“Johann, Johann! I heard from Karina—”
“Karina?”
“She’s a new friend! She came from a rural town on the west side of the Empire. She dreams of becoming a public officer, buying a nice house in the capital, and living with her family!”
Looks like that crazy puppy energy really helped her make some friends. I quietly listened to Millia’s words while cutting my tonkatsu into bite-sized pieces.
“So, what was the rumor?”
“Well, so Karina and Sion said—”
“Who’s Sion?”
Why are more people showing up?
“Sion is also a new friend—he came here to study in order to inherit his family’s legacy as an author!”
“…Got it. Continue.”
“Uh, where was I?”
“You only mentioned names.”
“Who?”
“Sion and Karina.”
“Oh! So Sion and Karina told me! There’s something amazing inside the library!”
…Already rumors are spreading? I barely swallowed the tonkatsu that almost shot out of my mouth with the sudden influx of information and stared intently at Millia. Millia looked delighted to share the rumors she’d heard wandering around the school, her eyes sparkling.
“It’s a rumor that’s been floating around for a long time—there’s a secret archive hidden inside the library, and it’s said that there’s an incredible item there! If you get that item, it’ll grant your wishes!”
“An item that grants wishes? That sounds amazing.”
Karina, dipping soft bread into her soup, was impressed with the rumor Millia brought. It seemed she was intrigued by the juicy news like any young lady would be.
“I… I heard about it too… Ha, but I mean, there can’t be such a thing…”
“But there’s gotta be smoke where there’s a fire! There must be something going on for the rumors to spread, right?”
That’s not entirely wrong. Rumors do need some sort of believable foundation to exist. And as Millia said, the rumor about the hidden treasure in the library surely had some credible evidence behind it.
There really is a secret archive in that library, and just like the rumors say, there is an item that grants wishes inside. However, the fact that the rumor is already circulating bothers me.
Normally, it would take at least two weeks before it really started spreading.
This is within a margin of error, but I can’t shake off that uneasy feeling.
You know the saying about the butterfly effect?
A butterfly flapping its wings turning into a nuclear bomb? No, hurricane? Tornado? What was it again? Anyway, it raises a lot of questions, and this situation feels too troublesome to just let slide.
…I need to investigate personally. But asking is a bit awkward.
What should I do…
“Johann, Johann! You’re good at digging, so you should be good at finding stuff too, right? Let’s go look for it!”
“No thanks.”
“Tch.”
I firmly rejected Millia’s suggestion. Sure, if it were me, finding a hidden dungeon or space would be a piece of cake, but I wasn’t interested in that.
…Besides, I already prepared a secret passage to access the secret archive in advance.
“Millia, it’s best to enjoy rumors as just rumors. Digging into them often reveals that the reality is boring.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
At Karina’s firm answer, Millia couldn’t hide her disappointment and nodded her head. It was quite cute watching Karina, who treated her like a little sister, coax Millia into understanding.
“Karina’s right. Rumors are only fun when they’re gossip; there’s no need to look for the truth if it means it might not really exist.”
Among the popular crowd, rumors are just as Karina said; there’s no need to check if they’re real or not, even if they might be true. I placed a piece of tonkatsu on Millia’s plate and said,
“Seeing your friend’s names pop up so much, you must have made a lot of friends.”
“Yeah! Sion, Karina, Rize, Leon, Sena…”
Millia’s listing of friends went on long enough to pass two digits. With just numbers, it sounded like she befriended everyone in her grade.
“…You’re just listing names, aren’t you?”
“No, I’m not! They’re friends!”
Millia puffed her cheeks in a huff at Viola’s teasing. But saying she’s friends with everyone from her department is a bit much.
It’s only been a week since the second semester started.
“I’ve made friends with the liberal arts students, so I’ll make friends with others too!”
“Sure. Good luck with that.”
