🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 34
“Um, what kind of help do you mean?”
The one who asked urgently was Jerome. Seeing his slightly flustered expression, Elysia tilted her head.
Well, it was understandable. Even someone like Jerome, the vice tower master, couldn’t resolve the issue—so of course it would seem strange that a mere librarian like Pin claimed he could.
Pin, meanwhile, answered calmly.
“Of course, I can’t force the registration period to be shortened or anything like that.”
“R-right?”
Jerome let out a sigh of relief and pressed a hand to his chest. Instead, Elysia asked with curiosity.
“Then…?”
To her question, Pin responded in an even tone.
“First, there’s something we need to confirm. Is the reason you wish to register your research immediately so you can attend the imperial banquet in two days?”
How did he know—?!
Elysia flinched. She had only talked about research registration so far. She hadn’t said a single word about needing to attend the imperial banquet.
Such insight would be impossible unless he completely understood her situation. Perhaps noticing her guarded gaze, Pin shook his head as if to reassure her.
“It’s just that I couldn’t think of any other reason someone would urgently need noble-like rights within a week.”
His smile looked bashful, as if he’d guessed correctly by sheer coincidence. That somehow made it feel more convincing.
“You don’t seem to be lacking financially, and as Mr. Jerome mentioned earlier, the research itself doesn’t appear to be especially urgent.”
Hearing this, Jerome chimed in, puzzled.
“Now that I think about it… couldn’t you just attend with your father? Surely your family received an invitation.”
“Yes, but my father forbade me from going.”
Elysia answered honestly.
At this point, pushing forward head-on was the only option. She continued boldly.
“He was upset over what happened last time, so he placed me under house arrest. But I really want to attend this banquet.”
“I see…!”
Jerome was taken aback by the unexpected revelation, then muttered with a blank expression.
“Well, I suppose he does care deeply for you, so maybe he just didn’t want you to go…”
What kind of wild misunderstanding is that now?
That the duke cared for her? Elysia wanted to correct his assumption, but there was no time to waste. She firmly shook her head with a bewildered expression.
“In any case, I intend to go to the banquet. So I figured it would be helpful to have either a reason to attend or an invitation.”
If she couldn’t get one, she’d just barge in anyway. Still, Elysia intended to keep things proper if at all possible.
That was why she was aiming to attend as a certified mage.
“Hmm…”
Jerome pondered deeply upon hearing her words. Then something seemed to come to mind.
“Actually, the Tower also receives a set number of invitations to each banquet. Naturally, not every mage can attend, so we prioritize well-known research magicians whose identities are thoroughly verified.”
Ah… so even being a research mage doesn’t guarantee an invite.
Apparently, like among nobles—where lower-ranking nobles often didn’t receive invitations—not all mages were treated equally. Prestige and rank mattered.
Even if I registered as a research mage, I might not have received one.
Elysia, with a reputation score of -999!
Who in their right mind would dare give her an invitation?
∥“Maybe I should’ve just busted the doors down instead of worrying about an invite.”∥
Elysia sighed, and Jerome gave her a sympathetic look.
“Also… unfortunately, all the invitations we received have already been distributed. Unless someone backs out, I can’t really give you one…”
“Then I’ll give her mine.”
Pin interrupted casually.
He spoke with an easy tone, as if it were no big deal. His eyes sparkled like he had been waiting for this exact moment.
“I received one too. If I give her mine, that should solve the issue, shouldn’t it?”
“B-but…!”
Jerome opened his mouth in shock. He looked like he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. He tried to protest but seemed unable to find the words and just opened and closed his mouth repeatedly. Finally, he asked in disbelief,
“Don’t tell me… you’re not going again this time?”
Elysia also turned to Pin and asked,
“Are you sure you can give it to me…?”
“Yes, I don’t mind not going.”
Pin shrugged and added,
“Like the vice tower master just said, I’ve skipped all previous banquets. It’s just my personality.”
“But I heard there’s going to be an important prophecy this time…”
“I’m not interested in prophecies. I wasn’t planning to go anyway.”
Pin stretched out his hand.
