“Why the fuck are you here?”
I watched the back of a boy diligently petting Momo’s head as she nibbled on bread, then slowly backed away from the door.
Hoo-ha.
Hoo-ha.
First, stay calm.
That monster guy is probably here because of library work.
Olivia must have found someone to replace her.
If he’s as studious as a typical academic student, he would’ve naturally accepted the offer.
In my chaotic mind, I barely managed to piece together the puzzle and stepped back from the door, rolling my thoughts around.
Even if he’s a monster, Momo’s chastity isn’t really in danger.
After all, he’s called “Monster Guy” because he’s into monsters, not cats.
If he were into cats, he’d be called “Cat Guy.”
Anyway, this complicates things… but at least it’s Monster Guy, so it’s not too bad.
He’s not my favorite character, but at least Momo knows him better than I do.
So, he might actually be easier to handle than Olivia.
After finishing my thoughts, I quietly opened the door and approached Monster Guy, Luca.
“Meow.”
“Is your throat dry? Want some water?”
“I’ll take a cup too.”
“Wha?!”
Luca, who was crouching on the floor, fell back with a strange scream.
“Th-the cat’s talking…!”
“Why are you so surprised? Haven’t you heard of spirit beasts? It’s already all over the school.”
Not everything about the meeting room incident got out, but news of a new spirit beast had spread everywhere.
I didn’t impose any embargo, and since I revealed myself openly, it’s only natural.
Luca, having calmed down after some time, approached me with a scholarly gleam in his eyes.
“A-are you really a spirit beast?”
“Do you know any other talking cats besides me?”
“At least I’ve never seen one before!”
“One that can change its size at will?”
“Y-you can do that too?”
“I’m a spirit beast, after all. This much is easy.”
“I-I can’t believe I’m meeting a real spirit beast…!”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m a spirit beast. So, how about you listen to me for a bit?”
“Yes! Spirit Beast-sama!”
This is why I like being a spirit beast.
At Pelisec Academy, the status of spirit beasts is so high that people tend to listen obediently.
Plus, there’s a widespread belief that meeting a spirit beast brings good luck.
“You know about the secret library, right?”
“The secret library…? Are you talking about the one mentioned on page 239 of Pelisec’s records?”
I didn’t know that far.
But the secret library he’s talking about must be the one I’m thinking of.
He said something similar in the original story.
“Don’t you want to go in?”
“C-can we really go in?”
“Yeah.”
“R-really?”
“Yes, really.”
“Ooh…ooh! As expected of Spirit Beast-sama! You even know about that! I’m in awe! I’m so excited my brain is trembling!”
This guy’s energy is hard to keep up with.
I’m tired…
I sighed as I glanced at Luca, who was practically glowing with excitement.
“Nine, that human’s weird.”
“I know.”
But what can I do?
At least he’s more cooperative than Olivia.
I’ll just have to make good use of him.
“We’re planning to open the secret library today. Come with us.”
“Is there anything I need to prepare?”
“No, just open the staff room door. The one on the corridor side.”
“Got it!”
No matter how I look at it, this guy’s just here to fill in and open the secret library.
As soon as I saw Luca open the staff room door, I tapped my necklace with my paw.
A faint presence began to emanate from beyond the door.
The magic’s working.
“Hey, don’t freak out no matter who comes in. Got it?”
“Yes. Spirit Beast-sama.”
Soon, the entire group entered the staff room.
They were startled by Luca’s unexpected presence and looked at me with panicked eyes, but when I nodded, they sighed in relief and closed the door.
“I’m Luca Nachtberg.”
“I’m Orca Linnaeus. But… your name sounds familiar.”
“I-I think I’ve heard it too…”
“Ah! The guy who got caught raising slimes in the dorm! You’re that guy, right?”
“Haha… I thought they were docile, so it’d be fine.”
Even here, he got caught raising monsters in secret, just like in the original.
But since it was only slimes, it seems he hasn’t met the “harpy” yet.
…Should I arrange that meeting?
…No, what am I thinking?
“Ahaha, it happens when you’re deep into research.”
“Right?”
…These research-crazed guys really get along well.
“Enough chit-chat. Let’s get going. The night is short.”
At my words, everyone looked at me.
