Ethan watched the two of them leave, feeling slightly bewildered by the flow of events. Still, he quickly regained his composure as he gazed upon the wonders now open to his eyes. For so long, he had dreamed of the moment mana would be within reach. He could barely stop himself from grasping it all right at this moment.

  "So... What can I do for you?" Ethan asked as he walked to the cluttered desk before facing the young man and his dirt golem.

  Despite his eagerness to gaze upon this spirit and uncover the secrets of these creatures that had always been out of his reach, Ethan merely furtively glanced at it, hiding his intent as best as he could. It wasn't time yet to let it show.

  “Does... this happen often?” the young man said, looking in the distance where the two had disappeared.

  Ethan paused, his eyes fixed on the young man. Despite trying his best, he couldn't help but let a hint of it show, as if he was looking at a fool. It flashed but for a moment before he took hold of himself, showing his best customer service smile.

  “Don’t let it bother you,” he replied, shrugging helplessly. “Her family’s been pressuring her into getting married, but all her potential suitors have been turned away for some reason or other. She's not getting any younger, and her value is slowly dropping. It seems she's been feeling the stress of it all."

  “I... see...” the young man said, slightly unconvinced, yet chose not to press further. “I was told the librarians here could help me find the information I seek.”

  “This is the Endless Library," Ethan said as he tried to make sense of the clutter taking the entirety of the desk. "As long as it exists, you can find it here. However, finding it is the hard part. It's called endless for a reason, but I guess finding it would be part of my job. So, what are you seeking?"

  “Actually..." the man replied, looking slightly nervous. He began to fret, rubbing his hands as if whatever he wanted to say was stuck in his throat; only when Ethan started to show an impatient look did he finally open his mouth once again, "You might have noticed already, but my contracted spirit is very anxious."

  Ethan couldn't help but frown, glancing at the lump of dirt clinging to the man's legs like a small, frightened child. Truthfully, it did seem that way, yet Ethan couldn't let it show.

  “How would I?” he shrugged. “I’m sure you’ve been told about me: the anomaly residing in the Endless Library.”

  The young man's pupil widened noticeably as if the realization had just hit him square in the face. Ethan couldn't help but roll his eyes in his mind as he finally made progress; he could now faintly see the desk's wooden top once buried underneath all the books and stacks of paper.

  “Are you..." the young man began to stammer, but Ethan interrupted this train of thought.

  “Yes, yes, I know. Let’s get back to what you were saying. What do you think is the cause of its anxiety? Can’t you just ask it?”

  “I tried, but even he isn't sure," he replied. "It's just a feeling. He says it's coming from deep within the earth. A disturbance of some sort. As an earth spirit, he is attuned to any changes within the earth's crust, as I am sure you know."

  “I know," Ethan said dismissively. "I see you are a sophomore. Did you consult your professors before coming here?"

  “I did, but they thought nothing of it. They said he was just imagining it. Maybe they are right, but I can’t just ignore it! He said something went missing.”

  Missing... can it be?

  Ethan's pupils grew slightly wider, a suspicion growing in his mind. Still, it was too soon to panic. If something did happen, the Archon would have said something, or maybe the Magisterium, right?

  “When did this feeling appear?” Ethan asked. “When did this... thing... go missing?”

  "It started yesterday, slightly after classes were over. He clearly felt the change. He said it was like a small part was ripped away from the whole. I can’t just ignore this! There’s no way a large clump of mana can just disappear from deep within the earth’s crust!”

  Ethan's whole body shook as if a bolt of lightning ran straight through him. Cold sweat pooled on his back, soaking his clothes. His facial muscles twitched, if ever so slightly, yet he maintained a neutral stance as best as he could, appearing to doubt the veracity of the young man's claims. Inside, his mind was screaming.

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  I did this! I'm sure of it! I never thought the small part I took would be felt! It's just a tiny part of the whole, barely noticeable! There's no way such a small part can adversely affect the world... right? Bah... who cares... It can’t be that bad. They just can’t know I was the one that did it!

  Ethan retained his best customer service smile, doing his best to calm the young man's slightly agitated state while he, himself, was on the verge of panic. Still, none of it showed through.

  "So what answers do you seek from the Endless Library?" Ethan said, his tone calm and serene as if it were a light breeze. "Too broad of a scope won’t help me narrow down what might be useful to you.”

  “Well...” the young man said, finally calming down, lightly patting the stone head of the small golem clinging to his leg. “I figured that since what went missing was mana, I should start with the history of the mana flow within the earth's crust underneath the Empire to see if this is a one-time occurrence or something that happens regularly."

  Ethan's eyebrows rose slightly, feeling slightly impressed. It seemed this naive young man wasn't as dumb as he looked on the outside. In fact, Ethan also wished to know the answer to the young man's inquiry. With any luck, this happened so often that the Magisterium couldn't be bothered to look into it. Well... one could hope, at least.

  “Fine. I’ll find it for you,” Ethan said as he stepped away from the desk. “Give me your authorization.”

