Seeing all the books in front of him made him forget the existence of the stairs. One could stay there forever and indulge in the magic of books. Before starting as a gamer, he read books. He liked the worlds that were built there. It was one of his ways to escape reality. His eyes darted everywhere, examining the place.
He was confident there was something in the air. Something that kept all those books tidy and clean and in order. Everything was in a place like in a dream. There were some platforms hovering in the air without anything holding up to them. They felt as if they could fall at any moment. It was a bad habit to consider the worst scenario possible. Everything could go well and it would be a waste of time to consider the worst-case scenario. There were more wisps flying in the air, moving from shelf to shelf, from book to book; he wished he could have the ability to fly so that he would reach the end of the stairs faster.
That's right! He could find a book on flying magic but… he didn't have mana affinity yet. His face shifted quickly from excitement to disappointment. It was a useless body. For now, he would focus on finding the correct book that had the proverb: 'Every problem has a solution, although it may not be the outcome that was originally hoped for or expected.'
If he remembered right then the quote belonged to an author on Earth; she was a woman and had many bestselling books. He didn't remember her name right but she had a book called 'Practical magic'. However, the cover could change and he wouldn't be able to find it easily.
That was when the second piece of information came into being; the words that solution said. Despite his eyes being busy with his surroundings, his ears were fully focused on her words. She said to not judge a book by its cover; it certainly meant the original cover was changed to something else or it was covered by something else; typical Aurora tempering with his fortune.
"Where should I start? Lower shelf or upper shelf… It seems there is no librarian so I have to use my hands and make them work hard alongside my feet. Where can I find a ladder to get to the upper one? Such a shame I am not tall!" Stephan spoke with a singsong rhythm, like a child counting his biscuits and looking for the biggest one to start with.
He looked around, counting how much time it would take him to reach the end of the stairs and check every single book; it could take him a whole eternity. She said it was a library that held all the books existing in Masmoenia. Judging by how mages acted, there could be volumes of stupid books holding false info.
After looking around for a while, he finally decided to make the first step and touch the book. However, as soon as he touched the book, a loud scream resounded deafening his ears. The book fell to the ground letting out an ouch.
"Oh how disgusting you are! Why are you touching me? Don't touch a Lady like me! Hey wisps, come and help me on the shelf, this one is completely disgusting, how come you allowed such a disgusting creature into this sacred place?"
"What a crazy book," that was all he managed to say in five minutes of staring at the same spot. Was this why Solution said the library was alive?
He looked at the book as it floated in the air and returned to its original place. Being called disgusting was a blow to his ego, a hard blow. It wasn't his intention to be disgusting. He always took his baths properly even when he didn't have soap or shampoo. He had to soak himself in water for hours to moisten the dirt and let it come off naturally. The smell wasn't much of a problem since the water was always refreshing. It was the fault of the rabbit, no the wisp of light. It wasn't fair. He was only sweaty because he had to walk on his feet the whole day with a minimum of rest to reach the library faster.
His hand moved closer to the book again and with a smirk, he touched it wiping the saliva of the rabbit on it. "Waaaaaaah! Waaaaaah!" the book cried. "Don't touch me, you dirty vermin. Save me! Someone save me! I am a little damsel that needs help, no one of you is a knight."
He flipped through the pages while the book still cried and screamed, causing his head to split in two but it was a price to pay to let the book regret insulting him in the first place. Each time he flipped a page, he made sure to wipe a hand even if there was nothing in it.
The screams woke up the other books around it. A knight like she said decided to give save the Lady from her predicament. "Don't worry, my Lady! I will save you from that demon-kin. I will take his head with the corner of my body," the Lady was a pink book and the knight was a silver one. Supposedly, he wanted for something to happen but the book couldn't move from its shelf. "Hey, wisp, come over and throw me on the demon-kin. This is a mission for the mighty knight Valerian and his escort the-wisp."
Just like that, the wisp pulled the book and threw it over his head. Stephan only had to move to the side and let the book fall to the ground. "Nice try, knight Valerian. I thought you would kill this demon-like kin. Such a shame you are only a book!"
"You are a racist. All races are equals in the eyes of the Lord. Get me back to the shelf and repeat it, wisp. With countless efforts, the good will always prevail."
"Yes, yes, this will happen," he replied.
Stephan sat down and then pulled the knight book next to him. Placing each book on one side completely open, he attempted to do the same thing to both. He had two hands, why not use them both?
"Wait, demon-kin. What will you do to this body?"
"Obviously, your wisp made me this way so you have to clean up the mess your servants did. Isn't it only right for the master to do it?"