Valerian, The Legendary

299 The Guardian & The Diversity.

Valerian slept on the radiant floor for a few hours to recover from the fatigue before he woke up from the knocks on the door. His reaction would have been quicker, but the journey and sleeplessness had made him tired.

There was not a single piece of land where the two people could have rested while traveling for the past few days. He opened the door while yawning, and the person on the other side greeted him with a slight bow and said, “Master Valerian, the Guardian wishes to see you.”

Valerian nodded and said, “Yes, give me a moment to put on my shoes.”

The acolyte nodded, and Valerian put on his shoes before they left to see the Guardian. He did not know what the person wanted to talk to him about, but he sure wanted to learn more about this human Guardian of the dragons.

When he found that the three guardians were humans and were supposed to guard the temples, he wanted to know what made these three humans worthy. The young man followed the acolyte through the lavish corridors and sighed.

The acolyte asked, “Something on your mind, Master Valerian?”

Valerian shook his head and said, “I have no idea what to say. This place looks like a palace rather than a temple.”

The acolyte laughed lowly and said, “Indeed, when I first came here, I found it to be the same as yours. However, over time I discovered that it looks like a grand palace because it represents the will of the dragon god. It is eternal, ever flourishing, and forever strong. This is what the castle means.

The luxury you see does not matter to the dragons, but when we see something grand and majestic, we somehow compare it with things around us. How can anything surpass the majesty of the dragon god?”

.....

Valerian nodded and said, “I see.”

He did not believe much in this ideology. He thought he was too young or immature. However, he was not convinced the dragon god would bless some buildings to project his glory. Though it could be true, this was the case. Who knew what the gods were thinking?

Valerian walked behind the acolyte for a few minutes before they came to a room. The palace was not lit with the solaris stone. However, the walls did have candelabras hanging and illuminating the dark corridors. He asked, “Is magic forbidden inside the temple?”

The acolyte nodded and said, “Indeed, it is forbidden. Legends say that the throne mountain can cancel all the mana in its surroundings. Therefore, one will need to reach the summit to use magic. Thus, only the Guardian is allowed to use magic.”

Valerian nodded and said, “So the temple follows the ways of dragons.”

The acolyte nodded, and then, after reaching a door at the end of the corridor, he stopped and said, “His eminence is waiting for you on the other side.”

Valerian thought about it and nodded. He was not very trustful of these people. They did not show their faces. He was somewhat restrained about entering the room, but what could he do? He came here to learn and improve himself.

The silver-haired prince knocked on the door, and a deep voice sounded from inside, “Come in.”

Valerian pushed the door and entered inside. The room was akin to a study. However, it was bigger than Libra’s study in the Lumen Empire. The decoration was again screaming of luxury and vintage. The young man found the man in question to be sitting in front of a big window. He was reading a few scrolls placed on his table.

Valerian bowed and greeted the man. Altamash was wearing a red hood with golden trims. Even his eyes were invisible. However, he returned the greeting with a gentle bow and said, “Master Valerian, please have a seat. I will be with you in a few minutes. Something urgent came up.”

The young man nodded, and without saying anything, he sat down on a chair across the table. However, Valerian maintained an upright posture. He sat with his back straight and his hands placed on his knees. He did not lean his back against the chair.

Altamash must have noticed this, but he did not react. Valerian did not make any sound and waited patiently. However, the Guardian before him seemed to have forgotten about his existence. He was opening one scroll after the other. The prince did not mind and began to use his time to practice his mana channeling and battle aura channeling.

It seemed as if the Guardian was waiting for this moment. Then, he abruptly put down the scroll in his hand and said, “Master Valerian, how do you feel?”

The young man frowned slightly and said, “I feel fine. Thank you, Your Eminence.”

The man nodded, and the conical hood over his head bobbed. Valerian asked, “Was there any special reason why you summoned me over, Your Eminence?”

Altamash nodded and said, “I thought you might be curious about the place and surroundings here. So, I decided to give you a chance and read as many books as possible before sunrise.”

Valerian was surprised, and then controlling his agitation, he nodded and said, “I shall use this opportunity to the best of my abilities. Again you have my gratitude, Your Eminence.”

Altamash nodded and said, “All the books here are at your disposal. If you do not understand anything, please ask me.”

Valerian nodded and stood up. He said, “Your Eminence, thank you for the opportunity. I shall get started if you do not mind.”

Altamash nodded and thought, ‘This kid is cunning to avoid getting entangled with me any further.’

Valerian was going through the books on the shelves thinking, ‘This guy is tricky. He wasted an hour before he told me to check the books. So he is not a friend or testing me with some intention. What could that be?’

The two people developed opinions of each other, and they were not good. Finally, Valerian decided to cease the initiative. While skimming through the unorganized shelves, he asked, “Your Eminence, why do the priests wear hoods?”

The question came as a surprise to Altamash. Never did he think anyone would ask him this. He thought briefly and then said, “Do you know that dragons happen to be the realm’s guardians?”

Valerian nodded, and the Guardian continued, “The job of a guardian is to protect everything they are entrusted to from the shadows. Although the priests of the dragon temple all have a family, we do not ask followers to abandon everything. After all, we must protect the feelings entrusted to us. Right?”

Valerian nodded, and the Guardian kept going about moral duties. Finally, after two minutes, the Guardian sucked a deep breath and said, “Along with responsibilities, we have liabilities too. We stand to protect order, and those who seek chaos target us. We cover our faces because we do not want our families to be troubled by them.”

Valerian nodded and said, “It is commendable how you and the rest of the priests are ready to face the dangers of restoring order in the world.”

Altamash waved his hand and said, “You exaggerate our character. We only do what we believe.”

The young man shook his head slightly and said, “Following your belief is tough. You do not know what it is like for those who do not have a belief of their own.”

Altamash looked at his back and found that the kid was engrossed in a book describing the law code of the continent. Valerian did not continue talking and began to brush up on his skills. After all, it was already evening, and half the day was lost.

The young man was so engrossed in all the knowledge that he did not even care whether Altamash had left the study.

...

The study door was opened in the morning, and Valerian found that Altamash had returned. TGuardianian said, “Master Valerian, time is up. Please follow me to the temple of mercy.”

Valerian was reluctant, but he placed the book down and walked over. The young man followed Altamash, who said, ‘The reason I am taking you along is for you to find a set of bright-colored clothes. But, unfortunately, the temple of mercy does not favor black much.”

Valerian was dressed in his traditional black pants and shirt. He did not think much and asked, “Your Eminence, can I use the currency from the western continent here?”

Altamash nodded and said, “You can; the value of gold is the same everywhere.”

Valerian nodded, and the two people came to the marketplace near the dragon temple. At this moment, Valerian realized that his life was about to change at an extreme level. This continent was filled with people, who had distinctive characters.

One lady had a legs of a deer but body of a human. Then a man had a head of a lion with a body of a human. Valerian did not know how to express his feelings at this moment.