As Yohan arrived at the library, he couldn’t stop his eyes from widening and looking around.
To be honest, he didn’t expect much from a library in a mansion on the Imperial Capital…
‘This is beyond my imagination.’
The size was impressive, and the number of books was vast.
There seemed to be no shortage of anything related to magic.
“…The size of the library is much larger than I expected. It feels like a grand library.”
Yohan expressed his honest impression.
The scale was so immense that he couldn’t help but be straightforward about it.
Francia leaned her head on Yohan’s shoulder, chuckling softly with a smile.
“Right? This library was prepared by my father when I was attending the academy. They’re all copies, but there’s almost nothing that isn’t here.”
Indeed.
It would be strange for a library of this size not to have any magical books.
As long as they weren’t classified as forbidden texts by the state, most things would surely be available.
This was the environment Yohan needed the most.
“May I take a look around for a moment?”
“Of course. Please feel free to browse.”
Yohan took a step forward to examine the magic books.
In the process, he had no choice but to let go of Francia’s hand, which made her pout as if it was a difficult task.
“Shall we just look around together?”
“Sure.”
Francia naturally took Yohan’s hand and intertwined her fingers with his.
They walked closely together, more than before.
“The beginner magic books are over there.”
“Ah, I’m fine with the beginner books.”
“Really? Then—”
“I’ll head over there.”
The direction Yohan pointed to was an area filled with books that went beyond basic magic and were understandable only by those who had reached the level of a great magician.
“Oh, what’s that?”
“Let’s go and see.”
Francia followed Yohan as he walked briskly.
Taking a book off the shelf, Yohan slowly rolled his eyes and read the runes without any difficulty.
“Looks good.”
“Can you interpret it?”
“It’s a bit challenging, but there’s no problem.”
Yohan smiled and put the book back.
He then moved on to look for new ones.
During this, he stumbled upon a peculiar book with no illustrations on the cover and no title.
“What is this?”
“Ah—that? It’s a rather strange magic book. There are no runes written in it.”
Francia continued her explanation.
“When I first saw that book, I thought I couldn’t see the runes because my level was still insufficient. But… even now, having reached the threshold of a high-ranking magician, I still can’t see its contents.”
Intrigued, Yohan raised an eyebrow and opened the book that had no decorations or cover.
‘This is…’
There were no runes visible; it was a magic book with only formulas and patterns drawn in it.
Yohan was well aware of what this meant.
‘It’s a forbidden book.’
Moreover, it was a forbidden book that required sealing.
He immediately recognized this because Cassis had a hobby of collecting forbidden books.
As a reader, Yohan had to be familiar with the characteristics of forbidden books.
However, he did not understand why this one was here.
‘Could it be Cassis’s doing?’
That didn’t seem likely.
From what he had heard, this book had been around since Francia was at the academy.
Yohan asked, “Where did you get this book?”
“Hmm. I’m not sure. Should we ask the librarian?”
“Sounds good.”
With a snap of her fingers, Francia rang a small bell.
Upon hearing the sound, the librarian approached quickly and asked,
“What can I help you with?”
“I want to know the source of this book.”
Yohan handed the coverless book to the librarian.
The librarian looked at the cover, opened it, and examined the contents closely before tilting his head.
“This kind of book is not handled in the Ferbache Imperial Library… so I have no idea why it’s here. I apologize.”
The librarian said this and bowed deeply.
It indicated a lack of ability if a librarian couldn’t remember a book present in the library.
“It’s okay. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Francia was generous.
She smiled kindly and patted the librarian’s shoulder.
“Thank you for your consideration…”
Receiving the book back from the librarian, Yohan silently examined its contents.
Then he discovered a particular symbol.
‘Thunder?’
It was related to lightning.
It could possibly be a book about thunder energy.
Yohan continued to look through the book.
‘This isn’t just a book about lightning magic. Here, the earth is overturned, and there, the sky is flipped upside down.’
