#81 The Librarian Ernst (2) – The Librarian of the Unopening Mausoleum

East of Aldridge.

Even as she walked towards the Unopening Mausoleum, Eris pondered.

‘But why would a trading company build a library?’

At least in Eris’s mind, a library wasn’t exactly a facility conducive to making money.

Books themselves were expensive commodities, so merely purchasing them and stocking the shelves would require a substantial initial investment. Yet, there weren’t many means of recouping that cost, besides charging admission for entry.

Lending books for a rental fee?

‘The nobles would buy books outright; renting them cheaply would be considered unseemly. And most commoners lack credit. Even if they don’t maliciously intend to steal the book, there’s a high chance they might be robbed by someone else, or damage the book and be unable to properly compensate for the loss.’

Thus, most ‘libraries’ in the various states were either attached to educational institutions or were private collections belonging to nobles or wealthy merchants, opened to the public.

It wasn’t exactly a field a trading company, with a focus on monetary gain, would venture into.

If she had to conjure a reasonable explanation, it was perhaps some long-term profit scheme aimed at the students of the Aldridge Academy.

After all, unless the national policies shifted, the academy would continue to churn out new students, and some of them, like Eris now, would inevitably find their way to the library.

Thump.

Lost in thought, Eris reached her destination and studied the library’s facade.

At least outwardly, nothing much seemed to have changed.

Considering the Merchant Guild had bothered to reopen it, one might expect a gaudy exterior and some hawking of services, but the building was enveloped in an almost unsettling tranquility.

With a mix of doubt and apprehension, Eris cautiously reached for the entrance, and the library’s front door, ironically defying its nickname of ‘the Unopening Vault’, swung open with ease.

And the sight that unfolded before her made Eris gasp involuntarily.

Of all the book-related spaces Eris had seen, the largest and most comprehensive was the Royal Archive of Ravelossia, which she had visited with her mentor.

And the literary feast now before her rivaled, if not surpassed, that very Royal Archive.

No, it lacked the opulent decorations and grandeur characteristic of royalty, but purely in terms of the sheer volume of books, it felt as though this place was even more overwhelming.

Eris’s eyes gleamed.

She had come expecting it to be merely a way to kill time, but at this scale, there might even be rare magic-related tomes.

Just as she was about to head towards the stacks, Eris remembered she hadn’t paid the entrance fee and stopped in her tracks.

Turning her gaze to the counter, she saw a man sitting in a chair, absorbed in a book.

Curly golden hair and spectacles. A suit worn, as if in deference to the barest minimum of formality, yet lacking any real crispness.

His face, with its sharp jawline, was handsome beyond question, but his eyes were so chilling that they discouraged any casual approach.

It was hard to imagine a face less suited to a reception desk, where one was supposed to engage with many people.

A timid soul would likely slink away, unable to muster the courage to even ask a question, surreptitiously glancing before retreating.

However, Eris was anything but timid, leaning more towards assertive.

With a confident air, she approached the man and spoke.

“I’d like to use the library.”

A fleeting glance.

The man’s eyes, which had been fixed on the book, turned to Eris, and she had to suppress the urge to reflexively step back.

If a gaze could be an arrow, this would be it.

‘Pierce’ felt like a more accurate description than ‘regard.’

“Are you looking for a specific book?”

Polite, yet utterly businesslike.

As if to deny that she had been momentarily intimidated by a mere librarian, Eris replied with a slightly sharper tone.

“I’d like to look around first. What’s the usage fee?”

“A Central Tale, is it.”

“…Is that per hour?”

“No, once you’re in, you can stay until you leave without any extra charge.”

Eris was speechless.

Outrageously overpriced?

No, the opposite.

‘They’ve prepared this many books, and the price is only that?’

Even after the influx of large quantities of paper from the eastern part of the continent, books were still an expensive commodity.

And yet, the rental fee here was about the price of a small loaf of bread, by Aldridge standards.

Unlike bread, which vanishes after you eat it, a book can be reread many times, but even so, it seemed almost like a charitable act to Eris.

