When Ultear regained consciousness, what she saw was a face full of wrinkles, a man in the twilight of his life.
Someone she had never seen before...
Ultear searched through her memories but could not find any impression of the person in front of her, yet she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and kindness.
Judging by his appearance alone, this old man who gave her a friendly feeling seemed even older than the Third Master Grandpa, who spent his days after retirement drinking and chatting at the guild. However, the man's spirit seemed very full, completely unlike the state someone of his age should be in. Especially his eyes—they appeared bright and deep under the reflection of the light, as if filled with infinite wisdom.
The old man was reading a book with intense concentration. From the cover, Ultear felt it must be a magic book. Since he could read here, he was definitely part of the Fairy Academy. Given his age, he clearly wasn't a student, so...
"Old Man, are you a teacher who instructs the university students?"
Ultear knew the appearances of the Fairy Academy's Principal and Vice-Principal, and she knew the faculty of the primary and middle schools. Since the old man before her was none of them, he could only be a university teacher she had never met.
However, the elder's reply was beyond Ultear's expectations.
"I am not a teacher of the Academy."
"Eh?"
Ultear was stunned, her heart instantly split between confusion and wariness. "If you're not a teacher, why are you here? Could it be that you, like me, snuck in secretly?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately covered her lips, feeling a surge of secret annoyance.
Aya, aya... She was truly being "stupid enough to make herself cry!"
If this person was a high-ranking official of the Academy, wouldn't asking that be the same as admitting she had violated the Academy's ban and snuck into the library at night? When the time came, a demerit would be unavoidable, and there might even be other punishments!
If this person wasn't an official but a bad person who had slipped in from the outside to steal a look at magic books, the situation was even worse! First, it was impossible for the other party to give her an honest account! Second, asking the question so bluntly undoubtedly put herself directly in danger! After all, "sneaking in" meant no one knew she was here; the other party would only need to dispose of her quietly to cover all tracks...
Thinking of this, Ultear quietly moved her feet backward, preparing to shout and run the moment the other party made a move.
Suddenly!
With a gedeng sound, her retreating step hit a wall. Oh no, there's no path behind me—is escape hopeless?! Ultear was startled and hurriedly turned her head. As she turned, the two twin-tails behind her head swung along with the movement.
As her gaze moved back, Ultear realized that what was blocking her was not a wall, but a railing. She looked up, finally remembering to observe her surroundings.
This was undoubtedly the interior of the library, as all around were high bookshelves packed with magic books. She was on the second floor of the library. Directly in front of her—where the old man was reading—was a recessed corner by the window. To the left and right were walkways, and behind her was the railing. Looking over the railing, one could see the overall layout of the first floor. The main entrance of the library was right behind her; from the second floor, it was clearly visible.
Ultear instinctively simulated it in her mind. If she had been standing here just now and someone pushed open the door to peek inside, she would have noticed the movement immediately. No wonder she was discovered the moment she showed her face...
Wait, that's not right! She was standing on the walkway now, which is why she could see the entrance; but that old man was clearly sitting by the window. The main entrance should be in his blind spot. How did he notice her just now?
Through this observation and thought, her mind went through a thousand shifts. Unknowingly, the unease in Ultear's heart had faded by half. The girl looked at the old man again. From just now until now, he had remained incredibly calm, quietly reading his book! Being this calm, he probably wasn't a bad person or an outsider...
"Um..."
"I said it wrong just now. I didn't sneak in; I'm a student who entered after receiving a warrant!"
Ultear pretended to change her story casually, while her big, round eyes stole glances at the old man.
The old man, however, did not even look up, responding perfunctorily: "Oh, is that so..."
"Af... After all, the Fairy Academy is the best magic school in the Kingdom of Fiore. How could any student be so audacious as to sneak into the library?"
"Makes sense!"
"...It's just that I came in a hurry tonight and didn't bring the warrant, that's all."
"Really? That's quite unfortunate!"
"If you absolutely must see it, it's not impossible, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow. When I come again tomorrow, I certainly won't forget to bring it."
"Alright then."
"But then again, I don't think I need to explain so much to you! Students with special permission to enter the library have no obligation to explain to others, especially since you said yourself that you aren't an Academy teacher!"
"That's true."
"I say! Can't you say more than a few words?!!"
Ultear finally couldn't help herself, stomping her feet in frustration. She had racked her brains to prepare a whole set of excuses, but this old man didn't seem to care at all, responding to every sentence with perfunctory replies. This was simply too arrogant!!
The old man finally moved his eyes away from the magic book and beckoned Ultear to come closer. Seeing this, Ultear immediately hesitated. This old man's background was unknown; it was better not to approach him recklessly...
But on second thought: At the end of the day, he's just an old man. I, the great Ultear Milkovich, top student of the Fairy Academy, need to be afraid of him?!
She straightened her back and took large strides forward. Just as she got close, the old man suddenly moved—his action was as fast as a lightning bolt!
"This is the punishment for sneaking into the library without permission!"
Before Ultear could react, a finger-flick landed on her forehead with a pa.
"It hurts!"
"Hiss... hiss... it really hurts!"
"A bump is going to swell up for sure!!"
Ultear was knocked back two steps by the flick. After staggering to steady herself, she pressed four fingers together to gently rub her forehead, feeling the spot throb with pain.
"Hahaha... learned your lesson, haven't you!"
"What did you say?! You..."
"Shh!!"
"This is a library. Don't make a racket; it will affect the others!!"
The old man's words brought Ultear's anger to a sudden halt.
"Others?"
"There are other people here?"
Ultear became tense again. she quickly looked left and right, then sensed carefully for a moment, finally confirming that there was absolutely no third person in the entire library. Since there was no third person, why did this grandpa say it would affect others?
Could it be... ghosts??