Before Elysia, a white glow began to form above his palm—glimmering fragments of light, like scattered pieces coming back together. The light coalesced into a single shape.
A square paper descended gently onto his hand, still glowing faintly.
“An invitation to the banquet…?”
It looked nearly identical to the one Elysia had seen earlier that morning, when the royal messenger delivered it to the duke’s house. The ornate golden trim, the detailed seal—undeniably authentic. The only difference was the printed designation showing that the invitee was an officially certified mage of the Tower.
“Here. Take it.”
“But…”
Elysia glanced at Jerome. He looked completely dazed, unsure how to react.
So it’s real, then.
If it were fake, he wouldn’t look like that. And if it were unusable, he’d have explained that too.
“You can accept it. You’re a noble, and you were officially invited originally, so using this won’t cause any trouble.”
Pin added this reassuringly. Elysia reached toward the invitation—but then pulled back and shook her head.
“I can’t take it without offering something in return.”
“…You really are a mage.”
His voice held a faint trace of something bittersweet. But that subtle expression vanished quickly, replaced by his usual pleasant smile. Pin nodded.
“When mages receive something, we pay the price. I almost forgot that custom.”
He tilted his head thoughtfully, then spoke in a soft tone.
“Then how about this? In exchange for using my invitation this time, you attend the next banquet with me.”
“Hm.”
Wasn’t that too small a price? She suspected he was just tacking on a formality to avoid burdening her.
At that moment, Jerome leaned in and whispered urgently.
“L-Lady Elysia, just take it!”
His eyes had regained their brightness, and there was a bit of desperation in them—as if he was silently begging her not to waste this opportunity.
“If the Duke complains you disobeyed him and went out, I’ll take full responsibility. Whatever happens, I’ll handle it. Please, accept it!”
Was he… really this desperate, or was she imagining it?
Jerome hadn’t seemed so eager earlier, but now he’d suddenly flipped. Elysia didn’t know why, but there was no downside for her.
He’s even offering to take the Duke’s wrath for me?
An unexpectedly big win. Elysia hesitated for a moment, pretending to consider, then quickly snatched the invitation.
“No take-backs.”
Jerome nodded immediately.
“Of course!”
Pin, who had been watching quietly, turned to Elysia.
“I hope you enjoy the banquet. You can tell me all about it later if you’d like.”
“Thank you, Pin. I’ll have a great time!”
Elysia waved brightly. Pin stared at her, hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand in return. That same pleasant smile crept across his face, and for a second, he looked genuinely happy.
“By the way, Jerome.”
After parting ways with Pin, Jerome offered to escort Elysia to the entrance of the tower. Left alone with him, Elysia decided to ask what she’d been wondering.
“What kind of person is Pin, exactly? Is he really a librarian?”
“Yes… he works as a librarian.”
The quick response and his expression made it clear—Pin had been telling the truth. Elysia continued questioning.
“But he must be quite a renowned mage to receive an invitation every time?”
“Well…”
Jerome furrowed his brow, as if unsure how to explain, but then slowly began to speak.
“Ah! Pin’s published papers are all highly regarded… He’s evaluated as a very capable research mage.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Among the mages who visit the library at night, he’s already well-known. If you come during the evening, you’ll probably run into him.”
So he really is a librarian.
Some kind of hidden master of magic, maybe?
The type who writes groundbreaking research papers but never steps into the spotlight and just quietly works as a librarian.
This was the kind of weird game where even unopened books had deep, detailed content written inside. In the same vein, maybe the developers gave this seemingly minor character an unexpectedly elaborate backstory for no reason.
So he was probably not a shady or dangerous person. Elysia hadn’t gotten a bad impression of him either.
And Jerome seemed to trust him quite a bit. It might be good to get closer.
Just as Elysia was lost in thought, Jerome asked cautiously,
“Um, Lady Elysia, this might be a bit late to ask, but… you do understand what he meant, right?”
“What do you mean?”
“When Pin said the price was attending the next banquet with him… That was…”
Jerome gulped.
“That was a partner request.”
“…Huh?”
