Chapter VI: Argonsville Public Library
"I have to get stronger," Kenneth thought to himself as he headed back to his room. "Strong enough that something like that doesn't happen again." The incident earlier ran through his head.
After bidding goodbye to Lucas, he went back to his room, bringing the dog inside.
Kenneth was visibly hurt over his mistake. He felt that he had engraved an unimaginable scar onto his sister. One that could not be removed easily.
"For that, I've got to get stronger." A look of aspiration soon began to show on Kenneth's face.
"And for that, I've got to practice. And what better way to do so than to learn." Kenneth thought of a certain establishment he had often seen when the family went out for walks.
"The Argonsville Public Library. I've always been eager to go visit it… I wonder if Mother will let me go if I bring Tyrone along?" Kenneth turned to his side, and looked at the King's Guardian, who was licking his paws.
One would think that Tyrone was a harmless dog slightly larger than a regular canine at first glance, but little did they know that he was able to fend off a magical beast if necessary.
So Kenneth assumed Mikaela would let him go outside if Tyrone was accompanying him. Plus, the dog seemed like it wanted to go out as well, with how it would run around Kenneth whenever he mentioned something about going out.
It was like killing two birds with one stone!
"You want to go out for a walk, Tyrone?" The toddler inched over to Tyrone, and brought his face to the dog's.
"Woof!"
"Fair enough. Why don't we ask Mother? I hope you don't mind me hitching a ride on your back."
"Woof!"
Kenneth's small figure was surely not hard to carry around, especially with Tyrone's build. The toddler was confident that the dog would be able to carry him for quite a long time without breaks.
In order to get downstairs much quicker, Kenneth had already found himself riding on the dog's back.
The feeling was great. It was almost like he was a knight, riding on his noble steed. The two of them would be able to reach anywhere.
Plus the added softness from Tyrone's fluffy hair made Kenneth feel like he could stay on him forever.
"So, Mother. Could I ask you to let me and Tyrone head to the public library? I've got someone to accompany me, so it shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Moving through the hallways of the house on Tyrone's back, the two quickly found themselves beside Mikaela, who was watching television with George.
"Sure, honey. Make sure to come back before dark, though. The streets can become dangerous at night." Mikaela didn't seem to find any issue with it. In fact, she was all for the idea of Kenneth going there to read.
"Nice. Right, we'll see you later then. Love you, Mom, Dad." Were Kenneth's last words as the two of them sped off into the front yard.
Running through the streets of Argonsville, the duo decided to take their time strolling the city.
Argonsville was known for being the capital of Fahndra, which was the region Kenneth was born in. It was known for its futuristic setting.
Everywhere Kenneth looked he'd see something that wasn't even a thing in his old world. It just went to show how different Krodoa was from Earth.
Hover cars raced around the skies, all of them following a specific path so as to not crash into each other. Other people who preferred other means of transportation could be found boarding the "Light-Speed" trains, hoping to get to their destinations quicker.
Argonsville had a unique feeling to it. Despite its clearly advanced setting, the people who built it never forgot their love for nature. Parks were frequent, with various trees and shrubbery lining up the sides of the roads every few blocks.
The hustle and bustle of city life, combined with the ingenious architectural and technological designs that occurred as a byproduct of mana, molded together to form the city known as Argonsville.
Currently, Tyrone and Kenneth were strolling the city streets. Ever so often, they'd stop by to take in the magnificent view of the area. The skyscrapers that obstructed the duo's view would've been annoying for some, but to Kenneth, it added to the overall feeling of the place.
It also couldn't be helped that every now and then the duo would garner a lot of attention from the ongoing bystanders. It wasn't everyday you'd see a toddler riding a dog around the city.
Kenneth was tempted to take the bus many times, but had convinced himself that Tyrone's back was far better than sitting beside someone he didn't know. And he probably wasn't going to be allowed to board, anyway.
The Argonsville Public Library was long established as a landmark in the city. If you asked a citizen about the building, you'd simply get a reply about the library being a great place to learn.
As all the books there were free, people were invited to come everyday to immerse themselves in the pleasure of reading, and perhaps learn a thing or two.
Books weren't the only things present in the library, of course. Training manuals, old scrolls, and even antique comic books were hidden in its dusty shelves.
Everything was free, but there was a catch.
To solve the problem of the people taking advantage of the library's generosity, the owners designed a rule.
People were only allowed to come in for two hours every day. Any longer than that, and you would be kicked out.
It was tough to keep everybody entertained. Even if the books in the library undoubtedly numbered in the thousands, the place would get crowded quickly. So only a set number of people could go in.
Eventually the duo arrived. In front of them stood the library in all its glory. The building was made to resemble the temple of a certain religion. Multiple pillars were erected around the area, giving the building sturdy support.
Despite the pillars looking old and worn out, there was never any issue of them breaking apart and crumbling. Even the attacks from a highly skilled mage were unable to break it, so why would erosion be able to?
