There was no need to specially ask around nearby; the gathered citizens had already pieced together what had happened here through their chatter.
The fire had started at around eight last night. The raging flames had emerged from inside the library, which was piled high with books, then quickly engulfed the entire building. By the time it was discovered, it was already too late, and the fire burned all night before finally being extinguished.
As the open flames were put out, people discovered a charred corpse in the basement beneath the library ruins. Judging by the remnants of melted metal objects and dental records, the body was that of the library's owner, Mr. Booker.
The entire library had been utterly destroyed. The blaze devoured everything, leaving behind only the collapsed wreckage of the building and a few wisps of warm smoke rarely seen in winter.
Nearby residents watching the spectacle, firefighters, and police officers crowded around the ruins, making the once-deserted library livelier than anywhere else for the first time. But Mr. Booker, who was already dead, could never know any of it.
In winter, fires were actually quite common due to the use of fireplaces, kerosene lamps, and similar things. Therefore, although police had arrived to investigate, people still believed it had most likely been an accident. After all, the safe discovered afterward showed no signs of being touched, and the gold items and valuables in the likewise-burned basement had not been looted.
After learning the rough details, Shade still found the matter rather unbelievable.
He and Luvia got back into the carriage to head home. During the ride, Shade asked Luvia to divine whether the incident had truly been an accident.
Luvia was now a four-ring sorcerer like Shade. Using a piece of debris she had picked up