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Chapter 17
The building located farthest to the east when viewed from outside, the one shaped like a spire, was the library.
As the two approached, the library doors automatically swung wide open.
Inside, the library was long and narrow overall, and the ceiling was so high that its end disappeared into darkness.
“So that’s why it’s called a tower.”
Miti slowly scanned the endless spiral bookshelves packed tightly with books.
Something about it felt strangely off.
After thinking for a while, she finally realized what felt strange.
“There are… no stairs. Or even ladders.”
“There are stairs, but only the librarian can open them.”
“Why?”
“Because forbidden books are stored here as well. If just anyone could read forbidden books or banned magic, it would become a huge problem.”
“Then if someone wants a book from high up, do they fly?”
“Haha. That’s such a cute idea!”
Andelson laughed out loud.
Unlike the Count, it didn’t irritate her.
“You can find and read any book you want from here.”
Andelson walked toward a desk about waist height and called her over.
The desk was slightly tilted, and on top of it sat a sheet of white paper and a pen.
“Is there a book you need?”
“I don’t know the title.”
“Just briefly tell me what you want to learn.”
“Hmm… then, is there a book that simply summarizes all existing magic?”
“Of course.”
Andelson answered brightly.
Then he wrote, ‘Summary of all existing magic’ on the white paper.
The moment he set down the pen, the letters floated upward.
The words drifted into the air like feathers, then scattered toward the ceiling like smoke before disappearing.
“Wow.”
Miti stared upward blankly in amazement.
“They’ll start falling soon.”
“Huh?”
The moment Andelson finished speaking, the sound of fluttering paper echoed beside her ears.
Miti quickly turned toward the sound.
A book covered in brown leather dropped onto the floor with a thud.
She instinctively moved to pick it up, but Andelson stopped her.
“Don’t go yet. It’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous?”
“More are going to fall.”
At his words, Miti tilted her head upward toward the ceiling.
Sure enough, books began pouring down from above.
Like rain.
The fallen books neatly stacked themselves inside a circular magic circle.
“…When am I supposed to read all of these?”
The pile was far taller than she expected.
“If you write a title or the subject you want on the paper, the books automatically fall like this.”
“The method is a little violent.”
“But it’s useful for keeping secrets.”
Andelson shrugged casually.
“What kind of person is the librarian?”
“I’ve only met them once, but they’re a very unique person.”
“That’s exactly why I asked.”
Miti let out a dry laugh while watching books continue dropping with loud thumps.
“At the same time, they’re also the master of the Magic Tower.”
“The master of the Magic Tower?”
“Yes.”
Miti’s eyes widened.
The owner of the Magic Tower also acting as the librarian.
Suddenly, she became curious about them.
“The most effective way to manage forbidden books is for the master of the Magic Tower to handle them personally.”
“Is the master allowed to read forbidden books?”
“Well, they’re the one who created those forbidden books in the first place, so I suppose it’s fine.”
Andelson shrugged again.
“Are you curious about the master of the Magic Tower?”
“Yes. Very.”
After seeing the curiosity sparkling in her eyes, Andelson nodded as if he understood.
Then he immediately began explaining.
“I don’t know everything, but apparently they’ve lived for 981 years.”
“A person can live that long?”
“Because they’re half-human, half-god.”
Andelson nodded.
Even during the conversation, books continued piling up.
The master of the Magic Tower was a half-human, half-divine being—the human closest to a god, and a god closest to a human.
They knew every magic that existed in this world and could use them freely.
This place stored records of every magic they had mastered.
Andelson added that every device operating inside the Magic Tower had also been created by them.
“The master of the Magic Tower was a half-human, half-divine being—the human closest to a god, and a god closest to a human.”
“So I definitely can’t try anything suspicious here.”
Miti smacked her lips in disappointment.
By then, the rain of books had stopped.
Andelson carried the thick pile of books to a table in the corner.
When Miti saw the height of the stack, her face froze.
“Didn’t I ask for summaries?”
