Chapter 6

"Clevana is amazing. To pass that written exam..."

Hearing this, I felt happy.

I had books as my friends and had never shown the results of my studies to anyone. Therefore, I had never been praised like this before. It made me feel warm inside, as if all the time I spent reading and studying alone had finally paid off.

I ended up visiting the library for the interview.

"I'm Clevana, here for the interview."

When I told this to the woman at the reception, she seemed surprised.

"Really, you're...?"

I wondered why she reacted that way. Had I done something wrong?

"Is something the matter?"

"No, nothing. So, the interview is—"

She smiled and told me where the interview would take place. Unbeknownst to me, she muttered to herself as I walked away, "For such a young girl to achieve such good results in that exam..."

The interview room was a conference room expanded by magic. The two people who would interview me were a man and a woman, both about ten years older than me. They looked at me with interest, making me a bit nervous. But there was no point in being nervous. I reminded myself that just passing the written exam was already a good achievement.

I calmed myself by thinking of my daughter's cute face.

"My name is Clevana. Nice to meet you."

I bowed and sat down. I was a bit uneasy, wondering what kind of questions they would ask.

"Welcome, Clevana. I'm the interviewer, Russoa, and this is Cord. We have a few questions for you. Please answer to the best of your ability, okay?"

"Yes."

As soon as I nodded, the questions started.

"You came from a neighboring country, right? It says here that you didn't receive any special education... Does that mean you never attended a school?"

"No, I have never attended a school."

When I answered, Russoa and Cord looked surprised.

"Really? After achieving such good results? Did you have a good tutor?"

I was surprised by Cord's question.

"I've never had a tutor."

"Then, how did you manage to study so much?"

"I read books and studied on my own."

That was the only answer I could give when asked how I studied. In fact, I couldn't have done anything else.

"Just reading books? And you learned so many languages that way? Could you try speaking a bit?"

"It's fine."

I was asked to introduce myself in a language used by a certain ethnic group.

"My name is Clevana. I just turned twenty-four last month. My hobby is reading, and I find it very enjoyable."

"Do you like reading? What are your favorite books?"

I was impressed by how fluently Russoa spoke. I only knew the language as knowledge and didn't think I could pronounce it well, as I had never used it in practice. But I knew the words and grammar.

"My favorite books are 'The Continental Greeting Dictionary' and 'The Princess's Melancholy.'"

"Clevana, you read a wide variety of books, don't you? Do you often read novels?"

"Yes. If there's a book I haven't read, I get curious and end up reading it. Reading dictionaries allows me to gain a lot of new knowledge, and it's enjoyable just to read them. I believe greetings are essential in any language. Knowing even one greeting can be a starting point for interacting with people in regions where that language is spoken. As for novels, reading about experiences I've never had allows me to imagine them, making me feel as if I've traveled to new places."

I had always lived in a limited world. Reading novels made me feel like I was traveling to unknown worlds. Even if it wasn't for studying, I found it enjoyable. This was my first time leaving my hometown, so I was very excited.

"That's wonderful. Clevana, it's impressive that you can speak so well on your own. Let's try another language."

Russoa spoke in another language, and I was impressed by her ability to speak multiple languages. We then had a conversation in various languages. I had rarely had such deep conversations with anyone, so I was happy just for that. During the conversation, I mentioned my divorce and having a child, and Russoa said, "You've been through a lot..."

"I could only understand part of what you were saying, but that's impressive for someone so young. You didn't have a job that required this, right?"

"No, this is the first time I've actually spoken these languages. I never had an opportunity to show what I had learned, so it was fun to speak during the interview."

In my hometown, no one listened to me. Even those who felt sorry for me didn't talk to me much, as they were afraid of what others might say. So, it was a pleasure to be able to show what I had learned.

"That's great. Next question: Why do you want to work here?"

"I learned about this library from a book I read long ago. I've always wanted to come here. It took a while, but when I finally saw a job opening, it felt like fate. I haven't worked properly before, so I'm not sure if I can do it well. But my desire to work here is genuine."

When I said this clearly, Russoa and Cord smiled.

We talked for a while, and my interview ended.