012: Dean of Atlas: The Troublesome Daughter Is Finally Saved
The air in Alexandria carried a hint of sand dust, and the central square was bustling with people coming and going.
All of this changed with the arrival of a silver-haired boy. The atmosphere suddenly grew lively, and passersby who saw him stopped in small groups, gradually forming a semicircle around him.
Hmm, what's with this atmosphere…
"Everyone, please don't crowd around. It could lead to trouble."
The "boy's" words were very effective. No one said much more, and they dispersed, but the lively atmosphere had already taken hold.
And I don't have the right to say that either.
With that thought, "Novia" began a strategic retreat, step by step putting distance between himself and the crowd. Unlike usual, he seemed intent on leaving this place.
Just with words… Novia could attract ordinary people so easily. In just over ten days, he had turned this into a completely different space.
Shirley, disguised as Novia using magecraft, quietly glanced back at the crowd in the square.
It had been five days since leaving the underwater Library of Alexandria. As Novia had yet to wake up, Shirley decided to wait until he regained consciousness before reporting to the Atlas Institute about recovering the forgotten lost item.
Remembering that Novia visited Alexandria almost daily, Shirley disguised herself as him to avoid causing any trouble.
Thus, these past few days had been an experience she'd rather forget. Although she had observed him before, experiencing it firsthand felt completely different.
It was vastly different from the memories obtained via Etherlite. Somehow, in such situations, it felt as if she were closer to others.
It was a warmth purely from people, entirely distinct from the hot climate.
In short, it was lively, permeated with a thick, cheerful atmosphere.
"This is food. Please accept it, sir."
Snapping out of her thoughts, Shirley looked at the woman before her. She had some recollection—this was the mother of the little boy from five days ago.
"…I understand."
Ciel placed the handmade food in her palm. As the woman kept watching her, she could only take a small, careful bite.
"I'm sorry, sir. My child and I spent several days making this. It might not suit your taste…"
Indeed, just by appearance, it didn't look appealing at all, and the taste was quite ordinary—too plain. But seeing the woman's travel-worn appearance, Shirley understood she had come a long way, enduring hardships just to deliver this simple offering.
"No, it's delicious. Really, very tasty. I like it."
Shirley replied. She couldn't come up with any cleverer words, yet she felt the sentiment must have been conveyed.
Was learning magecraft to avoid becoming ordinary, or to help these ordinary people?
She didn't know. She only knew research was to prevent the end of the world.
The current Dean of the Atlas Institute once told Shirley: You are a transparent entity that extracts others' memories. You cannot perceive the ugliness of memories, nor resist the impulse to continue extracting them. Your life up to now has been walked step by step like this. Although you are undoubtedly the next Dean, I am somewhat worried about your future.
The Dean was mostly right, and Shirley thought so too. Her previous observation of Novia was merely to use Etherlites to obtain his memories at an appropriate time—because her ability was reasonable, unquestionable.
But only one point was wrong: her future absolutely had no problems. It couldn't. There was simply no reason for it.
The candidate for next Dean had always believed this.
"Congratulations. After five days, you're awake."
Returning to the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the girl lifted her disguise. Her purple hair swayed in the sea breeze.
Novia, who had woken up at some point, gazed at her. In his Mediterranean blue-crystal pupils were reflected the azure sky and the girl before him.
"Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."
"It's fine. Although it was a temporary contract established to conquer the Library of Alexandria, your contribution was greater than mine. So, taking care of you was naturally necessary."
Shirley said expressionlessly, her purple braid swaying in the lighthouse backdrop, but the way it moved felt almost geometric.
"Since you're awake, I'll now contact the Atlas Institute to retrieve the underwater Library of Alexandria. Regarding your contribution, except for the Divine Body·Osiris part, I will report everything truthfully."
"You're only contacting them now? I thought you would have done so right after we came out. Why wait until I woke up?"
Novia asked, puzzled. He had assumed Shirley would have reported to the Atlas Institute five days ago.
"After establishing a contract, we became allies—albeit temporary ones. But there's an obligation to prioritize preserving life. Moreover, I've already taken control of the Library of Alexandria's system. It won't escape." A few seconds after finishing, Shirley suddenly furrowed her cute brows slightly. "Please rest assured, I did not use Etherlites on you while you were unconscious. I did not extract your knowledge."
"Good. Thank you."
"Mhm."
Then, the two fell into silence.
Novia listened to the ebbing and flowing sound of the tide, watching the rhythm of the waves rising and falling. In the distance, vertical masts swayed in the glaring Mediterranean sea breeze.
Then, he overheard Shirley communicating with someone from the Atlas Institute—seemingly a relative.
"Dean, I've written the specific details in the report. You can read it there. There's no need to expend so many resources for a long-distance conversation. The loss is too severe."
The girl said coldly.
"Heh, just a pharaoh's relic. Never mind that for now. You tell me properly—how should we handle someone who goes out on their own for over half a year without reporting to the institute once a month? Tell me."
"I've already been granted the status and rights of an instructor! Anyway, whether it's taking matters into one's own hands or not has nothing to do with you. Even if you're my foster father, you have no right to do this."
"Hmm…"
Watching the girl whose attitude suddenly shifted from being like a machine, Novia nodded. Even though she was a magus, this was someone he could interact with normally.
Seeing the silver-haired boy's expression, Shirley seemed to realize she had lost her composure. She coughed lightly and continued.
"My apologies. The ruin was not the initially targeted Pharaoh Osiris's tomb, but the underwater Library of Alexandria, jointly created in the past by an Atlas branch and Pharaoh Ptolemy. I, along with another magus, conquered it. Detailed information is written in the report."
"Wait!" The Dean seemed to catch an astonishing word and quickly exclaimed. "You're saying this place wasn't taken by you alone? You formed a contract with someone else, without using Etherlite, through normal communication?!"
"Yes."
Although unsure why the Dean was so excited, Shirley answered seriously.
"Good, good, good! Excellent! Quickly bring that person to the Atlas Institute. I want to properly meet someone who has provided such great help to our institute!"
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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