. He was grinning at me, flashing blinding white teeth, the likes of which I had yet to see since arriving in Astraeus, and the lighting in the room cast odd shadows on his face as he looked down at me.
“Sorry,” he chuckled. “I couldn’t help myself. Would you like some assistance finding a book? I have read every single book in this room, and written a few as well, so I’m sure you would find my knowledge useful.”
“...Sure, I guess.”
“Well, if you’ll look over here…” he stepped toward the shelf he had pointed to earlier and grabbed a book off the top shelf. “This one here details the recent conflict between Ravel and Vivaldi. The writing is not the best, but it is quite informative. And this one,” he grabbed another, “is an investigative exposé on the current Duke Lyon. It’s a bit dated, and only covers 35 of his children, but it contains lots of high society gossip and some interesting political situations, which might be more what you’re looking for. And lastly, this one,” he grabbed another book, this time from much lower on the shelf, “is one that I think you personally will find intriguing.”
The first two books were still in his hands, but the third, he handed directly to me, so I could read the title, The Death of the Vampires. Before I had time to process the implications of the title, he spoke again.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve gotten to talk with a vampire,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind if we chat for a bit.”
“How did you know?”
“I have good ears,” he said, tapping the appendages in question. “Don’t worry. I doubt anyone else has noticed. And I won’t do anything to you. I have nothing against vampires. I just find it fascinating for one to appear over a thousand years after they were thought to have gone extinct. Are there any other survivors?”
“Not that I’m aware of,” I said.
On the outside, I was calm (or at least I thought I was), but internally, I was panicking. It didn’t cross my mind when I first saw him, but after talking to him, I realized that an ancient elf was the absolute last person I wanted to be talking to. He was at least a thousand years old, and probably much older, based on what he had said, so he would be able to catch me in all of my lies, no matter how well I told them. There was no way that I wouldn’t be exposed, and probably executed. But I couldn’t run away, because that would be just an admission of guilt.
That last statement is fallacious, obviously. He hadn’t accused me of anything, so there was nothing to be guilty of. It would be odd, suspicious, and rude to run away there, but it wouldn’t out me as a Demon King like I was worried it would. I didn’t think through the option that thoroughly at the time though. Regardless, as you’re about to see, it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.
“You seem nervous,” he said. “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. Why don’t you have a seat over there until you calm down.”
While every word he said was polite, and there was not a hint of danger in his smile, it all sounded like threats to me, so I obeyed as if he were holding a gun to my head, vision tunneled and legs trembling. The only chair in the store was the one he had been sitting on when I arrived. It was very soft and comfortable, but all I felt was how big it was, and how small it made me feel.
“It’s alright,” he said. “There’s no need to worry. The reason you’re panicking is that you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re from another world, right?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You don’t need to keep hiding it,” he said. “It’s rare, but people arriving from other worlds is not unheard of, and is most definitely not a crime. It would be best not to advertise it, as it will draw unwanted attention, but it’s nothing life-threatening.”
“...How did you know?” I asked again.
“Your current appearance is a mess of contradiction,” he said. “Your clothes are high-quality, but mismatched, which someone who could afford what you’re wearing would never wear. You have the haircut of a slave, but none of the mannerisms. The last of the vampires died over a thousand years ago, yet here you are, alive and well, and completely ignorant of what happened. You are a grown adult, and yet you have so little mana and aura that your level can’t be higher than five.
“I had my suspicions from the moment you walked in, and I confirmed them when I greeted you. The bow I gave you is the standard one for men on this continent. The customary response for a woman would be a curtsey, but you returned the bow instead. That would be understandable if you came from another continent, but your accent is that of an educated native, not a foreigner, meaning that you somehow grew up speaking the language, and you were well educated, but you somehow never learned even the most basic of etiquette. You could argue that you just grew up in an isolated household with an eccentric caretaker, which is why you never learned etiquette, despite being well-read, except the attributes I just described are also one of the only common points between past other-worlders.
“I’ve lived for a long time now, and I’ve met many people. I’ve personally known many of the greatest heroes and villains of history. Reading people has become second nature to me. It would be more surprising if I didn’t notice what you were.
“But, as I said before, you have nothing to fear. More often than not, other-worlders are a boon to Astraeus with their knowledge from their home worlds. In fact, there is one alive today who was able to understand the secrets of time magic, something which even the greatest of elven mages were unable to accomplish. If your identity is revealed to the world, your biggest concern will be the people trying to recruit you.
“You still look nervous, meaning there’s still something else you don’t want me to know.” I flinched. “Whatever it is, I won’t pry. As I said, I’m good at reading people, and you don’t seem like the type of person that I need to be overly concerned about.” He winced. “Sorry, that sounded insulting. Let me rephrase: you seem like a rational person with no dangerous tendencies and no desire to harm others. I don’t put much stock in titles and rumors, and prefer to rely on what I see and experience for myself. Whatever it is you’re hiding, I won’t pry, but unless you are the best actress in the world, and I greatly misread you, it would not be enough to make an enemy out of me.”
