Chapter 1:

 The Unwanted Hero

Pollen drifted through every street, and cheerful music flowed out.

“The war is over! It’s finally over!”

People vented their grief and sorrow. They all hoped this happiness, so hard-won, would last forever.

Negotiations with Rando Kingdom Break Down

The Quiet War: The War Is Not Over

But what was the reality?

Toramund and Rando Kingdom.

Between these two nations with different ideologies, there was always a sharp tension. That tension reached its peak when the world-destroying weapon, the Green One (NOK-ONE), was revealed to the world.

A powerful bomb that could make an entire nation disappear with just one drop.

And the developer of that weapon, Nergal Galleine.

Whether fortunate or unfortunate, Nergal died before the weapon was completed, and the Green One Project was discontinued.

〈…Don’t tell anyone what you saw. Ever.〉

That was all that was known to the world. However, regrettably, people did not know one other fact.

That Nergal had created a complete blueprint of the Green One during his lifetime, and that his only young daughter had seen it.

And that his daughter possessed eidetic memory—the ability to perfectly remember everything she saw, like a photograph.

14 years later.

The port city of Kenery, Toramund.

“Hmm.”

The strong sunlight broke the stillness. Tossing and turning, I felt a sense of oddity when my arm stretched out fully but my hand didn’t reach beyond the bed.

“……?”

Normally, my wrist would extend past the edge of the bed.

I slowly opened my eyes and saw a wide bed.

…Huh? Where am I?

Swoosh.

The sound of water from inside made my thoughts stop.

There was someone else here besides me.

Yesterday, I’d been drinking with Lord Costance, and then…

And then… Oh my God.

I couldn’t remember what happened after that. Which meant my memory had cut off.

Thud.

The sound of water stopped.

Three ticks of the clock’s minute hand later, the tightly closed bathroom door opened. At the same time, hazy steam crept out.

“……Lord Costance.”

As expected, the person who came out of the bathroom was Lord Costance. His hair was darker than usual because it was wet. A small face. A man with remarkably three-dimensional eyes and nose.

Every time his red lips parted slightly, it was captivating, and his gray eyes were hazily beautiful.

Where could one find such a perfect handsome man?

He still had the youthful look of a young boy, but his body was that of an adult. Before I could examine that body closely, Costance hurriedly put on a black shirt. The moisture he hadn’t been able to wipe off clung to the fabric, revealing his upper body clearly.

“Are you awake?”

He spoke in a gentle voice.

“I, I, Lord Costance…?”

“How do you feel? Any pain?”

Lord Costance approached the bed. His hand reached toward my body but stopped short. Instead, he placed his hand on my forehead.

The warmth made my body flinch.

“If you’re in pain, please tell me, Vivy.”

Costance’s gaze as he looked at me was unusual.

“Ah, I’m not in pain. I’m, I’m fine. So…”

“Are you truly not in pain?”

“Yes. N-no.”

“I’m relieved.”

Lord Costance let out a breath and said.

“But Lord Costance. Yesterday…”

“Yesterday… I was happy. I mean, it was really good…”

D-damn it…

Lord Costance had started coming to the library a few days ago.

Costance.

His full name was Costance Dite Orsy.

He became known to the world only a year ago, thanks to a newspaper article.

Military Academy Top Graduate, Lieutenant Costance Orsy, Saves the World.

The fear of war still lingered heavily. The newspaper reported that there had been a collision between Costance’s ship and an enemy vessel.

It was an extremely dangerous situation. Neither side wanted war, but neither could back down first. …(omitted)

A single mistake could have ignited a new world war.

…And it was a lieutenant who had only been on board for about three years who resolved this situation.

That lieutenant was Costance Dite Orsy, heir to the Marquessate.

I will do my utmost for the nation’s peace from now on.

Costance’s interview was utterly ordinary.

It was later revealed that the newspaper had hesitated to publish the interview, fearing it might frighten citizens who hadn’t forgotten the horrors of war.

But what happened when they actually published it?

The newspapers sold like hotcakes.

Costance Dite Orsy. The Empire’s new hero.

Everyone was captivated by Costance…

Costance Orsy was that kind of person.

