Chapter 56

It was still mid-summer vacation—

We had probably completed about 60% of the requests.

We stopped by the town of Grepara in the Luminous territory.

"Mr. Alberto, this is also a big town!"

Lola said, looking around at the scenery.

"This Grepara is known as the second largest city in the Luminous territory."

"Wow... But the atmosphere is different. Luminous felt more lively, but this place seems more calm."

"It's probably the temperament of the residents—"

I directed my gaze to the clothing of the people walking through the town. Compared to the people of Luminous, their attire was more formal and stiff.

"This place is an academic city."

"An academic city?"

"The capital Luminous is the center of commerce, while Grepara is the center of academia."

"Oh, I see... Wait, didn't we have a request in this town?"

"No, we didn't come here for that reason."

"Huh?"

"There's a place I want to take Lola to."

When we decided to return to the Luminous territory with Lola, I had wanted to stop here if we had the time.

"Wow, there's a place you want to take me to!? I'm so excited! Where is it!?"

"Just a little further—look, there it is."

We were in the center of Grepara. Among the many new and clean buildings, there stood a large building that exuded a sense of history.

As we approached the entrance, I explained to Lola.

"This is the Luminous family's warehouse."

"Warehouse!? In the center of the town!? A warehouse!?"

Lola leaned back in surprise.

"And it's so big!?"

"Yeah... Part of it is open to the public as a museum—so to the townspeople, it might be a museum."

...From the Luminous family's perspective, it's a warehouse, so I accidentally called it that...

I showed the Luminous family's crest plate to the museum's reception. I was treated with great courtesy and led through a dedicated entrance to the innermost room.

"This is it, Mr. Alberto."

The female supervisor handed me the key.

"Thank you. ...Can I give this key to this girl later?"

The female supervisor glanced at Lola before answering.

"If Mr. Alberto trusts her, it's fine... However, if anything happens—"

"Of course, I'll take responsibility."

"In that case, there's no problem."

The female supervisor bowed to me and walked back down the corridor.

"Is there something really amazing in here!?"

Lola said, her shoulders trembling.

"I'm sure there's something that will make you happy, Lola."

I opened the door with the key and went inside.

There were countless bookshelves lined up, each filled with books.

"Wow, so many books...!"

Lola entered the room and looked around. She approached a bookshelf and stared at the spines.

"Are these magic books?"

"Yeah. They're more like books related to magic, collected by one of the Luminous family's ancestors."

He himself didn't have any magical talent, but he was strangely captivated by the charm of magic and collected books obsessively.

When I was a child, I used to come here to study.

...But I never really got the hang of it...

However, I think Lola can make good use of them.

"The academy has a large library, but since this is a private collection, there are many books that can't be found there. Lola, you can come and go freely. Why don't you study here for about a week? I think it will be very beneficial for you."

"Can I really—do that!?"

Lola looked delighted, but then her face showed confusion.

"But earlier, you mentioned that I would receive the key... What about you, Mr. Alberto?"

"I'll focus on processing the requests. Let's meet again in a week."

...I've already proven that I won't grow here...

Besides, I've gotten used to the interactions in the village. I also want to test myself to see if I can manage without Lola as a mediator.

"...I see..."

Lola looked disappointed but quickly changed her expression.

"Even though it would have been nice to be with Mr. Alberto, this is a great opportunity! I'll do my best!"

"Sure, I'll be happy if you do."

I handed the key to Lola and left the room.

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

From then on, Lola diligently studied in the innermost room every day.

As expected of the Luminous family's library. The books lined up here were ones that general students at the academy would never see.

Lola devoured the books.

For the first few days, she was completely absorbed in her studies—

But then, for some reason, her concentration suddenly broke.

And she thought this:

(I wonder how Mr. Alberto is doing right now...)

Her thoughts drifted away from her studies.

Lola reflected on the past.

And she murmured to herself.

"It feels like a dream..."

Since meeting Alberto, time had flown by.

She had been living a normal life as a villager with a slight talent for magic.

But Alberto, who seemed like an ordinary person at first, had led her into a mysterious daily life.

She never imagined he was the son of a noble family.

"I'm so fortunate..."

Looking around, Lola said.

She was being treated with hospitality by a noble family and allowed to study in such a secret library.

The journey through the territory was also incredibly enjoyable.

All of this was thanks to Alberto.

But—

She had a slight moment of doubt.

When she was introduced to this place.

Lola recalled her feelings at the time.

—There's a place I want to take Lola to.

When she heard that, Lola unconsciously thought:

It must be a place suitable for two people to visit, a place that would create a beautiful memory.

But it turned out to be this cold and dreary library.

Not a bit romantic.

(—!?)

Thinking up to this point, Lola shook her head vigorously.

(What am I thinking, Lola! Mr. Alberto is just a friend! A friend! It's weird to think otherwise!)

After calming down, Lola said in a sad voice.

"Besides, I shouldn't be thinking about such things..."

Because Lola was a commoner.

Because Alberto was a noble.

There was no way she could be a suitable match for him.

(Being friends is enough. Someone like him is taking the time to be with someone like me—a person with cursed blood.)

Lola let out a small sigh.

At that moment, she was unconsciously playing with a ring she had taken off her finger.

It was a ring she wore on her left index finger. In the village, it was said that this ring was passed down to the white-haired magician born in the village. Lola had a habit of unconsciously taking it off and touching it when her concentration wavered.

At that moment—

*Chirin*.

"AH!"

The ring fell to the floor with a sound. It didn't land flat but rolled along the floor.

"Wait, wait a minute!"

Lola hurriedly stood up. It was a family heirloom. She couldn't lose it.

The ring didn't stop rolling.

It kept going—

Deeper and deeper into the room.

As if—

It was being guided by something—

Eventually, the ring stopped rolling. It came to a halt in front of a certain bookshelf.

"Ah! Thank goodness!"

Lola quickly picked it up and put it back on her finger.

At that moment.

As she bent down, a book title caught her eye.

It was as if it had been burned into her brain, clearly imprinted in her mind.

"This—"

Lola stared at the title.

*The Cursed Witch*

There it was, the book with that title.

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