Vex Masters was your everday ordinary kid.

At least until he recieved an invitation to attend a school located near the edge of town that had supposedly been abandoned ages ago. It turns out that the school was run by Gods who had the thought of bringing in various people from different dimensions in order to learn.

They would learn to fight something called the Draxens, otherworldy beings that could easily kill a normal human without too much trouble. 

Now, with the help of numerous anime characters, Vex must fight for his life in order to fend off the Draxen as well as fit into his new school

After seeing that all that had to be done was done I turned around to look at Robert
'Master I will go and tend to the herbs'
' You don't have to start today you can start tomorrow if you are not feeling well' Robert said in concern as he had just seen how Knave had bid his farewell.
 "Chance" 'No Master grandpa has the herb garden under my supervision if something happens to the herbs when he is gone it will be my responsibility, I cannot let him down!'
  Old Robert seeing such a sensible kid could not help but nod, 'Ok go and see to it that you do not overdo it, if you find anything tough for yourself, you can let Sam know he will send help'
  After giving this instruction he was just about to go when he gave me a good gift for my performance till now 'Oh you can also rest 3 hrs instead of 2, you are still a kid you need some rest from time to time'
  'Thank you Master' without any reservations I directly accepted this benefit as it will help me to gather more information.
  After nodding again at me Robert went to the management office of the town, while I went to the back garden of the estate.
  As it was still a tough job for me to take care of the garden with this small body of mine but I liked the job, to be again in the field of herbs was a dream job for me. As they say, when you love to do your job you don't know when time passes by, I didn't even know when the afternoon sun came above my head I came out of the formation only when Sam came to call me for lunch.
  'Thank you, Steward Sam I almost forgot about lunch in my work'
 ' It's ok, it just shows how diligently you are taking your duty'
 ' Steward after my lunch I would like to go to the library'
 'You don't have to worry about it, Master has already informed me and I have informed old Lark of your coming. Remember he was there here yesterday at the farewell party'
 ' Yes'
'Ok then go and he will take care of you'
  After finishing my lunch I went out of the estate towards the centre of the town, it did not take me long to reach the library there was hardly anybody in the library. Entering the library the first thing I did was to look for Lark as he is the librarian he would be able to give me the books needed easily.
   Old Lark was sitting behind the desk dozing off, after thinking I thought rather than asking him I should find it my self so to keep the secret that I am interested in the Immortal for future consideration.
   If I am caught they will just think I am a kid who is interested in Immortal if not I could use it for future planning, so after that, I started to look for books related to Immortals and cultivation but after searching for half an hour I could not find a book that could give me any information the only books I found contained fantasy or exercises that normal people could do. 
   As I was about to lose hope and ask Lark for information as Rick had told me I could find information related to Immortals in the library, when I was going towards the front desk I found a book in the lowest shelf with an interesting title that it attracted me to it.

  *Basic Requirements for Cultivation and
 Realms of cultivation*
                        by Rogue cultivator Thomas

  As soon as I saw the title I could tell that this was the right book and highly likely the book Rick had pointed at, after taking the book out and looking at the still sleeping Lark I took the book to the back of the library.
         After finding a remote corner where nobody would notice me I opened the book and the title of the first page gave me an ecstatic feeling I never had before my mouth couldn't help but say it out in open
 'Finally' while I internally read the title 
"Spirit veins and Spirit souls'

In the silence of the night, 
In the darkness of the abyss, 
For the horror of immortal land, 
He came to Life.


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I was taken to a large, newly built stone mansion. Inside, a few Lizards already awaited us. They were dressed in elegant robes, and had a scholarly mood. Moreover, they were similar to Jora. Their royal blood was not as pure compared to him, but I could see some hints of golden streaks across their skins. One of the Lizards speed forward, and welcomed. "Welcome to our newly built library. Follow us, we will take you to a more private place, where you can view the books". I nodded, and followed them, Jora also joined us, and walked next to me.

They had loads of books, but not as many as Voltars had. We entered a room inside the library, where the leading scholarly Lizards said. "You asked for the period where they Greys were banished, right? Have a seat, and we will bring you everything we have on that".

I nodded and took a seat. Jora sat next to me, then asked "What exactly is that relic?". I made up some lies on the spot, "There are supposedly a few of them, and they reach antiquity. Those weapons are supposedly so powerful, one could overwhelm an army with their use". He thought about it before replying, "I never heard of such things. I'm not well versed with the history, but don't you think those relics are just fairytale?".

I said with a smile, "That's precisely what I'm trying to find out". A while later, the three scholarly Lizards returned, and each of them was carrying a few books. Altogether, there were nine of them. They placed the books in front of me, then the leading scholar said. "Those are the records from that period. I read them myself in the past, but found nothing about relics". I grabbed the first book, and read it. The book described how Grey and Royal Lizards worked together, but then mentioned some sort of betrayal on Grey Lizards' part.

The record wasn't detailed, but from what I gathered, the Grey Lizards overstepped their qualifications. Not much else was mentioned, but that's what supposedly warranted their banishment. It mentioned how the Royal Lizards were benevolent, and took all their previous work under consideration. Hence the Royal Lizards didn't kill them, but let them leave. I found it a bit fishy, that was when I recalled something. 'The history is written by the winners' I thought. 

The Royal Lizards might've simply wrote betrayal, but the book didn't even detail what betrayal it was. Only some vague notion of overstepping their qualifications. This could mean anything really. The cooperation between both factions was also vague. Supposedly, the Grey Lizards were responsible for Formations that helped improve water quality. How they overstepped those qualifications, was a mystery to me.

I placed the book down, and said to the leading scholar. "I don't get it. The book mentioned that Grey Lizards betrayed you guys, but it doesn't mention anything about it. So what happened?". All of them narrowed their eyes, and I could feel that question was out of place for them. I smiled, "No need to be so stressed. I was only curious. Anyway, this book doesn't have anything on relics, I will check the other ones".

I grabbed the second book, and read it. That book described a period after the Grey Lizards left. Supposedly, their race thrived without the Grey Lizards, and they established more cities and villages around the Obsidian Mountains. The weird thing was, they hardly mentioned any resources with which that was accomplished. They did mention Atols, and how they helped them craft some of those new settlements. The book talked about two new cities, and three villages. Coincidentally, that was the same amount they had currently. Yet, Atols only built one city, and two villages for them. The rest was supposedly built by Lizards alone. 

'Hmm, I don't doubt Lizards could create a city, after all Arangard was made by them. I feel like something is off here, like this is not the truth' I thought, and placed the book down. I looked at the scholars. I didn't want to arouse more suspicions with my question, therefore I decided to ask none about that book. Instead I said, "This book details construction of new cities and villages. It does cover a longer period of time, but has no information on other locations. Is there anything else before the Grey Lizards left?". 

The leading scholar took one of the books from the stack, and handed it to me. He asked, "Why do you concern yourself so much with Grey Lizards?". I replied, "It was during that time those relics were lost, or rather seen. From the records I got, it was around that time period. I'm looking for mentions of locations, or strange events in overall. This could help me locate those relics". An obvious lie, but I said it so confidently, they could find no faults with my statement.  

I grabbed the book he handed to me, and read it. The book indeed described a period before the Grey Lizards left, but it focused on relationship with Shades. At first they were hostile, actually everything was hostile in the North. Those races did everything to protect themselves, and their territories. 

