The day finally came when my "incomprehensibility meter" officially redlined.
"Please make me your disciple, Lord Albert!"
After school, just as I was stepping out of the Second Library, Luna hit me with that bombshell.
...Disciple!?
How did the conversation even go in that direction?
I’m a villainous noble with relentless, overwhelming power that everyone fears! I’m a bad guy with a jagged heart!
Is she sane? If I were her, I wouldn't come anywhere near me.
Of course, my answer was already decided.
"And what merit is there for me in taking you on as a disciple?"
"M-Merit? Well—"
"You don't have any, do you? It was a rhetorical question. Why would I bother teaching someone who can't prove their worth? Get lost."
With that sharp dismissal, I brushed her off. She was an ally candidate for Hero Leon and a walking death flag, after all. Letting her get close to me was out of the question.
She was probably reading too much into things because I’d saved her from that nasty noble before. I had to give her a proper, final rejection to set her straight.
And so, my "solo time" began.
As usual, I headed to the central library to start scavaging through the stacks.
Between the interruption and Luna’s misunderstanding, my luck today was undoubtedly in the gutter. My Libra fortune for the day had to be a total disaster. I searched through the shelves half-heartedly, convinced I wouldn't find a thing, when—
"...Eh?"
My attention was suddenly snared by a magic book I’d picked up at random.
It was an unremarkable, weathered old tome.
I began flipping through it with a casual "just in case" attitude, but then—
No, wait... is this really a dud?
Ancient Magic was cleverly concealed within unrelated books by its messenger, the "Jester."
I had learned that lesson the hard way with the Imperial Book of Weather Control.
I recalled just how much time and effort I’d poured into deciphering that first one—and I was sensing that exact same aura from this book. I couldn't say for sure what was hidden inside, or even if something was hidden at all, but my subconscious was screaming at me.
My instincts were howling.
—This one is the real deal.
A shiver of excitement ran down my spine.
"Wait, wait, wait... Libra, my luck is actually through the roof...!"
The words escaped my lips before I could stop them.
I was doing my best to keep my cool, but if I hadn't been in a library, I might have shouted for joy. I had actually pulled a "winner" out of this staggering mountain of books.
Of course, there was no guarantee I was right yet.
To find out if it was just wishful thinking, I had no choice but to start deciphering it.
But I was certain. There was no doubt in my mind—this was the real thing.
(A second Ancient Magic tome! I wonder what kind of magic it holds!?)
Fighting to keep a grin from splitting my face, I hurried toward a table.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
After Albert’s cold rejection, Luna wandered through the school grounds with her shoulders slumped.
Her mood was pitch black.
(I have to learn the secrets of Lord Albert’s magic, and yet—)
Her ambitions had stumbled right at the starting line.
Albert’s words had been devoid of kindness, but she knew they were fair.
(He's right. There is no merit in him teaching me anything.)
She was just a commoner, a mere orphan.
She had a bit of magical talent to her name, but compared to a heterochromatic genius like him, it wasn't even worth mentioning.
Luna had nothing.
Furthermore, her connection to Albert was tenuous at best. He had simply happened to save her when she was being harassed by a malicious noble.
For someone like her to ask for his tutelage?
Unless he was a saintly pushover, there was no reason for him to agree.
—This was a route she should have abandoned.
And yet, Luna shook her head.
(I can't give up. There's no way I can give up.)
To Luna, her craving for power was an obsession. Every time she recalled the agony of watching her family slaughtered before her eyes, that desire intensified.
I will exterminate every last magic beast—
A relentless impulse had taken root and grown within her.
But to achieve that ideal, her own meager skills and talent were insufficient.
To the desperate Luna, Albert had provided the perfect answer.
—That man was the definition of power.
(I want that power for myself.)
That desire was the only thing giving her life meaning.
(No matter what it takes, I have to make Lord Albert acknowledge me...)
But how?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck her.
(Ah, I see. Merit—)
Luna had spoken to Albert today at the Second Library.
She had been tailing him ever since classes ended and had followed him all the way to the Second Library, a place she never normally visited.
There, she had overheard Albert speaking with a librarian.
"...I am terribly sorry, but students are still prohibited from browsing the Second Library."
"I see. Does that apply even to the eldest son of a ducal house and the top of the class?"
"Y-Yes... we have strict orders from Professor Merlin..."
That was the first Luna had heard of the library being off-limits.
She had backed away to hide her presence as Albert turned to leave, but—
"Hey."
Albert had stopped in his tracks, pinning her with a sharp gaze.
"You've been following me for a while. Do you want something?"
"—!"
It had been her golden opportunity. She had been hovering nearby, waiting for a chance to speak to him.
But the words hadn't come easily. If she were the type of person who could speak up readily, she wouldn't have been hesitating in the first place. After all, she was a commoner, and he was the heir to a great ducal house.
"U-Um... I was just curious where you were going, Lord Albert..."
"Hmph. If you're going to lie, at least try to be convincing."
After his blunt retort, Albert had added:
"I was hoping the ban on this library had been lifted, but it seems it's still in effect."
"A ban on browsing...? Why?"
"He likely wants to keep me away from it."
"But why would he do that...?"
"Who knows. Apparently, Professor Merlin is behind it. He’s a real nuisance. I wish he’d just disappear."
With a dark chuckle, Albert had turned his back on her.
"Stop following me. Keep it up, and you'll regret it."
As the strongest man she knew walked away, Luna felt herself finally resolving to cross the line.
"U-Um! Please make me your disciple, Lord Albert!"
"And what merit is there for me in taking you on as a disciple?"
At the time, she had been too panicked to come up with an answer.
—But yes, merit.
Albert had told her to show him her worth.
(If I can be useful to him...)
Then he might accept her.
He might even share that forbidden power with her—
"He said Professor Merlin was an obstacle."
Those words latched onto Luna’s heart and refused to let go.