The academy library is open five days a week, and the hourly wage is decent.
Maybe the Duke’s family wants to treat me as something more than just a pawn.
This time, Lily, who’s been flirting with the Crown Prince, has lived as a commoner until now.
Perhaps the Duke, who’s lived a privileged life, is trying to make Olivia, who has lost her value as a noblewoman, prove her social skills by living as a commoner.
Whatever the case, it’s true that I need to become independent from Ashtar.
In that case, I won’t be able to inherit the Duke’s title.
It’s better to leave before they kick me out.
Since I need permission from the supervising professor to become a librarian, I visited the staff room again.
“You want to become a librarian?”
“Yes.”
“You saw your grades from last year, and you still want to be a librarian?”
Well, even though my grades were bad, that wasn’t my fault; it was the original Olivia’s fault.
I have my own knowledge, though.
“What’s so impossible about that?”
“Well, there’s a wizard archive there. Only someone who’s a wizard or at least a third-year can access it. Second-year students either need to skip a grade or…”
Oh, the wizard archive? I’ve heard of it before.
To be clear, the empire’s magic education system was established thanks to me.
“So, there are no particular qualification restrictions, right?”
“Well, yeah. I’ll approve it, but the contents of the test are a secret. I don’t know what they are either.”
“I don’t mind.”
If they told me, it would mean the teacher failed at their job. And if they did tell me, I would have already reported it to the Imperial Magic Tower.
When it comes to magic, I don’t need the professor’s help.
The library’s librarian test was today.
So, I went to the small test room behind the library, ready to take the test.
I must have good luck.
I was the first to arrive, reading a book, when I felt someone’s presence.
“Um, is this the place for the Atlerina Academy Central Library librarian test?”
It was a female student with a gentle expression.
There’s something satisfying about interacting with girls like her.
“Yes. Hello.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Plene from second-year, class C.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia from second-year, class A.”
We exchanged a brief introduction, but then her gentle face filled with confusion.
“???”
Oh, this reaction again.
What did I do wrong this time?
“Huh. Are you Lady Ashtar by any chance?”
“Yes.”
What did Olivia do to this girl again?
It can’t be good.
Judging by her shocked expression, it doesn’t look like a pleasant memory.
Look at her, with that terrified rabbit-like face.
Olivia must have done something to her in the past.
“You’re the infamous villainess who slaps commoners if they touch you, hits them with a fan if they speak, and steps on them if they don’t listen!”
“I didn’t recognize you because your hair color changed, but it’s really you!”
“Is that so?”
I’m famous no matter where I go, huh.
It’s going to take a long time to reform my villainous image.
“I’ve experienced it myself! You slapped me before! Why on earth are you trying to become a librarian? Don’t tell me you’re planning to threaten the librarian professor as well?”
Even this gentle girl got slapped?
What more is there to say?
Olivia slapped this gentle girl?
She even resorted to violence.
What a mess.
“Oh. Why would I do that? And did I really slap you?”
“Pretending you don’t remember. Ah, even if you use the power of your family, this is too much!”
She’s a bit noisy.
It can’t be helped.
To live as Olivia, I need to sincerely apologize for Olivia’s wrongdoings.
Maybe that’s why the villainess left her body to me.
It’s probably karma.
“Ah, I’m sorry, but I’ve already been cut off.”
“What?”
This gentle girl might not know yet.
Rumors are already spreading among the nobles.
“It’s already circulating quietly among the nobles, but I’ve been rejected and cut off from tuition support. If I unfairly assaulted you, I sincerely apologize.”
I bowed deeply, without the formalities of a noble, and apologized.
Living in this body is better than dying.
Cleaning up the mess the original owner made isn’t that hard for me.
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. So, there won’t be any more violence or unfair treatment of commoners. I sincerely apologize.”
“Oh, well. If that’s the case, then, um.”
She seemed flustered.
Maybe that’s a good sign.
“I’m not asking to be close or to be friends. I’m just sincerely sorry.”
If I befriend commoners, at least I can shed the image of being the villainess among them.
Because according to Olivia’s diary, there wasn’t much interaction with commoners.
Maybe I just don’t know, but the original Olivia, who wrote so much about her interactions with noblewomen, didn’t bother writing about commoners.
This gentle girl must have just crossed paths with the original Olivia at the wrong time.
“Ah, no, it feels like… it’s not that you got your act together after being kicked out of your house, but more like you’ve completely changed as a person.”
“Hmm. Well, you’re not wrong.”
After all, the original owner is no longer here.
“Pardon?”
“When people experience a great shock, they can change. It’s not the time to act recklessly and wave around the family name when the future seems so dark.”
In reality, it’s the opposite.
Throughout history, there have been many who, like the original Olivia, got engaged and then abandoned, only to face the threat of being ostracized from noble society and cast out of their family.
I’ve seen many like that.
“During my travels, I’ve encountered foolish young lords and ladies who, after their downfall, still thought their families would protect them, relying on their family names while scheming to overthrow kingdoms or reclaim power with the help of the Demon King’s strength.”
Of course, most of them met justice at my hands.
