It’s been two months since I joined Orethon and the others. The days passed by in a flash and before I knew it I had grown more or less accustomed to the life here. I can find my way through the castle (at least somewhat) and I have gotten to know a lot of people, most of them being servants I see daily.

So far, nothing extraordinary has happened. I have yet to enter a battlefield or fought with a mighty foe. Actually, most days are pretty relaxed, the only action I get is from training with Bekkhildr. Speaking of Bekkhildr… Ever since our first training session she’s been acting kinda strange. She always asks me if I have slept well, if I have had enough to eat and whenever I get even a little bit hurt she looks extremely worried. Did something happen?

I am not disappointed in the lack of things happening but I would gladly accept something to do. An adventure of some sort...

Anyway, my training’s been going well. Because I can now use my powers without holding back I have been developing nicely. I am now level 41, which is amazing, and my stats have improved immensely. You remember before when I was as weak as a mouse? WELL GUESS WHAT! I am slightly stronger now.

Hah, my stats are still messed up. While my MP, Wis and Int is on the higher end my HP and Str is still lower than it should be. At least I don’t die from the weakest of hits now.

Right now I’m in the grand library. I found out about this place four days after I arrived. It is freaking huge.I have been exploring it for the last weeks and I have not even seen half of it. It’s surrounded by a special barrier that prevent outside noises from entering and all the lights are emitted by bioluminescent crystals.

I’m sitting at one of the many desks in the library and have a pile of books stacked up next to me. At the moment I’m reading a book about body strengthening techniques, suggested to me by Bekkhildr.

It’s completely quiet except for the sound of me turning pages and my own breathing. Sometimes some of the librarians pass me by but they do not make any sounds at all. What else would you expect from beings made entirely out of paper? Apparently they are a kind of golem but I don’t know much more than that.

Babbit is laying on my head, having fallen asleep about an hour ago. He knows that when we are in the library it’s completely quiet and therefore it’s perfect to take a nap in.

Sigh, he sleeps way too much nowadays. I was worried that he had gotten sick but when I asked Tyra she told me it’s absolutely natural. Babbit’s species are simply naturally lazy. No wonder we get along so well.

“Good evening, lady Ruth” a smokey voice suddenly says from behind me. It startled me and when I turn around I see Sotos, the spymaster, approaching me. He’s dressed in a simple (and very revealing) golden robe. His centipede legs created a small tapping sound as he walked.

“Ah, hello Sotos” I respond, “how are you?”

“Everything’s fine, thank you for asking” he says while leaning towards the bookshelf next to the desk I’m sitting at. “What about you? How’s your studying going?”

“Well, it is difficult but I’m trying” I say, letting out a small sigh at the end.

“Is that so? From what I’ve heard you are doing extremely well. Everyone is very pleased with how you have progressed”. Sotos proceeds to lean over the desk and start looking through the pile of books beside me. Ah, how dangerous! His loose clothes are revealing way too much of his naked chest!

When he’s so close I can see all the details in his face. He really could be mistaken as a model or a movie star. His obsidian dark eyes slant a little bit and long eyelashes surround them. There’s a large birthmark on his flawless porcelain white skin right under his left eye. Speaking of mouth… His lips are thin yet pronounced and have the same color as ash. A majestic nose that’s not too long nor too short and a chin that’s as steady as a mountain.

Suddenly I notice that I’m staring and that he’s still waiting for me to respond.

“Oh, uhm, I’m doing my best” I say while looking away with blushing cheeks. It’s not that I am interested in him or anything but I am still a woman! My weak maiden heart simply acts on its own.

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“Ah, please don’t work yourself too hard” Sotos says. “Take your time and don’t be afraid to ask for help”. I can’t help but glance at him and when I do he smiles. AH! IT’S TOO BRIGHT!!!

“Excuse me” a faint voice suddenly says. Both me and Sotos turn around and see one of the paper librarians approaching. Thank you for saving me! “Lord Sotos, you asked this document to be delivered to you the moment it arrived”. The librarian proceed to hand over a piece of paper to Sotos.

“Thank you” he says and the librarian bows before walking away. For a few seconds Sotos examine the document before opening it. But when he starts reading it his expression changes. “This is…”

“Is something wrong?” I ask, seeing how distressed he’s become.

