Chương 107: Chapter 101: It's Not That Hard

Lira considered how she would go about infiltrating the Royal Academy. She could sneak in at night, relying on her Danger Sense spell to warn her of defensive magic and guards. The academy was specifically designed to educate the children of nobles, which meant it probably had enough security to discourage people from simply wandering inside. If it was as secure as the palace's Main Hall, there was no way she could sneak in. But if it was defended similarly to the outer bailey, she could probably do it with ease.

Unfortunately, she wouldn't know which was the case until she tested it. And if she was caught... She would have to explain why a castle maid had been sneaking around the Royal Academy in the middle of the night. Yeah, it's too risky to go in blind. Lira's eyes wandered across the library until they eventually landed on Lyth. if she could scout out the defenses beforehand... Could she somehow convince the boy to take her there?

If she could visit the academy legitimately, she could learn how the place was laid out, determine what sort of security it had, and figure out how she might sneak in later. He was going to start his education there eventually. Visiting the school shouldn't be completely out of the question. In fact, it shouldn't be hard to make him arrive at that conclusion on his own. Having the person currently helping with his education accompany him wasn't particularly strange either. Lira's mind immediately began plotting.

She could start by dropping subtle hints. There were novels with the Royal Academy as their setting. Perhaps she could leave one open on his desk. No... that's too obvious. She could add a few subtle hints to the Magari language study sheets she had been preparing for him. Nope... that's even worse. She could influence one of his friends instead. If the idea came from another noble child, it would add another layer of separation between her and the suggestion. That's better. She paused.

But isn't that too complicated? She should probably start simple, then escalate if...

"What are you thinking about, Miss Lira?" Lira blinked. She was so preoccupied with her plotting that she hadn't even noticed the prince approaching her. Lyth was sitting beside her now, his face fixed in a cheerful smile, his innocent eyes looking up at her. Lira felt a little ashamed. What am I doing? She sighed inwardly. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Seriously, when had she become so jaded?

"I want to visit the Royal Academy's library," she finally said.

"Can you take me there?"

"Of course!" The boy's smile immediately became brighter.

"I've always wanted to visit." He spun around and ran toward his bodyguard.

"Henry! Can we go to the Royal Academy?" Lira watched him pester Sir Henry, grabbing the knight's arm and trying to drag him toward the door as though they could leave immediately. It was that easy. Not everything needed to be overcomplicated. She was the caretaker of the Royal Library now. She wasn't some random maid who had wandered in from the street. She also had grown far too comfortable manipulating the poor kid.

She should keep that manipulation limited to giving him good moral values and a better education, rather than using him whenever it was convenient for her. Still, this approach wasn't without its drawbacks. Sir Henry's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. He glanced back toward Lyth, who was already bouncing with excitement as though the outing had already been approved. Then he slowly approached her.

"What's the deal? Why do you want to visit the academy?"

"I want to see their library selection." Lira gestured toward the shelves surrounding them.

"Two-thirds of the books here are older than I am, and most of the rest were discarded by nobles. I want to see what a proper library has so I can ask Steward Harwin to purchase an updated selection." Henry remained skeptical.

"Do you need Prince Lyth for that?"

"Well, I can't exactly show up at their doorstep and ask to be let inside." Lira grimaced.

"I don't have nearly enough authority for that."

"Usually those matters would go through the Grand Steward," she added, "but until one is appointed..."

"That still doesn't explain why you want Prince Lyth to take you." Lira paused.

"I considered asking Prince Aric, but Lyth will be attending the academy next year. It seems like a good opportunity for him to become familiar with the place beforehand." Henry narrowed his eyes even further. Lira could practically see him searching for a flaw in her reasoning. He didn't seem to find any. She was, after all, the caretaker of the Royal Library. Wanting to inspect another library was perfectly reasonable. Wanting to accompany a future student was also reasonable.

And allowing a young prince to familiarize himself with the academy before he officially began attending was probably something his tutors would approve of. Eventually, Henry sighed.

"We'll go tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Lyth's excitement immediately turned into disappointment.

"Why not now?"

"I need to send a message ahead of your arrival," the knight explained patiently.

"You aren't just a noble, Lyth. You're a prince, and princes need to be treated as such."

"And?"

"Do you know how inconvenient it would be for them if you simply showed up without warning?"

"I guess..." The prince's shoulders drooped.

"We also need to get permission from your father, then inform Steward Berem so he can prepare the royal carriage."

"Oh." Lyth's shoulders dropped even further.

"The guards need to be informed as well. Four royal guards must accompany each prince outside the palace. Your personal valet needs to..." The prince interrupted his bodyguard's explanation by grabbing his arm and trying to drag him toward the door.

"Let's go visit Father first," Lyth declared.

"Then we can worry about all that other stuff." Just before he disappeared completely, Lyth turned around.

"See you tomorrow, Lira!" He waved enthusiastically.

"See you tomorrow." The door closed behind them. Lira sat silently for a moment. That was surprisingly easy. And if everything went well tomorrow, she would finally get to see what the academy's library had to offer. Hopefully, she could also scout out the defenses while she was there. She didn't need to steal anything. She could simply memorize the layout, study the security, and return later to acquire the knowledge without anyone noticing.

More importantly, she might finally find the information she needed to create a healing spell. And if the academy's library was truly as good as everyone claimed, she could use it to expand her knowledge whenever the Royal Library's aging collection proved insufficient.