The Seventh Hero

After leaving the academy hall, Celine and I headed to the academy library.

There, we were greeted by the sight of countless bookshelves and a middle-aged man, the librarian, who was reading a book at his desk.

"Excuse me."

I greeted the librarian, and he looked up upon hearing my voice.

"Ah, it seems we have a student visiting."

He smiled warmly and observed my uniform. More precisely, he observed my blue tie with a single red stripe, symbolizing a first-year student, a freshman.

After observing for a moment, his gaze shifted to Celine, who was standing beside me.

"Hm, a first-year student from the magic department, right? What brings you here? Isn't there a mana evaluation in the hall today?"

The librarian asked politely, though from his earlier observation, he seemed suspicious. He was probably wondering why a freshman was in the library instead of the hall for the mana evaluation.

However, I didn't mind his suspicion. After all, it was natural for him to be suspicious of us. Besides, he was just doing his job as a librarian and as an adult. He couldn't just let young people skip class like that.

"Of course, sir. We just finished our mana evaluation, but there was an incident, so we were asked to leave first."

Upon hearing my answer, the librarian sighed softly and nodded in understanding.

"I see... It must have involved a noble, right?"

He asked with genuine concern.

"Yes, does this kind of thing happen often?"

I wondered because in the game [Flame Chaser], there were no such details. No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that the protagonist, Kevin, rarely visited the library unless the player chose a specific heroine route. After all, he was a magic knight. Personally, he preferred training methods that involved swinging his sword over reading books.

"Hm, not really, but there have been a few incidents like that. Well, you must understand what I mean, right? There are many types of nobles in this world, one of which is the status-obsessed ones. They care more about someone's status than anything else. Even though Sirius Academy adheres to a meritocratic system, there are still some extreme status-obsessed individuals. So, I understand your difficulty. It's truly unfortunate that something like this happened to you right after the enrollment ceremony, but don't hate all nobles. Only a few of the nobles in this academy are status-obsessed. So, you just need to choose your nobles carefully. After all, they are a source of connections."

I nodded upon hearing the librarian's words. After all, I had no intention of making enemies with the nobles, unlike in Earth's history where there were many insane nobles who oppressed the people. Here, their numbers were limited due to strict laws against nobles. If they were involved in a crime, especially corruption, their entire family would be executed without exception, meaning the eradication of the noble family. And in the game [Flame Chaser], most named characters were nobles or those of noble status.

"I understand. Thank you for your advice."

He smiled contentedly upon seeing my sincere gratitude, then asked me again.

"So, what do you need? You came here to read books, right?"

I nodded upon hearing this question.

"Yes, sir. I'm here to read basic magic books and books about the legends brought by the heroes."

"Alright, for basic magic books, you can find them on shelf 2-A, and for the books about the legends brought by the heroes, they're on shelf 6-A. There aren't many because they're not very popular. Only a few people want to read them."

I nodded in understanding. After all, that was true. The legends they brought weren't very popular among the people of this world. People here preferred reading about the heroes themselves rather than the legends they brought.

As I was about to head to the bookshelf, the librarian grabbed my sleeve to stop me.

"Oh, wait a moment. If you want to borrow them and take them to your dorm, please let me know first so I can record it, and make sure the books don't get lost."

Then, he looked at me and Celine alternately.

"Also, no dating in the library. So, if you want to go on a date, it's better to move somewhere else."

Upon hearing this from the librarian, I made a confused expression while Celine just smiled.

"Sir, we're not dating. How could we be dating when we just met during the mana evaluation?"

The librarian just smiled warmly upon hearing my words and said, "Oh, the beauty of youth. You could have fallen in love at first sight, right? So, it makes sense if you started dating right away."

I sighed softly upon hearing the librarian's hypothesis. What he said made sense, but it was impossible for me.

"Sorry, but we're just friends."

"Hm, is that so? What a shame, but alright. Enjoy your reading, and don't make noise, okay?"

I nodded and immediately walked to the bookshelves mentioned by the librarian. Shelf 2-A for basic magic books and shelf 6-A for the books about the legends brought by the heroes.

On shelf 2-A, I picked up a book titled "Basic Magic for Beginners" with a small note that read, "Even a chimpanzee would understand."

"...."

...What kind of rude little note is this?

I really don't understand the humor in this world...

I then moved to shelf 6-A to pick up the legend books. There, I only found two books on a long row of shelves.

One book was titled Historia Regum Britanniae, and the other was titled Vita Merlini. Well, from the titles alone, it was clear that these were in Latin. These were definitely books from Earth. Both books also clearly listed the same author: Geoffrey of Monmouth.

Geoffrey... I'm sure he's the one who popularized the Arthurian legends.

I then took both books and brought all three back to the librarian.

"Excuse me, sir. Are there only two legend books left?"

The librarian, who was reading a book, immediately shifted his gaze to me.

"Hm, let me check the records for a moment."

He then began searching through old documents on his desk. Finally, after a few minutes, a document appeared.

"Let's see..."

He opened the document, read it, and then nodded.

"Well, unfortunately, only those two are left. Fifty years ago, the other three books were taken to the Hexium Imperial Palace as part of a book exchange with the academy."

He then showed me the document, and I read it. I could only smile bitterly after reading it.

Hexium Imperial Palace, huh....

"I see..."

"It's truly a shame, but books like these are said to be copies of the legends brought by the heroes to this world, so there are only a few of them. Only royal families or high-ranking nobles have ever owned them."

I nodded in understanding at the explanation and immediately went to a table to read the books.

I read them carefully, occasionally glancing at Celine, and finally asked.

"Hey, Celine. What are you reading?"

