Free Web NovelChapter 5: You Have To Work Together
"Huh?"
But Viva and Percy looked at the headmaster like he had gone mad, and they glanced at each other with frowns before looking back at the headmaster and demanding an explanation!
"I can’t work with this man, headmaster. He’s not even a high-ranking mage! He’s a librarian! What exactly is he going to do in this case?"
Viva said this angrily, and even though Percy didn’t bother reacting, there was an aura of danger that suddenly flowed from Rita’s body as she glared at Viva! Viva looked at Rita in slight fear, and she took a step away from the vampire woman.
The headmaster spoke while leaning on his cane.
"There’s no need ot judge Percival so harshly, Officer Viva. He might be a librarian, but he is very capable. Of course, Percival does not need to be involved with every step of the case, but I believe he will be an invaluable asset in discovering the truth behind this situation. After all, he was the one who pointed out the anomaly of the case."
"I don’t think I need to be involved at all. I’m sure the great Aquinas City Guard can figure it out all on their own."
Viva narrowed her eyes at Percy when she heard the tone of voice he used, but the headmaster suddenly sighed and spoke in a sad voice.
"It’s quite unfortunate that you would say that, Percy. Because if the city guards were to handle this alone, then it would be necessary for them to close down the investigation site until they are done with their findings, and that means that the library would have to remain closed for who knows how long. It’s quite tragic.
"Of course, if the librarian himself were also involved in the case, then there would be no need for any closures. But surely he wouldn’t be interested in such a thing. Surely..."
The look on Percy’s face was one of absolute disbelief! This old bastard was actually trying to use the library to blackmail him into getting involved in this case!?
"I’m going to use that cane to choke you out one of these days, Leonart."
The headmaster laughed.
"I’ll look forward to it, Percival! Now, what do you say, will you help the dedicated men and women of our city guard find the truth in this murder?"
Percy clicked his tongue in annoyance, and he turned to leave the crime scene.
....
[One Day Later]
Over the past day, the news of the murdered student had spread across the entire academy like wildfire, and there wasn’t a student who didn’t know what had happened in their library. Every student who came into the library today had been whispering while staring at the spot where the girl had died. It felt like the library had become some sort of haunted house, and despite Percy’s best efforts, it was impossible to make the students feel completely comfortable while they were in here!
"H-Hello, Mr. Percy."
A young boy who looked to be around fourteen years walked up to the librarian’s desk and spoke to Percy slowly, and Percy smiled at him.
"James, it’s nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"
James was one of the regulars who came to the library almost every other day, and Percy enjoyed talking to James since James would always ask Percy to help explain complicated spells or algorithms from his school books. But today, rather than the excited enthusiasm that Percy would normally see on James’ face, there was a cautious hesitation surrounding James, almost like James was terrified that something would jump out from behind the shelves and attack him.
Percy let out a small sigh when he saw that James wasn’t even paying attention to him anymore, and he called out.
"James."
"!" frёeωebɳovel.com
The little boy jumped slightly, and he blushed in embarrassment when he saw the curious look on Percy’s face.
"S-Sorry, Mr. Percy. What did you say?"
"I asked what you needed help with."
"Ah, yes."
James reached into his bag and brought out a large book on potions that he had been reading. The title was [Medical Potions and Remedies [Volume 1]], and there was a bookmark in one of the pages that James opened and showed to Percy. Even though Percy was just a librarian, James hadn’t encountered any magic problem in this world that Percy wasn’t able to help him with, so rather than going to his teacher, James always came to the library to talk to Percy about academic issues!
"I was reading this textbook, and I saw a term they didn’t explain properly. I was wondering if you could help me with it."
Percy looked down at it with a small hum, and he smiled as he told James that this term was meant to explain the decay of potion ingredients over time. James’ eyes lit up when he heard that, and he seemed to immediately understand what he had been reading!
"Thank you so much, Mr. Percy!"
James smiled, but Percy easily noticed that James was still looking around now and then. Percy understood why James was so cautious, but Percy just couldn’t get used to the people in his library acting like this.
"Calm down, James. There isn’t any ghost here."
James blushed when he heard this, and he felt slightly embarrassed as he said:
"Some of the seniors said that the spirits of the dead usually hang around whenever someone is murdered. Is that true?"
Yes, it is.
Percy knew that the seniors were correct, and there were many spirits around the library, but Percy couldn’t go around scaring the poor boy, so he shook his head. freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
"No, it’s not. Those seniors are just trying to scare you."
James hesitated for a moment before nodding to Percy’s words, and Percy smiled.
"Hello, little one~"
"AH!"
James jumped in fear as a voice came from behind him, and he turned with a terrified expression to come face to face with the extraordinarily beautiful face of Rita! Rita was still dressed in her long black gown, and her flawless white hair fell past her shoulders and clashed perfectly with her pale white skin. She was leaning down slightly with her hands on her knees so she was on the same level as James, and she smiled as James’ face suddenly lit up in an intense blush!
"M-Madam Rita! N-Nice to meet you!"
James ducked his head shyly, and it looked like he was a moment away from bolting out of there from how much he was shuffling his feet! Rita reached out and pat the boy on the head a few times, and James’ face only grew redder! It was already very difficult for most men to resist Rita’s unbelievable beauty, so for a young boy like James who was at the height of puberty, looking at Rita was like looking at the most desirable creature in the entire world! James had the largest crush on Rita, and he couldn’t even look her in the eye for more than two seconds without falling over himself!
Percy smiled when he saw James’ reaction, and he spoke up while walking out from behind the librarian’s desk.
"Rita, could you help me look after things for a moment. I want to grab a book for James."
Rita smiled professionally.
"Anything for you, Mr. Percy."
Percy huffed in amusement, and he didn’t resist as Rita leaned over and put a soft kiss on his cheek as he walked past. Percy smiled and ruffled James’ hair before he moved towards the shelves to look for a book.
"Why don’t you go take a seat there, little one. Percy won’t take long at all."
Rita spoke up while gliding towards the reception desk, and James nodded as he ran away quickly to go and sit in the waiting area!
