Chapter 13: The Library

Everyone agreed to meet after classes the following day to go to the library. Sen and Mori got out of class a little earlier than the others, so they sat on the floor of their room going through everything Mori collected during the festival quest.

It was good to learn what all they had gained, and if they were lucky, they’d be able to find a hint or something hidden among their loot. Whether it told them why the hooded men had taken the students in the first place, or what they were after in general. Any information could be useful.

The most profitable of what Mori collected was the wide assortment of lower-grade magic essence spheres of almost every element. They’d gained nearly a hundred spheres in total. With these, he’d be able to experiment with and create new spells, and he hoped to do so soon. It would be best in a dedicated spell-crafting room, though, and the first years didn’t have access to one. He’d need to figure out a solution for that.

Alongside the spheres, Mori had collected magic beast parts, much of which came from creatures even Sen hadn’t recognized. Though he had little use for them, he took the time to study a few of the more interesting components. A unique wing structure here, an organ for storing elemental magic there. Researching such things would only improve his creation magic techniques. Though that was off the table until he had access to high-grade magic essence spheres again. After a while, he passed the task on to Mori. His replica enjoyed dissecting new creatures more than he did. Once Mori finished, he could pass on any useful analysis.

Essence spheres and magic beast parts. Sen frowned. “This stuff is valuable in bulk, but…it’s next to worthless if they were planning to sell Brightsail Academy students to some foreign nation to fight for them.”

Mori peered closely into the tube of the crab’s leg and nodded as if something had clicked into place for him. He sat it down in the pile he was finished with and reached for something new. This time it looked like a bear’s paw, except the wrist of the severed hand had a tiny wing attached to it. “That’s been bothering me as well. Plus the fact that they were so concerned over the number of students they took. Wouldn’t an extra student mean more profit for them? Either they only had the capacity to take so many, or…well, they may have had an agreement with someone.” Mori didn’t look up as he said it. As if the dark thought were too much to face.

That was disturbing. Had someone offered five Brightsail Academy students in exchange for something else? Had Sen interrupted some backroom dealing? The students on the scouting teams had been first and second-years. Easier targets. But why would someone steal easier targets if the goal was to fight in a war?

“We’ll keep an eye on things for now. After we talk with the librarian, we’ll know more,” Sen said.

Mori nodded and focused on his dissection. Sen turned his attention to the real prize of the other day.

Magic artifacts.

He’d seen what one of the artifacts could do, however briefly. It was a glowing sphere that produced powerful beams of light, or, at least, powerful as far as a lesser-grade artifact was concerned. Some artifacts had multiple properties from the start; others gained new properties over time as your mana resonated with it. If this one had any other abilities, the previous owner hadn’t used them during the fight. He set this one aside for now. It was resonating with his mana already, and Tutor would force any hidden properties out before long if they existed.

Besides, the second artifact was much more interesting to him.

This was the artifact one of the men had used to trap him and Milim within a stone prison. It was a long, thin rock wrapped in green plants. It was thin enough to fit up his sleeve or in a pocket. That alone made it more valuable than the palm-sized glowing artifact he’d examined already. He wished he’d used it to trap his hostage from the other day. It might’ve kept Snake from getting to him. The thought still made his nose wrinkle. They wouldn’t need to search blindly if they’d just had time to question the man.

The door guardian stirred as someone approached. Mana rippled along the door while the guardian quickly scanned those approaching. It settled down quickly. A knock on the door came only a moment later.

Mori stood. “That must be them. Ready?” he asked.

The three girls talked amongst themselves while they waited outside. Samara and Ilm had a class together, and Milim had met them on the way here.

It was time for a trip to the library.

The library was in the left wing of the academy, on the first floor. They passed several classrooms and the dining hall as they went. Milim seemed full of energy today. Each step was almost a bounce, and she was chatting more than usual. Apparently, she enjoyed the library. Not that he could blame her. Knowledge had always been a passion of his as well, and though he hadn’t explored the main library yet, the prospect was exciting.

The library doors were larger than the gates to the academy. They were grand in design, and intricate blue patterns lined them. They looked almost like runes, but it was obvious they were purely decorative. Whatever defenses the library had wouldn’t be so prominently on display.

The door handles looked like crashing waves. From far away, Milim held out a hand, as if she were grabbing them, and then pulled. They responded to her mana and swung open on their own.

Sen felt a sense of wonder as he saw the library for the first time. It was larger than he’d expected, and he realized either it extended to the second floor, or there was some kind of spatial magic at play here, though he didn’t detect any, so it was probably the former.

It was surprisingly empty, and there weren’t any other students inside as far as Sen could see.

Milim seemed to sense their confusion. “It’ll be busier later tonight. A lot of students use it to study at night, but right after classes it’s usually pretty quiet. It’s my favorite time to come.”

As they crossed the threshold, the smell of old paper and wood filled his senses. There were plenty of light brown, square tables around with chairs that matched. In either direction the tables continued, and seemingly endless rows of bookshelves lined up on either side of the sitting area. Directly ahead, past the tables, a wide staircase led upwards before splitting into two opposing staircases that both led upstairs. It was up there, behind the railing, that Sen spotted the front desk. At it, an old librarian carefully thumbed through one of the thickest books Sen had ever seen.

“This library is quite impressive.” Mori stared at the depictions on the ceiling and gasped. Sen followed his gaze and saw a massive mural showcasing his battle with the Dreadgiant King Garlon. Garlon’s illustration was surprisingly accurate, but Sen didn’t have any idea why the artist had drawn the God of Magic nearly naked. A simple white cloth covered his crotch.

He shuddered.

Tutor, remind me not to look up as much as possible.

[I understand you’re disappointed about the cloth, but exhibitionism is wildly inappropriate for a public library.]

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Samara threw her arms up. “This place always overwhelms me. I’d rather some old person tell me what I need to read to get stronger. I don’t wanna sort through all this myself.” She paused, looking at Mori. “Hey Mori. What should I read?”

“Don’t ask me! I’ve never been here before.” Mori paused. “And, hey! I’m not old!”

Technically, he had the body of a twenty-five-year-old, but he had lived alongside Ragmár for just over a century. In a way, he was a little old.

A book slammed shut, and all of them looked up in the direction it came from. The librarian was staring down at them. He held a finger to his lips. “Shhh!” He blinked and leaned back when he noticed Milim. “Milim!” he shouted, far louder than any of them had. “How are you?” His hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the top of his head, and he had a thick, white beard that hung down past his chest. His green eyes looked stern, or they had until he’d noticed Milim at least.

“Didn’t he just shush us? Why is he yelling?” Mori asked.

Milim smiled. “Hello Orttha!” She turned back to the rest of them and waved them forward. “Come on! He’s who we came to see.”

Mori looked dumbfounded. “Wait, we aren’t going to read?” he asked.

Ilm let out a sigh of relief.

They followed Milim as she jogged up the stairs. Orttha welcomed her with a warm smile. “I wondered where you were today! Quite the crowd you’ve brought.”

“These are my friends. We’re investigating something, and I thought you might be able to help, if you have some time?” Milim said.