“Yes. I think these are all summaries.”
Andelson answered innocently.
Apparently, this amount of material was normal to him.
Miti unconsciously puffed out her lower lip.
“No wonder people call this place a group of weirdos.”
Anyone living buried under stacks of thick paper and densely packed words would naturally become strange.
“I absolutely must not become a weirdo.”
Miti firmly reminded herself to stay sane.
“Is there anything else I can help you with?”
After placing all the books on the desk, Andelson asked.
Miti stared at him quietly.
“…?”
Andelson tilted his smiling face side to side like a toy doll.
Miti thought for a moment.
Even if he was only an apprentice, if Count Kirchhoff willingly sponsored him despite being obsessed with money, then Andelson’s skills must certainly be real.
Meanwhile, her own magic knowledge had only just reached the basics.
It would probably help if someone beside her explained this world’s magic.
After making her decision, she quickly nodded.
“Yes. Actually, I’ve never properly learned magic before. So I’d appreciate it if you could explain things whenever there’s something I don’t understand.”
“Of course!”
Andelson agreed immediately.
The two sat facing each other with the mountain of books between them.
Miti picked the book that looked most likely to contain the information she wanted.
Andelson decided to continue his own studies until she asked for help.
“Rather than creating something completely new, it’ll probably be faster to modify something that already exists.”
Miti recalled the requirements for entering the Magic Tower.
Then she remembered a principle that felt engraved into her instincts.
“The basic rule of making something old seem new—add something, or remove something.”
Perhaps she had originally possessed a talent for magic in her former world after all.
Or perhaps she simply desperately wanted to crush Count Kirchhoff’s sharp nose.
Miti’s burning gaze, practically buried inside the book, suddenly stopped at one sentence.
“The greatest difference between barriers and defensive magic is whether they possess control over space.”
Among the endless complicated explanations, that sentence stood out sharply.
“This is it.”
Miti’s lips moved faintly.
“This is it!”
Unable to suppress the excitement rising in her throat, Miti suddenly shouted and jumped to her feet.
Her chair crashed backward loudly.
She ignored it completely and repeated the sentence she had just read over and over again.
At that moment, Andelson returned carrying a stack of his own research materials.
“Miss Sestol? Why are you standing?”
“Andelson, does defensive magic only work in shield form?”
“Huh?”
Andelson blinked at the sudden question fired at him like an arrow.
After taking a moment to understand the situation, he gave a proper, model-student answer.
“No. There’s also the method of engraving magic formulas into mediums like weapons. For example, defensive magic can be engraved onto armor so it blocks not only physical attacks but magical attacks as well.”
“What other forms are there?”
“That’s all.”
Andelson answered shortly.
Miti’s light brown eyes sharpened.
“With this, I can enter the Magic Tower.”
Excitement rushed through her veins from the tips of her toes upward.
Miti closed the book with a refreshed expression.
“Andelson. Which books explain defensive magic and barrier magic in the greatest detail?”
“I’ll find them for you.”
Andelson immediately moved at her request.
Meanwhile, Miti shoved the enormous mountain of books back toward the return section without hesitation.
“At this rate, I might actually end up being called a magic genius in this world.”
Heheh.
Miti let out a dark laugh while enjoying the thought.
Soon, Andelson returned after borrowing the books and placed them on her desk.
“Here. This one is about barrier magic, and this one is about defensive magic.”
“Thank you.”
Miti opened the books brightly.
Unlike the previous books that had been packed only with theory, these pages were filled with countless magic circles and magic formulas.
The symbols woven inside overlapping circles and shapes looked completely unrelated at first glance.
“I need to break all of these apart and reinterpret them. I need to find a way to combine them.”
Miti immediately spread out paper and a pen.
“What are you researching?”
As her hands began moving busily, Andelson showed interest.
“I’m trying to find the factors that create the shape of a barrier.”
“Factors?”
Andelson’s eyes widened.
His expression clearly asked why she would even need to find something like that.