Then their gaze shifted to Momo, who was rubbing her cheek against Alice’s calf.
“What about Momo…”
“I-I’ll carry her…”
“I’ll carry her. Alice needs to use magic…”
“Wouldn’t it be better if your hands were free?”
“Sigh. Momo, come here.”
“Okay!”
I enlarged my body to its original size and tilted my head toward the ground.
Momo, clever as ever, understood and used my head as a stepping stone to climb onto my back.
“Let’s go like this.”
“Th-this is actually pretty good…”
“A cat on top of a cat…”
“Is that cat also a spirit beast?”
“Just a regular cat, Slime Guy.”
Sigh.
This is already exhausting.
“Alright, let’s go.”
At my words, everyone nodded.
We can’t waste any more time, so let’s hurry.
We entered the library through the staff room and moved toward the location of the secret library’s door.
“Is this it?”
“Yep.”
Now, what was the sequence again?
This goes… here… and that goes… there.
As I pulled out the books in the order I remembered, the bookshelf slid aside like a sliding door, revealing a passage.
“Whoa, this feels good. We’re the first visitors in the academy’s history, right?”
“This is the entrance to the secret library… It’s more ordinary than I expected.”
“Ah, I can feel intense magic inside. How is it possible that no magic leaks outside the library?”
“This could be a good research topic… Maybe we could even become independent…”
“Th-the materials I’ve been looking for might be here…!”
“Enough, let’s get inside. It’s getting cold.”
“Got it.”
“Momo, want to stay in Kazein’s arms for a bit?”
“Okay!”
Feeling lighter, I stood up on two legs and looked back at the group.
“As you can see, there’s no light here. So, follow me closely.”
“Y-your eyes are sparkling… so pretty…”
“Enough, just follow me.”
————–
I led the way down into the seemingly endless abyss.
The secret library, created with great effort by the first head of the Darkmoon family, a colleague of Pelisec, is no ordinary library.
After all, it’s called the “secret library” for a reason…
Anyway, the first head of Darkmoon was such a sadist that he made sure the path to the library was anything but ordinary.
“Nine, I think we’re going in circles.”
“Are we just spinning around the same place?”
“A-are we even going the right way?”
“Just trust me and follow.”
Hmm, how many laps was it again?
Ah, five.
After checking the claw marks I left on the wall, I continued forward.
The first barrier of the secret library.
Push to unlock… no, move forward and backward in a specific sequence to find the entrance.
It’s like experiencing an old dial safe with your body.
First, go forward five times, then back three times, then forward two times.
Just do that and……
“Oh, a door appeared here?”
“As expected of Spirit Beast-sama! You solved the barrier set by the great mage in one go!”
“Shut up and get inside.”
Without hesitation, I pushed Luca’s back with my paw.
“Huh? Aaaahhhh!”
Luca’s figure disappeared into the darkness beyond the door, and his scream pierced our eardrums.
Ugh, so loud.
“W-wait, is that a cliff?”
“…Are we not leaving any witnesses? Nine…”
“What nonsense. He’s not dead.”
No matter how sadistic the designer was, we’ve already passed the first barrier.
He wouldn’t go that far.
“Don’t forget, the first head of Darkmoon is the founder of illusion magic.”
“Ah…!”
“Then I’ll go first?”
“W-wait…!”
Before the group could stop me, I leaped into the next room.
“Nine…!?”
“What are you doing? Hurry up.”
“Wh-what just happened?”
“Are we offering a sacrifice…”
“Aaaahhhh!”
“I’m not—do I look like some evil cat to you? Where would you find a kind-hearted cat like me? It’s just an illusion, so snap out of it and come on.”
“Aaaahhhh-“
“Shut up! It’s an illusion, so get a grip!”
I smacked the back of Luca’s head as he flailed on the ground, breaking the illusion.
“Alright, we’ve got five more barriers to go. Let’s move.”
If we’re not going to buff our speed like in a game, we’ll have to speedrun this.
“…5th?”
“Alice, I’m sorry to say this, but… the first head was definitely a sadist.”
“No need to apologize… I already know.”
“…I think I’m going to have a bias against grand mages from now on…”
Kazein’s dry voice echoed through the empty hallway.