“Ah, I see.”
“But, Plene, did you apply for the librarian job to help pay your tuition?”
“Yes.”
“I see. Let’s both do our best, then.”
“Yes, absolutely.”
Those who strive to work hard are never bad people.
Compared to the ridiculous things I’ve seen while traveling with heroes, students like her who simply try to do the right thing seem incredibly good-natured.
After a while, more students entered the exam room.
They didn’t bother introducing themselves, so they didn’t know who I was.
Once all the students had gathered, a man who seemed to be the examiner walked in.
“Hmm, twelve students today. Honestly, even two would be a surprise. Nobles aside, even commoners find it tough to meet the high bar to become a librarian. Let me see the list. Oh? Olivia Rapha Ashtar?”
My name was mentioned again.
It seemed strange to him as he looked over the list.
“Yes, Professor.”
“Ashtar? Really? Are you really Lady Ashtar?”
“Yes.”
Is he going to be the same as the others?
“Well, I knew the situation, but to think you’d even apply to become a librarian.”
Lady Ashtar… No, I should tell all of you.
“The librarian exam is no joke. We will require far more from you than just the knowledge you can learn in the academy.”
It seemed like he wasn’t someone with prejudice against me.
Still, he specifically pointed me out.
“You might be thinking, ‘Why is the librarian exam so hard?’ But this library’s books are treasures, rivaling those of the imperial archives.”
“Only someone with the proper knowledge and qualifications can become a librarian here.”
In other words, the library is a place adorned with prestigious knowledge, and not just anyone can become a librarian.
Even nobles don’t bother applying since they don’t need the money, so they’ve opened the position to commoners.
“Now, I’ll distribute the exam papers.”
The professor handed out the exam papers, and I slowly began to look over mine.
As I thought, the questions weren’t that difficult.
They focused on the empire’s history and magic.
In particular, the magic section wasn’t just about common magic; it was about imperial magic studies, compiled in collaboration with the court wizards.
The ancient magical text, believed to be from the mythological era, holds a profound significance.
I casually tossed that thought to the court wizards.
It wasn’t a lie.
The land I once inhabited is a land of destruction, a place where the godslayer roams.
It is said to be a land of the slain gods.
Originally, there was a civilization from the mythological era, where gods ruled.
This text is a remnant of that time.
It’s a common trope in novels.
Living in a land of destruction, I actually discovered that text.
Thanks to that, the mythological era truly existed, and the existence of gods was proven.
The text itself is written in characters that no longer exist today.
Since the title is in those characters, it must be “illustrated” in this era where no one understands them.
“Indeed, the librarian exam is difficult.”
Why would I even present something like this?
Even the difficulty is not something that students in the first or second years of the academy would learn.
In the first place, I handed over the records about the text to the imperial court wizards after I roughly compiled it into a book.
That’s how this problem arose.
Well, one could learn it through self-study.
Perhaps if I search the imperial library, I might find information on the mythological texts.
But typically, there wouldn’t be anyone who thinks that far.
Rumor has it that the exam questions change every time, making it an unpredictable test.
I must be selected in this exam, but the problem is whether this exam is genuinely meant to be solved.
It seems too difficult to select librarians for the academy.
Unless one is genuinely interested in ancient history, it would be hard to solve this.
“What’s wrong, Ashhtar? Have you given up already?”
“No.”
Out of the twelve of us, only two will be chosen as librarians.
The competition is fierce, but I doubt most of these young kids will remain.
The problems posed are not even suitable for commoners to study, and seeing the other examinees’ distressed faces makes it clear.
There’s likely a hidden meaning behind this.
For ordinary students, this question is similar to writing about the lies that have been known in the empire rather than the information I handed over.
Surely, there are many rumors or contents of ancient texts circulated by the empire, so it probably isn’t a question to write about one of those, and anyone writing false information would surely be dismissed.
Why? This is an exam to select library staff.
Naturally, proving that an idiot who can’t distinguish between truth and falsehood is unqualified is the purpose of this first question.
If you don’t know, it’s better not to write at all.
Writing the title of a false document circulating in society would lead to immediate disqualification.
Having taken many exams like this and traveled with a trashy hero, I quickly developed this kind of intuition.
“Keuk keuk.”
An interesting thought as a ‘sorcerer’ came to mind for the first time in a while.
What if I draw the truth here?
With that thought in mind, I answered the question honestly.
And the second question was about the history of the empire.
Write the name of the posthumous emperor Elfrik von Armenia, the founder of the Armenia Empire, which was established at the end of the national period.
This is something anyone who has studied history should know to some extent.
I wrote that down without any problem.
The next was the third question, which is quite interesting.
Noah, a member of the hero party, possesses exceptional skills in swordsmanship, holy magic, and archery.
Even the hero acknowledged that Noah should not be treated as an enemy.
So what are the three professions and titles he holds?
Ah, damn it.
Damn. Ah. Damn.
Cursing slips out.
What am I supposed to do with this?
The sword master, the divine archer, and the High priest, right? This has no tricks.
In reality, I haven’t received the title of grand sorcerer.
