CH 191

Rieta followed the signs that read “Rental, return” and walked there.

Then she was able to find a return window near the small window.

“Hello.”

She handed over the envelope and greeted him.

However, to the librarian, Rieta’s greetings were not very important.

He took the paper out of the envelope and meticulously checked that all the papers were returned in their correct form.

It took a long time.

He put the papers in the wooden cart beside him and nodded slightly.

“Is it done?”

When Rieta asked that question, he stamped a small piece of paper with a somewhat annoyed expression and handed it over.

When she received it, it was a ‘return confirmation certificate’.

Perhaps Rieta’s question was heard as a request for this certificate.

Well . . . it’s a good thing to have documentary proof.

Rieta took the confirmation certificate and bowed.

And she looked back.

A new landscape that she had never seen before was unfolding.

The large bookshelves packed into the spacious library, the books that filled it, and the smell of paper and ink . . .

“Wow.”

Come to think of it, Darrel did say so.

It was worth looking forward to, because it was even bigger than the Imperial Library.

Rieta recalled the library of the royal family of Liz, which remained in her vague memory.

She didn’t actually remember it very well.

Rieta didn’t even have the right to borrow books.

Still, she was lucky enough to have followed her father.

Was it this big too?

Well, it probably wasn’t.

Even if that were the case, all valuable books might have been sold by now.

Rieta was genuinely envious of this place that would serve as the brains of the Empire.

This was even more so considering that this was the third floor, and there are several more library rooms of the same size in this building.

I can see why it is never open to foreigners.

The Empire would know and cherish the importance of this place.

Rrr, rrr.

As she glanced blankly at the bookshelves, she heard the sound of wheels rolling behind her.

She turned around and saw that the librarian, who had just received the returned papers, was dragging a cart full of books.

Rieta was standing in the way where he was about to pass, so she quickly walked away from her.

“I’m sorry.”

She offered an apology, but he didn’t seem to take it very seriously.

No, he seemed to ignore it altogether.

Maybe he was the type of person who didn’t enjoy interacting with other people.

Rieta mumbled a candid phrase unknowingly in her embarrassment.

“. . . It’s so pretty, I froze.”

Her voice was barely audible. The cart stopped in front of Rieta.

She was startled and looked up, and she saw that the librarian was looking at Rieta with a frown.

Was she not supposed to say that the bookshelves were pretty? Could it be that she felt like a foreigner because her word usage was a bit awkward?

All worries swept through Rieta’s mind.

But the librarian pushed the cart past her.

“Then see you.”

His voice was low.

“. . . Me?”

Rieta asked that question unknowingly, but he only pushed the cart without responding.

It seemed he felt that her question wasn’t worth answering.

As expected, I have to wait until Darrel comes.

Darrel was a polite gentleman, and he wouldn’t let Rieta wait here forever.

It was obvious that he would find an umbrella from the professor and pick her up after a short conversation in the lab.

Well, at least that’s a good thing?

Now that she had permission from the librarian, she could look around this library with confidence.

“Thank you.”

Rieta spoke so that only he could hear it.

Of course, he didn’t answer.

Rieta turned in the opposite direction to where the librarian was.

It was probably because he didn’t like being around people that much.

She lifted her head, and she looked up at the highest place on the shelf.

It was close enough to reach the high ceiling.

Were all books written by someone? When she thought of that, she was a little surprised.

Rieta’s gaze carefully swept the back of the bookshelf, and she occasionally pulled out anything that caught her eye.

So, naturally, Rieta continued to enter the depths of the third floor west area.

To her surprise, she didn’t run into anyone, so she felt like she was in a magical library.

If it weren’t for the sound of the librarian’s cart that she could hear from afar, she was sure she was left alone in this world.

Then, at some point, Rieta reached the library window.

The sound of rain could still be heard through the small window.

Like a whisper . . . Maybe it was because it was spring rain.

Rieta stood there for a moment and listened to the rain.

Somehow, I think I’ll remember it for a long time.

Rieta approached the window as though bewitched.

She was a little curious. What did the academic institute look down from the height of the third floor?

But when Rieta came out from among the shelves.

She could see a boy with dark hair browsing books nearby.

Rieta quickly turned around, and she hid among the shelves.

She had to be careful with black hair. Because Noel happens to have that.

Is it . . . Noel?