From this, Yohan could discern what this book represented.
‘A Book of Disasters?’
It was said to be written by those who walked the path of magic to elevate their rank, bringing calamity.
‘This could be useful.’
Although Yohan had no plans to walk the path of magic, being able to learn the Book of Disasters was a different matter.
‘I have to fight against the Crown Prince and the young ducal, who have been taking elixirs and potions since childhood.’
In that regard, it would be good to master at least one ultimate technique, like the Book of Disasters.
“Francia, may I take this book to study?”
At that, Francia smiled widely.
Although it hadn’t been long since they met, it was a smile he had never seen before, filled with significance.
‘What’s this?’
Yohan tilted his head slightly.
Did she always have such a smile? He wasn’t sure since it hadn’t been long since they met.
“Sure. You can take it. After all, it’s a book that the Ferbache Imperial Library doesn’t handle.”
“Thank you.”
Yohan smiled as he embraced the book.
‘If I can just master this.’
He could create an escape route even when caught in a great crisis against the Crown Prince and the young ducal.
Although he didn’t know the exact power of the magic contained in the Book of Disasters yet…
‘Each of the spells in the Book of Disasters is powerful.’
There was a reason it was called a forbidden book.
It undoubtedly contained powerful magic.
“Shall we look at other magic books as well?”
“Sure.”
Yohan walked alongside Francia, gathering the necessary magic books, and began studying magic properly for the first time.
Later that evening, before Yohan returned to his family, Francia came out to the terrace after finishing dinner to enjoy their last moments together.
Unfortunately, the ducal did not attend the meal.
He had many things to handle before returning to the territory, so it couldn’t be helped.
Francia, sitting in a chair on the terrace, smiled and pointed to the sky.
“There are so many stars out tonight.”
“Indeed. Looking at them makes me feel at peace.”
The night sky seemed to be wrapped in a deep, dark velvet curtain.
Countless stars sparkled like diamonds sprinkled with powder.
The Milky Way flowed like a mysterious river across the sky.
The moon revealed itself through the clouds, emitting a soft light like a massive pearl.
Occasionally passing meteors seemed to carry someone’s wish, leaving a fleeting light as they disappeared.
“The moon is beautiful,” Yohan said.
“Isn’t it? In a month, when you join the imperial civil service, we should be able to look up at the night sky like this again, right?”
Francia held Yohan’s hand tightly.
He lightly smiled and replied,
“I won’t take long. I’ll finish the matters with my family quickly.”
Before entering the imperial civil service, he needed to meet with his father, the head of the family, to settle things.
“Lord Harssen, the carriage is ready.”
At that moment, Yohan heard the voice of his aide, Enrique, from behind.
He nodded and stood up from his seat.
Francia, who still hadn’t let go of Yohan’s hand while sitting in the chair, said,
“In the end, this time has come…”
Yohan smiled gently and caressed Francia’s hand.
“As I said earlier, it won’t take long. I’ll finish quickly and come back to the Imperial Capital.”
“Yes…”
Francia nodded but pouted her lips.
“Well, I’ll take my leave now. Let’s save the farewell for later, when we meet again.”
With that, Yohan left the Ferbache Imperial Mansion and headed back to the Harssen family estate.
It took a full day to arrive at the Harssen Mansion.
Compared to the Ferbache Imperial Mansion, it was a far less impressive estate, but to Yohan, it was the most comfortable place.
“Welcome back, Young Master.”
“Yes.”
As Yohan got out of the carriage, the waiting butler bowed politely.
“Is Father in?”
“He’s in his office.”
“I need to see him.”
Yohan immediately took off his coat and handed it to the butler before striding into the mansion.
As he entered the mansion hurriedly, the female servants blushed.
‘Shall I go in?’
Having arrived in front of the office, Yohan took a deep breath.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Click.
Upon opening the door
Yohan scratched the back of his head and continued speaking.
“I have a lover I need to take responsibility for.”
“What?!”