Although small conflicts arose here and there, it was never bad enough to warrant a war. The book described a deal that Shades made with Lizards. Because Shades lacked knowledge of Formations, the Grey Lizards were supposed to help them out. The book didn't mention with what exactly. While the Shades offered information on other races. That wasn't all. They proposed an alliance, which lasted till that day, as well as a few other things like resources. 

'My guess would be, Shades needed water. The Grey Lizards were sent to help them out' I thought. That seemed like the most logical conclusion. The records were always all over the place. Voltars might had sorted their records properly, but they simply didn't allow me to view them. How much truth was in those records, no one really knew anymore. 

I placed the book down, and shook my head. The leading scholar said, "If you are looking for books that describe more locations during that period, I'm afraid we might only have one or two more. The books you see here, will mostly not describe that". I asked him to bring those two books, but he refused. "Only the Royals have access to those books. Even me or Jora aren't authorised to take them out". This made me wonder what those books contained. Truth perhaps?

I told them that I found nothing new. The scholarly Lizard said, "I read loads of books here, but I never heard of such relics. Where did you find such information?". I thought about it, but in reality I was making some more lies. When I got an idea, I asked him. "Do you know who Bramans were?". He thought about it, but shook his head in the end. I continued, "It was a race that lived in antiquity. Humans waged a war against them, and won. Bramans no longer exist, but they were originally living here in the North".

He asked shocked, "I'm aware that Humans fought a war, before we made home here at Obsidian Mountains, but I wasn't aware how that other race was called. Where did you get that history?". I continued, "Partially from Voltars, and some from other sources. Unfortunately, there is nothing in those books that can help me locate them. I will have to search in a few other places". 

Jora said, "Maybe you are simply chasing something that never existed? This happened so many years ago". I came up with another lie. "Remember when Vanauts were digging for something? What if they were digging because of those relics?". This was such an absurd lie, I wouldn't believe it myself. They were obviously digging toward those cities, not looking for any relics that I just made up. 

But for some reason, they bought it without a second thought. The scholarly Lizard said, "That is entirely possible. Eterians might know about those relics too, and they are searching for them". Jora jumped in as well, "Do you need help locating those things? We can send a few group, if we have an approximate locations". I was stunned by their immediate change, and willingness to help. 'They really want to get their hands on those non existent relics' I thought.

I had no location for them to search, but I could make one up. I said, "I might have something in mind, but I'm not sure. If you don't mind sending a few people, then that is alright". He asked me for the location, quite excitedly I might add. I told them, "Don't get excited. Do not send too many people. For one, we don't want this to look suspicious. The other reason is, you might be wasting resources. I have a location in mind, but I'm not sure about it at all. Treat it as a guess".

They urged me to tell them the location, so I did. "I think the area where Dead Forest was, might have some clues about those relics. Again, send only a few people. If they find something, that will be great". Jora stood up while replying, "I will send a few people there to check the area. If you find anything else, be sure to share it with us". He then left, while I returned the books to the scholarly Lizards. I left Arangard soon after, and headed to Olrad.

** 
The book is completed. The 1st volume (e-book) is available for my patreons or through amazon! 
https://www.patreon.com/darkrayauthor 
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B086PY3HYV 
**
Have you ever considered, what is a Limit? Well, I have. I’ve seen people who were as strong, as wild animals. Those that were faster than the wind. Some that shined with intellect. Yet, what are the Limits of mankind’s strength, or intelligence? 

No one seems to know. We develop more and more, seemingly without an end. What if, someone was the smartest in the world? Would that suggest the Limit? What if, someone was the strongest in the world? Would that be the Limit? Would that make that someone, more than a Human? These are just questions, but what if I saw people reach their Limits? What if I know what happens, when you break the Limits? What if I were to tell you about it, would you believe me? 
-------------------------------------------------- 
My other novel, I'm Anna: 
https://www.webnovel.com/book/13714177505936205/I'm-Anna
Discord: https://discord.gg/BaxBX3f

