To prevent a physical and mental meltdown upon gazing at a deity, the God of Knowledge and Wisdom sealed most of his powers within his main vessel, one of which was jettisoned into the depths of the sea, where it lay chained.
Therefore, when one spoke with the Librarian of Nautilus, they were merely speaking to an imitation, or a fragment of his true body.
As such, his presence was so weak that Cauron couldn't detect any meaningful aura from it; Mr. L appeared as a simple teenager to the average passerby.
Leonardo Drynch, on the other hand, wasn't at all similar to this; his true splendor was on full display from the moment he opened the door to the present.
His appearance ceased the commotion within the library, not a single whisper or page turn echoing through the vast space.
From high above on the skybridge, the orange-haired child gazed downward, his expression wrought with not awe, but rather, a stark curiosity.
How could one contain such power within the form of a mortal?
While knowing every piece of information about the Sea Kings through his research, he couldn't quite comprehend the sheer might of one in the flesh.
Nevertheless, as the crimson-haired man bowed his head to Mr. L calmly, and he slowly opened and closed his mouth in conversation, the boy could only watch from afar.
I can't hear from up here…
Bolting from his location towards the stairways that would bring him to the lobby, he disregarded his own safety in a trade for speed.
Nearly tripping and tumbling down the wooden stairs, he spent almost a minute descending from one of the highest floors to the ground level.
Upon reaching the floor, he ran past the growing audience who had gathered to see the Sea King in person, their eyes fixated and glistening with surprise and awe.
To Cauron, however, such a man was an enigma to science, someone who had defied the laws of nature to bend them to their will and was meant to be studied.
While Mr. L, a true god, might've been the same, he had never seen him as anything more than a grouchy father, and therefore, didn't respect him as one should a deity.
Pushing himself through the densely populated hallway, he finally entered the clearing, noticing his patron and his guest walking calmly towards the descender machine that led to the Vault of Nautilus below the library.
Attempting to rush up behind the entourage, he was stopped by a newly formed fragment of the deity, who appeared in his path.
A moment later, a message was instantly transmitted into the child's head.
"『Don't attempt to interfere when a contractee is near. It will only cause more problems than it solves.』"
The voice cut off, and the form vanished, leaving Cauron to simply watch as they vanished down the steps into the darkness of the island.
How direct…
Rolling his eyes and retreating back into the crowd, he followed the orders of his adoptive father without hesitation.
While he might occasionally act to provoke him, disobeying a direct order wasn't an option, as to disrespect the librarian, much less the one who took him in when he was a child, would be a sin of the highest magnitude.
As he sat down at the nearest desk and sprawled out his notes, he felt his mind begin to slip away, the Mark of Mystery engraved into his head coming to life.
Similar to the Sea of Dreams, which had a passive mark, the Sea of Mystery would provide its inhabitants with the ability to obtain minor information without the fear of loss.
In simpler terms, one wouldn't forget a piece of knowledge until it was deemed 'unimportant' by the world itself.
There was no logic behind what was deemed insignificant enough to be forgotten, while many theories pointed to the invisible force that stood behind the Knowledge Barrier as the foundation for the mark.
For Cauron Thorn, whose mind was already leagues ahead of his peers, the effect that would lead him to forget information simply did not exist, a mutation that would stick with him throughout life.
It was a blessing and a curse for someone like him; the only limit to his ability was the short life that mortals were given, a fact that Mr. L reminded him of commonly.
Regardless of such dark futures, as he twirled his pen in his hand and read through the ancient studies of entomology, he could only ponder what sat before him and cling to these peaceful moments where his responsibilities were few, and most importantly, his life without woe.
…
"『As you can see, Leonardo, the object you've been granted is quite useful when applied with certain magics.』"
The orange-haired boy's trance was broken by the sudden voice of his patron, only meters away from him, the deities return from the vault now confirmed.
Finally!
Standing up to run over, he paused, thinking back to his earlier words about interfering with a Sea King.
No. I shouldn't.
Twiddling his thumbs quietly, he pouted and sat back down, the curiosity in his chest bubbling like fire.
"『Well then, you shall be going now, correct?』"
Mr. L's words were impatient, as if he had spent far too much time with the crimson-haired man and was ready for a break.
