{7}“The Dinner”

  ***

  Finally, Rin and Calia left the event venue with Ned's guidance. According to him, a second-year student this year, club selection wasn't mandatory, and one could apply to join at any time, not just as a freshman.

  That meant there was no need to decide on a club today.

  And everyone agreed that escaping from the search net of the "Lily of the Valley Knights" was the top priority now.

  The group wandered through crowded areas just in case, then slipped away through a less conspicuous path. Only after reaching a road far from the event venue could they finally catch their breath. Rin gave a slight bow to the two people beside her. This was a common greeting in the Republic of Ascalia.

  "Calia. And Senior Ned. Thank you for helping me today. I'd like to treat you to dinner, if that's alright?"

  The two looked at each other at Rin's suggestion. Though unexpected, neither minded, and the three naturally headed toward the library.

  Elvlin Academy's grounds were very extensive. After walking for about 10 minutes along a forest path from the event venue near the outdoor amphitheater, they could see the giant Grandfather Tree emerging through the green dome in the distance. This was evidence that they were nearly at the library. And when they reached the library entrance, Calia was horrified.

  "Ah! W-what is that?"

  Calia was the only one who looked terrified. Meanwhile, Rin walked toward where Calia's finger was pointing and politely bowed.

  "Baron. I'm back."

  Ned also showed his respect casually.

  "Baron. It's been a while. You remember me, right?"

  A large, or rather, enormous wolf that could only be described as gigantic. Both Rin and Ned were greeting this monstrous wolf, bigger even than the white winter wolves said to live in the northern mountains, as if it were the most natural thing. In this absurd situation, only Calia was left out.

  "Rin! W-what on earth is...(At this point, Baron's eyes, who had been lying down, turned toward Calia.) No, I'm sorry! I mean, this person? I mean..."

  Rin slightly frowned at her incoherent response.

  "Calia. What are you trying to say?"

  "I mean! Such a thing... No! Why is such a person here? Why is it here?"

  Calia had barked out loud, but her body was trembling as she hid tightly behind Ned. Ned scratched his head awkwardly. Seeing this, Rin tilted her head for a moment, then responded with a smile.

  "Ah! I forgot to introduce you. Calia, this is Baron, who normally serves as the library security. Baron, this is Calia..."

  "C-can I just go back now?"

  *RUSTLE*

  At Calia's words, Baron, who had been lying quietly until now, suddenly stood up. Two eyes gleaming brightly looked down from a height much taller than an adult man.

  "Kyaaak! I'm sorryyy!"

  Ned patted the trembling Calia who had jumped in fright.

  "You shouldn't interrupt during introductions. Baron is known to eat... ah, excuse me. Baron really dislikes people with bad manners."

  "Y-you were about to say he eats them, weren't you? Right?"

  "Did I say that?"

  "You did!"

  Meanwhile, Rin finished introducing Calia, and strangely enough, after hearing the complete introduction, Baron lay down again.

  Calia was so focused on Baron that she didn't even know how she was walking. Hunched over and clinging to Ned's back, she looked like someone with broken limbs.

  Finally passing through the entrance and closing the door, her legs gave way as the tension released, and she collapsed.

  "Aaaah, I'm alive!"

  Rin chuckled at the sight of her completely weakened legs.

  "Oh Calia. Baron is a good monster, so you can relax."

  "That means... it really is a monster, isn't it?"

  "Did I say that?"

  "You just did!"

  "Surely not."

  Calia sighed deeply at Rin's attitude, which wasn't so much nonchalant as completely lacking any sense of gravity. She stood up with Ned's outstretched hand and massaged her temporarily weakened legs. Then she looked up and...

  "Gasp!"

  She was startled again.

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  "What's wrong, Calia?"

  Rin seemed concerned about Calia's continuous startled reactions. Calia pointed with a trembling finger at the massive trunk of the "Grandfather Tree" that pierced through the center of the library.

  "What is that? Why is such a thing inside?"

  "What? Didn't you see it on the way here? It's visible from outside too."

  "There was that... monster right in front of me outside."

  Ned snickered at that.

  "Even so, how could you miss something that big? Its branches have grown so much they cover the library roof."

  "R-really?"

  Calia's face turned as red as her hair. It was embarrassing to have shown such fear in front of the first friend she made at the academy.

  "Everything here is strange! That fountain too, and that monster outside... and what is this tree? Why is it so big? Why plant such a thing inside a building?"

  Actually, the questions Calia listed were among the so-called Three Great Mysteries of Elvlin Academy that all new students encounter at least once. (And most students graduate without getting any meaningful answers.) Rin, having worked as a library assistant for a long time, was more familiar with the academy's internal affairs than most students.

  "Strictly speaking, Grandfather Tree, I mean this big tree, came first. The library was built later to enclose the tree."

  "Then... that monster outside?"

  "Baron? The same applies to him."

  Rin's voice suddenly became quieter.

  "Actually, this is a secret... I heard that what Baron guards isn't the library but Grandfather Tree."

  "What?"

  Both Rin and Calia turned their heads simultaneously. This time, it was Ned who exclaimed.

  "That means... Baron is older than this academy?"

  "Yes."

  "Where did you hear that?"

  Rin tilted her head, wondering if it was really that surprising.

  "The Headmaster told me."

  "What? You've spoken with Headmaster Elvlin?"

  Calia couldn't understand why Ned was making such a fuss. She wondered if it was such a big deal for a student, especially one who grew up in the library from a young age, to have talked with the headmaster.

  "Wow! So the Headmaster really exists?"

