We all kept looking for hints about the covenant for a few more days, but we had no luck. After all, it took a lot of time for the prince from the book too. There weren\u2019t any details about the number of days, but it said that he had looked in a cave full of monsters, a dark forest, and more before finally finding it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I briefly considered looking for the covenant in caves and forests ourselves, but when I thought about it, it didn\u2019t really make sense. Why would you go there to look for a book? Wouldn\u2019t you start with the library? But maybe he was able to find the covenant in the library exactly because he had suffered those failures in other places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaybe we should go fighting tanuki in the forest…\u201d I murmured while looking through a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStop talking nonsense and focus on looking for hints,\u201d said Sora sternly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That was my way of looking for hints, but seeing the face that Sora was making made me reconsider how good my tanuki idea was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a few days, thanks to the efforts of the talented Maria and Dewey, we finished looking through most of the old books. I had already finished looking through the story books since there weren\u2019t that many to begin with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
All that was left to do was for Maria and Dewey to look through the remaining ancient-script books, while Sora and I read through those that, while also old, were written in our modern language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cyrus and Larna, in the meantime, kept working on their normal duties while interviewing people. (Larna, to be precise, was having her subordinates take care of her normal duties.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, no matter how many books we checked, none of them said anything about the covenant. Since Professor Hyde had found a new hint for us in so little time, I\u2019d been expecting things to go more smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was getting tired of spending day after day staring at letters, and I remembered nostalgically the manual labor and cleaning I\u2019d done before that. I wondered how much longer it would take before our search was finished and I could get back to that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI can\u2019t even focus my eyes anymore…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I wasn\u2019t used to reading difficult books. I had no problem with romance novels, but doing this kind of research for several days in a row was taking its toll on me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be lunch break soon, so why don\u2019t you go on ahead and rest? I\u2019ll follow you as soon as I\u2019m done with this book,\u201d said Sora, seeing how exhausted I was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I did as he said and left the library. I didn\u2019t hate libraries, per se \u2014 in fact, I loved the libraries of my old world, full of all kinds of novels. But after all the reading I\u2019d done in the past few days, just being there was enough to make me feel tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breathing some fresh air instantly made me feel better. \u201cI\u2019ll have a nice lunch and then do my best again in the afternoon,\u201d I said to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cKatarina?\u201d It was the voice of someone who I hadn\u2019t expected to see here \u2014 Jeord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPrince Jeord? What are you doing here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI have come to the Ministry for training. What a pleasant surprise to see you here,\u201d he said with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After graduating from the academy, all of my friends had started working. The nobles mainly took after their parents\u2019 duties, which is what Keith did. I\u2019d heard that Jeord and Alan, as royalty, were now much busier with diplomatic work than they were last year. Last time I went to the castle, Jeord had mentioned that he\u2019d just come back from something like that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Despite being this busy, he was also training at the Ministry. I knew he was an overachiever, but that sounded like a bit too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019re training? Aren\u2019t you tired?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jeord was usually smiling as if nothing could stop him. That made sense to me when I was playing the game and he was just a character, meant to be charming above all, but now he was a real person, who could get tired and even hurt. The problem was how good he was at hiding that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThank you, but I am fine. You, on the other hand, seem quite exhausted. What is the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Does it show <\/em>that much?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve been doing research for work, but with no results.\u201d Of course I couldn\u2019t disclose any details, but I figured that saying that much would be fine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After thinking for a moment, Jeord replied. \u201cIt is often the case that when you cannot find something, it was right beside you all along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs that a quote?\u201d I asked, intrigued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. Mine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I dropped my jaw in surprise, and, while my mouth was still open, Jeord threw something inside it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was obviously surprised at first, but quickly realized that it was a piece of chocolate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNothing quite like eating sweets when you need energy. Next time you are free, by all means, let us partake of some delicious dessert together,\u201d he said while gently caressing my head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it was because of the sweet chocolate melting in my mouth or because I was being patted on the head, I started feeling warm inside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sora then came out of the library as well, and was as surprised as I was to see Jeord.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have heard that you are looking after my Katarina here at the Ministry. You have my gratitude,\u201d the prince told him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, no need to mention it,\u201d Sora, somewhat taken aback, replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bell signaling lunch break rang, and we were joined by Maria and Dewey. Jeord, after greeting the two, reminded me of his invitation and then left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The four of us then went to the dining hall together. Along the way, I heard Sora murmur to himself, \u201cPhew, that was scary. He was smiling, but his eyes were burning. Was he trying to threaten me or something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He sounded tired from all the reading as well, so I decided to give him a couple of good recommendations for lunch. After recharging with a good meal, we went back to work. Once again, I was silently flipping through the pages of relatively ancient books together with Sora. I kept reading and reading, but found nothing useful. I let out a big sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou are working really hard,\u201d I heard someone say from behind me. It was the smiling librarian, who had come to put some books back. She must have heard me sighing. I\u2019d spent the last few days in the library, so she was getting used to seeing me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes… I\u2019m looking for something, but I can\u2019t find it no matter how much I search,\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat must be tough. I only wish I could help you somehow,\u201d she replied, looking preoccupied as she saw my clearly exhausted face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, I really appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you are having that much trouble finding what you are looking for, perhaps it is back in the forbidden library?\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cForbidden library? What is that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou have never heard about it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot until now!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see… Perhaps people outside my department do not hear about it as much,\u201d she said, referring to the Library Department. As it turned out, the existence of this \u201cforbidden library\u201d was common knowledge there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is a special section of the library that only a few select people can enter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?! That kind of thing exists?\u201d I said, and she laughed again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHahaha, of course not. There are a lot of rumors about it, but that is natural for a place as old as the Ministry. Every department has its own stories and myths.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh…\u201d I said, disappointed, and she gave me a few words of encouragement before returning to the counter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If there really is such a place as the forbidden library, the covenant just has to be in there. If this was a game, it\u2019d be a given. You open the door and there it is, the shining covenant, waiting to be picked up.