You've Broken the Rules
You've broken the rules, tsk tsk. Sure enough, the books were bullying again. I'd made it clear to them before: [Don't bully the patrons who follow the rules properly. Got it?] But just moments ago, I'd seen the books causing a fuss around that middle-aged man. And now, they were doing the same to the two relatively young people.
I wasn't telling them to never bully at all. I hated patrons who ignored the rules, too. I couldn't just stand by while innocent books got damaged by people who disregarded the rules and etiquette without reason. Still, judging by their behavior so far, these three didn't seem like bad patrons. On the contrary, they were quick to grasp the rules and adapt accordingly.
...Maybe they're not ordinary people? They adapted to this bizarre library faster than any regular person would—even in my eyes. Especially the middle-aged man; considering the book that had tempted him earlier was a particularly strong one, his mental fortitude seemed impressive. This wasn't something you could chalk up to simply being superhuman or having a calm personality.
From my experience as librarian so far... most of the books in this library were mystical in nature.
The authors aren't ordinary humans, either. Written from perspectives that could label things as 'evil' or 'terrifying' without hesitation, the contents were often intense. I'd stayed hands-off because none of them had ever caused me real trouble... but if this kept up, my position as librarian would be in jeopardy.
Seizing the moment while the three patrons were engrossed in their books, I whispered to all the books in the stacks.
"From now on... if you harass those three for no reason... I won't maintain you for a whole week."
-...!!
The books on the shelves stirred in response. My threat had worked. Flashing a confident smile, I swept my gaze across the entire stacks.
Threatening them with maintenance was effective because it was their favorite thing. Simply put, it involved smoothing out crumpled pages, dusting them off, wiping the covers with a dry cloth, and so on. And these books... they absolutely loved the care I gave them. A whole week without it? They were trembling at the thought.
I sat in my chair, swinging my feet that barely touched the floor, and subtly observed the three. From the wounds they'd had when they first entered, it seemed they'd gone through something before arriving. The middle-aged man's injury looked particularly deep, but he was still managing to read somehow.
Meanwhile, their outfits were strikingly similar. You might say it's just suits, but... their suits were identical. That meant they were likely on the same team or affiliated with the same organization.
Company folks? Hmm, the most likely explanation was that they belonged to some shadowy underworld group I didn't know about. Something like the mafia. That would explain the injuries and their remarkable composure.
No way... a gang turf war in the back alleys or something? If so, that made for quite the intriguing scene. Especially for me, someone aspiring to write novels—they seemed like captivating characters.
Lately, I'd been struggling to make my imagined scenes feel believable in my writing. An interview laced with real-life grit from people like them might make it easier. But of course, I had no intention of asking them directly. That would violate my own etiquette. Nothing was more burdensome for new patrons than a librarian getting overly chummy right from the start.
Still, good manners for mafia types. I'd have been furious if a bunch of rough-looking thugs handled the books roughly. Fortunately, these people were reading neatly.
As I watched my first-ever patrons and went about my duties, a sound came from outside.
Kiiiiiik.Clunk.
"...?"
The library door was opening. But what was strange was the three patrons' reactions—each one tense and flustered.
No way... the rival gang? If so, as the library guardian, I had to intervene. A fight breaking out inside would just mean more work for me.
I opened the stacks door and stepped into the lobby, where the newcomer came into view. It wasn't human.
* * *
Kiiiiiik...
Team Leader Lee Cheol-won heard the entrance to the lobby creak open and felt goosebumps erupt across his skin. It was 'that thing'.
Fuck. It's come all the way here?
The entity that had killed half his original six-man team. The one that had chased the survivors and left him critically injured. He tore his eyes from the book and scanned for the other two. They, too, were staring back at him in panic—they'd sensed it as well.
How much time has passed? Definitely more than ten minutes. So why hadn't backup from the Anomaly Management Bureau arrived? Soon, he realized why.
This place, the Shinbi Library, was outside the bureau's surveillance net. Even if a support team was nearby, the odds were high they couldn't find them. What a disaster.
If he'd known, he should've lingered in the alley, buying time somehow.
In this situation, our options are...
Time wasn't completely up yet. The girl called the librarian had gone out to greet it. In an anomalous space like this, someone with real power might hold it off.
Even if killing it is impossible, she can buy us some time.
That would give them a window to figure something out. But then, something he hadn't anticipated happened.
Kiiik...Clunk.
Contrary to expectations, no commotion erupted in the lobby. Instead, the girl returned to her seat with a serene expression and resumed reading her ancient tome.
...?
And from the very door she'd emerged from, the entity slowly revealed itself.
Black hair in wild tangles reaching its knees. Pale, wrinkled skin that looked gaunt and sunken at the eyes and cheeks. A body so elongated it had to bend its knees to fit through the stacks door. And arms unnaturally long, dragging to the floor.
White Mother.
A B-rank threat, A-rank management entity. Ruthlessly adaptive, always hostile to protect its White Child, yet quick to adjust to situations.
It had reappeared.
How... why...?
Unable to voice his vague question to the librarian, Lee stared blankly up at the creature.
Now fully inside the stacks, it scanned its three escaped prey with its signature sluggish gaze. Through it all, the librarian paid it no heed—simply gazing quietly at her book.
No way... she's accepting the White Mother as a patron too?!
Anything else wouldn't make sense. But then again... anomalies were collections of the nonsensical by nature.
He'd let his guard down. The library rules seemed so ordinary, and the librarian so human-like.
This place could no longer protect the three of them.
"T-te-te-team Le-Le-Leader."
"...".
The White Mother was calling him—in a stuttering mimicry of his voice. Before he knew it, it knelt with knees reversed, flipping through a book beside him.
"P-ple-please s-s-spare me."
Mimicking a dead teammate's voice, it pressed its white face close to his ear and whispered.
The implication was clear. The White Mother understood the library rules.
-1. Please remain quiet in the library.
Otherwise, why approach with whispers instead of devouring him outright or stripping his flesh? Its adaptability must extend to other anomalous spaces' rules.
Squelch. Squelch.
Its long tongue stroked his shoulder and back as if consoling him. And the reason it wasn't killing them all for its offspring's meal... that too was due to the rules.
-7. Do not disturb other patrons who are reading.
Apparently, the library and librarian didn't deem this interference.
"T-te-te-team Le-Le-Leader. Heh-heh-heh."
"...".
But perhaps because of that, Lee Cheol-won's eyes grew ice-cold. Silently, he revised his goal in his mind—from all three surviving to just the other two.
Outside, the Anomaly Management Bureau's support team was surely searching for them. They'd have intel on the White Mother and countermeasures ready. In other words, escaping the library would skyrocket their survival odds.
So, he'd draw its attention while the other two slipped out. Using a watch-like device on his wrist, he sent a signal. The devices on the other two buzzed in response.
You two escape first.
As they gritted their teeth to head for the exit—
Squelch.Squelch.
A drop of saliva from the tongue caressing Lee splattered onto a book.
"It clearly says that dirtying books is prohibited."
"T-te-te-team Le-Lea—?"
"You've broken the rules."
The girl librarian stated matter-of-factly to the White Mother, then drew a line through its name with her pen.
The next instant, the White Mother vanished. Without warning or any physical law—just gone, as if it had never existed.
"...".
"...".
"...".
The three stared blankly at the librarian, stunned by the scene. And the girl at the center of it all... picked up the saliva-stained book, returned to her seat, and began wiping it with a dry cloth.