“According to this the church have declared the new champion of Chreshna to the country. A grand ceremony was held just last night. The new hero is Rentaro Blitz... That’s the boy you told us about, right?”

“Yeah, that’s him” I say, sighing. Crap, I shouldn’t have wished for an adventure. I knew he was the new “hero” but I always hoped that he would somehow go unnoticed. Naive, yes, but that’s just who I am. Besides, I haven’t heard from him in like 60 chapters so I thought everything was alright. “What are they going to do to him? He’s just a child after all so he can’t go to war yet”

“The same as always I suppose. Feed him lies, make him hate everything non-human and so on. For the next years his life will consist of constant training and brainwashing from the church”.

“That’s bad… And what about his family? He’s got a mother that lives all alone, will they do something to her”.

“We’re not sure. They have killed family and friends to the hero in the past and blamed it on the demons just to make the hero have a more personal reason to fight. But more than often this would backfire and the “hero” would be so hellbent on revenge that he would ignore orders completely”.

“Can we do something to protect his mother? I know we are not to reveal ourselves unnecessarily but I have quite a connection with that family and I owe them. Without their help I would have undoubtedly perished long ago”.

“Hmm…” Sotos says, thinking it over. “I could deploy some of my agents to keep her safe… We could fake her death and take her somewhere safe, perhaps a neighbouring country. Fixing a new identity would be easy, perhaps even a new face…”

“I assume you have done something like this before?” I comment, noticing how casual he’s talking about it all.

“Yes, since we couldn’t afford to be discovered before your arrival it was I who had to organise things when strings had to be pulled”.

“I see… Anyway, I guess since they have started to move things will start happening around here?”

“Indeed, but worry not. Like I said, the hero’s training will take years and therefore we will have time to prepare. Ah, but I am afraid I will have to go now. If I got this document then there’s no doubt the other generals have gotten it too. I will have to prepare for the meeting and further discussion of this. You, of course, will attend as well. I will have someone call for you when that time arrives”.

After saying this Sotos folds the document and put it somewhere in his robe. With a swift bow he excuses himself and leave the library. When he’s gone I breathe out, the seriousness of our conversation having strained me.

What to do, what to do… Taro is now the official champion of Chreshna and everybody knows it. Poor boy… From what Orethon told me the life of a hero is hell. He, who is so pure, will kill and kill, all in the name of “justice”. Taro is naive so tricking him should be easy. Not to mention he also have the desire to protect what he holds dear. This is a good character trait but it can also be used against him, as in this case.

I used to be Taro’s familiar but Orethon taught me how to end the contract between us. Since it was a equal contract any of the parts could exit it whenever they want if they wanted too. It was strange when it happened. The faint connection I barely felt disappeared and suddenly it all felt so empty.

Taro probably believes I am dead since the last thing connecting us is gone. I guess it’s a good thing but at the same time I can’t help but feel a little bit sad. He probably cried when he felt it.

Babbit suddenly starts moving around on top of my head and a cute yawn can be heard. Sigh, guess it’s time to leave. Slowly I stand up and start gathering all the books before putting them back where they belong. I ask one of the librarians if I can borrow the book that I hadn’t finished and after their approval I leave the library.

After I leave I immediately head towards my room. I feel strangely tired and just want to rest for a bit.

Every since I started to find around better in the castle Charlotte have stopped guiding me around everywhere. Nowadays I see her mostly in the mornings when she prepares me for the day.

When I enter my room I notice that there’s a document on my desk. I open it and notice that it’s about the new hero of Chreshna. It’s probably identical to the one Sotos received. I read it through and it’s just as Sotos said. Yesterday the kingdom officially dubbed Taro the new Champion of Chreshna and a grand feast was held in his honor.

Apparently they also revealed that Taro was the son of the king. This caused quite the commotion as this would add another candidate to the throne. Usually this would put the child in question in danger but since Taro is the new hero no one will attempt to assassinate him or have him exiled. Still, there’s a lot of people who just can’t wait to use and manipulate him.

“Ah, he’s really in deep trouble…” I exclaim. Ah, this is too tiresome. I drop the document and fall backwards, into my bed. I will just rest a little. Just a… just a minute. Hah...