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Too bad we aren\u2019t in a game. Wait, what? A game? Scratch that, we <\/em>are in a game! And FL2 is set in the Ministry!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n With that in mind, I realized that the forbidden library probably did exist. I looked at Sora, who was close enough to have heard the conversation between me and the librarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHey Sora, what do you think of that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it\u2019s worth a shot. We should probably tell the others about it,\u201d he said after thinking for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, we went to the corner of the library where Maria and Dewey were sitting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis word connects to this one, you see?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you\u2019re right! Dewey, you\u2019re so smart!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The two were hunched together over a single book, with Dewey explaining something difficult to Maria. His face now looked red and very happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t interrupt his moment of joy like this. Maybe I should wait, <\/em>I thought to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI know what you\u2019re thinking, but we have no time for that,\u201d Sora told me before barging in. He could be so cold…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Sora\u2019s entrance had disrupted any semblance of romance anyway, I followed him up to our two friends and explained what I\u2019d heard from the librarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have never heard about this forbidden library…\u201d said Dewey, looking thoughtful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNeither have I, but we are still newcomers, after all. Maybe Mister Lanchester or Miss Larna know something about it,\u201d said Maria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That made sense \u2014 even if we didn\u2019t know about it, our bosses, who\u2019d been working here for years, might.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut the librarian said that it was only a rumor, right?\u201d asked Dewey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, yes…\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, I couldn\u2019t explain to him that it was likely to exist because we were living in a game. As I struggled for words, Sora came in to help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt may only be a rumor, but so what? The book we got from the professor is a fairy tale for kids, and we\u2019re still using that as a hint,\u201d he said. Both Dewey and I looked surprised. \u201cWhat are you <\/em>getting surprised about?\u201d he asked me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He probably thought I should have realized that from the beginning, which I had, but I hadn\u2019t given it any deeper thought than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sora looked at me with an expression between disappointment and despair and went on talking. \u201cJust because it\u2019s a rumor doesn\u2019t mean there\u2019s no truth behind it. The book we got from the professor is evidence of that. So the rumor about the forbidden library could also be based on a real place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oh, that\u2019s impressive. <\/em>Sora wasn\u2019t brainy in the same way as someone like, say, Dewey, but he was smart in his own way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI agree. We should ask Mister Lanchester about it,\u201d said Maria, who, unlike me and Dewey, didn\u2019t seem to be surprised by Sora\u2019s words. She had a determined look on her face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, we took a break from reading through the books and went to ask Cyrus about the forbidden library. Luckily he had just finished one of the tasks he was working on, and he happened to have the time to come with us to the meeting room to listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUnfortunately, I\u2019ve never heard about that,\u201d he said, looking troubled, \u201cI know that there are many strange rumors around the Ministry, but I don\u2019t really involve myself in anything that isn\u2019t directly related to my work, so…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d forgotten about it after his confession on the vegetable field, but Cyrus wasn\u2019t really the type to talk about things other than work. It was no surprise that he wouldn\u2019t know about rumors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe would probably have better luck asking Larna Smith about it. I don\u2019t know whether she\u2019s there, but I\u2019ll try going to the Magical Tool Laboratory,\u201d he said as he made to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But we couldn\u2019t ask our boss to do that, especially considering how busy he was. Larna worked in the same department as Sora and me, so we offered to go look for her ourselves. With that, it was decided that I would be the one to go, so that Sora (who was better at that kind of thing) could report on our progress on the ancient books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I opened the door to my department\u2019s office for the first time in a few days, I was met with the sight of my colleagues looking dangerously tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Are you people okay?\u201d I asked while standing at the door. When they noticed me, one of them raised his voice until he was basically screaming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLady Claes! Is your special mission finished?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cN-Not yet,\u201d I stammered. Disappointed, he collapsed onto his desk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was still looking at him, trying to understand what was going on, when Laura walked towards me. She asked me the same question and, upon hearing my negative answer, reacted with just as much disappointment as her colleague.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cExcuse me, but what is happening here?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMiss Larna disappeared again. And what do you know, just as she did that, we were hit by an avalanche of documents that need our attention. As a result, everyone is so overworked. If that special mission ended, Miss Larna wouldn\u2019t leave the office as much…\u201d she said, staring into the void.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My earlier hope \u2014 that Larna might learn to be responsible by seeing Cyrus\u2019s example \u2014 was dashed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since I couldn\u2019t find her, all I could do was go back and report that to Cyrus. A newcomer like me wouldn\u2019t be able to help my colleagues with the paperwork anyway. I\u2019d just be a nuisance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry I can\u2019t be of help. I\u2019ll be going,\u201d I apologized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry, I know you have other duties to attend to. But why did you come here in the first place? Didn\u2019t you need something?\u201d Laura asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite being so tired from work, she was still thinking about me. I was lucky to have colleagues like her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI wanted to ask Miss Larna about one of the Ministry\u2019s myths, but since she isn\u2019t here, it doesn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Ministry\u2019s myths? You mean one of those rumors about the place?\u201d she asked, surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. Why, do you happen to know anything about those?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNot really. I don\u2019t care much for myths. But I know someone who does,\u201d she said, then told me the name and department of that person. \u201cIt\u2019s not too late. You should be able to see her if you go right now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thanked Laura for her help and hurried to the department she had told me about. The workday was almost over, but I wanted to ask her about the library today if I could. The sooner we found the covenant, the sooner Larna would be back at the office, and the sooner my colleagues would get some help with all of their work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was running so fast that I reached my goal in no time. I took a deep breath, looking at the plate on the door that read \u201cBiomagic Research Department.\u201d I\u2019d visited this place a few times so far and regretted it every single time. If the director caught me, he probably wouldn\u2019t let me go for quite a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I knocked very lightly on the door before opening it, hoping not to be found by either Delius or that wretched monkey. The serious-looking woman standing right next to the entrance looked at me with some surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you\u2019re the girl from before…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBefore?\u201d I repeated. She looked somewhat familiar, but I couldn\u2019t recall where I\u2019d met her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing my confusion, she laughed dryly. \u201cI\u2019m sorry that our director and his monkey caused you so much trouble back then, and then again not much later.