The Wizarding World's Forbidden Book Administrator

Chapter 4 Liar! Monster!

Brianna left and didn't come to class the next day.

Aaron did not put "Basic Wizardry" and "The Curse Manual from Beginner to Expert" back on the bookshelf, but placed them on the register cabinet as usual.

Perhaps Brianna is just being lazy for a day, and will come back after that.

But Brianna didn't come on the third day, nor on the fourth, and the same thing happened on the fifth, sixth, seventh, and eighth days.

Aaron stopped counting the days after that, but the two books remained on the counter.

Who knows, Brianna might come back any day? Aaron was always ready.

Before I knew it, the days in the library had become long and boring again.

Occasionally, the radio would land on the parrot's perch and relay its latest sights and sounds to Aaron.

Aaron clearly remembered what was broadcast on the radio the day Brianna left—

The Earl of Lorraine Plains died tragically, and some of his vassals launched a rebellion.

Aaron knew this was the reason Brianna left, so he often kept an eye on related intelligence.

Time flies by, and before you know it, years slip through your fingers.

Nothing much happened at the library as usual. The only thing that left a special impression on Aaron was the information brought by the radio.

The royal forces intervened in the rebellion on the plains of Lorraine, and the war was quickly quelled.

However, the royal family seized the opportunity to divide up most of the Earl's territory.

Immediately, infighting broke out among the earl's bloodline, plunging the plains into turmoil once again.

Since when, the plains of Lorraine have been plagued by strange events.

For a long time afterward, Aaron received very few rumors about the Plain of Lorraine.

Until recently, Aaron learned that the Earl's lineage had reclaimed the territory that had been illegally seized.

Aaron sometimes worries about Brianna, but being confined to a remote library, he has no way of knowing how she is doing.

Fortunately, when he opened the "Banned Books Borrowing Record" and saw the steadily increasing number in the "Mastery Level" column, Aaron would smile with relief.

Brianna did not neglect her studies, and more importantly, she is alive!

One day, Aaron was surprised to discover that Brianna had completely mastered "Omiros Riddle's Notebook".

At this point, fourteen years had passed since Brianna left.

For Aaron, who has lived for over a thousand years, fourteen years is not a long time, but he couldn't help but sigh at how fast time flies.

Brianna should remember Aaron's promise, and might return the book at any time, allowing Aaron to gain the power that Brianna possesses.

Two months later, in the height of summer.

After Aaron finished airing his books on the rooftop, he went downstairs and saw a woman standing in front of the mirror in the lobby.

She was tall and slender with a waist that could be encircled by one hand.

Her brown hair looked very smooth, and her bangs were combed into two strands and tied into a knot at the back of her head.

Viewed from the side, her chin was very delicate, her nose was small and petite, and her ears were the most beautiful feature, with thin earlobes. Her focused eyes gave her a spirited look.

If Aaron were a thousand years younger, he would surely fall in love with such a beauty at first sight.

Aaron walked over, wanting to ask the other party why they had come.

Before they had taken two steps, the young woman spoke first: "You should have put those two books away a long time ago."

Aaron paused for two seconds, and the young lady added, "I have mastered it all... that book by Riddle."

Upon hearing this, Aaron instantly realized that the person in front of him was none other than Brianna Lorraine!

In Aaron's memory, Brianna had always been a little girl with many worries, but now she had turned into a slender beauty, so it was no wonder he didn't recognize her.

That makes sense, after all, fourteen years have passed, and Brianna has long since grown up.

Aaron's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say for a moment.

Finally, he smiled slightly and said, "Welcome back, Miss Lorraine."

"Yes, I'm back," Brianna said, closing her eyes. A few seconds later, she opened them again, reaching out to touch her reflection in the mirror. "The Mirror of Lies."

Aaron felt a pang of inexplicable jealousy: "So, in the end, what you miss most is this mirror?"

On second thought, she's an old demon over a thousand years old, why would she bother competing with a mirror?

He shook his head: "Never mind, anyway, you used to like standing in front of the mirror and looking at yourself."

Regardless, Brianna is back.

Now that she has obtained the forbidden book that Aaron lent out, it is time to take it back.

But how should he begin? Aaron lacked confidence in his speaking skills.

But regardless, let's say something first: "Um..."

"Shh," Brianna suddenly put her index finger to her thin lips, paused for a moment, "Seventy-three, I want you... to hear a story from me."

Even if the story is long, it won't take much time, and besides, time is the last thing Aaron has to worry about.

He swallowed the words he hadn't yet uttered, and nodded slightly: "Mm."

Brianna took a deep breath and began to speak:

"Once upon a time, there was a little girl who was the daughter of a count, and the count doted on her."

"Her childhood was carefree and happy; everyone tolerated her willfulness."

"But on her twelfth birthday, the Earl held a rite of passage for her and invited other nobles and their children to her ball."

"She was very happy at the ball, but after it was over, her father told her that she had to marry one of the gentlemen at the ball."

