Befitting a university library, it had far more books than Cider's two-story study. In the center of the lobby, a four-story solid wood bookshelf drew concentric circles following the building's shape. Students were each seated at desks, either deeply reading thick books or diligently turning pages, absorbed in their assignnts.
Walking around and briefly checking the types of books, she found that books related to magical theory, magical chemistry, and magical engineering comprised eighty percent of this library. A considerable number of these were recently compiled collections of papers or academic journals.
It was an astonishingly boring library. Shouldn't a university library also collect so popular novels, useless books that wouldn't sell anywhere, and relic-like books compiled hundreds of years ago?
Showing how short the history of magical engineering was, even combining all related field books, nothing was older than 200 years.
Esperanza walked around the stacks, skimming through books. Of course, most of the content was incomprehensible. Rather than books packed with technical terms that might as well be alien language, the tray automatons carrying books misplaced in wrong sections seed more fascinating.
Esperanza, holding a youth magical engineering book she had pulled out, carefully examined the shelves arranged by author na order, then headed toward the inner stacks with light steps.
"Oh, there are books..."
Actually, there aren't.
She thought there would be many books since he was supposedly history's greatest magical engineer, the one who established the frawork of magical engineering, inventor of automatons, recipient of the Order of the Rusted Sword. But between 'Cleverly' and 'Clifft,' there were only five types of books. Each book had nearly ten copies shelved.
'But why are the shelves so empty?'
Esperanza suddenly tilted her head and bent her knees to examine the bookshelf closely. Seeing that each set of books occupied one shelf space, it seed there were originally about twenty volus, with half currently checked out.
Considering his extrely young age, it would be admirable, but compared to his reputation that Esperanza had heard, it inevitably seed modest. Does he dislike writing papers? Well, who would like it?
"It's a master's thesis."
She had seen sowhere that professors dislike talking about master's theses, but would soone like Cider Claiborne also feel embarrassed about his master's thesis? Esperanza giggled and pulled out one of the eight remaining copies.
The pages were tattered from how much people had borrowed and read it. The typewritten text was slightly faded, and she noticed ink stains had spread a bit on the precisely drawn circuits and structural diagrams, whether printed or engraved.
From the characteristically confident yet restrained preface to the endless references, she flipped through casually. Then her page-turning speed gradually increased. Because she couldn't understand anything.
While Esperanza leaned against the bookshelf holding the thesis and skimming through it, a couple of students ca and took books. Looking around, she noticed that only this section of the large bookshelf was completely empty. Though it wasn't her business, she felt strangely pleased.
"Hmm. Are you a freshman?"
Looking up, she saw a white-haired man of considerable age, presumably a professor, standing there. The thick sll of Paoran wafted from him. Esperanza unconsciously wrinkled her nose, then roughly nodded.
"Yes."
"It would be difficult for a freshman to read. Didn't your advisor tell you not to read it?"
"Excuse ?"
What does he an? Did Cider Claiborne beco disliked among researchers for being too evasive about wanting to lecture? Is he being ostracized?
'No, but he's soone who works hard on his research with good results, and is busy with parliant work, count duties, and various other things, so they should have considered that much. If they find him so disagreeable, why not just fire him? Who are they to ostracize soone when they're the ones begging him to please co and give just one lecture?'
As arms naturally bend inward, when these stubborn old professors told her not to read Cider's papers, her mood plumted. Perhaps showing her displeasure without realizing it, the old professor spoke soothingly.
"If you entered the magical engineering university at such a young age, you must have been one of the top prodigies in your school, but it's the sa for other students. Freshn think they can conduct century-defining research like Claiborne as soon as they enter. But I guarantee, in my 30 years of professorship, I've only seen three freshn who understood even half of this research."
The professor spoke gently with a smiling, wrinkled face, but every word was a dagger. If Esperanza had really been a freshman who entered with dreams of becoming a great scholar, she might have been hurt or spurred to defiance. But fortunately, Esperanza had not even a mouse's worth of talent in magical engineering. She was at a level where she couldn't even be mistaken.
"Writings like this, you see, are perfect for ruining people who get carried away. That's why professors speak with good intentions, but as you can see, everyone seems to read them secretly anyway."
The old man, seeing Esperanza awkwardly clutching the book, laughed and tapped the thesis cover.
"Still, a genius is a remarkable genius. Hehe, actually, I was on his doctoral thesis committee."
Esperanza suddenly thought that everything the professor had said so far might have been just for this one statent. Because the professor had the face of a grandmother looking at granddaughters begging for old stories.
"Wow. That must have been nice."
"Nothing particularly nice about it, but I do know so minor anecdotes that others don't."
The professor eventually recited sothing like the compilation story of Cider Claiborne's thesis that no one would be curious about, regardless of the librarian's glances. It was a story with no adversity or hardship that would probably get 1.3% viewership if made into a drama.
