On the twenty-third floor of the Tower of Knowledge, Yuki slowly pushed open a massive door.
Zssss—
As he stepped inside, his eyes widened instantly.
The room before him was an enormous hall filled with endless bookshelves and countless books. Chairs and tables were scattered throughout the library, while floating lanterns drifted through the air, illuminating the entire place with soft golden light.
Even stranger—
Some books floated freely through the air like birds.
Yuki froze completely.
Shock.
Confusion.
Wonder.
Even fear.
His eyes stayed wide open while his mouth slowly fell open in disbelief.
For several silent seconds, he could do nothing except stare at the impossible sight before him.
Eventually, he slowly began walking deeper into the library.
That's a huge library… Yuki thought while looking around. But where do I find information about Illman?
Then—
He noticed a girl sitting on top of a table while casually reading a book.
She looked around his age.
Yuki stared at her curiously with dull, uncertain eyes before slowly approaching.
"U-Um… hello."
The girl looked toward him.
She had black hair and crimson-red eyes.
The moment she saw Yuki, her face instantly brightened with excitement.
"!! Someone finally came to this library after such a long time!!"
She suddenly jumped off the table and rushed directly toward him.
Too close.
Yuki instinctively leaned back slightly in embarrassment while the girl excitedly spoke right in front of his face.
"So? Tell me! What do you need?!"
Then she quickly stepped back again before turning around dramatically.
"Oh! By the way, my name is TIYARA! Nice to meet you!"
"M-My name is Yuki…" he replied awkwardly.
"Nice to meet you, Yuki!" Tiyara said joyfully. "So what do you want? You know, it's been sooo long since anyone came here!"
"I see…" Yuki muttered.
Tiyara stared at him excitedly while humming happily.
Meanwhile, Yuki awkwardly avoided eye contact before finally saying,
"Um… I wanted some information about Illman."
"I see…!" Tiyara nodded energetically.
Then she paused.
"…Wait, who?"
"Information about Illman," Yuki repeated.
"Oh! Then I can tell you about him myself."
Tiyara suddenly straightened her posture and began speaking in a lecture-like tone while Yuki silently listened.
"Illman is an ancient being who was born shortly after the creation of this world."
Yuki's eyes widened in shock.
Then just how old is he?!
Tiyara continued.
"He has no parents, nor any children. He's a mysterious existence. Nobody knows where he stays or what he does… but one thing is certain."
Her expression became serious.
"He's extremely powerful."
"I see… but that's not enough information," Yuki replied calmly. "I need more."
Tiyara's expression instantly changed into an annoyed -_- face.
Clearly, she hadn't expected that response.
"Yeah, fine."
She waved her hand through the air.
Immediately, six floating books flew toward them before landing neatly on the table.
"These contain all the information about Illman."
Yuki sat down in a chair.
"Thank you for helping me."
Tiyara didn't respond.
She still looked cutely annoyed.
Yuki began reading.
"Illman — a being born shortly after the world's creation.
He is considered the first living being of this world."
Yuki silently turned the page.
"As his name suggests, Illman possesses the power of illness itself.
His body constantly suffers from every disease and sickness within the world."
Another page.
"Yet those illnesses are also what make him powerful… weak… half-dead… and immortal at the same time."
Yuki narrowed his eyes slightly.
The next pages described his appearance.
"His body is rotten and lifeless.
His skin is dark and decayed.
Boils and deformities cover his body.
His face is horrifying enough to make anyone vomit at first sight."
Some time later…
Yuki finally closed the last book.
"Uff… finished."
Meanwhile, Tiyara sat on the table beside him, staring at him the entire time.
Yuki looked toward her and asked,
"Tiyara, I read everything… but nowhere does it mention where Illman lives."
Tiyara looked slightly surprised.
"That's because Illman never stays in one place. He changes his location every few days."
"Ahh… so that's why there's no information about his home."
"Yup!"
She jumped off the table energetically and landed on the floor.
"So! What other information do you want next?!"
Yuki glanced at the books before answering,
"Nothing else."
"Huh?"
Tiyara froze in confusion.
Yuki stood up and looked at her calmly.
"By the way… I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Why did you tell me all this information?" Yuki asked. "This is our first time meeting. Giving so much information to a complete stranger feels strange, doesn't it?"
Tiyara laughed softly.
"Hehehe… well, this place exists so people can gather information. And besides, this is information about Illman. Everybody knows he's dangerous and evil. Tons of people try collecting information about him."
Then she quietly whispered,
"Though… I think you're the first visitor in almost two hundred years…"
She looked back at him with a smile.
"So there's no problem with giving you this information."
Yuki gave an understanding nod.
"Aahh… I see."
Then he turned around.
"Well then, I'll be going now."
The moment he said that—
Tiyara's eyes widened in panic.
"Hoh?!"
Suddenly, she grabbed onto Yuki's leg tightly with teary eyes.
"DON'T GO! PLEASE~!! It's been sooo long since anyone came here! I already read every single book in this library TWICE because I was bored! So please don't leave yet~!"
Yuki's expression remained strangely cold.
"Let go of me. And anyway, how old are you? You're still a kid. Why don't you go outside and play with other children?"
"What do you mean kid?!" Tiyara shouted loudly. "YOU'RE a kid too!"
"Oh… right," Yuki whispered awkwardly. "I forgot I'm also a kid…"
Tiyara continued complaining while still clinging to his leg.
"And I'm the master of this tower! I can't just go outside! Also, I'm older than you! I'm fifteen, you know!!"
Even now, she refused to let go.
Yuki continued trying to walk away while dragging Tiyara along the floor behind him.
But no matter what—
She absolutely refused to release his leg.