The ancient feel of the building was, like Argonsville, mixed with a small technological vibe. In front of the large steel wooden door that blocked the entrance, there was an A.I machine that would give each visitor a card.
The card would expire after a set amount of time, and then you'd have to leave.
The line to wait was fortunately not very long. Having long arrived at the place, Kenneth had already dismounted Tyrone and was standing by himself with the aid of his walking stick.
Soon the line was depleting at a fast rate, and the two of them were at the front. Looking to his right, Kenneth found the machine.
It's structure was similar to that of an ATM machine. Upon typing your information in, the card would slide out from the little crevice, and you would be free to retrieve it.
Kenneth should've been able to type his information in by now. He of all people knew how to type, with his vast experience working as an office worker.
But our protagonist was currently in a dilemma. The machine was too high. This situation reminded him of a certain incident where he had to shout out for a person's name in order to enter their room.
But thankfully, he had someone to help him. Looking to his right, Kenneth gave a look of anticipation at Tyrone.
Sensing his thoughts, the dog barked eagerly, and lowered its body down in order for the toddler to get on top of him.
"Sorry about this, Tyrone. But I won't be able to get it without standing fully." Kenneth apologized.
In order to reach the machine, he had to get on his toes. This meant that he'd dirty Tyrone's fur in the process.
"Woof." Almost as if he was saying that "it couldn't be helped," Tyrone placed more strength into his legs in order to accommodate the extra weight Kenneth was placing on him while trying to stand up.
Thankfully, the two were the last people in the line, so they didn't have to worry about taking anyone's time.
Soon Kenneth was able to get his balance, and he stood on the dog's back steadily. Then, reaching for the card that had long ago revealed a portion of itself, Kenneth pulled with a bit of force.
The card came out without much effort. Kenneth brought it up to his face in order to inspect the object that was almost the same size as a credit card.
[Argonsville Public Library
Card B-17
6/2/2912]
On the top left edge of the card three lines of information were etched onto the surface. Upon further inspection Kenneth found out that the card had actually assigned him a seat.
In order to deal with the crowds that frequented the place, the machine would scan the inside of the building for any available seats. If there were, then the card would come out with the assigned seat.
You didn't have to sit there, but you were forbidden from sitting on anybody else's seat, as arguments could break out. The system made sure that everybody was able to find a place to sit, if there was one, of course.
Luckily, pets were able to enter without the card. The A.I did warn Kenneth that if Tyrone was to cause any trouble he'd have to pay for it.
Seeing the large wooden doors in front of him, Kenneth wondered how they were supposed to head in.
It was only upon taking a closer look that Kenneth realized there was a scanner nearby. Assuming it would check for the card, Kenneth swiped its surface on the scanner. Upon doing so, a *ding* sound was heard and the seemingly immovable door had opened up by a tiny crack.
Which was enough for Kenneth and Tyrone to enter. Squeezing through the gap left behind, Kenneth had tried to push it open just a bit more in order for the entry to be easier for Tyrone, but the door wouldn't budge.
So it took a little longer than expected for the dog to successfully inch itself through, and immediately Kenneth was greeted by the sight of thousands of books.
The carpet, a fine red color, stretched out along the library's hallways. The books themselves were neatly placed on the wooden shelves that stood all the way to the top of the room.
Kenneth wondered how people got up to the top shelf without needing a ladder, but was too invested in looking around to care.
The faint smell of newly bought books signaled Kenneth that there was recently a shipment of them that had just arrived. He couldn't mistake that familiar smell anywhere.
Taking a book from himself, Kenneth didn't plan on reading it, but instead flipped the book's pages to the halfway mark. Then, bringing his nose to the paper, he inhaled loudly.
He was right. That smell was something he couldn't mistake anywhere. Just to confirm, Kenneth again brought the book to his nose and smelled it.
It was only upon realizing that many people were staring at him that Kenneth knew he messed up. Placing the book back, he quickly retreated along with Tyrone. They were going to the section Kenneth had wanted to visit the most, which was the Spells section.
The Spells section wasn't all that different from the other book sections, in the sense that the spells were in the form of books. Various spells were compiled into these books that were otherwise known as grimoires.
The spells themselves were only written in their general form. The aim of these grimoires was to give the reader an idea of how they worked. Of course, they could be modified, according to the three factors.
That was the beauty of magic. No spells were set in stone and could be changed according to the caster's needs.
Once the duo had reached the Spells section, Kenneth was dumbfounded to find that it was divided into more sections.
They were divided according to the various types of magic. So the two had to take even more precious time to look for the Mental Magic section specifically.
And once they got there, Kenneth was dumbfounded. The Mental Magic section was only composed of one book!
"Seriously? Are there so little Mental Magic spells that they all fit into this book? It's not even that thick." Kenneth took the book that was no bigger than a children's story book into his hands.
"Well, I guess I don't have any other choice. Let's go find our seat, Tyrone." Kenneth called over the dog, who was somehow also looking through the Earth Magic section.
