The Archmage's Forbidden Tomes
Then, enjoy your reading.
That day, a few days had passed since returning from the Deep Warehouse. In the meantime, a few minor incidents had occurred. For starters, the Physical Education Textbook on the shelf had been subjected to some bullying, and it even suffered an accident where some of its pages were torn. It seemed the books still harbored resentment toward it for attacking me. The problem was that even though the Physical Education Textbook was showing signs of remorse, the subtle harassment continued.
If things went on like this, a similar situation might unfold when the Anomaly Management Bureau donated the Music and Art Textbooks. But fortunately, the commotion soon died down. Because the other books had realized what happened when the Physical Education Textbook was bullied.
"Sigh, you guys, stop bullying it already. I've forgiven it, and it's reflecting on its actions, right?"
Flap! Flap!
"...This won't do. Alright, let's go today too. I'll repair the torn pages. Looks like I won't be able to tend to the other books today..."
Thud, flap...!!
The point was that bullying it right away meant their own care would fly out the window. Most books in this stacks loved being meticulously tended to, so postponing that? In the end, the books that had bullied the Physical Education Textbook ended up getting ganged up on by other books in a ridiculous spectacle.
Of course, the result was a no-care decree for the gang-up books as well. Thud, fllluuutter...!
"Protesting won't help. Who told you to fight? No fighting in our library."
I glared at them with all my might, and eventually, the books gave up. And so, peace returned not just to the Physical Education Textbook, but to the entire stacks.
The other thing was... oh, right. A few new patrons had visited. Whether the Anomaly Management Bureau had opened the floodgates, about three people came to the library over the course of a week. The disappointing part, though... was that they were all trembling in terror.
They probably hadn't come seeking knowledge but had stumbled in by accident. So I treated them as kindly as possible and lent them thin books to help them escape.
'Once you're in the library, you have to read a book.'
In the process, two of them were quick on the uptake—they kept quiet, followed the rules, and left. They would probably encounter small strokes of luck in their daily lives through the books I recommended. But the other one... unfortunately broke the rules.
Perhaps their sanity had reached its limit, but they burst into mad laughter and tried to tear up several books. So I underlined their name and sent them packing. Come to think of it, from the moment they entered, it didn't seem like mere terror—they must have been insane to begin with. Regrettable, but rules broken mean paying the price.
I gave extra careful tending to the books around that person, since they might have been startled. Brushing their itchy pages gently with a soft hairbrush was a bonus. They shivered with delight.
It was on one such day of handling library duties.
Screeech... Clunk.
A different, unfamiliar aura emanated from the entrance than usual. Completely unlike the previous three visitors. One organization sprang to mind.
'The Anomaly Management Bureau?'
If they possessed this bizarre, mystical aura, it was probably them with high probability. In that case, their purpose today was donating books, so I needed to guide them somewhere other than the stacks.
I left the stacks.
"...?"
"Huh, it was real."
Someone in a black robe utterly out of place in the modern world was scanning the lobby as they approached the entrance. They didn't feel like they were from the Anomaly Management Bureau. How to put it... An ominous vibe wafted from within their robes. Like... yes, just like the aura from the many books slumbering in the shelves.
"The Akashic Records really exist. Then that girl must be the administrator of the Akashic Records?"
"Are you a patron?"
I tilted my head and asked. The robed man flinched, as if he hadn't expected me to speak to him.
"Uh, uh? Yeah. I'm a patron. I came for knowledge I want to know."
He had a composure utterly unlike the others. And that composure... stemmed from the ominous aura in his robes. He must have something guaranteeing his safety to act that way.
'Well, attitude doesn't matter.'
What mattered to me was whether he was a patron or not. The library was a space of knowledge open to all, no reason to discriminate. As someone who loved books, I wanted as many people as possible to use the library.
"I see. Welcome to the Shinbi Library."
I pulled out the ancient tome and asked the robed man.
"So, what book would you like to see?"
