After the quickie in the forest, we headed to the library in Ortas. As we entered, the sea nymph was sitting behind the counter, engrossed in a book. I quickly looked through the saved images in my mind, checking her name.

  “Nice to see you again, Selira,” I said, leaning against the counter.

  “Oh! Hi. You came back.”

  “Of course. You promised you’d be here waiting, remember?”

  “Oh, that. I didn't mean like waiting for you, but for anyone who would come. You know, it’s my job, to wait and help,” she began to expin, fiddling with the pages in front of her.

  “What are you reading?” I asked, nodding at the book.

  “That?” she asked, looking down. Then she gasped, closed the book quickly, and put it under the counter as her cheeks darkened. “Nothing!”

  On the cover, I’d caught a glimpse of a bare-chested man with two scantily dressed women practically draped over his arms.

  “Reading things like that in public? During your job?” I asked, chuckling.

  “There was no one coming in today, and I was alone, and… and… it was a history book! I don’t know what you think that was, but it was about… history,” the sea nymph said as the blush reached her fins that protruded from the sides of her head.

  “Can we leave our things in the same room as st time?” I asked, deciding not to tease her anymore.

  “Sure,” she replied, getting up quickly and leading us through the library. “What do you want to read today?” she asked, her gaze focused on the corridor ahead of us.

  “The history book caught my interest,” I said, and then made a slight pause. I wasn’t supposed to tease her, but when an opportunity like that arose, I couldn't stop myself. She gnced at me with her eyes wide open, and a blush spread on her face again.

  “You know,” I said. “The one you gave me st time.”

  “Right,” she said. “Right! Of course!” she gasped, then opened the door, where Zoe and I put our things inside.

  “Selira,” I said, as we began heading toward the main part of the library. “I know that you are not supposed to lend me any books, but perhaps you could make an exception? I promise, I’ll return it. And it’s not even for me. Do you remember Azura? She was with us here st time.”

  “The short one with bck-blue hair?” Selira asked.

  “Yeah. She can read, but not smoothly yet. I want to help her improve, so maybe something for kids, simple stuff.”

  “I’m sorry,” Selira replied. “I would love to, but I really can't. They could fire me if they find out, and I really love this job. And even if you mean well, I don't really know you that much.”

  “It's okay.” We approached one of the tables and sat down. “I’ll just need to bring Azura with me next time, so I can teach her here.”

  “That would be perfect, and I’ll find you books that are simple but interesting. I’ll go get the book for you now. Do you want something to read?” the sea nymph asked, looking at Zoe.

  “Hmm…” the succubus hummed, thinking for a moment, with a soft smile on her cute face. “Do you have something about seduction of sea nymphs?”

  “S-Seduction of sea nymphs?” Selira asked, her eyes going wide.

  “No.” Zoe shook her head. “I said, seduction or sea nymphs.”

  “Oh,” Selira gasped. “Oh! Right, sorry! Agh… no, I mean, we have something about sea nymphs, but not about… seduction.”

  “Then I’ll take a sea nymph,” Zoe said, with her pink eyes locked on the librarian.

  “Eee…” Selira froze in pce, staring at Zoe, before she blinked a few times quickly, shaking her head. “I’ll be back with the books,” she said, hurrying away.

  “Someone’s in a mood for teasing?” I asked, looking at Zoe, who started to giggle once the librarian was out of earshot.

  “That’s the only entertainment here,” Zoe replied, gesturing around the library.

  “You’re impossible. Teasing a poor, innocent librarian.”

  “Innocent?” Zoe asked with a smirk. “I have a feeling she’s a very naughty girl,” she said, but then the smile was quickly repced with a concerned frown. “Are you mad at me, Master?”

  “Why would I be?” I asked, confused.

  “You wanted to seduce her, and I kind of… cut in,” Zoe replied, furrowing her brows.

  “Make sure to leave something for me, and we’ll be fine,” I joked.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll share with you,” Zoe replied, grinning again.

  Footsteps shifted our attention from each other to the sea nymph. “The books you requested,” Selira said, putting them on the table. “If you want something else, just ask. I would gdly help you.”

  “Thanks,” I replied, picking up the same book she had given me st time. I would have guessed that Selira would run off, worried we might tease her again, but instead she stayed by the table, watching me.

  “Yes?” I asked.

  “Oh, agh… Last time I was listening when you were reading. And there’s nobody else in the library, and I’m kind of bored, so I thought that maybe I could listen again. And stay close in case you need my help with something. Or maybe you would have some questions.”

  “Take a seat,” I said, nodding at a chair, smiling. “I would love to have your company.”

