Harem in a Labyrinth

I open a Warp to the Adventurer's Guild in the Imperial Capital. Roxanne, Sherry, Lillia, Anastasia, and Miria step through the Warp gate behind me.

Looking around, I notice that the Adventurer's Guild is as noisy and crowded as ever. There are plenty of Adventurer parties like ours, but none with as many beautiful girls.

In fact, anyone looking at my party would probably assume I am some hedonistic young master or maybe a Nobleman out for a stroll with his harem. Well, let them think that—it's not like I care what these NPCs think.

"Let me ask someone about the location of the Imperial Library," I say to the girls behind me.

"Thank you, Master," Sherry replies cheerfully. Her excitement hasn't subsided—after all, she is finally going to visit the library. The other girls just nod, likely feeling the stares of the people packed into the building.

We move away from the Warping area, where multiple people are shouting out destinations. They must be Adventurers offering Warp services. Most of the locations they mention are unfamiliar to me.

Looking ahead, I see that the reception counters are crowded, with long lines of people waiting their turn. The girls follow me as I head toward the large notice board where quests and missions are posted for Adventurers.

Instead of joining the crowd at the board, I approach a less busy area where a few people are standing idly. Most of them appear to be low-leveled Explorers, around Level 2-10.

I approach a cute young woman at Explorer Level 5.

"Hello, mister! Do you need help reading or some other information about the Adventurer's Guild?" she asks with a smile.

Many Adventurers and Explorers don't know how to read or write, so low-leveled individuals like her offer assistance for a fee. In the original story, Michio also required the help of such employees.

She looks a little disappointed when I ask for nothing more than the location of the Imperial Library, but she still gives me directions. Since I don't feel generous enough to pay for such a simple favor, I just thank her and leave the building with my party.

I consider checking the notice board, but it is too crowded right now—maybe later. Most quests are exclusive to Adventurer's Guild members anyway, just as most guilds conduct transactions or handle requests within their own circles.

"If any of you girls see something you want for yourself or the house, let me know, or add it to the list for our next shopping trip," I tell the girls as we walk along the cobbled path, passing various shops.

"Sure, Master," Roxanne replies with a nod.

It feels odd hearing her call me 'Master' so openly, but none of the passersby seem to bat an eye. Most of the men are too busy staring at the girls in my party. Slavery is so commonplace here that Roxanne's address seems entirely normal.

We continue toward the center of town. The further we go, the fewer shops and buildings we see. It is clear this is a wealthier part of the city.

Eventually, there are no houses along the street, only tall walls—likely fences for mansions or similar estates. The cobbled road transitions to smooth, fully paved stone.

"Is this where Nobles live?" I ask, noticing the elegant horse carriages passing by and the increased number of patrolling knights on horseback.

"Yes, Master. The closer we get to the castle, the larger the houses and the higher the Nobles' ranks," Anastasia replies. She is the only one among the girls who used to live in the Imperial Capital before.

"This really is a feudal world," I murmur with a sigh, thinking about the rigid class structure.

Maybe I should buy a house here someday—it could be a good investment.

"Master, I think that's it," Sherry says abruptly, pointing ahead.

"Yeah, I think so too," I reply, spotting the enormous building in the distance.

"Wow," Roxanne murmurs as we approach the grand white structure.

"That is even bigger than Master's house," Lillia says in amazement.

"Yes, almost twice as big," I note, gazing up at it.

"Of course—it is the largest library in the Empire," Sherry declares with pride, though her own eyes are wide with wonder.

"It is definitely impressive," Anastasia admits, looking surprised. Clearly, she wasn't lying about having never visited the library before.

"Wah," Miria says, her mouth hanging open as she stares at the building.

As we move closer, I notice the steady flow of people entering and exiting the library. Most of them appear to hold common jobs like Knight, Adventurer, Explorer, or Merchant, but all look wealthy and refined.

I am glad I decided to store all our weapons and armor in the bag—otherwise, we would have stuck out like sore thumbs here.

As we climb the stairs to the building I watch an old man get out of the library with a job that I haven't seen before. 

[Barov

Scholar Level 26]

I watch him pass by, noting that no one else entering or leaving has the same job.

"Is there a job called Scholar?" I whisper to Sherry.

"Yes, Master. I have heard their guild is full of people who love to read books," she replies, clearly trying to contain her excitement.

Makes sense. This is yet another job not mentioned in the original story. I will have to research its conditions later. In fact, I should find a book listing all the known jobs and guilds in the Empire—it would really help bridge my knowledge gap.

Inside the library, the interior is simpler than I expected. There is a seating area and a reception counter at the front. Beside the counter is a small gate, likely the entrance to the library's collection.

Two men stand at the counter—one young and one middle-aged. The younger man is a Level 5 Scholar, but my attention is on the middle-aged man, a Level 14 Librarian.

"There is a Librarian job too?" I whisper in amazement. 

"They are the ones who manage the library" Sherry mutters as if that was the most obvious thing. 

