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An Otherworldly Scholar - 224
🕑 Added 2025-05-04 21:49:27 +0000 UTCWE’VE GOT A BOGEY AT 5 O’CLOCK, RANGE 45 METERS.
I turned towards the doors and pushed Ilya behind my back. My eyes scanned the entrance, but nothing stood out besides a group of Preceptors and Archivists, draped in the flowy black robes of the Imperial Library.
“Librarians?” I asked, but the System Avatar didn’t answer.
The group casually greeted the nobles near the entrance and grabbed glasses of sparkling wine from the waiter’s trays before scattering through the ballroom. Most of them had the yellow hem of the Magicians Circle—probably assistant instructors. There were a few from the Nature and the Research Circles.
None of them raised any alarms.
Then, [Foresight] pinged my brain. Byrne stepped into the ballroom. I recognized him right away—the eccentric millionaire I had met once at the headquarters of Connor & Connor LLC. There was no doubt it was the same person, but he was changed. His eyes were sunken, with purplish bags under his eyes, and his parchment skin was mottled with age spots. His hair had grown thin and completely white. Still, his shoulders carried the heavy magician's robe with surprising vigor for someone his age.
I lowered my voice until it was barely a whisper.
“What’s happening?” Ilya squeezed my arm.
“Man in Yellow sent me a prompt,” I said. “He’s warning me of Byrne.”
Zaon and Ilya spied through the ballroom where Byrne greeted a Librarian with the green stoles of a high-level member of the Nature Circle.
“Why would he warn you?” Ilya whispered.
“Byrne is a Runeweaver,” I muttered.
“Oh,” Zaon said.
Ilya wasn’t having any of it.
“What?! You should’ve told us that from the very beginning!”
“Wolf told me he didn’t want to know anything about his father!” I whispered.
I tried to tell Wolf back in the Farlands, but he shut me down. He didn’t want to know anything about Byrne, so I respected his wishes and kept the whole story to myself. I wasn’t expecting us to meet the old man ever again.
I looked through the ballroom. Byrne left the woman in the Nature Circle attire and chatted with a group of nobles, unaware of our glances.
“What happened between him and the Man in Yellow?” Zaon asked.
“They had creative differences—”
“So, he’s an enemy?” Ilya interrupted me.
That was the million-dollar question.
“I’m going to find out,” I said, stretching my back and rotating my shoulders. “You two wait here, and I mean it. This isn’t your problem to fix. It’s mine. Byrne might be as powerful as I am, and he might be suspicious of me.”
Ilya was about to say something, but a glance was enough to shut her down.
I left Zaon and Ilya behind and crossed the ballroom towards the entrance. Byrne wouldn’t attempt anything with all the Imperial Knights and nobles surrounding us. Still, in a hidden pocket inside my mantle, I had a nasty little surprise in case things got out of control.
Byrne bowed at the nobles and walked towards Lord Astur.
ABORT. DON’T ENGAGE.
“If Byrne is going to learn about my existence, I must control the flow of information,” I replied with teeth clenched. “Now, give me something useful or shut up.”
I CAN’T SEE HIS CLASS OR HIS LEVEL.
I CAN’T EVEN TELL IF HE IS CONNECTED TO THE SYSTEM.
HE’S A BETTER RUNEWEAVER THAN YOU!
“Then, I have to deal with him.”
NO.
YOU MUST LIVE.
YOU MUST BECOME A BETTER RUNEWEAVER.
YOU MUST FIX THE SYSTEM.
YOU ARE MY LAST CHANCE.
“If that was the case, then you shouldn’t have lied to me,” I whispered. “You have been watching me, don’t you? I’m done being caught off guard. From now on, I’ll deal with trouble before it even starts.”
The System Avatar remained silent.
I eased my heartbeat and tailed Byrne until I was barely a meter from him. I activated my mana sense. Compared to the Imperial Knights, his mana signature was weak. Even by the side of the other Librarians, he didn’t stand out. Byrne was a Scholar with ten thousand years of earthly knowledge on his back. I expected him to be a bright blue flare against the sky, but he was barely a candle against the storm.
However, I did not trust my senses. He might have ways of concealing his true strength—skills, mana pool edition, or enchanted items. Janus had taught me not to believe anything other than my gut.
“Excuse me, Samuel Byrne? I’m Robert Clarke from Connor & Connor LLC. We have been trying to reach you concerning your affidavit of life. Failure to rectify this matter may result in severe legal consequences, including potential forfeiture of rights or further action. Please contact our office at your earliest convenience.”
I could barely believe there was a time when I had all those lines memorized.
Byrne froze and turned around at a snail’s pace, like the protagonist of a horror movie who knows the monster is right behind him. Time slowed down as [Foresight] filled my brain with information. Short breath. High pulse. Dilated pupils. Goosebumps. Bright Fountain Mana surging through his body. Not much, not enough to harm me.
I could almost see the gears inside Byrne’s brain turning. The Fountain Mana died. He had reached the same conclusion: this wasn’t the place for violence.