"...Any book. Do you have something called Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss? Or Abyssgetia or Tome of the Dark Lion would be fine too."
His gaze felt probing, but I ignored it and rummaged through my mind.
"...Abyssgetia and Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss are available for perusal. Tome of the Dark Lion does not exist in this library."
"Grimoires with clear owners aren't registered, huh. Then I'd like to see those two."
"That's possible. What's your name?"
Normally, I could learn the patron's name and basic info by writing it directly in the ancient tome. But upon second thought, doing so without informing them first might feel like a privacy violation. So I asked first. No sense in them getting upset while reading and trying to tear a book.
"Ryan."
"Please give your real name."
I could figure out the real name without effort anyway.
"...Hah. Edward. Edward... Do I need to give my full name?"
Edward. Scratch. Scratch.
[Edward Bishop. Archmage.]
...Archmage? That magic-blasting archmage? Well, in a world full of wonders, things once deemed occult wouldn't be strange. This archmage probably wanted to expand his magical knowledge.
"That's fine. You're registered. Before entering the stacks, please read the rules."
"...This library's laws, huh."
Sudden, but an intriguing patron. An archmage would probably treat books better than terrified civilians. I secretly looked forward to it as I led him into the stacks.
* * *
To think this actually exists!
Archmage Edward barely suppressed a burst of laughter as he followed the girl ahead of him. A member of the Dark Dawn Society, he was arrogant by nature, but not so foolish as to act recklessly. After all, the grimoire in his robes had been acting strangely toward the girl ever since they met.
Since the distant entity was cooperating anyway, there was no need for a show of force. Better to prepare for the unexpected massive harvest.
'Abyssgetia and Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss were here!'
Grimoires pursued by the Dark Dawn Society, other mages, Eastern mysticism factions, and even the international Anomaly Management Bureau. Books that had left deep scars on human history—many had chased them, yet to think they'd be in this mystical space.
Entering the stacks, Edward felt an inexplicable chill crawl over his body. Like another mage preparing a sneak attack. But scanning around, he was the only person there.
...No, upon closer look, the aura emanated from the countless books lining the shelves.
'No way... all these books are grimoires?!'
Edward shuddered. He wanted to take the entire library with him. But... according to this place's laws, removing books was impossible.
"Which would you like to peruse first, Abyssgetia or Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss?"
The girl tilted her head cutely—a face unimaginable as the administrator of a grimoire-filled library. Of course, superficial beauty had long ceased to interest Edward.
"In that case... Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss first."
Since Abyssgetia was the more potent grimoire, better to offset the shock with Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss. A misstep could cause the mage's knowledge to backflow and get sucked into the grimoire.
"Hmm, on second thought..."
Then the girl spoke.
"Since you're planning to see both anyway, it might be fine to hand them over now."
"...! That would be great."
"I'll fetch the books, so please go to the reading room on the right after leaving the stacks."
Edward obediently left the stacks and headed to the reading room as instructed. Sure enough, several antique desks and chairs were arranged in the empty space.
'Similar vibe to the Dark Dawn Society's own library.'
After sitting at a suitable spot and waiting a few minutes, the girl huffed and puffed into the reading room carrying two ancient tomes.
"Nngh, huff... Abyssgetia and Aesthetics of the Bottomless Abyss."
"...!!"
The real deal. The titles were clearly inscribed in ancient script. The subtly emanating malevolent aura matched the Dark Dawn Society's records perfectly.
"Then, enjoy your reading."
Once the girl left, Edward began examining the books with a heart full of ecstasy. The knowledge he desired lay in abundance beyond their pages.
'With this, the other mages won't dare mess with me!!'
Thus, over a long time, he slowly absorbed even the knowledge of Abyssgetia. At some point, he noticed another book sandwiched between the two.
"This is...?"
He flinched. He couldn't read it. Even he, a renowned archmage, couldn't decipher the language? But soon, a finger-snapping sound echoed from somewhere, and he could understand the title.
"Universe Door Darkness...?"
This was a grimoire even Edward had never heard of.