Chapter : 02
Under the black sky, beneath a strange night washed in moonlight, Daniel stood in front of the bookstore and glanced sideways.
His superior, Elsier, who stood beside him, wore an expressionless face.
She usually carried a smile, so when that expression vanished, it somehow made people tense. Perhaps she herself was simply empty-headed at the moment, but that was never how those around her felt. And for Daniel—who occupied the “lower” position in their hierarchical relationship—his heart had no choice but to tremble all the more.
Daniel moistened his dry lips and spoke.
“It seems they’re quite late.”
“So it does.”
The reply came gently. Just as always.
And yet, it was frightening.
Waiting over an hour for nothing more than a bookstore owner. The fact that he had casually mentioned this place—and then ended up guiding his superior here—made Daniel feel like a criminal. Even if Wiz’s bookstore had crossed his mind, he should have just kept his mouth shut.
He regretted it every moment he stood there.
‘Waiting this long is bad enough, but… Wiz. Wiz is… Wiz is…’
“……”
For the thirty-first time that night, Daniel recalled Wiz’s past antics—the things she did every time they met—and clamped a hand over his mouth. He had hesitated for a full hour, unable to warn her properly.
But really, what could he even say?
‘Commander. The owner here is an expert at making people cry. You should prepare yourself.’
That was obviously wrong.
‘Commander. The owner here isn’t an ordinary person. You should prepare yourself.’
That wasn’t right either. If she wasn’t ordinary, then what was she? Wiz was an ordinary person. And yet, the more he thought about it, the more she wasn’t. She was definitely ordinary—but somehow not.
‘Commander. Please prepare yourself.’
“……”
No—more than that, why was he compelled to recommend “mental preparation” no matter how he phrased it? Was it instinct? Some kind of survival reflex?
As the knight agonized internally, a faint sound pierced the silence.
He lifted his head.
Someone had appeared at the end of the alley, walking slowly toward them.
Daniel’s eyes widened. Was it Wiz? As the figure drew closer, he could feel it—yes, it was Wiz. The moonlight wasn’t very bright, and she was still moving through shadows cast by the walls, making her face hard to see clearly.
Still, after an hour and ten minutes of waiting, this was hope.
This trembling heart. This feeling—love.
Only after that thought drifted through his mind did Daniel snap back to his senses. There were plenty of people one could love. Wiz was not one of them.
The person who looked like Wiz suddenly stopped just before stepping into the light.
“Uh…”
A small groan escaped Daniel’s lips. The reason was simple: the spot where she stopped was in front of someone’s house. Worse still, the person turned toward an easel propped up beside the entrance—and then squatted down.
Daniel craned his neck forward and narrowed his eyes.
“……”
She appeared to be staring intently at the painting on the easel. It was dark all around; she probably couldn’t see very well, but it seemed she was borrowing what little moonlight there was.
Soon, a voice followed.
“It’s so well done. Is this insane or what?”
It was a familiar voice.
Ah.
Daniel inhaled sharply. Goosebumps rose along his skin. There was no one else who could move him this deeply with just their appearance alone. A faint rustling sound followed.
It sounded as though she set something down on the ground. Her hand withdrew, and Wiz once again became still.
Other than crouching and staring at the painting, she made no further movement.
Daniel watched that small back for a while, but after what felt like several minutes, he couldn’t delay any longer. He stepped forward and spoke.
“Ms. Wiz.”
“……!”
Her shoulders jolted. Her head shook violently, as if seized by a spasm.
Standing in front of Wiz’s bookstore, Daniel held his breath. He realized he had startled her. The reaction was unmistakable. Like a rabbit frozen after hearing the cry of a predator, the woman slowly straightened and turned toward them.
After examining him and his companion, she finally let out a breath, patting her chest. Even though it was too dark to properly distinguish faces, she spoke casually.
“I almost fainted from shock.”
“……”
Saying that in a voice that didn’t sound all that startled was hardly convincing. A mix of guilt and emptiness welled up inside him. Wanting to escape this awkward situation as quickly as possible, Daniel hurriedly spoke.
“It’s me—Daniel. Sorry if I startled you.”
“Oh. Ah… yes…”
Her response was lukewarm. He could easily guess why, given how many times this had happened before. Swallowing a sigh, he added,
“You can be honest and say you don’t know who I am.”
“Huh?”
Wiz’s eyes went round as she covered her mouth.
It felt like watching a stage actress. But Daniel knew that this bookstore owner was, without exaggeration, one of the biggest fools he had ever met. When someone forgets you over and over again, you naturally come to understand that.
Smiling lightly, he finally brought up the reason for their visit.
“We’ve come to ask for help.”
“Help?”
“Yes. About a book.”
“Oh! Then you’re customers!”
At her cheerful tone, Daniel nodded stiffly. He already knew what came next.
Wiz’s voice suddenly turned gloomy.
“But our bookstore doesn’t sell books.”
Of course it doesn’t…
Letting out a short sigh, Daniel imagined what kind of expression his superior might be making behind him and gave a bleak smile.
“I know. I do. But I’d appreciate it if you could help us for just a moment.”
