“Acacia said first years get access to the first lower level of the library, right?” Marianne asked quietly as they entered the library.

Liliana didn’t stop, but she did take a moment to enjoy the architecture of the building. Black marble threaded with gold covered the floor and made up the walls. Far above them she could see the stained glass of the roof, flooding the building with rainbow colored sunlight. The floors above left the center empty, railing allowing each floor to look back down to the center, where a statue of a phoenix sat, a moment of burning glory and spread wings captured for eternity.

The first floor they were on didn’t look like it belonged to a library, not entirely, more like a study area. Couches and desks spread around and hidden in alcoves, empty today though Liliana suspected soon they would be filled with frantic students working on last-minute assignments There were bookshelves, but as she’d learned the day before when they toured, they were for common books assigned for reading, or copies of textbooks if someone lost or destroyed the ones they were provided. The real wealth of books laid under the building. The levels seen from outside were mostly study rooms for classes and individual usage.

“Yea, though the library goes deeper than four levels, even fourth years need special permission to go deeper, and the full depth is unknown to most students,” Liliana responded quietly, parroting the words Acacia had told them the day before. It made Liliana curious as to what kinds of knowledge were kept locked away beneath their feet.

“So, are you planning on reading the textbooks?” Marianne asked as they walked towards the doors that led to the staircase to enter the depths of the library.

“No, I can do that in my room. I wanted to see what else they have here,” Liliana said as they padded quietly down the stairs. She noted that the sounds of their footfalls were muffled, as if silence spells or enchantments had been cast on the stairs, or perhaps the entire building.

They'd been given textbooks for all their core classes. World History, Mathematics, Spell, Skill, and Ability Fundamentals. Even their Battle Training class had textbooks, one was focused on anatomy and the body, the other was on battle tactics. The classes deviated from what Liliana remembered of Earth, where core classes were English, History, Science, and Math.

This world didn’t force students to learn science if they weren’t going to use it, and the Academy assumed anyone who was admitted had a solid understanding of the common tongue. World History was essential for a world where wars were common, both between countries and beasts. Mathematics was necessary, with the System throwing numbers everywhere. Learning about the theory and basics behind Skill, Spells and Abilities built on what they’d learn and implement in Battle Training and any electives they chose.

“So, if you want to get ahead, why not focus on the class material?” Marianne asked as they entered the first underground level.

Both paused a few steps out of the door as an automaton made of paper walked past, its movements quiet except for the soft shushing of paper moving against paper. Even seeing it for the second time, it still widened Liliana’s eyes in wonder. The quiet automatons kept the library running, organizing the books, maintaining them, and even finding books if a student asked them to.

“Class Material doesn’t include rare bestiaries you can only find here,” Liliana informed her friend as they finally broke from the spell of amazement the automaton caused.

“What is a rare bestiary going to do for you here? You can’t exactly run off in the middle of the week to chase after some legendary monster,” Marianne said as they walked down one of the aisles. Liliana craned her head back to see the top of the bookshelves that made up the walls of the aisle. They must reach fifteen feet, if not more. She wondered how students without flight skills could even get to some of the books.

“Partially I want to look at one for pleasure. But also, what if someone here has a rare beast as a tame that I haven’t read about before? I’d be defenseless against it without information.” Liliana explained, though the tactical reason was weak. She really did want to look at rare bestiaries just to see what kinds of wondrous creatures existed in this world.

Marianne didn’t speak, but her gaze held enough weight that Liliana could understand what she meant.

“We can also look for books on the founding of Cista, if you want to get ahead. I looked at the textbooks last night. The first few chapters of our textbook are about that, so I assume that’s what our first few lessons will be on. If we want to get ahead of any papers or assignments, we can checkout a few books about that. If there were any battles around that time, we should probably pay attention to those as well, because Battle Training might incorporate it.” Liliana sighed, cheeks puffing out slightly as she reluctantly compromised.

She was at the Academy to learn, but was it so wrong if she wanted to do some self study too? Eventually they’d be allowed out on assignments for the school, and if she had an idea of the rare creatures that might live in their country, she could try to pick assignments in those areas, and potentially come across a rare creature to tame.

“That’s… rather clever of you, actually.” Marianne said slowly. Liliana gave her an insulted look that Marianne grinned at. “Keep this up and I’ll have to stick close to you to keep my grades up!” Marianne teased, causing Liliana to roll her eyes.

“You just want to copy off my homework,” Liliana groused.

“That too!” Marianne said, voice chipper but teasing as she bumped Liliana’s shoulder good-naturedly.

Her talk of looking into the founding of their country wasn’t based on any game knowledge. Though she did remember learning a lot of the game world’s lore thanks to the world history classes in the game, though the tests and homework had been nothing but mini-games. But it was simple logic. If the first chapters of their textbook were about the founding of the country, then that’s what they’d begin learning, and what any first assignments, projects, and papers would be on.