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAh… You\u2019re the one who came to visit me after I lost consciousness and then helped me a few days ago!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She was the woman who\u2019d dragged Delius to me to make him apologize! And then, she saved me when he was bothering me in front of his department!<\/p>\n\n\n\n She smiled and nodded, confirming my hypothesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you for all of your help, and also for your present when you visited me after I lost consciousness,\u201d I said, referring to the snacks she had brought me while scolding Delius and the monkey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t mention it! It was all our fault to begin with,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Seeing her apologize again made me feel for her. She wasn\u2019t to blame for anything, yet she had to deal with all the problems caused by her director and his monkey…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thinking about it, I got nervous at the idea that the monkey could appear again out of nowhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t worry,\u201d she said, noticing that I was looking around, \u201cthe director is at a meeting today, and the monkey is in its cage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I let out a sigh of relief, which made her laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnyway, can I help you with anything?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I said that Laura had told me that a certain \u201cAlice\u201d from this department could help me with my search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that girl… Sure, I\u2019ll call her here for you. Just wait,\u201d she said with a troubled expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why did she react like that? I\u2019ve got a bad feeling about this…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n She came back, followed by a girl so beautiful that she looked like a doll. Since she was probably older than me, I should have thought of her as a woman<\/em> rather than a girl, <\/em>but she was so short and cute that she looked younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly, her getup also made her look like a friend of Laura\u2019s. She hadn\u2019t changed her uniform drastically, but she had adorned it with several small ribbons, similar to the big one she had on her head. Her face was covered in meticulously applied makeup, and her nails were painted cute colors. She was treading the fine line between acceptable and unacceptable work attire (unlike Laura, who had crossed the line by so much that she\u2019d probably lost sight of it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m Alice. What do you want?\u201d she asked me as I was staring at her. Her voice was much colder than I\u2019d expected from her lovely appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, yes, I\u2019m Katarina Claes from the Magical Tool Laboratory. Miss Laura told me that you were knowledgeable about the Ministry\u2019s myths, and I wanted to ask some questions about them,\u201d I said, and her eyes immediately started sparkling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you interested in the wonderful legends surrounding the Ministry?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cW-Well, I need to learn about them for work…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, I see… work. So, what do you want to know? I\u2019ll answer all your questions!\u201d she said, still looking at me with sparkling eyes and completely forgetting that I had mentioned work. I was happy that she\u2019d help me, but her eyes reminded me of Delius\u2019s when he was talking about animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I told her that, rather than listening to her by myself, it\u2019d be better if she could come to the meeting room and talk in front of everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVice-director, my work for today is done, so I\u2019ll go with this girl. She said she wants to learn about the Ministry\u2019s myths, so I just have to help her,\u201d she said to the woman I\u2019d been talking to before, who I now realized was the vice-director of the Biomagic Research Department.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOkay,\u201d she said, looking concerned, \u201cbut try not to bother anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMe? Bother anyone? I\u2019m going to help them! They\u2019re going to be grateful, if anything!\u201d Alice replied, pouting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The vice-director saw us off silently. Her expression told me that I was in for some trouble, but I was glad that I could at least find someone to ask about the forbidden library. Everyone in the meeting room looked confused when I walked in with Alice, so I explained what had happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got quite the dream team here…\u201d Alice murmured to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all we had Cyrus, the director of the most popular department, and Maria and Dewey, who were known throughout the Ministry as two of the most promising newcomers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo,\u201d Alice then said to all of us, her attitude unchanged despite being in front of Cyrus, \u201cwhich myth do you want to hear about? I know around 30 of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are that many?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought that there would be seven, like the stereotypical seven myths circulating in all the schools of my old world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course \u2014 the Ministry is large and has a long history. Some are similar to each other, though, like the ones about the screaming voices one can hear at night, which…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you, but we don\u2019t really care about that. What we want to know about is the library,\u201d said Cyrus, stopping Alice before she could start her enthusiastic lecture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She looked a bit displeased, as she obviously wanted to tell us about those stories. Nevertheless, she obliged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere\u2019s the one about the cursed book that kills everybody who opens it after a few days, or the one about the invisible librarian who wanders through the library at night…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s not quite it… I mean, those sound scary, but I don\u2019t even like horror stories. That thing about the invisible librarian is enough to make me determined to never go to the library at night ever again…<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus, unlike me, seemed completely unfazed. \u201cThat\u2019s not what we\u2019re looking for. We\u2019re interested in something called the forbidden library. Do you know anything about that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, that one?\u201d Alice replied, and her glaring expression changed to one of boredom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDon\u2019t you know about it?\u201d Cyrus asked, again completely unfazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Surely he\u2019s noticed how her expression changed, right?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course I do, but it\u2019s very boring as far as stories go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus asked her to explain, and, despite being clearly disappointed, she did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s a story so boring, in fact, that most people outside the Library Department probably don\u2019t even know about it. There\u2019s a special library that only a few select people can enter… That\u2019s it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd does it really exist?\u201d Cyrus asked, and Alice grinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat I don\u2019t know. It\u2019s a very old story, so it could be true, but it could also just be a rumor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see. You said that the people in the Library Department know about this. Do you think there\u2019s someone in there who could tell us more?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI doubt it. You\u2019d probably only hear what I just told you. I like researching myths, even the boring ones, so I already asked all the librarians about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She really was serious when it came to myths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo we can\u2019t get any hints about it…\u201d Cyrus said sadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, maybe the Library Department Director could tell you something more,\u201d Alice said after thinking for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As everyone looked at her excitedly at hearing that, she started looking a bit troubled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t make any promises though. When I went to ask about it, all the answers I got were so roundabout that I thought that there was something being hidden there. I didn\u2019t learn anything new, though, so I just gave up. But maybe you\u2019ll have more luck than I did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was exactly what we wanted to hear, so we decided that the next day we\u2019d be going to the director to ask about the forbidden library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you for your help,\u201d Cyrus told Alice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was so excited about being able to talk about the Ministry\u2019s myths after so long, but you only asked me about one of them…\u201d she said, puffing up her cheeks in disappointment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut we heard what we wanted, so that\u2019s…\u201d Cyrus started to say, confused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I want to tell you more!