Why Does This Bother Me?
Yohan and Serafina fell silent for a moment.
Aria’s words had left Yohan momentarily bewildered, while Serafina found herself hesitating.
⋯But Professor, you slept with him too.
⋯If that was the case, wasn’t it the same thing?
Yohan instinctively moved his hand, ready to object, but stopped when Aria continued.
“⋯Well, given his condition, having someone nearby is probably for the best.”
Aria’s expression had returned to its usual calm, as if nothing had happened.
⋯⋯.
Yohan nodded quietly.
⋯It’s not that important anyway.
⋯What mattered now was information.
Yohan turned his gaze back to the crystal orb.
Aria looked at Serafina, who stood beside him.
“Serafina, could you step out for a moment?”
“Yes, I’ll wait outside.”
Serafina rose without hesitation. The bedroom door clicked shut behind her. Aria stared at it briefly before speaking.
“To put it simply, I found three volumes in my assigned sector. Kassian and the others haven’t reported any significant discoveries yet.”
⋯⋯The others?
[It seems the living dragons are involved.]
⋯⋯Ah.
Yohan nodded at Zeno’s guess. So dragons existed as separate entities. Their willingness to assist humans was surprising, but perhaps they, too, felt the need to guard against the unknown and had chosen to cooperate.
“That’s why I’d like to hear your thoughts.”
Aria held up the three books.
“For reference, some passages allow for multiple interpretations, so I can’t make any definitive claims.”
⋯⋯How unfortunate.
Yohan exhaled, disappointment clear on his face.
[This will make it difficult to ask about the contents.]
⋯⋯That’s a shame.
Multiple interpretations meant any conclusion could lead to a mistake. Caution was necessary.
Yohan folded his arms. It was regrettable, but he would have to make the best choice possible.
⋯Then.
After a moment of thought, a question surfaced—one he had nearly forgotten because of Aria’s earlier remark. It concerned the third book she had mentioned.
[A tale about the ancient Evil God.]
Yes, that’s right.
The other two volumes related to the Giants’ traits, but he couldn’t understand why she had chosen the last one.
Why did you pick that book?
He needed to know the reason. Yohan moved his hand calmly.
- Is there a reason you believe the third book is connected?
“There is.”
The answer came easily. Aria nodded, as if she had expected the question.
“You said the wound healed almost instantly, didn’t you?”
Yohan nodded. It was one of the facts he had relayed during his conversation with the headmaster.
“We faced something similar in the past. It reminded me of that.”
⋯⋯Hm?
Yohan tilted his head.
⋯⋯Something we faced?
The phrasing was puzzling.
“My intuition also played a part in choosing it. Both Delmar and I sensed something off about that corpse.”
⋯He had never seen it before. If he had, even once, he would have remembered.
Kassian and Aria shared the same thought.
That’s what makes it strange.
It felt familiar even though he had never seen it.
It’s clearly different, though.
Its appearance confirmed as much. Yet the sense of dissonance remained⋯⋯.
“⋯⋯Tsk.”
Aria clicked her tongue irritably.
Yohan, too, tilted his head at her vague explanation. Aria sighed as she looked at him.
⋯I can’t tell him about that.
She couldn’t speak freely of that incident to Yohan.
A promise is a promise.
⋯⋯It wasn’t time to speak of it yet. Delmar felt the same.
“I’ll have to explain that part later. ⋯⋯Just a moment.”
Aria turned her head. Someone was speaking to her. Soon, Yohan heard her conversing with another person.
“Understood, Rania. I’ll be right there.”
⋯⋯Rania? Is that a name?
Yohan tilted his head at the unfamiliar name.
⋯⋯Who was that? Probably a dragon.
⋯Rania.
Yohan committed the name to memory even as questions lingered. It might prove useful if he ever visited their domain again—a choice made for the future.
“Anyway, we’ve found three volumes so far. Do you have anything else to say, ask, or add regarding which book to choose?”
Yohan’s lips parted slightly.
⋯⋯Isn’t the explanation too vague?
[Indeed. It feels as though there are things that cannot be said.]
⋯⋯At this rate, he couldn’t advise on which book to select.
The Stigma, the body, or the tale of regeneration.
⋯⋯He couldn’t say which was better.
Yohan’s brow furrowed slightly in thought.
“Well, I suppose it’s difficult for you too.”
Aria nodded in understanding. Yohan had his own concerns, and Aria had hers.
⋯⋯Hmm.
Zeno, can you see the covers of those books?
[I can. All three are different, as it happens.]
Then you can help me find them later. For now, I’ll leave the choice to the two of them.
[Understood.]
He intended to visit their domain anyway. With Zeno’s help, locating the books wouldn’t be a problem.
Yohan decided to trust Zeno and hand the decision over to the two of them.
Well, getting more involved would look strange anyway.
⋯⋯In truth, it was odd that Professor Aria was even asking him. She seemed to expect extensive knowledge from someone who had only just met that existence.
After a long moment of deliberation, Yohan moved his hand.
- It seems this isn’t something I should decide.
⋯⋯Professor Aria was also withholding information.
I’m in the same position.
If neither side yielded, reaching a conclusion would be difficult. So Yohan took a step back first.
⋯⋯Well, all three books are connected in some way.
Being able to read even one properly was fortunate enough.
That was what Yohan thought.
“True, I did ask a difficult question.”
Aria nodded in understanding.
“If we don’t find anything else, we’ll take one of these three. You’re the only one who’s seen it while alive, so once your eyes recover, you should look at them too.”
Yohan nodded.
“And⋯⋯.”
Aria gazed at him. Sensing she was choosing her words carefully, Yohan raised an eyebrow slightly.
“Never mind. We’ll talk when you return. Get some more rest.”
With a soft click, the light of the crystal orb went out before Yohan could respond.
⋯⋯Hm?
Just like that?
Yohan remained still for a while, caught off guard by the abrupt end.
“⋯⋯Haa.”
After dismissing the spell, Aria let out a sigh.
⋯⋯This strangely unpleasant feeling.
Why does this bother me so much?
She had thought only Yohan was there. When Serafina suddenly appeared behind him, her mind had filled with questions.
“I don’t understand.”
⋯⋯Sleeping together wasn’t unusual. There was no need to question it.
“I did the same, so I can’t really say anything.”
⋯⋯That aside.
Aria turned to look at Kassian. He was already watching her.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Did you finish your conversation?”
“Yes. He said it would be difficult for him to make a judgment.”
“I see. What do you plan to do?”
Aria placed the three books on a table in the archives, her expression troubled. After staring at them for a moment, she turned to Kassian.
“I can’t stop thinking about the third book. After all, the way to kill it is by attacking the neck, isn’t it?”
Of course, that assumed Yohan hadn’t lied.
“We need to find out where it came from in the end.”
Only then could they respond if it appeared again.
“You intend to trace it back to its roots.”
“Yes. At this stage, we have too few clues.”
Even if they interpreted all three books, the clues would still be insufficient.
“Understood. If we don’t find anything else, we’ll take that book.”
Kassian nodded.
“By the way, why don’t you rest? You seemed rather sharp earlier.”
“Ah⋯⋯. I must have been tired.”
“I’ll handle the rest. You’ll need magic to return, so get some rest.”
“All right. I’ll rest.”
Aria set aside her staff and sat in a chair. After blinking a few times, she quickly fell asleep.
“She must have been exhausted.”
Kassian walked deeper into the archives as he spoke.
“That aside, it seems she hasn’t noticed.”