Reincarnated Into A Dead Woman's Body In Another World-Chapter 216: Arc 4, Act II, - 61: The Grand Library
’With twenty-three days left to prepare, there was no amount of strategy that would be enough. My paranoid brain’s been put through the wringer with the information I have.
Count Khalim can help Daiyu with anything equipment or land related, Arabella can help with anything related to the troops. We have no shortage of strategy for a normal war—as normal as a war gets.
But with six elite soldiers potentially showing up, all with affinities and five more powerful than Frost, a different approach is needed. Our best defence is a good offence at this point.
We need magic, we need spells and we need powerful ones that can change the tides. Hotaru said she could learn some sort of spell to help her fight from Feyan, but Hotaru’s a healer at the end of the day.
She’s more useful after something bad happens, not before. She’s our anchor, our failsafe to bring us back into the fray, not to be in the fray herself.
I’m a good offence, but I can only do so much, not to mention only at a close range... Still, my offensive spell list could use an update. Then there’s Fumeko, who can break behind enemy lines and take out a few of them...
Even so, she can only do so much too. I asked Daiyu where we could possibly learn anything we need about magic or where she learnt some of hers.
She pointed me to the library—shocking I know—and said to look for someone named Niah; apparently she has a good grasp on these things. And of course, I left out one last person...’
"What spells do you think I’ll learn!? Like a super big bomb that sends them all to the Moon!?"
Jotou smiled walking along, "I doubt that Sobi," she replied to the elf who was walking backwards.
"Here we are," Hotaru paused at the library doors. Fumeko walked a few steps behind the blonde, averting eye contact with any of them...
"Spells~ Spells~ Spells~" Asobi hummed as she hopped across the threshold and peered around till her head angled back; and then back some more as she held onto her hat.
Looking up made her look up further as the library stretched up to a second floor, where the ceilings had murals all over. Wooden banisters zigzagged the upper floor, with multiple parked book trolleys.
Some off-duty staff perused the books and found comfort in the cushions while listening the jukebox’s mellow tunes. ’Asobi has an affinity we don’t know.
And from what I’ve seen, it can deal with lots of people very quickly. If we can figure that out, we might have the best offence against a lot of these elites and the opposing forces’ll be pieces of cake.’
"We’re looking for a Niah?" Fumeko spoke to the bookkeeper at the registry.
Tanned skin and greying hair tied up into a bun, her cat ears twitched, "One moment dear," a shaky old voice replied. She adjusted her glasses and looked up from the counter, "NIAH!!!"
Everyone in the vicinity flinched and turned. From the upper floor, two hands curled their fingers around the banister, "WHAT!?" a dazed girl yelled back down, trying to force her eyes open as her cat-like ears spiked.
"DON’T TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME MISSY!"
"TELL ME WHAT YOU WANT YOU HAG!"
"THERE’S PEOPLE HERE TO SEE YOU!"
"WHO!?"
"HOLD ON! Who are you dear?" her voice shaky and old once more.
"I’ve been here before Mrs Mehri—Hotaru?" Hotaru walked up to Fumeko. Fumeko pouted and took steps away.
"Ah, yes, yes," the old woman coughed, "Go upstairs, she’ll see you." The girl upstairs sighed and stepped away from the banister. Everyone around went back to their business as usual.
"Aren’t we supposed to be quiet?" Asobi whispered to the blonde.
"In every other library... Come on, let’s see if she can help."
They ascended up one of the many spiral staircases. The girl approached, in the same attire as any other librarian in the vicinity.
Purple suit with gold trimmings that led into more of a dress at the bottom, a frilly white petticoat puffing out her skirt till her knees where gold-ish stockings with flowery embroidery covered the rest.
Short light brown hair that went a little past her chin, but two long thick locks of hair cascaded to her front, cuffed with coiling gold bands. Her cat-like tail swayed upwards and her two spiking ears the same hue.
Bronze skin and hazel eyes that glared somewhat as her sleeved arms remained crossed. She was ss short as, but still a little taller than Fumeko. "You called for me?"
"Funny, I don’t think I’ve seen you around here," Hotaru tilted her head.
"Have you been upstairs?"
"Maybe once?"
"There’s your problem; and I’ve seen you before. Now, someone please explain why my grandmother yelled me up from my nap? Oh," she saw the blonde walk up, "I knew you’d show up eventually."
"Hi; Jotou Howllett."
"Thundering Blade," she tried to shake off the sleepy stupor as her ears flicked back and forth. She stretched out her arms and sighed before looking back, "Niah Mehri, pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"You sleep up here?" Fumeko tapped her shoe against the dark wooden floors.
Niah hummed, "There’s comfy little nooks. Hm, hm, how can I help you?" she had a singsong voice, a little lazy with a bit of pep.
"Daiyu sent us your way for matters dealing with magic. We’re trying to figure out some new spells and an affinity for her," Jotou replied.
"Hi! You have pretty ears!"
Those ears twitched. "Thanks," her fangs glistened at the mention of magic. She stood a little straighter and her eyes a little wider. "Ah, no boring fuddy-duddy history or geography books needed? You have my full service." 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂
_
"So you say you casted these spells in an emergency?" Niah strut throughout the upper floor, listening to their case.
"I did! But I don’t remember..." Asobi poked a wand to her temple.
"Hm, and you know your affinity’s illusion for a fact?" she calculated. Asobi made an illusion of Niah right in front of her to prove. "Hm... My legs aren’t that fat."
