Volume 1 Chapter 6 Mean Villainess, Borrowing A Book
I came to the library accompanied by Rolus.
The hundreds and thousands of books lined up are breathtaking; it truly is the Royal Academy library.
There's everything from children's books to ridiculously thick textbooks, magic books, and encyclopedias.
If time allowed, I could stay here for hours.
In fact, there's even a small cafe, so it's designed for long stays.
"What kind of book do you want to read, Rolus?"
"I'm Servant, so..."
"Oh, something for Servants, huh? Ah, how about this one? Anyone can easily understand it, 'How to Increase Your Magic Power Quickly'."
"No, Lady."
"I could only show orange during my magic measurement. If I could, I'd want to boost it to red."
"..."
"I've heard the next level after red is white, but if you reach that, they'll forcibly recruit you into the Royal Guard Magic Division, so let's stop just short of that."
I keep flipping through the book on how to increase magic power as I talk.
I really want to avoid being shoved into the Royal Guard Magic Division because I'd have no time to play games if that happened.
It's not just that; being in the Royal Guard means being a close aide to the royalty, wrapped in confidential matters, and apparently, you'd be separated from your family to keep secrets safe.
Even if you're an only son and the heir of a noble family, it doesn't matter; they forcefully recruit you, and that's caused quite a few issues.
Even when it becomes a problem, they still don't return you.
"Being chosen for the Royal Guard magic Division is an honor, they say, but... Oh, this looks interesting."
It seems like being wrapped in confidential matters would be really suffocating.
While I think that, I picked up a classic adventure novel about a hero going to defeat the Demon King.
Rolus doesn't show much on his face, but he seems to like these classic stories.
After we both read, our discussions have a bit more excitement.
"They have horror books too."
"..Excuse me, Lady, but if you read that and can't sleep, I won't help you."
"..You say that, but I'm so mean that I'll boldly crawl into your bed without asking."
"Let me make sure to lock it tightly."
"I'll break the key!!"
I won't borrow something like that anyway!!
While having such a conversation, I decided to borrow just 5 books for now.
With a return deadline of one week, I should have enough time to read them and share my thoughts with Rolus.
I headed to the lending counter and asked the librarian to help me with the procedure.
While they were processing my request, I noticed a simple magic power measuring device next to the counter.
It was a device that could easily measure magic power by placing your index finger on a small crystal.
Although it was simple, it seemed it wasn't very accurate.
"Please be careful about the return deadline."
"Yes, thank you."
While I was thanking them, I pulled on Rolus's sleeve, who had naturally received the borrowed books.
I placed his index finger on the crystal.
"Wow, it's blue."
I couldn't help but exclaim at how blue it was.
If this were a thermography device instead of a magic power measuring device, Rolus would definitely have poor circulation.
The average magic power of students at this school is yellow, with green below that, and blue even lower.
In other words, blue is the very bottom.
"As I said before, I have low magic power."
"True, you did say that, but it was bluer than I imagined. Well, it's just right; now we can actually experiment to see if your magic power really increases with the books we just borrowed."
It was a slightly dubious sales pitch, but it was worth a shot.
Thinking I would try it as soon as I got home, I checked the time and realized I still had some time before I was picked up.
Since I had some time, I decided to look around the library a bit more.
I thought about searching for my next book to borrow, but my feet led me to the restricted history book section.
It wasn't so much that I was interested in the history books; it was the person who was there that caught my attention.
The person intently staring at the spines of the history books was none other than the only one in the class who chose Spell-ology.
If I could somehow get closer and strike up a conversation, I might get to hear about Spell-ology, and if all went well, I might even be able to copy his textbook.
But why history books?
Even though I have memories of my past life, right now, I'm just a kid who's only recently started attending this academy. I don't exactly have any detailed knowledge of history at hand.
What I'm trying to say is, I've got no idea what topic to bring up to start a conversation.
