[V8C19] Qualities of the Librarian

Monica squatted down with a sigh of relief upon seeing Raul wave his hands from inside Sophocles’s barrier.

“W-We made it in time…”

To tell the truth, it was possible for Monica to immediately set up her own sealing barrier after she disengaged the magical battle barrier. However, sealing barriers inherently involved considerable effort and preparation.

Casting one without an incantation would require significant simplifications to the formula, and Monica wasn’t confident that she could seal Raul with a simplified barrier. His mana capacity was that much of a threat.

“Good work out there, Master.”

Isaac, who had returned to Monica’s side, wiped off the grass juices from his dagger with the tattered blanket.

Monica had been surprised when Isaac suddenly said he would retrieve the Key of Knowledge, but she was even more astonished when he produced a dagger out of nowhere. Where had he been hiding it?

“You too, Ike. Um, are you hurt?”

“Not at all, thanks to you watching my back.”

Although Isaac confronted the rose soldiers with a confident look on his face, Monica couldn’t help but worry that her disciple was in a tight spot. That said, he appeared genuinely unharmed.

(Good, I protected him properly…)

As Monica let out another sigh of relief, she saw Claudia emerge from behind a tree, mumbling something.

“…Impressive. A dagger and a handgun. There’s something hidden in your boots too. You’re more like an assassin than an apprentice mage.”

“Eh!?”

Monica immediately turned back to Isaac, but much to her surprise, the dagger in his hands had vanished into thin air.

This was a dagger with a reasonably long blade. Despite that, it had vanished like magic in the few seconds that Monica looked away.

“H-Huh? The dagger is gone…? How? …Did you use magic, Ike?”

Monica found herself muttering in disbelief, to which Isaac replied with a wink.

“That’s right. It’s chantless storage magic.”

“…Oh, I see. Please teach me the magic formula later.”

Isaac gave the overly serious Monica a light chuckle before turning his attention towards Cyril and the others.

“Well then, I suppose things should be settled pretty soon.”

＊　＊　＊

Standing amidst the scattered remains of ice and vines, Cyril gave the Key of Knowledge an order.

“…Sophocles, you can release Raul now.”

“Very well… In the name of the Key of Knowledge Sophocles, you shall be released.”

After a flicker of the ring’s gemstone, the barrier sealing Raul disappeared without a sound.

The excited Raul immediately began opening and closing his hands, as if testing his own movements.

“Oh, I can feel my mana again. Cool, maybe it’s like a barrier that forcefully separates a person’s link to their own mana. I’ve heard of things like that before, but it feels really weird in person.”

After giving his impression, Raul turned his attention to Cyril, who looked very discontent. Lacking his usual cheer, Raul began mumbling with an awkward smile.

“Ah… well… y-you see…”

“Forgive me.” Cyril interrupted Raul and lowered his head in apology. “I was a fool for underestimating the power of the Seven Sages, and thinking I stood a chance against you.”

The Seven Sages stood at the pinnacle of the country’s mages, wielding power incomprehensible to the average person.

And yet, Cyril had assumed that he could win on his own with a good enough plan. The extent of his arrogance was shameful and embarrassing. What’s more, that was not all Cyril had to reflect on.

“And then I even went as far as to provoke you… I was truly out of my right mind. Please, forgive me.”

“…Um.”

Upon hearing Cyril’s serious apology, Raul was taken aback. With his emerald eyes swimming, Raul voiced his doubt in a hushed tone.

“…Weren’t you scared?”

“What are you talking about? I’m trying to convey how sorry I am…”

“Well, I mean… you saw me earlier, right…?” Raul asked in an unusually hesitant tone.

“Again, what are you talking about?” Cyril repeated, furrowing his brows.

“Y-You know… All the stuff I did earlier… Didn’t that scare you?”

“Scare? Do you think of me as a man who gets frightened so easily?!”

After realizing that he had started shouting, Cyril quickly covered his mouth. Despite just having apologized for his short temper, he had done it again.

“S-Sorry, that was…”

Cyril attempted to stammer out an excuse, but for some reason, Raul put on a relieved smile.

“Heh, hehehe, I see… hahahaha…”

“…What’s with that face?”