Getting additional material early was smart, as any books on it would likely be checked out as soon as the teachers gave the assignments. And unlike her world, where books could be mass produced, this world hadn’t quite reached that point. Magic made things faster, but there weren’t a hundred copies of each book floating around.

It was a limited supply, and Liliana suspected even if the Academy could have hundreds of copies of each work, they wouldn’t. Another test for their students, those who were smart or lucky enough, would get what they needed. Those who were too slow or too lazy would find themselves with no material and quickly dropping grades. Liliana doubted the teachers would accept ‘there were no more books!’ as an excuse.

Supplies and resources were always finite, be they gold, iron, people, or something as simple as books. Those who would succeed would gather their resources before they needed them. Those who would fail would scramble to throw what they could together at the last minute.

I’m beginning to think the Academy might even turn sleeping into some kind of hidden lesson. Liliana thought before shooing away the pessimistic thoughts. Much of what she was thinking was unfounded, based only on what she’d seen and what she was assuming, thanks to her knowledge of the game. Nothing was confirmed, but then again, even if she was wrong, at the very least she wouldn’t come out the worse for her assumptions. She’d just be a bit ahead of others in her year.

“Do you two young ladies require assistance?” a voice spoke right behind Liliana, causing the girl to yelp and spin around quickly, subconsciously putting her body between the new threat and Marianne. Liliana noted that when she tried to summon her naginata from her storage, it wouldn’t appear. Some kind of anti-weapon enchantment, then.

“Oh, I apologize if I startled you,” the man backed up a little and Liliana felt her body relax out of the battle stance it had dropped into instinctively.

She was still wary as she took in the man, dragon, person before her, but the adrenaline was fading from her blood. The man was towering, reaching a height of ten feet if not taller, though Liliana noted he was hunched over a bit. As if trying to make himself seem smaller, less intimidating. An endeavor that was partially thwarted by the thick wings that hung heavily behind his shoulders and the six horns that twisted from his head, which only served to make his height and form more imposing. His skin, that she could see for he wore long-sleeved and full white and brown robes that reminded Liliana of the color of old books, was covered in black scales.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Liliana saw long claws, their ends dulled as if carefully manicured regularly, wrapped around a thick tome in his hands. His serpentine snout was pointed at the two girls and a pair of small glasses perched there. Behind his snout and glasses were golden eyes with slit, snake-like pupils.

As Liliana looked over the beastman, she felt herself relaxing further. His first appearance was frightening, but it was obvious as she looked over at him that he had taken great pains to make himself as approachable as possible. Even as he spoke, he did so carefully, as if trying to hide the viciously sharp fangs he bore. The last nail in the proverbial coffin for her fear was the warmth that shone in his gold eyes, making them feel almost familiar to her. Alistair’s golden eyes held the same kind of kindness and warmth in them.

Taalib Hakim

Age: 500

Level: 409

Rank: 2

Class: Guardian Of Knowledge

Liliana sucked in a sharp breath when she read what [Identify] showed her. As expected of someone so high ranked, she couldn’t glean as much information from him as those of lower ranks. She was certain she was only reading what he wanted her to see. Liliana didn’t feel the same fear she experienced when she used [identify] on the queen’s Knights, though. She felt the healthy amount of fear and respect due to one so far advanced in ranks, but she didn’t get the feeling he’d squash her like a bug for daring to [Identify] him, or for looking at him askance.

“Sorry, I’m a bit jumpy,” Liliana apologized, flushing slightly when she realized she’d been staring for far longer than was polite.

“It’s alright. Quite alright. Many here are like that. Fast reflexes and honed instincts will one day save your life. Who am I to fault you for a trait what your teachers will try to hammer into your skull?” Taalib said, his voice was soft though Liliana noticed a slight lengthening of s sounds, as if his Draconian snout wasn’t entirely suited to the common tongue.

“Now, I believe two young ladies who journeyed into this dusty old library on such a beautiful day didn’t come here for pleasure,” Taalib began. Liliana coughed and looked away, flushing harder. She had come here for fun.

“Or perhaps you did. Either way, may I assist you in finding what it is you search for? It’s rare to see first-year students in the library before the first assignments go out.” Taalib finished, though Liliana noted his tone had shifted from helpful and polite to warm and borderline friendly.

“Are there any bestiaries about rare or legendary creatures native to Cista?” Liliana jumped in, emboldened by his kind tone. Marianne sighed loudly behind her, but Liliana didn’t look back. She could feel Marianne’s eyes boring holes in her skull.

“And books on the founding of the Cista Queendom,” Marianne interjected when it was obvious Liliana wouldn’t mention it.

“A budding zoologist? Oh, no, looks like you’re a tamer, hm? Well, we have a few bestiaries that might tickle your fancy. Though the more rare and, some may say, interesting ones are farther down, I’m afraid.” Taalib spoke, but Liliana could see one of his clawed hands moving slightly, as if typing, and his eyes glowed and shifted as if he was looking at something they couldn’t see. Before he was even done speaking, a paper automaton had appeared, three books held in its grasp.