\u201d said Alice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bad feeling I\u2019d got looking at the vice-director\u2019s expression had now been justified. Alice was a very peculiar girl. I realized that she wouldn\u2019t be satisfied until we listened to her, and I was the one who had brought her here, so I spoke up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTell me more, then. I\u2019ll listen,\u201d I told her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus looked disconcerted, but Alice was smiling enthusiastically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The former went back to his department to finish his work, while the latter stayed with me, Maria, Dewey, and Sora to tell us more scary and mysterious stories about the Ministry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before long, I regretted offering to listen to her. She kept talking and talking well after our workday was over and until the sun had completely set. Eventually, Cyrus had to come back and rescue us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, for a few days after that, I couldn\u2019t walk to the toilet alone at night. The next day, the whole \u201ccovenant search party\u201d met in the conference room. Even Larna, who had been MIA for a while, finally showed up at the Ministry and was dragged along by Cyrus. He filled her in about the forbidden library, since she wasn\u2019t there to hear about it the day before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOne of the Ministry\u2019s myths? That could be an interesting lead,\u201d she said after listening to Cyrus\u2019s explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you knowledgeable about that kind of thing?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, not as much as Miss Alice, but I do know about a couple of them. For example, there\u2019s one about the screams that you can hear in the middle of the…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPlease, we\u2019ve heard more than enough about that,\u201d I promptly interrupted her. After what had happened the previous day, any mention of the scary myths surrounding the Ministry gave me chills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEveryone knows how obsessed Miss Alice is with that kind of thing. She\u2019s a weird one, isn\u2019t she?\u201d Larna said, grinning wryly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Yes. She told us about a bunch of terrifying stories,\u201d I said with a pained expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With that, Larna started telling us more about Alice. As it turned out, she was well-known throughout the Ministry for being obsessed with weird and terrifying stories, such as the Ministry\u2019s myths. What\u2019s more, she knew no greater happiness than retelling these tales to other people. In one word, she was weird.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If only I\u2019d known about that, I could have avoided having to sit through her stories…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna noticed the sadness on my face, and in a backhanded attempt to comfort me, said, \u201cDon\u2019t beat yourself up though; all newcomers fall for it the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conversation finally steered away from Alice. \u201cAnyway, this is the first time I\u2019ve heard about the forbidden library,\u201d Larna said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt seems that, for the most part, only people in the Library Department know about it, and they generally consider it to be a baseless rumor,\u201d Cyrus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course they don\u2019t care for myths and fables… Most people in that department are straight-laced realists,\u201d Larna commented, and I remembered the librarian who had laughed at the idea of the forbidden library. She had been the one to mention it, and yet had quickly dismissed it as nothing more than a rumor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHowever,\u201d Cyrus said, \u201cit seems that the Library Department\u2019s director tries to avoid questions about it, so it\u2019s possible that there\u2019s something more to find there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna\u2019s pupils widened a little. \u201cYou expect me to believe that Daurand, that prissy coward, knows anything about myths? Please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It seemed that Daurand was the name of the Library Department\u2019s director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat would definitely be unlike him,\u201d Cyrus replied, \u201cbut I thought that it would still be worth the effort, so I went ahead and contacted him. He said he would be free in the afternoon today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus really worked fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou really work fast, huh,\u201d said Larna, apparently thinking the same thing as me. \u201cIf that\u2019s the case, let\u2019s go meet him later today,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat? You plan on coming too?\u201d Cyrus asked, confused and clearly disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. You\u2019re a talented guy, Cyrus Lanchester, but I\u2019m better at getting information out of people,\u201d Larna said, ignoring Cyrus\u2019s clear chagrin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Fine,\u201d he said, restraining himself from saying anything else with what looked like a considerable effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna nodded, and then said, \u201cGood. Then you, I, and Katarina will go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait, why should I<\/em> go?!\u201d I asked. Surely Cyrus and Larna would be enough on their own?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe fact that you\u2019re Duke Claes\u2019 daughter is known throughout the Ministry. We can leverage your rank\u2019s influence to pressure Daurand into talking. Don\u2019t worry, you won\u2019t need to do anything. You can just sit there and listen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDid you just say \u2018pressure him into talking\u2019?\u201d I asked, feeling like I had just heard something pretty shady.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf he doesn\u2019t want to talk about it, then we need to compel him somehow, right? So we either need some information to offer him in return, some weakness of his to blackmail him with, or influence to coerce him,\u201d she said, sounding like a much better villainess than I could ever aspire to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much to my dismay, since I wanted to go back to delivering packages as soon as possible, it was decided that we would keep looking through books until the afternoon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After several unsurprisingly fruitless hours of labor, it was time to meet with the Library Department\u2019s director, and Cyrus and Larna made me follow them into an office where the director was already waiting for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at him, with his business haircut, black-rimmed glasses, scrawny physique, and generally tense demeanor, and I felt that Larna\u2019s assessment of him as a \u201cprissy coward\u201d was pretty apt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you for having us,\u201d Cyrus said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhy, I don\u2019t mind at all,\u201d Daurand replied, with an expression on his face that said that he did <\/em>mind, and quite a lot at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After Cyrus and Larna, it was my turn to greet him and introduce myself, at which point Daurand was visibly shaken. Larna had already told me that he came from the family of a not particularly wealthy viscount, which made the title of duke all the more impressive to him. I\u2019d already met several peculiar department directors at the Ministry, but none quite like him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna, peculiar department director extraordinaire, started talking to Daurand, whose face had become even more tense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe want to know about the forbidden library,\u201d she said without mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Yes, I heard as much from Lanchester. I wonder why\u2019d you go through the trouble of asking me about such a silly rumor,\u201d he said, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re on a special mission straight from the higher-ups. So, where\u2019s the forbidden library?\u201d Larna asked, speaking as if she knew that what she was looking for did indeed exist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was surprised by her boldness, but I just sat there in silence as instructed, waiting for the director\u2019s answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLarna… there is no such library. It\u2019s just a fairytale,\u201d he said after a short pause, visibly troubled. \u201cAs are most of the Ministry\u2019s myths. You\u2019re wasting your time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s not the case,\u201d she said matter-of-factly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHuh?!