Kasturi accepted Seraphine’s decision, though disagreement still lingered in his eyes. However, his killing intent had completely vanished, which brought Lucian immense relief. The man had been truly terrifying in that state.

  As Lucian finally released a quiet breath, Kasturi’s gaze returned to him, instantly making Lucian stiffen again.

  “I will allow you to join the Black Index,” Kasturi said evenly. “I will even permit you to form the contract. However…”

  He paused, deliberately, causing Lucian’s breath to hitch.

  “You must prove yourself through a simple test.”

  ‘A Simple test? Mr. Tigerman, I sincerely hope your definition of ‘simple’ accounts for weaklings like us.’

  Lucian pretended to ponder deeply before nodding in agreement.

  After all, what choice did he have? He could either accept whatever madness this man had planned, or refuse and become prey for every Librarian outside. If what Seraphine had said earlier was true, and judging from Lucian’s own observations, she didn’t seem to be lying, then refusal wasn’t an option.

  All Lucian could do now was hope that this so-called test wouldn’t result in his death.

  “Very well,” Kasturi said. “The test will begin tomorrow.”

  Click.

  Lucian heard the metallic sound once again. When he looked back to where the sloppy man named Cassian had been standing, he was gone, vanished as though he had never existed in that position before.

  ‘What kind of ability is that?’ Lucian wondered.

  “But before that…”

  While Lucian was still distracted by Cassian’s mysterious disappearance, Kasturi continued speaking.

  “Show me your Codex.”

  He fell silent, waiting.

  Lucian, though his thoughts had drifted for a brief moment, had never lowered his guard. To him, these people were just as dangerous as Mr. Snake.

  ‘My Codex…’

  At that moment, he remembered something his sister Aris had once told him about the common sense of Librarians.

  Although it was forbidden in their clan for anyone under sixteen to learn about the mysteries of the world, his sister had always been… an odd one.

  She had told him that a Librarian’s Codex revealed more about them than their body or face ever could. That was why most hid it using some kind of techniques.

  Understanding his hesitation Seraphine finally spoke,

  “You don’t have to show it if you don’t want to. It’s merely a procedure for accepting new Librarians into the guild.”

  “In normal circumstances,” Kasturi added the moment she finished, his tone precise and careful as if to not to interrupt her while she spoke.

  ‘Is she his superior?’ Lucian wondered.

  Lucian hesitated for a long second before speaking.

  “I’ll agree. However, in return, I want you to provide me with information and tools for the test.”

  Kasturi smiled, clearly pleased by the response.

  “Deal,” he said.

  Lucian nodded in return.

  Taking a long breath, Lucian raised his left palm near his chest and stared at it, as though waiting for something to appear.

  Kasturi glanced at Seraphine. She shook her head.

  After a moment, a far too long moment for such a basic Librarian task, Lucian’s disobedient Codex finally manifested, appearing slowly, as if being forcibly awakened from a deep slumber.

  Lucian frowned. If this damn book were human, he would have cursed at it, but unfortunately, it was merely a magical phenomenon. Or at least, that was all he knew.

  The Codex fully emerged, its black leather cover filled with symbols faced Lucian in silence, a dark crimson aura leaking from it solemnly.

  Seraphine and Kasturi stared at it like scholars examining an ancient tome. Lucian, however, felt as though they were merely pretending to understand the faintly glowing, incomprehensible symbols engraved within the cover.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Open it,” Kasturi finally said, his tone suggesting his impatience.

  ‘But how?’

  Lucian remembered the last time he had tried. The thing had flown straight into his forehead, and all his effort and time had been wasted as it was quite useless.

  ‘…Sigh. Let’s hope it’s different this time.’

  He forced his will against the Codex, applying pressure as if it were a physical object.

  After another failed attempt, he looked at Seraphine pleadingly.

  She coughed lightly. “Try imagining the pages turning on their own.”

  Lucian nodded and did as instructed.

  Like a miracle, or perhaps simply general knowledge, the Codex opened by itself defying all common sense.

  Pale, parchment-like pages flipped rapidly, as if caught in a violent storm. Unlike Seraphine’s Codex, which was filled with mysterious writings and symbols, his was completely empty.

  However, there was one thing he noticed, something Seraphine’s Codex simply lacked.

  No matter how many pages turned, the Codex still appeared to contain just as many pages as it had at the beginning.

  At first, Lucian assumed this was normal for a magical book. But the reactions of the two experienced Librarians quickly proved him wrong.

  As the endless pages continued to flip, their expressions stiffened more and more.

  Kasturi coughed, signaling Lucian to stop.

  Lucian ceased imagining the pages turning, and slowly, the Codex settled.

  With an innocent expression, Lucian asked, “What happened?”

  He made a conscious effort not to look directly at Kasturi’s now-pale face or at Seraphine, who looked dangerously close to bursting into laughter.

  Regaining control of his expression, Kasturi said gravely,

  “Without a doubt… this is a Grimoire Eternum.”