Suddenly, Count Harssen, who had been seated, stood up with all his might.
“What do you mean?! Yohan , you…?”
“I can guess what you’re about to say.”
“But I have to take responsibility for my actions.”
“Huh…”
The Count pressed his forehead against the desk in his office.
“Is breaking up not an option?”
“Yes.”
“…So, you did something you shouldn’t have.”
With a deep sigh, the Count asked,
“Who is the partner?”
“Why are you silent?”
Yohan carefully mentioned the name.
“It’s Princess Ferbache.”
“What?!”
The Count’s eyes widened in surprise once more.
Just when he thought that his promising son was going to marry, his heart sank at the mention of that name…
“Are you out of your mind?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Huh.”
With his legs feeling weak, the Count sat back down in his office chair and asked,
“So, the most important question: what about Ducal Ferbache? Does he give his permission?”
“He said he would consider it once I enter the royal civil service.”
“Civil service…?”
The Count tilted his head.
“Since when have you learned anything to enter civil service?”
“I’m planning to join as a special mage.”
“Huh. You, who haven’t even learned magic?”
The Count rubbed his forehead.
His third son had always been like this since childhood—impossible to read and excessively precocious.
“There won’t be any issues for the family.”
Yohan continued,
“Please believe me.”
However, even if his son got into trouble, it was the duty of a father to support him.
The Count reluctantly nodded.
“…You’ve handled yourself well so far, so I’ll trust you.”
The reason he had no choice but to trust his son, Yohan , was that he had graduated as the top student in social studies from St. Rogino Academy without any assistance.
He even predicted the future of the market, which helped to revive the family.
That kind of help wasn’t just once; his elder brothers had also entered the count’s household as aides.
“He has high expectations for you.”
If he said he would take responsibility, there was no choice.
The Count gestured for Yohan to leave.
“I will leave all the arrangements for the wedding to you. However, you shouldn’t expect any special support from the Harcen family outside of the marriage.”
“Thank you.”
“Alright. You must be tired from the journey, so go ahead and rest.”
“Yes.”
Yohan smiled and left the office.
‘Fortunately, Father has given his permission.’
In fact, once Ferbache’s name came up, there was no option to refuse.
‘Besides, I didn’t need any help other than marriage.’
Just as before, he could study magic on his own and become a special mage.
‘What remains is… the Book of Disasters.’
It was time to read the book that had been designated as a forbidden tome by the Empire.
‘I should learn it in case of future needs.
Surely, Crown Prince Fedelian and Ducal Cassis would aim for Francia.
No, they might already be targeting her since Francia had entered the civil service.’
So.
He would strengthen himself to prepare for them.
Overwhelmingly.
In the eastern wing of the palace was the Crown Prince’s residence.
Passing through a high door adorned with luxurious gold leaf, a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling softly illuminated the room.
The bookshelves lining the walls were filled with valuable books.
In the center stood a heavy oak desk with a pen and parchment laid out.
“Francia…”
The man sitting at that desk, softly calling her name, was the Empire’s only Crown Prince—Fedelian Rogino.
He was in love. Although he had a promised fiancée, his heart was stolen by a woman named Francia Ferbache.
‘What should I do to make her look at me?’
Fedelian furrowed his brows and stroked his chin.
Whenever he wanted something, he could simply ask for it, and the women he wanted would fall for him without issue.
But Francia Ferbache didn’t even give him a glance.
Fedelian had no idea what to do in such a situation.
However, this confusion didn’t last long.
‘Is there really a need for this? I could just make her look at me by force.’
Fedelian smirked meaningfully and arrogantly nodded his head.
At that moment, a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness before him.
“Did you call for me?”
“Recruit magic practitioners. They’ll be needed for the reconnaissance mission in a month.”
“Yes.”
With a soft sound, the figure vanished.
Crown Prince Fedelian smiled smugly.
‘Francia, now that you’ve caught my eye, you are mine.’