I wasn’t sure if she could really make 100 friends, but I supported Millia’s choice to enjoy her youth thoroughly. She has a terribly dark past. If she’s aiming for happiness, there’s no reason for me to stop her. Of course, I’d intervene if things got dangerous.
“Johann, give me one more piece. Hehe.”
I gladly placed another piece of tonkatsu on Millia’s plate.
————————–
“Haah… Uncle, I’m going in.”
“Okay. Sleep well.”
Should I head to bed now?
I’d like to do a bit more work, but in a few hours, the morning sun will rise, and I have the responsibility of preparing for Karina’s escort early in the morning. I finished tidying up the now quiet workshop and locked the door tight. The door wouldn’t open until tomorrow evening.
I strapped the shovel on my back and moved briskly toward Yeomyeong-gwan’s main building.
Yeomyeong-gwan was dark since the time was late, and there was barely any light. Given the limited sources of light in this world, that was expected. I walked through the desolate corridor, occasionally encountering maids, until I reached my room.
[Contractor. Check if you entered the wrong room.]
“Shut up… Hehe…”
“…Why is she here?”
I looked down at Millia, who had claimed my bed and drifted off to dreamland. She looked like a puppy taking over its owner’s spot while sleeping soundly. I placed the shovel on the table and pondered for a moment.
Should I wake her?
“…I guess I have to return her to her room.”
In the end, I decided not to wake her. I didn’t want to disturb Millia’s happy face, no matter what dream she was having.
I quietly picked up the red-haired Dullahan. She felt alarmingly light for a girl occupying someone else’s space while sleeping.
“Grrr…”
Does she know instinctively that she’s being held? Millia wrapped her arms around my neck as if to say she wouldn’t let go. We were naturally in a fully embraced state. I felt an oddly fluffy sensation as I walked down the corridor.
The sound of my footsteps was barely audible.
As expected from a mansion where the higher-ups reside, there were carpets laid out in Yeomyeong-gwan’s corridor. Arriving in front of Millia’s room while stepping on the sound-eating carpets, I spoke as I looked at Millia, who showed no signs of falling.
“Rue. Open the door, please.”
[A contractor requesting a door to be opened by a magic book…]
She’s going to help one way or another, so why talk smack? I couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her tentacles wrapping around the doorknob. It’s been almost two months since I met Rue. Recognizing how much time has passed felt strangely emotional.
“…Thinking about it, it’s been a while since I entered Millia’s room now.”
Usually, it’s Millia who comes to me; I rarely visit her. I forcibly detached Millia, who was trying not to come apart from me, and placed her on the bed, turning my body away. I should quickly go wash up and get to sleep; just as I was about to move on to the last task of the night.
“Johann, Karina… don’t go… I don’t want to be alone…”
My body, which had turned away, did a complete 180. Although it was merely sleep talk, I had never heard such a pitiful voice come from Millia. I sat in front of her and held her hand, which was flailing around as if searching for something.
“…I’m not going anywhere, so don’t worry.”
At this point, how could I possibly go to sleep? I sighed as I gazed down at Millia, who was clinging to my arm. The soft sensation in my arm was quite troublesome. Paired with her defenseless demeanor, it was almost headache-inducing.
I needed to stop acting like a child…
“…I don’t know.”
This was a problem I should probably ask Karina about. It was a somewhat awkward subject for me to bring up.
I had planned to lie down and ponder about the library, but that plan seemed to have drifted far away. It was too cumbersome to keep thinking while being in such a state.
I leaned back against the bed and closed my eyes. Fortunately or unfortunately, there was a plush carpet on the floor, so sleeping wouldn’t be too bad. After all, this level of discomfort was like heaven compared to a deserted island.
…But still, I should take off my shoes.
I won’t tolerate sleeping in shoes just because it’s the West.
I reached out and took off my shoes.
Time to sleep.
“Hehe…”
I closed my eyes. Only darkness now.
My exhausted body was quickly dragged into an abyss of darkness.
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