Ye Mo sneered. He finally understood why Luo Xuan wanted him to come and even said that he was her boyfriend. It was not just Huo Que that had intentions for her, even Huo Quou this old fart wanted her. Otherwise, why did he have such killing intent when Luo Xuan introduced him.
Seeing that Ye Mo just smiled plainly and didn’t show any customs, Luo Xuan quickly pulled Ye Mo behind and said: "Grandpa Huo, Mo Ying doesn’t really like to talk. Please don’t mind him."
"Haha, it’s fine. Young people, it’s natural to be a bit shy. Come, I’ll take you to the library." Huo Quou brought the two to the library and said: "look for a while first, then we can eat lunch later."
Ye Mo’s spirit sense followed Huo Quou and found that after he left the library, his face sunk into bleakness and ordered: "Notify Que to come back immediately, and…."
Although Ye Mo didn’t hear the words afterwards, he knew that this old guy wasn’t as good to talk to as he seemed.
"What are you looking at? I hope you don’t mind me saying that you are my boyfriend. You don’t know how annoying that Huo Que is. And, his grandpa always likes to pull me together with him. If possible, I really don’t want to come." Luo Xuan said apologetically. Her face was a bit blushed.
Ye Mo smiled, "Of course I wouldn’t mind. You need to be faster at finding your book. That Huo Que would be coming soon. How long do you think you will need?"
"This quick? I heard Zi Yun say that Huo Que was going out today. He shouldn’t be back so quick. I think it’s going to take me a day. Do you see how many books are here?" Luo Xuan said helplessly. The books here were kept rather well. But because they had been there for so long, they had some ancient smells.
"You need that long?" Ye Mo frowned. After a while, he said: "what are you looking for? I’ll help you look for it."
Luo Xuan didn’t hide anything and immediately replied: "My master wants me to find a copy of NI Luo Sutra. I’ve been searching for it in the uni library for a year or so but I still hadn’t found it."
"You don’t need to look for it. I will help you." Then, Ye Mo scanned his spirit sense on these books.
Luo Xuan looked at Ye Mo in surprise and asked: "There are so many books here. How are you going to find it? How about we look for it together?"
Ye Mo waved his hand, "Don’t move. I’m calculating where this book would be."
Luo Xuan looked at Ye Mo with even more uncertainty. Was he a prophet or something? Even a prophet wouldn’t be able to predict where the Ni Luo Sutra would be in this place.
This Mo Ying was too magical. Not only a pill master and Mao Mountain disciple, was he also a prophet?
Although she was dubious about Ye Mo’s words, Luo Xuan still didn’t interrupt Ye Mo. She chose to believe Ye Mo. She felt the more she knew about Mo Ying, the more confused she was about him. The first time they met, she thought she saw through him but now, it was getting more and more unclear.
Ye Mo’s spirit sense quickly scanned through the books here but didn’t find anything. Was the Ni Luo Sutra not here? He scanned it carefully a second time but soon found something wasn’t right.
In a Dao De Sutra, there were two pages in the middle that was blank and one page had the hidden words Ni Luo. The other page was empty and had nothing. This book was strange. If he didn’t have spirit sense, he wouldn’t even be able to see it.
Ye Mo walked over to that Dao De Sutra and took it.
Seeing Ye Mo do that, Luo Xuan asked strangely: "Mo brother, this is a Dao De Sutra. I’m trying to find Ni Luo Sutra.
Ye Mo smiled faintly and said: "Don’t worry." Then, he flipped to the two blank pages. However, due to it was an ancient book, the pages were rather yellow.
"There’s nothing here. Usually, these ancient books have some blank pages. These pages are for readers to write comments and notes." Luo Xuan said.
Ye Mo flipped it to that single page and said: "Look carefully."
"Ni Luo?" Luo Xuan almost yelled out but soon, she took the book from Ye Mo’s hands excitedly. She said joyfully: "It really is Ni Luo. This must be the Ni Luo sutra. Hmm, this is the latter half. There should be a former half."
Luo Xuan quickly saw the two letters Luo Nie.
Ye Mo scanned his spirit sense again but said: "The former half isn’t here, I didn’t see it."
"See it? Aren't you calculating it? Mo brother, you really are capable. You can even calculate this." Luo Xuan’s eyes were full of admiration. She didn’t have much hope at the very beginning and her sect just gave her this mission to test her luck. But, she actually found it.
"Thank you, Ye brother….." Luo Xuan held on the book tightly.
But Ye Mo wasn’t so optimistic like Luo Xuan. He said: "Luo Xuan, I suspect that Huo Quou wouldn’t let you take the book out so easily. Even if you ask him for it, what if he disagrees? Plus, if he noticed what was wrong with this book, he wouldn’t let you take it away no matter what."
Hearing Ye Mo’s words, Luo Xuan frowned. Obviously, she also realized this problem.
"Don’t worry, I have a way to take it out for you, hmm…." Ye Mo suddenly stopped talking and looked at the book contemplating again.
"What’s wrong?" Luo Xuan asked immediately."
"Give me the book again." Ye Mo took it from Luo Xuan and pulled the second blank page. With a little force, it fell. It was only put inside but not a part of the book itself.
Ye Mo looked at the page for a while and ripped it again. This time, it wasn’t ripped apart.
"Huh…." Luo Xuan also saw Ye Mo’s actions. He didn’t even rip apart a piece of paper. She was stunned as well.
Ye Mo held this paper in the middle of his palm and used hi chi fire. This paper was immediately burnt to ash. A golden paper with similar size to the pagew appeared in Ye Mo’s hands.
"What is this?" Luo Xuan asked in amazement. Although she didn’t know what this was, she knew that this extremely thing golden paper was very valuable.
Ye Mo was very shocked. This golden paper was too scary because as soon as he scanned his spirit sense in, it immediately disappeared as though sand into sea. This was definitely something significant.
Ye Mo knew how to make magic artefact and had seen some spirit artefact as well. He even saw his master’s magic artefact but this gold paper gave him a feel that he couldn’t see through. This thing must be more valuable than all spirit artefact. Ye Mo even thought this was a spirit relic. But this was too astonishing.
Spirit relic was in the legends even in cultivation realm. How could it appear on the earth? Plus, he never heard of cultivators on the earth.
"This thing is very precious, precious to a degree that I can’t fathom." Ye Mo fell silent for a while before answering.
Luo Xuan also understood and looked hesitantly at Ye Mo saying: "Is this thing very important to you?"
Ye Mo nodded, "Yes, very." He really wanted this golden paper but he knew that since Luo Xuan wanted this book, it meant that this was the thing their sect was also looking for.
Luo Xuan bit her lips and after a while she said: "Since it’s useful to you, then take it. I don’t know anything. I’ll take back this book. If I take back other things, my sect won’t be able to know what they are anyways and would perhaps just leave them there."
Ye Mo looked at Luo Xuan in astonishment. She actually gave this golden paper to him.
Seeing Ye Mo’s reaction, Luo Xuan suddenly breathed easy: "To be honest, without your help, I wouldn’t be able to find this as well. Perhaps my sect just wants to see this book and your paper just happened to be put inside. You found it so of course it belongs to you. Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone. And, this thing isn’t really useful to me anyways."
Suddenly, Ye Mo’s face changed and the golden leaf and paper disappeared. He looked strangely at Luo Xuan and said: "Luo Xuan let’s go, Huo Que is back."
"Okay, we found the thing anyway." As soon as Luo Xuan and Ye Mo walked out of the library, Huo Que’s voice sounded, "Xuan Xuan, you didn’t even tell me that you were coming here. I’m back."
Luo Xuan frowned but didn’t say anything.
Huo Quou with the company of a middle aged man came over. He saw Luo Xuan walk out of the library and was a little bemused. He said: "Luo Xuan, aren’t you going to look at the books?"
Luo Xuan smiled and said: "Grandpa Huo, my sister just called me saying that she needs me. I want to go over and see first and come back in a few days."
"Huh….. Xuan Xuan, why are you leaving already? Don’t be in such a hurry. I’ll help you find your sister later. let’s eat lunch first." Huo Que said desperately. Ye Mo was automatically ignored by him.
"No need, I’m going. Good bye grandpa Huo. Let’s go, Mo Ying." Then, Luo Xuan grabbed Ye Mo’s hand and before Huo Quou could reply, they just walked out.
Huo Quou looked carefully on Ye Mo and didn’t find him carrying any books with him. Then, he looked bleakly at Luo Xuan. Just when he wanted to say something, he was pulled by the man next to him.
When he reacted, Luo Xuan and Ye Mo had been long gone. Huo Quou signaled Huo Que with his eyes and Huo Que immediately followed, rambling something behind Luo Xuan.
"Martial brother Liang, why did you pull me?" Huo Quou looked at the man and asked.
The middle aged man said with a bleak face: "Martial brother, do you know who that man was? He is Ye Mo, the one who took the blood coral."
"Then what are we waiting for? Hurry up and stop them." Huo Quou said desperately.


When Ye Mo suddenly woke up, he realized that everything around him seemed to have changed. His pretty master was nowhere to be seen. Most importantly, he remembered something scary that wasn’t about himself.
Therefore, Ye Mo hurried to run into a small alley without people after class. The first thing he did was pull down his pants. He just wanted to check out his p**is.
------
**Warning: This novel contains mature content**
Release Rate: 14 Chapters/Week