As I carefully think about how to approach him naturally, without freaking him out, I quietly edge closer. And then... his gaze suddenly turns toward me.
Right when I'm about to go with a "screw it, let's just dive in and see what happens" strategy, his eyes widen for a split second before his expression sharpens.
Did I do something to piss him off?
If he were a girl, I could maybe understand it—like, "Oh, you're hogging all the Leve for yourself!" or something like that. But he's a guy... although, to be fair, Leve has a face that could probably charm guys too.
"You..."
His sharp gaze pierced through me as those words were uttered from his mouth.
However, it was unexpected that his gaze, along with his words, were directed at Rolus.
Attendant, who was supposed to be in the waiting room, what could he possibly want from Rolus? I can't imagine that Attendant would be there.
"The last piece of Yakisoba bread...!!!"
Ah! Could it be that the Yakisoba-pan I bought is the source of his grudge?!
If only he hadn't taken away my enjoyment... I didn't think he would repeat it.
"The Yakisoba bread I was looking forward to... You dare to eat it so calmly even though you're just an Attendant!"
Grudges over food tend to run surprisingly deep.
"I'm the one who made him buy it and let him eat it. I'm sorry for taking away something you were excited about."
Since letting Rolus open his mouth would only make things more complicated without benefiting anyone, I quietly stepped forward.
"No, it's fine... I mean..."
"It's okay, no need for honorifics. We're in the same class, right?"
"Yeah."
Right here, I had an epiphany.
This is my chance to get closer to him, I thought.
If I just sell him a favor, it should be fine.
"By the way, is that Yakisoba bread quite popular?"
"I need to hurry and buy it, or it will be sold out. After class, it's going to be a race against time to see if I can get it."
He said this with a sulky expression on his face.
Even though he rushed to buy it, he ended up having the last one taken by Rolus.
"I have good news for you. My Attendant is not a student, so he doesn't have classes. In other words, he can get to the cafeteria faster than others."
"He can..."
"To make up for the fact that you ate the last one today, let's have him go buy it tomorrow."
"Have him go buy it...!"
His eyes sparkled as he realized what I was hinting at.
I guess he really wanted that yakisoba bread.
"So, will you forgive me?"
"If I can eat it tomorrow!"
That was simple and helpful.
"Well then, see you tomorrow. Oh, by the way, my name is Elena. This is my Attendant, Rolus. What's your name?"
"My name is Rudger. So I'm counting on you, Rolus!"
"Yes, understood."
And just like that, I became friends with Rudger from Spell-ology.
* * *
"Well, I made a friend."
When I told my mother about Rudger, she had a huge smile on her face.
Seeing her so happy, I thought that Rudger might be a target character.
No, he was probably a target for sure.
I made a quick exit from the conversation to gauge my mother's reaction and took Rolus back to my room while I thought about Rudger.
He was the only one in class who chose the niche subject of Spell-ology, so I assumed he would be a gloomy guy.
But up close, he had a nice face.
His purplish-black hair and slightly slanted golden eyes were beautiful, and his healthy brown skin gave off a fresh vibe.
He did seem a bit rough around the edges, but that was surely because of the yakisoba bread.
If he eats it tomorrow, he might become softer.
It's like feeding a pet.
When you think about it calmly, being the 'only' one who chose Spell-ology makes sense from a character development point of view.
If he were like everyone else, he wouldn't stand out at all.
...So, does that mean the prince character who likes yakisoba bread, which my mother once said in Japanese, is Rudger? I can't believe that many characters who like yakisoba bread would appear in one work, unless it's exceptionally delicious.
However, Rudger's appearance looks nothing like that of a noble; he definitely seems like a commoner, especially since he doesn't have a family name.
Plus, the prince is set to enter the academy next year.
"Hmm, I don't know. Oh, look, Rolus, straighten your back, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. It says here that to increase your magical power, you must first master the correct breathing technique."
With a sketchy book in hand, Rolus's special training to enhance his magical power is about to begin──!
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