\u201d Daurand and I said in unison. Cyrus remained silent, but he also looked surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere is no smoke without fire,\u201d she said, sounding pleased at our surprise. \u201cEven myths have a basis in reality. Take the one about the nightly screams as an example. Tired employees, forced to deal with piled-up work without pause day and night, scream their anguish in the hallways. That\u2019s the truth that the myth is based upon.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was one of the stories that Alice had told us the previous day, and, while I was surprised to know that it was real, I was glad to know that the screams didn\u2019t belong to ghosts or whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd that applies to most other stories in the Ministry,\u201d she said, looking straight into Daurand\u2019s eyes. \u201cSo, where\u2019s the library?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but I don\u2019t know anything about it,\u201d he said, avoiding her stare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s a shame. In that case, give us permission to search the library on a day when it\u2019s not open to the public,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTh-That\u2019s…\u201d he said, fumbling for words, and Larna grinned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat\u2019s the problem? We\u2019re just going to nose around a bit, especially directly under the library\u2019s floor,\u201d she said, making Daurand\u2019s eyes twitch with worry. \u201cIs anything the matter?\u201d she asked with an even larger grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After staying silent for a while, the Library Department\u2019s director sighed. \u201cHow much do you know?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly as much as I just told you. We could break the entrance open, but it would probably be best for everyone if you just opened it for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYour information network is really impressive,\u201d he said, sighing again. \u201cFine. I shall see you to the forbidden library.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVery well. It seems that I won\u2019t even need to tell your wife that you secretly had lunch together with a young, pretty librarian,\u201d Larna said, making Daurand\u2019s face turn even more pale than it already was. In a perfect villainess move, she had also planned to blackmail him if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the end, we got the power to enter the forbidden library without either me or Cyrus having to do anything. I had a feeling that with this, we were one step closer to getting the covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daurand told us that the other librarians didn\u2019t know about the forbidden library, so he would show us the entrance after everyone had finished their work for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMiss Larna, how did you know that the forbidden library was underground?\u201d I asked while we were walking back to the meeting room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cKnow? How would I know that? I just took a guess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhaaat?!\u201d I screamed, shocked at her reply. Cyrus had frozen in place too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI looked at the floor plans for the library, and they matched the actual dimensions. Remember that the Ministry is full of smart people \u2014 if the plans were off, someone would notice. I figured that it could have stayed reasonably hidden all along if it were underground, so I just bluffed and pretended I knew all along. He was fooled so easily that I didn\u2019t even need to use any of my other strategies to get him to talk. What a waste,\u201d she said, disappointed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna wasn\u2019t very serious about her job, and she was often scolded by her subordinates, especially Raphael. But listening to her now, I thought that maybe she was more talented than she let on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also remembered that one of my department colleagues had told me that \u201cLarna is easy on her allies, but merciless to her enemies.\u201d<\/em> Daurand wasn\u2019t exactly an enemy, but I still felt bad for him. We kept organizing all the information at our disposal until the workday was over, and then all six of us made for the library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was no need for all of us to go there, but, maybe because the forbidden library was too interesting to pass on a chance to see it (I, for one, was pretty excited about it), nobody offered to wait in the meeting room for the others to return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daurand was standing alone, looking grim, waiting for us. \u201cI thought only the two directors would be going inside!\u201d he said, sounding aghast. He obviously hadn\u2019t expected six people to show up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIs that a problem?\u201d Larna asked, and he was immediately cowed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, it\u2019s a small room, so…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ll just go in one by one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut it\u2019s very dusty, so it\u2019s not ideal for young boys or girls to go there…\u201d he said, looking at Maria and Dewey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe would not mind,\u201d the two said in synch, Maria looking fierce and Dewey looking offended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was also offended by the fact that I didn\u2019t get so much as a glance when \u201cgirls\u201d were mentioned, but Sora patted my shoulder and told me not to think too much about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see,\u201d Daurand said with a defeated sigh. \u201cCome along, then.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We followed him to the ancient book corner, and then he stepped behind a bookcase, probably to press some kind of switch. We heard a click and, after a moment, the bookcase started moving slowly and loudly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After almost a minute, the movement stopped and a staircase leading underground was revealed to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There sure are a lot of hidden rooms in this world. I wonder if it\u2019s trendy or something. Back in that mansion we entered when I was still at the academy, we found what we were looking for after discovering the hidden room, so I\u2019m sure the same will happen this time too. Covenant, here we come!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis way,\u201d Daurand said, stepping onto the staircase, and we followed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wondered why he\u2019d let us all come in at once despite saying that the room was small, but once we were inside, I realized that there was actually plenty of room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The room was large, and full of shelves that were stacked with books. It was about as big as the library \u2014 we called it that even though it was basically just a room with several books in it \u2014 in the town where I used to live before I was reincarnated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also thought that there must have been some magic at work over the place, because, despite being underground, it was tidy and well-lit. It was incredible that such a place could be hidden under the library without anyone noticing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is incredible,\u201d said Maria, unable to contain her awe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey call it the forbidden library, but as you can see, it\u2019s just a perfectly normal collection of books. Now that you\u2019ve all seen it, we can go back,\u201d Daurand said while we were still gazing at the room around us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What? We just got here, and we still haven\u2019t had time to look for the covenant!<\/em> I thought, and Larna gave voice to my complaints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, we still need to search it. We came here to look for a book, and we can\u2019t leave until we know whether or not it\u2019s in here,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what book would that be?\u201d asked Daurand, with an annoyed expression on his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell you the details, but it\u2019s a book about lost magic,\u201d she replied, and he sighed yet again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou could have told me that earlier! There\u2019s no book about lost magic in here. You\u2019d better search elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWait,\u201d said Larna. Now she was the one with a worried expression, for once. \u201cYou mean you know the content of all the books kept in here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI haven\u2019t read all of them, but I at least know what kind of books they are. So I can tell you that the book on lost magic that you\u2019re looking for is not here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…But we do not know much about the book that we are looking for. Please let us check, even just for a bit,\u201d said Maria with a determined look in her eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked by a pretty young girl, Daurand couldn\u2019t just refuse her as coldly as he had Larna. \u201cWell, but…\u201d he said, blushing and mumbling. While he was still coming up with an appropriate response, our trusty Larna had already walked to the shelves and was now flipping through the pages of a book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, would you look at this…\u201d she said to herself, sounding interested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Daurand, upon hearing that, ran over to her and snatched the book out of her hands. \u201cY-You\u2019ve seen it, right? All the books in here are of the same kind as this one. So now you know that the book you\u2019re looking for is not in here,\u201d he said, sounding extremely nervous and looking dangerously red in the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Cyrus asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna, grinning, took another book and handed it to him, telling him to take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As soon as he opened the book, Cyrus blushed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDaurand, explain this! Why are books such as this kept inside the sacred library of the Ministry?!