After [Archery] practice, Zack was freed to go to the book room and begin his research into the summoning ritual.

  Along the way, he managed to ‘get lost’ and meet several more maids, and nearly made it to the kitchens before Eleanor spotted him.

  “Sir Zack!” she exclaimed, causing the maid leading him to flinch terribly.

  “Uh, maybe next time, Glenna,” Zack smiled, and Glenna scurried off back to her duties.

  “Hi, Eleanor!”

  “That’s [Maid] Eleanor to you, Sir Zack.” There was not a hint of blush on the elder maid’s face.

  And so Zack Adder let himself be led back up the stairs and through the halls to the Royal Castle’s actual book room.

  “[Librarian] Matthias, please ensure that Sir Zack remains within the book room and leaves my maids alone.”

  Matthias smiled knowingly. “Of course, [Maid] Eleanor. Are we still on for cards this evening?”

  “So long as I’m not occupied scolding wayward maids,” she said sternly, though she was also smiling, and then she turned on her heel and left, long skirt fluttering as she went.

  “Well, there you have it, Sir Zack. You’re not going to upset my evening plans with the lovely Eleanor, are you?”

  Zack turned to the man, completely serious.

  “I would never do that.”

  “So you’ll be good and stay here?”

  “Yes.”

  Matthias smiled and gave off the air of a sharp knife wrapped in velvet. “Good.”

  Zack turned to face the books, then continued turning a full three hundred sixty degrees back to the [Librarian]. “You wouldn’t happen to have an index of all the books, would you?”

  “Not for visitors, no. What are you looking for? I can point you in the right direction.”

  Well, it was worth a shot.

  “How about books on hunting monsters, to start?”

  “Right this way.”

  Matthias was roughly Zack’s height, with sandy-brown hair and a very slender build. His fingers were longer than average, and trailed the bookbindings as he walked down one aisle of shelves, towards the back corner of the bookroom.

  “Here,” he gestured to one shelf. “There’s a bestiary covering the Kingdom of Forti here, and a copy of a hunter’s journal here, and some legendary tales here.”

  “Oh, that’s perfect, thanks!”

  Matthias smiled, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “I’ll be watching the door, you know.”

  Zack sighed.

  “I promise I’ll stay here.”

  “Good.”

  With that, Matthias finally left Zack alone.

  Zack mentally filed away the knowledge that Eleanor and Matthias were likely an item, and focused on his mission.

  Information gathering.

  First, he skimmed all the nearby titles of books, and pulled out the bestiary from before.

  He definitely noticed the effect of his [Reading] skill.

  He had trained to read text upside down and at angles before, but it was all the easier now.

  Near the section on hunting there was a large section of legal books, then a small section on magic, another large section of books on theology, a small section of historical books, a large section of cookbooks…

  As he wandered up and down the aisles he could feel Matthias’ gaze, though the [Librarian] said nothing.

  He was certainly being observed, and Matthias would likely report what books he looked at. He wandered naturally, noting several texts he would come back to.

  Magic and the Spirits

  The First Hero

  The First Hundred Years of the Church of the Goddess

  A Compendium of Magic Spells

  Magic without Spiritual Mediation

  Rituals By Which One May Please the Goddess and Other Good Habits of the Devout

  Eventually, Zack made his way to a chair and skimmed through the bestiary. He could study the book more intensely later; for now, he just wanted a sense of what was out there and what he needed to worry about.

  Wolf-like Lupinoids, in elemental variations.

  Thurgenrats, essentially rats slightly larger than a house cat.

  Lynxens, predatory large cats that were the local apex predator and maintained large territories. Solitary creatures outside of mating season.

  Shadowshrikes, nocturnal birds of prey.

  Unfortunately, the danger ratings were letter-based, and meant little to Zack.

  An average pack of lupinoids was a B-rank threat.

  Lynxens were A-rank.

  A lone shadowshrike was C-rank, but three or more was B-rank.

  A lone Thurgenrat was E-rank, but more than one was D-rank.

  Behemoths, beasts somewhat like a bear, but leaner and fiercer and much bigger, were S-rank threats.

