A massive tower dominated the cityscape of Penshaw. Standing high above the other buildings, it was an elegant and enormous piece of architecture that could only be built through magic. 

It was the Magic Research Center and Institute.

Theo whistled at the sight. 

He was excited to see the famous library inside the magic tower. It was world-renowned for its vast number of magical tomes. 

Because the books were so valuable, visitors had to either be affiliated with the tower or apply for a special permit to enter the library. It would be nice if he could read them. 

Sadly, Dullahan had forbidden him to read more than the spine and cover of the books on magic.

There was no telling how valuable the book he was going to steal would be. The knowledge it contained could be irreplaceable.

Hopefully the tower has a lot of very studious students who have already read it.

Theo tried to shove the guilty feeling aside. 

His heart was not cut out for this sort of thing.

Guilt prickled Theo's chest as he thought about stealing from the tower, but Dullahan had ordered it, so what could he do?

Hopefully, the tower has a lot of very studious students who have already read it. Theo tried to shove the guilty feeling aside. His heart was not cut out for this sort of thing.

Soon, Theo made it to an inn. 

It was a fancy inn that had baths with magical artifacts that could automatically fill it with hot water. 

The luxury was welcome, and Theo quickly completed his transformation into a fresh-faced tourist scholar, sliding a pair of glasses that had zero functional purpose on his face and tying his black hair back with a leather string. Then he shrugged into an open sweater.

Yes. This is what someone who vacations by visiting research centers would look like. Theo thought. 

He perfectly fit his stereotype of what a scholar's appearance should be.

Excitement buzzed in his stomach as he thought about looking around the tower. He was insanely curious about all the magic artifacts they would have on display.

With that he made his way to the magic tower.

And sure enough, nobody gave Theo a second glance when he entered the tower.

Disappointment wracked Theo's heart as he stood on the second floor of the magic tower.

This was the floor that hosted countless magic artifacts and yet…

He couldn't look at any of them!

If he got close enough to read the placards next to the artifacts, the oath around his neck started reacting violently.

Theo was forbidden to study magic and apparently reading about the artifacts counted.

He signed and glued his eyes to his feet as he made his way up the tower. He wanted to make sure the oath wouldn't suspect him of studying up on any of the artifacts.

When Theo got to the tenth floor, he began to look for the way to the restricted floors. Eventually, he found a staircase with a guard. 

This would be a piece of cake for Theo.

He sidled near the staircase and looked around to ensure nobody was watching. Then he slipped into the shadows and let them erase his presence. 

A shiver ran down Theo's spine as he used the shadows to sneak past the guard. The ability to manipulate and use shadows was convenient, but they always felt somehow sentient when he interacted with them. 

He had a feeling they would devour him if he was to get hurt while he was in the shadows. 

Theo was happy to separate from the shadows as soon as he passed the guard. 

Now it was time for the most challenging part of Theo's job. 

Since the upper floors of the magic tower were off-limits for visitors, he had yet to find a map of the library. Instead, he would have to wander around until he found it alone.

And his sense of direction was lacking, to say the least.