Gathering Information From Suzan

Suzan kept gazing at the parchment paper of the novel she held with her left hand, reading every small black line written on every page. Being the head royal librarian provided her with a good salary, along with a couple of subordinates she had authority over, all while guaranteeing that she gets bored out of her mind in this quiet place. 

As she assigned her main duties of budgeting for the library, categorizing and preserving books, archiving important historical or cultural books, and some other small duties to her workers, she was left with an endless amount of time with her hands, all of it she had no idea how to spend. 

Although there were times when she was needed by her workers, either asking for help in a long task or to clear up any confusion they had with the task, they were experienced enough to not need constant supervision. 

Thus, she has resorted some time to reading every damn book this library had to offer, to distract herself from the passage of time she lost, and to remember the book's general contents in her gigantic brain so that she can help anyone entering the place to find what they are looking for. 

As she keeps on reading her book, she fails to fear footsteps enclosing her. The woman was so infatuated with the story that she got caught red-handed slacking on her job. 

"Excuse me, Miss Suzan?" She hears a monotone voice speak. Upon recognizing the voice, Suzan immediately puts the book down and turns her head to face Prince Kant. 

"Your highness! I didn't realize you were coming! I was just… taking a short break," she explains quickly. The prince simply nods.

"Oh, alright. Anyway, I came here to ask for your help with something. Do you mind?" 

"No! Not at all your highness. What do you need?" she asks whilst putting up a smile. 

"I need you to find me a book about a specific subject. I have been searching and can't seem to find it anywhere," 

"I understand. What is the name of the book? I am sure we have more in storage!"

"Well, I do not know what the name of the book is. I am simply looking for a book about magic. I am curious as to how magic works, and I thought maybe you can provide me with a book to quell my curiosity," he explains. 

Suzan was a little confused as to why Prince Kant would want to learn about magic when he could not cast any. Despite that, she kept her opinions to herself and replied with...

"I see. Well, would you please give me a moment? I need to look at the catalog first." 

"Go on right ahead. I will be waiting patiently." 

Suzan picked out the catalog and started going through it. Although she wanted to ask why he wanted to learn about magic, Suzan internally debated whether it was a good idea. In the end, she decided against it.

"Hm… I am sorry your highness, but there doesn't seem to be a book like that. I am sorry," she spoke up as soon as she finished searching. 

  "Ah. That's a shame. I was thinking of learning how magic worked ever since I faced the Pierrevol. Do you wish to hear the tale?" he asks Suzan.

"About the fight?" she asks. 

"Yes. Well, it was less of a fight and more like a small battle. I had command of a few knights, and I used them to help defeat the creature," Kant explained. 

"Is that so?"

"Yes. If I knew what the capabilities of magic are, I could have probably done better. It's like knowing more about archery. An experienced archer what a realistic distance an archer can fire. 

If I had that knowledge, I would have probably performed better, sustained a lot fewer casualties, and well… I probably won't even have been stuck on my bed for two weeks," he explained. Suzan nods, stating to Kant that she understood what he was saying. 

"Is there any other way I could learn about magic? Just some general knowledge about it. That is all," Kant asked the librarian. 

"Well, you can consult a mage about it. Every mage is taught the fundamentals when they are young. It is the reason why there aren't any books regarding the basics. The teachers guild don't allow for it," 

"Really?" Kant queries. 

"Yes. Well, that is one of the reasons. The other reason is that paper and ink are expensive, and people don't have time to write out every single page over and over again." 

"There is a magical alternative, where you can have writer mages perform a spell and have them write multiple pages at once, but those mages are few, and have very high rates. It just won't make any sense to produce a book like that in mass quantities," she elaborates. 

"Why is that? Is learning the spell hard?"

"From what I heard, it takes a lot of practice and effort to be useful. Anyone who normally tries it often cannot use more than one quill, and has really bad handwriting," Suzan explains.

"Hmm… That explains why I wasn't able to find the material I was looking for," he mutters. 

"Where can I find one who can teach me? Should I ask a teacher or…?"

"If you are just interested in the basics, then ask anyone who can use magic. A knight, a healer. It doesn't matter. They should be able to provide you with an answer," Suzan replied. 

Kant tilts his head to look at the time presented by a mechanical clock to the right of him, before placing his gaze back on Suzan.

"Well Miss Suzan, I gotta get going. I thank you for your hospitality. You have been really helpful to me. Though I would have liked to tell the tale, I must go as I am needed elsewhere." Suzan nods.

"I understand your highness. I hope to see you soon!" she replies. With that, Kant exits the library, leaving Suzan alone once more. Suzan picks the novel back up and decides she better read it at home, where she won't be caught slacking off on the job. 

…Howard had learned a lot from visiting the library. He now knew more about the incident that got Kant heavily injured and killed, he learned about the creature that Kant had faced in Alderney, and he had learned the technological level of the kingdom, even if he was supposed to search that one later.

From what he can deduce from the conversation he had with Suzan, Howard guessed that the society has not yet invented the printing press, but HAS invented the mechanical clock. This places the kingdom's tech before the 1440s, but ahead of 1270 to 1300. 

He is not sure whether this primitive state of technology is the result of humanity simply not having invented the technology yet, the result of a complacent culture prevalent in the society, or as a result of powerful forces keeping humanity away from such tech as they stood to lose the most from it. 

From what he knows, these 'guilds' seem to be powerful enough to get rid of such tech, and the existence of magic provides a great incentive not to innovate. Regardless of the real reason, these are all just speculation on Howard's part. He still didn't have enough information about the phenomena to form a proper opinion about it, or how it affected the world around him.

As he walks down the hall, he spots two knights, one man and one woman, coming his way. He could tell that they were knights just by observing the attire they wore; a tailored uniform dyed in bright fabrics, matching the paint color of the suit of armor they put on. 

Howard thought about asking the two knights about Magic. They were mage knights after all. They should have the answers he needs. But then again, is it really smart to ask this question in a hallway, where anyone could sneak in and eavesdrop them? 

Howard decided not to speak to them, till he realized his room was just 2 doors away from him. He could bring them inside his room and extract the information he needs. Though, it would be wise to bring just one inside, while sending the other one away if they are busy. Better yet, have them make sure nobody comes inside if they are free!

"Excuse me!" Howard called out to the knights.

"Us?" they both asked in unison, unsure where he was calling out to them.

"Yes. Is either one of you free? I have something of importance to request," he explained.

"Well uh… yes, your highness. We are both free," the male knight replied.

"Good. Can you follow me, please? I promise it won't take long," he requested. The knights, upon being instructed by the prince, willingly followed him. Once they made it to his door, Kant pointed to the female knight.

"Stay here. Make sure nobody comes in. I just need this man right here." The female knight nods, understanding the assignment given to her. Once the two were alone inside the room, Howard brought him to the other side of his quarters, to provide him with a little more insurance, just in case.

"What is it that you need from me, your highness?" the knight asked, wondering why he was brought into the prince's bedroom. 

"I have a question to ask you. Do you mind answering?" 

"Of course your highness. What is it?" Howard takes a deep breath, gathering up a little more courage before shooting his shot. 

"What is magic?" he asks the knight.