  Most of the monsters in the bestiary were B-rank or lower, however.

  He paused and thought.

  Could he take out a single Thurgenrat?

  He wasn’t sure.

  Maybe with a bow, from a distance.

  But at that size, even a 9mm round wouldn’t put it down right away unless he got lucky with shot placement. He’d want something higher caliber. He couldn’t imagine it surviving a 12 Gauge slug, though.

  A behemoth?

  He wanted nothing to do with any of that, if he could help it.

  Not unless he had an RPG or something.

  Hmm…

  Maybe [Running] was worth practicing more seriously, after all.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  That, or…

  Magic.

  Zack Adder wanted terribly to pull down all the books on magic and start devouring them.

  But, first…

  Work.

  Work came first.

  Work always came first…

  He couldn’t stop himself clicking his tongue, even though he knew Matthias could hear it.

  A brand new life, a world away from anyone who would come after him, and here he was again, prioritizing the job over what he wanted.

  He put the bestiary down on a side table and once more wandered the shelves, as though he didn’t already have his next book in mind.

  The First Hundred Years of the Church of the Goddess

  He picked up a few other books from the theology section, as well, in case his reading material was being cataloged.

  Old habits die hard.

  Zack stifled a sigh and started reading.

  The True Church of the Goddess was founded in the year 3564…

  Almost immediately he paused.

  The current year was 3672.

  There wasn’t any publication info on the book, given that it had been copied by hand, but if it was a history book of the first hundred years of the Church, the earliest it could have been written was eight years ago.

  The Church was only a hundred and eight years old.

  Huh.

  Perhaps this Church was a reformation of an old Church?

  Or there was some kind of theological split.

  There were new Churches being founded and split off on Earth, as well. It wasn’t that unusual.

  The more important thing was the Hero Summoning Ritual.

  And information on that was totally absent, even though there was mention of heroes being summoned in the past.

  They were always accompanied by a [Guide] and either a [Priest] or [Priestess], as well as others hired as needed, and sent on their way to fight the [Demon King]…

  Zack frowned.

  There was no description of any of the Heroes returning, nor of the [Demon King] being slain.

  And yet [Heroes] continued to be summoned and sent forth, every decade or two.

  There had even been a period half a century ago when [Heroes] were summoned every few years and sent forth, but the frequency reverted to the norm after the seventh [Hero] in that twenty-year span.

  The rest of the tome was about the foundation of churches and bishoprics throughout the Kingdom of Forti, and the struggle to penetrate into neighboring, unenlightened kingdoms and territories.

  The Republic of Trelawney, in particular, was castigated and libeled across several pages.

  Certainly not an unbiased source, and not helpful for the job at hand.

  Nor was Rituals By Which One May Please the Goddess and Other Good Habits of the Devout. These were not ritual magics, but simple ritual prayers the devout could perform to please Goddess Arianna.

  Offerings of sweet wine and fruits and soft cakes, especially strawberry flavor…

  Certain kinds of music and songs.

  Particular poems of praise of her beauty and grace and magnanimity…

  Basically, a handbook for sucking up to the Goddess.

  As much as it made Zack want to roll his eyes, it was an incredibly valuable book. Especially if he wanted to eventually be able to call on miracles.

  Being able to miraculously heal himself was too valuable to pass up. It could literally be the difference between life and death.

  Buffs… blessings were also invaluable.

  Zack brought the book up to Matthias at his desk.

  “Yes, Sir Zack?”

  “Do you have anything I can write with, to copy some of this down?”

  Matthias made a point of examining the book. “Ah, you intend to pray to the Goddess?”

  “Yeah.”

  “One moment.”

  Matthias bent over, under the desk, and eventually came back with parchment, a quill, and a small inkpot.

  Zack frowned, and the [Librarian] noticed.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “I’m not used to… a quill. Don’t you have a pencil or pen?”

  “[Pencil]? [Pen]? No, I can’t say we have anything called that…”

  “Er, no, it’s just pencil or pen. Uh, okay.”

  There was a worktable near the front, so Zack set up there, and being careful not to spill ink, started transcribing one of the prayer-poems.

  He spilled ink anyway.

