As soon as I turned the corner and was out of sight of the guards, I leaned against the cold stone wall and exhaled.
"Status Window."
Ping.
[Name: Valerius Lucifer]
[Race: High Demon]
[Rank: 7th Prince]
[Mana: Low (Blocked)]
[Strength: 7 (Up from 5)]
[Agility: 6 (Up from 3)]
[Stamina: 4]
[Active Skills: Gluttony of the Monarch]
[Passive Skills: Iron Skin (Low)]
"Better," I muttered. "But still pathetic."
A Strength of 7 meant I could probably arm-wrestle a teenager and win. Maybe. But against a trained assassin? I was toast. My [Gluttony] was an instant-kill move, sure, but it relied on my shadow catching the target. If the assassin was faster than my shadow—which, considering he was a Shadow Stalker, he definitely would be—I'd be dead before I could say "Bon Appétit."
I needed an edge. I needed cheat items.
And thankfully, I knew exactly where to find one.
I straightened my silk pajamas and headed for the West Wing.
The Royal Library was less of a "place for reading" and more of a "dungeon for books."
It was a cavernous hall filled with towering shelves that reached up into the darkness. Books flew through the air like bats. Some chained volumes were growling at each other. The air smelled of old paper and ozone.
At the entrance sat the Head Librarian.
He was an Elder Lich—a skeleton in purple robes with glowing blue flames in his eye sockets. He was stamping return slips with a bony hand. Thump. Thump. Thump.
I walked up to the desk. "Hey."
The Lich didn't look up. "Library hours are for study, not for..."
He paused. The blue flames in his eyes flared up as he looked at me. He recognized the face.
"Prince Valerius?" His voice sounded like grinding stones. "You... are in a library?"
"Surprising, I know," I said, leaning on his desk. "I usually only read menus. But I'm looking for something specific today."
The Lich stared at me. The 7th Prince was famous for being illiterate (he wasn't, he was just lazy, but the rumors were harsh).
"The 'Picture Books for Toddlers' section is in aisle one," the Lich said dryly.
I laughed. "Good one, bones. But no. I need access to the Restricted Archive. The 'Discarded Artifacts' section."
The blue flames flickered. "The Discarded section? That is filled with cursed junk and broken trinkets. Why would a Royal Prince want to rummage through garbage?"
"One man's trash is another man's treasure," I shrugged. "Just let me in. Unless you want me to complain to my father that you're obstructing my 'education'."
The Lich hesitated. He knew the Emperor didn't care about me, but he also knew that obstructing a Prince—even a useless one—was technically treason.
"Very well," he sighed, a rattle of air escaping his ribs. He snapped his fingers.
A section of the bookshelf swung open like a secret door.
"Don't touch the Cursed Grimoire of Vomiting," he warned. "We just cleaned the floor."
"Noted."
I walked into the dusty, cobweb-filled room. It was piled high with crates of "useless" magical items.
In the novel, the Hero comes here in Volume 5. He finds a legendary sword hidden in a pile of rusty spoons. But I wasn't here for a sword. I couldn't even lift a heavy sword yet.
I started digging through a box of cracked crystal balls.
"Nope. Nope. Weird doll that screams when you touch it... nope."
Finally, I saw it.
It looked like a pair of cheap, wire-rimmed glasses with a cracked left lens. It was sitting under a pile of old scrolls.
I picked it up and wiped the dust off.
[Item: The Spectacles of the Deceiver]
[Rank: B-Grade Artifact]
[Description: Allows the wearer to see 'Heat Signatures' through walls for 10 minutes a day. Also hides the wearer's Mana Level from inspection.]
"Jackpot," I grinned.
In the story, nobody wanted these glasses because the "Heat Vision" gave you a massive migraine, and the "Mana Hiding" was useless if you were already strong.
But for me?
Heat Vision: The assassin uses invisibility. But invisibility doesn't hide body heat. With these, I could see him coming through the wall.
Mana Hiding: Everyone thinks my mana is "Blocked." If I start stealing mana and getting stronger, I need to hide my progress so my brothers don't panic and send an army to kill me.
I put the glasses on.
Everything suddenly turned blue. I looked at the wall. I could see a bright orange blob walking past in the hallway outside.
"It works," I whispered.
Then the migraine hit.
"Ow," I winced, taking them off quickly. "Okay, only use in emergencies. Got it."
I pocketed the glasses. I had my detector. Now I just needed a trap.
I looked around the room. My eyes landed on a dusty, unassuming book on the bottom shelf. The cover was plain brown leather, no title.
I knew this book.
The Encyclopedia of Domestic Pests.
It sounded boring. But inside, on page 394, there was a misprint. A hidden formula for "Midnight Paralysis Poison."
In the novel, a minor villain used this to paralyze the Hero's party for a gag. It wasn't lethal, but it froze your muscles for an hour.
"Lich!" I called out, walking back to the desk. "Checking this out."
The Elder Lich looked at the broken glasses in my pocket and the book about bugs in my hand.
"Glasses that cause headaches and a book about cockroaches," the Lich deadpanned. "Your taste is... unique, Your Highness."
"I'm starting a hobby," I said, waving the book. "Entomology. Bugs are fascinating. They survive everything. Even stepping stones."
I turned and walked away before he could ask what I meant.
I had the eyes to see the killer.
I had the recipe to stop him.
And I had a hungry shadow waiting to eat.
"Two days left," I whispered, stepping out into the corridor.
I wasn't just going to survive this assassination. I was going to turn the assassin into my first loyal employee.
Because good help is hard to find, and dead men don't pay taxes.