CH 24

Adelio left after that question, and Iris and I had no choice but to leave the temple without even saying hello to him.

It was a pity to part like this, so I came to the cafe, but the topic of conversation naturally flowed to the temple.

“I was so surprised because there were so many people in the temple. I’ve never seen so many people gather.”

Iris whispered to me as if she was talking about a secret.

“I heard that all the priests who were harassing the believers were dismissed. That’s what the rumors said.”

I let out a startled voice so loud that there was no point in whispering anymore.

“Dismissed?”

“Yes. They said it was full of wicked people who threatened and harassed believers with the title of priest. In the end, the central temple gave the order to dismiss them.”

At Iris’ words, I unwittingly opened my mouth wide in surprise.

I was so shocked that if there was tea in my mouth, it would have flowed out.

“I heard it’s not easy…”

“All of them were solved because the Holy Knight we met just a while ago requested the Central Temple directly.”

“Really?”

At my words, Iris emphasized again that she was not lying.

“Since he’d solved the problem at the library as well as at the temple, he’s praised for being a righteous person. It’s not for no reason that he’s famous in the social world these days.”

“It certainly seems so.”

At Iris’s words, the sadness I felt at the temple a while ago eased a little.

‘He said he would take responsibility and ask the priest to take responsibility, but he really did.’

Of course, I felt happy even though I knew that his action was not only for me but also for the development of the temple.

‘It’s unfortunate that there are more people in the temple, but as a believer, it’s only right.’

My own cozy nest was gone, but a good thing was still a good thing.

‘But what’s with his answer to the last question?’

When I first saw Adelio, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu, but it was clearly an illusion.

‘Did he say it to me?’

Adelio and I met for the first time at the temple, so even though I knew that it was impossible, the subtle sense of déjà vu didn’t go away.

“By the way, that Holy Knight. He certainly looks good in appearance and personality, but don’t you think there are parts of him that made him seem difficult to approach?”

Iris’ voice brought me to my senses.

‘How can I keep thinking about something else in front of Iris?’

I smiled awkwardly and nodded.

“Maybe you feel this way because he’s not your type.”

Iris said, smiling playfully.

“Daisy, what’s your type?”

“Yes?”

“Oh, was that too personal? Like me, Daisy doesn’t have a fiance yet, so I’m curious.”

I replied to Iris’ words, saying that it was fine.

“Actually, I don’t know. I am not interested in the opposite sex yet.”

As I was saying this, a person kept popping into my mind.

‘I’ll be waiting for you.’

Why do I keep remembering what he said as he left after helping me at the library?

‘Hold on. Could it be that those words weren’t sincere and were just a habit of his?’

Even though I knew I shouldn’t be upset about this, I couldn’t calm down my violent heart.

Unable to concentrate on the conversation, I started stirring the black tea in front of me with a spoon.

Before I knew it, the whirlwind inside the teacup seemed to reveal the complexities of my head.

I let out a big sigh, but I felt a gaze directed at me, so I lifted my head.

Iris was staring at me.

“I’m sorry, Iris. I kept thinking about something else.”

“Daisy, are you worried about something? You don’t look good.”

Iris looked me in the eye and asked cautiously.

‘Maybe it’s better not to tell her that I know Adelio.’

I knew Iris is a good person, but at least it seemed right to keep this concern to myself.

“I am really fine. Nothing happened.”

“It’s a relief, then.”

Seeing Iris’ expression, it seemed that she didn’t believe me.

Looking at her eyes stained with worry, it seemed that she had picked up a lot of rumors from the social world.

I was grateful that she was considerate of me, but I wanted to avoid the conversation because both the temple and the talk about my grandmother were uncomfortable for me.

‘I should change the subject.’

While contemplating what would be the right topic for this situation, I remembered a story that Iris had lightly spilled in the past.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Iris say this before? I think I heard that a famous scholar have come to the Imperial family.”

“Oh, that’s for sure. He is a very famous historian. I heard that he was dispatched to various parts of the continent, but this time he has completely returned to the Imperial family.”

‘Oh, wait a minute.’

“He is so famous that he made a mark in history. He is the one who revealed how the energy of the World Tree affects the continent. He is arguably the greatest scholar on the continent.”

Her explanation didn’t end there.

“And I heard that he is planning to take this opportunity to take in a student.”

‘As expected.’

The scholar Iris was talking about was the one Liliana wanted as her teacher.

“I heard that he personally lead the test to select students. They say that the questions come from the contents of his research. So I heard that people who take the exam are struggling to find his book. It would be too late to try to get it now.”