A man with top grades from the military academy, noble aristocratic blood, the reputation of being an admiral’s son, and remarkably outstanding looks.

Even citizens who harbored resentment toward the military would welcome him whenever he appeared.

So did it make any sense that such a man had started coming to the library a few days ago?

Stop Development of World-Destroying Weapons!

Ban Development of Green One (NOK) Atomic Bombs!

“Ban weapons development!”

“Ban it! Ban it!”

“There is no more war!”

“No more! No more!”

Click.

The sound of blinds being lowered was heard.

“Those damn protesters. Why are they doing that sh*t in front of the library? Do they think the library is an easy target?”

The director couldn’t contain his anger and spoke.

“Director. Shh! Lord Costance is talking to Vivy.”

…I can hear you, you know.

“I’m looking for books by author Cherdo…”

I looked at Lord Costance in front of me. Kenery was a large city, and strange people occasionally came to the library, but this was my first time seeing a celebrity.

“…A statue is speaking.”

“I know. How fascinating.”

At Lord Costance’s deep voice, my seniors whispered. Like I said, I can hear everything.

On the other hand, Lord Costance was staring only at me.

“About the books by author Cherdo.”

“Oh, I, I’m sorry. If you mean author Cherdo… the one who wrote about religious studies? There are five volumes. Which one are you looking for?”

“All five, please.”

“Could you wait a moment?”

My hands were trembling. It was a military uniform rarely seen in the library. And an officer famous enough to be recognized.

Surely the fleet headquarters would have books too—why go out of his way to come to the city’s national library?

“You can find religious books in the 200 section over there.”

“……”

“If you’re interested in religious sociology, you can look through this shelf.”

I bent down and pulled out the books Costance was looking for from the lower shelf. All had difficult religious terminology in their titles.

But there was no response when I held them out. Wondering why, I looked up to find him staring at me intently, not the books.

“Lord Costance?”

“It’s nothing.”

He seemed flustered for a moment, then accepted the books I handed him.

“Is… is there a problem?”

The Lord examined the books.

“Yes, there is.”

Oh no. I was hoping there wouldn’t be!

“W-what’s the problem?”

“You said there were five books by author Cherdo, but one is missing.”

“…Ah, one is a thesis document that isn’t available for general viewing.”

“How can I see it?”

“It’s a bit complicated, but—”

Complicated as it was, viewing it was easy if one had the will. The problem was that the person who needed to have that will was me, the librarian.

Should I make an excuse about being busy and pass it off to a senior? They’d be desperate to get close to Costance anyway.

“I’ll ask another librarian for help. Could you wait a moment?”

“No, it’s not something I absolutely must see. These books will suffice. Thank you. …Vivy.”

He glanced briefly at my name tag and said. My heart nearly dropped. I barely managed to steady myself.

“Yes, yes. Of course. I mean, if you need anything else, please let me know.”

After a brief bow, I immediately returned to my desk.

“So, how was it?”

“W-what?”

“What, what is it? Why are you so startled?”

My seniors had gathered around my seat, apparently waiting for me.

“He’s even more handsome up close, right? Isn’t he?”

They seemed to have forgotten they were librarians. The director, who had been browsing books in the back, frowned at the noise.

“It was nothing special. And the director is glaring at us from behind—don’t you think you should get back to your seats?”

“Oh dear.”

The seniors hurried back to their positions. But why was the Lord…

‘Sitting over there?’

He had chosen the seat closest to me.

‘No way…’

Could Lord Costance be someone who’d come looking for me, knowing my identity?

“Um, Director.”

Unable to endure it, I cautiously called out to the director.

“What is it, Vivy?”

“Well… is there any chance I need to go to the storage room?”

“Storage room? Ah, don’t worry. Nothing for you there today.”

I tried to leave under the pretext of an errand, but failed.

“Th-then, any errands?”

“Hmm? None.”

Failed again.

“Shouldn’t I clean the hallway?”

“Not at all.”

“Organize the archive…?”

“Vivy.”

“There’s archive organization work to do!”

Finally, success! Just then, the director let out a deep sigh.

“There isn’t any, so just sit there and work quietly.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t even think about going anywhere.”

“…Yes, sir.”