#82 Librarian Ernst (3) – Step by Step

Eris’s criteria for judging the value of a ‘book’ was simple.

How practical was the knowledge written within it? That was all.

She placed the highest value on knowledge related to magic, but even if it wasn’t magic-related, she wouldn’t reject it if it was practical.

Conversely, she detested books that, by her standards, were ‘impractical.’

She couldn’t understand the noble young ladies, heads full of flowers, who giggled over romance novels, and she even felt disgust towards the noble young men who acted on instinct more than reason, rambling on about knightly tales and heroic sagas.

That was because those stories weren’t reality.

Everything was fantasy and fabrication, and reading them wouldn’t improve her magical abilities, nor would it help her in the real world.

If one were to find a useful aspect, it would be a conversation topic with other students, but that was a value of absolutely no use to Eris.

The only reason she didn’t turn a sharp tongue towards the other students in the academy was to maintain her image as a top student and meet the requirements for entering the Sky Academy.

As long as she could maintain the bare minimum of interpersonal relationships necessary for that, nothing else mattered, and therefore, there was no need to read books she disliked just to cater to their tastes.

“So it had to be this… of all things!”

Back in her dormitory, Eris cast a disdainful look upon the book the librarian had handed her.

A ‘ridiculous tome’ that began with something about shipwrecked this and that, a title so long she couldn’t even bear to read it aloud.

It was a far cry from her usual literary fare, a million light-years away, but that didn’t mean she could simply ignore it.

The librarian had, after all, declared that the next quiz would be based on its contents.

Normally, Eris would have scoffed at pronouncements from a mere librarian, but this time was different.

‘The magical energies I felt on the second floor of the library… they were abundant. If only I could seize them…’

When it came to magic, Eris possessed a fierce drive for advancement.

Bordering on obsession, one might say.

Already, she felt her skills stagnating due to the recent easygoing days at the academy.

Now, presented with a potential key to reaching even greater heights, how could she possibly turn away?

She’d considered simply taking it by force, of course, but her revered master would be heartbroken if his cherished disciple resorted to violence against a librarian to steal a book.

No, even beyond that, Eris herself could never forgive herself for tarnishing her master’s reputation.

“Hmph.”

Yes, this wasn’t a wasted endeavor.

Just as one must tread a long path to reach their destination, this was merely an intermediate step towards acquiring those grimoires.

If some great demon were watching, it would surely think ‘Does she really need this much justification just to read a book?’, but after completing her own rationalization, Eris reached for the loathsome book.

Thankfully, rote memorization was one of her strengths.

She wouldn’t bother trying to understand the contents; simply storing the printed words themselves in her mind. At that rate, it shouldn’t take too long.

“Thirty minutes should suffice.”

And then, roughly three hours passed.

*

“Hmm, all correct. You seem to have read it thoroughly.”

“It was nothing.”

Eris replied to the blonde librarian’s words with an air of haughty composure.

“Compared to high-level grimoires, this is little more than child’s play. I didn’t time myself precisely, but I doubt it took me even ten minutes to devour it.”

“I see. Ah, wait, it seems there’s a slight error in this answer? Regarding the protagonist’s rescue of their companion.”

“What? That’s impossible! I reread that section several times…”

Eris’s voice trailed off abruptly.

Ignoring her, her green eyes fluttering in disbelief, the librarian turned to a specific page in the returned book and nodded.

“Indeed, it seems you were right. My apologies.”

Eris fell silent.

Had the librarian smirked or adopted a mocking tone, she might have found the anger to retort. But with an utterly impassive face, he went about his duties so calmly, it was impossible to find purchase.

Despite receiving an apology, Eris trembled with a strange, defeated humiliation. Meanwhile, the librarian nonchalantly retrieved a book and offered it to her.

This time, however, it was a set of two.

[A Study on the Correlation Between Water Attribute Magic and Ice Attribute Magic]

[A Study on the Correlation Between Water Attribute Magic and Ice Attribute Magic –Annotated Edition–]

“…Not a Grimoire again, I see.”

Obvious dissatisfaction and disappointment etched themselves on Eris’s face.

Books on magic were broadly classified into three types.

One was called ‘Spellbooks,’ texts detailing the usage of specific spells.

They explained how to manipulate magical power, when to imbue it, and how much to apply for a given effect, allowing one to cast the spell simply by following the instructions.

Those commonly known as ‘wild mages’ or ‘self-taught mages’ often got their start this way. But those who had learned magic in a ‘systematic’ fashion, like Eris, didn’t consider them true mages.

To understand, imagine a cooking recipe.

Could someone who merely follows a specific recipe, incapable of making anything else, be truly called a ‘chef’?

Mages who learned magic solely from spellbooks often lacked a proper understanding of their spells’ structure, preventing them from reaching higher levels of mastery.

The second type was called ‘Theoretical Texts,’ books containing analysis and contemplation on magic itself.

Far more theoretical and systematic than spellbooks, which only required following a prescribed process, they were also far more difficult to comprehend.

However, exploring these theoretical texts was essential for any mage aspiring to true mastery.

