“…You’re here again, Teacher.”
“Yes. Thank you for your hard work as always.”
I entered the library and exchanged brief greetings with the librarian. I couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like her greeting wasn’t so brief on her end. But as long as I kept it light, it was fine.
Right now, I was literally devouring knowledge about the Agoris Continent.
Its history, its nations, its relationship with devils, and its Gods.
I’d immediately pull out any book that seemed even remotely related to those topics, flip through it from the first page to the last, and store it all in my Workshop.
There was no need to read or even look at them closely. If I needed to, I could just take them out in the Workshop and read them.
Focused on simply storing the books, I was flipping through the pages at a rate of one page per second.
I could feel people’s gazes gathering on me.
That was probably why the librarian seemed uncomfortable. She probably thought I was fooling around.
I wasn’t causing a scene, so she couldn’t really caution me. Besides, I was a teacher, so it would be difficult to impose such restrictions. Still, I was distracting others.
But well, it wasn’t my problem. It was the other people who couldn’t focus because of something .
Then, an unexpected student appeared.
She sat down opposite me and looked at me with a prim expression.
“…What is it, Miss Zenita?”
This child was Zenita di Sandri. A student in my class, and if I recall correctly, she sat next to Basileo.
Zenita flinched at my words, surprised.
“I heard you remember every student’s face and name. It’s true.”
“I don’t remember everyone. But I should at least remember the students in my class.”
Of course, I was only able to remember thanks to my Workshop, and it was true that I didn’t know everyone.
My Workshop had pictures and names of the students, but it wasn’t like I could perfectly match their faces to the pictures just by looking at them.
“Teacher, about what happened with Basileo last time…”
“During the wind magic practice?”
“Yes. You told him not to make mistakes.”
“Do you not make mistakes, Teacher?”
What a bold question. It made me feel a sense of nostalgia.
Moreover, her tone and words seemed laced with personal feelings.
When I looked at Zenita, she flinched slightly but met my gaze head-on.
I smiled faintly and replied, “Of course, I make mistakes.”
“Then, about your advice to not make mistakes…”
“Because of them, I’ve lost many people.”
Zenita’s words, poised as if waiting to catch me out, came to an abrupt halt.
I turned my attention back to the book.
“If you’re going to do something, it’s better to fail.”
“…What’s the difference?”
“There is no difference.”
I could see the confusion on Zenita’s face from the corner of my eye.
I continued flipping through the pages as if nothing had happened.
“There’s no difference, but people believe there is. They think that failure is something I can fix and recover from, while a mistake is a one-time thing that won’t happen again. They believe that and then make the same mistake again.”
“You will all be graduating soon and facing devils and monsters.”
This continent was definitely less exposed to danger compared to the Empire I was from.
But as long as they walked the path of fighting against enemies, death would always be close by. I couldn’t afford to tell them things they’d hear in an ordinary school.
“It’s too late to say that a single mistake is okay.”
A moment of silence followed.
Zenita seemed about to retort as soon as she heard my words but then glanced away and quickly lowered her head, fidgeting.
I thought she would leave it at that, but perhaps unsatisfied, she stood up from her seat.
While I continued flipping through the book, Zenita’s eyes darted around like a squirrel searching for a fallen acorn.
“…That’s right, Teacher!”
Did she just say “That’s right”?
“A-Are you really reading that book?”
Zenita pointed at my book. I was still diligently flipping through the pages.
Indeed, to anyone watching, it would seem like my goal was to flip through the book rather than actually read it.
“I’m just skimming through it.”
I didn’t particularly want to show off my ability, nor did I want to be misunderstood as having a photographic memory, so I spoke vaguely.
“I’ve read that entire book.”
“I’ll ask you a question, and if you answer correctly…”
“No. I probably won’t be able to answer. As I said, I’m just skimming through it.”
I could answer correctly, but it would only make things weirder.
I was almost at the last page of this book anyway. I’d borrow a different one. It seemed like Zenita was determined to distract me.
“I’m not interested.”
“If you answer all my questions correctly, I’ll give you anything you want.”
I didn’t understand her proposal, so I looked at Zenita.
She continued, “As you know, my family, the Sandri family, possesses wealth and power that’s among the top even within Atlas. We can provide you with almost anything, so you can trust me.”
I didn’t even know the Sandri family was such a prestigious family, but that wasn’t what bothered me.
“Why would you want to make such a bet with me?”
At first, I thought she was upset because I scolded Basileo.
But this bet hadno benefit for her. It was already unrelated to Basileo. If she just wanted to beat me, the risk was too great.
Zenita raised a finger.
“Hehe. If it’s a bet, shouldn’t I also get something if I win?”
“You want something from me?”
So that was her objective. It seemed Zenita was confident that she wouldn’t lose to someone who, from her perspective, was just flipping through pages.
“What is it that you want?”
“If I win, I want to make a personal request.”
“What kind of request?”
“I’ll tell you if I win.”
What an unfair bet. She wanted me to agree to a bet with only half the information about the risks involved.
Zenita looked as if she was already celebrating her victory.
I couldn’t lose this bet.