Shen Mingxi checked his watch. "Okay, I'll give you five minutes. Yanyan, I do have work to do."
 "I know. I won't take too much of your time."
Then, they went toward the lounge room.
The secretary immediately poured two cups of coffee and brought them in before closing the door behind her.
"What's up?" Flipping through the papers in his hands, Shen Mingxi didn't even raise his head.
"Mingxi, my Mom's case is going to be heard very soon," Huo Yanyan said chokingly.
"I told you I can't help your mother."
"I know. I don't want to involve you in this, so I came up with a solution…"
"What solution?" Shen Mingxi put down the papers and looked at Huo Yanyan curiously.
She took out a book from her purse; it was a book named "Letting Go" by the famous monk Master Hsing Yun.
"What's this?" puzzled, Shen Mingxi took the book and asked Huo Yanyan.
"Turn to page 129," said Huo Yanyan.
Shen Mingxi followed her instruction and turned to the page she mentioned. Sure enough, page 129 was different from the other pages and looked a bit yellow. However, no one would notice the difference without studying it closely.
"129 is the number of my Mom's birthday; she will understand my signal."
"I still don't understand…"
"Mingxi, you have lots of connections. Can you find a way to deliver this book to my Mom?"
"You are giving her a Buddhist book so she can cope with her situation?" Shen Mingxi didn't understand her plan.
"No. This book… I hid something in it to save my Mom," HuoYanyan whispered.
Shen Mingxi remained silent as Huo Yanyan continued, "I got a doctor I'm familiar with to get me bacteria of an infectious disease. I plan to put it on page 129. When my Mom touches this page, she will get infected by it and get sick, which will be a good excuse to apply for a compassionate release."
"Huo Yanyan, you're crazy…" Shen Mingxi glanced at Huo Yanyan's face coldly.
"It's a perfect solution. People in prison used it before and never failed… Mingxi, you only need to help me deliver the book…"
"I won't help you," Shen Mingxi refused her without hesitation.
"Why not?" Huo Yanyan was annoyed.
"First of all, your mother did something wrong and must pay the price. Secondly, Qin Chu and Su Yu are not stupid. You think your plan is perfect, but do you know how many people in the prison spy for them? If they find it out, I'm dead…"
"In short, you're afraid of death. Hehe…" Huo Yanyan looked at Shen Mingxi in disdain.
"Don't tell me you're great and are not afraid of death. If you were not afraid, why didn't you join your mother and kidnap the twins? Yanyan, stop bothering me, okay? I won't get involved in your scheme."
Shen Mingxi got up to leave.
"Shen Mingxi, if you don't help me, I'll break up with you… We're done. I mean it… I hope you won't regret it."
Seeing the determination on Shen Mingxi's face, Huo Yanyan decided to play her trump card and threaten him with a break-up.
"Hehe. You even try to use my feelings for you to manipulate me… Huo Yanyan, you're so disgusting…" Shen Mingxi turned his head and sneered.
"I'll just ask you: will you help me or not?" Huo Yanyan sounded determined, trying to force Shen Mingxi to give in to her.


Original Synopsis: 
Seven years ago, after their breakup, he disappeared without a trace.
Now, he reappeared on the eve of her wedding, sparing no means in forcing her to marry him… 
With a certificate of marriage, he bound her mercilessly to his side. 
From there, this “Cinderella” began her journey as a wife of the business empire’s heir...
Mrs Huo - composed, sharp-tongued, and freakishly smart.
Mr Qin - wife-spoiler to no end and a complete “slave” to their daughter.
Quality love story, one on one. You are welcome to get hooked on this story with us. 
Stats on QQ Reader: 102 million favorites, and was voted 8.4/10 by 41 thousand readers. 
TL's Note: Probably one of the best stories I've read, and I was very tempted to translate the title to Big D Brings Spring. Girls, I hope you enjoyed it as much as my girlfriend and my female translators who binge read 4000 chapters in about a month. 
For all the guys hesitating to give it a try, you won't regret it. It's a manly book, I swear.

Well, this is one of those 'boring days' here at the Holy Palatial Gardens…

"…"

For a time now, I've been keeping myself busy, all the while the others were doing their own businesses as well. They say that the 'Holy Congress' is coming, and so, there were a lot of preparations were being done to accommodate the visiting human rulers.

As for me, I have nothing else to do, given that Lily keeps on shooing me away whenever I try to offer my help, even to the other servants.

Maddie was once again right beside me, loitering around in the library. I don't know, but ever since we got engaged, she would always make time to come and see me. Not that I dislike it; however, I'm anxious that I might be becoming a nuisance for her daily responsibilities.

We're not married yet, and I'm starting to see myself as a distraction to her.

"…"

And why am I thinking of marriage? I mean, it's not that I'm not attracted to Her Holiness and all, but she's technically a child. She looks like my students from before—maybe in Earth's reckoning she'd be of the same age. That girl should find someone more deserving of her love, other than this broke, old guy from another world.

"OW!"

A book from the shelf suddenly flew out and hit my head, fair and square. I quickly turned to the Saint, who was reading a book several chairs away from me.

"…" Oh boy, she's glaring at me. Must be that she read my thoughts…

I went back to my own book. In the corner of my eyes, I saw her stand, close the book gently and float towards me.

She rarely uses her legs…and it would be bad for her health…

"Fuu…"

"!!!" I felt her softly blew unto my ears, which made me jolt.

"Ah right. You're ticklish on your ears." she took out a quill with ink and started writing on her hand. "I've got to remember that part; it's one of your weaknesses!"

"Err…Your Holi—"

"HRMPH?!" her face contorted horribly, visibly upset. Haha! She's really cute to behold!

"I-I mean, M-Maddie…" I quickly pretended to correct my mistake, and switched back to calling her by her preferred nickname.

"Yes?" Maddie also reverted back to her sweet, loving self.

Hmm…I wonder, is this the infamous 'mood-swings' of girls?

"Uh…well, don't you think we're going way too fast?"

"Hmm? What do you mean, Kuro?"

"Well, our relationship. You see, you're still way younger than me. And honestly, we just met each other one season ago." I explained to her, "Aren't you creeped out with that setting?"

"Nope." Maddie chuckled, "Why would I be scared of the man who repeatedly saved and risked his life for me and my loved ones?"

Oh…so she thinks of me in that way, huh?

But well, honestly, I saved Maddie just because I find her situation contrary to my beliefs and ideals. Suicide is wrong. Forced marriages suck. And she's my friend, so it's natural that I'm concerned about her. Even back on Earth, I treat my students in the same manner as I treat her now.

"Well, isn't that love?" Maddie, who was reading my mind, asked. Well, I'm used to that attitude of hers anyway, so I'm just letting her be. Heh, I would be very much bewildered if an hour passed without her reading my thoughts…

"Hmm…it is. But it's a friendship-type of love, not really a romantic one."

"Oh, is that so?"

"!!!"

Another book flew from the shelf and nearly missed my head as it traveled with great speed. It ended up hitting the wall of the library with such force that it was lodged in it.

"Kuro, are you telling me that I'm friendzoned?" the gentle, seemingly happy smile on Maddie's face doesn't match her threatening aura.

"N-no!"

"Then, is it because that I'm not that attractive to you?"

"HA?! NO!" I answered that question quicker and with greater conviction than the previous one. Heck, contrary to that, I do find Maddie beautiful. Her long, silver hair gives her an appearance that seems to be on par with the gods. And hey, those deep, silvery-blue eyes are really charming to look at. Not only that, her chest and hips…well, I don't know what to say. I just find her form heavenly to my eyes. Add Maddie's lovely fair complexion and those supple red lips…

Heck, I don't understand why someone like her chose a trash like me…

"ENOUGH!"

"!!!"

A third book once again found its mark on the opposite side of the wall, right behind me.

What did I do wrong this time?

I noticed Maddie's face terribly blushing. Oh right, she must've kept on reading my mind and saw all those physical assets of hers that I find attractive.

Heh, wait 'till she sees the charming aspects of her personality—

"AWAWAWAWAWA!!! I SAID ENOUGH!" Maddie was already in panic-embarrassed mode. I could picture a steam rising from her head as her face got even redder. However, that's not my concern. In her attempt to distract me, she inadvertently caused the entire contents of the bookshelf behind her to fly around.

"Ah! Maddie, calm down!" Half-amused, half-panicking as well, I tried to appease this cute girl beside me. Good thing, she managed to calm herself before the library got chaotic beyond control.

