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Chapter 33
Since the other person asked a question, she should at least respond without delay.
“What I want… hmm…”
Elysia frowned.
Of course, she had things she wanted. Very much so.
A way to return home, for instance. Or money to buy a return item.
“Anyway, I need a way to make a lot of money…”
“…!”
The other person, who had been waiting for her response, was visibly taken aback by Elysia’s honest words.
Did you seriously just say that?
LMAO he’s flustered!!!
The wizard with purple eyes turned his head slightly and covered his mouth.
“Well, I suppose a lot of people do want that, but to say it that directly…”
He let out a soft chuckle as if he couldn’t hold back his laughter anymore. The mysterious and imposing atmosphere he had just moments ago was completely gone now. Watching him laugh openly, Elysia pouted.
“Hey, don’t laugh!”
I’m being serious here! She still had a long way to go if she wanted to earn that 1.1 billion cash!
“Well, the economics section is over there, if that’s what you’re looking for.”
The wizard stopped laughing and turned to Elysia. While kindly gesturing toward the economics section, he asked in a teasing voice,
“Would it be rude to ask what you’re planning to do with all that money?”
“It would.”
“…But I might be able to recommend a more useful book. I am a librarian, after all.”
“Are you really a librarian?”
Elysia crossed her arms, eyeing him suspiciously. She had been wondering about his identity from the beginning.
But her doubt was quickly dispelled. With a flick of his fingers, a pile of books materialized above his hand.
“Of course. Please feel free to call me ‘Pin.’”
Snap. He clicked his fingers, and the books floated into the air.
“Pardon me for a moment.”
With a wave of his hand, the books soared toward the shelves and slotted themselves in perfectly. It only took a few seconds for the entire stack to be organized.
He clearly did this often—it showed in his smooth, practiced motions.
Elysia found the sight so calming that she stared, entranced, until Pin turned his head and their eyes met.
“…Oh, you can keep going.”
“No need. I’m done.”
Even as he lightly tapped the spines of the books, he didn’t take his eyes off Elysia. The same warm smile returned to his gaze as he asked,
“Now that I think about it, it’s unfair that only I introduced myself. How should I address you, Mage?”
‘He called me a mage?’
The unexpected title made Elysia pause. Well, anyone entering the Tower was usually a mage, but still, it felt strange to be referred to as one. Maybe he was the first person since her official registration to actually address her that way.
Elysia gave a small smile.
“My name’s Elli.”
She didn’t want to introduce herself as the infamous ‘Elysia Sempherion’ right off the bat. Since Pin had only given his first name, it was fine for her to do the same.
“Nice to meet you, Lady Elli.”
Pin gave a small bow as he said her name. The gesture, though playful, was elegant and refined. Elysia narrowed her eyes.
‘Is he a noble…?’
His graceful manner reminded her of how high-ranking nobles greeted each other at formal balls. Maybe he really was someone important she didn’t know.
‘I really need to check.’
Elysia quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth and called out,
“Everyone! Are you watching this? Can someone tell me what kind of character this librarian is? Please don’t tell me he’s just a background extra?”
No idea… first time I’ve seen him.
Same. Never seen him either, 22222.
I’m a LemeGol fan and I’ve NEVER seen this guy before.
If he existed, the fandom would’ve exploded!!! Is this a teaser for a new update?! A new character?! Please update, I’m begging you ㅠㅠㅠ
No wonder you haven’t seen him. Frillian never visits the Tower Library, so there’s no storyline where she meets a librarian.
“Ah… right. Frillian would never come to the Tower Library. No wonder none of you have seen Pin.”
That made sense. The protagonist Frillian was a saint who mainly stayed in the temple or palace. She only visited the Tower a few times to meet Jerome. Even when she went to libraries, they were usually in the palace or the temple.
“So he’s really just an extra…?”
Elysia quickly scrolled up the chat window, checking every message since Pin’s appearance in case she missed any clues.
OMG he’s insanely good-looking.
Quick, capture that greeting scene!!!
Please show him again! I’ll watch all your streams if you do!
You’re not ending the stream already, are you??? PLEASE DON’T.
This is my favorite stream so far lmao
There was no useful information.
‘Well, even veteran players didn’t recognize him, and this location doesn’t appear in the original story either… Maybe he really is unrelated to the main plot.’
Elysia looked back up at Pin. Now that she paid attention, there was nothing floating above his head—no interest, no disappointment, no caution.