  "Of course he does. He even appeared at the freshman welcome ceremony, didn't he?"

  "Really? Someone told me that was just a stand-in..."

  "Huh? What would be the point of having a stand-in?"

  "Have you been to the Headmaster's office too?"

  "Yes."

  "So the Headmaster really does exist."

  "......"

  While Ned was confirming various rumors circulating among students with Rin, Calia approached to examine Grandfather Tree more closely. The unprecedented size and grandeur had apparently made her forget the shock she had received from Baron.

  "What's this gap here?"

  What Calia pointed to was the base of Grandfather Tree. The floor around it was open, following the shape of the round trunk, with railings installed, which seemed to have sparked her curiosity. Particularly, where Calia was standing, the gap between the railing and the trunk was slightly wider. Through that gap, a dark area below was visible.

  "What's down there?"

  Of course, nothing could be seen inside. However, there had been almost no difference in level when passing through the library entrance, so it was strange that it was so pitch dark. Whether or not Rin understood Calia's curiosity, she shrugged indifferently.

  "Just a gap."

  "Really?"

  Calia, who had expected a more interesting answer, looked at the gap with a disappointed expression. The gap between the railing and the base was so dark that nothing could be seen despite the countless lights and natural lighting in the interior.

  "This... isn't there a space inside?"

  Rin shook her head.

  "I thought the same thing a long time ago, but there isn't."

  "How do you know?"

  "I actually went in."

  "What! Really?"

  "When I was about six years old? I was curious if it was hollow, so I forced my way in. I fell to the floor below and sprained my ankle."

  Calia looked blank for a moment as she watched Rin speak so calmly.

  "You're... different from how you look."

  "Oh? How do I look?"

  "Well? You look more... ladylike?"

  Rin covered her mouth and laughed.

  "Why are you laughing?"

  "It's funny to hear that from a real lady. Huhu."

  "Oh? That's true."

  They climbed the spiral staircase of the library under Rin's guidance. It was called a staircase, but it was a bookshelf in itself. A structure unlike any other, where one slowly ascends in a spiral along the massive bookshelves that fill the walls. Alongside the stairs, there were also stepped reading spaces attached.

  Lamps were placed at regular intervals, brightly illuminating the interior. Not only Calia, the freshman, but also Ned, who claimed to be visiting the library for the first time since enrollment, were wide-eyed with wonder.

  "Wow! If I had known it was this amazing, I would have come here sooner!"

  Calia asked Ned, who was admiring everything as an "upperclassman," in a tone that suggested he was pathetic.

  "What exactly is your major?"

  "Me? Trade and Commerce."

  "Isn't that too funny considering your background?"

  "It's fine. No one else knows."

  "But why specifically that?"

  "Because I want to make money legitimately!"

  "Suddenly righteous?"

  As the conversation died down and things were becoming awkward, Rin, who had been leading silently, stopped them.

  "Here we are."

  Having reached the top floor, they looked up at the domed ceiling that Rin was pointing to.

  "Wow!"

  "Amazing!"

  First, they saw the massive Grandfather Tree growing through the ceiling, and then the enormous dome built as if to embrace that hole came into view. And near that ceiling, Rin's room was built as an addition, reminiscent of a fairy house in the forest. The two kept exclaiming in admiration.

  "Rin. Is that your room?"

  "Wow! Are we eating dinner there?"

  Rin calmed them down.

  "Huhu. Don't expect much from the menu."

  ***

  That evening, Rin, Calia, and Ned had dinner together in the small house on the library ceiling. A subtle scent of coniferous trees flowed through the log house, and steam rose from the light soup in the plates and bowls on the table. Rin poured fruit juice mixed with honey into each glass.

  "Calia, Senior Ned. Thanks to both of you, I survived today."

  "It was nothing."

  "Haha. I also had fun teasing those Swordsmanship Department guys."

  Calia, who was drinking her juice, clapped her hands as if she had suddenly remembered something.

  "That's right, Rin! What were those big guys? Did they always follow you around like that?"

  "Well... it's complicated."

  "Complicated, huh."

  Ned interrupted with a smirk.

  "They're believers following High Priestess Rin. Hehehe."

  "H-high priestess?"

  Rin seemed uncomfortable with the expression. Calia put down her spoon and rested her chin on her hand.

  "But they were really skilled. Especially that blonde one who looked normal, why does he act like that?"

  Rin sighed.

  "Well... that might be... my fault."

  "What? Why?"

  "Hehehe. Oh, sorry."

  For Calia, it was a continuous series of incomprehensible events. Why was Ned laughing?

  "It's a bit of a long story."

  Rin drooped her shoulders.

  "Calia, since you're new, you might not know. First, I should talk about that person..."

  "Heeheehee! Ah, sorry."

  Ned couldn't contain his laughter again. Calia thought it was increasingly strange. Rin was quite serious, but Ned, despite his rude personality, was laughing openly, and Rin didn't seem to mind much. Even now, Ned continued laughing. Meanwhile, he was also eagerly eating, spilling soup here and there. Calia decided to just ignore him.

  "What's the story?"

  "I need to start with the story about Haderian, but it's complicated. It might sound absurd when you hear it."

  "It's okay. I just exchanged greetings with a monster wolf. And now I'm having dinner in a log house on top of a tree that's grown through a five-story building."

  Rin tilted her head.

  "Hmm? Is that strange?"

  "You don't think it's strange?"

  "It's everyday life for me."

  "...Then is the story about this Haderian person strange?"

  "Yes."

  "..."

  -To be continued-