“W-who are you?” Byrne muttered.
I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt. For an instant, he was nothing more than a startled old man. Still, I kept my guard high.
“I am Robert Clarke. I used to work for Connor & Connor. I found the portal in the basement of your cabin near Hackberry Creek almost three years ago,” I said, stretching out my hand.
Byrne gave me a suspicious look, but some color returned to his skin. He examined my face and finally stretched his hand. His grip was still firm despite his age.
“I remember you, now. I saw you in the office one time, years ago. You were… skinnier,” Byrne said defensively. “What do you want with me?”
“I thought we should acknowledge each other as… you know, we are here due to a portal accident,” I explained. “The younger Connor really wanted to get a chunk of your estate, so he sent me to your cabin to see if you were still alive. There, I stumbled on a rotten plank, fell into the basement, and woke up here. This fall will be my third anniversary in Ebros.”
Byrne looked at me from top to bottom. I knew what he was thinking. He was wondering if the System Avatar had contacted me. Unfortunately, I wasn’t keen on telling the truth until I ensured Byrne wasn’t a threat. I had to bait the truth out of him.
I lowered my voice and looked around to ensure nobody was looking in our direction. With the number of people inside the ballroom, it was hard to keep a low profile, so I decided to use plain old English. Despite sparkling my vocabulary with earthly slang, the words felt strange in my mouth.
“Did you figure it out?” I asked.
“Figure out what?” Byrne asked, confused.
“The Fractalis System,” I said, feigning ignorance. “I read the notes you left at Lowell’s orphanage. I don’t believe the System is a natural phenomenon either. It’s just like the mechanics of videogames down to the names of the Classes and Skills. Someone must’ve created it, right? Someone from Earth.”
Byrne examined me even more. I knew he used to be a Scholar. He probably had access to [Awareness], but I bet on the fact [Foresight] made me an even better liar. A shadow of doubt crossed his face.
“You found my old stuff?” Byrne asked.
I gave him a warm smile.
“Yeah, I was made a Scholar when I arrived. I was a teacher back on Earth, before working at the firm, and I got a job at the orphanage. I stumbled into your stuff while cleaning an old wardrobe,” I explained, pretending to be much more cheerful than I felt. “Did you figure out who created the System?”
“You don’t know?” Byrne probed me.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining about my students, but I’ve been teaching kids and fighting monsters for the past two years, and I can’t say which one has been easier. I haven’t had time to look into that matter,” I replied, summoning my character sheet and turning it around.
Name: Robert Clarke, Human.
Class: Sage Lv.45
Titles: Out of your League, Hot for Teacher, Consultant Detective, Headmaster, Classroom Overlord, Golden Sage, and +15 others.
Passive: Lv.6 Swordsmanship, Lv.1 Riding, Mana Mastery, Foresight, Master of Languages.
Skills: Identify, Magical Ink, Silence Dome, Invigoration, Mirage, Minor Aerokinesis, Minor Pyrokinesis, Minor Geokinesis, Minor Hydrokinesis.
Byrne raised an eyebrow.
“You have certainly done a lot of fighting.”
“Enough for a lifetime.”
My Sage Lv.45 might not be the best proof of innocence because the System could hide my real class. However, those forty-five levels and the stacks of titles were a telltale of my time teaching and fighting monsters. I hoped it was enough to convince Byrne that I had no time for Runeweaving shenanigans.
I dismissed my Character Sheet.
“You haven’t returned to Earth?” Byrne asked.
“Why would I do that? I have everything I ever wanted here,” I replied. “The orphans need me, and we both know Connor & Connor terminated my employment after I went missing for more than three days. There’s nothing for me back there.”
Byrne gave me a swift smile.
“You have a point right there. I’m sorry for my reaction, but you startled me. I didn’t expect to find another American here. I didn’t even know that portal was still operative. Come with me. Let’s stop blocking the way.”
Byrne guided me to the corner of the room, near the band, and summoned a [Silence Dome] around us. He grabbed a glass of sparkling wine on the fly and emptied it. I wondered what part of my story had made him reconsider my position. Was the acid joke about the law firm? Was the fact that I was a Scholar and not a combat Class?
“Man, it feels great to speak English again,” Byrne sighed, floating the glass into a waiter’s tray.
I didn’t see the next question coming.
“Is the orphanage still operative?”
I couldn't help but be on guard.
The orphanage was my Achilles’ Heel.
“Yes, Lowell’s orphans are managing it. It has had some difficult years since Mister Lowell passed away, but we are doing fine now. There’s more than twenty orphans at the moment, and we are trying to keep Lowell’s mission alive,” I replied.
Byrne gave me a genuine, warm smile for the first time in the night.
“That’s good to hear,” he said, massaging his eyes. He was tired only like an old man who had seen countless winters could. “Alaric was a good friend. He helped me when I first arrived here. Even with his disease, he never abandoned his dear orphanage. I tried to take him back to Earth so he could be treated with modern medicine, but he refused.”
The conversation was taking a turn I wasn’t expecting.
