5 The Golden Library
1603 Words
Then came the smell.
The smell of rotten onions and dead cat evaporated any excitement that Janus had. It made sense to him, he had baths daily, but the means of obtaining water was so grueling that the servant and slaves didn't have any. Looks like bathing was only limited to Royalty in this world.
"Are you feeling better now my Prince? I'd never thought you'd use the dagger on yourself. Perhaps you need a bit of comfort? I can give it you. Just say the word." Valda pouted her lips.
All attraction that Janus had inherited from the Prince was now gone in a puff of bad breath, but perhaps he could make use of this situation.
"Erm before we do... any of that. Could you show me to the servant's quarters? There's something I needed to inspect. It's by the King's orders."
"Oh so he's asking you to do errands now?" Valda asked.
Janus paused. "I thought servants weren't allowed to question us?"
"Servant? Is that what we are right now? Servant and Master?" she giggled.
Janus was speechless.
"Oh okay! Master Darius told us to keep an eye out for you, see that you don't get into trouble. Kings orders." She pouted again.
"Well I'm also under the King's orders. It's top secret, but I'll tell you 'cause your special. I need to inspect the servants quarters. There's a suspicion that illegal items were smuggled in." Janus lied.
"Hmm okay, but let's make a bargain. I'll show you around and you invite me to your bed later tonight." Valda said.
Janus nodded. He was still after all, a teenage boy.
#
There were around fifty servants in the castle. Some were in the kitchens, some did the laundry and cleaning. There were also stablemen and a few carpenters and masons.
As Janus had suspected, their living conditions were not any better than slaves. They were cramped up in a room for up to seven people. There were rats roaming around. They shared beds that were cold and stiff, it couldn't hold any heat at all. Janus can't help but feel sorry for them.
Dinner came that night with the dry jerky and tasteless wine. The bread was still as hard as bricks, as if yeast wasn't invented in this place yet. Despite all the superior magical and military power in this world, they had such a crude way of life.
A thought came into Janus' mind. With all the knowledge he had in his previous world, he might be able to improve the lives of those in this castle.
It was a silly thought, but a thought that stayed with him until he was at his chambers, all dressed up for bed with no more books to read.
There was a knock on the door and a maid came in.
He totally forgot about Valda.
She was only in her shift. How she sneaked in without Master Darius catching her was a mystery. But the Prince always known that Valda had skilled in ways that no other maidservant was.
"How did you come in?" Janus stammered.
"You gave me the key remember?" Valda said, twirling the keys in her fingers.
Janus silently cursed the Prince. That memory had lapsed his mind.
Janus never had any experience with girls in his old life. He had a few female acquaintances, but he never got close to any of them. Seeing a real woman at his bedpost, he lost all the power to resist. After all, he was royalty right? What's the worse that could happen?
She crawled towards him, Janus' nerves were rising and his stomach growled. Valda's features were now clearer under the candlelight of his chambers. He could see some of her skin through her shift, and her neckline fell down, revealing ample amounts of cleavage.
She started kissing Janus on the neck. Janus relished the sensation.
But then he had to inhale.
The smell aged cheese and dead rat overwhelmed Janus' nose. He tried his best to resist the urge. Carnal instinct was now battling the pit in his stomach.
Something was about to give in.
He pushed Valda away and vomited to the floor.
It was unbearable, the smell invaded his nostrils and punched through his guts. The bad dinner he had these past few nights didn't help at all.
Valda looked shocked. She ran away with tears in her eyes, leaving his keys behind.
Janus couldn't believe himself either, he knew that none of the servants showered, but this was just too much for him.
While sweeping the mess in his chambers, Janus only thought of one thing.
Life in the castle sucks after all. It was time to find a way out.
#
Janus woke up the next morning to the vibrations of the golden ring.
"Finally" He said. "Show me how to get out of this world now. I'm sick of it. Or at least tell my why the hell I'm here!"
"Library" the voice said.
The ring was something else, he couldn't remove it from his finger, try as he might. It felt solid when he held it with his other hand but the finger that was wearing it couldn't feel a thing. He couldn't decide if technology or magic.
He still didn't know where the library was, but he didn't want to take any more chances with the servants. He decided to ask help from Master Darius.
Master Darius was a steward of the castle. He was balding with faint gray hair and a majestic beard. He had been working with this family for most of his life. It was quite an impressive feat, managing this whole operation together. He managed the castle like the King managed the Kingdom. Everyone had only good things to say about him.
The Library was at a corner of the castle, a place where Janus had never even reached before. The room was enormous, stacks of leatherbound volumes filled every shelf of three tiers each. You needed ladders to get to some of the books.
There were ornate chairs and tables scattered across the place. But like other parts of the castle, there were no decorations at all. Except for its collection of books, the library was just as drab as everywhere else.
Luckily no one else was here. The scholars won't be here until this afternoon. Janus found a far off corner where no one could creep up on him.
"I'm in the Library now" he spoke to his ring.
Rays of light emanated from the gemstone, he was suddenly filled with a swirl of images. He pointed his ring to the table in an angle. The ring acted like a projector, and he was presented with something that looked like a homepage for a website
Welcome Agent Janus of Earth 3E to the Golden Library program, we have accepted your application and decided that you were ready to play the part. The passing of the Prince was a sudden event that we didn't anticipate, so we had to pull you in to this world without any notification. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.
"Unbelievable." Janus muttered.
He remembered signing up for a part time job at a website called the Golden Library once, it was an 'exchange program' that aims explore and collect information on various fantasy worlds. He signed up for it thinking that it was a prank. It was real after all, and now he felt conflicted.
You may feel a bit of regret leaving your old life behind, but do not worry. You'll be transported back into your time at the exact same moment you left once you have finished your duty in this continent or in the event of an untimely death.
We appreciate you signing for our program. You are free to download books at your disposal from a vast various array of topics. These topics should help you navigate through this world in such a way that its inhabitants would find impossible.
Press the [ring] to proceed
Janus did so.
There was a huge collection of books categorized into various topics. There were Gourmet recipes, Research papers, Science and engineering papers, Education textbooks, even magic and fighting tutorials.
If he could use all of this to improve life in the castle, he could live a little more comfortably. Perhaps the maidservants would now smell better.
All we ask in return is for you to upload unique features and information about the world you are currently residing in. Library work is no simple task, and using technology for this work has various repercussions (I.e. too many UFO sightings). We need living agents on the ground to conduct our research.
There was a vast array of instructions on how to upload information to the database, other books were locked and can only be accessed once you've reached a certain amount of uploads. If he wanted, he could learn advanced magic and fighting techniques that even his brothers would envy!
And then there were books on food production and animal husbandry, this can surely elevate the living conditions in the castle.
Sorry for handing you a faulty ring device, we had been suffering from a shortage lately due to a local pandemic. The unit that you have is only capable of speaking under great amounts of confusion from its wearer. To access this console wherever you want, just say the word 'Library' with clear intention. Be careful not to be seen, as though only the wearers can see the console, agents are better of not looking like an i***t to the locals.
Janus cursed under his breath. It was a neat little ring, but he couldn't believe that they gave him a faulty one.
Do you accept these terms? Press [X] to continue living in this world, and Press [Y] to go back to your own home world and get back to your Calculus test.
Janus knew the answer before he even finished reading.
- Writer
