Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Undeserving

 

A small figure lay dazedly sprawled on a bed in a large bedroom. After breakfast, Larry had found himself at a loss as to what he should do for the day. Now that Christiana’s 13th birthday soul bonding ceremony was creeping upon him, he was attempting to enter a state of blissful hibernation to pass the time. 

Modern technology did not exist in this fantasy world, and lacking those outlets made him start itching in irritation before long. The palace itself had all sorts of priceless artworks and decorative architecture for the royal family’s viewing pleasure, but the novelty of staring at those things only lasted for so long. Of course, he could have started physically training Christiana’s body to gain strength, but reasoned that one day of relaxation to properly organize his thoughts would be more beneficial in the long run. 

In short, he was bored as hell, and was too lazy to do anything about it.

His thoughts ran through significant events and characters that he could remember from The Guardian Knight’s Saga. Sure, the novel itself started when the main cast first attended Aesir Academy at 13 years of age, but Larry wanted to properly go through any information that could possibly save Christiana’s life in the future. 

If I could befriend members of the main cast from Christiana’s class, I might be able to have them help me when the first wave of attacks hits the Lorien Kingdom three years in the future. Aside from the protagonist Rayden Havelocke, all members of the novel’s primary cast were formidable in their own right, having contracted powerful relics in their bonding ceremonies. If he enlisted their help, then Christiana’s safety was all but ensured. Larry would also be lying if he said he wasn’t interested in meeting these influential figures from the novel.

Wait… novel?

The girl on the bed sat up with renewed vigor and her eyes burned with anticipation. It was at this moment that Larry received a divine revelation.Even if this world didn’t have MMORPGs, gaming consoles or mobile phones, it surely had its own fair share of riveting novels and stories that he could indulge in. And right now he was in the royal palace of the Lorien Kingdom, which housed a grand library matched by few others. 

“Griselda!” He summoned his superhuman maid and personal navigator. Like lightning, the doors to the room burst open and she appeared as if waiting for his call. 

“I am here, your highness!”

After conveying where he wished to go, Griselda quickly led him to the palace’s library. Stepping in it for the first time was akin to setting foot in a brand new world, which arguably was, in fact, true.

 Larry looked around in awestruck wanderlust as his nose was instantly saturated with the smell of dust and old paper. The palace library stretched across a vast expanse, and was lined with endlessly long bookshelves several times his height, and filled to the brim with various volumes and texts. Stairs branched upwards at multiple points leading to an upper deck with more shelves as well as tall windows which let in ambient light. At the center of it all was a large clearing with many desks and chairs neatly spaced out.

With stacks of books and documents surrounding him on all sides, James was sitting behind one of the desks. He was hunched over a thick book, his sharp face accentuated by thin-framed glasses, and his serious and absorbed demeanor created an image of inviolable serenity. 

Sadly, it was not to last.

“J-James?” Someone unable to read the mood let out a barely audible squeak. 

The boy looked up, a little startled by the interruption. He turned towards the source of the noise who was fumbling with her fingers as she walked up to him. 

“Sister? What brings you here at this time? I don’t think you’ve finished completing the previous exercise books I’ve given you.”

“I’ve just come to get books to read for entertainment, if uh, you aren’t too busy right now?” Larry nervously asked, giving a side glance to the papers strewn around the table. He was worried that he was interrupting important work in progress. Fortunately, James stood up and dusted his clothes off.

“Well, it shouldn’t be too much trouble. What can I do for you?”

“Ah, if it’s alright with you, can you help me pick out books in these genres?” Larry began listing out his favorite light novel genres back on Earth. 

Although hard to believe, The Guardian Knight’s Saga had revealed that it was actually James who organized much of the current inventory in the royal library, with a few assistants as needed. He was practically the palace’s resident librarian, easily the best person to ask if one needed help to find a certain book.

“Hmm…” James was speechless. Action, comedy, and even romance? When had Christiana ever enjoyed reading from such genres?

Well, he sighed, this was at least more normal for a girl her age. 

