Chapter 39
Early in the morning, I packed a simple lunch and left the Helderios mansion. I was heading to the library, about fifteen minutes away.
Woof! Woof!
Along with the light patter of footsteps, Rova’s voice reached me.
I turned around and saw him running toward me from the mansion.
“Rova!”
Pant, pant, woof!
Rova had grown to the size of a large dog. Running like a wolf, he leapt into my arms, barking excitedly.
“Hahaha, ticklish, Rova.”
A faint smell of sulfur came from him, but I ignored it and hugged Rova tightly.
“Did you want to come with me?”
Woof!
He wagged his tail happily, as if he understood.
Rova was supposed to be a Hell Hound monster, brought by Davien, but at first glance, he looked just like any other puppy. The only difference was how quickly he grew and that he occasionally breathed fire when happy.
The problem was, now that everyone knew Rova was a Hell Hound, all the Helderios servants and knights avoided him in fear. That left me as the only one who could handle him as he ran happily toward me.
Lloyd and Davien? Davien always hugged Rova excessively, and Lloyd hated the very idea of the name, so they were out of the question.
After a while of walking, we reached the library. It was enormous, the size you’d expect in a major city, and it was the Helderios family’s private library.
“Let’s be quiet inside the library,” I said.
Woof! Woof!
Rova wagged his tail as if he understood, and I set him down. He stayed close, circling around me as we entered.
“Hey!”
A sharp voice called me from the entrance.
“Me?”
“You’re the only one here.”
The librarian, frowning at the panting Rova, snapped at me.
“What department are you from? Don’t you know animals aren’t allowed in the library?”
Of course, it was common sense not to bring animals here. The library was staffed by actual librarians, and having a puppy that occasionally breathed fire among all these papers was definitely unsafe.
I was about to apologize when a familiar voice spoke:
“I’ll allow it.”
A hand rested on my shoulder.
“Lloyd?”
He was standing next to me, wearing just a shirt. His sharp nose and long lashes made my heart skip a beat. He was incredibly handsome, and it seemed even the librarian next to us blushed.
“If Lord Lloyd permits… then go ahead,” the librarian stammered, bowing and opening the door.
Awkwardly, I thanked them and picked up the trembling Rova.
“Lloyd, I thought you’ve been busy with paperwork. What brings you here?” I asked.
I knew he was preparing to inherit the Helderios title, so he was always buried in his office, swamped with documents.
“I heard you were coming to study at the library,” he said, showing me the stack of papers in his hands.
“I came here because sometimes I want to organize papers somewhere other than my office… and thought I could… come with you.”
His face turned slightly red as he fumbled over the words.
“Come… with me?”
“Yes… with me…”
“Let’s play together, everyone!”
Suddenly, Davien appeared, throwing an arm around both mine and Lloyd’s shoulders, shouting loudly.
“Ah! Davien, you scared me!”
“Don’t leave me out. Let me join too.”
She grinned mischievously. Lloyd scowled and snapped at her.
“Quiet, Davien. It’s common sense to be silent in a library.”
“You do realize your voice is louder than mine, right?”
Their chatter filled the library with noise, yet no one dared stop them. Seeing the librarians nervously watching made me sigh.
I needed to calm these two down quickly if I wanted to start studying. The exam was coming soon!
I shook my head as I watched the twins bicker.
Originally, my plan was to return to Zeronia and live quietly, just enjoying my life with friends. But everyone I trusted—the family-like people—disappeared, and even the small apartment I had saved for was gone. I couldn’t face being alone there.
The cold face of Zad, who had tried to kill me, still appeared in my dreams. Now, even Zeronia, once a safe home, scared me.
The only people I knew in this world were the Helderios twins. The capital, once a place I never wanted to go, was now my only refuge.
I wanted to help the twins who saved me, not be a burden.
With my entire fortune gone, I had to work. The only thing I was good at was healing magic, so I had no choice but to become a healer again. To work in the capital, I had to pass the Advanced Healer exam.
Lloyd and Davien offered a tempting deal: I could work as a healer for the Helderios family without taking the exam. But I didn’t want to join the advanced healers’ team as a middle-level healer and hear people call me a parachute hire.
I wanted at least the Advanced Healer certification for my peace of mind. Reluctantly, they agreed.
The Advanced Healer exam was in a month, at the imperial palace itself! The emperor would personally award the certificate. The prize for first place made my heart race.
After finding my study materials, I quietly said to the still-bickering twins:
“Let’s focus quietly now.”
Peace settled over the library.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
The quiet was broken only by pens moving across paper.
At a large central table, I was studying while Davien buried herself in a pile of papers.
After struggling with the paperwork for a while, Davien’s temper flared. She slammed her pen onto the desk and shouted:
“Damn it, Lloyd! You dumped this stack of papers on me and ran away!”
Just thirty minutes ago, Lloyd had been sorting the papers. Sitting across, Davien had her feet on the desk, relaxing. But when most of the papers were sorted, Lloyd received a telegram from the imperial palace. He sighed and asked Davien to finish the remaining papers.
Davien, thinking this was fine, didn’t know that Lloyd had pulled a huge pile from the pocket dimension.
Seeing the giant stack, Davien froze, and Lloyd smiled thinly, saying, “Take care,” before leaving.
From that moment, Davien started angrily sorting the papers. Not even an hour later, she exploded again, pushing the pile away as if it were dirty. Then she looked at my book.
“You don’t need to study for this exam, right?” she asked.
“Still, I have to do my best.”
I had to win the first-place prize!
Davien’s frown turned into a grin. She suddenly had an idea.
“Wouldn’t it be better to be a mage than a healer who earns peanuts?”
A mage…
In this world, the best-paying job was a mage. With magical skill, you could get sponsorships and live comfortably.
In the past, I was too afraid of the twins and the mage tower master to aim for that path, choosing the quiet life of a healer.
But now… maybe I could take the easier path.
Noticing me hesitating, Davien grinned and encouraged me:
“I’ll teach you magic! Do you know how expensive it is to learn magic? If you learn from me, it’s free! I’ll make you a Grand Mage.”
Grand Mage. But I didn’t want to abandon the healing magic I had learned. After all, it would be ridiculous for a former villain to learn magic from the heroine.
Reading my hesitation, Davien continued casually:
“If it’s too much, you can start with some simple attack spells first.”
