A Distant Reverie

Chapter 1

"Heeey," a sweet, bewitching voice danced in my ears.

"Careful now. Try not to move too suddenly, alright?"

But alas, I couldn't afford the peace of mind to indulge in the charming melodic tones. Why? Because, currently, right beneath my delicate chin, was a slab of sharp metal. To be precise, a sword. Pressed firmly against my throat. It was probably no exaggeration that, if I so much twitch or move a single muscle, the cool razor edge will instantly cut my aorta. I could only imagine the terrible pain and the deluge of blood that would pour out of my body. As much as I yearned for the sweet release of death, I much preferred it to be painless and clean.

Forcing myself to be as still as possible, I carefully examined my attacker. The owner of the sword was a petite, beautiful woman, possessing an unusual tone of red hair. A black oversized jacket dangled over her shoulders, while she was adorned in a crimson red top. A pair of sword sheaths hung at her waist. One of her eyes oddly covered by an eye-patch. Yet, resting on her small head was a comedically large hat, resembling those wore by seafaring captains. It was an outrageous outfit, devoid of practicality, yet somehow it didn't feel out of place on her. Maybe this was what they meant about beautiful people being able to wear anything.

"Now mister, I have a few questions." She smiled brightly, yet the smile failed to reach her crimson eyes. Instead, a familiar gleam of madness radiated from her piercing gaze. Yes, I think I'm certain of it now.

This woman is crazy.

And I hated dealing with crazy people. They were impossible to rationalize with—as if they operated on a different realm of logic beyond common sense. Hence, "crazy." And as much as I avoided them, sometimes life just throws you a surprise that you can't avoid. In my case, it was the sharp blade pressed against my throat that was threatening to bleed me dry.

"...Ask away."

"Good. Do tell me, mister. Where exactly are we?"

Where are we? That's a good question. A surprisingly logical one, coming from my crazy, potential murderer. Let's see, what was the last thing I remembered? Right. Before I woke up to a sword rudely pointed at me, I was in the Grand Library of Alexandria. I, Vesper Noir, was a librarian and researcher. I was going about my day as usual, organizing a new set of historical texts that arrived from the Imperial Academy. After that, I planned on preparing my next experiment. And after that...back to organizing books, I suppose.

Some called this a dull life, but I very much enjoyed being in the presence of books. There was something about the scent of dried ink on paper that brought an ethereal comfort.

Hmm. Comfort. I could really use some comfort right now.

I've been leaning against the trunk of some large tree, while trying to be as still as possible. The rough edges of the bark were starting to dig into my back. The glare of the sun was also becoming unbearable. Librarians weren't built to be spending time outdoors—especially a man as dedicated to the job as I.

In fact, why was I outdoors? I rarely stepped outside the Grand Library of Alexandra—there was no reason to. My every need was taken care of within its facilities.

"I'm afraid I don't know."

"Hmm? Really?" The woman narrowed her eyes, seemingly unconvinced. For some reason, the blade on my throat felt just a tiny bit heavier a second before.

"Say. You're a sorcerer, aren't you? Don't try to lie, I can sense mana from you."

"I-if you mean a spellcaster, then yes. I'm a spellcaster."

"Right." Goosebumps. Her crimson eye suddenly grew murderous. "The last thing I remembered was sailing with my crew in the middle of the vast ocean. And now I'm suddenly on land, in the middle of nowhere."

"I can assure you, I have nothing to do—"

"Really now?"

"I also have no idea how I ended up here!" The woman narrowed her eyes.

"T-there's a gap in my memories! I don't know where we are either!" I tried to explain.

"That sounds awfully convenient, spellcaster." Her voice dropped a pitch, indicating her dwindling patience.

"I'm a librarian! From the Great Alexandria!" Surely, she's heard of the Great Alexandria Empire—

"Never heard of it."

Huh? Her face was dead serious. I felt a sinking weight in my stomach.

"Then..." I gulped nervously, "how can I convince you?"

"Hmmm..." The surrounding air suddenly thickened with a suffocating bloodlust.

"Die, I guess."

Eh? There was a flash of light as the sword beneath my chin moved.

Spat!

My vision tilted as my head fell to the ground.

...

...

"...Hey."

...

"Hey!"

Huh? Somehow, I could still hear the bewitching voice of my killer.

"...You are a spellcaster, right?" The menacing voice took on a much lenient tone as I opened my eyes. What just happened?! The woman finally dropped her sword, allowing me to move. My body instantly gave in as I slumped against the base of the tree. My back was dredged in cold sweat.

I was sure I just died there. The movement of the sword, the sound of blood spattering as it poured out of my neck, my detached head falling to the ground... Did I imagine it?! I touched my neck to confirm. My head was still intact and attached. Somehow.

"Were you seriously just going to let me kill you like that? What are you, a pacifist?" The crazy woman started to berate me like I was the insane person here. Luckily, her murderous intent seemed to have dissipated. With the suffocating pressure gone, I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure.

"...I told you, I'm a librarian."

The crazy woman stared at me for a couple of seconds, before letting out a resigned sigh. To my great relief, she sheathed her sword. My pacifist policy seemed to have convinced her that I wasn't a threat.

"So you say," she paused for a moment. "...Fine, I'll pretend to believe in you for now," the woman said, frowning, "So mister, what's your name?"

"Vesper Noir."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Noir." I didn't want to return her greetings after having a sword shoved to my throat, but seeing the weapons attached to her hips made me nervous. The hallucination of my own death still lingered in my mind. In the end, I decided to swallow my pride.

"Right, likewise, um..."

"Marine Houshou. Heard of me?"

I shook my head.

"Hmm...then, how about the Houshou Pirates?" Marine stared at me with eyes of anticipation, as if she was fully expecting that I would recognize the name. Pirates, huh? I guess that explains the seafaring outfit and the eye-patch. And greeting people with sharp objects pointed at their throats.

"I'm afraid not."

Marine folded her arms as she murmured to herself.

"Hmmm, I'm sure I raided the Bracken Sea enough to have my name known throughout the continent..."

I decided not to comment on that terrifying statement. The woman in front of me was not only insane, but also a famous criminal apparently. It's just odd that I haven't heard of her before.

"And you haven't heard of the Great Alexandria Empire?"

"Can't say I have."

I narrowed my eyes. Something odd was going on.