Nobina was feeling satisfied with the successful recruitment of two more A-rank adventurers. Both Cain and Marve were showing themselves as great allies to have in a dragon hunt with their various skills. Nobina knew she’d have to get a better understanding of their capabilities later, but that could wait. For now, she merely wanted to work on getting Cain’s master, Helios, onto their side. A third S-rank would immensely help solidify the party’s power.

“Now then,” said Immana, stretching her limbs as she caught up. “Will you try to recruit the Spell Library to your side Nobina?”

She looked at Immana with a curious gaze, wondering more about the title she used.

“Spell Library?” she asked, tilting her head.

“It is said that Master Helios can cast almost one hundred spells,” smiled Immana. “He had assisted Lord Kasanta a few times and he’s been satisfied every time. It seems he’s always bringing out a new spell or coming up with new ways to use his own spells. Thus, people say he’s basically a spell library capable of doing anything. Though… I guess that isn’t exactly true. Else he would’ve been moved to SS rank before retiring.”

Nobina was excited to meet someone as skilled as Master Helios. If things worked out, then they’d have the sheer power and versatility of someone who had one hundred spells. However, she also wondered about the reason for his retirement.

The group began leaving the training grounds and headed westward towards the library. Lady Immana requested a carriage once again for the group, with them filling two wagons. The sheer speed of her calling everything together managed to impress all of them there, but Nobina could see in her innocent smile points being deducted from her score. It made such an innocent thing a double-edged sword, making Nobina desire for the test to be over sooner rather than later.

For the first carriage, Mimiki, Lila, Cain, and Marve were the ones to enter it. In the second carriage was Nobina and Immana, who boarded right after the others. Once they were on the way, Immana began chatting away to Nobina. It didn’t seem of much substance, but Nobina was able to tell it had more meaning than it let on.

“It’s always hard to tell how quickly things will move sometimes,” she said, staring out the window. “I always worry that my actions aren’t the most beneficial for my father, but I do have my own desires and often try to balance things.”

“It’s natural, isn’t it? We are inherently individuals who are a bit selfish,” replied Nobina, who was merely lying back trying to relax.

Immana gave a chuckle, nodding her head.

“If you were speaking to some other noble, they’ve have lost their mind hearing you call them selfish, despite how true that is. At least you know I’m far more reasonable.”

Nobina didn’t even need to look at Immana to feel that smile. It bothered her yet again, but she merely continued to clear her mind.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the library, where Nobina’s attention was finally drawn outside of the window. Awe filled her face as she stared at a two-story building that was quite large in size. It felt amazing seeing such a large building of books since she knew that books weren’t too common. Part of her wanted to just run in and begin exploring, but she waited for everyone to disembark. They had a mission to do, and she wasn’t going to derail it if she could help it.

“Welcome to the Library of Helios,” said Cain, holding his hands out to emphasize the scale of the structure.

Nobina was still in awe, staring at the library. A building of decent quality stone and windows that were stained glass. It felt surreal to see, and Nobina felt as if she could almost cry.

“Nobina,” said Immana, drawing her back to reality. “We are going in. You might want to join us.”

She saw that Immana was right as Cain was leading them all inside. She quickly joined the group, catching up to Cain as he reached the entrance. There, the two guards stared at Cain and spoke up.

“Welcome back Cain and guest and… oh! Lady Immana. Thank you for blessing us with your presence.”

The guards were offering as low of a bow as they could, not moving an inch until Immana asked said they could stop. Once they were back to standing upright, they stepped aside, allowing the group to enter. Nobina’s excitement continued to build until they were finally inside, where she was in awe once again.

Both levels of the library were visible at the entrance, which was a large room that was lined with bookshelves on both levels. There was a walkway with railings on the second floor. It was wide enough that there were tables as well along the railing, letting people read and look down if needed. On the bottom floor entrance were rows and rows of bookshelves, with the central area having plenty of long tables for people to read or study. At the very entrance of this room was a circular desk with a few librarians there to assist others.

