After finishing his training, Aldes went to clean himself. His private bathroom was very spacious. The floor was made of solid black marble. A large bathtub carved from natural stone sat in the middle of the room. Hot water flowed from a brass pipe. White steam billowed slowly into the air, spreading a warm sensation.
Aldes soaked his body. He leaned his head against the edge of the stone tub.
"Earth's water heating technology is still better," Aldes muttered.
His eyes stared at the ceiling of the room. Beyond the matter of bathing comfort, he realized he was in a very unsafe world. Three remaining human kingdoms. What exactly happened to this world? Why was he here? Did someone send him to this place? By whom and why did he have to enter Aldes's body?
A barrage of questions flooded his head without answers.
Aldes shifted his sitting position. He remembered Martius. The red-haired man did not seem like a very bad person. Martius was probably just a man crazy about fighting. Aldes exhaled slowly from his mouth. When he was still actively competing in boxing on Earth, he also often met opponents with that kind of nature.
Aldes's thoughts then shifted to the last incident in the training room. Why did Klaus and that witch kick him out? What was actually happening out there? Should he be on guard tonight?
This was only his first day back alive. Why were there already suspicious things appearing.
After bathing, Aldes changed his clothes and returned to his room. He ate his lunch alone at the wooden table. Earlier, a maid came to invite him to attend a meal with the other royal family members. Aldes rejected the offer. The thing that surprised him a little was the maid's expression. The maid looked relieved and had already expected Aldes to refuse.
"Should I act like the original Aldes?" Aldes muttered softly.
He chewed the last piece of meat on his plate. His eyes looked out the glass window. The sunlight began to turn orange, illuminating the roof of the palace building. The time had entered the late afternoon. The gathering dinner banquet would be held at ten tonight. Aldes still had about six hours.
He immediately gulped down all the water in his glass. He stood up and prepared to go to the library.
The path to the underground library was very silent. The palace corridors radiated a cold luxury. The floor was decorated with intricate and precise carvings of the star of Solomon pattern. The left and right walls were coated with clean white marble that reflected the yellow light from the wall lamps.
Aldes's shoe steps echoed, bouncing off the stone corridor. The location was quite deep underground. The surrounding air slowly felt cooler and more damp.
Aldes arrived at the bottom end of the stairs. A giant wooden gate towered in front of him. Two stone statues shaped like knights holding swords flanked the gate.
The library was guarded very strictly. There were two royal Guardians standing firmly in front of the door. They wore thick dark blue military clothing wrapped in bright red cloaks.
Hearing the sound of approaching footsteps, the two guards turned their heads. Their eyes instantly widened. Surprise was clearly visible on their faces seeing who was coming to this place.
One of the guards immediately straightened his body and saluted. "Master Aldes!"
Aldes stared at the two guards, then looked toward the wooden gate.
This library is located underground and guarded in multiple layers. Are the knowledge and books inside here quite dangerous?
The two guards turned around. They pushed the sides of the giant wooden gate simultaneously. The creaking sound of the iron hinges sounded heavy and long. The library gate opened wide, letting Aldes step inside the vast room filled with the scent of old paper.