Chapter 9
“How old?”
The man suddenly asked out of the blue. He couldn’t be asking about my age, surely.
“…Ten?”
I made up an age for my nonexistent younger sibling and replied. Suddenly, the books I was holding floated up into the air.
They gently drifted through the air and returned themselves to their rightful spots on the shelves. The man bent down and pulled three books from the bottom shelf, then handed them to me.
“Then these might be more suitable.”
His tone was polite, but the emotionless voice sent a chill down my spine. I could feel his sky-blue eyes carefully observing my every move.
I glanced over the books he gave me. The font was definitely larger, and they were filled with illustrations—clearly the kind of books meant for children.
“Ah, um… thank you.”
I awkwardly thanked him and looked up at the man.
He looked highly suspicious and untrustworthy, but judging from how quickly he found the right books and the way he interacted with me, he seemed to work here.
“Are you the owner here?”
“I’m the librarian.”
“Oh…”
As soon as I heard that, my tension melted away.
So this wasn’t a bookstore but a library. Now that I thought about it, the worn condition of the books made a lot more sense.
‘Still… what kind of librarian looks like that?’
I shook off the thought quickly. Looks didn’t determine someone’s profession.
“When do I have to return them?”
“Whenever you want.”
The librarian brought over a paper bag from a large table, placed the books inside, and handed it to me.
‘What kind of library doesn’t have a return date?’
I was skeptical, but I figured the standards here might be different from what I was used to, so I didn’t press the issue.
There wasn’t any sign about rental fees either, so I roughly guessed and handed over a few coins from my pocket. The librarian didn’t even take them—just stared at me blankly.
‘Don’t private libraries usually charge money?’
If this was run by the state, it might be free, but the place didn’t look like a public facility. If it was a privately run library, surely they’d need revenue to operate.
“Is it not enough?”
“No.”
Only after I asked did the librarian finally take the coins. I gave a small bow of thanks and left the library, heading back to the carriage.
I checked behind me several times in case he followed, but he never left the library.
When I returned to the carriage, the line had shortened and the road was quiet again.
‘Whatever the process was, I got what I needed.’
Not bad for something I decided on the spur of the moment.
“Whew, finally done.”
Back home, I closed the book and tossed it onto the table, then flopped onto the bed. I hadn’t even touched the boring-looking history and culture books—I left them in the corner.
What I read first was about magic and Estella. Maybe it was the overload of information, but my head throbbed.
“So, to summarize…”
This world had two kinds of powers: mana and divine power. Mana was the power of nature and the source of magic, while divine power came from the gods and enabled holy magic.
“And the pinnacle of divine power is called Estella.”
Estella was something you were either born with or without, and it had strict limits. Its power far surpassed that of normal magic or divine spells.
“And you can’t acquire it later in life…”
Although the age at which it manifested varied by person, those not born with Estella could never awaken it.
It was quite literally a divine gift—tremendous power granted only to the chosen ones.
“For something like that… it felt awful.”
I recalled the terrible experience in the greenhouse. Under Calyx’s shadow, black snakes had slithered around me and attacked. Even thinking about it made me feel nauseous—it was ominous and unpleasant.
“Though, maybe not all are like that.”
Estella powers varied from person to person. Even I, having read the original novel, knew that much.
“That’s probably why even those with Estella still lose in power struggles.”
Calyx was a good example.
His power was certainly threatening to someone like me, but among other Estellas, it could be easily neutralized. That’s why he suffered so much in the original story.
“Reshell focuses on defense, while the rest lean toward offense. And Olivia…”
She had healing powers. In fact, her Estella was far more potent than ordinary divine power—it was incredibly strong.
Did Lilith have one? I thought hard, but I couldn’t remember any mention of her possessing Estella in the original.
“I wish I had a power too.”
If I did, I wouldn’t be flailing around like this.
I blew out the candle on the dresser. My body ached from exhaustion, and I sluggishly crawled under the soft blankets.
“Anyway… that was probably magic too, right?”