  “Do not worry, Sir Zack, I will have any messes cleaned up after you depart. Feel free to copy as much as you like.”

  Frustrating.

  And yet…

  *ding!* The skill [Writing] has been acquired!

  Another skill. Faster even than [Reading] had been picked up. With fewer inkstains and blotches, Zack finished copying a few prayers, and a list of offerings known to be effective.

  That done, he left the parchment and its inkstains and scribbles to dry, and he turned to the last of the books he wanted to check before dinner.

  He could see that the light outside was fading through one of the narrow windows.

  The First Hero.

  It was a slender book, tall and narrow, and it turned out to be written in verse. Perhaps a transcription of an oral legend.

  ...and the people cried out in a loud voice

  begging the Goddess for salvation,

  ‘You shall all rejoice,’

  She declared, ‘For a Hero will save the nation!’

  And then the hero went on to visit other lands, had the Holy Sword [Excalibur] forged by the mountain-dwelling dwarves, and faced the [Demon King], giving his life to seal him away for a time.

  Interestingly, there was no mention of any Church, nor of the Kingdom of Forti.

  Another bust.

  Zack stifled a sigh. Time to try a new tactic.

  He pulled out a book of magic, making sure he was in Matthias’ view.

  A Compendium of Magic Spells.

  Not only was it something Zack was interested in for its own sake, it would be a good lead up for later.

  Time passed, and soon enough, Barclay came to get him.

  Zack was in the back corner, just out of Matthias’ sight, and he could hear Barclay and the [Librarian] whispering. He shifted his focus from darkness magic to eavesdropping…

  *ding!* The skill [Eavesdropping] has been acquired!

  Their conversation grew clear enough to hear, despite their whispering.

  “...and he didn’t try to wander off?”

  “No, he’s been here reading since Eleanor brought him.”

  Barclay sighed. “Good.”

  Then, the [Trainer] raised his voice. “Sir Zack? The [Hero] has requested your presence for supper this evening.”

  Zack snapped the book shut after noting the—thankfully—numbered page.

  “You’re sure I can’t take this back to my room?” he asked after approaching the front desk.

  Matthias frowned severely. “Absolutely not. The books are too valuable to allow outside the book room. Do you have any idea how much these books cost to produce?”

  “Whoa, okay, just asking.”

  Zack set the book down where Matthias indicated, to be re-shelved, and gathered his now dry notes.

  Barclay took him directly to the dining parlor, and Zack entered alone.

  They sat and ate, and Bradley regaled them all of his progress in training. He had felt a shift in his movement, running around and fighting in heavy armor, and suspected that his [Fleet Foot] level had increased.

  Eventually, Rosimund turned to Zack.

  “And you, Sir Zack? Did you learn anything useful about hunting?” He had a serious look in his eyes, beneath his bushy eyebrows.

  “Oh, yes. And beyond that…” Zack made a point of looking around. They were alone, or at least appeared to be. “I have a question for, uh, the core members of the [Hero’s Party]. I dunno, it might be secret information…”

  “Rosimund,” Bradley said with a tired tone of voice. “It’d be a lot easier if we just made Zack a core member of the Party.”

  “Sir Bradley, I’ve explained why…”

  “Yes, and it rubs me the wrong way.”

  “But the Goddess…” Maria started.

  “I understand that!” Bradley sounded frustrated. “I don’t need to hear it ten times a day.” He turned to the [Guide]. “We can at least hear his question,” he declared.

  “As you will, Sir Bradley. One moment.” Rosimund stood and walked to the door, whispering instructions to whoever was on the other side. Then he returned.

  “There, we just need to keep our voices down,” he said softly and took his seat. “Sir Zack, what is it?”

  “Ahem, well, I was looking in a book of magic spells…”

  “Magic spells!” Bradley exclaimed loudly.

  Rosimund and Maria both gave him a look.

  “Ah!” He covered his mouth with his hands. “Sorry!” he stage-whispered.

  “Anyway,” Zack said softly, “I was wondering if there were any secret spells not included in the book.”

  The [Priestess] glared at the secret agent with more suspicion than usual in her eyes.

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