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Ronan’s eyes widened, and the grip on his wrist felt incredibly strong. It was hard to believe that such strength could come from those delicate hands, like fern leaves.

The librarian led Ronan to a secluded corner without hesitation. Before long, they stopped in front of a hidden space behind a bookshelf. With a swift motion, she pulled out a book titled [Secrets and Beliefs.]

Thuuuud!

The bookshelf shifted to the side, revealing a hidden space. Ronan chuckled at the seemingly familiar theatricality of it all.

“Is hiding things behind books a trend these days?”

“Please come in. How could we keep it hidden if we didn’t do this?”

The librarian let go of Ronan’s wrist and pushed him forward with both hands, making her seem more like a bull than a human.

As the bookshelf returned to its original position, darkness descended. A whispering voice echoed within the darkness.

“Just a moment.”

Eventually, the surroundings brightened. On the librarian’s palm, a cluster of light the size of a fist floated. When she exhaled, the cluster of light scattered like dandelion seeds, spreading in all directions.

The secret space, filled with various odds and ends, felt like a warehouse. The librarian, who rechecked the entrance, looked impatient and approached Ronan.

“I hope I didn’t make a mistake. Please show it to me once more.”

“Wait a moment. Can you tell me whose ring this is?”

Ronan raised his eyebrows. No one could afford to let their guard down in this situation. The librarian, who had stopped in her tracks, replied calmly.

“Sarante. Sarante Lematyon, the Tower Mage of the Dawn Tower.”

“The Tower Mage? He was from the Dawn Magic Tower?”

“Yes. He was the first Tower Mage who couldn’t manipulate fire magic.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that… So, you naturally know about the goddess that Sarante believes in, right?”

“Goddess? Oh… has he changed his belief now? When I was with him, he worshiped some kind of stone.”

Ronan arched an eyebrow. There was no point in pursuing this line of questioning further. He handed the ring to the librarian and spoke.

“Take your time.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way, I haven’t heard your name. I’m Ronan.”

“Name… Call me Eyrie. Everyone calls me that.”

The librarian, who introduced herself, accepted the ring. With a wistful look in her eyes, as if filled with longing, she began examining the ring and finally spoke.

“…It’s really Sarante’s ring. He always wore it on his left ring finger.”

“By the way, what’s your relationship with him? You talk about him like he’s your friend.”

Ronan tilted his head. It had been one of the things he had been curious about since earlier. Eyrie addressed Sarante as if he were an old friend, but there were no hints of dwarven lineage in her appearance.

She was short, but not as short as a dwarf, and her slightly protruding ears were typical of neither elves nor vampires. Is she a spirit, perhaps? Ronan pondered various possibilities. Eyrie chuckled as she caught his thoughts.

“Oh, you must be new to the Dawn Magic Tower? I’m a spirit.”

“Huh? A spirit?”

“Yes. Although very few people know about my relationship with Sarante.”

Ronan was about to ask what nonsense she was talking about when, all of a sudden, Eyrie’s body turned translucent and she floated into the air. Matching Ronan’s eye level, she began to speak.

“I’m sorry. The space here is too cramped to show you my true form.”

“…That’s enough.”

Ronan chuckled dryly. There was a reason for her unusually strong grip earlier. From Eyrie’s now translucent body, mana of a density akin to Aun Philara emanated. Ronan asked once more.

“Why are you staying here like this?”

She was clearly a high-ranking spirit. It was hard to understand why such a powerful being would stay in a place like this. Eyrie returned to her original form and began to explain.

“Sarante sealed me here in Dawn Magic Tower. He promised to release me someday if I did my librarian duties properly.”

“Sealed? It wasn’t a contract?”

Ronan furrowed his brow. Eyrie avoided his gaze, scratching her cheek.

“Ahaha… yes. How should I say it… I used to be a bit immature.”

Eyrie mentioned that her sealing by Sarante had happened hundreds of years ago. Initially, she had wanted to destroy the library and everything, but over time, she found reading books enjoyable and realized that her work suited her. She now lived contentedly.

‘What in the world was that old man doing?’

Ronan realized once again that he knew nothing about Sarante. To make matters worse, not only had he sealed a powerful spirit but also assigned her librarian duties. Suddenly, Eyrie’s eyes sparkled, and she asked a question.

“So, how is Sarante doing? He left Dawn Magic Tower to become a priest, but is he still worshiping that stone as a god?”

“Ah.”

For a moment, Ronan was speechless. It seemed that Eyrie was unaware of what had happened to Sarante. After some hesitation, he finally spoke.

“…Yes, he is. He’s living in the Baydian Mountains. That ugly stone is still enshrined in the temple.”

“Ahaha, that’s really him, then. Could you please tell me about how he is doing?”

Eyrie’s eyes twinkled. Her demeanor was reminiscent of a daughter asking about her warrior father’s well-being. Ronan couldn’t find the courage to tell the truth. Based on Eyrie’s attitude, it seemed that their relationship might have been more than just a contractual one.

