LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 47
– 1 –
“‘Practical Applications of Magic Volume 3’… Oh, this one’s here too.”
For the past few days, Sonia had been practically living in the library that Libertus had permitted her to access.
Her magic lessons from her master were three times a week.
These lessons were focused mainly on practical exercises, and aside from a bit of time spent managing the dungeon and her meals and sleep, she dedicated nearly all her time to it.
This was because these days, she was growing at a pace she could clearly recognize.
“I wonder if it’s okay to feel this way, but honestly, it’s fun.”
The magic of ‘Curses’ with the best talent and that of ‘Frost’—which had similar elements but excelled in both offensive and defensive aspects.
These were the two things Sonia had begun learning from the Dungeon Lord, and with each class, she felt her rapid growth.
She could faintly sense that this wasn’t just a temporary thing, either.
“Whether I’m a genius as my master said or not, just the fact that I can achieve something is so great.”
Experiencing growth naturally becomes a driving force for learning.
Moreover, she had been so physically weak since she was four that her immunity to the feeling of personal achievement was quite low.
In the end, she became so engrossed in books and studying—like someone locked away in a library—that she had not felt proper personal growth for over fifteen years.
Today was no exception…
“Over there…”
Today, Sonia found herself in a different section, not the typical bookcase she often frequented.
Instead of the neatly organized magical library, it was a chaotic one where books with unknown topics were haphazardly shoved on the shelves.
It was the place filled with a jumble of magazines and novels from this world.
Though Libertus had collected them for his own amusement, they had ended up gathering dust, overshadowed by the magic books—until now, when they caught Sonia’s eye.
“A ‘Secret of the Ancient Empire’, ‘The Truth of the Corrupt Priests Hidden in History’, ‘A Roster of Historical Heroes’… There are so many I’ve never seen before…”
If Libertus had seen her current state, he might have struggled to understand it. “How can she be distracted from magic?”
This stemmed from a fundamental difference in perception of magic between Libertus and Sonia.
For Libertus, magic was a kind of ‘superpower’—a novel element never seen in daily life and somewhat of a toy.
But for Sonia, while it was indeed rare in everyday life, it was recognized as a universal study rather than something entirely new like Libertus perceived it.
“I can’t just live looking at one book every day. Which ones should I choose?”
If a person could fully immerse themselves in something the moment they felt interest and determination, the phrase ‘three-day resolution’ wouldn’t exist in this world.
For Sonia now, novels represented not an escape but just a form of relaxation.
“‘Elven Prophecies’, ‘Legends of Forgotten Gods’ looks interesting… and ‘The Golden Ratio of Outer Universes’. This seems like a magical treatise. And…”
Since there was also a mention that she could take non-magic books back to her room, Sonia was currently selecting five books to read before bed, looking for a sixth one.
Her fingers, unfaltering until now, suddenly paused on one book.
“This is…”
She found a title that struck her as out of place among the rest.
“‘Secrets of Noble Houses’…? What is this book?”
The small book, adorned with gold leaf on a black background, looked very luxurious.
Was it because of the word ‘secret’?
It inexplicably piqued her curiosity. Stopping her finger above the book, Sonia glanced around at the other titles.
Just in case there was a hint.
“Next to it… ‘Short Stories Loved by Bards, 24 Tales’? I guess I’ll have to organize this later.”
However, since this section wasn’t organized at all and wasn’t in Libertus’ areas of interest like magic or swordsmanship, even looking at the other books nearby didn’t provide clues about the mysterious book.
Tap. Tap.
“Okay, I might as well take a look.”
Taking her sweet time to ponder while tapping the book with her finger, Sonia thought she could just return it if it wasn’t to her taste, so she tucked ‘Secrets of Noble Houses’ into her arms.
Swish.
Slurp. Click.
Thus began her journey into studying and reading.
Just like her master Libertus always did when reading, Sonia brought tea and snacks from the refreshment area next to the library and took a moment for herself among the more than ten books.
The reading area she had there, enhanced with magic to reflect the sunlight inside, was a fantastic time and place to forget the reality that she was trapped in a dungeon.