"Yes, yes… Though there is one thing I am curious about."
There was a pause from the Sea King that Cauron caught with his keen sense of hearing, the God of Knowledge furrowing his brow.
"『What seems to be the issue?』"
Confident that he would know the answer to whatever question the meager mortal might throw at him, the deity responded halfheartedly as he waited for Leonardo's reply, which came soon after.
"Why is it that you have adopted that boy behind those bookshelves?"
As the last word left his mouth, a silence descended upon the space, the god seemingly speechless for a moment.
"『Impressive. I thought I had hidden his presence enough to deceive even you.』"
Before Cauron could even react, he had appeared beside his patron, his eyes darting around wildly as he tried to get a sense of his surroundings.
He, alongside the King of Dreams and the deity were inside one of the thousands of rooms spread throughout the library, the door tightly shut and a layer of mana around it.
The orange-haired boy was surprised and full of uncertainty as he looked at the black-haired god, who sighed loudly.
"『If you wish to ask questions, then ask away.』"
The ring of stardust above his head twinkled ominously, the aura of this particular fragment growing slightly.
That means he's preparing to act with Divine Authority if necessary…
When a stray lunatic wandered into the library, Mr. L would exterminate them with ease, creating the impression that he was a monster confined in the body of a mortal.
Of course, those who were frequent visitors to the library knew such a thing was untrue, only allowing the rumor to spread out of curiosity about how far it would spread.
Why risk releasing his authority in the face of a Sea King, though? If he were to injure a contractee, then surely the God of Dreams would take notice and order his recall to Heaven…
Gazing over towards the Sea King, Cauron braced himself for what the man would say to a mere child such as himself.
"You have an odd aptitude for divinity, do you not, boy?"
The crimson-haired man spoke calmly without a sliver of unsteadiness for the heavenly figure across from him.
"Do I? It's true that I've attracted even the gaze of Mr. Larr—the head librarian here; however, couldn't that just be classified as luck?"
Leonardo smiled as he heard the boy's words, a slight chuckle coming from his throat.
"You sure speak fancier than I ever could, even at the age of 10… But…"
He flipped his gaze upon the black-haired deity watching with a displeased expression.
"Mr. Larry?"
There was a brief pulse of intense mana that surged through the chamber, and Cauron's vocabulary instantly shortened.
H-he restricted the name, ■■■■■?
Cracking a smile of his own, the orange-haired boy waited for the Sea Kings actual response.
As he watched the man ponder his next words, he took a closer look at who he was truly gazing upon.
Lord Drynch was about 2 meters in height, his long, but carefully trimmed crimson hair dangling down to around ear level.
His sapphire eyes, while normally being a lightish blue, had taken on a greener shade similar to that of murky seawater, while his pale skin reflected the temperature of the room with a red hue.
The most striking characteristic of the man was his attire: a brilliant black set of metallic armor with a crimson capelet matching the color of his hair hanging over one shoulder.
Attached to that were various medals granted to him for his decades of service to the world, a minor gift to one so powerful.
Finally, only one aspect of the man left Cauron in shock, that being his supposed age compared to how he appeared.
He was born in 2913, right? How does he still appear to be in his early twenties?
Pursing his lips and restraining a comment that could potentially be considered rude, he awaited what the man was about to say.
"While it was certainly lucky for you to run into 'Mr. L' here, your day-to-day life would be impossible without that very aptitude I inquire about."
A muffled sound could be heard from the fragmented deity, Cauron, catching it out of the corner of his eye.
"...Lord Drynch, could it be that you believe that I wouldn't have survived meeting Mr. L if it wasn't for this specialness?"
The sapphire-eyed man nodded solemnly, his gaze flickering between the child and the god.
"To be more specific, it should be impossible for one to spend the amount of time around a deity as you have without being a vessel for that very god's descent. Therefore, I have come to pose a question to both of you."
He bit his lip as he watched the God of Knowledge lean in, the crown above his black hair flickering oddly.
"Would you consider helping Lord Brymyn, Lord Belvedere, and I, Lord Drynch, with locating or creating more Ghostships?"