Chapter 20: The Black Widow finds her pray

The room Ciaran was in acted like an elevator, transporting him to the second floor. The weird thing was that it just straight up opened a hole in the ground and placed him in front of the economic section.

Ciaran didn't know how long he had before someone found him, so he just picked the first book that seemed interesting and gave it a read.

It was filled with recent reports, one of which was from just two days ago.

"In recent news, a diplomatic deal has been struck between two nations, our Empire and The Desert. The Empire, known for its thriving agriculture industry, will be providing The Desert with much-needed vegetables and meat, while The Desert, a region rich in natural resources, will be exporting gold to The Empire.

The food provided will be from our farms and will not contain any ingredients above tier zero.

The agreement was reached after The Desert suffered from a devastating famine, which severely impacted the region's food security. In response, The Empire recognized the importance of extending aid and support to their neighboring nation, not only for humanitarian reasons but also to establish a mutually beneficial economic partnership.

The deal is expected to provide a significant boost to both nations' economies. The Empire's agriculture industry will benefit from increased exports to The Desert, while The Desert's gold reserves will provide a valuable resource for The Empire's industries.

Not to mention the cultural significance. For the past forty years, the Empire has had its gold reserves depleted. As a vital part of our culture, it is most defiantly a necessity for us to acquire more. This deal with our neighbors will allow us to appease the Royals, without the need for future bloodshed.

The negotiations were successful due to both nations' willingness to compromise and work towards a mutually beneficial outcome. The deal is a testament to the importance of diplomacy in fostering positive relationships between nations and addressing global challenges such as famine.

As the world faces increasingly complex challenges, it is heartening to see nations come together in cooperation and solidarity. The diplomatic deal between The Empire and The Desert serves as a reminder of the power of diplomacy to bring about positive change and pave the way for a more prosperous and interconnected world."

'Interesting, so the Desert was suffering far more than what father was willing to tell me. And what kind of bloodshed is this talking about? Teacher said we were only hostile to Auroria.' Ciaran had already forgotten about the fact that this was supposed to be his cover.

[To answer your question, there have indeed been no major conflicts between The Empire and The Desert in recent times, but that only stands on the national level. When regular people get hungry and see their children starve, they tend not to care so much about the rules.]

'Wait, I don't need to talk, y-you can read my m-mind now? Not gonna lie that is a little creepy.' Ciaran said, or more so thought at the Librarian.

[My abilities as well as my sentience grow the higher you ascend the tower, Ciaran]

The boy would have lost his mind about the way it addressed him if his weird-o-meter wasn't at capacity already. That and the fact the information he just learned had piqued his curiosity, which in his case was more dangerous than any sentient magical tower.

Just as he was about to engage with the Librarian, and ask him about the other floors and his other abilities he heard a voice directed at him.

"Well hello there, little mouse, how did you get up here?" A blacked haired woman called out to him.

'Fuck me sideways and in the back, this broad scared the shit out of me.' Ciaran did not like to be scared awake from his thoughts.

[Language, not in front of the lady.]

'… So at level two. This low and you already have jokes. I swear to God, everyone I know is either a drama queen or a –'

"Hello, cat got your tongue? It's rude to ignore teachers you know."

'Right, when all seems lost, shameless flattery it is then.'

"Where???" He asked sounding genuinely scared.

"Miss please don't tell them I am here. Come on we are fellow students, big sis, and my dad is rich. You cover for me and I will make it worth your while." He said. The plan was she would call him out on his bullshit, and take him out of the second level.

And as with all great plans, it all eventually goes wrong.

" The Clades' kid? I heard your dad is the richest man in the Empire. Well, it won't heart to let you read a little before we sneak you out. Let Big sis take you to the more interesting books. Don't worry most of us in the upper years dislike the teachers anyway." She said, completely agreeing that she was in fact a student.

'Lady, you are at least twenty-five.' The boy thought.

[Nailed it, actually. And you think you have no talents.]

The boy found strange pride in his accuracy. And even stranger feeling of comradery from the tower. But who was he to complain, praise was praise even if it was a little back-handed.

"Can't we just ask for what we need big sis? "

"Ask who kid, the staff? A little contra productive don't you think?" She said with a smirk.

Fia Silverwing thought the kid was going to crack a little too soon. She wanted to have a little more fun teasing her friend's most mischievous student before she turned him in. Little did she know that she just gave him the scare of his life.

[Yeah, forgot to mention didn't I? Only you can hear me kid, and I would keep this little fact to myself if I were you.] The voice said, this time mimicking Ciaran's perfectly.

'Ok, what is with all of you today? You do understand this is the second time someone has mimicked me TODAY, right? Don't get me wrong, it is startling, bonus points for waiting for the right moment. But you are hardly my biggest problem, Mr. Librarian. Also-'

[You need to talk with the girl too, kid. I mean, it's natural to get flustered she is pretty but we can't be chatting inside your head while she waits for your answers now can we?]

"Ok, you got me I just wanted to study economics. I don't care about the rest of level two. Its such bull shit I don't get to study what I want for three whole years. Just so you know from what I have read, we have these kinds of books at home. The information is more or less the same. I have studied similar things since I was two years old. Admittedly I only started understanding when I was five, but the point still stands. I would love company if you would like to stay with me and help me out in picking reading materials, but if you don't, leave me be." He said. Well more like hissed at her.

The boy was very flustered. He had a magical voice, a secret magical voice mind you, in his head. A punishment he couldn't even imagine outside, and now this crazy woman wanted to mess with him. Hell, at this rate she would probably be one of those 'childlovers' his mom kept warning him about. He was not one of the pretty ones, and she didn't really fit his image of those monsters, but you never knew.

The way he said that the crack in his voice, and the tears he had in his eyes showed Fia the boy had been pushed too far. She wanted to have a little fun at his expense but neglected to calculate that the boy in front of her was truly too young. He had done the impossible, and he was reaching his limit.

'This is why they only give me the upper classes, I really can't deal with children.' She scolded herself.

"Ok junior then let me help you with the reading. Come here big sis will take care of you."

She wanted to make his remaining time in the Library as comfortable as possible. Little did she know, her words had the opposite effect.

[ So that's why she kept rejecting all of her suitors. Man this woman likes her meat fresh.]

The Librarian could read her mind, but why miss such a nice opportunity to fan the flames?

And so there they stood, a teacher and a student, one trying her best to seem friendly, the other thing his hardest not to shout out loud his need for an adult.

" A no, t-this booook is fINe. I c-c-can just rrread it. Please don't mind me Sis"

"Big sis Fia. Fia Silverwing is the name. And no that will not do. Let us get you a more theoretical book. This one is just news, and it's riddled with pointless comments. How about we-" And she was interrupted.

"How about we escort Mr. Clades out of here? He has done enough damage." Mrs. Elizabeth Parker said.

She had returned. The promised hour was up.