It’s not easy to soberly narrate the story of someone’s longtime friend who had turned into a stone after being split in half. Ronan shook his head incredulously.

“We can discuss it later. Right now, I have urgent matters.”

“Oh, I see. I apologize. What brings you here? I’ll do my best to help you.”

She said Sarante’s last words to her was to help anyone who came with his belongings. Ronan briefly explained how he ended up here.

He explained about the curse, its unusual nature that made it impossible to remove by conventional means, and the belief that showing his ring to someone here could provide valuable information. He asked if Eyrie had any knowledge.

“I see. So, you’re under a curse.”

“Yes. I was told that if I show this ring to someone here, they might provide me with some useful information. Do you happen to know anything?”

“Hmm… I don’t know much about curses, but I do know where to find books that deal with curses.”

Eyrie explained that there were 289 academic books on curses, and there were well over a thousand books covering various aspects. Ronan cursed under his breath upon hearing the staggering number.

“Damn, that’s a lot.”

“Originally, it’s not allowed, but I can fetch books restricted to high-level magicians as well. And you’re welcome to access every area except the Forbidden Books section.”

Once again, the mention of the Forbidden Book piqued his interest. It seemed to be containing books of significant danger, especially given Aun Philara’s warning and the fact that they were managed separately. Eyrie reassured him.

“Don’t worry too much. I believe that by the time you leave the Tower, you’ll find the answers you seek.”

“I hope so. Please take care of me.”

With that, Ronan’s ordeal began. As soon as he left the secret chamber, he settled in a spot where the sun shone brightly. Before long, Eyrie arrived and stacked a pile of books in front of him.

“These are the most basic books to start with: [The Origins of Hate], [A Catalog of Wicked Curses: Top 100]…”

“This won’t be easy.”

“Let me know when you’ve read them all, and I’ll bring more.”

Despite only requesting books that could be found in the Dawn Magic Tower, the stack seemed never-ending. Ronan couldn’t help but sigh as he looked at the books stacked as high as his eyes.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t afford to give up. With plenty of tasks at hand, he needed to extract as much information as possible from these books. Ronan, wiping his dry face, picked up the book that was placed on top.

“…Where should I start?”

***

Just like that, three days had passed, since the airship’s shootdown ended in an unsuccessful attempt, no more major incidents had occurred. The culprit remained at large, and Philleon students like Elizabeth were still within the Magic Tower.

Excluding the time he spent sleeping, eating, or going to the bathroom, Ronan devoted all his time to researching. Eyrie, who flew in through the air, placed another pile of books in front of Ronan and said.

“Have you finished reading all the academic works written by Mandolay?”

“I’m done with three.”

“Then you have two more to go.”

Eyrie flew away again. The wall of paper in front of him seemed endless, and Ronan couldn’t help but sigh. Even closing the books didn’t stop the words from floating in his vision.

“This is frustrating…”

Eyrie’s offer to help was genuine. She continuously provided him with books that could be of assistance. Thanks to her, Ronan had learned about hundreds of curses and counter-curse methods. Now, if someone suddenly grew goat horns after waking up from a nap, as Aselle had claimed, he could lift the curse as long as he had the necessary ingredients.

The problem was that the most critical information remained elusive. There was no precedent that matched his current condition, and the curse on his body was unlike anything else he could find.

Ronan’s hand wandered into his pocket, where he felt the cold metal casing of a scroll that Aun Philara had crafted.

‘Should I burn it all down?’

Thoughts of setting fire to the library crossed his mind multiple times. The lack of progress was making him increasingly irritable.

But that wasn’t the only problem. As he was about to open another book, he heard murmurs from behind. Three mages who looked to be in their late teens were pointing fingers at him.

“Look, he’s reading books again today.”

“Be careful. He might cast a curse.”

“Is he going to cause an explosion again?”

Ronan sighed deeply. There was no time to catch them, and it was frustrating that this wasn’t the first time such incidents had occurred. He turned around, his eyes blazing with anger.

“Hey, you little brats. If you have something to say, say it to my face.”

“Hi-hiik…!”

Terrified, the young mages fled. Ronan couldn’t even count how many times this had happened. Just as he turned back to his books, his temples throbbed with a headache.

“Why is this happening?”

Eyrie returned, noticing his discomfort. She asked with concern.

“Are you feeling unwell? Is something hurting?”

“My head hurts. Eyrie, I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“What happened at the Magic Tower? Except for the airship almost crashing, I mean.”

Ronan explained the strange atmosphere he had sensed since arriving at Dawn Magic Tower. Dealing with mages who complained while wandering around like scavenging vultures was becoming tiresome. Eyrie listened to his account and nodded.

“I see… It’s true; there does seem to be such an atmosphere. Perhaps it’s because significant and minor incidents keep occurring.”

“Significant and minor incidents?”

“Ah… that’s right. Experiments that were bound to succeed failing, animals bred in the Magic Tower suddenly dying, and people who were perfectly fine just disappearing overnight.”