“Hahaha…”

Raul continued laughing with a face that seemed several times more relaxed than usual, until he noticed Monica running towards him, and turned his attention towards her.

“Hey Monica, thanks for stopping me!”

“Oh, um, you’re welcome… Well, next time… maybe you could tell me a bit earlier…”

Monica said this while fidgeting with her fingers, causing Raul to blink a few times in surprise. His emerald eyes sparkled with expectation, and his cheeks took on a rosy hue.

“So you’ll stop me next time too?”

“Huh? Y-Yes, of course…”

Now unable to contain his laughter, Raul pulled Cyril in with his right hand and Monica with his left.

“Hahahaha!”

“What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?! Let go of me!”

“U-Um, Raul-sama? Raul-sama?”

Despite the angrily yelling Cyril and the flustered Monica, Raul continued to laugh without a care in the world.

Cyril turned towards the ring on his right hand.

“Sophocles, could there have been a problem with the barrier? Perhaps something that damaged the emotional or linguistic part of Raul’s brain…”

“This is not my fault.”

Sophocles let out a sigh, as if saying, “what am I going to do with this guy?”

＊　＊　＊

——To think he was not afraid of the abomination known as the Thorn Witch! Perhaps this was the biggest surprise of all!

To tell the truth, Sophocles wanted to laugh. He had been right all along.


Once upon a time, a peculiar woman was born to the Harvey family.

Despite possessing a magical talent befitting the priestly lineage, she never sought to learn magic. She was a quiet woman with ice-cold eyes, and her greatest joy was reading books in silence.

She showed no interest in people, only books.

Her family was initially troubled by how to handle her, but eventually, they decided to give her the role of librarian.

That said, the library placed under her management was a special one for storing books which sealed away dangerous monsters.

The malicious aura and voices of these monsters filled the air, causing most to either faint from fear or flee the room within ten seconds of their entry.

But not her. The woman took a single step into the noisy library, opened her tightly-zipped mouth… and she shouted in anger.

“How am I supposed to read when it’s so noisy?! Shut up already!”

The intensity of her voice caused the monsters to immediately fall silent. And once the room was quiet, she resumed reading her book as if nothing had happened.

The woman was completely unperturbed, even when placed in a room full of monsters.

Before long, the monsters found themselves interested in the woman and started trying to capture her attention. After all, they had nothing better to do now that they were sealed.

The woman decided to indulge the monsters, reading them books and engaging in literary discussions. Slowly but surely, the sealed monsters grew fond of the woman, and the eeriness of the library lightened, if only slightly.

However, the woman ended up marrying into the Ashley family. Once the new librarian took over, the monsters of the library erupted in anger.

It was then that the king ordered the Ashley family to manage the library, and the woman dedicated the rest of her life to its optimization.

…Mainly to ensure that she could read books in a comfortable environment.

Becoming the keeper of the Forbidden Archives requires specific talents, but these can take many forms. For example, possessing a quality beloved by monsters, or perhaps the bravery and calmness to endure their malice.

While it is hard to define in words, the most important factor is that they can get along with, or endure the presence of the monsters.


When Vicent Ashley went out into the town to find his successor, Sophocles came with him. And the scene they witnessed was like no other.

They had found a stubborn-looking child, Cyril Wayne. Despite being constantly teased by the surrounding children, he continued to stand tall.

As Cyril engrossed himself in his studies, the other children mocked his father, alongside other malicious insults. In response, Cyril raised his head from his book and shouted.

“How am I supposed to concentrate on my studies when it’s so noisy?! Shut up already!”

After repelling the malice surrounding him, Cyril went back to his book and continued to study quietly.

Sophocles felt like he might burst into laughter. What a striking resemblance to the woman who had once shouted the monsters into silence!

“Vicent, I’ve decided! That child! That child is the one!”

“That’s an unusually quick decision for you, Sophocles. That said, I was just thinking the same thing. He seems good.”

“…H-He? Eh? You mean that’s not a girl? Eh!?”

Upon learning that the child was a boy rather than a girl, Sophocles felt like he might cry despite his lack of eyes. Even so, the young boy clearly had enough guts to inherit the Key of Knowledge.

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