Iris seemed to know more about the rumored scholar than I thought.

‘Wouldn’t it be possible to get some helpful information?’

I clapped my hands and put on a really surprised look.

“That’s great, Iris. How do you know this in detail?”

“A while ago, I got a letter from the academy professor.”

“I envy you, Iris. I’m homeschooled, so I don’t have any connection with the academy.”

Iris was startled as I lowered my eyebrows and let out a regretful voice.

Then she held my hands tightly and said with a passionate look.

“If Daisy has any questions, feel free to ask! My knowledge alone may not be enough, but I will do my best to solve your questions!”

“Then may I know the title of his book?”

She closed her eyes for a moment and thought about it, then she replied in a bright voice, saying that she remembered.

“I think it was <The Beginning of Brilliant History>.”

In order not to forget the title of the book, I replayed it in my head and smiled.

“Thanks to Iris, my curiosity is resolved.”

“That’s a relief.”

Iris calmed down and drank tea to quench her thirst.

“Thank you. When I think about it again, I am glad that someone as kind as Iris is my friend.”

At the words I said with sincerity, Iris smiled broadly.

After that, we had a pleasant conversation and spent our time, and Iris, who said she had to go back, was sent back first.

“Is it okay if I don’t take you back?”

“It’s okay because I’m going to meet up with Viola and go home.”

“See you next time, then, Daisy.”

Iris, unable to hide her regret, continued to wave her hand over the window until she couldn’t see me.

And after she had completely gone, I asked the knight next to me.

“Sir Dominic. How can I find an out-of-print book of a famous scholar?”

“Aren’t famous scholars’ books usually in the Imperial library or academy? It might be in Leviathan’s study.”

Those who took the exam must have already visited the Imperial library, so if I dismissed that, the only option left was the library in the mansion.

“I’ll have to search in the mansion first.”

“Or you can ask the information guild to do it. At least they’ll find its location in the Capital.”

Sir Dominic’s words gave me a little hope.

‘But what if Sister already got the book?’

Maybe I should ask my sister’s maid.

✲ ✲ ✲

Should I be glad or not?

She said that Lilliana hadn’t gotten the book.

‘It’s so hard to find an out-of-print book.’

Unfortunately, it wasn’t in Liviatan’s library, and since I couldn’t steal books from other families, there was no way to get them.

With the help of Sir Dominic, I put my hopes on requesting a guild that specializes in running errands, but an answer stating that it was difficult to find came back.

In the end, a week passed and I didn’t gain anything.

The regret of not being of any help to Liliana, the embarrassment of not being able to gain anything.

Controlling my emotions, I left the information guild and tried to get back to the carriage.

“Wait a minute, miss!”

Then someone from the information guild came out and handed me a piece of paper with something written on it.

“It’s the address of a second-hand bookstore, but I heard that the owner is a bit of an eccentric and collects all sorts of books. So please visit here as well. Don’t expect too much. If you can’t get it from here, you have to think that you can’t get it anywhere in Capital.”

Giving them a lot of money must have worked.

‘It’s worth the money I put in!’

This might not be in vain.

After handing Sir Dominic a note, I climbed into the carriage with joy.

And the carriage moved for quite a long time.

Time seemed to have passed, so I looked out the window and saw a street I had never seen before.

“I think this is it. However, there seems to be something wrong with the carriage, so I think we have to get off here. The coachman said the carriage wheel is squeaking so he wanted to check it.”

“Really? Then it can’t be helped.”

Fortunately, it was located not far away, so after a short walk, I could see my destination.

The place where a small and shabby signboard was hung was a small used bookstore that the guild had told me about.

‘It’s really my last hope. If it’s not here either, I can’t get it.’

“Sir Dominic. It must be there.”

At my words, Sir Dominic came closer, and we slowly made our way there.

“Hn? For some reason, two guests came to visit. Take your time and look around.”

When I opened the door and entered the store, the person who seemed to be the owner sat on a chair and roughly waved his hand.

Sir Dominic frowned, but I calmed him down and stepped inside.

‘It’s bigger than I thought.’

The inside was shabby, but the books were neatly arranged in alphabetical order.

I walked slowly and started looking for the title of the book.

‘Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant…’

While looking for the book and muttering to myself, my eyes finally saw the letter I wanted.

<The Beginning of Brilliant History>

When I found the cover of the book that had faded to gray, I smiled broadly with delight and reached for it.

“Ah.”

I reached for the book, but I couldn’t take it out right away.

Not only me, someone else was pointing at the book at the same time.