“And the founding of the Cista Queendom? We have some in the common tongue,” Taalib began and Liliana perked up.

“It’s alright if they’re in the Ancient tongue,” Liliana spoke up.

“You can read Astrati?” Taalib paused, raising one brow ridge. He had no hair, so no eyebrows to raise.

“Fluently, yes.” Liliana confirmed. I can read any language in this world, thanks to a meddling goddess. Liliana thought, but did not say.

The boon had been one she didn’t use much. Almost all books in the manor were in Common but she’d suspected books in the Academy would be written in all different tongues. And unlike many of her classmates, something as trivial as a language barrier wouldn’t prevent her from uncovering hidden knowledge.

“Then I have several tomes that you may find to be useful.” Taalib said, his eyes sparkling with delight.

It took a moment longer for a second automaton to join them, the reason obvious as it was carrying three times the amount of books. Taalib looked through the books, separating and organizing them. It took him seconds, his hands moving at blurring speeds as Liliana was more used to seeing on the battlefield than in a library.

“For the young lady who has in interest in beasts and languages, these should do you fine. I included a journal from an ancient tamer in there, written in Astrati. Most of the beasts he talks about haven’t been seen for hundreds of years, but even if they’re extinct, I’m sure you’ll get some enjoyment from it. The other two tomes are on the founding of our country.” Taalib had finished his organization and one of the automatons presented Liliana with the books. She eagerly took them, hugging the precious books to her chest, a wide smile on her face as she imagined the secrets and knowledge pressed against her fingertips.

“For the young lady who shows a dedication to her studies, here are three books on the founding of Cista. One even includes an account from the first queen, something I’m sure you’ll find much interest in.” The other automaton presented the books to Marianne, who blinked in surprise as she shyly took the books. She hadn’t announced her name, or her position, but it was obvious the librarian knew.

“Please do not hesitate to seek me out if you have any questions or are struggling to locate something. My paper automatons are also here if you need assistance.” Taalib told them, smiling in an almost grandfatherly way at the two girls before he turned and walked off, his fingers already moving.

Liliana assumed he was giving orders to the automatons that populated the library. Liliana noted that despite his colossal size, the man moved with a silence she had seen few match. It was as if he was a ghost moving about, a very large ghost.

“Since when can you read Astrati?” Marianne asked, moving close to Liliana.

“I picked it up a while ago,” Liliana answered vaguely with a shrug.

“Can you read any other languages?” Marianne asked suspiciously.

“A few,” Liliana didn’t look at her friend as she started back towards the stairs. If the private training rooms were open, then the far safer study rooms would be too. She had an ancient book on rare beasts to read and she wanted to get started immediately.

“How many is a few?” Marianne hissed, hurrying after Liliana who was moving at speed to get to the study room quickly.

“A few.” Liliana responded unhelpfully. Marianne groaned behind her, but dropped the topic.

“Well, if you could at least give me the abridged version of those books, that would help me out. I bet there’s not many in our class who can read Astrati, and how good do you think our grades would be if we turned in reports with information only found in ancient books written in a dead language?” Marianne was almost skipping as they moved up the flights of stairs towards the study rooms. Liliana had already pulled out the journal and had flipped open the first page as she walked.

“Uh-huh. Sure.” Liliana murmured distractedly.

“And I’ve lost her.” Marianne grumbled, grabbing Liliana’s wrist the princess took to guiding her friend to one of the private class S study rooms, which opened with the presentation of their student IDs.

“Marianne? Did you know there used to be a giant monster called a Charybdis that lived in the seas south of Cista? Apparently it was part of the reason this continent took so long to find and come to,” Liliana looked up some time later, noticing finally that their scenery had changed. Marianne was sitting in a desk with her three books open around her and a notebook in front of her.

“Look, they managed to kill it and it was over three hundred feet long! Isn’t it gorgeous?” Liliana turned the book around, showing an illustration of a Charybdis. It was a long, serpentine like creature. Its head was crowned in long tentacle like appendages, and it had a large, circular mouth full of countless teeth.

“Lili. That’s something right out of a nightmare.” Marianne said, recoiling from the image with a look of disgust.

“I think it’s beautiful. It could create whirlpools and storms! Could you imagine the power of it?” Liliana sighed wistfully as she looked back at the journal.

“One day. One day you’re going to disappear and reappear a year later with some ungodly nightmare beast. The country will be in a panic because it’ll be some portent of the apocalypse and you’ll just keep telling everyone how cute it is.” Marianne said, her voice hollow and eyes dark as if she was seeing an ominous future. Liliana perked up, turning bright, excited eyes to her friend.

“Do you think so? Oh, that would be amazing, to find and bond with something so powerful. What do you think it would be? A dragon? A wyrm? A world turtle? A Fenrir?” Liliana asked eagerly, eyes wide and positively glowing with her enthusiasm.

“That wasn’t a good thing, Lili. And whatever it is, just please don’t destroy my country.” Marianne asked as her head thunked onto the desk.