On their way to the library, they passed by the first library… There had always been two of them and this one was more popular than the second.

Azel slowed his steps and his gaze drifted to the large, gloomy building surrounded by scaffolding and yellow warning ribbons.

The once-grand entrance was covered in dust, and a massive sign hung crookedly across the gate.

[UNDER MAINTENANCE]

It still hadn't been fixed after the Clone wars although he could no longer see the books through the windows… there were just empty shelves.

'It's shut down…' he thought with a sigh of relief.

Though he had to wonder, did the Academy discover the professor's laboratory under?

He hadn't exactly kept it hidden but it was the only logical reason as to why the building hadn't been fixed up yet.

He turned to Esme, who was walking beside him.

"Do you know what happened to it?"

Esme's pace slowed down.

She walked awkwardly for a few seconds before glancing at the building.

"You don't know?" she asked, then smacked her forehead. "Right. You weren't in the Academy when it happened."

Azel raised a brow. "When what happened?"

"Well…" She lowered her voice. "That place was actually the Professor's hideout. They found an underground base beneath it… some kind of secret lab where he held experiments. A student was the one who discovered it."

He blinked. "A lab?"

"Yeah." She sighed. "They discovered things that were… really bad. The details are still classified, but everyone's talking about it. They say the professor was doing human experiments."

Azel's expression darkened a bit. "I see…"

He didn't need her to explain further.

He'd seen what was under there. The less he thought about it, the better it would be for his mental health.

Esme tilted her head. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he said quietly. "Just thinking."

They continued walking and a few minutes later, Esme pointed ahead.

"For now, the other library is open."

Azel followed her gesture.

The second library was much larger… a beautiful, silver-white structure with glowing designs tracing its walls.

Tall windows reflected the morning light, and small motes of magic floated around the entrance.

"You can come here to read and borrow books too," Esme explained. "But unlike the first one, this library's watcher is a Sound Mage. She doesn't like noise. At all."

"Sound Mage?" Azel muttered. "That explains the silence."

As they approached the front door, a maid in uniform stepped out, bowing slightly.

"Identification?" she whispered.

Azel and Esme both presented their student IDs.

The maid inspected them, nodded, and stepped aside.

"Welcome to the Resonant Library," she said softly.

The moment they entered, the world turned still.

Azel blinked.

The library was huge… it had rows upon rows of shelves that stretched endlessly, filled with books.

High above, the ceiling was like glass, letting sunlight stream through in pale gold rays.

A few students sat at tables, reading quietly.

The only sounds were the soft flipping of pages.

'It's big,' he thought, impressed.

Azel barely had time to admire the place before the maid leaned close to whisper again.

"Please refrain from making loud noises here. You may whisper like this, but anything louder will… upset our Supervisor."

Her eyes shifted briefly toward the counter.

Azel followed her gaze and saw a tall woman standing behind the desk… She was elegant and had sharp eyes.

She wore the same maid uniform, but her posture was that of a commander.

Even without speaking, she radiated authority.

'She's the Supervisor?' Azel thought.

One glance from her could probably silence an army.

"Understood," he whispered.

The maid nodded approvingly and drifted away.

Esme tugged lightly on his sleeve, whispering, "Come on, let's sit before she notices us standing around."

They walked toward an empty table near the window.

But just as Esme was about to pull out a chair, Azel sat down first.

Her eyes narrowed.

"Why are you sitting where I was going to sit?" she hissed though even her whisper sounded restrained.

"I wanted this spot," he whispered back calmly, pointing at the patch of sunlight streaming through the window. "It's got perfect lighting for reading."

She stared at him for a long second, then let out the quietest harrumph imaginable and slipped into the chair opposite him.

'Childish,' Azel thought, hiding a smirk.

They both unpacked their things… she, her thick research book; he, the document Charlotte had compiled about Xebli Abron.

He took a slow breath, feeling the fresh breeze coming through the open window.

Then, in a whisper so low it barely reached her, Azel spoke. "So… how did your report go?"

Esme raised an eyebrow. "My report?"

"The one to get me out of the position of Class Rep," he said casually.

Her entire face went red.

She sat up straight, clutching her pen too tightly.

'I can't tell him that Miss Brown shot the report down and rejected it,' she thought furiously.

She forced herself to look composed and met his gaze.

"It's been submitted," she whispered with mock confidence. "You'll lose your position soon."

Azel smiled. "Very well."

He opened his document and focused on the pages.

Charlotte really went all out. He didn't really give a fuck about this guy, but he was trying to use this to test her Information gathering.

It really was on par with game Charlotte.

The report was detailed beyond reason… every movement, every rumor, and every business Xebli Abron was involved in.

From his awakening all the way to his admission into the Academy, complete with the list of nobles he'd befriended.

'Where the hell does she get this information?' he thought, flipping through. 'This is top-tier intelligence.'

He closed the file, satisfied.

'Perfect. She passed the test.'

He looked up and noticed Esme pushing her book toward him.

He blinked. "What?"

Her face was pink, and her fingers twisted a strand of hair. "Hey… dummy."

Azel frowned. "Dummy?"

"Yes, you're a dummy," she whispered back, glaring lightly. "You passed the Academy exams, right? Then help me."

He looked at her suspiciously. "With what?"

"Alchemy."

"I don't do alchemy."

"Just check it," she insisted, nudging the open page toward him. "I'm confused about this formula."

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