The sun hung lazily in the sky as we made our way to the town's library, a massive structure with towering shelves filled with ancient scrolls and dusty tomes. I'd been given the task of finding some useful information on magic, specifically how to not trigger another random magical incident, but my track record with books and knowledge was… well, less than stellar.
"I still don't see why you're dragging me along," Lina muttered, twirling a lock of her fiery hair. "I'm not exactly the 'read and learn' type."
I shot her a pleading look. "I'm trying to impress Iris, okay? I need to look like I'm a capable adventurer, not some bumbling fool who can't even hold a book without setting it on fire."
Lina smirked. "Good luck with that. The last time I saw you 'impress' anyone, you ended up on the floor with your pants melted off."
I blushed at the memory. "I'm going to ignore that comment for now."
We finally reached the library entrance, and I pushed open the heavy wooden door with determination. The air inside smelled like old parchment and ink, a scent that was strangely calming. The shelves stretched so high that I couldn't see the top, and the silence in the room was almost sacred.
"Just stay cool," I whispered to myself. "This is gonna be easy."
Iris, who had been silently trailing behind us, gave me a sidelong glance. "Don't do anything stupid."
"Uh, yeah. Got it," I said, forcing a nervous grin. "I'm not going to burn anything… definitely not this time."
We made our way to the magic section, where ancient scrolls and dusty spellbooks lined the shelves. The goal was simple—find anything that might give me some insight into how to control my "Harem King" system, or at the very least, how to not accidentally blow things up every time I tried to use it.
I found a few books that looked promising and, in my best attempt at looking knowledgeable, I pulled one off the shelf. It was a thick volume titled "Chronomancy: The Art of Time Manipulation." The cover was gold-embossed with strange symbols that made me feel like I should be wearing a wizard hat.
"Iris," I said, trying to sound casual, "you know anything about this stuff?"
She didn't look up from the book she was reading. "I know all about time magic. I don't need to learn it from a dusty old book."
"Great," I said, flipping through the pages, trying to act like I understood anything. "I was just wondering if you could… you know, give me some tips."
Without warning, a burst of magic flared up from the book in my hands. I yelped in surprise as sparks shot out of the pages, setting a few nearby scrolls on fire. My heart leapt into my throat.
"No, no, no!" I fumbled, trying to put the flames out with my hands. I knocked over a pile of books, causing a domino effect that ended with several more books catching fire.
Lina's laughter echoed through the library. "You seriously can't hold onto anything without causing chaos, can you?"
Iris, however, didn't even flinch. She calmly walked over, waved a hand, and poof, the fire vanished. It was as if time itself had rewound just a few seconds.
"Great," I muttered, red-faced. "I've only been here for five minutes, and I'm already about to burn the place down."
"Keep your magic under control," Iris said, her voice as calm as ever, though there was a hint of amusement behind her emotionless stare. "This is a library, not your personal disaster zone."
I sighed. "This is why I don't do magic."
"Maybe you should stop trying to impress people," Lina teased, nudging me with her elbow. "You're kind of making it hard to admire you."
I groaned. "Yeah, I'm starting to see that too."
The room had now descended into a state of chaos. A book had fallen from one of the high shelves, and in my attempt to catch it, I ended up knocking over a table, sending another row of books tumbling. It was like one of those ridiculous cartoon mishaps you see in slapstick comedies.
Iris watched, unimpressed, while Lina was doubled over, clutching her stomach in laughter.
"Okay, I think I've seen enough," Iris said finally, standing up from the chair she had taken during my magical disaster. "You're a walking calamity. I'll join your next quest… just to make sure you don't burn the whole place down."
I blinked. "Wait, really?"
Iris gave a small, almost imperceptible smile—well, I think it was a smile. It was so subtle, I wasn't sure if it was a smirk or her usual lack of expression. "Yeah. I'll help you out. But if you manage to ruin the next quest, I'll just leave you to your own devices."
I felt my spirits lift a little, but I didn't want to jinx it. "Thanks, Iris. I promise I won't set anything on fire."
She raised an eyebrow. "I'm not holding my breath."
With Iris now officially part of the team, I was ready to take on whatever our next quest was—hopefully one that wouldn't involve destroying any more important historical records.
End of Chapter 7