A strange unease settled over her, but still, if that’s what the library was charging, there wasn’t much a customer could say.

Eris took out a single tale from a leather wallet, slightly more upscale than the common cloth pouches people used, and handed it over. The librarian, receiving it, calmly continued the explanation.

“Please refrain from making noise in the library, and eating is also prohibited. Books from within the library may not be taken outside, and read books should not be returned directly to the shelves, but brought here to the counter. If you are looking for a specific book, or have any other questions, please feel free to ask.”

With those words, the librarian bowed their head again, engrossed in their reading.

Eris let out a dry chuckle at the librarian’s indifferent attitude.

Handsome features, exceptional skill, the aura of being a Great Mage’s disciple.

Having always received an excessive amount of attention, the librarian’s impassive, disinterested manner was almost refreshing to Eris.

Well, it wasn’t a bad situation for Eris, either.

It would be exhausting if someone kept glancing at her while she was reading, or tried to flirt with her.

Without hesitation, Eris turned away from the counter and began to scan the library, starting from the corner, to see what books were available.

And she realized.

‘…They’re organized incredibly well, aren’t they?’

History, Technology, Literature, Art, Nature, Language, Society, Philosophy, Religion, General Works.

Various books were neatly categorized according to their themes, and even within the same theme, they were ordered based on the Central Continental language, making it easy to find the desired book.

Even the Royal Archives of Lavelosia, while careful to prevent dust accumulation and moisture damage to the books, hadn’t gone to such lengths of thorough categorization.

It was a rationality that Eris, who disliked waste, found very pleasing.

‘Still, as expected, there’s no magic-related theme.’

It wasn’t surprising.

While an ordinary book was something even a commoner could obtain with some effort, magic-related books were something even a noble couldn’t easily acquire.

Even if there were just one or two books on magic in this vast library, it would be considered a lucky find, so there couldn’t possibly be enough to warrant a separate theme.

So it was that Eris, having scrutinized the library thoroughly, tilted her head, a question blooming in her mind.

The library’s corner.

Structurally speaking, the space where a staircase to the second floor should have resided was instead sealed tightly by a thick door.

Thinking about it coldly, it wasn’t so strange.

Whether it was a break room for the employees, a storage room, or space used for some other purpose, it was common for a shop to have areas off-limits to customers.

Yet Eris could not easily pass that door.

Beyond the door.

Or rather, originating from the second floor, she sensed a magical presence, unidentified.

Not just one, but several.

“Excuse me, just a moment. What’s up there? Are there books on the upper floor?”

At Eris’s question, the librarian looked up again to reply.

“Yes, there are books.”

“Then I’d like to go up.”

“That is not permitted.”

The immediate reply, devoid of even a flicker of hesitation, made Eris frown.

“Why not?”

“Those are magical texts still in the process of being classified. In order to prevent accidents from occurring were they to be haphazardly revealed to someone lacking the necessary skill, we plan to place them here on the first floor after the review process is complete.”

At the mention of magical texts, Eris’s gaze sharpened further.

She had vaguely guessed as much from the emanations alone, but receiving confirmation from the librarian’s mouth made it even harder to remain still.

“If they can’t be shown to someone lacking skill, that’s no concern of mine. I’m a student at the Aldridge Institute.”

The Aldridge Institute was a place of learning for both commoners and nobles.

However, because most of the students seen swaggering and carousing in the streets near the Institute were nobles, the impression amongst the common folk was that attending the Aldridge Institute = nobility.

For an ordinary librarian, this statement alone would be enough to change their attitude—

“Is that so? However, what is not permitted is not permitted.”

—it wasn’t.

A crack formed in Eris’s facade.

She made a conscious effort to control the expression threatening to grow harsh as she continued.

“Are you worried about what your superior at Brown Trading Company would say? If so, please contact your superior. I will settle it directly. You will not have to take any responsibility.”

“It is true that this library is operated by the Brown Trading Company, but full authority over matters within the library has been granted to me. Therefore, the action you describe would have little meaning to put into practice.”

Eris nearly spat out, “Do you even know whose disciple I am?” but somehow managed to swallow the words clawing their way up her throat.

