Chapter 185: Isolation (4)

Chapter 185: Isolation (4)

Tehalan, the capital of Adolveit.

It was quite a famous tourist destination.

Everywhere in the city, you could see the ‘Frost Cliff Palace,’ towering sharply on the distant horizon.

It exuded overwhelming majesty just by its mere presence.

Indeed, it was a splendid city.

Sitting at outdoor cafes, sipping drinks, and gazing at the distant palace gave a charming impression.

The streets of Tehalan evoked memories of 19th and 20th-century London: gloomy black trains traversing the city, gentlemen and ladies in formal attire, and buildings tinged with gray.

It felt like Sherlock Holmes might emerge from a nearby alley with Watson, hot on the trail of Jack the Ripper.

If you were to ask what to do next, the obvious first step would be to infiltrate that palace.

Of course, attempting clandestine entry into such a solemn palace on a mere whim was akin to suicide.

Even though Baek Yu-Seol lacked mana in his body, based on past experiences, mages had sensed his use of Flash and would likely trigger a mana response, alerting the security system.

However, infiltrating the Frost Cliff Palace didn’t have to be strictly covert and criminal.

There were moral and legal methods...

For instance, what if he were to become a ‘palace insider’?

Although it might seem daunting and unlikely to extract Hong Bi-Yeon within the remaining two to three weeks of summer vacation, becoming a palace insider was easier than one might think.

Thanks to the meticulously document which detail rmany ongoing events stored in Sentient Spec.

First, he sought out the most famous merchant in Tehalan, ‘Cheonli Sanghoe.’

"Oh? A Stella’s student? What brings you here?"

"Good day."

Cheonli Sanghoe's office was more akin to a factory than an office.

Dozens of huge automotives were parked, while gentlemen directed loading and unloading, and people attended to their duties or supervised operations.

Baek Yu-Seol slipped into the midst of it all.

"Recently, I heard that there's a shortage of technicians for Antal Oiler. I happen to be quite skilled in handling Antal Oiler technology. Can I offer some assistance?"

Confidently spoken, but...

"What’re you talking about? There's no shortage of Antal Oiler technicians. That guy over there is also an Antal technician, and he's busy loading and unloading because there are so many technicians."

"..."

Failure.

The Sentient Spec wasn’t omnipotent after all.

It was natural.

Events weren’t precisely marked for when, where, or what might happen.

Additionally, countless butterfly effects occurred worldwide based on his actions, leading to different futures, so it couldn't be helped.

Of course, Baek Yu-Seol didn't expect success on the first try.

He continued to explore various places in the city of Tehalan: newspaper offices, weapon shops, magic stores, and so on.

Amid repeated failures, he finally found a place in trouble as indicated by the Sentient Spec.

‘Sunset Bookstore.’

Although it was called a bookstore, in reality, this place with no fame or distinction was one of the suppliers continuously providing books to the Adolveit Royal Family.

However, recently, a problem arose.

It appeared that the librarian, who had been thoroughly managing the supply of books to the royal family, ran away.

This gave the owner quite a bit of stress.

If the librarian had merely fled, it wouldn't have been a big issue, but they left all the related documents in complete disarray, making it difficult to meet deadlines.

"I happen to be quite good at organizing these kinds of things."

"... Is that so? Well, give it a try."

The bookstore owner seemed skeptical of Baek Yu-Seol, but perhaps because of the influence of Stella's mark, he was hired almost like a daily worker.

And within a day, he impressively tidied everything up.

"How did you...?"

"I'm just good at this."

The document organizing task itself wasn't anything special. It was a tedious process of sorting through documents one by one and reading them meticulously.

Of course, he wasn't the one reading; it was the Sentient Spec.

Then, he instructed the spec to classify all the documents' contents in order, and all he had to do was follow suit and gather them.

The workload was immense, so he had to skip meals for a whole day, but thanks to Baek Yu-Seol, Sunset Bookstore was able to successfully deliver books to Adolveit, making it a rewarding job.

"This worked out well. We needed someone to fill in for the librarian. You said you'd work during the summer vacation? We're scheduled to deliver books directly to the royal family the day after tomorrow. If you help with organizing, it'll be a big help."

Of course, not just anyone could enter the palace; you needed a well-established status.

But wasn't Stella's student ID somewhat exceptional?

Compared to the royal family, it wasn't much, but it was enough to be considered a ‘first-class citizen,’ so there wasn't much difficulty in simply entering.

*‘If I've come this far, it's half the battle won.’*

Yet he hadn't become a palace worker yet, but according to his plan, maybe...

"Wow. Did you three organize all of this?"

"Haha. Surprising, isn't it? But what's even more surprising is that the two of us did nothing, and this student did it all alone."

As the Sunset Bookstore owner shook his head and playfully hit Baek Yu-Seol’s back, the librarian from the Royal Library looked at him with admiration.