“Welcome,” said the closest librarian at the desk. “Ah, Cain. Welcome back, and… Welcome, Lady Immana.

At the mention of her name, any free librarian stood at attention and gave a bow, waiting once again for her to allow them to raise their head back up.

“To what can we assist you with Cain and Lady Immana?” asked the librarian.

“We are here to see Master Helios,” smiled Cain.

“Of course,” said the librarian.

With a hand wave, another nearby librarian approached and gave a bow.

“My name is Howrad Dase. I shall lead you to Master Helios. This way.”

The group began following Howard, though Nobina’s gaze couldn’t help but wander as they walked. They were heading deeper into the library, past the rows of bookshelves, before reaching the end of the room. They then entered a hallway that was decently large. There was nothing in it but doors that led to the inner rooms. Nobina’s curiosity made her wonder what was behind each door, but she held back carelessly opening each of them. Midway through their walk, one of the doors opened, revealing a room of bookcases and a metal cage wall sealing off a section of books. Immediately, Nobina found herself asking Howard about it.

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“Oh,” he responded, surprised by Nobina speaking. “That is a Level Three Access information section. If you aren’t familiar with how it works, we have five levels of access for information. Everyone who joins the library as a member gets level one access automatically. Level two to four can be earned by being a productive and important member of the library. Level five is solely for Master Helios.”

Nobina gave a nod, mentally noting down those details. She really wanted to see what was considered level one to level five information, but that could wait. For now, she was merely thankful for the info as the group continued on.

The group eventually reached the end of the hallway, which had a door with the nametag of Master Helios next to it. When the door opened, Nobina and everyone else’s jaw dropped upon seeing the sight. The room was rather large, with a massive open space in the center. The center itself was made of some magical stone, as it emanated power that all of them could visibly see. Around this center was a ring of tables and books, all of them facing this center circle. Against the walls was bookshelf after bookshelf.

However, that wasn’t what everyone was in awe about. At the center of the magical circle was an individual levitating with all sorts of magic around him. He was sitting in the air, eyes closed as spells moved around him. The beauty of it was that the spells seemed to be merging and unmerging, showing that something magical was about to happen. Moments later, the spells all merged into one, forming a beautiful rainbow-colored ball of energy that disappeared moments later.

“Ah perfect,” said Helios as he lowered himself to the ground. He opened his eyes, showing no surprise as he saw all of them standing before them. “Hopefully you enjoyed the show Cain. That was six spells that merged successfully to form advance energy. With that, I could likely use my high-mana spells and boost their power about… two-fold.”

“It was amazing as always master,” bowed Cain. “May I introduce you to Mimiki, Lila, Marve, Nobina and Lady Immana.”

Helios turned his attention to Nobina, surprising all but Immana, who merely smiled.

“Ah… you seem quite… special. An aura about you Miss Nobina tells me you have a unique power, yes?”

Nobina, who was recovering from being surprised, merely nodded.

“I’d love to see it at some point, but I’d imagine you all are here for a reason,” said Helios, turning to Cain.

“We are,” he nodded. “Master. I’ve been recruited with Marve to join in the dragon hunt.”

Helios gave a nod, closing his eyes.

“I would be willing to join you for a fair price. After all, Cain is my student and it’d be horrible to overcharge you. Assisting my student is basically an obligation.”

It felt a bit wrong that Master Helios was still going to charge them whatever this price was going to be. At the same time, Nobina knew that risking your life, even for a student, was a lot.

“What is this price that you charge Master Helios?” asked Nobina.

“I require something to further my research into magic,” he nodded. “That or knowledge that I cannot obtain anywhere else. It can be a national secret, some hint to a grand treasure, or anything that can be verified. If it cannot, I cannot accept it.”

