*Ding…*
In the dark cafe, a sturdy man stepped inside.
He approached the bar and sat down, parting his lips.
“One milk, please.”
“No one is here. You don’t need to recite the password.”
“Is this okay, Chief? What if I’m actually a disguised Imperial police officer?”
“Oh come on. No way.”
“The security ritual is a mess…”
Hertlocker squeezed his eyes shut.
It was nothing short of a miracle that this base hadn’t been discovered by the Empire yet.
“You idiot. There’s a huge operation coming up, and you think I would be so careless?”
“Yes.”
“Honestly. I can tell it’s you just by your footsteps. You won’t fool me that easily.”
“……”
Though Hertlocker wasn’t pleased that the password wasn’t accepted, he had complete faith in Eric’s words.
Even if he seemed laid-back most of the time, his loyalty to the kingdom was genuine.
Besides, with Eric’s memory, it wouldn’t be surprising if he memorized everyone’s footsteps.
“Is the preparation going well?”
“You mean the spells?”
“Yes.”
“I used to be called a genius spellcaster back in the day.”
“That’s news to me.”
“You’re too young to know. Everyone my age knows. Anyway, I’ve already completed the spell design.”
Eric pulled a scroll from his drawer and unfurled it.
Inside were countless intricate circles and lines.
“This is too…”
Too complicated. At this rate, the mana efficiency would be terrible and it would definitely blow up the spellcaster.
Hertlocker’s eyes widened as he finally grasped the spell.
“There’s more than one spell here.”
“That’s right. I figured you’d understand right away.”
At first glance, it looked like one massive spell, but it wasn’t.
The explosive spells and detonation spells were designed separately, thus capturing both mana efficiency and stability.
However, there were issues.
“This way, the burden on the spellcaster becomes too great. They have to manage two spells at once… Wouldn’t it be better to use another spellcaster?”
“That won’t work. Both spells have to be manipulated at exactly the same time. It has to be done by one person. And you don’t trust me?”
“……”
Hertlocker momentarily recalled Eric’s image.
A meticulous and ruthless spy.
But when it came to bragging about his kid, he’d lose all his intelligence—total doting father.
“I don’t trust you.”
“Geez. You’re probably the only one in the Intelligence Agency who doesn’t trust me.”
“That goes for you too, Chief. You treat me like a kid.”
“Are you a kid?”
“No!”
“You are, you idiot.”
“……”
With a laugh, Eric ruffled Hertlocker’s hair again before putting the scroll back away.
Hertlocker glared at Eric while fixing his messed-up hair.
Eric was probably the only one who underestimated the kingdom’s elite forces like this.
“Hertlocker, have you seen that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Schlus Hainkel. The headquarters found out about that commoner’s past.”
“Was there anything special?”
“He lived in Eisburg during the war.”
“Are you saying that was during the Winter Offensive?”
“Exactly.”
Eisburg.
It was the stronghold city of the Empire, which the kingdom’s forces charged into during the Winter Offensive.
At the time, the kingdom troops seemed to overpower the meager defenses and seize the castle, but…
The unit was later found to have been annihilated. The reason remains unknown.
One of the unsolved mysteries of that war was that perhaps Schlus, a resident of Eisburg, might know something.
Just then—
*Ding…*
“Welcome.”
Someone entered the cafe.
Not many people come to this secluded cafe with no sign.
Among them, the most frequent visitor was…
“……”
“……”
Schlus Hainkel.
Hertlocker turned around and met his gaze.
Schlus stood quietly, and for a moment silence lingered.
It was Schlus who turned his gaze away first and moved to a seat far from Hertlocker.
“Master. One milk, please.”
Hertlocker felt his breath catch.
How on earth did this man know the Intelligence Agency’s password?
“Milk, you say?”
“Yes. My mouth is dry; I prefer smooth milk over tea or coffee.”
“Understood.”
It must have been a coincidence.
Hertlocker thought that and tried to avoid looking in Schlus’s direction.
Peeking at him nervously in case he got caught and suspected—what a disaster that would be.
“It’s almost the Day of Magic, Master.”
“Yes. I heard this year’s event will be grand.”
“Are you attending the event, Master?”
“I’ll have to close the shop that day. It’s a once-a-year occasion.”
“Will that gentleman be attending as well?”
“Me?”
Hertlocker jumped in surprise and turned beside him.
Schlus was smiling leisurely, waiting for his answer.
“Yes. I’m going too.”
“Haha. We might meet again at the Day of Magic.”
“Your milk is here.”
“I’m looking forward to it. Excited.”
Schlus slowly drank his milk.
Somehow, Schlus’s words felt ominous, darkening Hertlocker’s expression.
*
Hertlocker had talked way too much unnecessary stuff at the cafe.
Looking at Hertlocker’s face, he felt heated and might have subtly provoked him.
By the way, that guy was unfairly handsome.
