“How’s it? Lost for words?”
Helos glanced back at him, a faint smile curling at the corner of her lips.
She casually pulled a thick tome from the shelf. “These are just the basic collections. The truly valuable ones are all in the Forbidden Book Section.”
Julius’s gaze followed the book in her hand, his Adam’s apple bobbing involuntarily.
“Can I really… just look through them freely?”
“Of course.”
Helos deliberately dragged out the last word, then suddenly hid the book behind her back. “No way! If anyone finds out I brought you here, we’re both doomed.”
She lowered her voice as she added, “So move quickly. Find the book you want and then get out.”
With that, Helos turned and headed deeper into the library.
Her footsteps were nearly silent on the thick woolen carpet, only the soft rustle of her skirt brushing against the shelves broke the quiet.
“If you’re looking for books on magic…”
Her fingers skimmed over rows of volumes before settling on a large, somewhat aged bookshelf. “It should be over here.”
“But where exactly?” she smiled mischievously, “That’s up to you to find.”
Julius hurried to keep pace, but suddenly stopped at a corner.
His eyes were drawn to a concealed wooden door—almost blending seamlessly into the bookshelf.
If not for the faintly glowing magic runes etched on the doorframe, it would have been nearly impossible to notice.
“What’s this…?”
Just as Julius’s fingers touched the door panel, an invisible force suddenly flung him backwards.
He staggered and fell to the ground, fine scratches appearing on his fingertips.
A few drops of bright red blood silently dripped down, leaving faint streaks against the old wood.
“What are you doing?”
Helos’s voice came from behind the bookshelf.
She turned and, upon seeing Julius sitting on the floor, immediately grinned with a teasing smirk.
“What’s wrong?”
She crossed her arms, looking down at the boy with a playful glint in her eyes. “Our honorable Saint Knight still wants to barge into the Forbidden Book Room?”
She deliberately imitated Julius’s usually serious tone.
“That’s a clear violation of the Knight’s Code~”
Julius rubbed his numb wrist, about to protest, but Helos had already crouched down to meet his gaze.
Her fingertip gently tapped his forehead.
“Save it. This Seal was personally set by my father.”
“Even with my Curse, it can’t be fully suppressed.”
“Your father… the Duke Olivias personally set this seal?”
Julius’s mouth dropped open in surprise.
He knew the Duke was one of the Empire’s top magicians.
Even the Emperor himself showed the Duke a certain degree of respect.
“That’s right.”
Helos nodded. “Honestly, don’t even talk about you—if anyone in this world could just casually break this seal, I’d eat all these books right here.”
She reached out, as if to prove her point, pressing her hand against the door.
Julius was about to stop her, but her palm was already on the door.
In that instant, the complex magic array on the door dimmed noticeably, its patterns rippling like water.
The runes, which had been glowing a dangerous red, one by one extinguished until all fell silent.
With an almost inaudible “click,” the heavy wooden door slowly creaked open a narrow gap.
Helos froze in place, her pupils dilating slightly.
Her fingers remained touching the door as if frozen in place.
Julius was equally stunned. He looked at the opening door, then at Helos’s blank expression, unsure of what to say.
***
After a long moment, seeing the girl petrified with no reaction, he tentatively asked, “So… are you going to eat the books or not?”
“That joke isn’t funny at all…”
Helos suddenly began breathing faster, her delicate fingers clutching the hem of her skirt tightly.
Her usually sly lavender eyes were wide and round, darting anxiously between the door and Julius.
“What… what do we do now?!”
Her voice, rare with a quiver, trembled as silver strands of hair flickered chaotically with her sudden turns.
The horrifying image of being scolded harshly by her father—and possibly kicked out of the house—already flashed in her mind.
But what unsettled her most was this—this seal she had secretly tested countless times, had mysteriously been lifted just now in Julius’s presence.
“Julius!”
She spun around sharply and grabbed the boy’s collar. “What exactly did you do?!”
Julius stumbled under her grip, his eyes full of innocence beneath his dark hair.
“I don’t know…”
He didn’t seem to notice the blood stains he’d left on the door.
An oppressive silence fell over the library; even their breathing seemed unusually loud.
Helos bit her lip, her nails subconsciously scraping the carved doorframe.
Her mind raced through countless possible explanations, each one quickly dismissed.
“Ah—forget it! Doesn’t matter anymore!”
Suddenly, as if making up her mind, she shook her head decisively.
Rolling up her sleeves, revealing slender arms, she raised her foot and kicked toward the Forbidden Book Room’s open door.
“Even if it kills me, I have to see what kind of treasures are hidden inside!”
Though her voice trembled, there was a faint thrill beneath it. “The door’s already open. Not looking inside would be a waste!”
Julius hadn’t yet reacted when Helos slipped through the mysterious open door like a cat.
He hesitated for a second, then bit his lip and followed the girl into this strictly forbidden place.
The two groped through the dark, carefully making their way into the Forbidden Book Room.
As they reached deeper inside, they realized the Forbidden Book Room wasn’t as terrifying as they had imagined.
Apart from some incomprehensible ancient tomes, the only book that seemed special was a dusty volume placed in the corner.
“What’s all this nonsense written on it…?”
Julius picked up the old book, flipped through it casually, and muttered, “The Forbidden Book Room really isn’t that big a deal.”
“Let me see?”
Helos leaned closer, gently taking the book from his hands.
When she saw the characters on the cover, her pupils involuntarily widened.
Because the words weren’t from this world.
Though Julius probably couldn’t understand them, for Helos they were all too familiar.
These—aren’t these Chinese characters?!
In this world—how could anyone be using the script from her past life?!