“Of course. Though I’m not entirely sure, but it seems to be somewhat related to strange restrictions.”

“Oh, really?”

Kana focused her attention on his meaningful words. Kiriel spoke with a serious demeanor.

“Yes, I’ll share the information when I get a plausible lead and become certain. Also, Miss Kana, please let me know if you have any strange dreams or see white cloth dolls.”

“Yes.”

Kana accepted his words compliantly. Though she wanted to probe further, she held back since the current situation already felt dangerous enough.

Kiriel naturally changed the subject.

“Miss Kana, are you having any issues with the auxiliary magic tool you’re using now?”

“No. I’m using it very well.”

“Still, since you made a contract with a new spirit recently, we should check it. Let’s go to the magic tower after choosing a spirit summoner guild.”

“Sounds good.”

Kana gladly accepted. There was no reason to decline when he offered to improve equipment she was using effectively.

They ended their meeting exchanging light conversation and emptying their teacups.

* * *

When she returned to her room in the Round mansion, Celia gently flowed out from the pure pearl on her necklace.

[Kana, somehow I feel like you’re getting more deeply entangled with Kiriel than expected.]

‘Haha, they say if you can’t avoid it, enjoy it. Rather than worrying endlessly without finding an answer, I’ll just endure until the end. It seems surprisingly okay.’

Kana let out a half-resigned, enlightened laugh. The wind spirit readily agreed.

[I see. So you’ve completely let go of the reins?]

‘Well, somewhat. But there’s something else that’s bothering me.’

[Ah, the white cloth doll that Kiriel mentioned?]

Though Celia had never directly seen the librarians of the Otherworldly Library, she knew somewhat about them from her contractor’s complaints. Kana bit her lip.

‘Yes, it might be a coincidence, but I can’t help thinking about those librarians……’

[Hmm, carelessly poking around might cause problems. We’ll just have to wait until Kiriel shares the information.]

‘Yes.’

Kana slowly nodded. Celia moved back and forth in front of her eyes.

[Surely it can’t be them? There’s no way Kiriel met librarians that neither you nor your industry friends have seen, whether in dreams or otherwise. You said the librarians in novels only appear before supporting characters.]

‘But you never know. Though we’ve never seen such cases before, the librarians might touch something wrong or make mistakes. This novel is already full of variables, who’s to say there won’t be more surprises.’

Kana answered cynically with a snort. Celia, considerably shocked, unconsciously retorted.

[Wow, does the Otherworldly Library really operate that haphazardly?]

‘Surprisingly, it’s true. Senior colleagues say there have been many small incidents. When urgent situations arise, they hastily deploy capable librarians and resting supporting characters to clean up the mess.’

Kana felt a familiar atmosphere from her original world while listening to her industry seniors’ stories about how the Otherworldly Library handled things. Celia let out a hollow laugh and asked.

[So situations do get resolved?]

‘That’s why the Otherworldly Library keeps running, right? Just like in the original world, everyone grits their teeth and somehow makes it work.’

[Wow, that’s hopeless. Even though the spirit realm runs quite freely, this is………]

The wind spirit couldn’t continue speaking and let out a deep sigh. Kana silently gave a faint smile.

* * *

Before carrying out her schedule of choosing a spirit summoner guild and upgrading equipment with Kiriel, Kana attended a social gathering. It was a gathering where various factions mixed evenly without leaning toward any particular side.

Naturally, the main topics were the tea party of the princes including Letie and Cordelia, and news of the protagonists’ engagement. The fans of noble ladies and noblewomen moved back and forth as they exchanged subtle glances.

“Have you all heard about the First Prince’s tea party?”

“Yes. Unlike the Second Prince’s beneficial and peaceful tea party, I heard the atmosphere was quite unpleasant.”

“That’s right. While the Second Prince and Lady Letie showed off their close relationship, they say the First Prince and Lady Cordelia were precarious.”

A noblewoman shook her head. As she said, cracks were gradually forming between the two figures. They would eventually split up on bad terms.

“The problem started from scheduling overlapping events. The imperial family must have tried to cover up the monster slaying demonstration with the engagement announcement of the Second Prince and Lady Letie, but it turned into a petty battle of nerves……”

A noblewoman from the neutral faction made a displeased expression. True to her somewhat strict personality, she took a more negative view of the First Prince causing trouble by rudely interrupting the other party’s tea party.

