Author: Himezaki Shiu	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Jiro	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

How was everyone faring in a world teetering on the brink of extinction? Although I called it “on the verge of destruction,” the truth was, it likely would have already become uninhabitable, if not for Lullus.

Setting aside the world’s current situation, for some reason, I found myself at a school. I felt like a student again, which was a bit strange, but it seemed there was a spirit in the basement of this school. I’d gone to the royal castle to learn more about it.

And so, I was currently in the kingdom of Aquilus, inside a school for children of noble families. The entire continent was supposed to have suffered a major disaster, yet somehow, the school continued to operate as if nothing had happened. When classes began, students gathered in their classrooms, and during recess, they dispersed.

Despite the presence of noble hierarchies and social divisions, the school still operated much like any other. In fact, it probably resembled the kind of school you’d find in a novel. At the very least, it felt like the sort of place where incidents would occur even without my involvement. For instance, if a high-ranking noble’s son became infatuated with the daughter of a lower-ranking noble.

You might expect something like an engagement scandal erupting during the graduation ceremony. But since the son only had a potential fiancée and not an official one, it likely wouldn’t turn into a major scandal.

Setting aside the romantic drama of the nobility, if someone were to ask me how I felt about that world-collapsing omen from the other day, I’d probably just say, “I don’t know, but it seems bad. The aftermath still lingers, but I think everything will be fine.”

I was only saying this because I was currently in Aquilus, a kingdom that still had its spirit.

Fraus and Viridis would be much noisier. It felt like the former elven king would be pleased by this development, or perhaps he would be overwhelmed by some other emotion. If Rubel had managed to survive, we likely wouldn’t be talking about the collapse of the world right now.

Inside the academy, it seemed particularly difficult to obtain information from the outside. Even the war between Fraus and Nigel was only spoken of in vague rumors. Some, particularly the children of high-ranking nobles, may have deliberately avoided mentioning it. As for those from lower ranks, I doubted they even knew the truth. Well, telling the students wouldn’t have helped them anyway. They were probably expected to focus on their studies, or something along those lines.

There had been plenty of noise during the earthquake, but that was about it. Compared to the outside world, time here felt oddly calm. Ignorance truly was bliss. How ironic. I hoped I could be forgiven for thinking that.

As for me, I didn’t involve myself with the students at all. I went about my own business, spending an entire day searching for a door that might lead to the basement, but I couldn’t find it. I did come across what looked like a reference room, but I decided to hold off on exploring it since it seemed like too much effort to break in.

Still, I was nearly certain the door was inside that room. But if I went through all the trouble of getting in and came up empty, well… that would only kill my mood.

(Still, how should I get in?)

As I stood in front of the unopened door, weighing my options and considering whether to force my way in, a sneaky duo suddenly appeared. They didn’t seem to notice I was using my Stealth skill and simply swiped some kind of card to open the door before slipping inside. Naturally, I followed them.

At first, I thought they were some suspicious figures, but upon closer look, they turned out to be none other than Fumitsuki and Fujiwara. I couldn’t help but wonder why they were still here… and why they were acting as students. Something must have happened without my knowledge. Perhaps this was exactly how they had been acting all along—like protagonists of a story.

They should have had no status whatsoever, yet they had been admitted to the school and somehow acquired the right to enter places where ordinary students wouldn’t be allowed. Or maybe they managed to steal the card?

Inside, the place still looked like a reference room, with countless books neatly arranged on the shelves. Just by quickly skimming through some of them, I could tell that most of them were quite important. Some seemed related to history, others to Forbidden Magic, and so on.

This was an ordinary reference room at a glance, but the two of them ventured deeper without any hesitation. Curious about what they were looking for, I followed them. Eventually, they stopped in front of one of the bookshelves. There seemed to be a little more space between the books on this shelf compared to the other shelves. They pulled all the books on the shelf toward the right, creating a space for one more book. Then, took a book from their pocket and carefully fitted it into the gap.

Then, lo and behold, the bookshelf began to move!

I was surprised, but what shocked me even more was that they had managed to solve the puzzle leading to the place where the spirit was being kept. Were these two after the spirit as well? If yes, then for what purpose? Had they realized that the world was on the brink of collapse?

If so, after rescuing the spirit, would they hand it over without hesitation?

With these thoughts swirling in my mind, I followed them down the stairs. We arrived at a dimly lit room surrounded by dirt. As expected, there was a cage—and as expected, the spirit was inside.

The only difference this time was how incredibly narrow the space was. The passage was barely wide enough for a single person to pass through, and half of the cage was buried in the earth. The area in front of the cage, which also served as a small hall, was almost full with just me, Fumitsuki, and Fujiwara standing there.

We could enter, but personal space was definitely out of the question.

I wondered what they were planning to do next, but then they took out a crystal ball—one I had seen before—and pressed it against the cage with a practiced motion.

(Whoa!)

It seemed like they were right on the money with this one! After they successfully rescued the spirit, the two of them did a winning pose, after which I appeared and spoke to them.

“Would you mind handing it over to me?”

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