“Welcome!”

At the sound of the door opening, Shamilia instinctively called out her greeting, and a response came back.

“Busy?”

“Luc.”

The person who walked in with long strides and leaned his head in was none other than her younger brother, Lucberk. Without further ado, he put the book he was holding back on the shelf and looked around the bookstore.

“There’s no one here. Just close up.”

“Don’t say that. Business hours should be kept.”

Shamilia chuckled softly and picked up another book. Lucberk frowned slightly as if dissatisfied, then gave a light shrug.

“What’s the point of working so hard?”

Despite his words, he quickly started helping her organize the books, seemingly worried she might find it too exhausting.

“I’m just earning a living. What else would I do if not this?”

“I give you money, don’t I?”

“You want me to just stay home and wait for you?”

“Yes.”

Shamilia was momentarily at a loss for words. Every time her brother said something like this, she felt a little confused about how to respond.

A brief silence fell between them. As Shamilia looked at Lucberk through the gaps in the bookshelf, their eyes met.

There was no reason to be startled, yet she dropped the book she was holding.

Quickly averting her gaze, Shamilia bent down. She didn’t even know why she felt so tense.

“You okay?”

The question came slowly. Footsteps approached at a leisurely pace, and soon, a pair of shoes appeared right in front of her line of sight.

A large hand took the book from her clumsy grip and slammed it back into the shelf with a sharp sound.

Shamilia stared blankly at the gesture before shaking her head.

“Ah, yeah. I’m fine.”

Sometimes, Shamilia wondered why Lucberk could feel so unsettling. She quietly watched her brother’s retreating back as he walked away slowly.

Even though they had lived together all their lives, her brother still felt like a somewhat distant presence. Not physically distant, of course. Even now, as a renowned wizard, he ignored countless requests and continued to live under the same roof as Shamilia.

They ate meals together, saw each other’s faces every day, and shared conversations, yet he still felt difficult to understand. Shamilia brushed her dark hair back from her face.

‘Maybe it’s because he’s a wizard.’

Wasn’t there a saying? That wizards were all a bit eccentric. The wizards she’d met through her work at the bookshop weren’t exactly what you’d call normal, so perhaps that was a fair assessment.

And Lucberk wasn’t just any wizard; he was one of the most skilled. Shamilia scolded herself for feeling so distant from him, and tried to shake the thought from her mind.

“Oh, by the way, Luc. A new spellbook came in. Could you take a look?”

“Sure.”

His interest seemed piqued at that. Lucberk turned his head, and Shamilia handed him two books she had set aside.

[An Introduction to Memory Magic.]

He read the title slowly and opened the book. As he flipped through the pages one by one, intricate symbols and unreadable text spread chaotically across the paper. Here and there, legible words appeared, but they were few and far between.

“Hmm.”

“What do you think? Is it good? If it is, I’ll stock more copies.”

Shamilia sat on a chair and waited for Lucberk’s verdict. Books on magic were, without question, the best-selling items in the shop. That made sense, since this was the only bookstore in the capital that specialized in magic tomes. Besides, it was run by the sister of a brilliant wizard who deserved to be called a great wizard.

‘I wish I could use magic too.’

Unfortunately, she had absolutely no magical talent. Not even a sliver of it.

Learning magical theory might have helped her manage the store better, but without the ability to use magic herself, her progress was slow and frustrating. In the end, she had no choice but to rely on Lucberk to review all the books.

Resting her chin in her hand, she watched her brother as he turned the pages with a serious expression. The silver frames of his glasses caught the reddish glow of the sunset, and his jet-black hair, so similar to her own, shone faintly in the light. His violet eyes—often referred to by others as the “color of monsters”—were dark and subdued, and his long, elegant fingers, devoid of a single callus, moved gracefully over the pages.

‘The color of monsters…’

The phrase flitted through her mind.

She knew exactly what people said about him. That somewhere in his lineage, the blood of a monster must have mixed in, giving him those violet eyes and extraordinary magical power. For Shamilia, who could faintly recall memories from when he was just a baby—or even from when he was still in their mother’s womb—it was nothing but laughable nonsense.

How long had she been staring at him? Slowly, Lucberk lifted his gaze from the pages he had been intently reading. Separated by the clear glass of his lenses, their eyes met again. Shamilia’s fingers gave a small, involuntary twitch.

“Who brought this in?”

“Hm? Arun, like always.”

“Did he mention where he found this?”

“Why? Is it bad? Or do you like it?”

When she tilted her head curiously, Lucberk shook his.

“Hmm. Should I say it’s good or bad? The concept is interesting.”

“Should I stock it then?”

“It won’t sell anyway.”

“Why not?”

“It’s too complicated.”

It was Shamilia’s turn to be surprised.

“Wow, you actually admit something’s hard for you?”

“It’s hard for other people.”

Lucberk corrected her, his pride slightly wounded. He flipped through the rest of the first book with a soft fwhip of pages before picking up the second one.

“This one’s experimental.”

“They’re a set.”

The moment Lucberk turned the first page, he burst into laughter.

“What’s so funny?”

“It’s a mess.”

Shamilia frowned. A mess? Was it so bad that he couldn’t help but laugh at first glance?

But as he casually flipped through the pages, his expression shifted. It grew more nuanced—curious at one moment, his head dipping closer to the book, then irritated, his brows furrowing as he shook his head.

Shamilia, lightly tapping her fingers against the table, let out a small yawn just as the door suddenly swung open.

“Welcome!”

“Good afternoon.”

“Oh, you’ve come to pick up your order.”

She picked up the book she had set aside earlier and handed it to the man. He took it, turning halfway toward the exit, but then, as if just noticing Lucberk, he walked toward him with intent.

“Lucberk!”

“Ah.”

The man tapped him on the shoulder as he called his name, prompting Lucberk to finally raise his head. Although Lucberk nodded reluctantly, the visitor didn’t seem to mind.

“You’re still as unfriendly as ever, even outside.”

“Did you call out just to be greeted?”

“No, not really. But here you are, staying at your sister’s shop after leaving so early. In that case you could have stayed a little longer, don’t you think? The shop isn’t even closed yet, is it?”

He turned to Shamilia, as if seeking her approval, and tilted his head in her direction.

“Well, Luc is helpful, so I don’t mind…”

The man didn’t seem to be expecting a serious answer anyway, as he quickly shifted his attention elsewhere. His curiosity now focused on the book in Lucberk’s hand, he leaned closer, eyes wide.

“What’s this? Never seen a magic formula like this before.”

Lucberk didn’t bother to reply, but the man carried on as though he didn’t need a response. He babbled away about whether it made sense, whether it was impossible to implement, and so on.

As Shamilia listened to the one-sided “conversation” between the two wizards, she quietly scratched the books off her order list.

‘It must really be too difficult.’

Lucberk’s responses were growing increasingly curt. Yes. No. He rotated between those two words, yet somehow the conversation managed to continue. In a way, the customer seemed more impressive for persisting. With replies so stiff, most people would have given up by now.

“Just get out of here.”

Apparently, Lucberk’s patience had run out. He scowled and slammed the book shut with a loud thud.

“But is this for sale? I’ve never seen it before.”

“We’re still deciding whether to stock it.”

“Then how about I…”

“I’m keeping it.”

Lucberk cut him off sharply, clutching the two books as if he’d never let them go.

“Then at least let me place an order…”

“No.”

“Why not? You’re keeping it, but I can at least place an order, right?”

“It’s a dangerous book.”

“If it’s dangerous, why are you reading it?”

“Because it’s dangerous.”