So, while Hazard and Virgil were away to the train station, delivering some books, Sir Alvard and Dryad stayed.

"Is there something you would like to tell me, Sir?" Dryad asked.

Instead of answering, Sir Alvard walked through the shelves, he was amazed by how many books there are in this library. He stopped at one shelf and ran his fingers along the spines of all those book titles.

"What a beautiful collection we have here..," he mumbled to himself as he kept on looking around.

Dryad followed his steps, walking slightly behind and still waiting for him to explain something.

"Dryad, you see... Haze never knew that such 'thing' existed in this library. It's better that no one else knows. Besides, I don't want to involve him much further because Alexey used to consider him as his own dear brother."

"Haze never knew that such a thing existed? You mean.. that grimoire?" Dryad asked.

"Yes. Virgil and I had kept it secret for years, even from Vlad himself. Until suddenly... Zaard came and told you about that. On the day he came to you, I was actually surprised that you could see him. But at that time, I decided to let you talk with him because I was curious about what he would say to you."

"W...what do you mean? Are you saying that not all people can see Zaard?" Dryad frowned in confusion. "So, he is a ghost?!"

Sir Alvard noticed her nervous tone and tried to calm her down, "relax, Dryad...," he placed a hand on her shoulder. "He's not a ghost. And he's not dead yet. He is a wandering soul."

Dryad said nervously, "enlighten me?" She was surprised by his remark.

Sir Alvard smiled and chuckled a bit, "Dryad, brace yourself. Because if I tell you the truth, I am afraid you will be scared and most probably run out from this place," he warned.

She frowned, her curiosity was always bigger than her fear , "Why? Tell me!"

Sir Alvard hesitated and finally he said, "It's complicated.. Where should I start? Ah... first thing first, I must tell you this. If one dies, their souls would be seperated from this world and could no longer connect to us because their souls go directly to the world of afterlife. However... wandering souls means that the person is not entirely dead. they are, somehow.. trapped between two worlds. There are some factors that lead to this state, whether they're in comatose state OR if their body and soul are forcibly separated by some kind of unimaginable power..." he paused for a moment and looked at her, "do you still want me to continue?"

Dryad nodded, "Please, continue, Sir Alvard."

"Well, maybe after this you will see the world in a way which will choke your breath. And the experience will change your life forever. you'll realize there are more sides to reality than what people told you. Anyway, have you ever wondered why all the staff called you mad every time you talked to Zaard? That's because... ordinary people simply cannot see the old Zaard. He is now a soul without flesh, after all," he explained.

"B..but.. but I wonder... he looks so normal! I mean.. I see him do everything like other people do. And why is it only me who can see him and no one else?" Dryad stammered and her eyes went wide in realization. "And... you and Virgil can see him too, right?"

Sir Alvard nodded, "Yes. But I can't explain why. There are many mysteries behind what we can see and can do, my dear. There are also many different things we don't know about. But that's only a small part of it. Some things are not possible for ordinary beings to know. This truth... is an example," Sir Alvard said and paused for a while, examining her reaction. "Dryad, you're not scared, are you?"

"Well.. I..." she hesitated but then said, "I was only surprised to hear your explanation. In other situations, maybe I would be scared. However, somehow I don't feel afraid, knowing that I'm not alone here. You're with me, after all." Dryad admitted and Sir Alvard nodded.

A comfortable silence followed before Sir Alvard spoke again. "Let's hope I haven't traumatized you too much..?"

Dryad shook her head "No. Not at all."

Sir Alvard then said, "Now you know, that is the reason why Zaard asked you to look for the Grimoire. Lord Vlad also had the same interest, though for different reasons," Sir Alvard continued his walking while examining the books on the shelves.
"Rumor said, the specific grimoire that they're looking for was written by one of the devils, Ashmedai, and it holds a great power, no one can destroy it. This grimoire, along with other dark spells, also contains a secret of how to make the elixir of eternal youth."

"Eternal youth? Is that even possible?" Dryad raised her eyebrows.

Sir Alvard chuckled bitterly, "You don't believe it? Well.. I don't believe it either. It sounds like a bait so humans would willingly sell their souls to the devil. But Vlad strongly believes in it." he said.

Dryad furrowed her brows, and asked uncertainty, "Are there people who sell their souls? To the devil?"

"Yes. sadly yes. All members of the Basilisk House, including Vlad and his followers are the example," he said with a somber look.

"And how did he know about the grimoire?" she asked again.

"It's a long story. And quite a dark secret," he answered almost immediately. "Basilisk House has been practicing occultism for hundreds of years. They worshiped Ashmedai for the sake of the House's glory and wealth. As Vladislav became the head of the House, Ashmedai revealed his grimoire to Vlad by himself. That was why he knew about the grimoire and its secret. However before Vlad could find it, one of his demon slaves -that actually had been banished- stole the grimoire and gave it to me instead. As I said before, the grimoire cannot be destroyed, but we definitely can hide it. So... I hid it."
Then, she asked again, "So why did you hide it?"

"I cannot allow anyone to use that grimoire. The aura is far too strong. Vlad will sense it whenever anyone uses it. Behind his facade as a polite gentleman, Vlad is actually a sadistic and cruel human being. If he finds the grimoire and other dark spells written in it, we would all be in danger that we could never imagine. Something that might be even worse than the civil war."

Dryad thought silently for a moment. There was something nagging her mind that she felt, but she couldn't understand it. The grimoire seemed to contain something evil.

"What about Zaard? Why does he also want it?"

"Zaard is a different story. He used to be the head of the butler, very loyal. Until, Vlad married Zaard's daughter and she was about to be sacrificed in some rituals. Zaard came to me for help and I agreed. We managed to free her secretly. Though Vlad didn't notice me, he somehow knew that Zaard was involved. So, without us noticing, it seemed that Vlad did some rituals to separate Zaard's body and soul. Vlad hid his body somewhere in another world so he could not go back. I have explained to you that Zaard does not entirely die. He's a wandering soul trapped between two worlds. He simply needs the grimoire to unite his body and soul so that he could come back again to live before it's too late." Sir Alvard paused as Dryad listened to him quietly.

Dryad nodded in understanding before she asked again, "Sir, so you mean... If Zaard can't find the grimoire before his time runs out, his soul cannot go back to his original body? And if so,then he will disappear from our world and be trapped in another world instead, right?" Dryad repeated. Indicating that she is now aware of the truth.

"Correct. If the time runs out, Zard will be trapped in Another World for his entire life. He will no longer be human, but become one of the demons, living a miserable life as a slave to them forever. That would be more torturing than death itself," Sir Alvard said.

Dryad pondered for a moment, "Now it sparks another question in mind. What is the difference between "Another World" and "The Afterlife?"

"Another World is different from The Afterlife, Dryad. Afterlife is the place where souls of the dead continue on their journey. So, someday... After we die, we will also return to the afterlife. Meanwhile, Our World and Another World run at the same time but in different spaces. Just like humans who belong to their own world, Another World is where the devils and demons live." Sir Alvard then stopped walking and turned around to face Dryad.
"I'm sorry if I have been talking too much. Now.. I think we have gone this far. Keep everything I have explained only to yourself," he said seriously.

She nodded, "I promise to keep this secret. And I understand now, I will stop searching for that evil grimoire," She said with the same serious tone while looking directly into his eyes.

Sir Alvard nodded in approval. He felt relieved to hear that and said again,
"Thank you, Dryad. I appreciate your discretion. I see that you have a very keen intuition and insight. I hope that my trust in you is not misplaced."