Each sentence he said hit me like a sack of bricks. Walking into the bookstore was the worst thing I could have done. I had known that my disguise was subpar and my story was inconsistent, and I was planning on improving on both fronts, but I had run into one of the few people around who could see through it all. His final paragraph gave me small comfort, since at the very least, he didn’t seem to want to kill me, but I was still suspicious.
Stolen story; please report.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“From you? Just a bit of your time. Nothing more.”
“Why?”
“I have lived for nearly six thousand years now. Around 1500, life started to get boring. I had already accomplished most everything I wanted to, and didn’t have much else to do. Nowadays, I just lounge around, waiting for interesting things to happen, and you are the most interesting thing that’s happened in… Well, it’s been at least a hundred years. Probably longer. At my age, the years all blend together.”
“But… if you find me so interesting, why don’t you want to know about my background?”
“Oh, I do,” he said. “But I’m not going to force it out of you. I’d rather befriend you and have you tell me naturally. If you want, you can choose not tell me a thing about yourself, and I will still not do anything to you. I know that I can’t gain your trust so easily, so give me an opportunity. Ask me anything. About the world, about myself- Ask me anything, and I will answer you truthfully.”
It was difficult to trust him so soon, and even a year after that, I still didn’t fully trust him. But, there was no reason to turn down his offer. I knew that there was a chance he would just lie to me, since I wouldn’t know any better, but I also knew that he was smart enough to know that was a bad long-term plan. And there was no better place to get information than an immortal elf who wanted nothing more than to gain my trust.
“Does my hair really stand out that much?”
“Yes. Long, clean hair is a symbol of health and dignity for women. The only women who have short hair are frontline fighters, of which there are very few, and slaves. You are too small to be the former, leaving only the second option. I recommend you grow it out, and in the meantime, use a wig or illusion magic to hide it.”
“Can-” I almost asked whether vampires could grow hair if their bodies were dead, but he would not have mentioned it if it were impossible. “What about my clothes? I knew the bag didn’t match, but it was the only one big enough. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal.”
“Oh, that one is fine,” he said. “There aren’t many who would think much of it. It was just a piece of the puzzle for me.”
“Is Leah one of those people?”
“Ah, yes, she probably is,” he said. “But you don’t have much to worry about. At most, she just finds you intriguing. She is clever and observant, but she is missing the most important piece of information, that being your race.”
“And there’s no way she noticed that?”
“Well, it’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely,” he said. “She and her bodyguard are both human, and neither are skilled enough to notice anything concrete. I can teach you a skill for hiding your race more thoroughly, if you’d like. It was used frequently by vampires in the past, and shouldn’t be too difficult to learn, even at your current level.”
“What would it cost me?”
“Nothing,” he said with a smile. “Do you pay back your friends when they do favors for you?”
“We aren’t friends yet.”
“Then think of it as payment from me in exchange for your friendship.”
“Mm…”
“If you still don’t trust me enough to be a friend, how about a different type of relationship. I was thinking of hiring an assistant for the shop, and I’d like to give you that position. It would be a good way for you to slowly adjust to the new world, and during the times when you don’t have any work to do, you would be free to ask me questions or browse my book collection. I’d pay you for your time of course, both with money and with information. And I’d also provide you with an adequate disguise. I can’t have my employee drawing suspicious eyes.”
“That-” I started.
“-Sounds too good to be true?” he suggested.
“...Yes.”
He shrugged. “Well, that’s my offer. It’s up to you whether to accept it or not. If you decline, that’s fine. I will still continue to answer your questions until you leave, and I’ll be happy to talk with you whenever you stop by in the future.”
It really did sound too good to be true. What are the odds that the one person who recognized me for what I was, also happened to be the one person who didn’t actually care enough to arrest or kill me? The answer is near 0, but at the time, there was no way for me to know that. I didn’t know how common elves were, or how eccentric Anatoly was, even compared to others of his kind. I rationalized it by telling myself that this must just have been how elves were, and that even if he were trying to use me, it was still a safer option than fending for myself when it had already been proven multiple times that I could not blend in. I think I might have been suffering from a bit of “main character syndrome” too, causing me to have less doubts than I might have.
“Alright,” I said. “I’m considering it. But I still have a few more questions.”
“Ask away!”
“Do you have any other reasons for doing this? Other than that I’m ‘interesting’? Any ulterior motives?”
“None, aside from what I’ve already said.”
As far as I can tell, for as long as I knew him, this is the only outright lie the old elf ever told me. He hid things from me, and on occasion would give me misleading information, but never again did he lie to my face like he did here.
“Not that you’d tell me if you did. What would my job here entail?”
“Oh, not much. Restocking shelves and greeting customers mostly. Perhaps a delivery or two. I won’t lie and say you’ll be busy. You’ll have a lot of free time, during which I’d be happy to teach you anything you’d like to know.”
