Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Librarian Ernst (3) - Step by Step
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Eris had clear criteria for judging the value of a 'book'.
How practical the knowledge written in it was. That was it.
The top priority was knowledge related to magic, but she didn't shy away from it even if it wasn't strictly magical—as long as the knowledge was practical.
Conversely, books that failed her 'practicality' standard were something she utterly despised.
She couldn't comprehend noble young ladies with flower-filled heads squealing over romance novels, nor could she help feeling disgust toward noble boys who acted on instinct rather than reason, prattling on about knightly tales or heroic epics.
And rightly so, for such stories had nothing to do with reality.
They were all fantasy and fiction, and reading them wouldn't improve one's magic skills or help in the real world.
If one had to find any use, it might be as conversation fodder with other students—but that held zero value for Eris.
She didn't sharpen her tongue against the other students at the training hall simply to maintain her top-student reputation and meet the qualifications for the Sky Academy.
As long as she kept the minimum interpersonal relationships needed for that, the rest didn't matter. There was no need to read books she had no interest in just to cater to their tastes.
"That's how it was... but how did I end up with something like this...!"
Back in her dormitory, Eris glared discontentedly at the book the librarian had handed her.
A 'half-baked book' with a ridiculously long title starting with something about shipwrecks that she didn't even want to read aloud.
It was a million light-years from her usual reading preferences, but she couldn't just ignore it.
Because the librarian had said the next quiz would be based on this book's content.
Normally, Eris would have scoffed at whatever some mere library librarian said, but not this time.
'The mana I sensed on the second floor of the library back then... there were so many of them. If I could just get my hands on those...'
When it came to magic, Eris had a burning drive for self-improvement.
One could even call it an obsession.
Her skills had already stagnated amid the lax days at the training hall lately.
A clue to reaching even higher realms had appeared right before her eyes—she couldn't possibly turn away from it.
She had considered seizing them by force, but if her cherished disciple used violence against a library librarian to steal books, her revered master would be saddened.
No, even before that, the mere fact of tarnishing her master's reputation would make Eris unable to forgive herself.
"Hoo."
Right. This wasn't a pointless endeavor.
Just as one must walk a long road to reach a destination, this was merely an intermediate step toward acquiring grimoires.
Finishing her self-justification—something that would make some great demon think, 'Why is she rambling so much over just reading one book?'—Eris reached out toward the loathsome book.
Fortunately, rote memorization was her specialty.
If she read it without trying to understand, simply storing the text itself in her mind, it wouldn't take long.
"Thirty minutes should be plenty."
And about three hours passed.
"Hm, all correct. Looks like you read it properly."
"This is nothing."
Eris responded with haughty poise to the blond librarian's words.
"Compared to high-level grimoires, this is just child's play. I didn't time it precisely, but I think it took less than ten minutes to read through."
"Is that so. Ah, wait—upon second look, it seems your answer here is a bit off. The part where the protagonist rescues that companion."
"What? No way! I reread that section several times... "
Eris's words trailed off sharply.
Ignoring her as her green eyes trembled, the librarian flipped through the book she had returned, checked a specific page, and nodded.
"Indeed, you're right. My apologies."
Eris fell silent.
If the librarian had smirked or teased her, she might have snapped in anger, but his utterly calm, matter-of-fact demeanor as he did his job made even that impossible.
Even though she had received an apology, a humiliating sense of defeat washed over her, making her tremble—while this was happening, the librarian casually pulled out a book and offered it to her.
This time, it was two volumes.
[Considerations on the Correlation Between Water-Attribute Magic and Ice-Attribute Magic]
[Considerations on the Correlation Between Water-Attribute Magic and Ice-Attribute Magic – Annotated Edition –]
"...Not a grimoire this time either."
Open disappointment and dissatisfaction showed plainly on Eris's face.
Books on magic were broadly divided into three categories.
The first were 'spellbooks,' containing instructions for specific incantations.
They explained how to channel mana, how much to apply at what timing for what effect—and simply following the process allowed one to cast the spell.
Those commonly called 'wild mages' or 'self-taught mages' entered the world of magic this way, but those like Eris, trained in 'systematic' magic, didn't consider them proper mages.
If it was hard to grasp, think of cooking recipes.
Could you call someone who could only blindly follow one specific recipe, unable to cook anything else, a true 'chef'?
Mages who learned only from spellbooks usually didn't even understand the structure of the spells they used, and thus couldn't reach higher realms.
The second were 'theory tomes,' books containing analyses and deliberations on magic itself.
Unlike spellbooks, which merely required following set steps, these were far more theoretical and systematic—and correspondingly harder to comprehend.
However, for a mage truly aspiring to higher realms, exploring such theory tomes was essential.