"Pervert!" Maddie playfully stuck her tongue out to me.

Oh well, that's what you get for violating my mind's privacy.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Maddie could only pout to express her annoyance at what I just did. I patted her head to ease her heart, and to make amends as well.

"You know, you may hold me in your arms…" she suggested, still pouting.

"Hmm…as much I wanted to, I can't do that just yet." I gently replied.

"Eh?! A girl's already inviting you, and you're refusing her?"

"Well, I have to." I answered, before explaining, "I respect you and your family, see? It's not that I don't find you unattractive; I'm doing this because we're all alone in this library, and you're a pretty girl, so…"

"So…?"

"Haha! I'm a healthy human male, even if I'm way too older than you. You get the idea? Alone and in love…"

Maddie never uttered a word. She just floated with her back turned towards me. However, I can see Maddie's ears as red as a beet.

I hope she understood what I meant…it's for her best anyway.

"O-of course!" I heard her say. "And that's the very reason I fell for you in the first place, Kuro."

Oh god, now it's my turn to blush. Not wishing to wallow in this sickeningly sweet air around us, I took the opportunity to tell her something I wanted to say before. "You know, would it be fine to you if we take our time to get to know each other well?"

"Isn't that what we're doing now?"

"Of course."

"Don't worry, Kuro!" Maddie winked at me, "It's not like I'm in a hurry to marry; I still want to do many things before settling down. I just want to make sure that you'll be mine."

"Oh…okay…" Honestly, I'm impressed by her straightforward manner of expressing her feelings. If it was me, I'd find myself dilly-dallying and mincing my words before I manage to speak what I meant to say.

Is that from her mother as well, I wonder?

In any case, I better not let Maddie's expectations down.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Honestly, that conversation I had with God remained at the back of mind ever since that time. Questions like, "what does He mean by 'Chersea's greatest crisis'?" and, "Will there be another human-demon war?", permeate my thoughts whenever I'm alone.

Devras' face then appeared in my thoughts. That guy's the first person (male) in this world I truly had an enjoyable talk. It would be a shame if we ended up fighting against each other.

To have an idea of what God might be talking about, I went browsing through the library's volumes of history books. Maddie was at the table where we were before, floating freely as she slept.

I don't know. Though she may be Chersea's Saint and the ultimate person concerned with this land's daily affairs, I feel like I shouldn't bother Maddie with this problem just yet. I mean, she had been through a lot of heavy stuff recently, and I want her mind to take a break off for the meantime.

That's why I'm doing this while she's asleep.

Ah anyway, in other related matters, good thing is that for some reason, I can somewhat understand the letters of this world even when I just got summoned. Chersea's writing is quite complex, and there were a few punctuations present in their grammar system. For example, narrative statements are usually written from bottom to top, and there are no quotation marks used to indicate dialogue. You'd only know that it is a character-spoken statement when the sentence is written top to bottom.

Whether this is an effect of my summoning, or magic in itself, I don't know. What I do get is that this phenomenon is really convenient for me. Saves a lot of time that would be spent on learning Chersea's writing and language.

So anyway, after looking out for the right book, I finally found the thing I'm searching for…

'Chronicles of the Demon War'

Since this thick book is the last one among a series of equally-impressive volumes with similar titles, I assumed that the last one is the most recent record of the history of human-demon wars. It is heavy, so I carefully pulled it off from its spot—a relatively high shelf, and carried it all the way back to my table.

"…"

Hmm…the Chronicles of the Demon War, volume XI. This is the account of the most recent human-demon war, which started when the demon king, Melqart Buvor, succeeded the infernal throne…

-----------------------------------------------------------------

The eleventh volume of the book about the human-demon wars is a detailed history of everything related to that topic. It chronicled its background, which it claimed to have started the moment the previous conflict ended, and up to the legacy it gave to all races that were involved.

"…"

Well, I'm a fast-reader, but I still haven't been able to finish the entire book. I guess it would require several sittings—so I plan to read that again sometime later.

For now, I just need to know about the summary of that conflict. Maybe I'd get some clues on that crisis God was telling me…

"…"

Alright, so if you're wondering, here's a brief summary of what I managed to understand.

The most recent demon war began with the succession of the demon king, Melqart Buvor to the infernal throne of the demon race. Upon uniting the entire demon lordships, he embarked on an ambitious plan to conquer the human realm—a first step in his revanchist desire after their defeat in the previous conflict with humanity.

Aided with a new, powerful form of magic, King Melqart launched an invasion that destroyed the kingdoms of Venn and Thelmose, as well as many other duchies and principalities that was in its path. Many humans suffered and died; either from the murderous demons, or the famine and plagues that followed their destruction.

The northern countries were the most affected. They tried to ask for the help of the Empire of Chersea—the strongest human state at that time, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. The Imperials also sought to strengthen their own defenses, should the armies of the demons arrive in their borders, and in the process, left the northern Cherseans to their ruin.

It was at this time that in the part of the Empire nearest the armies of the demon king, the duchy of Nerfes, called for the aid of the heavens. They collaborated with the Saint, who refused to evacuate and decided to stand with her loyal paladins. Under the auspices of the great god, Gaius and his consort, Arame, they summoned powerful individuals to help humanity survive the bitter struggle against the demons. These men and women are now called 'Heroes'.

The war lasted for several seasons, even with the help of the heroes. It was the most destructive, and bitterest conflict ever to face mankind. Millions died, kingdoms obliterated, the lands to the further north of Chersea turned to desolate wastelands. But in the end, humans prevailed and managed to drive the invaders back to their own lands…

Ah well, it's pretty interesting to note the names of the heroes summoned by the Saint of that time.

The knight, Jimmy Nee Rubinforth (Maddie's great ancestor, and Ruro's first love)
Terebia of the Bow
The shield-bearer Asteritt Falias
Magus Olime Tammy Feenas
Cassandra David, the Golden Sword of Heavens

That last hero, Cassandra David…her name sounds familiar to me. I don't know where exactly I heard of it, but I feel like I uttered that name before…

Anyway, long story short, the general history of the human-demon war is: before heroes—defeat, after heroes—win. A typical ending for any fantasy novel out there, I know. But well, it's on the after-effects of that conflict that I once again became interested.

Because, during the course of the war, the heroes were supported by the duchy of Nerfes and other autonomous states of the Empire that was still functioning. The Holy Palatial Gardens also helped the heroes, and that caused a rift in the relationship of those surviving northern duchies and the rest of the Imperial Chersea.

When the war was over, the Empire was forced to grant further autonomy to Nerfes and elevated its status into a client kingdom, in order to preserve the Imperial authority in those parts.

However, it was too late. In the next few seasons after the end of the human-demon conflict, the northern states of the Empire rebelled and proclaimed independence from the Imperial rule.

Why would they continue to be ruled under a country that doesn't care for them anyway?

And so, that leads back to the present, and the geopolitical situation of Chersea, the realm of humans.

Wait, nothing was answered in my questions. This was indeed, 'humanity's greatest crisis'—at least, it was way back during those dark times. However, what about God's words? What crisis is He referring to?

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Having hit a dead end, I took the book and put it back on its shelf. Well, it's not like I totally wasted time researching on nothing; I actually learned more about Chersea's past. But I guess, to answer my questions, I really have to scan around the entire history section of the library, which is…uh…I think, it'll take a long while…

Who knows, I might stumble again on some interesting stuff if I did just that.

