Library Labyrinth and Rival Rematch
Wrapped in a thick robe, the librarian mage walked with a slight waddle. Bushy long pink hair peeked out from under her hood, paired with thick round glasses—a textbook librarian. I liked how she kept a polite distance, speaking softly and moderately without getting too chummy. It had been a while since I'd met someone halfway decent. Yeah, know your place and don't waste words on the great Kesera. I appreciate people who understand their station.
That said, this library's layout was a total mystery. The whole massive building seemed to be the library, but there wasn't a single directory or guide in sight. And its design was weirder than any library from my past life. Mom had mentioned that books have specific storage spots, and if you don't suppress them properly, they lose their content... Probably because it's full of magical tomes. Well, the books here were tame, not wriggling around like the sealed ones at home. Catching those flapping books in the mansion was fun. Anyway, if I were even a little taller, I could see better, but I'm so short the titles are hard to read. In my past life, I was a towering 190 cm beanpole, so everything feels huge now. It's depressing that I won't grow out of this kid size... No, humans in my past life barely grew after secondary sexual characteristics kicked in. But judging by these pointy ears, people in this world might be elf-like. Growth patterns could differ—secondary traits might come first, but height catches up later.
"What level are you looking for? Kid-friendly stuff? Or professional texts? Asking 'cause you're White Badge."
"Professional texts."
The librarian mage smiled brightly at my response. She stopped, stood on tiptoes to reach a high shelf, but gave up and grabbed the nearby ladder instead, pulling it over with magic. It was telekinesis laced with an incredibly complex formula—impressive how she used it so casually. She climbed the ladder, grabbed the book, and handed it to me.
"Here, theory on human growth."
The title read [Human Growth and Mimetic Diagrams]. It was a hefty tome, and flipping through revealed starkly illustrated male and female nudes. Hmm, anatomical focus—worth a look.
"Something else."
"Got it. Gotta go a bit farther."
Cross-verification is essential. Judging everything from one book is for rank amateurs☆. We walked for ages, and I couldn't help griping about the lack of an index or genre grouping—despite knowing magical books need specific spots. Creating an index like at the mansion takes ages to tame the magic and sealed tomes.
"Hi~"
"Hello~"
The librarian exchanged leisurely greetings with passing colleagues. She seemed scatterbrained, but damn if she wasn't a pro at finding books. Even pathetic humans excel if they stick to one thing fitting their lot.
"This one's more on species growth than mages specifically. Okay?"
"Yeah, not bad. One more, sis."
"This way then."
Following her, we approached the central stairs leading down. An almost tangible aura of lofty mana leaked out—probably a mid-layer guardian or something. Another librarian stood there, distinguished by the nameplate and emblem on her robe. She looked older than my guide, likely a veteran.
Spotting me staring, my librarian kindly explained. "That's the mid-layer. Deeper is lower, then the deep layer. Scary books down there—watch yourself."
Oh, that explained why no flying tomes like at home. The stairs down warped reality just from leaking magic. A fantastical library like this actually existing was mind-blowing. I'd been too frail to leave the mansion much, and our sealed books were suppressed by family power, not enough to distort like this. Magical tomes carry their author's ego. Top mages are all strong-willed nerds who write books that try to remake the world on their terms.
Curiosity glued my eyes downward as we walked... Thud. I collided with some blind idiot.
My books scattered everywhere, and I toppled flat.
"Ow! Watch where you're going!"
"Oops... sorry—huh?"
This precious body of mine is fragile... Glaring up, I saw the exact spitting image of the guy I'd sketched in my diary. Suspiciously pretty, androgynous features blurring boy or girl. But the 5th-year White Badge mark...
Thump—...? My heart dropped.
Why? 'Cause my mood soured? Seriously, a 5th-year loser who lost to me, why run into him here of all places? The academy has over ten thousand staff and students.
We glared daggers. What the hell was that look? Pathetic weakling.
"Aigoo... Gail, be careful. You too, Kesera."
The librarian grabbed my hand first, helping me up. The total loser stood on his own, gathering our books. But the page it fell open to... male nude, of course.
Not embarrassed, but folding it... why was my face burning like whoosh? Did this pitiful thing know I caught him fantasizing over stuff like that? Insane.
"Watch where you're going, freshman."
He held out the book like a handoff, but yanked when I grabbed it. A tug-of-war now? I leaned my weight in.
"Pfft... lol, a has-been who lost to me."
"Hey... you."
"Oh? You two know each other?"
The oblivious librarian butted in; he released, and my momentum sent me sprawling backward again. Wait—did that total loser just make me fall? Dare to topple Kesera Le Armo Ascentrius, firstborn genius of House Ascentrius?
"Ah... yes, indeed."
That jerk—totally on purpose. Scratching his neck like he owned the place. Pretty-boy parasite. The bastard from last night... who kept me up all night...!
"That's how it is."
"I don't know any weakling big sis who loses to kids like me. Let's go."
"Uh... right. Work hard, Gail. C'mon."
Sensing the bad vibes, the librarian grabbed my hand, scooped my books, and hurried off. Once at a distance, my neck heated up; glancing back, that total loser☆ was still glaring. I stuck out my tongue—bleh~☆—and bolted. Brain-dead idiot☆.
Luckily, the librarian played along without a word, and I borrowed a couple more books before heading back to the dorm.
...Weakling big sis who loses to a kid? No, that arrogant little brat. Blood boiling for real. Fine, I lost—admit it. She's a once-in-a-millennium genius in the empire's thousand-year history. Her smugness makes sense; she's that damn good. A 7-year-old outshining archmages in magic comprehension? Unbelievable.
But Gail had replayed that fight countless times in his head—her mana seemed negligible. Magic computation was hard to gauge, overshadowed by her comprehension.
Magic power boils down to three factors:
Mana: Total extractable amount.
Magic Comprehension: Understanding of spells.
Magic Computation: Accurate calculation execution.
That kid had one glaring weakness. He could beat her. Gail had run dozens of simulations mentally. Her tiny mana meant crap stamina in spars. She looked frail too—no close combat viable, and non-duel spars ban it anyway.
But how to force a spar? Ranking match.
Today's humiliation was one. Once per semester, unavoidable challenge. He'd crushed a mere Blue in seconds today.
Yes... ranking match. Perfect revenge on the brat, invite scholarship donors, school paper, snoopers—prove it was just an accident. He'd already researched counters to her arctan magic.
Victory was certain.