Suddenly, Eyrie reached out into the air, and sheets of paper from the lower levels flew up, accompanied by a noisy commotion, landing in her hands.

Ronan accepted the bundle of papers she handed him. Each sheet contained detailed portraits and personal information of missing individuals. Eyrie spoke, “It’s a list of missing persons. There’s already six of them.”

Eyrie had informed Ronan that for the past few months, there had been a steady stream of missing individuals within the Magic Tower. They simply vanished without a trace. Even she, who could freely traverse the Magic Tower’s interior walls, couldn’t find the missing individuals.

“Could they have just left the Magic Tower?”

“I wish that was the case, but no one has reported seeing them leave.”

“So there are all sorts of strange things happening.”

“Yes, indeed. It feels like the Magic Tower is becoming more and more unsettled with each passing day. And I think the absence of the Tower Lord is playing a part in it as well.”

“The Tower Lord hasn’t returned?”

The Tower Lord had set out on a journey last winter, with plans to return in the spring. However, it was now mid-summer, and there was still no sign of the Tower Lord’s return, leaving Aun Philara to be the acting Tower Lord.

Eyrie spoke with concern, “Since the Tower Lord is very strong, there shouldn’t be any major issues. And with Aun Philara holding the position temporarily, things should be running smoothly. However, it’s only natural for everyone to feel uneasy when the head is absent for so long.”

“What happens if the Tower Lord doesn’t return?”

“Well… if a full year of absence passes, I believe that the acting mage takes on the role of the Tower Lord.”

“Hmm…”

Ronan’s interest was piqued. If the current Tower Lord didn’t return by the end of this year, Aun Philara would become the Tower Lord.

‘Could it be…’

Suddenly, several suspicious scenarios crossed his mind. However, he couldn’t be sure, so he decided to ask another question.

“What’s in the Forbidden Books section?”

“It contains sealed books, precisely books of curses. It’s a very dangerous place.”

“Perhaps I should explore it. There has been no progress.”

“Absolutely not.”

Eyrie was resolute in her response. The cheerful demeanor she usually had was gone. She spoke with seriousness.

“I can’t let you enter the Forbidden Book section under any circumstances. If there is a reason I work as a librarian other than being sealed, it is because I am the only one who can manage those Forbidden Books”

“Even though it’s just books, do they really pose a threat to people?”

“Yes, they do. Many of the powerful Forbidden Books have self-awareness. They can mesmerize or manipulate the readers and eventually lead to catastrophe. Moreover… they’re sealed in the Dawn Magic Tower for a reason, you know.”

“That book? Aha, it’s that Vajra of something.”

Eyrie grimaced. Ronan had learned about the book yesterday while researching.

Vajra of Destruction, one of the three books said to have been written by the Devil. It was known to have mesmerized an Emperor and led to the downfall of an entire kingdom. Given the description, he understood why Eyrie was so adamant about it. Ronan’s lips twisted in thought.

‘Not that I don’t understand, but…’

He wasn’t in a position to argue. If there were any clues to breaking the curse within those Forbidden Books, he’d be eager to read them. But without Eyrie’s cooperation, there was no way to access the Forbidden Book section. After concluding their conversation, Eyrie turned away.

‘For now, I’ll have to finish reading the other books.’

Before considering searching for the Forbidden Book, he wanted to do everything he could. Even without the Forbidden Books, there were plenty of books to explore, and he still had several days before he could return to Phileon.

Ronan decided to focus on reading as much as possible before attempting any further investigations.

*

*

*

“…Ah.”

Ronan suddenly woke up. The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, with moonlight streaming in through the windows scattered throughout the library.

“I must have dozed off…”

Stretching, Ronan tried to shake off the sleepiness. It seemed like he had fallen asleep while reading, a common occurrence now that he had gotten used to working at his desk.

Since Eyrie wasn’t around, it must have been quite late at night. But he didn’t mind; he was getting used to working these late hours. Rubbing his eyes to banish the remnants of drowsiness, Ronan picked up the book once more.

“Thud… Thud…”

“Hmm?”

He felt a presence from below. Ronan turned his head in the direction of the noise. There was a shadowy figure moving somewhere down there.

‘Is someone here to catch up on their research?’

Ronan raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t unusual for a mage engrossed in their studies to wander the library late into the night. Just as he was about to infuse mana into his reading light, a shadow emerged into the moonlight, revealing the face of a woman.

“Huh?”

Ronan’s eyes widened in surprise. She was undoubtedly someone he had seen before, on the list of missing persons. She was a 5th Circle mage named Parte, if he remembered correctly. Just to be sure, Ronan checked his notes, and it was indeed her.

‘There’s no mistaking it.’

She had appeared from beneath the moonlit veil and then turned into a shadow again, disappearing deeper into the library. Ronan slowly got up.

‘Where is she going…?’

He didn’t know why someone who had been reported as missing would be wandering around here. However, Ronan instinctively understood that he had to follow her.

He moved as silently as possible, each step carefully measured.

Thud! thud!

The muffled sound of his footsteps followed the shadowy figure.