Several days had passed since the day I returned from the deep storeroom.
In the meantime, a few minor incidents had occurred.
For one, the physical education textbook on the shelf had suffered a bit of bullying, and some of its pages had been torn.
It seemed the books still bore a grudge because it had attacked me.
The problem was that even though the physical education textbook was showing signs of remorse, the subtle harassment continued.
At this rate, when the Bureau came to donate the music textbook and the art textbook, a similar situation might unfold.
Fortunately, however, the commotion soon died down.
Because the other books realized what happened when the physical education textbook was bullied.
“Phew, I told you all to stop tormenting it. I’ve forgiven it, and it’s reflecting on what it did too.”
Flutter! Flutter!
“……This won’t do. All right, let’s go again today. I’ll restore your torn pages. Looks like I won’t be able to manage the other books today…”
Fl-flutter……!!
In other words, if they bullied it, their own welfare would go out the window.
Most of the books in this library loved being carefully cared for, and now that was being postponed.
In the end, there was even the extraordinary sight of the books that had bullied the physical education textbook being ganged up on by yet other books.
Of course, the result was that the books that had done the ganging up were also banned from daily maintenance.
Fl-flutter……!
“It’s no use protesting. Who told you to fight? Fighting is forbidden in our library.”
When I glared at them with all my might, the books eventually gave up.
And so, peace came not only to the physical education textbook, but to the stacks as well.
As for anything else… Ah, right.
A few new visitors had come by.
Perhaps the Bureau had opened the floodgates, because over the course of about a week, three people visited the library.
The disappointing part was… every last one of them had been trembling in terror.
It seemed they hadn’t come seeking knowledge, but had been dragged in by chance.
So I treated them as kindly as I could and lent them thin books so they could leave.
‘Once you’ve entered the library, you have to read a book, after all.’
In the process, two of them were quick-witted enough to somehow keep quiet and follow the rules properly before leaving.
They would probably encounter small strokes of fortune in their daily lives through the books I recommended.
But in the case of the other one… unfortunately, he broke the rules.
Perhaps his mental strength had reached its limit, because he burst into laughter and tried to tear apart several books.
So I underlined his name and ejected him.
Somehow, he hadn’t seemed merely frightened from the moment he first came in; it appeared he had been mentally unstable from the start.
It was regrettable, but if he broke the rules, he had to pay the appropriate price.
Since the books around him might have been startled, I took even more careful care of them than usual.
As a bonus, I gently scratched the pages that looked itchy with a soft bristle brush.
They trembled so much from how good it felt.
Then, one day as I was handling my routine work in the library…
Creeeeak…
Clunk.
A strange, unfamiliar aura unlike usual could be felt from the entrance.
This sensation was clearly different from the three people from before.
One organization came to mind.
‘The Bureau?’
If someone possessed this bizarre and mysterious aura, there was a high chance it was them.
If so, since the purpose of their visit today would be to donate books, I had to guide them somewhere other than the stacks.
So I left the stacks.
“……?”
“Oh, so it really was true.”
Someone wearing a black robe unsuited to the modern era was approaching from the entrance, looking around the lobby.
They gave off the distinct impression that they were clearly not affiliated with the Bureau.
How should I put it?
An ominous feeling was emanating from within his clothes.
Almost like… yes, like the aura I felt from the many books sleeping on the shelves.
“The Akashic Records really do exist. Then is that girl the administrator of the Akashic Records?”
“Are you… a visitor?”
I tilted my head and asked.
Perhaps he hadn’t expected me to speak to him, because the robed man flinched for a moment.
“H-huh? Yes. I’m a visitor. I came because there is knowledge I wish to know.”
He clearly possessed a composure different from the others.
And that composure… came from the ominous aura within his clothes.
He must have something that could guarantee his safety, hence that attitude.
‘Well, his attitude doesn’t matter.’
In the end, what I was curious about was whether he was a visitor or not.
As a library was a space of knowledge open to all, there was no reason to discriminate among visitors.
To begin with, as someone who liked books, I hoped even one more person would make use of the library.
“I see. Welcome to the Mystic Library.”
I took out the old tome and asked the robed man,
“So, what sort of book would you like to see?”
“……What sort of book, you say. Do you perhaps have a book called [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit]? Or [Abyssgetia] or [The Book of the Dark Lion] would also do.”
His gaze seemed to be testing me, but I paid it no mind and searched through my mind.
“……[Abyssgetia] and [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit], those two are available for reading. [The Book of the Dark Lion] does not exist in this library.”
“So grimoires with clear owners are not registered. In that case, I would like to see those two.”
“That is possible. What is your name?”
Usually, by writing directly in the old tome myself, I could learn a visitor’s name and basic information.
But after thinking about it carefully, I realized that if I wrote it down first without informing the visitor, it might feel like an invasion of human rights? Something like that. So I had started asking first.
It would be troublesome if they got offended while reading and tried to tear up a book for no reason.
“It’s Ryan.”
“Please tell me your real name.”
I could figure out that much without even trying, you know.
