Chapter 8
There hanging from the ceiling with its gaping maw wide open, was a massive purple book, larger than a bat.
Yes, a mouth. It had a mouth.
And worse—
…it talked.
“Ah, two more fools have entered the library.”
“A book that talks?”
“Not only talks well, but insults better.”
Vesti muttered, sounding thoroughly fed up.
“That book’s been sought by countless people before. In short, it’s gotten terribly full of itself.”
“Why?”
“The Book of Endless Contemplation contains vast stores of knowledge and magical formulae. It’s said to give an answer—just one—to the questioner’s greatest dilemma.”
“An answer to a dilemma…?”
“But only if you solve the riddle it gives you.”
So even a book believes in give and take, huh.
“Has anyone ever solved it?”
“No one. Oh, look there—someone just came in. Must be another challenger.”
“The Imperial Library allows anyone in?”
“Only if they’re brave—or foolish—enough to try answering the Book’s riddle. They check your status first, of course.”
I nodded. That desperate, huh.
Then the door burst open with a dramatic creak, and a figure in a crimson cloak strode in, shouting proudly:
“Behold! I have arrived! Where is this so-called Book of Endless Contemplation?”
“Ah.”
Vesti blinked in surprise. I leaned toward her and whispered,
“Do you know him?”
“He was once a famous prodigy—back when the Empire couldn’t stop talking about him. Something like Beatles? Beatles?”
“Viatl Tiaren.”
“My apologies.”
Vesti—or “the pigeon,” as my mind unhelpfully supplied—lifted his chin, voice booming once more.
“Book of Endless Contemplation! Show yourself before me!”
“I’m already here.”
When Viatl looked up, the book split its mouth into a grotesque grin. His eyes widened, but he quickly composed himself.
“Just as they say—foul-mouthed and arrogant! Come then, test me! Give me your riddle!”
“You’re loud, and loud fools deserve punishment. Very well, here’s your riddle.”
The book’s tone dripped with mockery.
“In the history of the Castium Empire, who was the emperor with the longest reign—”
Before it could even finish, Viatl shouted triumphantly:
“I know! Titan Ingrid Castium! Right?”
“…and what was his greatest concern at exactly 3:29:38 PM, May 27th, Imperial Year 389?”
“…What?”
Viatl blinked blankly. Vesti muttered under her breath:
“That insane book…”
When Viatl failed to answer, the book turned toward Harbor.
Harbor, who had been smirking as if to say ‘Figures,’ suddenly froze—like a student caught off guard by the teacher’s question.
“And what about you, the old fool over there?”
“……”
He gritted his teeth but said nothing.
Satisfied, the book turned its attention to the crowd of librarians.
“And the moldy flock huddled over there?”
“……”
They all shook their heads. The book threw its head back and cackled like a villain.
“Ha! Look at you speechless worms! Pathetic! Absolutely delightful!”
Each time it moved, dust snowed down from its cover, piling on the floor until the librarians’ faces contorted in dismay.
I stared up at the book for a while, then muttered quietly—
“That’s… actually easy.”
“…Huh?”
Every gaze in the room turned toward me—including the book’s.
“You there, little fool. Did you just say you know the answer?”
“Of course.”
“Liar! Then speak it!”
I shrugged casually.
“It’s hair loss. More precisely, the M-shaped baldness that started when he turned fifteen.”
“……!”
“May 27th, Year 389—his fifteenth birthday.”
The book’s gaping mouth froze, then clamped shut.
The crowd stared at me in disbelief. Viatl stammered,
“W-wait, really? Baldness?”
“He even went to war wearing a wig, with five attendants just to keep it fixed in place. He also made sure every meal was packed with protein.”
“How in the world do you know that?”
“Well…”
Any educated researcher would’ve known. You couldn’t eat—or avoid a whipping—without memorizing the entire thousand-page history of Castium.
Including the appendix.
I tilted my chin upward.
“So? I’m right, aren’t I?”
“M-m-m…”
“Aren’t I?”
“Like hell you are!”
The book spat—literally—sending a few dusty pages fluttering to the floor. The librarians winced so hard their faces nearly touched their knees.
“That was only the first riddle. A warm-up. The real one comes next.”
“Right… a warm-up, huh.”
Didn’t feel like one.
“Second riddle. In the history of the Castium Empire, the most beautiful woman was…”
viatl shot his hand up again.
“I know! Chiara Forte!”
“…and what was the second most precious possession she had around August, Year 340?”
“……”
Beatle’s mouth snapped shut. Vesti whispered again.
“That very, extremely, unbelievably insane book…”
Somehow, her vocabulary seemed to be deteriorating the longer this went on.
The book smiled wickedly and looked at me.
“Well? Surely you don’t know this one, do you?”
All eyes turned to me again. I paused.
If I answer again, what happens?
‘I just want to live quietly as a maid. If I answer again, I’ll stand out…’
There was a reason I craved normalcy.
In my previous life, I had been famous—infamously so. Everyone in the research institute knew my name, and they feared me.
At first, I reveled in that. But later, I realized the fatal flaw of fame:
When people expect greatness, you must never stop living up to it.
So before Ruin, I had pushed too hard, too cruelly. I’d said things that cut too deep.
And now, remembering that—my chest ached with regret.
I don’t want to hurt anyone again. Not ever.
In this life, I’ll live quietly. Gently.
No regrets. No scars left behind.
“Ah.”
Resolved, I smiled innocently and said,
“That one’s really hard. I don’t kno—”
“…Rosie.”
A soft whisper brushed my ear.
I turned—and saw them.
Harbor, beaten down by the book’s cruelty. Vesti, exhausted beyond belief. The librarians, already mourning their lost sleep.
Their eyes pleaded: You’re our only hope.
‘Don’t look at me like that…’
‘I swear, I’m living quietly this time!’
I squeezed my eyes shut, shook my head, and declared,
“I really don’t kno—”
“…Pfft.”
Was that—laughter?
It was.
I looked up, and the book’s cover twisted into a grotesque grin.
“Of course, of course. As if a mere maid could answer my riddles twice.”
“……”
“The first was luck, no doubt. Still, I’ll be generous—0.1 points. Out of a hundred.”
The book’s laughter echoed through the library, harsh and grating. The librarians hung their heads, faces heavy with defeat.
Then Vesti approached, patting my shoulder.
“It’s okay, Rosie. You did your best. No one’s blaming you.”
Viatl clutched his head in anguish.
“Chiara Forte’s second most treasured possession in Year 340? How should I know?! Impossible! That I, viatl Tiaren, don’t know it?!”
Finally, Harbor sighed, half-exhausted.
“Alright, kid. Go on home. We’ll need the Captain of the Guard and a magician for this one. You—call the Captain—”
That was the last straw.
“Wait.”
I stopped him mid-sentence. He turned sharply.
“What is it? Don’t tell me…”
I smiled faintly, looking up at the book.
“Yes.”
“The truth is…”
I curved my lips upward—
“I do know the answer