  Ethan approached the young man, extending his hand, palm facing upwards. Yet, the young man only looked bewildered, unable to comprehend Ethan's intentions. Ethan couldn't help but frown at the sight.

  “One of your professors sent you here, right?” he said. “Didn’t they give you something?”

  “What?” the young man stammered, taken aback. “No... No, they didn’t. He just said I might find what I seek beyond those doors. He didn’t give me anything...”

  "This isn't your first year at the Academy. Have you never heard of the Inquiry Procedure for the Endless Library?" Ethan said, head slightly down as he massaged his temple. Somehow, this naive young man was starting to give him a headache. "I'm afraid that without proper authorization, there's nothing I can do for you."

  “What! There must be something...”

  "Nope!" Ethan said, cutting the man short and holding his palm in the young man's face. "You do realize this place is restricted, right? Not just anyone is allowed to step foot in here. Just the fact that you passed the threshold of those doors without the proper authorization could land you in jail or worse. I don't know what your professor was thinking about allowing you in here. You must have really pissed him off. How insistent were you?"

  “I... wasn’t... Okay, maybe I was, but can you blame me? I can barely take my classes. How would you feel if you saw your contracted spirit in a constant state of anxiety, its attention always diverted to something else?"

  "I wouldn't know, remember?" Ethan said, pointing at his left ear, devoid of earrings. "Besides, this isn’t my problem. No authorization means your business here is done. You can see yourself out.”

  Ethan turned away, returning to the pile of documents that needed sifting through. He couldn't help but sigh, knowing just how long it would take to organize it all.

  Why can't that woman do anything right? And she has the gall to say I'm useless. I wonder who's truly useless...

  Then, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He frowned, then turned sharply, only to see the same young man still standing behind him.

  “Didn’t I tell you to leave?” Ethan repeated, but this time slightly more curtly. His smile had long faded, replaced by a look of exasperation.

  “C’mon. Just help me here. It’s just one book. Nobody has to know you found it for me.”

  Ethan sighed, turning to face the man.

  “This may be just a book to you, but this is my job, my livelihood. Don’t you realize how many strings had to be pulled for me to end up here? No way am I going to jeopardize all this for you. If you aren’t happy, why don’t you find another sucker to help you? Better yet, find another professor to give you authorization this time. Then, I may be inclined to help you. Though, I doubt it at this point.”

  Hearing Ethan’s sharp and slightly mocking tone, the young man’s expression couldn’t help but darken. Ethan even saw the clump of dirt shift, if ever so slightly, almost as if preparing to strike.

  He wouldn’t dare, right? He couldn’t possibly be that dumb? Didn’t he witness what happened to that bitch?

  Unfortunately, reality would prove that he was indeed that dumb. The young man’s open hand cut through the air, seeking the land on Ethan’s cheek. However, to him, the hand seemed to move as if in slow motion. Avoiding it was merely child’s play. However, Ethan’s attention was focused on the lump of dirt, feeling this was the real threat. Still, he couldn’t act preemptively.

  Not showing that I can now see spirits is starting to be a real pain...

  The young man's palm landed squarely on Ethan's cheek as a loud slapping noise echoed between the endless bookcases. However, there was no smugness on the young man's face at this victory. In fact, he felt stupefied. He couldn't understand how such a loud sound was created. He had barely felt the impact on his palm. If anything, he believed Ethan to have softened the blow by turning his head at the moment of impact.

  He became further convinced when he saw Ethan's head twist back as if a spring, only to reveal that no marks marred the skin of his visage. Ethan merely looked at the young man with a mocking smile before snapping his fingers.

  “Did you think me defenceless since I don’t possess a contracted spirit? You forgot where you stand. These robes aren’t merely for fashion!” Ethan exclaimed, slightly amused.

  The two massive doors slammed open, revealing the world beyond—the exact same scenery revealed when the young man had first entered. Then, a mighty gale began to blow, a storm brewing between endless rows of dusty old books.

  The wind possessed such strength that it picked the young man off his feet, all the while completely avoiding Ethan; he didn’t even feel the hem of his robe even so much as flutter before the young man was shoved backwards between the two opened doors, followed quickly after by his contracted spirit.

  Ethan seemed to have heard a cry, though the wind drowned it out. He could somehow imagine what was said.

  “I’ll remember this, you!” or something along those lines. Still, it didn’t matter at this point.

  When the young man and his pet had finally disappeared beyond the threshold, the two doors slammed back shut, and peace finally returned to the library, except for a green outline swiftly swaying in the breeze, intently observing Ethan.

  Their eyes locked—if only this phenomenon possessed such things. Still, Ethan showed no signs of it, merely looking past. Yet, cold sweat poured down his back from the shock. He tried his best to remain calm, yet internally, he wished to scream. He slowly turned around to return to his work organizing this mess, only to hear what was akin to a child's laughter echo in the breeze before the green outline finally left.

  Damn! That thing almost gave me a heart attack!