They say a handsome face has narrative logic; now I understood why those proud heroines fell for him.
He left the cafe and headed to check the Day of Magic venue ahead of time.
He was looking for where the Intelligence Agency would execute their spells.
To cut to the chase, there was no significant harvest.
One of the hotel rooms near the venue seemed the most promising, but there were too many rooms to make it a valid candidate.
Therefore, they decided to abandon their plan of subduing the spellcasters to prevent the spells.
What remained was to remotely deactivate the spell, but…
*Will that even work?*
It was a scale of magic that could destroy the entire venue.
There would likely be more than three people involved in the spell.
Such a spell would have to operate boldly even amidst the tight security at the venue.
Would it even be possible for me to sense and deactivate something like that alone?
My mana sensitivity stat is 75, so I’m practically among the top-tier in this world based on the early part of the story; sensing it should be feasible.
But the problem is deactivating it. Even with my computational power boosted by ‘Selection and Concentration,’ I might barely have five seconds—way too short.
*This is…*
Involving spell deactivation requires more than just computational power.
The higher your understanding of magic, the faster you can deactivate it.
At the very least, if I can grasp the types of spells right away, there’s no need for extra computations.
*Some investigation is necessary.*
It would be wise to at least get a rough idea of the types of spells involved.
I’d better look for related books.
I know just the place to go for that.
The Imperial University Library.
It has all the books gathered from across the continent.
Not an exaggeration; it’s the truth.
Since I’ve described it that way, it must be accurate.
I decided to head straight to the Imperial University.
*
As soon as I entered the library, I searched the spell section without delay.
However, most of what I found were books or papers delving into a single spell.
To get an understanding of the types, I would have to sift through dozens of shelves.
Naturally, that would take over a month.
I pondered whether there was a clever idea as I wandered a bit further in the library.
*Wow… This is seriously amazing.*
With my limited vocabulary, that’s all I could come up with.
The library was entirely structured in a straight continuous line, with bookshelves extending like an endless corridor. Just how many kilometers is this?
I merely described it as ‘the library that houses all the books in the continent,’ but I never imagined it would take such a form.
*What’s this?*
As I strolled slowly, I discovered a corner piled high with books.
Could these be recently arrived books that haven’t been sorted yet?
I was drawn to the heap of books, pulling one out and flipping it open.
“Latest Medicine. Studies on Joseon. Reflections on Internal Circuits…”
They were topics that seemed interesting.
But upon opening them, it felt like I kept getting stuck, not reading smoothly.
Come to think of it, the ability ‘Translation’ was always active.
The books here must be in a language that’s not the Empire’s common tongue, leading to rough translations.
“Classification of Spells…”
I stumbled across a book with a peculiar title.
I began setting aside the others and immediately sat in a chair, flipping through the pages eagerly.
*Classification by Element. Fire System Spell. Ice System Spell…*
It seemed I had finally found the book I wanted.
It seemed to explain a basis for classifying spells, with descriptions of common traits or key components.
Though a somewhat thick book spanning 500 pages, if I could grasp the spell types with just one, that would be more than enough.
I tried to suppress the grin threatening to appear, clutching the heavy book under my side as I headed to the counter to check it out.
*No, maybe it’s better to just read here.*
It’s quiet and pleasant; isn’t this a perfect space for reading?
Of course, being alone in the training room would be comfortable, but I would probably end up getting distracted if I got tired.
I took a few memos from the counter for studying and sat down at a desk.
Then, I noticed a familiar face sitting across from me.
“Ugh…”
Erica.
The silver-haired girl squinted at me.
Come on, what kind of an ‘ugh’ is that upon seeing someone?
Such a bad attitude.
I ignored Erica and started studying, aiming to absorb as much information as possible from the spells at hand, jotting notes on the distinctive aspects to identify the types.
Since the content wasn’t overly convoluted, I quickly went through the 500 pages.
A few hours passed.
When it was completely dark outside, only Erica and I remained in the library.
She didn’t seem the type to stay late reading books…
Considering Erica’s personality, she was probably holding off leaving because she didn’t want to be the first one to go.
There’s a setting for her to have an utterly pointless sense of rivalry.
Well, it’s about time for me to let her go home.
I closed my book and stood up.
“I’m checking out.”
“Yes, understood.”
I had intended to return to the mansion and read some more.
As I was about to leave the library…
“What’s she doing?”
Erica was darting around the bookcases like a meerkat.
She seemed to be laboriously looking around, clutching a bunch of books, likely trying to put back the ones she had borrowed…
But it seemed she had entirely forgotten where she took them from.
She could just hand them over to the librarian.
I sighed and slowly walked over to Erica.
First impressions had been wholly negative, but she would eventually have to become a comrade.
There wouldn’t be any harm in building up some goodwill, right?
“Can’t seem to find where the books go?”
“Ah? Uh? Hmph. No way.”