“……Hah. Edward. Edward… Do I have to tell you my surname too?”
Edward.
Scratch, scratch.
[Edward Bishop.
Sorcerer.]
……Sorcerer?
As in, one of those sorcerers who shoot pew-pew magic?
Well, thinking about it, this world was full of strange things, so it wouldn’t be odd for things originally classified as occult to exist.
Apparently, that sorcerer wanted to broaden the scope of his magical knowledge.
“That is fine. You have been registered. Before entering the stacks, please read the rules.”
“……The laws of this library, then.”
It was sudden, but he was an interesting visitor.
If he was a sorcerer, his attitude toward books would probably be better than that of ordinary people terrified out of their wits.
With a subtle sense of anticipation, I took him into the stacks.
* * *
To think this actually existed!
The sorcerer Edward barely held back the laughter that threatened to burst out as he followed the girl before him.
As a member of the Dark Dawn Society, he had an arrogant personality, but that did not mean he was so ignorant as to act recklessly.
After all, the grimoire inside his clothes had been behaving strangely in response to the girl before him since a short while ago.
Since that unfathomable being was being cooperative anyway, there was no reason to resort to force.
Rather than that, he had to prepare himself for an unexpectedly tremendous harvest.
‘So [Abyssgetia] and [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit] were here!’
They were grimoires pursued by many sorcerers including those of the Dark Dawn Society, as well as the mystical factions of the East and even the international organization known as the Anomaly Management Bureau.
As books that had left deep scars on human history, many people had been chasing them… but to think they would be in this mysterious space.
As he entered the stacks, Edward felt an inexplicable tingling sensation run through his entire body.
It felt as though another sorcerer was preparing a surprise attack.
But even when he looked around, there was no one there besides himself.
……No, upon closer inspection, that aura was being emitted by the countless books shelved in the bookcases.
‘Could it be… that all of these books are grimoires?’
Edward shuddered.
If he could, he wanted to take them out of this library.
But… according to the laws of this place, taking books outside was impossible.
“Which would you like to read first, [Abyssgetia] or [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit]?”
The girl tilted her head and asked.
She had a pretty face that made it hard to believe she was the administrator of a library full of grimoires.
Of course, something like external beauty had long since fallen outside Edward’s sphere of interest.
“In that case… [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit].”
Since [Abyssgetia] was the more powerful grimoire, it was necessary to offset the impact with [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit] first.
If he made a mistake, the knowledge inside a sorcerer’s head might flow backward and be sucked into the grimoire.
“Hmm, now that I think about it…”
At that moment, the girl spoke.
“If you intend to see both of them anyway, it should be fine to hand them over in advance.”
“……! I would appreciate that.”
“Then I will bring the books, so please leave the stacks and go to the reading room on the right.”
Edward obediently left the stacks as the girl instructed and headed to the reading room.
As expected, several antique desks and chairs were arranged inside the empty space.
‘It has a similar feel to the library owned by the Dark Dawn Society.’
Edward sat down in a suitable seat and waited for several minutes. A short while later, the girl came into the reading room, struggling as she carried two old books.
“Hngh, whew… Here are [Abyssgetia] and [The Aesthetics of the Bottomless Pit].”
“……!!”
They were real.
The titles of the books were clearly written in an ancient language.
The faintly emanating malicious aura was also just as the Dark Dawn Society’s records described.
“Then enjoy your reading.”
After the girl disappeared, Edward began examining the books with a heart full of joy.
Beyond the books lay a great deal of the knowledge he had wanted.
‘With this, the other sorcerers won’t be able to treat me carelessly!’
And so, over a long period of time, Edward slowly absorbed even the knowledge of [Abyssgetia], until at some point, he discovered another book wedged between the two.
“What is this……?”
[.̝͚̘̲͕͛̈̊̏̈́̊ .̲̜̳̪̬͑̏̈̐͂͆̽̍ .̟̣̗͕̲͓̗̬̀̄̓̉͋̀̓̍.͚̪̪̮͖̆͋͊̀ .͈̰͇͇̝͎̥̯̠̈͗́́̃͆̄́͌̉.̭̟͓͓̝͖͚̦͔̘̓̾͆̑̒͌͋̓͌̊̚ͅ.̲̘̟͓̙̤͈͓͚̫̅͗̈̈̎̒̆͂́̓̽̾ .̖̬̟̦̙̟̮̩̩̈̆́̔̔̄͐ .͎̜̠̪͍͔̮̬́̆͒̐̓̅.̰̤̮͍͙̜̮͊͌̉̊̑͆̌́́͗̎͒ͅ .͎̫̰͖͖̗̠͚̯͆̓̎̓̋̓͗̇̀͒̏̈́.͉͕̭̮̠͕̯̯̣̝̅̔̀̆]
He flinched.
He could not read it.
A language that even he, a renowned sorcerer, could not read?
But soon, he heard what sounded like fingers snapping from somewhere, and he became able to understand the title of the book.
“[The Darkness Beyond the Door That Traverses the Cosmos]……?”
It was a grimoire even Edward had never heard of before.