Lillisa pressed her lips together, her heterochromatic eyes still filled with confusion.
She stared quietly down the corridor where Freya had vanished and muttered, “But… that feeling… and that faint sense of familiarity about her… it’s really strange… Well, as long as Master is alright, that’s what matters. You should go rest now!”
Eileen was indeed utterly exhausted, dismissing Lillisa’s concerns as mere overprotectiveness.
She opened the dorm door, washed up quickly, and collapsed onto her pillow, sinking almost immediately into a deep sleep.
Dreams came in waves—not heavy burdens of responsibility or dangerous conspiracies, but warm, sunlit scenes in soft hues she hadn’t seen in a long time.
Sunlight streamed through stained glass windows, casting colorful patches across the ancient stone floor. The air was thick with the mixed scent of parchment and magical dust.
A girl with silver hair similar to hers, her smile bright as sunshine, was holding her hand, excitedly weaving between bookshelves piled high with heavy tomes.
Her clear laughter echoed through the vast library corridor…
That was a memory belonging to her “younger sister,” the most heartwarming and carefree moment from their days studying at the Endymion Magic Tower—the predecessor of Manaria.
The next day, Eileen slept in for once and felt much more refreshed.
She was vibrant and full of energy during morning classes, completely winning over the previously doubtful students with a few more refined examples of “chanting variations.”
The classroom buzzed with enthusiasm and focus.
Karen’s eyes shone brightly as she took rapid notes.
With no classes scheduled for the afternoon, Eileen gathered Haerga, Lillisa, and Serena—who had come after hearing the news—and together they headed to the Academy’s central landmark—the grand Central Library.
The library sat at the heart of the Academy, a colossal structure blending ancient stone masonry with magical reinforcement techniques.
When the four of them arrived before the enormous arched entrance carved with countless magical runes and wise sages’ reliefs, they immediately became a striking sight.
Silver hair flowing like a waterfall, serene and calm as the moon—the instructor Eileen;
Purple hair and eyes, pushing up her glasses, radiating a cold genius aura—the assistant lecturer Haerga;
Chestnut hair, her mysterious heterochromatic gaze quietly following behind Eileen—the doll-like Lillisa;
And fiery red hair, lithe and agile, a longsword strapped on her back, eyes sharp as an eagle’s—Serena.
The four women, each distinct in style yet all stunning and extraordinary in presence, instantly drew the attention of every student gathered at the library’s entrance.
Whispers rippled through the crowd:
“Wow! It’s Instructor Eileen and the others!”
“That redhead is so cool! Is she a knight?”
“Instructor Eileen looks even more beautiful than she does in class…”
“Tch, look at their top-tier teaching lineup compared to the crusty old geezers in our class… People really do compare themselves to their doom!”
“Keep it down! But… I really envy their class.”
Eileen paid no mind to the chatter. Her attention was fully captured by a massive statue standing in the square before the library.
The sculpture soared dozens of meters high, forged from some dark golden magical metal, depicting a muscular male warrior clad in heavy mage armor.
His stern, rugged face was set in a grim expression; one hand gripped a huge staff pointing toward the sky, while the other clenched a fist as if ready to smash the stars.
The statue radiated power and an oppressive aura, with ancient imperial script and intricate magical patterns engraved on its base.
“So majestic…” Eileen looked up, genuinely admiring it. “Is this a monument to some legendary hero?”
“Hmph! Where did this country bumpkin come from? You don’t even recognize the visage of His Majesty the Mage King?”
A voice full of superiority and ridicule sounded nearby.
A young man in a finely tailored apprentice robe, gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, approached.
He glanced at Eileen sideways, his tone dripping with disdain: “This is the greatest legend in our Empire’s history, the supreme being who ended the Era of Chaos and ushered in the glorious Age of Magic—the Mage King himself! Of course his statue is majestic! Of course it’s awe-inspiring! Your clueless look here is nothing but blasphemy against His Majesty!”
Eileen: “…!!!”
Mage… Mage King?! His Majesty?!
This… this muscular, fierce-faced warrior statue, looking like a wild beast ready to explode in rage at any moment… is me?!
