The library featured towering stone pillars and graceful arches that supported the high, vaulted ceiling made of wooden beams. There were enormous bookshelves lining each wall, stretching from the stone floor all the way up to the arches.

They were packed tightly with countless books of all sizes. Halo was seated behind one of the three sturdy wooden tables in the library. He had a massive book before him, scrolls, and a snack on the house. Adjacent to his table was the librarian.

She had medium-length, wavy brown hair tied loosely at the back. Her style enhanced her studious yet lively charm. She wore round glasses that gave her an academic, bookish look. And wore a navy-blue coat with a fitted waist.

Halo couldn't tell if this was the 'witch' he'd heard people mention the previous day. He'd been told no one entered the library due to the rumors, but having seen the girl in person, he couldn't tell if it was all a joke.

She looked human for someone born in this world, and though she did nothing but lose herself in a book, everything about her seemed entirely human.

Halo hurried there first thing in the morning, yet there wasn't the slightest hint of abnormality in her mannerisms.

He'd paid attention to her breath and even sought her help, touching her hand in the process to try to read her heartbeat. Yet everything seemed normal.

He had no intention of speaking to her about anything beyond books today. When she approached him upon his arrival, cheerful and flattered to have someone visit the library, he met her with his usual cold demeanor. The girl couldn't even introduce herself after that.

This was the prime suspect for creating the Chaos Eaters that roamed the streets at night, and this was only his third day here. Approaching her with questions would expose him and might even push the truth further from his reach.

He intended to stick around for a while.

If she was indeed born in this world and was a Sinner, it was only natural that she could mimic human nature since humans gave birth to her after all.

But he still couldn't rule out the possibility that the people were just paranoid and blamed her for no reason. Perhaps something about her Purpose in the library or her lifestyle struck them as odd.

Tempus est dominus. Time is the master.

He needed to observe in the meantime. It was possible the girl was already onto him and acting normal for now. Still, a monster was a monster. Something would eventually slip through.

But beneath the mysteries and the truth, she seemed nothing but a decent girl who preferred to lose herself in books.

Before it could turn to evening, Halo left the library without even a goodbye to the librarian.

When he entered the inn, Silas grabbed his attention with a few words.

"You must be loving this land…"

He stared directly into Halo's eyes as though he was trying to read his mind.

Halo maintained an unreadable expression.

"Yes… I went to the library to clear my mind of a few things."

Silas raised an eyebrow.

"The library, huh?"

Halo squinted.

He could tell Silas wanted to say something, but wasn't sure if it was about the library or something else. He decided to drag it out of him anyway.

"Is there something wrong?"

A soft smile played on Silas's lips.

"The girl isn't human, so be careful."

Halo approached the counter. He couldn't shake the feeling that Silas was already onto him, so he had no intention of dragging this out any longer. But he could play along for a bit.

"I knew that before entering, but nothing separates him from his books. As for me… they're my escape from this damned world."

"But the books there hold nothing but legends?"

Halo nodded. He didn't know, since he barely read the book anyway.

"To me, those stories are nothing more than fairy tales. Where I come from, they were told to motivate us… to make us believe we could someday shine brighter than the stars, even if it was never true."

Silas nodded in understanding.

"I get it… all I knew in mine was food."

His expression darkened.

"I've been watching you eat, closely. And from what I've seen, you don't seem to like any of my meals. Why is that?"

Ever since Halo had seen Silas attack someone who disrespected his meals, he'd forced himself to eat everything despite tasting nothing. Unfortunately, that didn't go well.

"You think so?"

Silas said nothing. He only stared.

"Your meals are excellent. They're actually one of the reasons I chose this inn. Rest assured, I hold nothing against your cooking."

As soon as he spoke, he began to leave, but Silas continued to stare.

The moment Halo returned to his room, he took a deep breath and rested on his bed.

He didn't know whether eating Seraphim's meal was a blessing or a curse, because now, unless she prepared it, everything tasted terrible. Silas would most likely kill him if his Only Sin, Death, didn't.

After resting for a moment, he stood and summoned Light and Tough. Tough dropped to one knee, its reddish daggers clicking against the ground, the crown-like arch pointing directly at Halo.

Light, however, took its seat on the bed alongside Halo.

He glanced at Light, confused, but shrugged it off without much thought. The streets were already quiet, and he intended to send his clones out to survey them.

The Chaos Eaters were said to attack minds. Since both Light and Tough were made of nothing but darkness, there would be nothing for them to feed on.

But since Silas was always behind the counter, they couldn't leave without him noticing them. Those eyes of his… Halo couldn't shake the feeling that they could see everything.

He planned to tell the clones everything and ask how they thought they could escape.

The moment Halo spoke, Light gestured toward Halo's narrow window. The space was small, only Tough's hand could fit through, not even its arch. He was confused for a moment, until Light turned into a shadowy sphere on the floor and slipped through the window effortlessly.

"Really…"

Halo had seen them turn into dark spheres. That's how they always reattached themselves to him as shadows. But he'd never thought much about it, even though he'd seen them move short distances in that state.

He quickly gestured for Tough to leave as well.

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