Chapter 1

3 years of prolonged war have come to an end.

Flower petals fluttered in the streets, and joyful music flowed.

“The war is over! It’s finally over!”

People expressed their pent-up emotions and sorrows. They all hoped that this hard-earned happiness would last long.

Negotiation breakdown with the Kingdom of Rando

Silent War: The War Isn’t Over.

But what was the reality?

Toramde and the Kingdom of Rando.

There was always sharp tension between these two ideologically different countries. This tension reached its peak when the world-destroying weapon NOK-ONE became known to the world.

A powerful bomb that, once dropped, could make an entire country disappear.

And the developer of that weapon, Nergal Galinne.

Whether it was unfortunate or fortunate, before the weapon was completed, Nergal died, and the NOK-ONE project was thus halted.

〈……You must not tell anyone what you saw. Absolutely not.〉

That was as much as the world knew. However, regrettably, people were unaware of another fact.

That Nergal, before his death, had created a complete blueprint of NOK-ONE, and his one and only young daughter had seen it.

And that this daughter had an Eidetic memory (the ability to remember something completely like a photograph after seeing it once).

* * *

14 years later.

Canary, a port city of Toramde.

“Umm.”

The strong sunlight broke the silence. As she tossed and turned, she was puzzled that her hand did not reach outside the bed even when she stretched it long.

“……?”

Normally, her wrists should have been off the bed.

As she slowly opened her eyes, she saw a wide bed.

……Huh? Where am I?

Swoosh.

The sound of water from inside stopped her thoughts.

Someone else was here besides her.

I drank with Sir Costance yesterday, and then…….

Then……. Oh no.

She couldn’t remember what happened next. This means her memory was cut off.

Thud.

The sound of water stopped.

After the minute hand of the clock moved three times, the firmly closed bathroom door opened. At the same time, hazy steam slowly seeped out.

“……Sir Costance.”

The person who came out of the bathroom was, as expected, Sir Costance. His wet hair made his color appear darker than usual. A small face. A man with very pronounced eyes and nose.

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

Where could there be such a perfect handsome man?

Though he was still young and retained the appearance of a boy, his body was that of a man. Before she could even take a detailed look at his body, Costance hurriedly put on a black T-shirt. The water he hadn’t wiped off clung to his clothes, revealing his upper body.

“Are you awake?”

He spoke in a gentle voice.

“Uh, uh, Sir……?”

“Is your body okay? Any pain?”

He approached the bed. His hand stopped as it was about to touch her body. Instead, he placed his hand on her forehead.

The warmth made her body flinch.

“If you have any pain, please tell me, Vivi.”

The look in his eyes as he gazed at her was unusual.

“N-no, there’s no pain. I’m, I’m fine. So……”

“Are you sure there’s no pain?”

“Yes. N-no pain.”

“That’s a relief.”

He said, taking a breath.

“But Sir. Yesterday…….”

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

Oh no, oh no……

* * *

Sir Costance had been coming to the library for a few days.

Costance.

Full name, Costance Dieter Orsi.

He became known to the public just a year ago, because of a newspaper article.

Top graduate of the military academy, Lieutenant Costance Orsi saves the world.

The fear of war was still deeply ingrained. The newspaper revealed that there had been a collision between the ship Costance was on and an enemy ship.

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

Even a single mistake could have triggered a new world war.

……But this situation was resolved by a mere lieutenant who had been on the ship for only about three years.

That lieutenant was none other than Costance Dieter Orsi,  heir to the Marquisate.

I will do my best for the peace of the country.

Costance’ interview was extremely ordinary.

Later, it was revealed that the newspaper hesitated to publish the interview, fearing that citizens, still haunted by the horrors of war, would become frightened.

But what happened when the newspaper was finally published?

The newspaper sold like hotcakes.

Costance Dieter Orsi. The Empire’s new hero.

Everyone was enthusiastic about Costance…….

That’s the kind of person Costance Orsi was.

A man with a noble aristocratic lineage, the reputation of being the admiral’s son, and an outstanding appearance, in addition to being the top graduate of the military academy.

