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Chapter 03
The hand that was holding the book froze in midair.
What?
“‘You think you’ll get angry?’”
Dangerous?
Is the library dangerous? Or this country? Or, if not that, the world?
No. No, that can’t be it.
“‘Sir Constance said he’s angry because he’s worried I might get hurt.’”
Even the low tone of his voice felt unusual, and yet he was saying things I couldn’t make sense of.
For a moment, I doubted my own ears—but looking into those deep eyes that held my gaze tightly, I didn’t think I had misheard him.
My lips couldn’t move. The distance was too close to look away, so I couldn’t turn my head carelessly.
Sir Constance and I exchanged silent gazes for a long moment.
Seeing him up close like this wiped everything from my mind—the doubts I had carried about Sir Constance, my anxious thoughts.
It wasn’t the first time I had seen him, yet I was captivated by his appearance. When his deep eyes pierced into mine, my heart nearly sank.
It seemed almost absurd to think, but… could Sir Constance like me?
“No, that’s impossible. Why would Sir Constance…?”
It was a ridiculous thought. And yet, this conclusion made enough sense of Sir Constance’s strange behavior that it almost seemed plausible.
But still, it was truly an impossible idea.
Outside of this library, I had never run into him.
There was never a situation where love could have blossomed. He had no reason to fall for me.
Sure, some men and nobles occasionally flirted after noticing my appearance… but there was no way the man in front of me could like me.
Then why did this man of noble birth keep interfering with my path?
“Bibi.”
My breath hitched. It was then.
“Ban NOK development! Ban it!”
“There will be no second war! No second Nergal!”
The voices of protesters outside the library cut between me and Sir Constance.
“These days, the library is really noisy, isn’t it?”
I regained my composure first and quickly picked up the book, handing it to Sir Constance.
“I… I remembered something I had to do.”
Of course, that was a lie.
“Excuse me, but could you put the books somewhere in the storage over there for me? P-please.”
It felt shameless, but I was in a hurry.
“Thanks in advance. Then…!”
And with that, I bolted away.
I couldn’t focus on my work at all. One reason was Sir Constance, who had so politely returned to his place after carrying out my request. The other reason was…
“Bibi, go stop them.”
“Huh?”
Following the director’s gaze, I looked out the window. Outside, the shouting protesters all held up placards with excited faces. Anti-NOK protests had been happening in several places recently, but a protest in front of the library was over the line.
“Tell them to either move somewhere else, or do a silent protest. Please, make them stop.”
“M-me?”
“Yes, you, Bibi.”
The director pointed a finger at me. Why me…? I had even carried that heavy box earlier.
Well, Sir Constance had done most of the work anyway. I swallowed the thought.
“Then I should… with the guards?”
“Everyone’s busy with repairs due to the basement leak. It won’t be a problem.”
“…The security guards?”
“Didn’t I already tell you that the mayor emphasized the ‘Safety of Kenari’ slogan and removed the library guards? Don’t worry, Bibi. Kenari Village is safe; there’s a large naval commander here. Talk to them once, and if it still doesn’t work, you can report to the police directly.”
When I hesitated, the director added:
“Director, shouldn’t we just call the police from the start…?”
“Bibi.”
The director called my name again.
“In this cursed country, if you blindly call the police, no one listens. First, try to resolve things through conversation. Only if it doesn’t work, call the police.”
So basically, you handle it yourself.
I couldn’t respond. They were people who clearly wouldn’t listen to reason, yet I was being sent to talk to them? And I was the youngest in the library.
What kind of tyranny is this? The person I should call the police on isn’t the protesters—it’s this cruel director who treats the youngest however he wants.
“What are you doing? Still sitting there.”
“I was just about to get up.”
I awkwardly stood up, hesitating.
Outside the reading room, the protesters’ voices were loud and chaotic. They weren’t just shouting—they were beating drums and blowing horns. Standing behind placards claiming they were victims, they were causing trouble for others.
It was total chaos.
“……”
I looked at the protesters in front of me. All seven of them were big men.
NOK will lead the world to destruction!
No second Nergal!
“Ban NOK development!”
“Ban it! Ban it!”
“No second Nergal!”
“No! No!”
The shouting men glanced at me as I approached. I forced a smile.
“Um…”
They scowled at me with distrust. They already realized my intention.
“What do you want?”
“The noise of your protest is too loud. It’s disturbing the people reading books. Could you move somewhere else?”
At my words, their expressions stiffened. They ignored me and shouted even louder, making my ears ring.
“E-excuse me!”
The protesters completely ignored me.
“Hey! If you do this, I’ll have to call the police…!”
“Miss.”
The moment I mentioned the police, they reacted. Their voices calling me were sharp.
“Do you think reading is more important than peace right now?”
I shook my head in response.
“But it’s disturbing the library.”
“Miss. Are you a spy? Are you in favor of NOK development? Do you want this world to die in another war?”
They spoke aggressively.
“Then could you at least lower your voices a bit…?”
“Lower our voices? Then would that still be a protest? We have to be loud so the city hall ahead can hear us.”
Why was this anger being taken out on me?
“Then why don’t you protest in front of city hall…”
“If we could, we would! City hall is full of cops. This plaza is the closest place we can be.”
They clearly weren’t going to listen.
“This won’t work. Miss, listen to me.”
Not only that—they lectured me about the problems in this country.
Then I realized I had picked the wrong target. After long days of tiring protests, a young woman like me—naive and inexperienced—was perfect for them to vent on. Was there anyone better to indoctrinate with their ideas?
I looked around, hoping the director would be watching. But it wasn’t him—Sir Constance was stepping outside the library.
“Why is he looking at me…?”
I realized that Sir Constance was approaching me.
“Then I… I’ll go now…”
“Where do you think you’re going? Be polite when an adult is talking.”
One of the protesters grabbed my arm. Surprised, I forcefully shook it off.
“Ah!”
I lost my balance.
“Bibi!”
I thought I heard Sir Constance’s voice. Without time to recover, I fell to the ground, wincing from the scrape on my arm.
It stung and hurt.
“Wh-what…?”
I heard the panicked voices of the protesters above me. They hadn’t expected me to fall and quickly withdrew the hand that had grabbed my arm.
“Why did you fall alone and make such a fuss?”
Suddenly, I was the one who had fallen.
“Bibi, are you okay?”
Sir Constance was immediately in front of me, holding out a hand. When I hesitated, he gently took my waist and lifted me up.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re hurt.”
He checked my arm after helping me up. His face grew stern as he examined my elbow.
“I’m fine. Really.”
Not wanting to make a scene, I looked at him. His head turned toward the protesters, silently assessing them.
“I did nothing. This lady just fell on her own.”
“Bibi’s wound is deep.”
“She fell by herself! You saw it too!”
They were afraid of Sir Constance, bigger and higher-ranked than them. Their attitude was completely different than before.
“W-we did nothing wrong.”
I felt utter contempt for them.
“First, stop this violent protest. Then come with me…”
“Sir Constance!”
I urgently grabbed his arm.
“Just a moment. Please step aside for a moment.”
“Bibi?”
Standing before the protesters, my gaze now full of determination, they flinched.
“War happens because neither side can compromise, and the stronger forces the weaker to obey.”
“……”
“That’s why NOK was developed. With NOK, other countries won’t recklessly pick up their guns and invade. Just like you become weak in front of Sir Constance.”
The protesters scowled.
“What?”
“I mean, if you truly want peace, please!”
“……”
“Please… protest quietly.”