Left alone, Esperanza tilted her head. Is being a thesis committee mber, not even a doctoral advisor, sothing to boast about to a first-eting student?
'What expression would he have made if I said I live with that man?'
Thinking that far, Esperanza suddenly stopped walking, recalling the strange tone of the sentence she had thought with her own mind.
'Really, he's the one who got caught, so why am I the only one being conscious of it?'
While he just acts nonchalant. Seeing how he avoided Esperanza for a while, he probably wasn't unconscious of it either, but his behavior wasn't much different from usual.
That ans, probably the feelings were the sa all along, before and now.
Really, since when?
She couldn't get a grasp on it at all. She stood blankly, touching her cheek.
"Excuse ."
Two large male students passed by with books filling both hands. Esperanza, who had been standing in the middle of the corridor, was startled and stepped aside.
"You know that ghost that appeared in the research building at night? It's been showing up again recently."
"Agh, hey, I'm on duty today. Don't say weird things. It makes nervous for no reason."
"It's true. Soone in Turner's lab saw it too. You know Walter Digby, right? That kid with the wide forehead. He saw two people black from head to toe entering the professor's room, and he heard sothing like the professor's scream. He froze completely and stood there until dawn, but those people never ca out..."
The student who was listening grabbed the collar of the student telling the eerie story.
"I said I'm on duty today!"
The two people moved away while struggling. Esperanza's eyes narrowed.
"Two people black from head to toe?"
Would it be too sensitive a reaction to say this description seems familiar?
There was still about 30 minutes left until class ended. Esperanza headed to a place where entry was free and she could most easily hear students' chatter—the cafeteria. After wandering around pretending to look for a seat, she found about two more people telling ghost stories. Their descriptions were identical.
Two people black from head to toe.
They had appeared in professors' offices until a few months ago, then disappeared at so point, but have been showing up again recently.
Even while returning to Pilson Hall, chewing on magical engineering university souvenir chocolate bought from the cafeteria, she couldn't stop thinking. She couldn't directly verify ghosts seen in the research building at night, and it didn't seem like professors would tell her straight. So it was only circumstantial evidence, but if it really was Daria and Cyrus who were visiting magical engineers, what was their purpose?
'Dr. Sullivan was also introduced by Cyrus.'
The Hunter Association was cooperating with nurous magical engineers, magical tool companies, and factories. If what Daria and Cyrus wanted was the normalization of dungeons and the ergence of Hunters—in other words, the implentation of the 'Golden Claw' worldview—contact with magical engineers was inevitable.
But then, why hadn't they contacted Cider Claiborne? He would have been the best magical engineer even then.
Pilson Hall was crowded with students streaming out after lectures ended. Stopping her thoughts at that point, Esperanza looked for the carriage by going around to the back of the building instead of returning to the lecture hall.
Behind the building where Taylor was checking the carriage wheels, Cider Claiborne stood under the shade of a tree with an unlit cigarette between his fingers. He had been looking at the carriage wheels with indifferent eyes, then turned his head upon hearing Esperanza's footsteps. His eye expression softened gently.
"Delinquent student."
There was a small reproach hidden in the leisurely tone that drew out the words. Esperanza felt awkward and stopped at a distance.
"Running away in the middle of class."
Fortunately, Cider didn't seem particularly angry. But he seed pleased to have found sothing to tease about.
"And chatting with the male student sitting next to you."
"No, what was I supposed to do if I didn't chat while listening to that class? At least talk about sothing understandable."
Esperanza pouted. Seeing him proceed at his own pace without any consideration for students who were at most undergraduates or graduate students, she could only say it was fortunate their fields didn't overlap even slightly. She now understood that Cider had been trying his best to explain things at a level that even ordinary people could understand when talking to Esperanza.
Cider asked with a low laugh.
"Should I make it understandable for you?"
"No."
"It would be fun."
Not at all.
She could be certain of this one thing. Esperanza would never have an interest in magical engineering. What circuits do, gears and converters... she hoped never to be involved with them for life.
"More than that, I heard sothing."
"Really? I also have sothing to say."
Sothing to say?
"...Want to go first?"
"You first. And is that sothing you brought to give ?"
"Ah, right. They were selling it at the cafeteria. But I wonder if it suits your taste."
Cider poured the chocolate Esperanza offered into his mouth and frowned. A bitter taste spread in his mouth.
"I used to eat these often when researching until dawn at the university. It's a taste that brings back bad mories though."
"Then why are you eating it?"
"Because you bought it to give to ."
"It's nothing special... If you don't eat it, I could give it to Taylor or Annie."
"That's exactly why."
Cider said with emphasis. Just in case there was any confusion.
"There's no reason to let soone else have what you bought specifically to give , is there?"
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