Her expression froze instantly, the corners of her mouth twitching uncontrollably.
The overwhelming absurdity and shock rendered her speechless, as if she had turned to stone.
“Pft…” Haerga was the first to lose composure, quickly covering her mouth but still trembling with suppressed laughter.
“…” Lillisa remained expressionless, but a faint smile flickered in her heterochromatic eyes.
“Hahaha!” Serena openly burst out laughing, slapping Eileen’s shoulder. “Hey, Eileen, this… well, the style difference from before is kinda huge, huh!”
The bespectacled young man saw Eileen’s “dazed” face and her companions’ “disrespectful” reactions and grew even angrier, convinced they were mocking the great Mage King.
He snorted coldly and pointed at Eileen, his tone harsher: “You all! How utterly insolent! Just you wait! This year’s Academy Magic Tournament, our Starlight class will utterly crush your Crescent class! We’ll teach you what true respect for the Mage King really means!”
With that fierce threat, the glasses-wearing young man stormed into the library in a huff.
Eileen finally snapped out of the shock caused by the “muscle-bound version” of herself and didn’t take the challenger’s declaration seriously at all.
She shook her head helplessly and sighed, “History really is a capricious old woman who can be dressed up however she likes. Oh well. Let’s go in.”
The four stepped into the vast interior of the library.
The space inside was far more expansive and towering than it appeared from outside, as if they had entered a steel forest composed of countless bookshelves.
A massive dome painted with star charts loomed overhead, with soft magical light cascading down from above.
The air was thick with the distinctive scent of aged paper, magical ink, leather, and a faint trace of dust—the very essence of knowledge.
Students in various apprentice robes could be seen quietly reading, whispering in low tones, or briskly searching for volumes throughout the multiple gallery levels, creating an atmosphere heavy with scholarly zeal.
Their goal was to find obscure materials related to ancient life forging and soul stabilization rituals.
Eileen led the group skillfully toward the central area of the library where the magical elevators stood.
The elevators were powered by intricate magical machinery, connecting the library’s many floors.
However, when Eileen operated the control panel to select the underground level—which usually stored the oldest, rarest, and sometimes dangerous forbidden tomes and special documents—she found the rune button for that floor was gray and unresponsive.
“Hm? The underground floor is closed?” Eileen looked surprised and turned to an elderly man in an administrator’s uniform who was tidying a book cart nearby.
The old administrator adjusted his bifocals, glanced at the control panel, sighed, and lowered his voice: “Instructor, the underground forbidden archive is temporarily sealed off and not open to the public.”
“Oh? Is it undergoing special reorganization?” Eileen asked casually.
The old man glanced around to make sure there were few students nearby, then leaned in slightly, lowering his voice further with a heavy tone: “It’s not reorganization… something happened. About half a month ago, a senior student snuck into the underground storage at night to look for some… let’s say, less legitimate materials. The next morning, when they were found… it was terrible. Like their life force had been completely drained! The Academy’s higher-ups were furious. The security bureau and investigation team intervened, but so far, there’s been no conclusive outcome. For safety, the underground archive is fully closed. No one is allowed down until the situation is resolved.”
Drained of life force?
Eileen’s mind stirred slightly, but she merely showed an understanding yet regretful expression on her face: “I see. Understood. Safety first. Thank you for letting me know.”
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome.” The old man waved his hand and pushed his book cart away.
Eileen stared thoughtfully at the gray underground button.
Haerga adjusted her glasses and whispered, “Drained of life force… sounds like some forbidden necromantic spell or the doing of a high-level abyssal monster…”
Serena’s hand instinctively rested on the hilt of her sword, her sharp gaze sweeping the surroundings: “This library… doesn’t seem so peaceful after all.”
Lillisa frowned slightly, as if trying to catch some intangible aura lingering in the air.
Eileen withdrew her gaze and shook her head: “Since the Academy is investigating, let’s not meddle. We can find clues about our target materials on the upper floors. Let’s go check the historical documents section.”
She pushed the underground archive incident to the back of her mind for the time being and led her companions deeper into the river of knowledge flowing through the library.