It seems obvious, considering there is a Job called Hotel, which I suspect is exclusive to the Emaro tribe. However, this Librarian Job doesn't appear to be race-locked, as the middle-aged man is clearly human. In fact, I have noticed that the majority of people I have encountered in the Imperial Capital are humans. Perhaps there are underlying racial tensions within the city.

Still, this trip to the library is turning out to be quite fruitful. I have already learned about two new Jobs from just this short walk.

Instead of heading straight to the counter, I lead the girls to the seating area.

"So what do you girls think? Does anyone want to go with Sherry right now inside the library?" I ask.

Sherry looks at the others hopefully.

Roxanne smiles wryly but says nothing. Lillia and Anastasia avert their eyes, and Miria looks outright bored.

"It is fine if you don't want to go now. I just want you all to remember that you always have a choice whenever you wish to," I say with a smile, understanding that not everyone enjoys reading books at first.

"Yes, Master," Roxanne and the others reply in unison, nodding.

I glance at Sherry, whose expression doesn't shift at all. She seems entirely unsurprised by this news, her face clearly saying, I expected as much.

"Alright, Sherry. Here is the deposit and the entrance fee," I say, placing a gold coin and a silver coin into her hand.

The deposit is probably in case someone damages a book. Considering that most of the books here are made of papyrus, which is notoriously flimsy, it is a reasonable concern. It is also likely a way to restrict access, as a gold coin is prohibitively expensive. This system effectively ensures that poor people are kept away from knowledge.

It is nothing new. This mindset has existed since the feudal era—a way for nobles to maintain their power by curbing education. Even in modern times, this mentality lingered until the advent of the Internet broke down those barriers.

"Thank you Master" She accepts the coins putting it in her pouch.

"Enjoy your time fully, and have fun" I say, patting her thick purple hair affectionately.

"Yes, Master" She gives me a bashful smile, as her cheeks turn rosy from this public display of affection. 

I acted on impulse, but I can definitely feel Roxanne's gaze on my hand as I pat Sherry on the head... Ugh, Roxanne if you want I will rub your whole body twice over, so no need to feel jealous!

"I will pick you up later this evening from the reception area. I will try to come before sunset," I say. There is still a lot I need to learn about the library, like whether they allow book rentals, but it is probably best to ask those questions myself when I visit on next week's day off. 

We watch as Sherry heads to the reception counter. She speaks with the middle-aged man there, hands over the money, and receives something that looks like a token. To my surprise, instead of going further in, she returns to us.

"Do you need something, Sherry?" I ask as she approaches.

"Master, I asked him for the location of the fish-tackle shop. It is in the direction of the Imperial Palace," Sherry says before proceeding to explain the route.

"Thank you for being so thoughtful, Sherry," I say with a smile.

I realize I had forgotten to ask for the shop's location back at the Adventurer's Guild. The place was far too crowded, and I didn't want to linger with everyone ogling my girls. I had hurriedly asked for the library's location and left. Sherry's thoughtfulness now feels especially helpful and appreciated.

"I am off now," she says happily, though she carefully tempers her smile as she steps through the entrance, looking all prim and proper.

In my mind, I can't help but picture her moaning face from last night when she was under me. Suppressing a dark smile of my own, I turn to the other girls. "Let's head to the fish-tackle shop next," I say with a grin.

"Fish-desu!" Miria exclaims, her earlier boredom vanishing the moment the word fish escapes my lips.

I smile wryly as Roxanne gently scolds her, reminding her not to shout in public. Ignoring the curious stares of passersby, we leave the building and begin walking in the direction Sherry had pointed out earlier.

It makes sense that the fish-tackle shop is closer to the castle, as Sherry had mentioned earlier that fishing is a hobby often reserved for the wealthy and Nobles.

Our path leads us towards the massive grey coloured castle looming in the distance, and soon we come upon a small river. Nestled beside it is a cozy shop, it's wooden sign adorned with the simple image of a fish. 

Fishing tackles hang decoratively at the entrance, swaying slightly in the breeze.

"This must be the shop, Master!" Roxanne says, echoing my thoughts.

"Looks like it. Are you ready for some fishing, Miria? F-i-s-h-i-n-g?" I tease, noticing her intense focus on the wooden fish sign.

"Yes-desu! FISHIN-desu!" Miria nods enthusiastically.

We step into the shop. Inside, the selection of fishing gear is sparse—just two fishing rods hanging on the walls, along with a few other basic tools. Behind the counter sits an old man, dozing off in his chair.

As we approach, he stirs awake promptly. "...Uh, hello, customers," he greets, his voice groggy as he tries to sound alert.

I glance at him and note that he is a Level 32 Merchant. "Hello, we would like to buy some tools for fishing," I reply.

"Are you fishing for the first time?" he asks knowingly, his expression shifting to one of interest.

"Yes, we both are," I say, glancing at Miria. She is completely absorbed in examining the tools displayed in the shop.

"Well then, allow me to explain everything you will need to know to get started," he says with a smile, now fully awake and eager to assist.