  Selira plopped down in front of me. “You should read about The Greatest Mage. After the gods were killed, he was the most important person in the history of Torania for a long time.”

  I nodded, turning the pages to the pce where I had finished st time, and where the chapter about The Greatest Mage began.

  I grunted and started to read the chapter aloud for both Selira and Zoe, who didn't even look at her book about sea nymphs.

  After the gods were killed, the wars didn’t end. Many sought to take their pce, ruling over dungeons and the nds around them. The Greatest Mage had once been the strongest general of the god who created the dungeon held by the Tenebre guild - the very one we were in, and the same one Gemma ruled.

  He took control of these nds, becoming Tenebre’s first guild leader. His reign stretched on for millennia, during which he subdued every dungeon and surrounding territory. Yet he did not achieve this through war or bloodshed. On the contrary - he ended all conflicts, somehow bending every would-be ruler to his will and convincing them to govern a smaller share of the nd under his authority.

  Once he had united every dungeon and territory, he named the realm Torania, dividing it into twelve provinces, each centered around a dungeon. It was the only time in history when all of Torania was ruled by a single person. But he cared nothing for the well-being of the people - only for his own pleasures.

  Spending his whole time with his harem or looking for women to lure into it, he ignored the needs of people, causing poverty and hunger to spread. The provincial rulers he had appointed eventually turned against him, determined to strip him of power. They knew his greatest weaknesses - greed and debauchery.

  From every province, they gathered one of the strongest and most alluring witches - twelve in total - and sent them to The Greatest Mage’s castle. Offered as gifts for his harem, they became the perfect trap. When he lowered his guard, distracted by their beauty and flesh, they struck. And killed him.

  Thus ended his rule after millennia. The twelve witches, who had sacrificed their dignity by offering their bodies to the very tyrant who had ruined the lives of millions, finally sent him to the grave.

  Afterward, the provincial rulers chose to govern Torania together. Each ruled their own nd, but matters concerning the whole country were decided collectively. It marked the beginning of better times for Torania’s people, after endless millennia of suffering under the gods, and under The Greatest Mage.

  That was the end of the very vague and short chapter.

  “There weren’t many details about The Greatest Mage,” I said, looking at Selira.

  “He’s a very mysterious figure,” she replied. “No one really knows how he gained leadership without war. And aside from uniting Torania, he left behind little of sting importance. Mostly because he was focused on his harem.”

  “He was god’s general, so that means he was a demon, right?” I asked.

  “Yeah, but no one knows what species exactly.”

  “Why didn't they change the name of Tenebre?” I asked. Before, they wanted to forget everything about gods and changed all the names to erase them from history, but they preserved names coming from The Greatest Mage.

  “It was millennia after the gods were killed, and people were forgetting about them. That was the whole point of renaming everything, but they didn't want to forget about The Greatest Mage. They wanted to remember him, to remind everyone that one person should never rule alone and have complete power. And there’s also the other aspect…” Selira trailed off.

  “The other aspect?” I asked.

  “You know, the winners write the history, and in that case he lost. But some books remained, telling slightly different versions of that story. That he wasn't as bad. That he stopped all the wars, and that the poverty and hunger came next, but that it wasn't his fault, but the consequences of thousands of years of wars. And that he tried to make lives better, but people didn't want to rule beneath him, so those twelve he chose as leaders of provinces turned against him and killed him because they were greedy for power. So… there are many versions of that story, and it’s hard to tell what’s true.”

  “And what do you think?” I asked.

  “Me?” she asked, sounding surprised.

  “Yes, you. The person who probably read the most books in all of Ortas. I want to know your opinion.”

  “Oh… well… There are things that are certain, like that he stopped all the wars, that’s definitely a plus for him. He united Torania, created twelve provinces, and he did a lot of good for people. There’s a question about how he was doing it, but no one really knows. Some suspect he was bckmailing and threatening other rulers, but would he then accept a gift from them? Not suspecting that it was a trap? That would be stupid. So… I believe that he was charismatic and was able to convince people to create one single strong country without wars. To create Torania. He wanted good, but when he accomplished uniting everyone, the people didn't need him anymore and wanted to rule on their own, so they betrayed him. And then, as winners, they portrayed him as the evil one.”

  “That could be true,” I said, thinking it over, wondering how he was able to take control of everything without any wars. Perhaps I could ask Gemma, in the end, she was his successor. Perhaps those books she had mentioned had more expnation of what had really happened.

  “Thanks for sharing that with me,” I said. “I think that's enough history for today. I’ll need to think it through.”

  “Oh, if you want to talk about it, I’m always here and would love to discuss history. Or magic. Or demons. Or whatever, really. Umm… even sea nymphs, if that interests you,” Selira added, gncing at Zoe. “I’m an expert… kind of.”

