Chapter 36: Their paths
Because it was getting to an uncomfortable point, Leon finished his talk with Celes.
His future.
He has a knack for getting people around him. No one would be able to have a legendary fox and epic vampiress willing to live with you at the start of a new life in another world.
Still, without a proper background and thoughts on his future, Leon couldn't satisfy himself and everyone around him.
He also didn't use the knight as an excuse to end his conversation with the vampire girl. Leon went to the village's river, finding the knight without even trying.
"I heard you have another beautiful girl." William spotted Leon's presence and parted his lips without taking his eyes off the hook.
He was fishing like usual.
Leon looked at the thick and full of fish river with a faint smile. It was good to see that things turned out better. He then took out a chair from his inventory and sat down close to the White Sparrow.
Both appeared like fishermen in their casual clothes.
"She'll be a good drinking buddy… Surprised? Apparently, we can't be friends with girls." Leon found these words amusing now that he was alone with the knight.
William didn't agree, but he also did not disagree. "It depends on your occupation, right? I'm not really surprised about your problem with girls, though. Otherworlders either accept polygamy fast or take their time. It's rare to have an otherworlder loyal to one girl."
"What about girls from Earth?" Leon asked while unpacking his snacks.
The knight pondered for a while before parting his lips, "Aren't they the same? I mean, most of them accept that their man will have more girls. Some start their own harems, but the world looks down on those girls. They must be really strong to have others look at them as equals."
"At least we can treat them as equals to show our support, then." Leon found the world hypocritical, while William did his best to not add any comment to those words. "Well, thanks for some interesting tidbits. I've come here for some high-quality information. But to clarify, I don't have any problems with girls. It's more about my mindset. And it's not like I have received confessions, William."
William patted Leon's shoulder, smiling, "It's fine. I understand. You see, we have an unofficial rule in our knight circle — while facing the noble girls or princesses, act as though you're looking into their eyes. Never look inside, or she'll have you around her finger. You can only get mesmerized by the queen.
"Now, what do you want to know? I'm itching for some good conversation."
Feeling like he'd become closer to the knight, Leon asked while munching on his snack, "If I want to focus on crafting skills, I ought to find the Heaven Library Guild, right?"
"They're an all-rounder guild, I'd say. You'll find many races and different stuff there." William nodded, then added that this guild is more friendly and prone to business with kingdoms and tribes that don't support slavery and encourage discrimination against others.
Leon didn't find it weird. "If they want to know all, they ought to be a friendly guild. Well, I'm sure they don't associate themselves with dark guilds."
"Of course." William agreed. "If you're unsure about your path, you can head there to get some help. They have developed an altar that helps people find their path. With your status as an otherworlder, they will gladly test your potential there."
"The altar?" Leon grew interested and passed a snack to get more information. It worked.
"I forgot the name. But for example, it helps people find a perfect weapon or magic. You can guess what kind-" William stopped talking.
With the snack in his mouth, he narrowed his eyes and looked deeply at the water. Soon, he stood up and drew back his fishing rod, picking up a thick fish.
He laughed, confirmed the size, then threw it back into the river. "You can also ask The Oracle for your path."
"The Oracle?" Leon didn't expect her to be so available in the world. "Where is her statue?"
William extended his hand for another snack and replied only after Leon passed him a donut, "The Oracle's statues are strewn across the world. You won't find any of them in our kingdom, so you have to head south if you want to stumble upon her. It's less likely she will answer your call, but you can try since you're an otherworlder."
"From your words, I guess you've heard tales of some people guided by her." Leon continued the topic.
William didn't hide anything, "Those who survived her guidance became prominent figures."
It'd be best to visit both. Of course, with his stats, Leon didn't want to go through the Heaven Library Guild's altar but would rather start his business here and develop with their knowledge.
As for The Oracle, he'd see after her words. He was confident she'd reach out to him.
It was still early, so Leon brought out the name he was familiar with. "The Human Emperor. When did he fall? What year, to be exact?"
"6666." William instantly replied. "His ideology was quite twisted, so it's good that he died… Well, people say that he's survived and hides somewhere. I wouldn't be happy if that was the case."
Leon didn't feel good about it. "What was his ideology?"
"He called monsters worthless imitations. So well, as per his words, monsters can only imitate humans. When their bloodline evolves and reaches pristine purity, all monsters are able to take humanoid forms. But those humanoid forms always have traces of the monster's race — tails, ears, scales, or fur. On the other hand, when a human turns into a monster, he can perfectly shift between a human and a monster form. Everything was an imitation of humanity, so humans were the best. Everything should belong to humanity, and since he stood at the peak of humanity, guiding them, everything was rightfully his.
"He also preached that no monster should ever feel emotions — just be loyal to humans. Only then would they feel true happiness."
Upon hearing the last two sentences, Leon became white and sweaty. He felt a cold grip on his heart and shivered as though it really snowed.
It was so similar to what he'd gone through recently. He drew a clear line between monsters and monsters with humanoid forms.
But if he hadn't met Louise and just collected monsters, would he end up on the exact same path as that twisted man?
The Oracle's voice rang out in Leon's mind.
[Your paths will rarely cross.]
[If you follow his path, you will find answers to your desires.]
"Fuck… I don't like it…"
"Well, I'll let that curse slide. I'd swear too if I heard that man's tales." William still extended his hand for another snack.
Leon passed him a few donuts.
"Well, thanks."
"Sure."
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