It’s highly likely I could directly enter as a sorcerer, but even in the empire, I am not classified as a sorcerer.
“Wow, even with a hobby in magic, you’re stronger than us.”
“Seriously. At this rate, we might lose in magic too.”
The imperial court wizards never believed I was a sorcerer until the end.
It hasn’t been long since I died, so there won’t be any embellishment about me.
I don’t even have the nationality of the empire.
There’s no reason for the empire to give such a question about me.
In the end, to become a librarian, I need to write down the other three titles excluding sorcerer.
Sword master, divine archer, High priest.
I have no choice.
After all, Noah is already dead.
Now, I can become a sorcerer in Olivia’s body and avoid the titles of sword master and High priest.
Yes. Farewell, Noah.
You were a great sword master, divine archer, and High priest!
With tears welling up, I wrote down the three titles.
After answering all five questions, I stood up first from my seat.
Now, all that’s left is the exam results.
The results of the exam were announced on the spot.
The examiner glanced through the papers one by one, then showed a puzzled expression before announcing the results.
“Of the ten, ten will be disqualified. One is on hold, and one passes. For now, I’ll call the successful candidate and the one on hold. Olivia Rapha Ashtar, and the twelfth, Plene. You two can leave.”
“Am I on hold?” Plene, who seemed worried, asked.
It’s probably you.
“No, you’re passing. You answered seriously. I’ll give you a library staff qualification certificate, and here are the library safety rules. Check it and come out tomorrow at the designated time.”
“Yes.”
The professor looked at me this time and pulled out my exam paper.
“And what’s this answer here?”
He asked abruptly.
“What?”
“No, this. How do you know this?”
It’s simply because I’m a sorcerer.
I really want to brag.
The one standing before you is Noah, a member of the hero party that even the grand sorcerers of the empire would envy!
Of course, that hero party is hardly something to brag about.
“I just answered properly according to the question.”
If nobles interested in magic exist, they could surely figure it out, don’t you think?
“That’s the surprising part. Olivia Rapha Ashtar.”
So it seems this school still revolves around nobility.
That’s why the questions were set in such a way that commoners would find it quite difficult, and even trickier for any noble examinee.
In short, this exam was a way to screw over both nobles and commoners.
“To begin with, I had no way of knowing about the librarian exam questions.”
“That may be true, but I didn’t expect you to be interested in magic.”
I realized how famous Olivia was, who got lost in her love games with the crown prince.
Probably starting from today, the crown prince will also attend classes with Lily.
“Being chased out of the Ashhtar family, I have to try various things. I know the intent, but wouldn’t it be better to know about the literature?”
The professor seemed speechless and nodded.
Anyway, since I passed the trick, I assume the first question was the biggest problem posed by this man.
“I understand. I’ll treat you as passed. Come in tomorrow.”
“Oh, surprisingly?”
From the response, it seems he wouldn’t have put me in as a librarian even if I got the answer right.
“Is that your usual way of speaking? I don’t know what your change of heart is, but I’ll be watching you from now on.”
“Who are you, professor?”
“Are you serious?”
The veins on the professor’s forehead bulged.
After enduring his scolding for a while, I left with the librarian registration certificate.
But does that professor also know Olivia?
I truly don’t know.
Shouldn’t the original owner have at least kept some profile on the academy professors?
Even if I try to pretend to be Olivia, it would be hard without knowing the connections.
Should I ask the thugs to look into it?
I contacted the thugs in the slums who had the magic hummingbird.
“Hey, are you there?”
“Yes, miss.”
Hmm, the immediate response shows they’re clever. Now they’re pretty perceptive.
Do you know about Olivia Rapha Ashtar’s connections? Even if it’s a relationship of mutual dislike like beating each other up, it’s okay.
“Let me know everything without missing anything.”
At my words, the thugs in the slums fell silent for a moment.
Of course, they would.
Asking about someone’s connections would raise suspicion.
They’re probably thinking, “What’s up with this crazy woman?”
And yes, it is a normal question.
“I won’t tell anyone about your connection. Just let me know, and you won’t be punished. If you want, I’ll also lend you some treasure.”
The thugs in the slums suddenly laughed.
They don’t believe me?
“What? You don’t want to say?”
“What are you saying? Treasures! To be honest, I think a good price would be something like that.”
“You think of something else. I’m going to bed, so get out of here.”
“Wait. Miss, please! Give me the treasure! I’ll do it!”
Now, are you going to do it or not?
“If it’s a treasure that’ll blow your mind, why would I? Why don’t you just say who knows who?”
If you ask this much, they’re likely to take it seriously.
Of course, the other person must know as well.
As expected, the thugs with quick wits suddenly calmed down.
I feel like they will get to work quickly.
“Okay. We’ll do it right away.”
I waited for them to respond for a while.
Of course, they won’t reveal any connections unless I offer them a huge reward.
I also had to show them that the threat of punishment wouldn’t work on me.
After all, what can a lowly thug do?
I feel like I’ll find some intriguing information about Olivia.
“Good luck! I’ll give you a reward!”
In the end, they disappeared, and I returned home.