The Occupation of the Every Library (2)
Hershey walked along, pondering the matter with grave seriousness.
What is Luid planning?
Following the twists of Luid's thinking was never easy. She had always thought so, but this was the first time she couldn't catch even the faintest thread of an idea.
Does Miho know anything?
[When it comes to Master, I'd say you know him better than I do, Lady Hershey.]
Is that so...?
Hershey felt secretly pleased, even as her thoughts tangled themselves into knots. All she could do, for now, was follow his instructions and head to the library at six o'clock.
She lifted her head and checked the clock tower. Three in the afternoon. Three hours remained.
Just in case, I should go early. Maybe I can pick up some clues along the way.
[What a good idea!]
"Come here."
Miho hopped lightly into Hershey's arms, and a happy smile spread across her face.
Hershey arrived at the library in no time and gave Charon a courteous bow. Charon returned the greeting, then stepped toward her.
"A pleasure to see you, Lady Hershey. You've come straight from class, I see."
"...And how is it that you're always here before I am, Charon?"
Hershey had just come from Understanding Casting, a mandatory course for the Expert Class. Even so, Charon had somehow arrived well ahead of her, which struck her as remarkable.
"Haha, we receive supplementary training of our own after closing hours."
"Ah... I see. That explains it."
She had never paid the matter any attention, so she hadn't known.
"That must be terribly exhausting for you."
"Not at all. To serve at the Imperial Academy is an immense honor."
Charon spoke with a slightly embarrassed air, and then his gaze came to rest on Miho.
"And this would be...?"
"Ah, this is my familiar."
"Kyeng!"
"A remarkably adorable arctic fox. She suits you well, Lady Hershey."
Hershey shook her head.
"No — she is Luid's familiar, actually."
The truth was, she had attended class alongside him and been questioned by countless students and professors about it. And every single time, Hershey had answered with pride.
A familiar is regarded as one's own flesh and blood.
Entrusting such a being to another person, naturally, was something only done with the one you trusted and were closest to.
By simply inviting those questions, she could flaunt her closeness with Luid.
It wasn't as though she went around boasting at every opportunity, but there was no helping the way her shoulders lifted all the same.
After all, she was — as far as anyone knew — currently the only person on friendly terms with that indolent Luid.
Charon's reaction was no different. His pupils widened, and he looked utterly astonished.
"So this is Young Master Luid's... Now that I hear it from you, it makes even more sense. An arctic fox, of all things."
"Heh heh. Isn't that right? Though I suppose she does suit Luid's arms better than mine."
"Ah — as it happens, Young Master Luid visited the library as well. Is he with your party?"
"...The library?"
"...You were not aware?"
Hershey shook her head three times.
Charon's face flooded with consternation.
"I — I must sincerely beg your forgiveness, but might I ask you to forget what I just said...?"
"Pardon?"
Charon squeezed his eyes shut. It had been a blunder. To fail to guard a patron's privacy — as a gatekeeper, he was disqualified.
"He seemed to be visiting in secret. I apologize. Please do not ask me anything further."
"Ah......"
Hershey smiled brightly at him, so that he would not carry the guilt with him.
"Then I shall simply have to act very surprised when I meet Luid. 'To think we'd run into each other like this!' — something along those lines."
Charon's face brightened at once.
"Thank you."
"Not at all. I may go in, I take it?"
"But of course!"
Hershey opened the door to step into the library.
[There are nine people behind us, staring straight at you, Lady Hershey.]
Huh?
Hershey turned around.
There, a crowd of some ten commoners had gathered in a huddle, whispering among themselves — and looking directly at her.
Hershey had always trusted her instincts, and something about the scene felt off.
...Miho, may I ask one thing of you?
[Yes?]
Could you sneak over and listen to what they're saying? Without getting caught, of course.
Miho gave her a wink with one eye.
[Just leave it to me.]
The fox's body faded into transparency.
"Hershey Minerva is out of the equation. What do we do?"
"Nothing we can do. A chance like this doesn't come around often—"
The group of commoners huddled against the wall, eyes on the library, murmuring among themselves. Their gazes happened to meet Charon's glowering scowl, but they paid it little mind.
They'd been at this for a week now, after all.
"Closing time is at seven. That's when we strike. Especially today — the Headmaster is away on business."
"......I'm scared."
One timid-looking commoner mumbled quietly, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Aren't we all going to get expelled like this? Magic use is banned, you know."
"Are you an idiot?"
A sharp-eyed female commoner snapped at him.
"There are thirty commoners alone taking part in this operation — three of them planted inside. Do you think those arrogant nobles won't use magic then? They can't possibly discipline that many people."
Their plan was armed occupation.
After that, they would all cast magic into the sky together and raise an enormous commotion.
With the Headmaster — no friend to the commoners — absent, the Vice-Headmaster, Professor Phoenicia of Magic Theory, would have to respond in person.
Phoenicia was a professor known to be exceedingly sympathetic to the common students. They were certain she would take their side.
"Once we take the library by force, it's done. We knock the smugness right out of those arrogant nobles. And then we say it — 'You claim the strongest should guard the library, yet you can't even hold it against commoners?'"
Their ultimate goal went beyond mere occupation: to place commoners among the staff assigned to the Every Library.