Going down the ladder that was for accessing the higher parts of the library (Chersea's history books about the human-demon war occupy a high shelf), I accidentally missed a step and almost fell crashing on the floor. Fortunately, I managed to grab hold on a sturdy part of the shelf before me, thus, avoiding a painful accident.

"!!!"

However, some books that were out of their proper place were the ones that fell. It caused a muffled crashing sound, which is good, since I don't want to disturb Maddie on her sleep.

Having gone down safely from the ladder, I picked the books that fell to place them back in their former positions. I looked into the titles just to be sure I'm arranging it in a manner that would help the maid sorting it.

"!!!"

A book with blood red letters for its title caught my attention. Singling it out, I read the words on the thick, leather cover…

'Bloody Witch of Meldech'

Hmm…pretty interesting title, huh? I wonder if this is a novel, or—

Oh right, this is the history section…

So, Cherseans have legends like this classified as official history. I mean, come on, the book title reeks of chuunibyou. How can someone take this seriously?

The Bloody Witch of Meldech. For several seasons, the people of Nerfes' capital city was terrorized by this horrible creature. A perfect bogeyman for the children, and the worst nightmare for the adults. This demon in the shape of human is never easily satiated with their blood…

A demon in human form, or a human with a heart of a demon? Find out the—

"!!!"

I was shocked when the book—as heavy as it weighs—suddenly flew away from my hands. I was about to run from fright when I saw Maddie behind me.

"What? Was that you who knocked that book away from my hand?" I sighed in relief as I saw her. I almost thought it's a ghost, or something else.

"Ah yes. Was wondering about that book you're reading…"

"Oh that? It's some weird book about a 'Bloody Witch' of something…"

"I see…" Maddie then uttered a spell that caused all the books scattered nearby to return neatly by themselves in their respective places. I couldn't help but to marvel at the ability she displayed; it's just way too cool for me to handle.

"Ah anyway, Kuro, can I ask you something?"

"Hm? Sure, what is it?"

"Uhm…can you please refrain from mentioning this 'Bloody Witch' thing?" Maddie then brought the book that talks about that very topic; it seemed like she purposefully left it out with her when she returned the other books on their shelves. "I didn't know that there's still a copy of this book here; please forget anything that you read about it."

Then, without uttering a word, she burned it to ashes.

"…"

Honestly, I'm all creeped-out by Maddie's sudden change in character. Even without her speaking, I could sense that she's dead serious with her request for me to forget what I just saw.

"Kuro, please, can I count on your cooperation in this matter?"

"A-alright." I was bewildered by the sudden turn of events that I didn't think much of my answer.

Ah, it's not like it has something to do with me anyway, I hope…

The God of Chersea had retired. Not wishing to be bothered by another land to govern, the gods chose a few mortals known as the Saints to guide Chersea for them. Each were given a corresponding god-like powers, and each had different personalities. Enter Kuro. He was a human from Earth that was summoned by the Human Saint, all because she was bored. Virtually alone and with a few friends to turn to, he must learn to survive in this new land he was brought into. And for that to happen, Kuro must discover and wield the power he didn't know he possessed long before he was summoned to Chersea...

Day 7:

I keep thinking about the memory from the meadows until Qiu Feng said "What you thinking about? The monthly competition is in a month, you should prepare."

"Yeah,Yeah,Yeah." I said without hearing a word.

"Oh also, Mr.Liang Feng told me to tell you to meet him at his practice room after you got ready."

"Ok."

I got ready and walked to Mr.Liang Feng's room. He smiled as he saw me and said "Come in". I walked in and saw a guy, the guy turned around and said "Hello". I greeted him back and Mr.Liang Feng said "He's your senior,  he will help you practice and prepare for the competition." 

"What should I call you?"

"Ming Qi, the title Senior is too much for me."

I laughed and said " Since you don't like it, I'll called you Third Senior!" 

"Third Senior? Why Third?"

"Today is 3.3."

"I'll leave you guys to know each other more." Mr.Liang Feng said and he disappeared.

"So Third Senior, what are we practicing?"

"The monthly competition is comping up and Mr.Liang Feng thinks you're lacking so he asked me to help you out."

"So what rank are you?"

"You can say top 10"

"Top 10? That high?"

He looked so proud so I believed him.

He brought me to a place and said "This is my first test for you, find book 3569 and memorize all of the moves from the book."

"3569?" I said as I looked around.

The place he brought me to was a library, the library was huge it had a spiral staircase that seemed never ending as I looked up.

"I'll tell you the place, book 3569 is in the highest floor of this staircase. You can find the book yourself." he said similing.

I was about to curse at him but the words didn't flow out. I took a deep breath and walked up the spiral staircase as I went on the stairs seem like it was never ending. When I finally reached the highest floor, I flopped to the floor and crawled to find the book like a baby. The book was easy to find, it had a golden cover and it caused a light which reflected from the sun. I reached the book and opened it  but there were no words on the pages. I was pissed, I climbed the highest floor and found the book but there were no moves in the book. 

"That dam person! Wait till I come down and kill you!" I screamed down the staircase.

Chao Li is a fighter who trains at Tan Shang to take revenge for her parents. Her parents both died in a fire, and a crystal beat comes to her by chance, Snow, a crystal bear is an animal from the Crystal Tribe. What happens when she gets in the top Martial Arts School and experience a bitter love betrayal?

"You have bewitched me, my body and soul, and I love, I love, I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on," said Ed, his hands drifted from my shoulders to my hands. His eyes twinkled as he held my hands gently.
"Your hands are cold," I stated and glanced at Shaun who was standing at the entrance of the auditorium. 
"Claire, are you a robot? How can you be so stiff when the love of your life is proposing to you." Emily nagged.
"I am trying, Em."
"Let's do it again, but with more emotions this time."
We began rehearsing the scene again. As I was about to walk up to Ed, the stage light above us fell on the stage with a terrific thud. The light hit Ed, on his shoulder and the shattered pieces of glass flew over me, lacerating my arm.
I heard Ed yelp as he fell down on the stage. I grasped my bleeding arm and walked to him.
"Ed! Ed!"
Emily, Shaun, and everyone in the auditorium ran up to us.
"Claire, are you alright? Shaun flopped down beside me." You are bleeding!" he cried.
The other students carried Ed, who was passed out on the floor, out of the auditorium.
Shaun carried me to the infirmary where the nurse treated my wound.
"Are you feeling any better? Does it hurt a lot?" Shaun asked me as soon as the nurse left. His face was pale, his brows furrowed and eyes filled with worry.
"It seems like you are the one who is hurt. Relax, I'm alright."
"Claire, did you get your wound treated? Is it really bad? Can you move your arm? Are you hurt anywhere else?" Emily barged in the room.
"One at a time Emily." I chuckled seeing her alarmed expressions. "It's just a small injury, I'm fine. Don't worry."
"Ah, it's such a relief." she sighed.
"How's Ed?"
"He is hospitalized. He fainted from the shock, but unfortunately, his shoulder is injured pretty badly. The doctor has strictly advised bed rest for at least three weeks."
"I hope he recovers soon, we should visit him tomorrow I said.
"How did the stage light fall? Did you look into it?" Shaun questioned Emily.
"I checked with the auditorium staff and they said there wasn't a problem with the lights before. It was striking for them too. Well, I have informed the administration. They said they'll find the person responsible and take adequate measures."
"Did the director hear about the incident?" I asked, thinking of Dad, he must be really worried.
"I don't think so, he's out of the school for a meeting I heard," Emily informed me.
"Thank God." I thought to myself.


