Don’t Concern Yourself With That Book

There was no one around me anyways so I sat down on the floor and placed the book on my lap.

It reminded me of the days back when I had to take my examinations a long time ago. The reading room and cafeteria had always been crowded with people so I had no choice but to sit on the floor in an empty corner somewhere with my books scattered all around me.

‘I didn’t have the money to buy a drink in a cafe.’

There was nothing much in the book. It was just about how the gods ordained their own templars in a very specific way. From the day a templar was ordained, they would carry out the mission of their god and follow their commands. The contents of the book were quite boring. It felt like the book was spinning a wheel round and round before stopping at a particular spot which caught my eye.

[Sometimes, there will be gods who give their templar a harsh fate.

Though the gods might think of it as ‘gifts’, the same could not be said about the templar.

How could it be called a ‘gift’ if the templar is unable to move from birth? One can only sympathise with their misfortune.]

I was reaching the end of the book.

[Can a templar refuse the calling of their god? No, they could not deny them. It was only natural for them.

For example, if one was destined to become a Templar of Rivers, they will be born in the said blessed lands. If you are a man who is to become a templar of any divinity, the same divinity will appear before you in any way possible.

Was it unfair? But just accept it. The fact that the gods are not fair. The first Kaltanias, the first emperor of our Empire, was a human that the Lord of the Gods cherished dearly. They were even willing to create his empire for the first Emperor according to his wishes. The Lord of the Gods loved one man but not all.

The world revolved around the emperor’s sole wish. The wish for the Empire to not be destroyed no matter what happens…

It was the Emperor’s divine powers that sustained the richness of this Empire. In the end, templars are no more than a simple ornament to prevent said destruction.]

Well, what scary things this book was saying. The fact that this Empire had not been destroyed for 2000 years merely because of one person’s wish. It sounded like the Lord of the Gods was quite a huge fan of the first emperor. He was still watching from somewhere, maintaining this Empire for a man who was long dead.

At that point, would it not be considered an obsession?

[This is why I can understand the appearance and rise of people who call themselves the ‘Templars of Chaos’. Normal human beings only envy templars. However, that did not mean all of them were happy.

They were witnesses to the horrific killings of their parents and siblings by the same templars because of the strict laws they abided by. They were the Templars of Chaos. People whose fate was set for them to live alone without anyone by their side for the rest of their lives. The most pitiful out of all templars like, well, the Templars of Death, the Templars of Flowers, the Templars of the Snow and the Sea… There were quite a few that could be considered pitiable but if I had to choose one out of all of them…

Those who were bound to someone else from birth and had to follow that same person for life.

All their emotions and thoughts were of one person only and these people are…]

“Princess.”

“Ah, Penne.”

By the time I finished reading the book, Penne returned. I got up as I dusted my bottom off. Penne seemed to be briefly taken aback by my crude behaviour but soon approached me with a gentle smile.

“What did you enjoy reading so much? I called out for you several times but you didn’t answer.”

I acted as if it was nothing much before lowering my head and picking up the book.

“Can I borrow this book?”

If there was a book I wanted to continue reading, Penne had promised me beforehand that he would borrow it for me.

“Of course.”

He was holding some thin scrolls in his arms. The books here were made with divine power. As a result, a thin scroll could hold up to tens of thousands of characters worth of content.

One of the scrolls Penne was holding had ‘Templar of Chaos’ written at its end and it looked like classified information.

Templar of Chaos.

It was a term I could never forget. It was the name Castor uttered when he raised his sword.

I turned away from the books Penne was holding before handing him the book I had just picked up.

What I had chosen was a book written about the Templar of Beasts. Not only that, but there was also information about the ‘Emperor’ and the ‘Heir of the Lord of the Gods’.

Penne was initially carrying books that filled his arms before making them float in the air with his powers and letting out an expression of relief.

On the way back to the administration, he spoke quietly.

“We currently have a lot of flowers and trees coming in from the City of Flowers.”

Penne seemed to be looking forward to the Foundation Festival.

“More than anything, I’m looking forward to seeing the ‘Primo Salvatio’. I’m looking forward to the day when you really become Jupiter’s incarnate, princess.”

His face that always had been mature now looked as excited as a child’s.

“Didn’t you mention that the Soletorium was going to guard around the capital on that day?”

“Those dumb patrols must have told you already.”

He proudly boasted his dignity of being in an administrative position.

Though I was listening to Penne’s story, my mind was, in fact. wandering.

[Templars could be divided to those who expressed their divinity immediately from birth and those who only start expressing themselves during their childhood.]

The characters filled my head.

[The more divinity they express before they reach the age of 17, the more powerful they are likely to become. Most of such templars also expressed their divinity from birth like that of the noble Imperial family.]

I stole a glance at the book I was holding.

[These templars only had one reason for living. ‘Destruction and slaughter’. Their irrational instincts are said to be due to their immense compatibility with their god’s spirit.

However, the gods have also devised countermeasures against this instinct.

