“Is it really that simple?”
Helos tilted her head, narrowing her pale purple eyes as she glanced at Julius’s profile.
There was a trace of doubt in her voice. “No other reason?”
Julius’s fingers paused slightly, the knuckles leaving a faint indentation on a piece of metal scrap.
His gaze awkwardly avoided the girl’s eyes, and his throat moved lightly.
“…No.”
His answer was hesitant.
“Then you’re surprisingly nice.”
The girl suddenly laughed, a teasing note in her voice. “That actually makes me a bit uncomfortable.”
Julius didn’t respond, only silently bent down and picked up a stack of twisted scraps.
His figure looked especially upright against the backlight, the hem of his black uniform gently swaying with his movements.
But for some reason, he moved the scraps a little faster than before, as if trying to prove something through his actions.
In the silence, the two of them worked together to carry all the junk out of the workshop.
Helos wiped the sweat from her forehead, silver strands stuck to her flushed cheeks.
Looking at the refreshed workshop, she suddenly thought having a helper… wasn’t so bad after all.
“What are you going to do next?”
Julius sat beside the workbench, fingers fiddling with the pulley ropes, the wooden rollers turning gently under his touch.
He turned his head, his gaze falling on Helos who was panting beside him.
The girl’s silver hair clung to her cheeks from sweat, her chest rising and falling slightly.
“By the way, your stamina is kind of weak, isn’t it?”
He tilted his head, his expression somewhat subtle.
Helos suddenly looked up and glared at him, her pale purple eyes shining brightly in the sunlight.
“Easy for you to say when you’re just standing there!”
She grit her teeth and grabbed a small pebble, throwing it at him. “You think everyone’s as tough as you?”
The pebble whizzed past Julius’s shoulder, but the boy just shifted slightly and dodged it.
He looked at her angry face and couldn’t help but curl the corners of his mouth into a faint smile.
“I want to go to the library to look for a couple of books.”
Helos deflated like a burst balloon and sat down on the steps, resting her elbows on her knees and propping up her chin.
Julius blinked, his expression showing a bit of surprise.
“You actually read books?”
“That’s rude, you little brat!”
Helos pretended to grab another pebble to throw at him but eventually only stomped the dust off her skirt in frustration. “What? Is it strange that I read books?”
“Not really….”
Julius cleared his throat. “What kind of books do you want to read?”
Helos suddenly fell silent.
She stared at a crack on the ground and absentmindedly scraped it with her toe.
“Uh, I don’t know.”
Her voice lowered a few degrees. “Maybe something about magic.”
She wasn’t really sure what she wanted herself.
She just didn’t want the afternoon to feel like a waste, nor did she want the boy in front of her to think she was always messing around with useless junk.
But to her surprise, Julius’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“Oh? Perfect, I was looking for some books too.”
He sat up straight, unconsciously fiddling with the pulley ropes as they slid back and forth between his fingers. “Just not sure if they have them here.”
“What books?”
Helos looked up at the boy. “And stop fiddling with my pulley! That took me ages to make! If you break it, you’re paying for it.”
“Books about Divine Magic.”
“Alright.”
Julius put his hands down, his expression growing serious. “After all, I’m a Saint Knight Squire. I’ll definitely need to master a lot of Divine Magic in the future.”
He said this as he straightened his back without realizing it, his voice more steady than usual.
Helos looked at him like that and suddenly found it kind of funny, yet also strangely touching.
“Then what are you waiting for?”
She pushed herself up from the steps, supporting her knees. “Let’s go. I’ll take you to see our family’s library.”
Julius stood up immediately, but as he stepped forward, Helos tugged on his sleeve.
“Wait.”
Her voice lowered suddenly. “We have to take the back way. If those old fuddy-duddies find out I brought you to the library…”
She stuck out her tongue and made a throat-slitting gesture, making Julius laugh.
Taking advantage of the lack of attention, Helos pulled Julius’s sleeve and hurried through the shadowed corridor.
She expertly dodged several corners, finally stopping in front of a grand door.
“We’re here.”
She let go and gently pushed the door handle.
Julius looked back at the way they came, frowning slightly.
“This doesn’t seem far from your workshop? Why does it feel like we walked forever?”
“Obviously.”
Helos rolled her eyes, twirling a lock of silver hair around her finger. “I’m just afraid the Magic Arrays will mysteriously malfunction again.”
She lowered her voice as if complaining, “If that happens, I’m the one who’ll get blamed. Who am I supposed to argue with then?”
Julius nodded thoughtfully.
He stared at Helos’s profile for a few seconds before suddenly speaking.
“Actually, your ability… is pretty impressive.”
Helos’s hand, which was about to push open the door, froze.
She slowly turned her head, raising her eyebrows.
“Oh? Really?”
The girl blinked, a slight upward curl appearing on her lips, but her voice was clearly surprised. “You’re the first person to say that.”
“If you can control that ability…”
She spoke softly, “Maybe one day it will really come in handy.”
Julius nodded seriously.
“Definitely.”
His tone was firm, the black pupils reflecting Helos’s slightly stunned expression.
Helos suddenly looked away and pushed open the library door.
“Enough with the nonsense.”
Her ears flushed slightly. “Go find your books.”
“If we get caught later, don’t expect me to plead for you!”
Julius instinctively tensed his shoulders and scanned the empty corridor.
“This place doesn’t look like anyone usually comes here…”
He had just exhaled when he saw Helos already striding into the library. “Hey, wait for me!”
The moment he stepped into the library, a unique scent of paper, leather, and ink washed over him.
Julius couldn’t help but stop and look up at the towering bookshelves that reached the ceiling.
The library was somewhat dim, with only a few narrow skylights barely letting in light.
“So many books……”
The boy murmured, his voice filled with uncontrollable awe.
He carefully touched the bookshelf in front of him, his fingertips gliding over row after row of book spines.
Having grown up in the church, he had never seen such a rich collection.
Moreover, all the books were somehow connected to the church.
Though he couldn’t say he disliked it, the boy always felt like he was… trapped in a cocoon.