Unless they knew enough to come crawling themselves, the name of Grand Magus Delphinaris wasn’t something to be cheaply hawked for such a piddling favor.

“If you hold dominion over every book within this library, then surely how they are handled falls to your discretion? Should you allow me passage to the upper floor, a small… ‘token of appreciation’ won’t be forgotten.”

Eris retrieved the purse she’d brandished earlier, this time setting it down whole upon the counter.

The librarian gazed at the purse, then reached out and snatched it up.

*Just as I thought,* Eris scoffed inwardly.

Until the librarian returned the purse, still clasped in their hand.

“…Is the sum insufficient, perhaps?”

“That is not the crux of the matter. However, I have gauged the measure of your resolve.”

“Let us do this instead,” the librarian continued.

“Once a day. If you can solve a puzzle I present, I shall grant you a book from the second floor. Ordinarily, no book may leave this library, but books won through wager and duly returned are free from such restrictions. You may take them out, and no one shall raise objection.”

Eris scowled, fixing the librarian with a displeased stare.

It was not a proposition to her liking.

Yet, she was no savage to strong-arm the librarian and storm the second floor.

“Very well. But should you attempt to deceive me with some paltry riddle, you will rue the day.”

“Understood. I shall strive to present challenges with solutions as clear as crystal.”

The librarian produced a piece of paper and scribbled something upon it with a pen, then extended it to Eris.

Eris took it with a lackluster expression.

If it was the sort of question where answers could be twisted every which way, like “Describe the author’s emotional state when composing this sentence,” or something hopelessly unknowable, like “What did I eat for breakfast this morning?” she’d lodge a complaint faster than a bolt of lightning.

[Q. The two magic circles depicted below differ in certain details, yet achieve the same effect. Describe the effect and the differences between them.]

Eris’s reaction was manifold.

Initially, her eyes narrowed as if to demand what nonsense this was. Then, she seemed to think, “Hmm? That’s… promising?” as she began to scrutinize the problem. Finally, she clamped her mouth shut, staring intently at the two magic circles.

This lasted for perhaps five minutes.

“…A heat-generating magic circle. A uses mana to generate flames, while B converts mana into electricity and passes it through a material, generating heat through its resistance. A is more efficient in terms of mana usage, but B excels in precise temperature control and stability. Am I correct?”

“Correct.”

At the librarian’s pronouncement, Eris felt both satisfaction and unease.

Magic circles were such delicate art, where a single degree of line angle or the choice of glyph and its placement could drastically alter the effect.

And yet, the magic circles drawn on the paper by the librarian were flawless, ready to be activated with the proper catalyst.

That a mere librarian could draw such a thing? In a time so short one barely had time to breathe?

“Just what *are* you?”

“I am the librarian, Ernst.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“Be that as it may, here, I am merely the librarian.”

The librarian, with a dismissive air, replied thus, then offered Eris the book he had been reading – or rather, to be precise, had just finished.

“What is this?”

“It is said to be『The Story of Roland Gambison, a Mariner from Ariande, Shipwrecked and Left to Survive Alone for Twenty-Eight Years on a Deserted Beach Near the Dakiren River on the Continent of Kronsha After All His Crewmates Perished, and Who Was Finally Rescued by a Pirate Ship in a Miraculous Turn of Events: His Life and Bizarre, Amazing Adventures』.”

“So, why are you giving me this piece of drivel?”

“You requested a book from the second floor, did you not?”

Eris felt a moment of dizzying confusion.

And then, rage.

“That—that’s not what I meant!! I wanted a grimoire from the second floor!”

“However that may be, the bet never included the word ‘grimoire’ as a condition.”

The librarian continued, his tone unchangingly neutral.

“If you desire a new book, come again tomorrow. Ah, and might I add that ‘the next question’ will be based on the very book you are now holding.”

It was a statement laced with mischief, as if he resented her calling it a ‘piece of drivel.’

Yet his face remained unchanged, a cold mask, a perfect imbalance.

Only then did Eris reach a certain realization.

‘This man, I truly, utterly, despise him…!!’