The templars can die, become a templar under Jupiter, the vicar of all gods or something else. And that something was to become a ‘Companion’. These companions each have a person they devote everything to.

Unfortunately, they do not have a choice to choose who that is. It is their fated person.]

I had only spotted one phrase in the book. It was the templar the author felt sorry for.

It was the ‘Templar of Beasts’.

I wished I had been mistaken but there was nothing wrong with my eyes.

Anyway, I could not believe information I was not able to find appeared in a random book that caught my eye. Was the God of Luck helping me? Then, they should have taken this damned diary away or given me some buffs instead.

Tapping on the open book, I frantically skimmed through the diary on my desk. It felt like I was trying to solve a riddle.

Nothing much was mentioned afterwards. The book was not that long and what I had just read was already nearing the end of the book.

“The duke is the Templar of Beasts.”

Hernan was always throwing problems at me, forcing me into a position to solve them.

“… I don’t really like calling myself that though.”

By slowly gathering hints from the mystery, I shall find the true answer. As a gust of wind blew, the fluffy feather at the end of my quill shook.

He was the one crushing on someone in the original novel. I wondered what kind of secrets he had.

After learning more about the ‘Templar of Beasts’, I wondered if he had been sincere or acting this whole time. But I knew I had a hunch.

“What are you thinking to have that look on your face?”

As I was in the midst of agonising, something black swayed in front of me.

“S-Soricks?”

Soricks tapped on the tip of my head before flashing me a refreshing smile reminiscent of a forest in the summer.

“Pipio. Is it because Penne is busy, that’s why you have no lessons today? Then I want to bring you to people who really want to see you. I feel like they’ve become huge idiots because they’re dying at the mere fact that they can’t see pipio.”

As I watched him waving our clasped hands, I smiled softly.

“You mean the patrols?”

“That’s what they call themselves.”

Soricks nagged at me but not to the extent that I got annoyed. After practicing my dance for a while, I had gotten so busy with my lessons that I had yet to visit the training grounds. The training grounds was not too far off anyway.

“Pipio! Small bird! Small bird has arrived!”

The men’s big shadows casted over my body. The big men surrounded me before exclaiming in their thick voices all at once, making it hard to tell who was speaking.

It did not take long before I was standing in the center of the training grounds. It felt like I found myself stuck in a maze.

“Have you been well?”

It felt stuffy but I did not feel uncomfortable.

“Yes, it’s been a while!”

I smiled at the innocent guys one by one.

“Pipio. Why do you look the same as you did last time? Do you not like eating? Is the aediles not taking care of you?”

One of them held my hand before asking anxiously why I had not grown bigger.

“Don’t worry. I’m eating well. The food you made the last time was really delicious.”

“Really?”

The man who had eyes as big as a cow’s was Cheshire. He was definitely a man who had the power to easily pluck out trees but at the same time, he was a very naive man.

He cleared his throat before commenting, “Where’s the food you’re eating going?”

He was also someone who was really concerned over my lack of height as I had not been growing for several years now.

“Well, I’m probably going to stop growing already?”

I heard that a woman’s height would stop increasing two years after their period started but well. I did not start menstruating till I was 15 so I guessed there was still room.

‘But the problem was that I’m not growing here. I don’t think they’ll ever grow to be as big as Rebecca’s or the empress’.’

Suddenly, I did not think I would be able to grow 10 more centimetres. It seemed like I was already screwed.

When I shook my head, the men made a sad expression as if they cherished me the most. Someone cried out.

“How can the gods be so indifferent!”

“Bless pipio with growth!”

Embarrassed, I tapped on his shoulder. He looked like he was to shed tears as if his favourite idol group he had been following had just broken up.

‘I mean, was my lack of height that big of a deal?’

No, it was a problem. One of the beauty standards here was to be tall. I was not just deviating from the beauty standards, I was shooting out of the stratosphere.

“But don’t you think I’m alright like this? … I think I’m not bad.”

“Not bad? You’re perfect!”

“Which one of you brought up her height!”

“It was Cheshire!”

“Come out, you’re fighting with me today!”

“I’m next!”

Oh dear. I did not expect this. My eyes suddenly landed on Cheshire who became today’s hot star.

“Who made pipio cry?”

“It’s him, Vice-Commander!”

I guess it was too late to stop him now. He was then dragged away by the Vice-Commander Chosone. Well, it would be hard to bring it up here.

In the end, all the templars rushed to watch the battle between Vice-Commander Chosone and Cheshire and surrounded them as they cheered for Cheshire’s downfall.

“Pipio. Have you decided who you’re going to the Foundation Festival with?”

“Well, I don’t have a patronus yet.”

“What? Why not?”

After turning away from Cheshire’s struggle, I faced Soricks.

“Who wants to go with me?”

I patted my cheek that had a bandage on it playfully. Then, Soricks widened his eyes before shaking his head as if it was inappropriate.

T/N:

sry its late~~~ was considering putting it up tomorrow instead but alas T.T see u tmr!