‘Then… maybe I can relax around him?’
There was no need to force any interaction for the sake of a quest. And even if things didn’t go well, it wouldn’t affect the story.
Feeling oddly relieved, Elysia asked in a more casual tone,
“Do you come here every day, Librarian?”
“Not every day, but pretty often. What about you, Lady Elli?”
Pin stretched out the word “every day” as if pondering it. When he asked her back, Elli shrugged.
“This is my first time here. If I come again, it’ll probably be early in the morning.”
Pin raised an intrigued eyebrow.
“Is there a reason you like early mornings? Do you research all night, perhaps?”
“No, it’s just easier to appear at night…”
“…?”
“Ahem, anyway. You’ll get hurt if you know too much.”
Elysia awkwardly cleared her throat, then added,
“I might need your help from time to time when using the library.”
For checking out books, or maybe for something else. She wasn’t yet familiar with this world’s academic structure, so she might need Pin’s help finding the right materials.
Pin tilted his head thoughtfully at her words.
“That’s great. I’m mostly here in the early mornings anyway.”
He smiled slightly as he spoke.
“…Lady Sempherion?”
A very familiar voice came from behind them.
“Jerome?”
“I was waiting and… gasp.”
Jerome, striding through the shelves, froze when he saw Pin standing next to her.
“You’re… with someone else?”
He looked around, clearly caught off guard. Pin gave a warm, friendly smile.
“Hello, Deputy Tower Master. Long time no see.”
“Oh… ah, yes.”
“I’m Pin, working here as a librarian. You remember my name, right?”
“…Yes. M-Mr. Pin.”
Jerome shook the offered hand rather awkwardly.
Elysia tilted her head at the scene.
‘Is Jerome shy around strangers?’
Thinking about it, he did seem more introverted than extroverted. He often reacted with surprise or discomfort at her remarks.
‘It must be tough for an introvert to be the Deputy Tower Master.’
He’s probably trying really hard, poor guy.
In any case, since Jerome also knew Pin, it seemed Pin really did work here as a librarian.
Jerome turned to Elysia.
“Sorry to keep you waiting. May I ask what brought you here today?”
“Oh, um…”
Even with Pin standing right there, Jerome went straight to the point. He must have taken a short break from work. Not wanting to waste his time, Elysia decided to get straight to the point too.
‘It’s not something that needs to be kept secret anyway.’
She looked at Jerome and asked,
“I was wondering if I could apply to be a research mage?”
That was the reason she’d come to the Tower.
‘Research mages are granted rights equivalent to nobility in certain fields.’
She’d also heard they received research funding. From what she knew, it was the simplest way to gain power and money without relying on her family.
‘If I become a research mage, I can attend the ball as a mage.’
No need to use the Sempherion name. She could attend as Research Mage Elysia!
Just in time, Jerome nodded with a bright smile.
“Of course! The Tower would be honored to have you! If you contribute to the study of illusion magic, every mage here would welcome you with open arms!”
It was a very positive response—
—until he added one last sentence.
“I’ll register you through the fastest track. It should be completed in about a week.”
“What?!”
She hadn’t expected that.
A week?
To Elysia, who wanted to attend the ball just two days from now, that was devastating news!
“Is there no way to get it done sooner?”
“Well, no. We still need to go through the minimum budget and approval procedures.”
“Even if it’s for research on legendary illusion magic? I really need authorization as soon as possible…”
Noticing her urgency, Jerome’s cheerful expression faded, replaced by a troubled look.
“Well… even if illusion magic is an important topic, it’s not an emergency requiring immediate research, so we have to follow the process. If we start making exceptions, there could be cases of misused funds or abuse of power.”
Jerome calmly explained. And now that she thought about it, it made sense. If they skipped proper vetting and approval, flawed or fabricated research proposals could receive funding and influence. Since the position offered noble-level privileges even to commoners, they had to be extra cautious.
And then—
“About the Lady’s situation.”
A quiet voice cut in between them. Both Jerome and Elysia turned toward the speaker.
They had known he was there, but had forgotten about him.
It was Pin.
He had been silently listening to their entire conversation since Jerome’s arrival. But Elysia hadn’t expected him to get involved—this wasn’t his business.
Still, Pin casually added,
“If you don’t mind, I think I might be able to help.”
“…What?”
Elysia blinked in surprise.
“…WHAT?!”
Jerome looked even more shocked than she did.