“……”
As if to feign ignorance.
“Just…”
*Just hand it over to the librarian.*
That was what I intended to say when a title on the book cover caught my eye.
*’Introduction to One-Handed Swords’*
It was practically obvious where that book belonged.
“‘This ‘Introduction to One-Handed Swords’ belongs in the martial arts books section. ‘Internal Circuit Genetics’ is in the biological science section regarding magical science—”
Is she just not looking at the classification chart after coming to the library?
Even I, who’m here for the first time, know where each book is located.
As I recited the rightful places for the books, Erica’s expression went blank.
“And this one, Hiden’s gigantic… Oh cough. Um. I didn’t know you read stuff like this.”
“……?”
Is this not prohibited literature…?
I coughed awkwardly and trailed off.
I had pointed out all the right places except for that one.
“Let’s save the thanks for later.”
“……”
She remained silent, so I just moved away.
When will she ever fix her rudeness?
In the original work, she seemed to express feelings for the protagonist from the start; what gives here?
Oh right, Hertlocker was seriously good-looking.
Now it all makes sense.
I left the library with a wry smile.
*
*Huh?*
Erica’s expression crumpled while sitting in the library, piled books before her.
The person she dreaded the most, Schlus Hainkel, had just sat down across from her.
However, as soon as she glimpsed the cover of the book he brought, she nearly burst into laughter.
*Pffft. What is this guy doing?*
It was a book written in an ancient language.
A language used thousands of years ago when the entire continent was a unified kingdom.
Even now, it remained incompletely deciphered, a forgotten tongue.
But Schlus nonchalantly flipped through the book and kept jotting something down on paper.
The sight of him pretending to read something he clearly didn’t comprehend was so absurd that Erica had to stifle her laughter.
*What is he really doing…*
But if you’re going to pretend to read, at least do it decently.
Schlus was carefully turning each page one by one, jotting notes for hours.
Before she knew it, the pages filled with dense notes had surpassed over ten sheets.
She couldn’t wrap her mind around why he was doing that.
*Is he ever going to leave?*
Even so, she didn’t want to leave earlier than this fake studier.
So, she kept translating vigorously with the dictionary beside her, waiting.
*Finally, he’s leaving.*
Schlus finally closed the book and stood up.
Erica sighed in relief internally, hugging all her books. Most were ones she hadn’t even begun reading.
It was already late at night.
If she returned now, she could only imagine how fretful her mother would be, fretting over her well-being.
*Huh? Where did I get all these?*
Erica suddenly came to a halt.
She usually memorized the positions well when she borrowed books, but…
Was it because enough time had elapsed? She felt like she had completely forgotten.
It was closing time too, and not wanting to burden the librarian any more, she desperately racked her brain to recall—
“Can’t find where the books go?”
Schlus asked from behind, striking a nerve.
“This ‘Introduction to One-Handed Swords’ belongs in the martial arts books section. ‘Internal Circuit Genetics’ is in the biological science section regarding magical science—”
Schlus began listing the locations one by one, causing Erica’s expression to stiffen.
What nonsense was this?
These books were all in different languages.
One was in Elvish. One was in Beastman. Another was in Galia…
There’s no way Schlus actually knew all those languages, right?
Just as she was about to scold him for his nonsense…
“And this one, Hiden’s gigantic… Oh cough. Um. I didn’t know you read stuff like this.”
“……?”
Schlus discreetly coughed, his ears turning slightly red.
It was the first time she had seen him show such outward fluster.
He was a guy who wouldn’t flinch even when Aintz fired fire magic right before his eyes.
“I’ll save my gratitude for later.”
“……”
Schlus walked away, and Erica immediately returned to her desk, flipping open her dictionaries.
She had to confirm immediately whether Schlus’s remarks were nonsense or not.
“Introduction to One-Handed Swords. Magical Circuit Genetics… Huh?”
As the titles she had heard from Schlus’s mouth popped up, Erica’s jaw dropped.
He really could read Elvish, Beastman, and Galia.
Even she, who had received linguistic education since childhood, was barely at the level of using a dictionary for Galia and Elvish.
How on earth did the commoner learn so many languages?
If that’s the case, could it be that he actually understood the ancient language too?
The thought crossed her mind, but she immediately shook her head to refute it.
There’s no way that could be true.
Come to think of it, the last book she half-read… what title did it have that could prompt such a reaction from him?
Erica peered into her dictionaries to translate the title.
“In Beastman. The title is… Hiden’s… giant… ju… ju…”
Erica’s eyes widened.
Glancing between the dictionary and the title on the cover repeatedly, both matched perfectly.
Only then did Erica finally realize the book’s identity, causing her cheeks to blush furiously.
The book was—
*I didn’t know you read stuff like this.*
“Ah…! Ahhh…!”
It was an adult book.
Erica’s scream echoed through the empty library.
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