Emily and I went to the hospital the next day to see Ed.
"Ed, look whose here," Emily announced as we get into his room.
"Claire, what a pleasant surprise." he smiled brightly at us.
"How are you doing Ed?" I said sitting close to his bed.
"I'm all good now that I have seen you." he took my hand.
"Does it hurt a lot?"
"If I say yes, will you stay longer with me?"
"Sorry, I didn't come early."
Emily gave a discreet cough. "Guys, am I invisible to you?"
"You were here too Emily?" Ed gave a silly laugh.
"You've got blinded by love, my friend."
"I certainly am." he gazed at me. "I forgot to ask, how's your wound, Claire?"
"It's healing fast," I assured him.
"I'm glad to hear that."
"I'm sorry, I cannot participate in the contest anymore. I'm upset about it. I really wanted to do it with you, Claire."
"It's alright, Ed. It isn't your fault. Don't worry about anything and just recover well." I patted him consolingly on his hand.
"I need to find another good looking actor now. There isn't much time left for the competition. I wonder who could be a good choice." complained murmuringly.
"I'm sorry Emily for causing for the trouble."
"I told you it's not your fault, stop apologizing Ed. Emily can you stop making him feel bad." I snapped at her.
"I'm sorry! Ed she's right, don't be like this. I'll take care of things, you don't need to worry."

*****

I was going through the shelves in the library searching for a book when someone tapped on my shoulder.
"Claire, I'm going to ask around about the paper we found in the staffroom. Do you want to go with me?"
"Okay, but let me first find the book I'm looking for."
"Let me help you. What's the title?" 
"There it is, I found it, without your help." I bragged.
It was placed in the top compartment of the shelf. I stood on my tiptoes to reach the book but I wasn't able to get even near it.
Shaun came near me and from standing behind me, he raised his hand and took out the book. I turned around and finding him so close to me, my heart skipped a beat.
"I guess you overstated." he handed me the book.
"Thanks." I walked away from him, trying to hide my flushed cheeks.
"Pull yourself together, Claire," I said to myself, fanning my face with my hands.
"Should we go now that you have got your book." Shaun came from behind me.
"Y-Yeah." I faltered.
I followed him as he walked to the campus building. We stopped at the art room on our way, to inquire the art teacher about the paper.
As we walked in she was working on a painting. 
"Good afternoon students, what can I help you with." she greeted us warmly.
"Sorry to disturb you but we were wondering if you know where we could find a paper like this. We thought of you as the most suitable person to ask it about." Shaun took out the paper and asked.
She took the paper and examined it carefully.
"This type of paper is rarely used for art, you won't find it here but I think I have seen it before. Let me think." she paused for a moment. "Yes, I remember now, I saw it in the stationery room. I think someone from the teachers has a specific requirement for this paper. You can ask the staff from the stationery room to help you get some." she explained.
"We'll do that, thank you for your help."
We walked out and went to the stationary room straight away.
"We wanted to know if you have this type of paper here? I asked one of the staff and showed him the paper.
"We had it until yesterday, it's bought in limited quantity on a teacher's demand," he informed us.
"Can you let us know who the teacher is?" I inquired. He looked at us skeptically.
"So that we can ask them for some, we need it for our project." Shaun broke in.
"I see, it's the maths teacher."
"Joseph, you mean?" I confirmed.
"Yes."
Shaun and I both looked at each other in astonishment.
Does that mean, Joseph is that person in the black hoodie, he is the one behind all those notes, he is the one who tried to kill me?

Claire's biggest scar from her childhood comes back to her and brings her to face the hidden truth about her family and her past. With her peculiar love will she withstand the coming challenges?