If someone had asked her which was more enjoyable, studying or meaningless reading, she would have confidently, and brightly replied—both!
“Oh, I had this too.”
Until she began reading that book.
“There’s still… a little time left. Shall I take a quick look?”
After confirming she had some time left before dinner, Sonia left the book ‘Secrets of Noble Houses’ on the shelf beside her, returning all the other books with feather bookmarks in them.
And.
Thud!
After carelessly flipping through the book to glance at its contents, she quickly closed it and set it down.
The page she opened contained a certain drawing, exquisitely crafted by a magician with a secret hobby.
“Is this… adult literature…?!”
‘Secrets of Noble Houses’ was a book that some perceptive individuals would immediately guess was about ‘Secret Nights’.
It was only natural that its exterior was luxurious since it was a book meant for nobles.
[Why are all novels about forbidden romances? Eve.]
[Exactly!]
[Is that what fantasy is? This entire mess of affairs?]
Indeed, it was common to include such themes in stories within this world.
From tales of ordinary male-female loves to stories about heroes’ concubines or even real accounts reworked into 19+. Even the affairs of a hero with a kingdom’s queen that left Libertus snickering.
For Sonia, who wasn’t even a commoner, it would take years of normal life before she could even know the existence of such books, let alone acquire them by request, but noble libraries were filled with these kinds of books.
[… Tack.]
[It’s not your fault, so why should you feel sorry? Anyway, having bought it, I won’t throw it away… but there’s no real need to organize it. There’s practically something erotic on every page.]
Even if Libertus knew the content, he wouldn’t hesitate to purchase them, but he would have considered it at least once.
And thus, it was no coincidence that among the many novels Sonia was indiscriminately purchasing, there were books with such content mixed in.
It was almost inevitable that Sonia, who was determined to read all the books in the library, would come across some of these scandalous reads.
Of course, Libertus never anticipated this kind of situation.
“Phew, phew…”
With her face flushed red, Sonia took a deep breath to shake off the shock, then promptly grabbed the book to return it to its original spot.
It was a time when she should be engrossed in knowledge.
A brief intellectual diversion could be tolerated, but this was poison, and absolutely intolerable.
… Or at least, that’s what she thought.
“…”
But why couldn’t her hand move away from the book she had placed back on the shelf?
Sonia was desperately denying the racing of her heart while glaring at her fingertips.
“…Always gentle and kind, highly regarded for her warmth towards everyone, the lady suddenly commanded her maid in a stern voice…”
“…The maid belongs to a noble family too. However, she listened to her lady’s orders, disregarding the authority ingrained in her blood…”
Curiosity regarding a new world she had never encountered before.
The unique thrill of daring to cross taboos and violations.
And those two emotions, along with another feeling and their relationship, that she herself did not recognize.
These three emotions ultimately compelled her to pull that book back out again, with another bookmark still stuck in the one she was holding.
“Just once… just one…”
Thus, Sonia left the library carrying two novels and one scandalous book, all tucked under her arm.
Her mind was filled with an unresolved pink curiosity.
Yet, had she known that this book would become the catalyst for two significant changes, she would have never easily pursued that curiosity.
– 2 –
“Sonia.”
“Sister…!”
While walking to her room with a book in hand and the meal provided by the dungeon, Sonia heard someone calling her and turning around, smiled brightly.
It was the voice of a person who shared the pains and memories of her excessive talent, someone with whom she might perhaps design a glimmer of hope in the future.
“Maria?!”
Five days after their last meeting, they crossed paths again.
However, before she could feel joy upon seeing her, Sonia felt a stiffness in her neck and the surrounding view shaking uncontrollably side to side.
Maria was a total mess, with her maid uniform in tatters, hair unkempt and messy, dark circles under her eyes, and her sclera bloodshot and veined.
Maria’s appearance was a clear indication that she was on the verge of becoming a wreck, just like Sonia had suffered due to her own frailty.
“Sister, what happened to you…? Did you get hurt? Or are you sick?”
“No… I’m healthy.”