"Hm? I'm reading this."

What she was holding was a teenage romance novel.

She's reading that?

Seriously?

I stared at her in astonishment, and Celine returned my gaze, her eyes narrowing in displeasure.

"Hey, what's with that astonished look? You don't think I'm suited for reading teenage romance novels, do you?"

"I don't want to comment further."

I immediately returned to the book I was reading, while Celina, who was annoyed, hit my back.

Unfortunately, it didn't hurt at all. Maybe she was just playfully hitting me.

We continued reading, and at some point, I finally realized something.

These books aren't just unpopular—they're practically unreadable!

They're written in Latin! Who in this world understands Latin?

You might be wondering, why are there books in Latin in this world? It's said that in the past, precisely 5,000 years ago, when this world was on the brink of destruction due to the rampage of the Evil God known as Primordial Evil, Erebos, who slaughtered the gods, the world decided to summon six heroes from another world. These six heroes saved the world by sealing Erebos and brought a new era to this world. They also brought many cultures from their original world. In the game [Flame Chaser], this wasn't explained in detail, but after experiencing it firsthand, I can confidently say that those who were summoned—the six heroes—must have come from the same Earth as me.

I finally realized the truth of why these books are unpopular.

These books deserve to be unread. It's because people here don't understand them! They're written in Earth's language, which is clearly different from the language of this world!

I sighed softly upon realizing this. Then, Celine suddenly asked me.

"Hey, Rei, can you read that book?"

"Hm? Yeah, of course. I can read it clearly."

"I see..."

Celine nodded, showing a relieved smile. She looked very beautiful at that moment.

———————————

Meanwhile, Professor Ferdinand had just finished the mana evaluation for the freshmen and was tidying up the evaluation records. It was already late afternoon, and night would soon fall. It was time for him to go home. However, his mind was still preoccupied with something else. So, he decided to go to the library to confirm something that was bothering him.

If that child is truly the person "she" is looking for...

Then her long wait will finally come to an end...

Professor Ferdinand still remembered that incident clearly.

It happened when he was just 7 years old. As the child of a border noble, he had once gotten lost in a dangerous forest filled with monsters after running away from home. It was there that Ferdinand met her. Just as he was about to be attacked by an Orc, someone saved him. She wore a mask and held a sword. Ferdinand could tell that she was a woman because of her long, flowing brown hair. After killing the Orc and saving young Ferdinand, she brought him out of the forest and then left.

Just before she left, young Ferdinand asked her innocently.

"Big sister, what can I do to repay you for saving me?"

Hearing this question, the masked woman ruffled Ferdinand's hair affectionately and answered softly.

"If you want to repay me for saving you today, please help me find someone I've been longing for."

Young Ferdinand asked again innocently. He truly wanted to help his savior.

"What are their characteristics?"

"He understands us, he understands our language, and he's also from the same place as us. He's a true hero."

Then, the masked woman disappeared, leaving young Ferdinand alone after giving him the characteristics of the person she was looking for. Shortly after, Ferdinand's parents, accompanied by several knights, found him. His parents cried, thinking they had been negligent in protecting their child and had almost put him in danger. So, in the end, they returned together with Ferdinand, who kept comforting his parents as they drowned in their guilt.

I still remember that moment clearly...

I only realized it when I reached my teenage years.

The person I met back then—she was one of the six heroes. One of them is still alive to this day.

Ferdinand then arrived at the library with his complicated thoughts. He approached the librarian.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Librarian. I'd like to ask, were there two freshmen who came to the library during the mana evaluation today?"

The librarian nodded upon hearing this.

"Yes, Professor Ferdinand. There were two people who came here earlier this afternoon."

Ferdinand sighed in relief upon hearing this and asked again.

"May I know what kind of books they were reading?"

The librarian immediately nodded and informed Ferdinand.

"Of course, the female student was reading a teenage romance novel, and the male student—he was a bit strange..."

Upon hearing this, Ferdinand's eyebrow twitched.

"Strange? May I know specifically how?"

"Well, he wasn't strange because he was reading unusual books, but strange for another reason—he was reading the legend books brought by the heroes from 5,000 years ago."

Ferdinand was so shocked upon hearing this that his body began to tremble.

"M-Mr. Librarian, c-can he read those books...?"

The librarian, who didn't understand what had happened to Ferdinand as his body trembled, casually replied.

"Well, he said he could read them. So, he borrowed both legend books for a long time. Oh, and he also borrowed a basic magic book."

Ferdinand trembled even more upon hearing this. That child could read them. There was only one meaning to this.

"...he understands our language, and he's also from the same place as us..."

He repeated the words left to him by one of the surviving heroes who had saved his life.

Meanwhile, the librarian grew even more confused upon seeing Ferdinand's reaction.

"W-what's wrong, Professor Ferdinand?"

The librarian asked timidly. Could it be that the two freshmen were actually lying and skipping class, making Professor Ferdinand angry?

Ferdinand, who just realized that the librarian was confused by his behavior, quickly cleared his throat.

"Ahem, it's nothing, Mr. Librarian. Thank you for the information. I'll take my leave now. Good afternoon."

"Eh, yes? Oh, good afternoon."

Ferdinand immediately left, leaving the poor librarian, who still didn't understand the situation.

Then, Ferdinand, who was walking back to his office, was still trembling slightly. He was finally certain of one thing.

"That child... he's the true hero that 'she' spoke of. The seventh hero who has appeared in this world..."

"I must protect him until 'she' meets him, so her long search will finally end..."

"Finally, I can repay her..."

Ferdinand continued walking with an unshakable determination in his mind, his eyes burning fiercely.