From what I experienced over the past week, and from the reading materials Amber gave me, it didn't seem like Badoth was in any way chaotic or disorderly. As a functioning and stable state, Badoth could have readily established neutral or friendly diplomatic relations with Kitrod. What caused these two kingdoms to go to war with each other? Why did nobody ever decide that 70 years was too long for a war?
The texts Amber gave me didn't talk much about the Demon King Badoth and the history of the kingdom he founded 70 years ago, so it was probably unlikely that I would ever find the answer to my questions unless I had the chance to talk to the king himself.
In any case, I have the demon language's alphabet drilled into my head now, so I should be able to read any text written with it. I wouldn't be able to understand what it meant, but I could always ask Amber to translate that for me.
"Are there any diviners or warlocks in town, Amber?"
"None. Why do you ask?"
"Well there aren't any herbalists or alchemists around, so the only thing I can learn here in Badoth is new magic. For that, I need someone capable of using advanced spells."
"Aren't you retired from that?"
"Just because I retired from being an adventurer doesn't mean I can't still be an archmage. I still feel an urge to learn new spells every now and then. Whether or not I can actually cast it is a different issue, though."
"So you want to learn useless knowledge."
"Hey, it's not entirely useless. Learning a new spell, regardless of whether or not it's usable, allows me to recognize when someone is about to cast that spell and properly assess how dangerous the situation is. Of course that scenario will probably never happen, but you never know what life might throw at you. Who knows, maybe someone might challenge me to a duel some day."
Amber gave a long sigh to my response.
"…You might want to try the library."
"Do they have spellbooks there?"
"I'm not sure. They might, though."
"Then please show me the way there."
*   *   *   *   *
The population of Sachiru was less than 20000, so there was only one moderate sized public library serving the entire town. It was located at the very center of town, a fifteen minute walk from the shop.
It was currently around 4 o'clock in the afternoon, so the streets of the market district were bustling with townsfolk trying to purchase the freshest food they could find for making dinner. As we left the market district, the bustling sight gradually faded away in favor of quiet residential areas. There were children playing around on the wide empty streets, occasionally stepping aside to avoid an oncoming carriage.
Looking at the children having fun on the streets, I couldn't help but reminisce a little about my childhood, when I could live every day without a single worry in the world. It was only unfortunate that those days couldn't last long…
"It's quite a relieving sight, don't you think, Blaze?"
"Hm?"
"We're so close to where the war takes place, but people are able to live on their daily lives normally."
"It's always good to have some optimism even in times of crisis, I guess…"
It's hard to ignore the atrocities of war, but if the people are still able to continue living their lives normally with optimism, the soldiers can at least etch in their minds the sight of the peace they're fighting to protect and fight on. It would have been pointless to go to battle for a group of unhappy people, after all.
We arrived at the library before long. At first glance, the library building looked no different from a stone fortress. On each side of the entrance was a statue of what looked like a goblin man sitting on a raised platform and reading a book. The fortress was minimally decorated, having only one single banner above the entrance, with a drawing of an open book painted onto it.
While a fortress shaped library building was great for asserting that "knowledge is power", I can't say I'm fond of the building design at all. With the exception of the ground floor that had none, the upper floors only had two small embrasures on each side of the building. The library's interior would no doubt have received very little natural lighting because of that.
"Is this… really a library?"
I couldn't help but wonder what I was looking at when I opened the door and went in. It was far different from what I had in mind. While there were several bookshelves in plain view, the interior gave off a wholly different vibe.
There was no natural lighting due to the lack of embrasures, and the ground floor was only dimly lit with faint red lights. Small reading desks with empty flasks on top were scattered throughout the floor, and there were numerous drapes hanging from the ceiling that one could pull to create an enclosed private space around each reading desk.
A very light flowery aroma was lingering in the air. It was hard to imagine anyone being able to read normally in this kind of environment. Better yet, how is it even possible to read anything under this dim lighting?
"Huh, they remodeled this place. It looked a lot brighter the last time I was here."
Seems like even Amber is surprised at this sight.
Out of curiosity, I moved towards the nearest bookshelf and grabbed a random book. Like with the rest of the books on the shelf, the book was unlabeled and had a solid color cover, so I had no idea what was even inside. After taking it out of the shelf, I quickly flipped through the pages to see if I could figure out what it was about. Apparently the dim lighting in this library was sufficient for reading. One would have to focus on a page to make out the details, though.
A brief glance at the contents soon made me realize the meaning behind the library's interior design, but to confirm my suspicions, I took another book out and flipped through it. As expected, this book was yet another provocative magazine full of lewd female pictures. Were it not for the red lighting here, one could probably see my face turn beet red.
In any case, this floor's ambient lighting and abundance of private space certainly was a great setting for those looking towards partially satisfying their sensual needs. I reckon the flask being there was to make sure the carpeted floor wouldn't be ruined.
"Oh, a living human? This is quite a surprise!"
Turning towards where the voice came from, I saw a curly haired short woman walking towards me. She wore very revealing tight clothes, which emphasized certain female parts of hers that already had an unnaturally large size. She had a small pair of wings on her back, and a slender long tail with a pointed tip, suggesting that she was a succubus.
"Welcome to Sachiru's one and only public library! I'm the librarian. Very curious to know what your tastes are like."
The succubus librarian had a somewhat devious smile as she said that.
"I don't think I have the time for that today…"
Succubi were a female-only race that needed to consume the bodily fluids of males to sustain themselves. Normally they would achieve this by giving men erotic dreams, so I found it quite abnormal to find a succubus stocking the library's ground floor with countless lewd magazines… Well, at least I know why there were flasks on the reading desks now.
"Is it even appropriate to arouse people here?"
"The orcs and goblins in this town keep flailing about dangerously in their sleep, so I had to find another place to do my work."
"Still, shouldn't a library be a place for learning, not for sexual pleasure?"
"The upper floors are normal!"
"Also, just curious, how long ago was the library remodeled?"
"About half a year."
If the library has been like this for half a year already, then I guess the authorities are fine with it. If anything, having a lewd collection of books here for everyone to access might even have a side effect of lowering the rate of sexual crimes in town. Not only that, the library would actually encourage more people to come in and read books… assuming the readers still had the energy and motivation to go upstairs.
"Well, since you're the librarian here, could I ask where I could find spellbooks?"
"Libraries don't usually carry those. You have to find a warlock or archmage for that. I think we have books that talk about magic, though."
"That's close enough. Could you tell me where I can find the magic books? Preferably ones written in the demon language."
"Let me check on that. Nobody ever reads books about magic in this town, so I never bothered remembering their location."
"I'll come find you in a few minutes, then. Thanks."
I kept watch of the succubus librarian as she walked away so that I would know where to find her later. Speaking of finding people, I wonder where Amber headed off to. She disappeared somewhere after commenting about how the library was remodeled earlier.
I walked around the ground floor in search of her and eventually found her sitting at one of the reading desks, looking attentively at a book with a plain blue cover and occasionally making sounds of surprise.
"So there are lewd magazines aimed at women here too, aren't there?"
"Seems like it."
"Are you enjoying that book?"
"Yes."
"Can I take a look at the types of men you're making sounds at?"
"This book doesn't have men in it."
Well, this is quite a shocker. If Amber wasn't looking at a book with lewd male pictures, then…
"Wait a minute… Does that mean you're into other women?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Amber looked up at me with a confused look on her face.
"If you're not looking at a book with male pictures, then you're looking at one with female pictures, right?"
"There are other kinds of books on this floor, you know… And for the record, I prefer men."
"Oh… I'm sorry for misunderstanding…"
I really shouldn't have jumped to conclusions so quickly like that. It felt rather relieving that she didn't appear to be mad at me.
I walked over to Amber's side to take a look at the book she was reading. It was filled with pictures of what looked like fish.
"That isn't a book full of lewd fish pictures, is it?"
"Not everything on this floor is lewd, Blaze."
Come to think of it, that was probably a stupid question. What in the world would even count as a lewd fish picture?
"I want to see the ocean once in my life, but it's so far away, so the only way for me to learn about what it holds is through books like these."
"That's interesting. Can I read that when you're done?"
This continent was so large that most people have never been to the ocean because it would have taken an extremely long time to get to the coast. Stories of the majestic aquatic creatures that lived in the ocean occasionally got told and spread around by traveling merchants, but it was hard to take them seriously since word of mouth tends to get exaggerated after going through several people.
Nonetheless, I've never been to the ocean, so I know hardly anything about it. The fact that Amber was learning about the ocean through books piqued my interest.
"There are plenty of books like this one here. Look for a shelf with a missing book."
Before I knew it, I was taking out and flipping through the pages of random books about marine animals. I should probably borrow some of these to read at home later.
I couldn't help but feel like I was forgetting something, though…
As I was busy immersing myself in the illustrations of the mysterious creatures, I felt a sudden light tap on my shoulder. Standing behind me was the succubus librarian, with a slightly annoyed look on her face.
"You kept me waiting at the desk for so long!"
Right, that's what I was forgetting. I was supposed to come to her desk to know where those magic books were located.
"I'm sorry, I got too excited about all these animals I've never seen before…"
The librarian let out a soft sigh at my response.
"…Well, we only have a few books about magic since the demand for those is low. You can find all of them on the shelf labeled 'M' on the third floor."
"Thank you. And sorry for making you wait like that…"
Amber still seemed to be busy reading her book, so I think I'll just go upstairs by myself. If I find any interesting books, I could bring it downstairs for her to translate.
Contrary to my expectations and to its downstairs counterpart, the upper two floors of the library were actually very brightly lit. I don't even know how that was physically possible, since the embrasures on the wall were relatively small. Tiny windows like these shouldn't be able to let so much light through.
There were long reading desks lined up in an open space along the floor, with chalkboards placed by the end of each desk. There were scribbles and formulas written all over the boards, making these floors actually feel like a place where people would come to study or research and hold scholarly discussions with their peers. Too bad it was empty at this hour… and most other hours for that matter.
Now then, time to look for a shelf labeled "M"...

Some say that being an adventurer doing quests for a living was a wonderful job because of the freedom and exploration that comes with the job.

Unfortunately, that kind of life wasn't suited for everyone. A mage who found the life of an adventurer too difficult decides to retire and operate an alchemy store instead.

He gains a bit of fame from running one of very few alchemy stores in the world, but things don't go too smoothly for him, as he is once again forced to go on adventures...

* August 7, 2018: Novel now also published on Royal Road. Same title and author name.

* September 12, 2018: A problem occurred with Chapter 13, so I have to re-upload it and all the chapters that follow...

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