“What if I decide I don’t like it?”
“Then you can quit. If you decide that you can’t stand me and just walk out one day, I won’t stop you. I will be hurt though.” He flashed a grin at his joke.
“Is there anything you won’t tell me if I ask?”
His expression turned melancholy. “There are a few things about myself that I won’t tell you unless it somehow becomes absolutely necessary. I hope you’ll forgive me for that. We all have things we’d rather not talk about.”
“That’s fine, then,” I said. “I have things I won’t tell you either. As long as nothing you’re hiding will harm me.”
“They will not.”
“Then it’s fine.”
His expression brightened again, and he extended his hand. “Then do we have an agreement?”
“Hold up,” I said, raising a hand to stop him. “We’re not done yet. We haven’t discussed the specifics. Hours, pay, benefits, duties. You’ve given me a general summary, but I want a real contract, not just a verbal agreement.”
He made a small flourish with his extended hand and a blank sheet of paper and a quill pen appeared. “Then, let’s talk business.”
It didn’t take long to hammer out the deals of the contract. The negotiations were quick, and the opposite of how normal pay negotiations went. I had to keep lowering his offers when he tried giving me too much. The first wages he offered me were one gold per day, which even I knew was way too much. I’m sure he had the money for it, but I didn’t want any free handouts. It can be argued that the job itself is already a free handout, but it was a necessary evil, and, like with Rafael, I wasn’t going to take advantage of someone else’s goodwill just because I could.
The final agreement was one silver per day, and my official hours were sunrise to sunset. This was also an overpay for a simple bookstore employee, but we came to a mutual agreement that I was worth more than a normal bookstore employee, though I suspect for different reasons. He also provided me with an “office” that was actually just the guest bedroom above the shop. I initially protested this as well, but ultimately relented for reasons not worth explaining.
As part of my job, he also gave me a wig of wavy black hair that he had on hand for some reason, and a promise to make an appointment with a high level hairdresser, and a pendant that used illusion magic to change my eye color. It had a dial in the center that I could use to select any color I wanted, or even set my eyes to cycle through the full spectrum, but I settled on a shade of blue as close to my original color as I could. Standing in front of the mirror in my not-bedroom, I finally looked human again, aside from the ghastly pale skin. He offered me another, more powerful illusion tool to change that, but I decided to leave it as it was. My eyes were one thing, but changing my whole body’s skin tone with magic just didn’t feel right.
After the details of my employment were hammered out, I moved on to asking him more questions about the world. That took a few hours, so I’ll summarize the important bits here:
The country I was in was called Ravel, and the city Bizet. The capital of Ravel, and also the location of the Holy See of the Church of Order was Claude, which was on the north side of the country. Ravel was bordered by three other countries: Johann on the south, Vivaldi on the west, and Ainola on the north. By now, you’ve probably noticed that all of these location names sound familiar. That’s because they’re all named after or are related to famous classical composers. No, I don’t know why, and neither did Anatoly.
Twenty years prior to my arrival, there had been a large-scale war between Ravel and Vivaldi, which was the country of the beast-folk. A peace treaty ended the war, but relations between the two nations were still very strained, and the common folk on either side were quite racist toward each other. Johann and Ainola had been passive during the war, but now Ravel was feeling the pressure on either side from the two nations who hadn’t suffered any losses. No one had made any moves, but things were tense, and many scholars expected another war to break out within ten years. It likely would have, if the gods had not decided to host their game then.
Technologically and societally, Astraeus was actually quite similar to modern Earth, though without the internet, of course. With magic, they managed to mimic all the comforts of a tech-based society, such as climate-controlled buildings, long-range communication, automated doors, indoor plumbing, mass-produced goods, and all the other things we often take for granted. Most governments were still monarchies, but they were more progressive and meritocratic than historic Earth monarchies, so they tended to work out alright.
The two main differences between Earth and Astraeus are, as I mentioned, the internet, and Dungeon culture. On Earth, Dungeons only appeared recently, and the culture has not evolved to fully encompass them yet. On Astraeus, Dungeons are just a part of life. Becoming an Adventurer, or someone who raids Dungeons, is perfectly normal, and many treat the job like Earth workers would treat a nine to five. The return to Earth and seeing the bureaucratic mess that Dungeons became was jarring after becoming accustomed to how smooth and easy it all is over there.
He also gave me a quick lesson on magic, but he didn’t tell me anything that isn’t already readily available on Earth, so I won’t waste any time explaining what he said here. I’ll include his lecture in the appendices, because it was very good, and I’m sure that some of you will find it useful.
In the end, he started yawning, so I let him go to bed, and turned to the books he had recommended to me, which gave me much more detailed information on a few of the things I had asked him. I spent the night reading through them by the light of a small, luminous orb hanging from my ceiling, and in the morning, I donned my disguise and prepared for my first day at my new job.