\u201d he asked with the book still in his hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s why I keep them hidden in here!\u201d Daurand replied, pulling at his own hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI see… but why are you keeping them in the first place? And you don\u2019t mean to tell me that all of these books are like this one, do you?!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are,\u201d he replied, grimacing. \u201cEvery last one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…This is unbelievable. But why? Who would do this?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGenerations of library directors have collected them, little by little, as cultural artifacts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…There\u2019s something wrong with the Library Department…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI, myself, was shocked at first! The previous director brought me here and showed me these books, saying that they\u2019d been passed down from one director to the next. What could I do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus and Daurand were talking fervently, but I still had no idea what was going on. I looked at Larna for an explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe only thing these books tell us is what fetishes the library directors of old were into. These are erotic books,\u201d she said casually.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLarna, please, couldn\u2019t you choose your words better?\u201d asked Daurand, who was gnashing his teeth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cErotic books?! All of them?!\u201d I blurted out loudly in surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s not something a noble lady should say out loud,\u201d Sora commented, but how could I help it? Who wouldn\u2019t<\/em> be surprised at this huge room being completely full of erotic books?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna laughed at my surprise. \u201cAt least that\u2019s what Daurand says, and all the ones I\u2019ve seen so far fall into that category. Some of them with just text, some with illustrations, some about love affairs, some about stealing lovers, and oh… this one\u2019s about two men,\u201d she said after looking at one of the books near her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are even Boys\u2019 Love books?! Sophia would be thrilled. Lately, she\u2019s been getting bored with normal romance and has started getting interested in that genre.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I was listening to Larna with utmost interest, but Cyrus, as strict as always, scolded her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLarna, mind what you say around women! A place so full of despicable materials is bound to be bad for the body and the spirit. Maria, Katarina, get out of here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I didn\u2019t see how it could be bad for the body, but he sounded dead serious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d read a lot of romance novels in my time, but nothing that was straight-out erotic. Dewey, considering his age and upbringing, probably hadn\u2019t either. Sora, our most respectable older colleague, probably had first-hand, non-fictional experience with that kind of stuff. But as for Maria, I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if she didn\u2019t even know about the existence of books like these. All in all, it was probably better for us to leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut the covenant could be hidden among these other books!\u201d Maria said, refusing to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was an unexpected comment from the most unexpected source.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut Maria, the books in here are not appropriate for you…\u201d Cyrus said, looking worried as he tried to convince her, but she looked like she wasn\u2019t going to give in any time soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Had Sora said the same thing, I\u2019d have thought that he just wanted to look at the naughty books, but it was obvious that Maria had no such ulterior motive. She really wanted to find the covenant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I had first heard about the forbidden library, I had gotten a weird, inexplicable feeling that the covenant would be hidden here. Maybe Maria had felt something similar, which was why she was so intent on searching the place before giving up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One would think that a place called the \u201cforbidden library\u201d would hold valuable ancient magic books or tomes full of dangerous spells, but… erotic books? I could see why they\u2019d want to hide them, but why go through the trouble of building this underground room? Was the idea born out of the same instincts that compelled boys to hide adult magazines under their beds?<\/p>\n\n\n\n And anyway, why was this place so big? I couldn\u2019t believe that they\u2019d have built this room specifically for erotic books. I mean, if they really had, that would be impressive in its own right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna, who had been thinking something similar, spoke up. \u201cWhen was this place even built? I doubt that it was conceived as an erotic library to begin with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m afraid that it was built specifically as an erotic library, right alongside the main library. The wife of the first library director was a very jealous woman, who wouldn\u2019t forgive her husband if he kept as much as a single erotic book. She told him to throw away all the ones that he had collected before marriage, but he only pretended to do so, and hid them inside his mansion. However, she eventually found them, and the director, who had no better place to hide them, had this room added to the library, which was then under construction. This is what I\u2019ve been told,\u201d Daurand explained slowly, as if he were narrating an epic tale, probably unaware of the fact that he had just called it an \u201cerotic library\u201d himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat\u2019s incredible,\u201d said Larna, stupefied. \u201cBut does this mean that all of the books here were his? That would be a ridiculous amount for a single person, and some of them are more recent than others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSome of them are, but several of the men who succeeded him added their own so that their wives wouldn\u2019t find them. Some directors even added to the collection after they retired, which is why there are so many,\u201d he explained, looking extremely tired. This great erotic collection must have come with great responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat explains it, but that would also mean that the books just keep piling up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIndeed. Which is why every once in a while I throw out ones that have become too old or worn out. I mix them in with other trash from the Ministry so nobody finds out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having to do that while also making sure that nobody sees these books must have been a tiresome task… Hm? I can\u2019t put my finger on it, but something sounded off just now.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat must be tough,\u201d said Larna, sympathizing with Daurand as he let out a deep sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is. It\u2019s a very troublesome duty,\u201d he said. Then, looking at all of us, he continued, \u201cSo please keep this a secret. If those strict colleagues of mine knew that I was looking after this place, they\u2019d all start looking down on me. And my wife, while lovely, can\u2019t stand this kind of thing. She could even divorce me if she found me going in and out of a place like this. Please, please don\u2019t tell anyone about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He looked so intense in his plea that we all nodded gravely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Thank you,\u201d he said with tears in his eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And so, since the director insisted that there were only erotic books in the library, and since Larna, Cyrus, and Sora all checked for themselves and found the same thing, we all went back upstairs. I had been positive that we would find the covenant in the underground library, but now we were back to square one. We\u2019d also already checked most of the ancient books in the library, which made me think that maybe the covenant wasn\u2019t in the Ministry at all. Which was weird, considering that this was, without a doubt, the largest library in the kingdom…<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wait a second… What was that thing that sounded so off before?