As I lay in bed, I suddenly recalled the incident at the library. The librarian who had approached without a sound, the books that floated out of my hands on their own.
“I wonder if I could learn to do that.”
The book had said everyone had mana, since it was a force of nature. It was just hard to master magic.
Whether it was the duke or someone else, I’d ask them to recommend a good teacher. I’d need to use every possible resource to survive.
Just as I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, a memory I was trying hard to ignore flashed in my mind.
‘I hope you come again tomorrow.’
Reshell’s whisper still rang vividly in my ears.
His soft, low voice falling gently over my head, his lips curled in a warm smile, and his eyes filled with kindness.
The scene at the palace flooded my mind, and my face instantly grew hot. Even the tips of my ears turned red.
I raised both hands and slapped my cheeks hard. Grabbing my stinging face, I waited for the heat to subside.
“I’m not going. I am not going!”
Reshell had agreed when I said I wanted to keep some distance. Any words exchanged afterward could just be ignored.
I shook off the thoughts and gave in to the sleep I could no longer put off. As soon as I closed my eyes, I drifted off like I had passed out.
As the sun set and darkness fell, the man casually perched on the edge of the table. He stared intently at the door the girl had disappeared through.
It was still early evening, but the town was quiet, so it wasn’t a bad time to work. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve stayed hidden until she left, but before he realized it, he had already spoken to her.
Why had he done something so foolish and unlike himself?
Because he already knew her. Or rather, he had seen her before.
A few years ago, she had visited the temple—the infamous noblewoman everyone gossiped about. Arrogant and insufferable, someone who made your skin crawl just by being there.
But today, she was different.
Platinum-blonde hair that seemed to belong in a royal treasure chest, ruby eyes that didn’t lose their shine even in the dark. She was neatly dressed, but clearly raised in luxury.
Her soft voice, filled with emotion, contrasted sharply with her cold, firm expression. He could still hear it.
“Saint, so what are you going to do?”
The small wooden trapdoor on the shop floor creaked open, and a blue-haired man poked his head out. His name was Karl, Saint’s partner.
The scent of blood wafted up through the open door. As Karl climbed the ladder, Saint kicked the trapdoor shut with his foot.
“Wouldn’t burning it down be best?”
Karl tossed a sack from the basement onto the counter as he spoke. At his words, Saint absentmindedly stroked his chin.
“There’s no owner anymore. Would it be okay if I took it over?”
“…What?”
Karl turned toward him, thinking he’d misheard.
“Is that a problem?”
“No… I mean, it’s not that…”
Karl sounded reluctant. Saint raised an eyebrow.
“What I mean is, why bother? This place is old and filthy—it’s just annoying.”
“I think I’ll see her again.”
“Who? That girl from earlier?”
When Saint didn’t deny it, Karl gave him a look like he’d gone mad. Saint simply tilted his head, unfazed.
“Do what you want.”
Karl shook his head. He knew there was no stopping Saint once he had made up his mind. With a small sigh, Karl descended into the basement again.
“In that case, the interior needs a complete overhaul.”
Saint slowly looked around the shop.
He hadn’t been paying attention when he first entered—he hadn’t come here to browse, after all. But now he noticed just how run-down it was.
As Karl said, the place was old and dirty. Fixing it up would take serious money and effort.
‘Not that I care.’
She would come back eventually, even if it was just to return the books. If the place was brighter and more inviting, maybe she’d feel inclined to come more often.
If that was possible, what wouldn’t he do? It’s not like he had anything to be ashamed of anyway. Or so Saint told himself.
He pulled his hood back up—the one he had taken off earlier while speaking with her. Under the dim lighting, he blended into the shadows.
He didn’t particularly care why she came here.
Was it her face? Her voice? Her behavior? Just simple curiosity? He couldn’t pinpoint the reason. He just vaguely hoped to see her again.
A strange gust of wind blew unnaturally through the closed space, and the last remaining lamp flickered out. The shop was now engulfed in total darkness. No trace of warmth remained.
Even the shadows disappeared into the black.
Silence settled in completely.
