As an Ordinary person (Why do I keep attracting Psychopaths?)

Yuna and Celeste stood before the grand double doors of the Evigheden Academy library, excitement buzzing between them.

"I bet it's one of those grand, towering libraries with pristine bookshelves, golden chandeliers, and a wise old librarian who gives cryptic advice," Celeste mused, clasping her hands together in anticipation.

Yuna nodded. "Yeah, like the ones in stories where a single touch of a book might reveal a hidden secret passage."

With eager hands, they pushed open the doors—

And immediately regretted it.

The smell of ancient paper, dust, and neglect hit them like a physical attack. The interior of the library looked less like a grand hall of knowledge and more like an abandoned attic where books came to die.

Books were haphazardly piled on the floor like forgotten relics. Shelves leaned at odd angles, as if someone had given up on symmetry halfway through assembling them. Cobwebs hung ominously from the ceiling, swaying slightly as though disturbed by their arrival. Dust settled in thick layers on almost everything, making it clear that no one had touched this place in years.

There was no wise old librarian. No golden chandeliers. No hidden passage—unless the passage in question led straight into respiratory illness.

Celeste broke the silence first.

"What… in the world…" she breathed.

Yuna simply stared in horror.

"…I think this library might be haunted."

It was the only logical conclusion. No self-respecting institution would let a library get this bad.

"Forget haunted," Celeste muttered, carefully stepping around a particularly ominous stack of books. "I think it's a crime scene."

Yuna nodded solemnly adding a false made up statement scornfully. "Some say… the last librarian who tried to clean this place never made it out."

They both shuddered at the thought.

Still, despite the apocalyptic state of the library, they had a mission. Yuna needed a book on processing mutated beast meat without losing its elemental energy composition—a fancy way of saying she needed a cookbook. A very specific cookbook, considering her body could no longer digest normal food.

She also wanted a book on special physique human bodies, just to see if she could find anything that applied to her circumstances.

Celeste, meanwhile, was searching for books on runes and symbols, determined to conquer the subject despite Yuna's earlier struggles in class.

Now, the big question: how were they supposed to find these books in this mess?

Just as Yuna was about to suggest giving up and declaring themselves illiterate, they spotted a faint glow at what should have been the librarian's desk.

An enchanted slip of paper hovered above the surface, shimmering faintly with runic symbols.

Professor Veyne talk about this slip.

Yuna and Celeste exchanged glances.

"…You think it's safe?" Celeste asked. Now, she was full of doubt for everything, having her fantasy shattered of the imagined grand library. Grand alright but haunted Grand.

"No," Yuna replied instantly. "But what choice do we have? I refuse to spend another second in this cursed place."

Steeling herself, Yuna grabbed the slip. The moment she did, glowing letters formed in the air:

STATE YOUR REQUEST.

Wasting no time, she spoke quickly, "A book on how to process mutated beast meat without losing its elemental energy composition, and a book on special physique human bodies."

The enchanted slip pulsed once before disappearing. Moments later, two books floated toward her from somewhere deep in the labyrinth of misaligned shelves, landing gently on the desk.

Yuna snatched them up immediately, inspecting the covers.

"Elemental Beasts & Proper Preservation: The Art of Cooking the Uncookable"

and

"The Enigma of Special Physiques: A Guide to Unique Bodies"

Perfect.

Meanwhile, Celeste hesitantly reached for the slip. "Uh, books on runes and symbols?"

Her request was met with twenty books violently shooting out from various corners of the library, one of which smacked her in the face before falling into her arms.

Yuna tried not to laugh.

She failed.

"Ah, yes," Yuna said between wheezes, "clearly the library believes in aggressive education."

Celeste, rubbing her forehead with a scowl, muttered, "If learning is this painful, no wonder no one comes here."

Not wanting to linger any longer than necessary, they turned on their heels and made a swift exit, practically running out of the library as if something might come crawling out from the shadows to drag them back in.

As soon as they were safely outside, Yuna inhaled deeply, savoring the fresh, non-dust-infested air.

"Well," she declared, "that was a deeply traumatizing experience."

Celeste, still adjusting the stack of books in her arms, huffed. "Yeah, but at least we got what we needed."

Yuna hummed. "True. Still, I think we should pretend that place doesn't exist from now on."

"No arguments here."

And with that, they left, making a silent pact to never return to that forsaken library unless absolutely necessary.

Because some places were meant to be abandoned.

And that was one of them.

But…. Man proposed, God abandoned is not just a saying. They plan to stay away from the library but will the library allow them to stay away from it?

...….

As evening fell over the academy, the beast-hunting teams trudged back from the forest, their silhouettes growing visible against the dimming sky. Some looked victorious, grinning despite their dirt-covered faces, while others staggered in with torn clothes, bloody limbs, and the expressions of people who had just personally shaken hands with Death.

It was an interesting contrast.

The Crown Prince's team, naturally, looked pristine—like they had gone on a casual evening stroll instead of fighting for their lives in the wilderness. Then there were the Arryn siblings, who, despite a few scrapes and bruises, still radiated an effortless sort of competence. And of course, many familiar faces from the admission competition had returned, the ones who had fought together to bring down that horrifying Cockatrice? And Ozark Howler duo.

Yuna, standing near the entrance of the cafeteria, tapped her foot impatiently. Where is he?

Just as she was about to suspect that Austin had been eaten alive by a particularly aggressive squirrel, he finally appeared—limping slightly, his clothes torn, dirt smudged across his face, but most importantly…

Holding a package of meat.

Yuna's eyes zeroed in on it like a hawk spotting prey.

Austin, ever the reliable one, made his way toward her with "Here," he said, carefully handing her the wrapped portion of beast meat. "Sorry it's not much. We couldn't go too deep into the forest—too many mutated beasts, not enough time. The outskirts only had normal animals, but we managed to find one mutated beast."

Yuna gingerly accepted the package, her fingers pressing into the warmth of the fresh meat. Relief washed over her. Finally, finally, she had something she could actually eat without her body rejecting it like a snobbish food critic.

"Good work," she said solemnly, as if she were some grand benefactor praising a warrior's hard-won efforts. "Your contribution to the cause is deeply appreciated."

Austin eyes held a deep smile, a doting expression on his face. "I'm literally just helping you not starve."

"Exactly! That's why you're a hero."

Before Austin could respond, an unfortunately familiar voice cut through the moment like an unwanted fly buzzing in their ears.

"Tch. Of course, you'd just take Austin's portion like it's yours by right," Cailum sneered, arms crossed, his ever-present disapproval practically radiating from him. "Must be nice to sit around all day and reap the rewards of someone else's work."

Yuna blinked once.

Then, without hesitation, she completely ignored him.

She had better things to do. Important things. Like—

1. Getting back to her dorm and cooking this precious meat before it mysteriously vanished into thin air.

2. Testing out the cookbook to make sure she didn't accidentally explode her meal by ruining the energy composition.

3. Eating, which, honestly, was the only thing that mattered here.

With a bright smile, she turned to Austin and ruffled his hair like one would a loyal puppy. "Good job, soldier. You have my eternal gratitude."

Austin bend his head down obediently to let her reach his head more comfortably "I—"

"Shhh," Yuna cut him off, already turning on her heel. "I must go. Destiny calls."

And with that, she left.

Did she hear Cailum grumbling behind her? Probably. Did she care? Absolutely not.

She was on a mission.

Food first. Everything else? Irrelevant.