“Follow me.” He started to lead Larry around the massive room, sometimes stopping to retrieve an interesting book out of its shelf as they went around the library.

In the end, Larry happily hugged several novels in his arms. He was almost drooling in anticipation; he now finally had something to distract himself with. 

“Thank you very much, big bro!” Larry unintentionally spoke in slang, causing James to drop his mouth open in shock. 

“*cough*, well, it wasn’t much. If you need help carrying these books back to your room, I can spare some time.” 

“Ah, no need! Griselda’s waiting for me just out those doors; I’ll have her carry them back with us.” Larry excitedly pranced towards the doors leading out of the library. Greeting his maid outside, he dumped his books into her waiting arms. 

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“...” The maid who had unconsciously stretched out her arms to hug the cute animal which leaped out from the library doors instead found herself being treated as a convenient carrier. Griselda could only swallow her tears and bear with her grieving heart. 

Looking at the departing figures of his sister and her maid, James thought to himself:

That girl, doesn’t she look livelier than usual?

 

It was now deep into the night. A girl lay on her chest with a book opened before her. A nearby magically lit lamp gave ample lighting for her to continue reading as she hummed. 

For the entire day, Larry had immersed himself within the novels he had taken from the library. He was already finished with one volume and was a good chunk into another. His mind was starting to ache from accumulated fatigue, having imagined countless scenes from the worlds he dove into. Letting out a yawn, he bookmarked his current page after finishing one last chapter for the night and switched off the lamp. 

Almost instantly, everything became shrouded in darkness, as not even the moon’s dull glow could breach through the room’s heavy curtains. 

Despite feeling exhausted from a day’s worth of reading, a foreboding feeling of discomfort made him uneasy. No matter how long he closed his eyes, sleep didn’t claim him. 

His vision danced with objects whose silhouettes flickered in and out of existence in the absence of light. His ears registered nothing but the slightest rustles made by his restless body. If it wasn’t for the feeling of silk under his bare skin, he would have thought he had once again entered the formless void from which he came. In pitch black darkness and unsettling silence he lay, with only his thoughts to keep him company as he lay painfully awake. 

In this state, Larry reviewed the events he went through since waking up from his dream the night before. 

He was nearly crushed to death by a maid who eagerly served and devoted everything to her princess. He was doted on by a father and mother who greatly treasured and adored their daughter. And he was teased by two brothers who cared for their sister even if they didn’t explicitly show it. 

The discomfort within him spiked, and he then understood.

Having lost himself in the blissful warmth of a family for the first time in a while, it was only natural that he didn’t realize it earlier.

That none of them were truly looking at “Larry”. 

In their eyes, he was the sole daughter of the royal family, the perfect princess, Christiana Lapis Lorien. They didn’t know that the person they showered their affection onto wasn’t her, but instead an impostor who took over her body. 

Slowly, a feeling of emptiness crept into his chest and seeped through his veins, making his blood run cold. 

This world was real. Everyone’s kind faces as they looked at “him”, the pleasant bickering with “his” siblings, everything was real. And yet those happy feelings he experienced and the overflowing love and goodwill he received were never meant for him, but for Christiana. He was nothing but an impersonator. 

A fake. 

On Earth, he was a faulty cog that wouldn’t fit anywhere in society. He wasted his life away indulging in meaningless games and fictional stories trying to distract himself from the world around him. He escaped from all his responsibilities and fears, and tried to hide from the regret and self loathing which plagued him throughout the years. He was a person scorned by everyone, even his own family. 

That was the individual named Larry Chrysler. 

Guilt, trepidation, and melancholy all warred in his body and mind as he continued to produce  these discordant, agonizing thoughts. 

Why was he even here if he was to live a lie? Was there a need for him to come to this world, when the original owner of the body he stole could have accomplished much more than he ever could?

Did he, a loser and a quitter, deserve to fill the exalted seat of a heroine?

He desperately cried out such questions in his mind, but the empty darkness yielded no answers. The only solace it offered him came in the form of slumber.

He soon found himself succumbing to its cold comforts as it engulfed him.

 

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