Afternoon noise

Clutching the ominous ‘Book of the Nameless’, Beatrix and I walked side-by-side along the tree-lined avenue leading back to the dormitories.

The afternoon sun filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting dappled shadows upon the ground, creating a warm and inviting scene.

Yet, this outward tranquility failed to alleviate the heavy, unsettling aura that hung between us.

A stunning confrontation, a tacit betrayal, a transaction that staked our very futures… Each of these events had unfolded within the span of a single morning.

“You… how do you intend to handle this book?”

Beatrix was the first to break the heavy silence.

Her voice still sounded parched, as if she had yet to fully recover from the silent standoff with Elinor moments before.

“I’ll take it back to my dorm and study it thoroughly,” I replied.

“Until I fully understand its contents, I won’t allow what happened on the training grounds today to repeat itself.”

My assurance seemed to offer her a measure of comfort.

She nodded, and the keen sharpness of a knight in her golden eyes was now replaced by a deeper sense of bewilderment.

“Lilliana.”

Suddenly, she called me by my given name, rather than the more formal, distant surname.

“Hm?”

“…Who, exactly, are you?”

She posed the most fundamental, yet unanswerable, question.

I halted, turning to face her.

In the sunlight, her silver hair shimmered, and those eyes, usually brimming with resolute conviction, now resembled a ship lost in a dense fog, filled with utter confusion.

How could I possibly respond?

Should I tell her I was an ordinary librarian from another world?

No, that would only shatter her already bewildered perception of reality.

“I am simply myself.”

In the end, this ambiguous yet profoundly truthful answer was all I could offer.

“A… Lilliana von Eckhart who is striving to understand herself.”

Beatrix watched me silently, seemingly chewing on the deeper meaning of my words.

After a long moment, she let out a soft, almost inaudible ‘Mm,’ and pressed no further.

We continued our walk, the atmosphere even more subdued than before.

As we neared the fork in the road leading to the dormitories, she spoke again.

“If… if you encounter any trouble while studying that book… or if that power goes out of control again…”

She seemed to be struggling to find the right words.

“You can… come find me.”

Having said this, she appeared to find her own words rather abrupt and imprudent, a faint, unnatural blush creeping onto her cheeks as she quickly added:

“…As a Disciplinary Committee member, it is my duty to maintain the academy’s safety and order.”

Watching her stubborn yet kind-hearted demeanor, a flicker of… interest, for the first time, ignited within me towards this rival.

“I’ll remember that.”

I nodded, accepting her offer.

At the crossroads, she performed a somewhat stiff knight’s bow towards me, then turned and walked towards the office building where the Disciplinary Committee was located.

Her departing figure remained ramrod straight, yet it seemed to carry a heavier weight of contemplation than when she had arrived.

Alone, I returned to my opulent golden cage, clutching the forbidden book wrapped in black cloth.

Anna was already waiting at the door.

She visibly relaxed upon seeing my safe return, but a flicker of apprehension crossed her eyes when she spotted the ominous black package in my arms.

“Young Lady, lunch has been prepared.”

“Good, bring it to the study.”

I walked directly into the study and carefully placed the ‘Book of the Nameless’ inside the innermost locked drawer.

This item was far too dangerous; no one must ever discover it.

After a simple lunch, I intended to immediately begin a more in-depth study of the book.

However, the morning’s events had drained too much of my mental energy, and a profound weariness washed over me.

I decided to take a short nap.

Yet, I was ultimately denied even a moment of peace.

Just as I had changed into a casual dress and was about to lie down to rest…

Suddenly, an urgent knocking sounded from outside the door, accompanied by Anna’s flustered and troubled voice.

“Young Lady! That… Miss Ella… she insists on seeing you!”

Ella Smith?

My brow furrowed instantly.

Why was the protagonist seeking me out again?

“Tell her I’m feeling unwell and resting; I’m not seeing visitors.”

I spoke with a hint of impatience.

At this moment, the last people I wanted to see were the main characters of this plot.

“I-I already told her! But… but she said she has something very important to discuss, and she absolutely must thank you in person… She-she’s just waiting at the door and refuses to leave…”

Anna’s voice was on the verge of tears.

I sighed helplessly.

The protagonist’s persistent nature truly manifested itself in every conceivable situation.

If I continued to avoid her, given her personality, she might genuinely wait by the door until nightfall.

That would only draw more unnecessary rumors and attention.

“…Let her in,”

I finally conceded. “Have her wait for me in the living room.”

“Yes, Young Lady!” Anna, as if granted a reprieve, quickly retreated.

I straightened my slightly disheveled skirt and checked my reflection in the mirror, confirming that my icy facade remained perfectly intact.

Only then did I step out of the bedroom.

In the living room, Ella stood awkwardly in the center of the enormous Persian rug.

It seemed to be her first time in such a luxurious place; her eyes were filled with novelty and… a touch of out-of-place inferiority.

She was still dressed in her light training uniform, her cherry-pink hair a little messy from not being tended to, and her face still bore a flush from her training.

Upon seeing me emerge, she instantly straightened up, like a primary school student called upon by a teacher.

“Miss Eckhart! I am so sorry for presuming to disturb you while you were resting!”

She bowed deeply to me, her voice loud and filled with nervousness.

I walked to the main sofa and sat down, not inviting her to join me, merely observing her with a condescending gaze.

“Is there something you need?”

My voice was as cold as ice.

Ella flinched at my icy demeanor but bravely lifted her head, her clear green eyes meeting mine directly.

“I came… to apologize for this morning, and also… to thank you!”

“Apologize?” I raised an eyebrow.

“Yes!” She nodded vigorously.

“I shouldn’t have used offensive magic on you without you being prepared… If, if you weren’t strong enough, I might have hurt you! I am truly very sorry!”

She bowed deeply once more.

Watching her sincerity, which bordered on foolishness, I was momentarily at a loss for words.

Not only had she not felt humiliated by my comment, ‘too weak,’ but she was actually blaming herself for ‘almost hurting me’?

How exactly did this protagonist’s mind work?

“As for thanking you…”

She straightened up, a suspicious blush rising on her face, and her voice softened.

“I wanted to thank you… for being willing to team up with me. I know everyone else was reluctant… so, truly, thank you very much!”

After she finished, she seemed to relax completely, as if she had completed an important task.

Then, as if performing a magic trick, she produced a small, handkerchief-wrapped item from behind her back, holding it out to me with both hands.

“These… are some vanilla cookies I made myself, just a small token of my appreciation! If you don’t mind…”

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, like a puppy presenting a treasure to its owner.

I looked at the homemade cookies in her hands, then at her face, which practically screamed, ‘Praise me!’

My head began to ache again.

This protagonist, who should have been my sworn enemy…

Was now standing in my living room, offering me her homemade cookies.

Just how much more absurd could this world possibly get?