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIsn\u2019t there any place in the Ministry, besides the library, where ancient books are kept?\u201d Maria asked Daurand while I was still thinking to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, but there isn\u2019t, at least not that I know of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n That was inevitable. If it wasn\u2019t among the other ancient books, it couldn\u2019t be anywhere else. Earlier, he\u2019d also said that the old erotic books were being thrown out, so… Wait! Of course!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMister Daurand! You said that you throw out those erotic books when they\u2019re too old and can\u2019t be read anymore, but does that also apply to the other books in the library?\u201d I asked so enthusiastically that he was surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. We see if they can be repaired, and if they cannot, and it is judged that they do not hold particular value, we get rid of them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This meant that even if the covenant really had been here, it could have been thrown away because it was too worn out! That hadn\u2019t occurred to me at all until then.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd what do you do when you throw them out? Burn them?\u201d I asked, fearing the worst.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t actually know. We throw them away, but other people take care of it from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnd who are these other people?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Magical Tool Laboratory,\u201d he said, and I turned back to look at Larna, who was grinning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhen we get the books to be thrown out, we don\u2019t get rid of them straight away, just in case there\u2019s a useful one amongst them. Except for the ones that were given to us a long time ago, they should all still be in a warehouse within the Ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So there was another place besides the library where we could look for books! I looked at Maria, who looked back at me and nodded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMiss Larna, please show us that warehouse!\u201d I said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, please!\u201d Maria echoed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSince this all started in a garden that\u2019s kept tidy by magic, I assumed that the book would stay in mint condition as well, so I didn\u2019t even consider looking at the discarded books. It might be worth our while to check though,\u201d Larna mused. Then she smiled at the enthusiastic Maria. \u201cI\u2019d tell you to wait until tomorrow, but you don\u2019t seem able to wait any longer. I\u2019ll show you the place, but you\u2019re not allowed to keep searching until late at night,\u201d she said, and then guided us to the warehouse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The covenant, which I had almost given up on finding, now seemed to be within reach again, even if the chance of actually finding it was still minuscule. I really hoped that it would be somewhere in that warehouse. The large warehouse, used for storing things that didn\u2019t immediately need to be on hand, wasn\u2019t far from the Magical Tool Laboratory office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Larna unlocked the door and we all entered. The place was a bit dusty, possibly because people didn\u2019t go there often \u2014 after all, nothing that people would normally want was stored here. It looked huge from the outside, but when we went inside, I saw that it was so full of stuff that it actually had very little free space left.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHm, I think books were over here…\u201d said Larna, starting to walk forward. If she hadn\u2019t been there with us, finding the place where the books were being kept would have been a feat all on its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, here they are,\u201d she said pointing to a bunch of books. Literally a bunch, since they weren\u2019t neatly stacked on shelves like in the library, but just lying around in piles on the floor. There were so many that they could fill a small library room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLooking through these won\u2019t be easy,\u201d I said to myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course,\u201d said Larna, who had heard me. \u201cThey\u2019re all piled up at random, and you need to move all the ones on top before you can even see the ones on the bottom. This will take a while, so let\u2019s start after the weekend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We had the next two days off, so it made sense to rest and start searching on Monday. I was nodding at Larna when I noticed Maria walking towards the books by herself and then stopping in front of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaria?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She removed a few books from a pile and then took one of them in her hands. This was so sudden that we were all staring at her in confusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaria? What are you doing?\u201d I asked her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI have finally found it,\u201d she said with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFound it? You can\u2019t possibly mean…\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I stared at the book she was holding. It was a dusty, old book with a cover which had lost almost all of its original color.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. This is the covenant,\u201d she said, shocking everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What?! The covenant?! For real?! How can she even tell?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaria, how can you be sure that that is the covenant? And why did you go straight for that one in the first place?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was Larna who asked this, but everyone else was probably thinking the exact same questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am not sure of the reason, but I just realized it as soon as I saw that pile of books. This is the one that I have been looking for,\u201d she replied, with a stare so intense that nobody could doubt her words. Regardless, anyone who knew her also knew that she never lied anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe protagonist of that fairy tale was able to tell that he had found the covenant as soon as he saw it, but could such a thing really work in reality? Do you mind showing that book to me?\u201d Larna asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She took the book from Maria\u2019s hands and opened it. \u201cThis is…\u201d she said, staring at the book\u2019s contents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is it?! Is it a book on incredible, unmatched magic powers?!<\/em> I was leaning forward, hanging on Larna\u2019s every word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…an introductory book on basic magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhaaaat?! But why?\u201d I found myself screaming. The whole thing made no sense anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow am I supposed to know why<\/em>? I\u2019m just telling you what I see. Look for yourself,\u201d Larna said, handing me the book, which was full of… ancient script, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I can\u2019t read this…\u201d I said, giving up immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, right,\u201d Larna said, and then explained that it described very basic magic that academy students learned at the start of their first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since all the other people around could read the book \u2014 unlike me \u2014 they all took turns looking at it and then asking Maria the same kinds of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAre you sure that this is the covenant?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes. I am positive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut why does it only talk about basic magic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThat could be on purpose, so that people cannot tell what it is really about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s no wonder that they wanted to throw it out, since it only describes basic stuff and it\u2019s this battered.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, I felt sad about being left out of the conversation because of my ignorance. Maybe I should go back to studying ancient script. Like, right now, <\/em>I thought to myself, and took the top book from the pile closest to me. It looked as worn-out as the one that Maria had found, and inside it were tons of difficult letters which I didn\u2019t understand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I quickly realized that kind of study wasn\u2019t for me \u2014 looking at difficult script made me sleepy. I wished that Larna would build a magical tool to automatically translate books.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, it seems we achieved our goal here, so let\u2019s go home. It\u2019s quite late already,\u201d Larna said, and only then did I realize how late it had gotten.