"You said you were a part-timer? You have impressive intuition and memory. Your personality is meticulous and delicate."

"Thank you."

"So here's the thing. Unfortunately, our librarian has fallen ill with a severe flu...” Grandpa Librarian said as he subtly glanced around.

"We'll pay generously, so how about trying to work for us during the summer?"

As he expected, or rather, as written in the Sentient Spec.

With the librarian of the Royal Library falling ill, there was a shortage of hands, but in the midst of that, a competent librarian appeared, so... Why not hire them?

"Yes. Of course."

That was how Baek Yu-Seol became able to work successfully at the Frost Cliff Palace.

However, just because he worked at the palace didn't mean he could meet Hong Bi-Yeon right away.

Baek Yu-Seol’s role was strictly limited to managing third-class books at the Royal Library.

He wasn't a citizen of Adolveit, just a traveler, so even reading second-class books like national spellbooks was impossible.

But that didn't mean there was nothing to do.

On the contrary, there was too much, to the point of being overwhelming.

The librarian had been absent for quite some time, and he wondered if anyone could really sort this out, so the Royal Library was in chaos.

Because she learned that unfamiliar lonely feeling.

Because she learned that she could not rely on someone.

This feeling dug deeper into Hong Bi-Yeon’s heart.

There was no one left to support her within the Frost Cliff Palace.

Those who had been by her side had all left.

She was alone. She was trapped in the palace alone.

To pray alone for a lifetime.

That was how she would wither away.

Hong Bi-Yeon leaned weakly against the balcony, closed her eyes, and bathed in the pouring starlight above...

"Ah."

Suddenly, she felt a strange yet familiar sensation on her cheek, causing her to open her eyes.

She absentmindedly brushed her cheek with her hand, but there was nothing there.

"This is..."

Upon further thought, it wasn't one of the five senses.

It was the sixth sense, the familiar scent of mana.

At an ambitious hour when everyone was asleep, Hong Bi-Yeon quietly slipped out of her room and walked through the hallway.

Without knowing where she was headed, she followed that familiar scent.

While walking, she passed through several hallways.

It wasn't until she left the palace that she finally arrived at a place she could call her destination.

It was... the library.

The Royal Library.

It was the first time she had come here in six months since enrolling at Stella.

*‘Why am I here...?’*

Even though she couldn't understand why she ended up here, she unconsciously opened the door to the library.

She thought it would be locked at this early hour, but strangely, the door was open.

Creak...!

The old, unlubricated door opened, revealing the interior of the library.

The smell of books wafted, but it didn't feel unpleasant.

There was no sign of anyone, but seeing the lights on inside the library, she cautiously took out her wand and headed in that direction.

Shortly after, there was a loud noise.

Thud!

Clatter!

"Crash!"

It sounded like something collapsing.

"What...!"

Hong Bi-Yeon hurriedly ran towards the source of the noise.

When she arrived, there were dozens of books scattered all over the place, and someone was struggling under them.

"Who..."

Just as she was about to ask who it was, a boy suddenly emerged from between the books, revealing his face.

... At that moment, Hong Bi-Yeon’s heart almost stopped.

She thought that this situation might not be real, so she unconsciously held her breath.

"Oh, I'm dead... Damn librarian, just wait until tomorrow to come to work...."

Muttering as he tried to lift the books, Baek Yu-Seol turned his eyes absentmindedly and met the gaze of Hong Bi-Yeon, who was staring at him in her nightclothes.

"Uh..."

A moment of silence.

Then, awkwardly, Baek Yu-Seol chuckled and said, "Haha... Well, instead of staring, why don't you come over and help? Aren’t neighbors supposed to help each other?"

Thud!

"... Huh?"

However, due to Hong Bi-Yeon’s hesitation to sit down, Baek Yu-Seol couldn't even finish his sentence.

"Uh. How... You’re here..."

"Just, um. Part-time job."

He pointed behind himself with his thumb.

"See that? I organized all of that. Isn't it amazing? I'm really skilled at this kind of thing."

Despite his efforts to boast, Hong Bi-Yeon didn't even look at the place Baek Yu-Seol mentioned.

She stared at him without blinking, as if she would forget him if she looked away for even a moment.

"Part-time job...?"

"That's right?"

"Huh. Heh..."

She laughed.

Strangely, though, her expression appeared sad.

"It's a lie...."

She bowed her head deeply.

"It's a lie. Who couldn’t figure... Stupid commoner...."

"Ahem! It's not a lie. Well, maybe there's a little MSG added. But Instant-foods doesn’t always taste good..."

"Don't look over here."

"Huh?"

Hong Bi-Yeon covered her face with both hands.

From then on, Baek Yu-Seol was genuinely at a loss and couldn't speak properly.

His lips seemed unable to move properly, as if caught in an error.

He had no idea she would react so strongly, so he really... couldn't do anything.

It was late at night.

It was an unusually bright starry night.",