Several others with similar tendencies nodded in agreement. Another noble lady whispered in a hushed voice.

“I heard from someone I know that the First Prince and Lady Cordelia had a big fight in the First Prince’s palace garden.”

“Oh my, when they seemed to get along so well…… You really never know about people. I guess everything that illegitimate daughter did is coming back to her.”

A lady who disliked Cordelia sneered while fanning herself. The lady who shared the news about the fight eagerly revealed more details.

“Oh yes, I heard they fought in the garden because Lady Cordelia refused the First Prince’s request. Apparently, she’s been avoiding using her healing ability, saying her condition hasn’t been good since she collapsed.”

“Wow, the person who eagerly showed off her healing ability right after awakening it did that? Honestly, her physical condition sounds like an excuse.”

“But do healing abilities even have problems? I wonder if it’s because it’s incomplete, or as the ominous rumors suggest, because she dabbled in strange magic.”

All the comments were criticizing Cordelia. Especially those who had previously found her annoying—they were the most excited. Ironically, some of them had even badmouthed Letie in the past.

When the conversation about Cordelia reached a lull, a noblewoman who had been quiet carefully spoke up.

“By the way, I envy Lady Letie. Distancing herself from the First Prince and getting closer to the Second Prince was an excellent choice.”

“Indeed. Though I’m not sure how Her Majesty the Empress feels, looking at his abilities and friendly forces, the Second Prince seems to have sufficient potential.”

A noblewoman nearby tapped her hand with a folded fan at the mention of the next crown prince.

“Shh, there are many ears listening. Watch what you say.”

“What does it matter? Everyone here probably thinks the same anyway.”

The noblewoman who spoke out responded nonchalantly while fanning herself. When an odd silence fell, one lady changed the topic to break the atmosphere.

“I’m also curious about what position House Serade will take.”

“From what I know, Duke Serade cherishes Lady Cordelia so much.”

“Of course he would. She’s the child of the woman he loved so dearly. Moreover, since that woman passed away, Lady Cordelia is her only remaining trace.”

“That’s right. His marriage to the late Duchess Serade was political to begin with, and they weren’t close.”

“There’s even a theory that Duke Serade, unable to forget that commoner woman, deliberately arranged a political marriage with a weak noble lady.”

As the noblewomen rushed to add their comments one after another, the deep family history of House Serade poured out.

Since this setting was directly mentioned in ‘Fake Saint’, Kana already knew the content.

Unlike her, the ladies who didn’t know the detailed situation sent interested looks.

“Oh my, goodness.”

“But doesn’t Duke Serade also value ability? Apart from being the child of the woman he loved, it must have been because Lady Cordelia wielded her healing ability well and established herself as a flower of social circles.”

One lady evaluated coldly. What she mentioned was also among the factors in Duke Serade’s favoritism toward Cordelia. Of course, he later supported Letie and abandoned Cordelia.

‘That’s why Cordelia desperately clung to Duke Serade, her healing ability, appearance, reputation, and everything else. Afraid of losing it all, she crossed the line to the extreme and even went after Letie.’

Kana blinked while listening to their conversation as background noise.

She wasn’t trying to justify the villain’s path. After all, she was on the protagonist’s side. While she understood the desperate feelings, she didn’t sympathize.

Even as she was lost in thought, their conversation continued.

“That’s right. Though not now, even though Lady Letie was legitimate, she couldn’t awaken healing ability and her reputation in social circles was terrible.”

“The structure was so clear that everyone understood supporting the illegitimate daughter. Ah, I’m not sure about the current situation though. If it were me, I would support Lady Letie.”

“Since House Serade is being reserved about it…… We’ll have to wait and see.”

As their conversation was concluding with a wait-and-see approach, Olivia, who had brought along a group of ladies, approached Kana and Evie who were spending time quietly. One lady asked with sparkling eyes.

“Lady Round and Lady Reas attended the tea party of the Second Prince and Lady Letie Serade with Lady Short, right?”

“Yes. As you’ve probably already heard from Miss Olivia, the atmosphere was gentle.”

Kana mentioned positively while giving a business-like smile. Another lady raised her hand with an excited face and asked.

“Is it true that the Tower Master and Young Marquis Hail graced the occasion?”

“Yes, both of them stayed until the end.”

At her plain and simple answer, the lady who asked earlier mentioned the rumor with shining eyes.

“I heard the Tower Master attended after seeing Lady Round!”