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLet\u2019s get out of this dusty warehouse,\u201d she said, and I quickly followed her, amused by the fact that she also thought it was dusty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once we were all out of the warehouse and ready to go home for the day, Larna said, \u201cAs soon as the weekend is over, let\u2019s bring that covenant to the garden.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cActually, I would like to go tomorrow. I can go by myself, if you give me permission,\u201d Maria said timidly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMaria, we know next to nothing about this lost magic, and we can\u2019t tell what could happen. We can\u2019t have you go there by yourself,\u201d Larna replied, and Maria nodded sadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut I get that you want to try out that magic as soon as possible. If it were me, I\u2019d go right now. But I wasn\u2019t able to get inside the rock by myself,\u201d Larna continued.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLarna, when did you even try that?\u201d asked Cyrus, suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs soon as I heard about the garden. How could I resist trying out a type of magic as rare as that? But unfortunately, it didn\u2019t work. Judging from what Maria and Katarina said, and what was written in that fairy tale, I think that only Light Magic users can enter the rock.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cyrus put a hand on his forehead. The fact that Larna had tried to enter the secret dimension inside the rock wasn\u2019t really surprising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, as I said, I understand why you\u2019d want to try it out as soon as possible. Tomorrow we have no work, and I\u2019m free… So free, in fact, that I may just so happen to take a stroll through the Ministry to kill the time,\u201d she said, grinning like a child, and Maria\u2019s face instantly lit up with happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThank you!\u201d she said with a bow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What are they talking about? I think I\u2019m missing something here,<\/em> I thought, and I looked at Sora, hoping for an explanation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat she means is that she can\u2019t do it officially, but she can go with Maria to try out the covenant as long as they keep it a private thing,\u201d Sora, who had immediately realized what I wanted to ask him, whispered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So tomorrow Maria is going to go back to that dimension with the covenant?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m also free tomorrow! Please let me come,\u201d I said. I\u2019d been helping Maria in her search all along, so I wanted to see Maria as she got her new awesome Light Magic upgrade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLarna, if Maria and Miss Katarina are going then I\u2019ll go too, just to be safe,\u201d Cyrus said, and was soon followed by Dewey and Sora. Eventually, it was decided that, on the next day, we would all go to the lost magic garden together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After we decided on a time to meet, the workday was finally over, and I went home. \u201cWe finally found it,\u201d I said to myself while stretching my tired body on my bed. \u201cBut I never thought it\u2019d be in one of the Magical Tool Laboratory warehouses all along.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n After all the trouble we\u2019d been through, it was inside a place owned by my department… It had been right under our noses the whole time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I remembered what Jeord had said a few days ago, and realized that he was right. My fianc\u00e9 was really incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took off my uniform and threw my bag onto the desk \u2014 if Anne were there, she would have scolded me for not walking to the desk and gently placing it there, but I was alone, so it didn\u2019t matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The bag landed perfectly where I wanted it to, thanks to years of practicing the art of throwing toy snakes. Unfortunately, however, the bag opened and all of its contents spilled out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I should have walked to the desk like a good girl,<\/em> I thought while picking up my stuff from the floor, and… Wait, what\u2019s this?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was the book I had tried to read in the warehouse. Larna had hurried us out of the place, so I had mindlessly put it in my bag and ended up bringing it home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ah, why did I do that…?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n At least it was a book from the warehouse, so it wasn\u2019t like anyone was going to need it anytime soon. I could just put it in my bag and bring it back to the Ministry the next day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I heard a light knock on the door, and when I asked who it was, Keith replied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOh, you aren\u2019t sleeping yet today. May I talk to you for a while?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOf course. Come in,\u201d I said. He opened the door a crack and peeked his head inside, but he just shook his head while looking preoccupied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo, not this late at night. I see you still aren\u2019t heeding my warnings… not that it surprises me,\u201d he said sadly. \u201cBut anyway, you have work off tomorrow. Do you want to go out somewhere together?\u201d As he asked me this, every trace of sadness on his face disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, I had to go to the Ministry tomorrow despite the fact that I had no work. I explained that to him, and he started looking slightly irritated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWeren\u2019t you supposed to only work a few days each week, and only a few hours each day? Father doesn\u2019t seem to care, but I think that you\u2019re working too much for a girl of your lineage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, I\u2019d meant to join the Ministry part-time at first, but since I was having trouble learning about everything I needed to do, I realized that I needed to work more hours if I didn\u2019t want to be left behind. That was why I had personally asked to work as much as the other newcomers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mother agreed with me, saying, \u201cYou would probably make less trouble working by yourself than by becoming someone\u2019s wife,\u201d<\/em> so I was now working full-time. Furthermore, because of the search for the covenant, I\u2019d been coming home late for the past few days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I looked at Keith and his irritated face, with the cheeks slightly puffed up. He looked manlier than he had when we\u2019d first met, but he still reminded me of his young, childish self.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBig Sister, Prince Jeord will be here tomorrow. Let\u2019s leave before he does,\u201d he would tell me, puffing up his cheeks like he was doing now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that I thought about it, I hadn\u2019t given Keith any attention lately. I stretched my hand and put it on his head as he was still standing right outside my room. I used to be able to stroke his flaxen hair so easily, but now he had become so tall that it took some effort.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ll be back home early tomorrow, so let\u2019s go out to play together when I get back,\u201d I said, running my hand over his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…You\u2019re always so…\u201d he murmured, but his voice was so feeble that I didn\u2019t hear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat?\u201d I asked, stepping closer to him, but he stepped away from me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c…Thank you. Goodnight,\u201d he said, practically running away and leaving me no chance to say him goodnight back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As he was walking away, I heard him chant a sort of prayer: \u201cRestraint! Restraint! Restraint!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I wonder what that\u2019s supposed to mean.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It was also then that I remembered that Jeord had invited me for sweets on my next day off, and that I would need to tell Keith about that. But as soon as he left, I immediately got sleepy and quickly departed for the wonderful world of dreams, forgetting all about it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We all kept looking for hints about the covenant for a few more days, but we had no luck. After all, it took a lot of time for the prince from the book too. There weren\u2019t any details about the number of days, but it said that he had looked in a cave full of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tak-berkategori"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3463","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3463"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3463\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3464,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3463\/revisions\/3464"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3463"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3463"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novel.mdtaal-aminii.my.id\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3463"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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