Nobina began wondering if she had anything that would satisfy him. She had her special magic items, but she wasn’t going to hand them over for Master Helios’s help. They were items given to her by divine entities. She had no idea what they’d do if she gave them away instead of using them as they were intended to be used.

“So,” said Helios, looking at the party. “Is there something of note you can cover my cost with?”

Thinking long and hard about it, Nobina had an idea.

“Excuse me Master Helios, but…”

“Please call me Helios,” he smiled.

“Right. I have a book that is capable of bringing forth books not of this world. I cannot give it to you exclusively, but I am willing to let you use it while I’m in its presence.”

Hearing that, Helios’s and everyone’s eyes widened.

“Oh? A unique magical item? Do you mind… verifying it with me?” asked Helios.

“I do not,” said Nobina, reaching into her bag. Grabbing the special book she had received as a gift on her birthday, she opened it to show the last fiction book she was reading. It was a story about a space admiral fighting against another interstellar nation, which she had no doubt would draw Helios’s attention.

As expected, he was indeed taken in by it.

“What is this,” he said, reading the first pages closely. “There are so many things in here that I don’t understand. Part of me cannot believe it’s real, yet…”

“The story you’re reading is about concepts that are partly real, yet also fictional. I could try to explain it, but we are pressed for time so…”

Nobina was reaching for the book but quickly found her hand being swatted away by Helios.

“I would prefer that you let me fully understand this page at least,” he said. It was with enough seriousness that Nobina felt a bit scared. She felt as if he was going to take that book from her without any chance to return it, but Nobina was relieved it was given back to her after a few more minutes.

“I have so many questions regarding what I’ve read, but as you said we are pressed for time,” he replied. “As you request, I shall join your party for unrestricted access to reading that book while within your presence. You shall also answer any questions regarding what’s in it without hiding any of the truth.”

Nobina knew how dangerous that last part was, leading to her shaking her head.

“Unfortunately, I cannot agree to that last line. However, I can tell you what I know truthfully so long as I believe the impact of you knowing that knowledge will not be dangerous.”

Those words made all of them, including Master Helios, curious about the book’s content.

“I can agree to those terms,” said Helios.

“I also request level five access,” said Nobina.

At that point, Master Helios shook his head.

“I cannot grant you that level of access,” he responded. “Knowledge at that level is basically at the importance of national secrets. I can grant you level four access, but nothing more.”

Nobina gave a nod.

“Fair. As I’m restricting your access, you may do so with me. Is that a deal then?” asked Nobina, her hand extended.

Helios shook it without a second thought, causing Immana to clap her hands together.

“Masterfully done,” said Immana, giving a chuckle. “Winning over such a powerful asset that I personally was seeking. Using your unique advantages to your benefits. This is truly a good mark on your test Nobina.”

Seeing Immana mean what she said genuinely, Nobina couldn’t help but nod.

“Thank you,” she smiled back.

With that done, Nobina was feeling extremely confident about their chances of subduing the dragon. However, the moment was short-lived, as a knock came from the door.

“Come in,” yelled Helios.

Entering the room was a messenger wearing the insignia of Lord Kasanta.

“Report for Lady Immana. The dragon has been spotted at the Town of Wistern. It has not attacked it however and is merely keeping watch over it. Most of the scouts are still there in case it does something, but a few were sent back to report the status. The news is estimated two days old.”

Hearing that, Immana grinned as she looked at Nobina.

“Well. Times up Nobina. It’s time to gather the forces and begin the hunt.”

Dread started filling most of them, but Lila was giving the biggest grin possible.

“Finally! I can fight an opponent worthy of my full power,” she laughed. “Let’s go everyone. The hunt is on!”

All of them were flabbergasted by her reaction, but soon, they all began to laugh.

“Lila is right,” nodded Mimiki. “We might not have the recommended numbers, but we cannot let the dragon drive us into fear. Let us move up once we gather everyone.”

All of them gave a nod, including Nobina. Things were ramping up, and Nobina knew she’d be the x-factor to their team.