  *****

  Seraphine arranged a deluxe room for him at an inn in Sapphire Town. The moment Lucian laid eyes on the soft, inviting bed, he forgot about his empty stomach, which hadn’t been properly filled for nearly two days, and chased the sleep he hadn’t known for weeks… or perhaps years.

  He woke late, close to ten in the morning, his stomach growling violently.

  Granting his poor toothbrush one more day of mercy, he rushed straight toward the inn’s dining hall.

  Breakfast consisted of brown bread, butter, a floppy omelet, and of course the southern specialty, a full cup of hot tea. Rejecting the idea of restraint entirely, Lucian ate four servings before leaving, drawing whispers from nearby customers.

  Naturally, all expenses were handled by Seraphine.

  He left the inn without any luggage. The only bag he had owned was lost somewhere during the fight with the Librarians. Not that he regretted it, so long as his life was spared, material things meant little.

  After all, there were many lives he still needed to take.

  He arrived at the location Kasturi had instructed him to wait at, the town plaza. At its center stood a massive fountain, water spraying rhythmically into the air. Elderly folk occupied most of the benches, with a few children and their parents feeding pigeons nearby as the noon approached.

  Lucian sat on one of the many stone seats built around an iron pillar. Cement benches encircled it, and above hung a clock mounted to the pillar, paired with a wide umbrella that offered generous shade. The sun was beginning to bite, and the cool cover was perfect.

  ‘Grimoire Eternum.’

  The words surfaced in his mind unbidden.

  He didn’t know what they meant. Neither Kasturi nor Seraphine had explained them.

  Whatever it was, Lucian found himself strangely fond of this world. It possessed a peculiar charm in ways he couldn’t yet define.

  His stomach growled again, dragging him out of his thoughts.

  He placed a hand over it, feeling its fullness from breakfast. Then, without warning, he burped.

  “Eh~”

  Had he done that three years ago, his elder sister Noelle would have scolded him mercilessly, calling it disgusting.

  ‘If you were still here, I wouldn’t mind doing every disgusting thing in this world. Even though none of you are here with me, I will carry your memories always. From this day onward, your stories belong to me.’

  A melancholic sensation washed over him as a single tear slid down his cheek.

  Lucian remained seated, the sounds of children playing, people chatting, and the faint hum of metal gears beneath the clock blending together. The steady ticking marked each passing second. Despite having just woken up, exhaustion claimed him once more.

  After a long moment he stirred when he felt something brush against him.

  Opening his eyes, he found a pamphlet resting on his lap. Nearby, a boy carrying a bag full of similar papers moved from person to person, handing them out while chanting,

  “The tree is about to awake.”

  ‘What a strange thing to spread through pamphlets.’

  Lucian unfolded it. A shadowy tree was printed on the page. Beneath it, written in red ink, were the words:

  “The Tree of Shadow and Light waits at the twilight.”

  He didn’t throw it away. Instead, he folded it neatly and slipped it into his trouser pocket.

  At that moment, Kasturi arrived.

  He carried a cylindrical object nearly as long as his leg, emitting faint wisps of cerulean smoke.

  “Nether coal cylinder,” Lucian muttered.

  “Come on,” Kasturi said briskly. “We’re late.”

  Lucian followed him toward a parking lot at the end of the street.

  Although the area was filled with horse-drawn carriages, one vehicle stood out immediately.

  A blue car, smaller than the ones Lucian remembered from his father’s collection, yet unmistakably superior to any carriage.

  ‘Still better than a carriage, at least.’

  Kasturi inserted a key into the lock at the front bonnet. To the left of the engine lay a large hollow chamber, noticeably emptier than the rest. He slid the Nether cylinder inside and twisted it until three distinct locking clicks echoed.

  The dormant engine awakened with a series of rough chokes.

  ‘An older model,’ Lucian noted.

  Despite living in illusion for three years, he had once been a rich kid. He knew cars well.

  This one used a front-mounted Nether cylinder chamber, an outdated design abandoned after concerns about Nether smoke leaking into the driver’s field of vision.

  Lucian opened the left-side passenger door, climbed in, and slammed it shut. Then he pulled the safety rope taut, ensuring the door wouldn’t suddenly open on its own.

  Kasturi struggled slightly to fit his beast-like frame into the driver’s seat. He reached instinctively for a seat belt, only to remember the model lacked one.

  Engaging the first gear, he rolled the car onto the cobblestone road.

  Without taking his eyes off the street, he instructed Lucian to retrieve a document from the front storage box.

  Lucian skimmed the contents and smiled with false amusement.

  “Eh, Mr. Kasturi,” he said lightly. “So what exactly is this test about?”

  “It’s simple,” Kasturi replied. “Just as I said before. You only need to obtain your first story.”

  For the first time, he glanced away from the road and toward Lucian, a low chuckle escaping him.

  “You’re going to hunt an Unread.”