At night, the girls could not sleep because of the incident. They kept watching the sky through the window.

Miki: Shizuru, they are not real. They are just characters in the book.

Shizuru: The book that we've read, didn't have them.

Miki: Is that different?

Shizuru: Miki chan, this world is too real for me.

Miki: If it is real, then what you're gonna do?

Shizuru: ...

Miki: For me, I'm with your choice as always.

Shizuru: *Smile*

Shizuru: D..Daddy.

Alistair walked and stood between Miki and Shizuru. He also patted the girls' shoulders gently.

Alistair: I don't like to see someone die. But, I'm happy to see they die happily. Not everyone can choose how they end.

Miki: ...

Shizuru: Then, don't let someone die in front of us again.

Alistair: You are in the world that... death is not a grief, but also the solution.

Miki: ...

Shizuru: Daddy...

Alistair: Did they smile to you before they left?

Shizuru: Yes.

Alistair: And, did you smile back to them?

Shizuru: We...

Alistair: Every journey has its end. Next time, don't cry. Give them your best smile. Let them know that you are happy to be there, to send them off to the new beginning.

Alistair: Turn a bad memory to be a good one.

The following day, Alistair, Lusto and Nialla were in a private room at the palace. Alistair and Nialla were calm while Lustro was clearly in anger.

Nialla: According to Misha, she found many human bones under the burned library.

Lustro: So, whose bones are they?

Nialla: Late kings' concubines.

Lustro: How do you know?

Nialla: Princess Miki and Princess Shizuru told me.

Lustro: I don't believe them.

Nialla: Have you ever heard about missing concubines?

Lustro: That's just a rumor.

Nialla: After they went missing, all their records and portraits were destroyed. Don't you think it's quite strange?

Lustro: ...

How about that old librarian? Did you find his corpse?

Nialla: I think he was burned into ashes.

Lustro: Then, why are those bones not burned?

Alistair: Because of the black gem that I used. It turned the blue flame back to its original... the bones.

Lustro: Hmm... You seem know a lot.

Nialla: How did you get that gem?

Alistair: Queen Helene gave it to me.

Lustro: What!?

Nialla: I had read about her story. She is one of the greatest alchemist in the history.

Alistair: That's right. She was genius but unlucky. If she married the right man, she would not end up like this.

Nialla: ...

Lustro: Anyway, I heard that she went missing. Where did you meet her?

Alistair: In Easteria.

Lustro: Really?

Alistair: She escaped to Easteria and hid her true identity since then. I met her by chance and she told me the secret of missing concubines.

Lustro: *Nervous face*

Nialla: Are you ok, Lustro?

You looks nervous.

Alistair: [Hmm...]

Lustro: I'm fine.

Alistair, please continue.

Queen Helene's husband, King Leonard was considered as one of the greatest king in Westernia Empire history. He was famous in territorial expansion and womanizer. Although he had many concubines but only woman that he truly respected was his queen, Queen Helene. The queen had no interest in her husband's affairs and was busy with her experiments.

Later, Queen Helene found that her husband, King Leonard killed his concubines after he was tired of them. She also learned that he used her new taxidermy experiment on human which she could not forgive. Therefore, she ran away.

Lustro: But King Leonard was not an alchemist. How can he do that?

Alistair: He had an assistant.

Lustro: Do you mean that old man in the library?

Alistair: May I ask, how much do you know about that man?

Lustro: He was there for a long time and good for a job.

Alistair: He was not ordinary if he could handle everything in such a big library alone.

Lustro: That makes sense.

Nialla: How about the nymph?

Alistair: I don't know much about her. I only know that she was Queen Helene's friend and also King Leonard's concubine.

Lustro: How about the blue flame?

Alistair: It was from the taxidermy experiment. Only the skin and external organs turned into ceramic. The bones were dissolved into a blue liquid and destroyed all inner organs. If you lit a fire with that blue liquid, you will get an eternal flame. The black gem is only item to reverse it back to the bones.

Nialla: It seems to me that Queen Helene had predicted all of these.

Alistair: She assumed that burning everything is the best to hide someone's flaws.

Lustro: ...

Nialla: What do you think, Lustro?

Lustro: People believe that Leonard is a hero who expanded Westernia Empire territory. But... in order to protect his reputation, do I have to sacrifice that priceless royal library!?

Alistair: One thing I would like to remind you. The cause of the fire was not from my daughters.

Lustro: But if your daughters weren't there!!!

Nialla: Stop! Both of you.

Lustro: Nialla, don't tell me that you want me to forgive and forget?

Nialla: Of course not. I have a solution for this.

Nialla: There is a replica of the royal library.

Lustro: Really?

Alistair: ...

Nialla: Everything in the royal of library was copied and distributed to local communities. Did you forget that?

Lustro: That's right! The new policy aims to raise local talents.

Nialla: Countess Cassandra who is in charge of the system will join your birthday's party. So, you can ask her for more detail.

Lustro: You do it, Nialla. I don't like that woman.

Nialla: ...

Alistair: And how about me?

Nialla: You have to compensate for damages.

Alistair: How much do you want?

Nialla: Just a recipe for that black gem.

Alistair: I don't have it but I still have two gems left.

Nialla: Then, please give them to us and you have to take care of the repairing cost.

Alistair: No problem.

At the hotel, Miki and Shizuru were very exhausted from the yesterday. Consequently, they slept deeply for a whole day. Alistair secretly visited them as soon as he arrived. He stood in front of their room for a while before he left.

To be continue . . .