Among high-ranking mages above the 5th Circle, the proportion of those who learned from theoretical texts was overwhelmingly high, with only a handful reaching the same level through spellbooks alone.

The third was called ‘Grimoires,’ books that held magical power within themselves.

The content could be that of a spellbook or a theoretical text, but it might be preserved with enchantments so its content was never spoiled, or could even simply grant the reader new spells, or enhancing the owner’s magic power as a form of equipment. These enchanted books came in many forms and were the most valuable among all magic books.

Eris had originally sought out the third type, Grimoires, in this library.

If she found a Grimoire that enhanced a mage’s abilities, it would be the jackpot of jackpots. Even if the content was merely a spellbook or a theoretical text, a book preserved with enchantments likely held significant worth.

In contrast, the librarian had now handed her a plain theoretical text.

Of course, it was still a useful and important book, but knowing that Grimoires existed on the second floor, it couldn’t help but feel lacking to Eris.

“One cannot know the true worth of a book before reading it, wouldn’t you agree?”

As if seeing through Eris’s thoughts, the librarian spoke.

His attitude, as if telling her to read it before complaining, prompted Eris to flip through the pages of the book with a slightly sullen expression.

[A Study on the Correlation Between Water Attribute Magic and Ice Attribute Magic] was a typical theoretical text, the kind Eris often encountered.

Which is to say, it was crammed with fiendishly complex and nigh incomprehensible content.

“…Well, it’s not bad.”

A jumble of type that showed absolutely no consideration for the reader, but the content itself was, undeniably, useful.

It would take a considerable amount of time to fully decipher and internalize it, but once that task was complete, her magical skill would certainly increase.

She felt dissatisfied only because her attention was currently consumed by a grimoire; this book itself was something she would usually regard with shining eyes.

Considering it was not something she could simply breeze through in place, Eris closed the book for now and reached for another volume labelled “Commentary.”

Compared to the original, which exuded a rather aged and timeworn aura, this one appeared almost brand new.

However, Eris didn’t place much hope in this particular book.

It was all too common for attempts to simplify complex original texts to instead distort and corrupt the original’s meaning.

Some even contained interpretations so terrible that they were worse than useless.

With the intention of merely seeing what had been written, she turned the page.

*Flick.*

She turned another page.

*Flick.*

She turned yet another page.

*Flick.*

As the pages continued to turn, Eris’s expression gradually turned blank.

She unconsciously muttered aloud.

“What is this.”

The commentaries that Eris knew were fundamentally something akin to ‘footnotes’ to the original.

But this was different.

It not only explained the original’s content in an easy-to-understand way, but it also filled in parts that were somewhat vague or omitted in the original altogether.

It was like a professor taking a student’s crude paper and reconstructing it with richer knowledge and more accessible language.

Eris hurriedly checked the book’s author.

The original text’s author was a 5th Circle mage who had earned some renown centuries ago, but the commentary’s author was left blank.

“What shall we do? Shall I exchange the book for you?”

The librarian spoke in an extremely businesslike and emotionless tone.

She seemed entirely unconcerned even after witnessing the variety of expressions crossing Eris’s face.

Eris frowned for a moment, then said, sounding disgruntled.

“No, this book will do nicely. Though, are there more ‘like this’ on the second floor?”

*However*, the librarian added.

“That is all predicated on you answering the quiz, of course.”

“…Will the next quiz be based on these two books, then?”

“No, I’ll be drawing from *this* book.”

Saying that, the librarian produced yet another book.

Once again, it was an impractical novel, far removed from Eris’s tastes.

Eris’s face twisted in displeasure.

“What possible benefit could you derive from making me read such useless stories?”

“Don’t you know? A truly interesting book possesses a certain magic, one that compels you not just to read and enjoy it yourself, but to recommend it to others. I’m simply succumbing to that magic.”

“You may find it amusing, but I find it anything but. I don’t understand what pleasure you get from forcing things on others that they dislike.”

“Then you are free not to read it.”

Her unbothered attitude caused Eris to clench her fist.

It was frustrating, very frustrating, but she was the one in need at the moment.

Eris glared at the librarian, almost as if she wanted to devour her, and snatched the offered book.

“If you don’t present me with a reward worth my time, you’d better prepare yourself. You ill-tempered librarian.”

The librarian didn’t reply, simply curving the corner of her lips upward.

It was too artificial to be called a smile, and simultaneously held something sinister within it.

Feeling her opinion of the woman plummet once again, Eris left the library.

*

“Eris-san. You look a bit tired, are you alright?”

At the question from a female student, Eris offered a graceful smile, as if to say she was fine.

“Thank you for your concern. I just got a hold of a new book, and became so absorbed in it that I lost track of time.”

“Ah, another new theoretical text, is it? Just reading the basic books for class makes my head spin, you’re amazing!”

“Yes, well…”

Beneath her soft and innocent smiling face, Eris suppressed a guilty pang.

*I mustn’t let anyone find out I stayed up all night reading a novel*, she vowed.

She’d only read it out of necessity, but others might misunderstand if they knew.

That was all there was to it.

Indeed, it was so.

Here’s Eris, as seen by the students around her!

Drawn by Hwanbarim-nim!