Please, Just Read It

Please read this.

Chapter 22

Arkadia (1)

The western edge of Wilhelm.

A two-story wooden building located at the foot of the snow-capped mountains.

Sky Whale’s Rest.

As a guesthouse strongly recommended by Becky, there was nothing inconvenient about the rooms or the food.

Even Riley, who has picky taste, could eat the food provided by the innkeeper without complaint.

I can confidently say that for the past two days, we lived more lazily than anyone else.

Waking up when the sun was high in the sky,

Having breakfast,

Taking a nap,

Eating lunch,

Rolling around in bed and then having dinner,

Sleeping again.

….

…….

That monotonous lifestyle continued and now it was already the third day.

“……I’m getting bored.”

Riley was starting to get bored.

[Well, it’s only natural.]

Riley had always been rushing without rest.

It was the same when she was part of the Thieves’ Guild as a child and ever since she met me.

For someone who had always had to look ahead and keep running, relaxation must be quite unfamiliar to her. In fact, it felt uncomfortable.

[Shall we go for a walk?]

Just then, I was feeling a bit restless too.

‘Sounds good.’

Ultimately, unable to endure the boredom of three days of relaxation, we left the guesthouse and started walking through the streets of Wilhelm.

*

[……This city is always so bustling.]

It was something I felt before, but even if the appearance had changed, the overall vibe of the city hadn’t changed from 300 years ago to now.

Buzzing─.

Despite the biting cold, there were countless people wandering about the streets.

Of course, in a city known as the City of Magicians, most of the passersby were magicians.

Apprentices.

Novices.

And occasionally, you might encounter the rare Advanced ones while walking down the street.

As Riley observed them cautiously from the side, she began to speak to me through telepathy.

‘There are so many magicians, but I don’t see any High-ranked ones at all.’

[Of course not.]

High-ranked magicians were beings of a different caliber from regular magicians, both in terms of magical ability and social status.

There were less than 50 of them across the entire continent.

Thus, even in the City of Magicians, Wilhelm, the chances of encountering a High-ranked magician on the street were exceedingly slim.

‘Wasn’t that nagging old man we met on the carriage a High-ranked magician too?’

[Well……]

That was an exceptional case.

[It’s generally hard to meet them.]

As we chatted while walking, we soon reached the city center of Wilhelm.

True to a major city, there were various shops lining the streets.

Just then, Riley spotted a cape she liked in a clothing store’s window and purchased it without hesitation. It was a soft, gray garment.

‘I bought something quite expensive, yet I still have plenty of money left.’

[Indeed.]

We still had a lot of money left from what Lutemis gave us. Thanks to that, we were in a good financial position.

After all, our spending habits were relatively low compared to other magicians.

‘Oh, there’s a library too?’

[…….]

After buying the cape, Riley, who had been wandering aimlessly on the main road, suddenly stopped in front of a huge building filled with crowds.

It was the library.

The entrance was exceptionally grand.

[That’s the Arkadia Central Library.]

‘Do you know it?’

[Yeah. That building has been around for hundreds of years.]

Arkadia.

The library located in the heart of Wilhelm.

Named after its founder, ‘Darren Arkadia’, this building was the second-largest library after Lutemis.

Furthermore, it was also the place with the most books related to magic.

“Oh……”

Hearing my explanation, Riley’s eyes sparkled.

‘Can we go in?’

[Here? Why?]

‘We have nothing else to do anyway.’

Riley pointed at the list she was holding and continued,

‘Moreover, it says here that those who are candidates for the Selection Test can use Arkadia without any special procedures.’

[……Really?]

The central libraries located in major cities are under strict control by the Empire.

To protect important books, libraries manage and restrict their visitors thoroughly.

For instance, the Lutemis library is a space accessible only to those affiliated with the Academy.

Similarly, the Arkadia library can only be used by magicians who possess an access pass. To obtain that access pass, you would need to go through various procedures and evaluations.

But it seems candidates for the Selection Test can use the library without any special procedures.

That was definitely an attractive benefit.

[…….]

Yeah.

Certainly, visiting Arkadia would be an enriching experience.

There are plenty of great books, and rare magic texts not found elsewhere.

But, to be honest, I felt slightly hesitant.

‘Isn’t it the second-largest library in the Empire? I’d like to see how it differs from Lutemis.’

[Hmm.]

I swallowed, my voice slightly downcast.

Riley, perceiving my true feelings, spoke cautiously.

‘It seems Magician isn’t too keen on it, huh?’

[Yeah.]

To be honest, I still felt uncomfortable about libraries.

It’s quite natural, I suppose.

After all, I was stuck in that damn place for 300 years.

Countless bookshelves.

Dust.

The smell of thick paper.

Faint sunlight filtering through the curtains.

That uniquely quiet atmosphere of a library.

And.

Endless books, books, books, books, books, books, books……

[Hah.]