“……”
“Of course, we’ll provide compensation.”
And if he could ask one more thing, he wished she would remember that he had already gone through this entire process more than ten times. Every meeting was like this.
In any case, he raised his hand. A basket of candy.
In other words, bait.
In other words, fishing lure.
Go on. Bite.
Wiz sniffed at the sweet scent and inhaled sharply. Even though she probably couldn’t see very well, the fact that she could smell it from there was impressive in its own way.
“Welcome! Come on in!”
As expected, it was a big catch. The fool flopped eagerly onto the hook. Wiz scampered over, pulled a key from her pocket, and unlocked the door.
“What do you need? Uh, I mean—Da… Da—David?”
“It’s Daniel.”
“Yes. Kombu Sir.”
“It’s Daniel.”
“Yes. Diary Sir.”
“……”
With every attempt, his name drifted further from its origin.
‘Fine. The thing standing in front of me is a bipedal goldfish.’
Daniel gave up cleanly.
Once you realize the other person has an exceptionally pure brain, you naturally become generous about certain things.
At last, the bookstore door opened.
The smell one might call “the scent of books” rushed out—a thick air created by stacked paper. It wasn’t exactly fresh, but it wasn’t unpleasant either. Wiz brought in a light from the kitchen and lit about a dozen candles.
And the moment Daniel set the basket down on the counter, she buried her head in it and began rummaging through the candy. Wow. Wow. The exclamations repeated.
Like a dog seeing snacks—no, a puppy. A dog. If she weren’t a fully grown adult, she would’ve been nothing but adorable.
With an enlightened calm, Daniel watched her warmly, then reminded her of their purpose.
“Is there any record of magic being embedded in flowers?”
“Huh?”
Wiz straightened up and turned to him, already chewing on a long jelly candy. The limp red jelly bobbed as she munched.
She narrowed her eyes in thought, then slurped the jelly down and hesitantly spoke.
“There’s a ton about artifacts, but even if you narrow it down to flowers, that’s still really vague. Any mage could embed magic in flowers. Hmm… maybe I should check a diary.”
“Specifically illusion magic—strong enough to enchant over ten people at once.”
“Over ten? That’d be an extremely powerful mage. Enchanting… Ah, um, um, um—blond.”
Trotting over to a corner, Wiz carefully pulled a book from a tightly packed shelf.
As she brought it back, she explained,
“Lilia often embedded magic in flowers.”
“Yes. So that book?”
“Oh—here. I think it was on the left page.”
Daniel helped by moving the candy basket to the floor and wiping the counter once with a dry cloth kept nearby.
Wiz grinned at him and set the book down.
The pages turned carefully but quickly. As she’d said, her eyes stayed on the left pages as they flipped—until they stopped, more than a hundred pages in. She turned the book so he could see and smiled again, biting her lip.
“Here you go. Take your time. I’ll bring some other books too—I just thought of something.”
It was a surprisingly warm and useful trust.
What if he damaged the book? Or stole it? After watching her disappear back into the shelves, he stepped aside. His superior was already pulling gloves from her coat and putting them on.
Wiz handled these priceless ancient books with bare hands, but both he and his superior knew that, in common sense, one should not.
Daniel glanced at Elsier, who was bent over the book with a serious expression, then turned his gaze back toward Wiz.
Sometimes, watching her search for books, he even felt a strange, surprising charisma.
But he must not forget.
This was the woman who, when a man tried to kidnap a child by offering candy, had crept closer herself—and nearly gotten kidnapped voluntarily instead of the child.
How dumbfounded he’d been watching Wiz trot after the kidnapper, lured by candy.
The one who saved her that day was none other than himself.
Remembering that first meeting, it was impossible not to soften toward Wiz. She was an astonishing fool.
While he drifted in these pointless thoughts, she returned with a book balanced on each palm and said as she flipped open another page,
“If you need more, you should try the Royal Library. Though they won’t have anything as rare as what’s here.”
“I see.”
He matched her confident boasting appropriately and then glanced at his superior. For today’s matter, Elsier was far more of an expert than he was, so it was better not to touch the books unnecessarily.
However, as Elsier carefully read the second book Wiz had offered, she suddenly lifted her head and asked in a soft, amused voice,
“Could I buy this book?”
Daniel flinched at his superior’s words. He’d clearly explained beforehand that this bookstore didn’t sell books—yet she tried anyway.
Wiz blinked innocently and shook her head.
“I don’t sell them.”
There was a clear reason this bookstore had survived so long despite owning such a large collection of extremely rare books.
First, it wasn’t widely known.
Second, the affiliation behind this woman—one strong enough to instantly repel nobles who might try to seize or underpay for the books using their status.
Once again, Wiz pulled out a fancy, gold-framed certificate from beneath the counter and shyly presented it with both hands.
It was proof of affiliation with the Central Tower.
Then, in an equally shy, whispering voice, she added,
“Even if a noble lord comes, I won’t sell the books. I’ve decided that anyone who takes them will be chased to the ends of the world and made extremely unhappy.”
“……”
“Oh. Wait. Come to think of it, the one who made that decision was me.”
(To be continued in the next chapter)