Sonia couldn’t help but grab Maria’s empty hand, speaking impatiently. But she soon found her hand pushed away firmly by Maria’s.
Despite most of Maria’s abilities being sealed, she still had enough inherent power to easily overpower Sonia.
And the ‘coldness’ evident in that push was another reason.
“Sister…?”
Sonia’s voice trembled slightly, sensing something, as it flowed out.
In response, Maria’s voice came out dull, reminiscent of metal scraping against steel.
Her eyes, too, were presenting something boiling beneath the crimson-stained whites, glaring forth viciously.
“You’ve been looking very well lately. You’ve put on some weight, Sonia.”
“I… I’m better now! I’ve gotten better!”
“I see. Your strength must have returned significantly. You won’t be ill much anymore.”
“I… I think so. Now that I’ve recovered and spent quite some time bandaged at the hospital… I won’t need to lie down anymore…”
“Right…”
With Maria’s brief affirmation, the two fell into a momentary silence.
But Sonia felt it; she had to say something here. Even though she didn’t clearly understand what that was, she felt she had to act.
“I, Sister…”
“Don’t call me sister.”
“Huh?”
It was a merciless interruption, like a dagger thrown.
Yet, not understanding the meaning behind that simple phrase, Sonia forgot the words she was going to say, merely repeating her bewildered response.
“You should have come two days ago at the latest. That was the peak.”
“What do you mean…?”
“My parents, Sonia. Our parents, mine and Remia’s. They should have come if they received the message. But they didn’t.”
It was only then that Sonia grasped Maria’s words, desperately wanting to interrupt her.
She knew the reason perfectly well; she couldn’t bring herself to say it, fearing it might break Maria.
But still, she felt she had to speak now; she sensed that Libertus had already done something to that ‘messenger’.
“It’s the master, no, Libertus…”
“Not even the scheduled signal has come through. Sonia…”
Always reliant on others, she had a habit of waiting patiently to discuss things much later.
That was the problem.
“If that guy were alive, the signal that should’ve come every week stopped. Right after he spoke to you…!!”
“I… I didn’t do anything…! Sister!”
Maria, who had no intention of halting her speech, persisted in cornering Sonia, all trapped within her own thoughts and beliefs.
Finally, she raised her voice, albeit shakily.
“What’s… what’s not?!”
Everything had already reached its end.
“What’s not?!!!”
Boom!!
“Eek…!”
Amidst the sun streaking between them.
The power brewing from Maria’s hands produced a line that sliced through as if cutting something off, cleanly swinging.
Thud!
– Crack!
What stopped it was a skeleton armed with a short sword.
Mire. A protagonist unbeknownst to Maria.
Upon seeing her, Maria managed a twisted smile, one she would never have made before.
“Ha… look at this, Sonia. We’re in a dungeon, yet a skeleton got here so quickly for you.”
“That thing is just trying to protect us!”
“That thing? Oh, so now you’re calling a skeleton ‘that’? You’ve become quite affectionate, it seems.”
Certainty.
And hatred.
“Look at this.”
Soon, Maria’s keen eyes scoured the books that had fallen to the floor, and she quickly found something of interest.
She was a mercenary with rich experience dealing with nobles, and she knew well what some of those lavishly bound, unmarked books were.
“Disgraceful.”
What ultimately mixed with those two emotions was contempt.
“Were you trying to curry favor with that monster? Sonia.”
“What, that’s…!”
“Don’t call me sister. You’re neither my sister nor my sister’s friend. Just… whatever. I’ll let it slide this time, for the sake of our past memories. Just a stranger. Not worth even calling an enemy.”
“No, that’s not it!!”
Sonia’s futile excuse couldn’t reach the ears of Maria, who was fixated on whatever her gaze had fallen upon.
It was merely the babbling of a madwoman trapped in her own convictions.
“I’ll say it again. Don’t call me sister anymore. Sonia Medivh.”
With that, Maria turned on her heel, trying to leave while casting her last words over her shoulder.
“… I really don’t get what all this commotion is about.”
Had Libertus not appeared at that moment.