Among high-rank mages of 5th circle or above, the vast majority had learned from theory tomes; those who reached the same level with only spellbooks were a mere handful.
The third were 'grimoires,' books that inherently possessed magical power.
Their contents might be spellbooks or theory tomes, but they ranged from ones enchanted with preservation spells to protect the text, to those that granted specific spells just by reading them, or even ones that amplified the owner's mana like a magical aid. The varieties of power they held were incredibly diverse, making them especially valuable among magic books.
What Eris had originally targeted in this library were grimoires of the third category.
If it was a grimoire that enhanced a mage's abilities, it would be a jackpot among jackpots. Even if its contents were merely a spellbook or theory tome, the fact that it had been preserved with magic suggested high value.
In contrast, what the librarian had just handed her was an ordinary theory tome.
Of course, it was useful and important in its own right, but now that she knew grimoires existed on the second floor, it inevitably felt lacking to Eris.
"You can't know a book's true worth until you've read it, can you?"
As if seeing right through Eris's inner thoughts, the librarian spoke.
His attitude, like saying 'quit complaining and just read it first,' made Eris flip open the pages with a slightly curt demeanor.
[Considerations on the Correlation Between Water-Attribute Magic and Ice-Attribute Magic] was a typical theory tome that Eris was familiar with.
In other words, it was packed to the brim with infuriatingly complex and obscure content.
'...Well, not bad.'
It was a dense block of text with zero consideration for the reader, but the content itself was plenty useful.
Mastering and internalizing it would take considerable time, but once done, her magic skills would improve.
She only felt dissatisfied because her mind was on the grimoires; if she'd encountered this normally, it would have made her eyes gleam.
Judging it not something to skim lightly on the spot, Eris closed the book and reached for the other one labeled 'Annotated Edition.'
Compared to the original, which exuded a worn, ancient aura, this one looked almost brand new.
Still, Eris didn't hold high hopes for it.
Attempts to simplify complex originals often ended up distorting or damaging the content instead—and badly so, in some cases worse than not reading it at all.
With a mindset of 'let's see what it says,' she flipped it open.
Flip.
She turned another page.
Flip.
Another page.
Flip.
As the pages kept turning, Eris's expression grew increasingly dazed.
Unthinkingly, she murmured aloud.
"What is this?"
The annotated editions Eris knew were basically something akin to the original author's side notes.
But this was different.
Not only did it rephrase the original's content for easier understanding, it even filled in ambiguities or omissions with entirely new material.
It was like a student roughly drafting a paper, only for a professor to revise it with richer knowledge and clearer language.
Eris hurriedly checked the author.
The original's author was a 5th-circle mage of some renown from centuries ago; the annotated edition's was left blank.
"What will you do? Shall I exchange it for another?"
In a perfectly businesslike, impassive tone, the librarian spoke.
He seemed utterly unperturbed by the kaleidoscope of emotions crossing Eris's face right before him.
Eris frowned briefly before speaking, frustration evident.
"No, this book's fine. Just... are there 'things like this' on the second floor too?"
"I'd have to check. But if you prefer ones with interpretations included, I can probably find those."
However, the librarian added,
"That is, assuming you pass the quiz."
"...The next quiz is from these two books, right?"
"No, from this one."
With that, the librarian handed over yet another book.
Once again, an impractical novel far from Eris's tastes.
Eris's face twisted.
"What do you gain by making me read useless drivel like this?"
"Don't you know? A truly enjoyable book has the magic to make you want to recommend it to others, not just enjoy it yourself. I'm simply under that spell."
"It might be fun for you, but not for me at all. I don't get what's enjoyable about forcing someone to read what they hate."
"Then don't read it."
His attitude, as if he had nothing to lose, made Eris clench her fists tightly.
Infuriating—utterly infuriating—but right now, she was the one at a disadvantage.
With a glare that could devour him whole, Eris snatched the book he offered.
"If you don't deliver rewards worth anticipating, you'd better brace yourself. You nasty-tempered librarian."
The librarian didn't reply, merely curling the corner of his mouth upward ever so slightly.
It was too artificial to call a smile, and carried something sinister at the same time.
Feeling her fondness for him plummet to rock bottom once more, Eris left the library.
"Eris. You look a bit tired—are you alright?"
To the question from a female student, Eris flashed an elegant smile as if all was well.
"Thank you for your concern. I got a new book and lost track of time immersing myself in it."
"Ah, another new theory tome? My head hurts just reading the basic textbooks, but you're amazing!"
"Yeah, well."
Behind her soft, refined smile, Eris inwardly quashed a pang of guilt.
Never let it slip that I pulled an all-nighter on novels instead of theory tomes, she vowed to herself.
She had read them purely out of necessity, but others might misunderstand if they found out.
That was all there was to it.
Anyway, that was that.