"The other party was the son of a duke, but unfortunately he was short and ugly, and spoke in a vulgar manner. The little girl did not want to marry him."

"The count rebuked her for the first time and told her that women should not presume to control their own destiny."

"On this day, she felt despair, and on this day, she chose to rebel. She was determined to take control of her own destiny."

She persuaded one of the count's young knights to help her escape, because she could tell that the knight liked her.

"They escaped successfully, but danger followed, and the knight sacrificed himself for the girl."

"The girl cried for the knight, and then resolutely continued on her escape route."

"One day, she came to a remote town, where she heard a rumor that the library by the sea might give people the power to control their destiny."

Hearing this, Aaron smiled and couldn't help but ask:

Did the girl gain power?

"Yes," Brianna nodded, "and she spent the happiest year of her life here."

"and then?"

"The girl heard the news of her father's death and returned to the count's territory."

"At this time, war broke out in the count's territory, and the girl went into hiding in the territory to find loyal supporters."

"She eventually found it and began her counterattack."

"She used the power she gained in the library, and things went even more smoothly than she had expected. She also became more and more proficient in wielding that power."

"In the end, the girl succeeded. She reclaimed the earldom and became the earl of this land."

Aaron then noticed that Brianna was wearing a gorgeous women's jazz uniform, with a gold-embroidered half-length sail-shaped cape draped over her right side, and a jeweled epaulette symbolizing her family and territory sewn onto her left shoulder.

This proves that what Brianna said was true.

Aaron smiled and said, "Isn't that wonderful? The girl has fulfilled her wish; she has taken control of her own destiny."

Brianna shook her head, her eyes lowering:

"But the girl did something terrible; she killed many people, even her own brothers. Hey, Seventy-Three, in your opinion, isn't this girl incredibly wicked?"

"A soft heart and a soft hand will not accomplish great things," Aaron replied slyly.

"But the girl who has everything is empty inside," Brianna said wistfully.

"Did the girl regret it?"

"No! She has no remorse whatsoever! When she murdered innocent civilians, when she killed her own brothers, and even when she witnessed the knight who protected her die at her knees, she never felt the slightest remorse!"

Brianna's tone was almost a roar, and her expression was so ferocious that she was afraid of herself, so she closed her eyes and dared not look at herself in the mirror.

After her emotions calmed down a bit, Brianna said again:

"However, there is one thing she truly regrets, something she regrets constantly."

Aaron asked curiously, "What is it?"

"The girl lied. She deceived the librarian by giving him a fake name. Although she eventually revealed her real name, she left the librarian after that day."

Brianna's expression appeared somewhat pained and melancholic.

"..."

Aaron didn't know what to say, because he had known Brianna's real name from the beginning.

But how should I explain this? Should I even try to explain it?

Before he could think it through, Brianna spoke:

"Seventy-three?"

"I'm listening."

"You just called me 'Miss Lorraine,' and I was so happy that I wanted to shout it out. My God, I've only told you my real name once, and you still remember it! But it's been fourteen years! You know, I often can't sleep. I'm so scared that when we meet again, you'll say you don't remember me."

Upon hearing this, Aaron, just as he had done upon first meeting him, placed his white-gloved hand on his black vest and bowed gracefully.

"Miss Brianna Lorraine..."

After saying that, Aaron suddenly realized that Brianna was actually quite particular about how she was addressed.

Wait a minute, isn't this the perfect opportunity to change its name?

Aaron decided to try again: "My name is..."

"Seventy-three!" Brianna interrupted Aaron as always.

Okay, another failure.

Then, Brianna grinned.

She laughed heartily, her eyes narrowing into slits, her face flushed.

Aaron didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

As the laughter in the library gradually subsided, Brianna's face remained flushed.

"Um, seventy-three?"

"Um?"

"I'm doing this for the sake of the library; it can't be without a librarian. But everyone gets old eventually... I mean... do you have any children?"

Aaron smiled wryly and said, "Unfortunately, I'm still single."

"really!"

As she spoke, Brianna excitedly turned to look at Aaron.

It was only then that Aaron noticed that this was the first time Brianna had looked at him since returning to the library.

Yes, she had been staring at the mirror the whole time.

However, the moment Brianna saw Aaron's face, her expression froze completely.

Brianna's eyes widened immediately, her face filled with terror, and she involuntarily took two steps back.

Aaron suddenly realized.

Fourteen years have passed, yet Aaron's face has not changed at all; he now looks even younger than Brianna.

Although Aaron had told Brianna his secret, half-jokingly, she didn't believe him.

No wonder she was surprised.

But it seems there's still time to salvage the situation.

Aaron scratched his head, feigning a clueless expression:

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to mention, I am the 74th generation. Everything I know about you comes from my father."

Brianna gritted her teeth and glared angrily at Aaron.

Her eyes looked so bewildered, and her roar was so hysterical:

"Liar! Monster!"

She shed a tear in the library.

Then, Brianna stormed out of the door...

"Squeak~"