CHAPTER 47: CONFIDENCE SHATTERED

"...Well, can’t be helped."

I sighed, brushing off my disappointment. The spatial pocket itself was already an incredibly valuable find—having one at all was more than enough.

Still, it would’ve been nice if something had been inside.

"Alright, might as well make use of it properly."

I decided to organize the important items first. From my desk, I picked up the Dream Orb—no, the Orb of Illusion—and the Sage’s Bookmark. Both were small and fragile, but their value was beyond measure. I carefully placed them inside the pocket, watching as they vanished seamlessly into the faint shimmer of magic.

Even after storing both items, there was still plenty of space left inside.

"Let’s fill the rest, then."

I grabbed a few things I’d bought from the general store—mana potions, some rations, spare parchment, and a few basic tools—and tossed them in as well. The spatial pocket barely reacted, as if mocking me for thinking I could fill it so easily.

"...Still so much room left."

I clicked my tongue softly, glancing around the room for anything else worth storing. My eyes landed on an object lying in the far corner, half-hidden in shadow.

It was the steel helmet I’d worn during Elena’s rescue.

I froze for a moment, staring at it.

Back then, I’d brought it with me so no one would recognize my face. I’d planned to dispose of it afterward, but for some reason, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it away. Maybe I just didn’t want anyone to trace it back to me.

Now, though, it was just... awkward.

A silent reminder of something I shouldn’t have been involved in.

"...Guess I’ll just put it in for now."

I picked it up and looked it over once more. The faint dents and scratches told the story of that night far better than I could.

"I can sell it to a junk dealer later or something."

Without giving it much more thought, I tossed the helmet into the spatial pocket. It disappeared instantly, swallowed by the faint ripple of magic.

And just like that, my secret, my treasures, and my strange collection of oddities were all neatly tucked away—hidden where no one could reach them.

"...Perfect."

I leaned back in my chair, satisfied.

No one would suspect a thing.

----

The academy library never closes.

No holidays. No rest days.

Unless someone causes serious damage, its doors remain open, and its lights never go out.

Perhaps that’s why the moment I stepped inside, the familiar warm glow of the lamps greeted me as if it were any other weekday. The air was still, filled with the faint scent of old paper and dust—an oddly comforting smell that seemed to hum with knowledge.

I came here out of curiosity more than anything else.

Yesterday, I’d been too focused on the immediate danger to think deeply. But now that things had calmed down, I couldn’t shake one particular question from my mind.

That golem... how was it charged?

When I observed it up close, there hadn’t been any mechanical components—no gears, no mana batteries, nothing resembling an external power source. And yet, it had absorbed my mana-based attack and converted it into its own energy.

That shouldn’t be possible.

Magic-infused mana is fundamentally different from raw mana. Once mana has been processed—altered by a spell—it loses its original, natural form. In simple terms, mana that has already been used can’t be recycled.

But that golem defied that rule.

It took in my mana, processed through Lightning Slash, and somehow turned it into power for itself.

If I could understand how it did that...

Then maybe, just maybe, I could find a way to recharge my own mana.

That possibility alone was enough to drag me here on a weekend.

I walked deeper into the library, my footsteps echoing softly against the marble floor. The rows of books seemed endless, shelves stacked high with tomes that looked older than the academy itself.

Eventually, I found the section I was looking for—books related to mana and magical theory.

"Etherica Theory," "The Fundamental Dynamics of Arcane Circuits," "Records of Universal Mana Flow," "Theory and Practice of Mana Conversion."

"Ugh..."

Just reading the titles was enough to make my brain hurt.

Still, I pulled one out—a thick volume that looked the least intimidating—and flipped it open.

Within seconds, my confidence shattered.

"...What in the world is this saying?"

Sure, I could read the words. But understanding them was another matter entirely.

Sentences full of dense terminology and abstract diagrams sprawled across the pages, like a secret code only geniuses could decipher. I stared for another moment, feeling my mind physically recoil from the onslaught of jargon.

Then I quickly snapped the book shut.

"Yeah... this isn’t it."

The sound echoed softly in the quiet hall.

I leaned against the shelf, sighing.

I’d thought maybe I could find some easy clue—some simple explanation hidden in plain sight. But of course, things were never that convenient.

I had come here boldly, full of determination to study.

But standing in front of these towering shelves filled with thick grimoires and complex magical theories... reality hit me like a brick.

Yeah, no. This definitely isn’t an area I can casually step into.

What was I even thinking? Trying to study this stuff?

They say a sound body makes a sound mind. So instead of torturing myself with these incomprehensible books, I should just focus on finding hidden items that can boost my mana.

’Yeah. Let’s just give up gracefully.’

With that comforting thought, I decided to head back to the dormitory. But just as I turned around—

Thud!

"Ugh...!"

A faint cry echoed from somewhere nearby, oddly loud in the stillness of the library.

"Huh?"

Startled, I turned toward the sound and froze when I saw who it was.

"...Viola?"

---

Author Note:

Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.

It’s my first novel, I hope you have loved it. Once again thanks.