Ayumu had her face pressed flat against the library table.
Completely defeated.
No matter what she said… no matter what she tried… nothing could convince the emperor to let her join the expedition.
Three weeks.
That was all the time left before the team departed.
I need to do something…
She let out a long, miserable groan, her voice muffled against the wood as she wallowed in her own self-pity.
Then—
A loud thud echoed from somewhere deeper in the library.
Ayumu lifted her head.
Another noise followed.
And another.
Far too loud for a place as quiet and dignified as the palace library.
Curious, she got up and followed the sound, carefully peeking around the edge of a tall bookshelf.
There, she found him.
A large man in a loose linen white shirt and dark brown pants—casual attire for a soldier. His build was imposing, broad-shouldered and tall.
Drobar. Lord Elbus' youngest son.
The one selected as the judge-in-training for the expedition.
Books were scattered all around him, many of them open, some stacked haphazardly, others already fallen to the floor.
Drobar sat in the middle of it all, glaring at the pages like they had personally offended him.
"Arghhh—I hate studying!" he groaned loudly. "What is all this? I don't understand law! This is nonsense! Just send me to the battlefield instead!"
In his frustration, he shoved a book off the table. It hit the ground with a dull thud, followed by two more sliding after it.
He huffed, running a hand through his hair.
Before he could continue his rant—
Ayumu quietly stepped forward and began picking up the books he had tossed aside.
Drobar blinked.
"—Ah! By the Gods—!" he jerked slightly. "Lady, you scared me! Standing there all in white like that… I thought my deceased mother came back just to smack me."
Ayumu let out a soft laugh.
It was such a strange thing to say—but oddly amusing.
It didn't feel malicious.
Just pure honesty.
"Sir Drobar," she said gently, placing a book back onto the table, "do you perhaps dislike studying?"
"Dislike?" he scoffed. "I loathe it!"
He pulled out a chair and dropped into it with a heavy sigh, gesturing at the books.
"I hear you White Magis enjoy this sort of thing," he added, eyeing her. "Tell me—why would anyone like something so painfully boring?"
Ayumu covered her mouth lightly, giggling.
"Sir Drobar is very funny."
He raised a brow. "Ah… so the lady finds my suffering amusing. Perhaps it is worthwhile, then."
"Not at all," she replied, still smiling. "But… I suppose I've always liked reading."
She paused for a moment, her gaze softening slightly.
"When I was young, I was… quite confined. The only way I could see the world was through the books my father brought home for me."
Drobar leaned back slightly, listening.
"So I read everything I could," she continued. "Stories, history, medicine… anything that allowed me to imagine a world beyond my own."
A small smile formed.
"But when I finally left Epsos… I realized the world was far greater than anything written on those pages."
Drobar snorted.
"Exactly! Which is why I'd rather punch someone in the face than read a book explaining why I shouldn't."
Ayumu laughed again, brighter this time.
He was… surprisingly easy to talk to.
"I may not be of much help, Sir Drobar," she said gently, placing the last book neatly onto the stack. "We do not think alike."
She looked at him, her expression calm but sincere.
"But there may come a time when strength alone is not enough."
Drobar's expression shifted slightly.
"You carry great power," she continued. "And as a future judge… that power will not just be used to fight, but to protect, to decide, and to guide."
Her voice softened.
"And perhaps… you may find it more fulfilling, to help people not just with your strength… but with the knowledge you hold."
Silence lingered between them.
Drobar looked at her—really looked at her this time.
None of what Ayumu said truly registered in Drobar's mind.
To him, it was just a stream of gentle words—soft, distant… like background noise.
He scratched his head, frowning.
"But that still doesn't answer why I have to study, lady," he said bluntly. "They say if I want to be a proper judge—someone who can punish people on the spot—I need to learn more. About justice and all that."
He scoffed.
"But justice can be served with my fist. Everything can be solved that way."
Ayumu tilted her head slightly, considering his words.
"Well then, Sir Drobar," she said calmly, "let me ask you something."
He leaned back in his chair. "Go on."
"If a thief were to steal a loaf of bread… what would you do?"
"That's easy," he replied immediately. "I punch the man and throw him in jail."
Ayumu nodded lightly.
"But… what if the thief is a small child?"
Drobar opened his mouth—
Then stopped.
A child?
He frowned.
He couldn't hit a child.
And putting one in prison… didn't sit right either.
"…Then what am I supposed to do?" he muttered under his breath, more to himself than to her.
Punch the parents?
That didn't sound right either.
Ayumu watched him quietly, noticing the shift.
Then she continued.
"What if a man is caught beating his wife, Sir Drobar?"
Drobar's expression hardened instantly.
"How dare that piece of filth," he growled. "I'd punch him and throw him in jail of course!"
Ayumu gave a small nod.
"But if you imprison him immediately… what happens to his wife and children?"
Drobar blinked.
"They would have to fend for themselves," Ayumu said softly. "If the husband is the one earning, they may have no means to survive."
Silence.
Drobar leaned back slowly, his brows furrowing deeper.
This time, he didn't answer.
Ayumu stepped closer to the table, resting her hand lightly on one of the open books.
"Sir Drobar… there are many stories in these books," she said gently. "Stories of people, of choices, of consequences."
She looked at him, her golden eyes steady.
"Some of them may hold answers to the questions you are facing now."
A small smile formed on her lips.
"You simply have to look at reading… in a different way."
Drobar stared at her.
For a moment, nothing.
Then—something clicked.
Not perfectly. Not completely.
But enough.
"…I think I get it," he said slowly. "If I know more… I can help more people, right?"
Ayumu's smile softened.
"That's right. I believe in you, Sir Drobar."
Drobar let out a short laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Well… if that's the case, I'll give this another try."
He glanced at the mountain of books in front of him—still intimidating, still annoying… but no longer completely unbearable.
"Hey," he added, looking at her again, "if you're free… keep me company while I suffer through this."
Ayumu let out a quiet giggle.
"I will."
She took a seat a short distance away, giving him space.
As she watched him struggle—grumbling, flipping pages, trying again—her expression softened.
Drobar was rough.
Blunt.
A little stubborn.
But beneath all that…
He was kind.
He simply wanted to help people.
And Ayumu could see it clearly.
Her golden eyes always did.
He will have a bright future ahead, she thought quietly.