"Whatever, she learned invisibility from Countess Keya so she definitely has illusions," Fumeko replied.
Niah pondered as her tail swished with every step like a metronome. She walked into an empty section with tables and lamps, where she glanced up to the shelves. "Used in an emergency, the illusions became tangible and harmed the enemy.
When you’re in an emergency, any sort of emergency, what is your self-defence mechanism? Something you do with your affinity to protect yourself, everyone has one—everyone with an affinity anyway."
"I, go invisible!"
"Were you already invisible?"
"Uh... Jotou?"
"Technically yeah; not the whole time, but when that ’self-defence mechanism’ activated."
"Wait, we all have a self-defence mechanism?" Fumeko eyed them all.
Niah cocked her head to the side as her tail followed, "It directly correlates to your affinity. An illusionist going invisible makes as much sense as someone with an offensive affinity using an offensive spell to defend themselves."
"I guess it’s true," Jotou’s eyes darted up.
"My heal spell does always just pop up in response to any emergency," Hotaru furrowed her brows.
"The hell do I do!?"
"You blink." Jotou, Hotaru and Asobi synced.
"I actively do that!"
"Maybe you haven’t done it passively silly," Asobi replied; Fumeko’s eyes glazed over.
"Regardless, it’s a fight or flight reaction. And if you were already in flight; the secondary affinity showed itself because the primary was already in effect and wasn’t working. That’s my theory anyway.
But~ With the descriptions you gave, let me see..." Niah walked up to the side of the shelf and pulled out a metallic bar from her pocket.
Upon closer inspection, every shelf seemed to have tiny lines that were inset into the sides. She connected the metal bar into the slit and held the handle protruding from the bar.
A light purple glow emitted from the bar and Niah held on tight before she was hoisted upwards along the shelf. She slid all the way up with one arm as her eyes scanned the shelves and she stopped halfway.
She turned the bar sideways at one of the shelves and began sliding horizontally across the shelf while her legs curled against the direction she was going.
"No wonder there’s no ladders in here..." the blonde peered up.
Hotaru’s ears flickered, "I’ve not seen anyone go for the higher shelves."
"I wanna try too!"
"Sobi, if you lose grip..." Fumeko glanced to her right.
Niah scanned one of the spines and pulled a book out, "Catch!" she threw it down. Asobi scrambled right below and held her hands high. "Tuff!" She caught it with a smile and a spin.
The cat-girl continued to whizz across the shelves, "Catch," she threw another one down. Jotou leaned to the left till she stood on one foot and caught it in her left hand.
She made no mention as she threw another one down. Hotaru looked up, unsure where it was about to fall before a shadow went past and whisked the book away. Fumeko appeared behind, book in hand.
"Last one," Niah threw before sliding back down. Hotaru held steady and... she caught the book by the front cover causing all the pages to flip open; she fumbled it for a second or two before holding it properly.
Niah landed and placed the bar back in her pocket, giving a glimpse of her toned arms before she pulled the sleeves back down to her wrists.
"I’ve narrowed it down to these four." She pointed to Jotou’s book first, "If the spells brought harm then offensive magic makes sense." Jotou opened the book to see it relate to offensive affinities; this was the fifth volume.
"But you at least need to know a spell for that affinity; it doesn’t normally just happen willy-nilly. Then again, no two affinities are alike so, it’s somewhat likely. This," Niah pointed to Fumeko’s book.
"Sounds like what you’re describing." It seemed to be an autobiography of someone by the name of Reginald Breeviance. "This holds the story of someone with an illusion affinity and an enchantment affinity.
He could make illusions appear and then enchant them to be physical as well as create other traits within them. However, with that power he was no hero nor scholar.
Instead, he used his affinity for lustful pursuits, creating what could only be described as a degenerate’s wet dream. Fortunately, he’s long dead. But it could be the case for this."
She walked past Hotaru with a swish of her brown tail. "What about this? Summoning?" Hotaru opened up the pages.
"Hm, hm, I thought about it, but it’s the least likely one. Having a summoning affinity just means you can conjure your element and give it a command, doesn’t sound like Ms Asobi’s case. But hey you can have it."
Hotaru’s eyes narrowed as her crimson ears and tail spiked...
"This," she poked the book Asobi held, "Is about the manifestation affinity. In essence, you use your element to create or form anything into being.
It’s less about the spells and more about what the caster can come up with. But once they’re manifested into reality, they’re simply solid objects.
There’s no magical control over it once it exists, so that is the only contradiction to your story. Moving something manifested is like moving any other object; and anything sentient can’t be created.
Even so, I’d argue this is the most likely one. You may be able to cross-reference it with the autobiography to make it make more sense."
"I have a manifestation affinity?" Asobi’s eyes glimmered to the book in her hands.
"She said maybe. Is there anything with the mobility affinity you can get me?"
"Mobility... mobility, yes, some things."
"Offensive lightning magic too if you’re on it," Jotou tagged on.
"Lightning...?" her ears flicked left and right, "Hm... Hm, let me see what I can find. You can use this space in the meantime, don’t damage the books," Niah went looking for another shelf.
"Detective?"
Fumeko’s eyes sided to the blonde.
"A word? Aru you can help Asobi, right?"
"Sure, anything important?"
"Sorta. Meko, if you will?" Jotou walked out... Fumeko pouted and stared... Taking a second before following behind.
