Dragon's Tale 33 (Patreon)

When I walked back to the Hidden City, stumbling in exhaustion, wearing the leftover rags after the weird battle I had just suffered through, I was determined to immediately visit the library. The battle I had gone through was weird enough, but the recovery through the lightning rain was even more confusing. 

Yes, I knew very little about the Sorcerers and their powers due to my rather limited background, but I definitely knew enough that being healed through a thunderstorm was unheard of. Even magical animals rarely had such ability, let alone humans. 

However, when I walked into the city, I met with a sight that seriously challenged that determination. Lillian and Astrid were out in the front garden, lying to catch some sun, which was rather extraordinary under the almost-constant mist that covered the surroundings. They were both sleeping after a hard day of cleaning around —not to mention their delicious assistance in the bath earlier.

However, it was one important detail, or rather, a lack of one, that strained my willpower. Neither girl was wearing a stitch as they lay under the evening sun, enjoying the warmth that covered their skin, their eyes closed. It was very tempting to lay next to them, enjoying the soft caress of the sun, and maybe enjoy something else after they woke up… 

Pity that I was facing a deadly threat that I shouldn’t delay. 

I slipped inside, silently so that I wouldn’t wake them, and had a quick bath and a change of clothes before I moved to the library, ready to take the most complicated task of my life. Despite the centuries that passed, the wards of the library were still throbbing with power. 

Also, considering it was built by Julius Caesar, who won some of his greatest victories through his feats of engineering, where he created a perfect blend of engineering and magical warding even under emergencies. There was a reason that despite his status as the Grand Traitor, the academies still studied his battle records, especially Alesia, where he sieged the city by building a wall around it while simultaneously defending against a sieging army by building another wall to protect themselves. The only reason those defenses held despite the endless disasters summoned by the Gallic Druids was the sturdy construction. 

And since that battle was the last resistance of the Gallic Tribes, they threw everything they had, including their legendary Chief Druids, who were strong enough to face a Sorcerer one-to-one —it was said that due to the number of Chief Druids died that day, Gallic magic had collapsed completely, never to return to their peak. 

Since Caesar achieved such a spectacular victory in a battle in enemy territory, where he was being assaulted from both sides and pressed for time, one could only imagine how sturdy a city he built as the last defensive bastion would be, especially when it came to the library, a place that held his most important secrets. Breaking through force was definitely not an option… 

I stood in front of the main door of the library, which was deceptively simple-looking, lacking in ornaments. However, despite its simple look, the door was throbbing with magic, enough to fry anyone that would be stupid enough to open it without a way to pass the wards. I took a deep breath, extending my senses, trying to examine the ward structure without making contact. 

“Interesting,” I murmured as I realized the first layer of wards was surprisingly simple despite the incredible power that passed through them. Simple enough that even an average first-year student could solve. I frowned as I started examining it. Such a simple design would surely host a deceptive trap. I was sure. 

I was examining the ward for half an hour when I heard the footsteps closing in. “What are you trying to do?” asked the familiar voice of Lillian. A moment later, I felt her arms hug me from behind, pressing her chest against my back. I turned my heat to catch a soft kiss, before turning my attention back to the wards. “I’m trying to enter, but I’m not sure how to enter it,” I murmured, determined to find the trap. 

I felt Lillian’s magic flare next to me, surprisingly resonating with my own flow. It was a soft, barely discernible effect, but not soft enough to get away from my enhanced senses. “It seems simple enough,” she murmured confusedly. “What’s the problem?” 

“It’s too simple,” I murmured, still determined to break it. It was a ward designed by the great Julius Caesar. It was impossible for it to be that simple! Still, it wasn’t just that. There was something familiar in those wards that were tickling my mind, but I didn’t know what. 

Lillian giggled a bit. “You’re too tense.” 

“And? How’s that relevant.” 

“You’re tense enough to miss an obvious detail,” she explained, and kissed me in the cheek before continuing. “It’s the outer layer they built to resist the surrounding chaotic magic. They couldn’t build anything complicated, or put any traps, because it would be triggered by the chaotic magic storms.” 

“You’re right,” I admitted a moment later, and used a simple spell to crack the ward. The door opened immediately. “I just expected it to be more complicated.” 

“It happens to best of us,” Lillian said, though she had a smug smile on her face as she said so, glad that she was finally able to show off. I smiled back, as after all the time we spent together, such a simple jab was simply amusing. 

Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to let it slide easily. “You’re getting uppity,” I said as I pulled her on my lap, and spanked her naked ass without a warning, earning a delicious giggle in return. I let her stand once more after several spanks, when her humorous giggles started to turn into delicious moans that tempted me to change my decision. “That’s enough punishment,” I said as I let her go. 

“Are you sure?” she asked as she leaned forward, presenting her delicious body in the best effect. “Maybe you should punish me more, just to make sure that I learned my lesson.” 