“Why did he refuse?”
Byrne cleared his throat.
“All I could offer him was a one-way ticket to Earth, and he wouldn’t abandon his dear orphans. The portal you saw at the cabin? I developed that years later… too late to save my good friend.” Byrne got teary-eyed and had to stop talking for a moment. “I’m sorry. I haven’t told anyone this. I guess it’s easier to speak this stuff in my mother's tongue with a fellow countryman. Tell me more about Farcrest. How is Old Luzian doing these days?”
The question caught me off guard, but seeing Byrne’s wishful expression, I couldn’t help but oblige. I told him about the monetary problems of the orphanage after Lowell’s death, our troubles with the Marquis, and the most recent Monster Surge. If he was testing me, it didn’t feel like it. It was more about an old man and the place he used to live in. I told him about Nasiah, Luzian, and his Scholars, about the Marquis, and the Teal Moon tribe.
Byrne drank a couple more glasses of wine as he listened to the snippets of my story.
I was kind of expecting he would try to kill me or something, but instead I was helping an old man reminisce on his glory days.
“So, which one took over the orphanage?” Byrne asked, closing his eyes in an effort to remember a long-forgotten memory. “If I get the timeline correct, the older orphan should’ve been the half-orc boy. I think his name was Risha. Very mature and reliable, although there was this girl who always led him astray. Half-elf. Elincia.”
I wasn’t expecting Byrne to remember the names of the orphans a decade ago.
Byrne laughed at my expression.
“Elincia. She was one of Lowell’s favorites despite her bad behavior. I swear, she skipped half of my classes and never showed a hint of remorse. I don’t know what Lowell saw in her. He never got to tell me,” Byrne said. “I had a lot of fun back then. Teaching, getting stacks of titles, researching, leveling up. Back on Earth, I thought I had everything. A penthouse in Manhattan, a manor in the English countryside, a fleet of luxury cars… I should’ve worked harder. Maybe, if I had leveled just fast enough, I might have saved Lowell.”
Byrne sat down in one of the chairs lined across the wall, carefully not to strain his back.
“I’m sorry for ranting, it comes with age,” Byrne said, grunting as he settled. “If you work for the orphanage, why are you here in Cadria then?”
I considered my possibilities. The fact that I was Firana and Wolf’s ‘parent’ was already public information, and there was nothing I could do to hide it from Byrne. However, the kids were Imperial Cadets. It wasn’t like someone could raise a finger against them, other than a few people like Astur and Prince Adrien.
“A few of our orphans managed to enter the Academy, I caught some fame, and Lord Astur wanted to use my knowledge to teach his cadets,” I explained.
Byrne raised an eyebrow.
“So, are you one of the good teachers?”
“I would like to think so.”
I felt awkward standing before the old man, so I dragged a chair over and sat down. Librarians and Imperial Knights cast glances at us across the room. The new guy talking to the leader of the Arcane Circle couldn’t be a good sign for those who wanted to climb the social ladder. This time, however, I did not care about ruffling feathers or making new enemies.
“The good thing about getting old is that you gain a huge insight into things and people. I don’t think you are a bad guy, Robert Clarke. If anything, I should thank you for helping at Lowell’s orphanage,” Byrne said, his gaze fixed on the dance floor. “You asked if I figured out the Fractalis System. The answer is yes, I did.”
I wasn’t expecting Byrne to tell me the truth, but I was curious what kind of lie he would come up with.
“It is man-made, right?” I asked.
“Yes. The System was made by people from Earth, stranded in this world centuries ago. This might sound crazy, but a whole chunk of Earth was transported here. In that chunk was an office building with a couple hundred workers. Among them, there was this man called Jeremiah. His magic talent was related to language. Runes. He coded the System with the help of a few others so civilization could flourish,” Byrne said, his voice becoming somber as the words came out of his mouth. “This might sound even crazier, but I assure you, despite my age, I’m still clear-headed. The creator of the System talked to me—or rather, the copy of his personality. He gave me his powers.”
Byrne summoned his Character Sheet.
Name: Samuel Byrne, Human.
Class: Runeweaver Scholar Lv.41
Titles: Scholar Fever, Golden Scholar, Researcher of the Hidden, Headmaster, Favorite Teacher (51), Silver Tutor, World Jumper (3), Expert Biologist, Expert Chemist, Expert Orator, Golden Runeweaver, All the Enchantments, Arcane Artisan, +9 others.
Byrne put his hand on my shoulder, his bony fingers digging into my skin.
“Destiny must’ve sent you my way, Robert Clarke,” he whispered, although his words had a strange urgency. “Please believe me. The world… this world is ending.”
----
AN: Sorry for the delay. I was trapped by my family in a surprise birthday party.
Comments
bioenthusiast
hehe
Ben Bass
TYFTC! I don’t think anyone was quite prepared to have the ‘confrontation’ of Byrnes to go like that. I do hope they can work together instead of working against each other. Let’s see how this plays out in the long run.
Emmanuel Dixon
At least that's what I think