Even citizens who harbored resentment against soldiers welcomed him whenever he appeared.

Does it make sense that such Costance Orsi has been coming to the library for a few days?

Stop the development of world-destroying weapons!

Ban the development of NOK-ONE atomic weapons!

“Ban weapon development!”

“Ban it! Ban it!”

“There is no more war!”

“None! None!”

Snap.

The sound of blinds being pulled down was heard.

“Those damned protesters. Why are they making a fuss in front of the library? Do they think the library is easy?”

The director said, unable to contain her anger.

“Director. Shh! Sir Costance is talking to Vivi.”

……They could hear everything.

“I want to find the books by the author Cherdo…….”

Vivi looked at Sir Costance in front of her. Canary, being a big city, often had unusual people visiting the library, but a famous person was a first.

“……A statue is speaking.”

“Indeed. It’s amazing.”

The senior colleagues whispered at Sir Costance’ deep voice. They could hear everything, though.

On the other hand, Sir Costance was staring intently only at her.

“The books by the author Cherdo, I mean.”

“Ah, sorry, sorry. By author Cherdo…… Are you referring to the one who wrote about religious studies? There are five books. Which one are you looking for?”

“Please find all five books.”

“Could you please wait a moment?”

Vivi’s hands trembled. It was a military uniform rarely seen in the library. Moreover, he was a famous officer.

There should be a place with books at the fleet command headquarters, so why did he come all the way to the national library in the village?

“For books related to religion, you can use the 200 classification here.”

“…….”

“If you’re interested in religious sociology, you can look at this section.”

She bent down and took out the books Sir Costance was looking for from the lower shelf. They all had titles with difficult religious studies terms.

But even when she handed over the books, there was no response. Wondering why, she looked up and saw that he was staring at her, not the books.

“Sir?”

“It’s nothing.”

He was momentarily flustered and then took the books she handed him.

“Uh, is there a problem?”

He examined the books.

“Yes, there is.”

Oh no. She hoped there wasn’t!

“W-what is the problem?”

“You said earlier that there are five books by the author Cherdo, but one is missing.”

“……Ah, one is a thesis material, so it’s not available for general reading.”

“How can I see it?”

“It’s a bit complicated.”

It’s complicated, but if one sets their mind to it, it’s easy to access. The problem was that the person who had to set their mind to it was her, the librarian.

Should I pass it on to a senior under the pretext of being busy? Anyway, the seniors are eager to see Sir Costance up close.

“I’ll ask another librarian. Please wait a moment.”

“No, it’s not something I must see, so these books will do. Thank you. ……Vivi.”

He glanced at her name tag and spoke. Her heart almost dropped. She barely managed to pull herself together.

“Yes, yes. Right. Well, if you need more help, please let me know.”

After a short bow, she returned to her desk.

“So how was it?”

“Huh, huh?”

“What, what’s wrong? Why are you so surprised?”

Her seniors had gathered around her seat as if they had been waiting for her.

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

They seemed to have forgotten they were librarians. The director, who was examining books from behind, frowned at the noisy voices.

“There was nothing special. And the director is glaring at us fiercely from behind, so shouldn’t we return to our seats?”

“Oh dear.”

The seniors hurried back to their seats. 

But why was he…….

‘Sitting over there?’

He chose the seat closest to her.

‘Could it be…….’

Did he come looking for me knowing my identity?

“Um, Director.”

Unable to endure, Vivi cautiously called the director.

“What is it, Vivi?”

“Well…… shouldn’t I go to the storage room?”

“Storage room? Oh, don’t worry. There’s no need today.”

She failed to escape under the pretext of an errand.

“Then, how about an errand?”

“Hmm? There’s none.”

This was also a failure.

“Shouldn’t I clean the hallway?”

“Not at all.”

“Organizing the archive……?”

“Vivi.”

“Is there archive organizing work?”

Is this finally a success?

At that moment, the director let out a deep sigh.

“There’s none, so just sit there quietly and work.”

“What?”

“Don’t think about going anywhere.”

“……Okay.”