I sighed. “It sounds very tempting, but I need to crack the library’s defense wards. I’m hoping to find something about Sorcerer abilities.” 

“What’s the hurry?” she asked. “We should be safe here. There’s no chance that the tribals would risk entering here. After centuries, they would have discovered the location if they had the ability.” 

“I don’t want to take the risk,” I answered. “You’re right about the tribals, but the same won’t apply to the Legionaries. If they are sufficiently brave, it’s not impossible for another Sorcerer to replicate our trick.” 

“They wouldn’t take the risk. One wrong move, and they might lose a Century, along with a Sorcerer,” she stated confidently. 

“I’m not so sure,” I answered. “You’re thinking in terms of Colonial powers. Back in Britanium, every Sorcerer is a rare resource. But whoever we’re facing against clearly strong enough to treat Sorcerers as normal mages. If they could send a Sorcerer to kidnap you, they can send a Sorcerer to explore this place. It’s not a risk we can write-off.” 

“You think so?” she murmured. 

“Yes, and even if they didn’t want to breach the area, we are still facing an important danger. The magical creatures that surround the place are very dangerous. I had just fought against a pack of Ethereal wolves,” I said. 

She gasped in shock. “Are you okay?” she asked as she grabbed my bicep, squeezing tight. 

“Yeah, I’m well, nothing I can’t handle as a Sorcerer,” I answered. At that moment, I decided not to mention the disaster-class wolf I had faced, as the mention of the ethereal wolves was enough to scare her. If I mentioned the disaster-class wolf, I was afraid that she would want to leave the hidden city. I already had too many things to handle without trying to convince her to stay in the mountain. Also, the existence of ethereal beasts was enough to prevent them from going for a walk. “Should we walk in,” I asked her even as I took the lead, casting a shield charm just in case. 

“Yeah, let’s go,” she answered, and followed me slowly, watching her surroundings carefully. Admittedly, the way she dressed —or didn’t dress— was a bit distracting, but I didn’t ask her to dress. Breaking the secondary wards was going to be hard enough, so I wouldn’t say no to some eye candy. 

I couldn’t help but feel surprised when I stepped inside. The library was not perfect by any measure. The shelves were ugly and utilitarian, lacking both in polish and style, so much that any second-hand shop would have a better selection. The place was filled with dust, enough to make me sneeze, and quite a few books were just a strong jab away from falling into pieces. 

Still, considering it was centuries since the place had a visitor, it was much better than I expected. I wanted to walk in and start reading, but a secondary ward was shimmering in my magical sight, covering the shelves, hypnotizing complex. “That’s what I’m talking about,” I murmured in fascination as I watched the rapidly-shuffling magical flow and runes. “It’s a masterpiece.” 

“I’m starting to feel jealous,” Lillian said as she poked my side, but even as she said so, her eyes were locked on the wards as well. Then, she frowned. “Do you think we can unlock those wards?” 

“We can,” I answered confidently. “It looks complicated, but most of its functions are about protecting the books and maintaining the place rather than defense,” I explained. Of course, even with that deficiency, breaking the wards was not the simplest thing to do. Lillian and I sat down, examining the ward even as the sunset and the darkness covered the streets, while Astrid helped us by preparing and serving us food —wearing nothing but her birthday suit after seeing Lillian’s lack of dress. Their relationship might have improved, but not to the point they stopped competing with each other. 

The presence of two naked beauties helped to break the monotony as I filled paper after paper with formulas, occasionally running my findings by Lillian to make sure there was no calculation error. Toward midnight, our luck turned and we managed to fashion a key. Normally, breaking a military-grade ward would have been difficult, but we were lucky that it was erected centuries ago. Most of the methods that were probably cutting-edge military secrets were a part of the school curriculum, allowing us to break it successfully. 

“That was exhausting,” Lillian murmured as she looked at the shelves, but the call of the sleep proved stronger than the call of the knowledge. “Are you coming to bed,” she said as she kissed me lazily. 

“No, go ahead. I want to look around a bit first,” I answered, and watched her saunter away, still naked. Astrid had long left us, unable to understand the intricacies of ward-breaking. 

I walked around, giving a cursory assessment of the books on the shelves, but I haven’t found anything that really impressed me. They were good books, but nothing precious enough to help a Sorcerer. 

Soon, I found the reason for it. On the other end of the library, there was another door, guarded by a stronger —and much more complicated— ward, no doubt hiding the really precious books. And unlike the other books in the library, those books were secret from the other soldiers —or at least, I assumed so, because the ward that was protecting them was absolutely vicious. A wrong touch might have deadly consequences. 

Still, I raised my magical presence and gave it a soft touch, just to understand the complexity of it. I didn’t expect to break it, of course. I doubted that I could even actually make an attempt without blowing myself up without months of dedicated study. Unlike the previous ward, this one was primed to explode, after all. 

Surprisingly, the deadly ward that was supposed to take months of effort to crack suddenly melted, leaving me in shock. 

What the fuck was happening!