Just thinking about the library made the trauma crawl back up.

Just remembering that time made me feel sick.

The suffocating, sticky memories of those days.

The anxiety that I might rot away my whole life there.

The feeling of going mad and eventually losing my sanity, turning into a plain piece of paper like other books, that endless fear.

For me, those 300 years in the Lutemis library were definitely not a good experience.

The only thing left for me after enduring that eternal time was a dreadful trauma.

To me, the library was no different than hell.

‘But you can’t avoid the library forever, right?’

[……That’s true.]

Unlike the 21st century Earth, brimming with technology and information, in this world, obtaining knowledge requires relying on books.

And the place where all those books were stored is precisely that library.

Thus, as Riley said, we can’t keep avoiding the library forever. Sooner or later, I’ll have to overcome this trauma too.

[…….]

Should I just shut my eyes and go in for a bit?

If I panic once I’m inside, I can just come back out.

‘Alright. So we’re going in?’

[Yeah.]

Upon hearing my answer, Riley smiled lightly and started walking towards the library.

‘Wow, there sure are a lot of people here…’

As expected of the second-largest library in the Empire, right?

A huge crowd was gathered in front of Arkadia.

After squeezing through the crowd, Riley finally reached the library’s entrance.

“Hey! You can’t just come in here!”

[……Huh?]

Just then, a magician who looked like a novice urgently stopped Riley.

[What’s up with him?]

Judging by the name tag on his chest, he seemed to be one of the librarians of Arkadia.

He looked like he was on duty managing the entrance.

As Riley came to a stop, the librarian approached and extended his hand.

“Could you please show your access pass if you want to enter?”

“……Access pass?”

Riley had a clueless expression on her face.

She was not the only one caught off-guard. I too was momentarily stunned.

What was that?

The list clearly stated that candidates for the Selection Test could enter Arkadia freely, right?

“Hah, little lady. What do you think you’re doing trying to enter a place without an access pass?”

“…….”

“Come back when you’re bigger. Now, hurry back to your parents…….”

Suddenly, the librarian stopped speaking.

“……Huh?”

Did he finally notice the mark on Riley’s hand?

He changed his expression to one of surprise.

“Oh, no, err…….”

“…….”

“Y-you’re a candidate for the Selection Test?”

“Yes.”

“I-I apologize. I’m very sorry.”

The librarian, bowing repeatedly, asked cautiously.

“C-can you please wait here for a moment? I’ll quickly prepare an access pass for you.”

“……”

The librarian ran hurriedly into the library and soon vanished from sight. Watching him blankly, I muttered quietly.

[Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve seen a development like this from a third-rate novel.]

‘Huh? Third-rate novel? Why would a sheep sell a cow?’

[It happens.]

Explaining would be pointless; she wouldn’t get it anyway.

‘But still, do I really look that young? It’s my first time being treated like a little kid.’

[That’s not it.]

It might be more because of the new clothes I bought.

Wearing a drab robe would give off a more magical aura, but in a fresh blouse and gray cape, I looked more like a noble lady.

It’s understandable that a girl like that loitering at a library’s entrance would raise some eyebrows.

‘……That’s a compliment, right?’

[It is a compliment.]

It means you look prettier.

“Oh, thank you for waiting.”

While chatting about meaningless things as we waited for the librarian, he finally approached us, probably having completed the access pass issuance.

“I’ll take you inside.”

“Yes.”

We slowly stepped into the grand interior of the library, guided by the librarian.

*

‘……It’s beautiful.’

Arkadia.

The interior of this library, boasting the second-largest scale in the Empire, was indeed stunning.

If the Lutemis library felt like a cramped space crammed with books…

Well, Arkadia felt more like an art piece, with books arranged in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

The entire spacious building could be considered a work of art. It felt less like a library and more like an exhibition hall.

Perhaps thanks to that?

Even though I entered the library, my trauma didn’t resurface.

Rather, before I knew it, I was enjoying the scenery of Arkadia, comfortably following the librarian’s explanations.

Looking up slowly at the ceiling, I saw a clear sky.

According to the librarian, the ceiling wasn’t actually open; it was just enchanted.

It reflected the outside weather or something like that.

“As long as the mana supply continues, it’s a permanently maintained high-level magic. The ceiling was made by ‘Minerva Duncan’, a leading authority of illusion magic from the ‘Dolores School’.”

“Oh……”

Riley looked up at the ceiling with wonder.

‘It’s pretty.’

[……True.]

However, contrary to her excited reaction, I couldn’t help but feel a bit apathetic.

‘You don’t find that ceiling fascinating, do you?’

[No.]

A magically enchanted ceiling that reflects real-time weather?

How cliché could it be?

[That’s just Hogwarts 2.0.]

‘What?’

[Just kidding.]

……It’s pointless explaining; she wouldn’t understand anyway.