The only reason the nobles had been able to monopolize the library was that every single staff member was noble. Librarians, administrators, gatekeepers — eight slots in all — and if they could wedge commoners into just four of them, the plan would succeed.
"And stop playing the coward now, Hans. If you love Hannah, it's time you showed at least this much spine—"
Hans, the chubby one, slumped his shoulders gloomily.
"Can we... actually do this?"
"Of course we can!"
Fran — skinny as a rail, nicknamed 'Anchovy' — seized Hans by the shoulders.
"You absolute fool! Justice is on our side! Isn't that right, Justin?"
Justin, who had said nothing until now, let out a sigh before speaking.
"This is far too violent. Is this really the only way? If we all just sat down together and made a space to talk things through—"
"Talk? With those pompous nobles who prance around preaching like everything's already fine and clean?"
The rebuttal hit Justin head-on.
"You're the one leading us, Justin. What do you think the others will say if you talk like that? Have some responsibility."
"......If that's what everyone wants, then following along is the right thing to do. Fine."
"Now, it's almost six. Let's go over the plan."
They huddled close together and crouched down.
"First, Catherine draws the attention of that big brute over there. Louder protest than usual, that kind of thing. While that's happening, we quietly surround them. And then......"
They had no idea.
No idea that a single arctic fox, curled up in perfect comfort, was listening to every last word.
"Wh-what?!"
Hershey, who had been reading at a table, went wide-eyed. She had just heard everything Miho had to report.
Glancing warily around her, she spoke in her mind.
That's actually true?
[Spirits can't lie.]
Good heavens...... have those commoners completely lost their minds?
Hershey simply could not believe it. The commoners' plan was beyond all common sense.
Do they seriously want to get expelled en masse?? Armed occupation?
After thinking it over for a while, though, Hershey began to suspect that the commoners' brazen, brute-force approach might actually work.
Of course the nobles here would respond — and if they did, the Academy would be forced to discipline far too many students at once.
Especially if the commoners drove out the Expert Class and seized their seats, the problem would become truly serious.
Just as they intended, the library staff really could be replaced. Whatever the official pretext, the staff would have failed to defend the library from an intrusion. Clear grounds for disqualification.
...... lunatics. I've been living so peacefully with Luid that I briefly forgot. The commoners live in hell.
Hershey rose from her seat. She intended to go over there right now and give them a stern talking-to. Somewhere quiet, of course.
But in that very moment —
Luid's words flashed through her mind.
- Hershey, you're the final boss.
...Don't tell me. Is this what he meant?
Hershey's mind began racing.
The instruction to be at the library by six.
And the commoners' hour of assault was six as well.
Which meant...... there was a very good chance Luid already knew about this entire incident.
In that case, the meaning of "final boss" was —
...He was bored, wasn't he.
Hershey's shoulders sagged.
She looked around.
Somehow, she couldn't shake the feeling that somewhere, from some hiding place, Luid was watching.
"And so it begins."
Luid's eyes sparkled as he watched the standoff unfolding outside the library. He raised the bread he had prepared in advance, and with a crescent-shaped knife, spread the kaymak sitting beside it generously across the surface.
Kaymak was a dairy delicacy — the fat of milk, gathered and solidified into a rich cream. A supremely luxurious food, and one of the precious few dishes that remained unspoiled by the merciless taste-ruining effects of detoxification magic.
With the kaymak slathered on thick, Luid took a huge bite.
Crunch—
Flavor burst across his palate. Kaymak made from fresh, pure milk was gloriously nutty and rich.
No words could compare. This — this was the taste of heaven.
"...This is what life is for."
Letting out a quiet sigh of satisfaction, Luid turned his gaze forward. The feast for the eyes was not to be skipped either.
- You bastards...! What is the meaning of this?!
- You've had it good all this time, haven't you? Consider this the spell of discrimination you've been casting on us!
- U-using magic inside the Academy...! Have you all lost your minds?!
- Shove it, moron.
"Hmm. You really can't beat commoners in a shouting match."
Charon stammered, utterly failing to get a word out properly. Face to face with vulgar profanity the likes of which he'd never heard in his life, he had completely lost his composure.
Pitying him, Luid reached out and rummaged through his Subspace.
"Found it."
Luid smiled brightly and drew out a glass jar. On its label, in elegant script, were the words 'Luid's — Hands Off.'
It was a honey pot.
Food, as a rule, only truly shines with a touch of transformation. Take a pork cutlet, for instance: the first bite plain with salt, the next with wasabi, the next with sauce — only by eating this way could one call oneself a true gourmand.
In that spirit, Luid spread kaymak over his bread, then drizzled honey over the top.
"Mmmmmh."
This was a privilege known only to those who had tasted it. Luid gazed at the crowd working themselves into a full-blown magic battle below, savoring this delicacy of the century before them.
Lights of every color clashed and scattered — like fireworks, really. Quite beautiful.
Luid took another bite.
Crunch—
Flavor flooded his mouth once more.
Blended with the sweet honey the bees had worked so diligently to gather, it was twice as delicious.
Just then, one of the commoners planted inside pushed open the library doors.
- The library doors are open! All units, CHARGE!
- WAAAAAH!
The battle cry announcing the true beginning of the episode rang out, vivid and clear.
Luid clenched his fist and let out a small shout of his own.
"Go get 'em, Hershey...!"