Chapter 5

Chapter 5: A Chance Encounter in the Library

Although Theresia was both skilled at and delighted by skipping classes for all sorts of reasons, then freely sitting in the library for an entire day, there were some classes she could not avoid after all.

For example, the accursed thing known as exams inspired fear no matter where one went, and the exam-point lectures derived from them were even more headache-inducing.

There were countless paths for mages to walk, and no one dared claim that their own research direction could reach the end of magic. Therefore, the courses taught by the academy’s professors were almost completely different from one another. Yet although the lecturers used different methods to explain their explorations along the path of magic, the school’s internal exams were unified and consistent.

Thus, in order to prevent the teachers from letting the reins run too loose in their lectures and causing apprentices to learn nothing that would appear on the test paper, exam-point explanation became an especially important subject. After taking this class, apprentices whose lecturers’ lessons overlapped with the exam points would breathe a sigh of relief. But when they encountered lecturers with rather unique personalities, their apprentices’ expressions would not look so good.

Margaret was sitting in a study room in the library, frowning anxiously at the reference books beside her that were nearly as tall as she was.

Theresia sat across from her, holding a few thin notebooks and copying notes with a light, brisk air.

“It must be nice, Theresia. You know everything.” Margaret finally could not help complaining. “Things on our side are an absolute mess.”

Theresia could understand Margaret’s worries. “After all, the School of Theology has a lot of internal disagreements too.”

“Yes. Although everyone believes that the Holy Father created this world in six days, there are enormous disputes over the interpretation of the historical scriptures of creation...” Margaret slumped somewhat dejectedly onto the table and pushed aside those disorderly “papers interpreting the historical scriptures.” “The Holy Father and the Holy Son have both done so many things. Can’t everyone just peacefully believe in the Holy Father’s whole family?”

Theresia’s history class had covered this point before: after the Cross faith entered the modern era, with the development of their light-attribute magic, the Church had gradually mastered a method for interpreting holy relics. Through centuries of effort by the Cross faith, they had already interpreted more than half of the first volume of their holy relic, the “God-Given Heavenly Scripture.” But immediately afterward, the Cross faith split into two major sects over the interpretation of the historical scriptures: the “Holy Father Sect” and the “Holy Son Sect.”

In essence, both sects believed that the almighty Holy Father created heaven and earth, gave birth to all things in the world, and bestowed aether upon the world. However, the two sects differed over whether the Holy Father or the Holy Son had done more to help humanity, and in the end, they split into two major sects.

After figuring out the key point, Theresia asked, “Then for your School of Theology’s exam, which sect is writing the paper?”

“My lecturer this semester is from the Holy Father Sect, but the teachers in the Examination Office are from the Holy Son Sect.” Margaret sighed and pulled the reference books she had just pushed away back in front of her. “So there are quite a few points I need to cram for at the last minute.”

“Poor thing. But it’s all right. I’ll stay with you until the last day of exams.” Theresia clenched her fist and waved it a few times. “Just ask me if there’s anything you don’t understand!”

“Mm. You might actually be able to help me with the part on the Book of Creation.” Margaret lowered her head and reopened the reference books recorded in her notes. “After all, your School of History seems to require you to learn a little magic from every department.”

Just as the two ended their brief conversation and began studying again, the chair beside Theresia was suddenly pulled out. Immediately afterward, Pulcheria sat down there.

“Good afternoon.” She greeted them. “There aren’t any empty seats nearby. May I sit here?”

Theresia nodded. “Mm... The library’s seats can be used freely, of course...”

After Pulcheria sat down, Margaret, who was across from her, also raised her head and greeted her. “Hello, Senior Palaiologos.”

“Huh? You two know each other?” Theresia was startled.

Margaret explained, “The constant-temperature spell in our kitchen was set up by this senior.”

“So it was you.” Theresia came to a sudden realization. “And your surname, it’s Palaiologos? Then your name is Pulcheria Palaiologos?”

Pulcheria looked at Margaret with a somewhat complicated expression. “To be honest, I’d forgotten about installing that constant-temperature magic array for you before. If I had remembered, I don’t think I would have sat here.”

Margaret looked suspiciously between the two of them. “Senior, did something happen between you and Yaya?”

“Hey, didn’t we agree you weren’t allowed to call me that anymore?” Theresia immediately became unhappy.

“Between us... there was a bit of a misunderstanding.” Pulcheria blinked, trying to gloss over the topic. “Why do you call her Yaya?”

Theresia emphasized indignantly, “You’re not allowed to call me that.”

Margaret ignored Theresia. “Because Theresia’s name is Maria Theresia, so...”

“So, the two ‘ya’ endings... I see.” Pulcheria stared at Margaret with a smile that was not quite a smile. “So the meaning behind using that sort of nickname right away is...”

Margaret also laughed softly. “Theresia and I are very good friends.”

“I can see that.” Pulcheria nodded, then looked at Theresia, who was a little unhappy because Margaret had said her nickname. “But I only came here to review, that is all. As you know, there aren’t many places in the library where one can study during the day.”

“Of course there’s no problem. This is a public facility to begin with.”

“Although I don’t really understand... Do the two of you have some sort of conflict?” Theresia finally realized that there seemed to be a faint, point-against-point edge in their tones. “You can’t make loud noises in the library, all right?”

Margaret hurriedly waved her hand. “We’ve only met twice up until now. How could there possibly be any conflict, right, Senior Palaiologos?”

Pulcheria also nodded at once. “Exactly, Junior Margaret.”

Theresia scratched her hair. Looking at the smiles on both their faces, smiles that held not the slightest trace of warmth, she ultimately did not dare ask a second time.

The three of them studied in silence for a while. The part Theresia had been looking forward to, where Margaret would ask her questions, showed no sign of appearing at all. Although Margaret had nearly turned her own eyes into mosquito coils from flipping through those thick tomes, for some reason, Margaret stubbornly refused to ask Theresia, the librarian, which book she ought to look for.

It made Theresia feel as if her strong point had been ignored.

Just as Theresia was hesitating over whether she should open her mouth and ask, Pulcheria suddenly let out a long yawn, then stood up.

“Yaya.” As Pulcheria spoke, she took a key out of her pocket. “Is your resting room empty right now? May I go in and lie down for a while?”

“No problem.”

Margaret’s eyes instantly widened. She stared in astonishment at the key in Pulcheria’s hand. “The key to Theresia’s resting room?”