  “I would love to do that, but I want to ask you something first. You mentioned before that you have books here that are not catalogued, and you need help with them?”

  “Yeah, tons of them. And I can't share them with people. So many of them are being wasted behind closed doors.”

  “I can help you with that. You would need to show me how to do that, but it can't be hard, right?”

  “But I can't hire you,” Selira said.

  “I don’t want to do it for money. I’ll do it for free, just to help you. Those books shouldn’t go to waste, they should be avaible. People deserve access to knowledge, and locking it away just because the city wants to save money only kills people’s potential. And all those stories that would never see the light because of that? I just feel like I should help.”

  Selira stared at me, being quiet for the longest moment since I met her. Well, beyond when I was reading for her and Zoe.

  “Umm… I don't know,” the sea nymph said. “I mean, you’re right, and it’s very nice of you to help, but I really shouldn't give you access to those books. I mean, some of them shouldn’t be avaible to the public.”

  “Shouldn’t? Or can’t because someone wants to control the history that is told, hiding what is uncomfortable?”

  “Both,” Selira replied. “Some of them are really, really dangerous. But it would only be you…” she trailed off, thinking it over. “So perhaps, I could give you access to them… There shouldn’t be anything wrong with that… You just want to help…” She was speaking to herself, and I waited while she convinced herself without my help.

  “Will you promise that you won’t make any copies?” she asked. “And I will need to search you every time to make sure of that.”

  “Of course,” I replied. She would never be able to tell that I carried those books out of the library inside my mind. I wasn't really pnning to make any copies, but I hoped to find knowledge that would be useful to me. Especially if I stumbled upon those dangerous books.

  “Okay,” Selira said quietly. “Okay,” she repeated louder, smiling. “That would actually be amazing if you would help me. But… not today, okay? I need to prepare space for you to do that, clean a bit. So the next time you come?”

  It crossed my mind that she might want to check the books first, to make sure there wasn’t anything I shouldn’t get my hands on. But in time, I could earn her trust, or maybe she’d overlook something without realizing its value to me.

  “Of course,” I replied. With Mari being indisposed in the coming days, I should have time to visit the library soon and see if the whole idea even made sense. “We’ll be going then. Our items?” I asked.

  “Right, come with me,” Selira replied, and we moved to the small room where we had stored our things.

  After we picked up everything, I turned toward the sea nymph. “Thanks for all the help today. And I really enjoyed listening to your version of the story. There’s something very calming about your voice.”

  “Oh…” Selira gasped softly. “Thanks… And believe me, I’m even happier that I got to talk to someone. And about books and history? I mean, what could be better?” she asked.

  I had a few ideas - ones that would require us to lose a few clothes first - but I kept them to myself.

  “Actually,” Selira said. “Wait here, I’ll be back in a moment.” She ran away into the library, quickly vanishing into one of the rooms.

  “I can't wait until this little fish finally falls into your net, Master,” Zoe purred, pressing her body against my shoulder.

  I snorted. “Have you thought long about this joke?”

  “It just came to my mind,” she replied with a smile, but then her expression changed into a more serious one. She gnced toward the way Selira had gone, before she turned back toward me.

  “I know a different version of the story you read us, Master,” she said quietly.

  “Different?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it's common knowledge in Liraveth. At least part of it. But I know more from my mother. And it's not completely different, just a few details that were skipped.”

  “What details?” I asked, but before Zoe could reply, Selira came out of the room, heading toward us.

  “Hey, I told you that I can’t lend you anything from the library,” Selira said. “But there are no rules that forbid me from lending you my own books. So, if you promise that you will return it, I can give you that one. It’s not exactly a book for kids, but a fiction for young women. It’s a romance story,” she said, passing the book toward me.

  “That would be perfect, thank you,” I said, taking the book from her. “I will return it, I promise. It might take some time to go through it with Azura,” I added, noticing how thick it was. “But I will be here tomorrow anyway, and I’ll let you know if Azura likes it.”

  “Great, she will love it! It's actually about a demon girl who falls in love with-”

  “Don't spoil it for me,” I said, cutting her off. “I’ll read it with Azura.”

  “Oh, sorry. Of course,” the sea nymph replied. “I don't know if you would like it… ugh… as I said, it's for young women, and… umm…”

  “We’ll see then,” I said, smiling. “Thank you again for your help, and see you tomorrow, Selira.”

  “Bye,” she said, waving her hand.

  We headed toward the exit, but just before I closed the door, I saw the sea nymph standing in the same spot, still looking at us. That fish was swimming, staring into my net.