Fifteen days after the day she had negotiated with Oswald, Lucrezia Academy finally resumed classes.
As usual, Nicole helped her get ready and then Leticiel climbed into a carriage to go to the academy. Because she had spent so many days being dressed up by the maid lately, Leticiel was reminded how much easier uniforms were.
The main building’s hall was crowded with students that morning, but they all wore somewhat anxious expressions thanks to the monster’s disturbance. Some of them eyed Leticiel, but she ignored their gazes and walked straight through the hall.
“Hnn? Oh, it’s you, Miss Drossell. It’s been a long time.” David, the librarian whose head barely cleared the front counter, waved at her when she stepped into the library.
“Good morning, David. Yes, it has been a while.”
“About fifteen days, was it? How did you spend your time off from school?”
“I didn’t do anything special, just relaxed. But I was somewhat bored since not being able to come to the Great Library meant that I didn’t have enough books.”
“Heh heh, then you’d better read to your heart’s desire.”
“I plan on it.”
After chatting with David, Leticiel immediately went to browse the books on the bookshelves. Leticiel had spent most of the school’s closure in her new residence, but she’d had a lot of free time since she hadn’t taken any new books with her, and the garden wasn’t developed yet.
Using her usual enhancement spell, Leticiel opened a book and began to read at high speed as if to make up for the time she’d spent doing nothing at home.
Just as she was finishing her sixth book, she heard David say, “Oh my. It’s not like you to come at this time of the day,” and it broke her concentration. Reflexively looking up at the clock, Leticiel saw that she had only been in the Great Library for about two hours.
“Yeah. I thought Drossell might be here around this time.” At the sound of the familiar voice, Leticiel looked up from her book and turned her gaze to the Great Library’s entrance. “Ah, there you are. I knew you’d be here.” It was Lucas. As soon as he noticed her watching him, he stopped talking to David and called out to her.
“Headmaster? Do you need something from me?”
“No, I just came to let you know that the research facility the king promised you is pretty much finished.”
Leticiel’s eyes lit up at the news. She hadn’t expected the research facility that she had negotiated with the king would come together so quickly. “Is that true?” she asked. “I thought it would take longer.”
“Well, it’s not as if the old seventh laboratory is completely dilapidated. It just needed some new flooring, repairs on the walls and ceilings, and some other light renovations to be reused.” Lucas put his hand on the Great Library’s door, then grinned as he turned to look at Leticiel. “I’m going to go see it right now. Want to come with me?”
“Of course,” Leticiel replied immediately, a radiant smile on her lips. It was only natural—she’d been looking forward to the facility’s completion since the day she’d spoken with Oswald.
Following Lucas, she left the academy building. The renovated former seventh laboratory stood on the other side of the lake behind the main building. It looked old before, but it had been repainted in a milky white and decorated with stylish trimmings. It was still only two stories high, but it seemed like there was construction going on where the third floor would be. She could hear the sound of hammers now and again.
“As you can see, all of the building’s renovations have finished,” Lucas announced. Leticiel stared at the new lab with a gaze that seemed strong enough to see through its walls. From now on, she would be researching sorcery here. Plus, the government would be supplying her with all the equipment, materials, and funds that she needed through the academy.
“Oh, right. His Majesty has ordered us to build a sorcery training area on the roof, but it’s going to take a little more time,” Lucas added.
“I understand. Thank you, Headmaster.” Unable to wait any longer, Leticiel jogged up to the door and flung it open, racing inside. Behind her, Lucas smiled wryly at her antics.
The door opened into a hall. Before the renovation, there had been only a small common area with a hallway that led to the laboratory, but it seemed like some of the walls had been removed. Not only were there sofas and tables, but even a fireplace and flower vases. It was everything she could have possibly asked for and more.
“Well? Do you like it?”
“Yes…”
“Your lab hasn’t been moved at all, so you should be able to resume your research right away.”
“Yes…”
“…You’re not listening to me, are you?”
“Yes…”
Leticiel fervently took in the hall while only half-listening to Lucas. Her attention was completely focused on the new research facility’s structure.
Seeming to sense this, Lucas said, “Well, I’m glad you like it. I’m going to head back to work, so feel free to take a look around. It’s your facility, after all.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
Lucas patted Leticiel’s shoulder before heading for the front door. With one hand on it, he seemed to remember something and turned back. “Oh, right. I forgot.” Taking something from his pocket, he placed it in Leticiel’s hand and closed her fingers over it. “Take this.”
“Hmm? What is this?” When she looked down, Leticiel saw that she was holding a round metal plate with some sort of emblem. A transparent jewel that sparkled like a diamond was inlaid in a silver frame. Something was written on the jewel.
“What do you mean, what is it? It’s the certificate of right to view all books. You wanted it, right?”
“Oh, that’s right. Thank you.” When she took a closer look at the text, she could see that it did say “Certificate of Access to All Books.” But in even smaller font beneath that were the words, “Except for the royal castle’s forbidden archives.”
Leticiel could barely keep a grin off her face at the thought of using it to read any book in the kingdom. Not only in the academy’s Great Library, but also the royal library in the capital, which was a sacred place with the kingdom’s largest collection of books. She wanted to go when she had the time.
“Also, a new member will be coming to this laboratory. I think they’ll stop by today. Just so you know.”
“Oh, sure. Are they a helper?”
“So I’ve heard. Well, I’m off.” Having shared all of his updates, Lucas finally left the building. Leticiel was curious to see who the helper Oswald had hired would be, but for now, she would be patient and wait.
Left all alone, Leticiel immediately set out to explore. There was a winding staircase off the hall that led to the second floor at the end of it. Two doors faced each other on either side of the hallway. There was also a door in the entry hall, and when she peeked inside, she saw that it led to the dining room and kitchen.
As for the doors facing each other in the hallway, the one on the left led to what looked like a conference room. Chairs surrounded an oval table that could seat at least ten people; there was also a blackboard.
The other door led to a library. Oswald had said that he would provide her with the materials she needed for her research, so she assumed they would be brought to this room. It was already fitted with bookshelves, although most of them were empty.
“With all this, I’m going to make great progress on my research.” She could browse research materials whenever she liked, and when she got tired, she could take a break in the dining room. She genuinely felt like she could live there.
When she climbed the stairs, she was faced with a straight, carpeted hallway that had been decorated with flower vases and paintings. The old, rundown impression it had given off before was nowhere to be found. The stairs leading to the third floor were still covered with a cloth, but she was sure it would be removed once the training area was completed.
There were three evenly-spaced doors on either side of the hallway. She checked each of them, but they were all laboratories. The entire second floor is a laboratory zone, she thought while heading to the end of the hallway, where her own lab was.
“Hmm?” Leticiel noticed something sparkly on the ground near her door. Wondering what it could be, she bent down to pick it up.
It was a silver bell. It was small, only slightly larger than her thumbnail, and had a pattern carved onto it. It didn’t seem to be an ordinary bell. Plus, two different-colored strings were twisted together and threaded through it. Unlike the bell, they seemed old, fraying in some places. The strings didn’t seem to have been cut purposefully, so she wondered if they had been torn apart by a sudden force.
“What is this?” Leticiel murmured to herself, examining the bell carefully from all angles. But there was nothing about it that told her who its owner was. Thinking it was strange and assuming that someone had lost it, Leticiel pocketed the silver bell, where it let out a tiny clink.