Rustle—
A faint sound of pages turning came from deep within the bookshelves.
The corridor connecting the fifth and sixth floors gradually lit up.
Flora raised her eyes, looking toward the slowly emerging passage and the figure approaching it.
He Xi was first drawn to the books moving through the air on their own. Only then did he notice Fivik hovering in midair, as well as Flora seated nearby with her head lowered over another book.
"Teacher, Madam Flora."
He Xi dipped slightly in greeting.
"I'm a little late."
"You still know you're late?" Fivik said without even raising her head. "A little longer, and there'd have been no need for you to come at all."
Her tone was deeply displeased.
"I thought I'd have you come help out and give you a sense of involvement while we were at it, but look at you."
"Sorry," He Xi explained. "I ran into two old friends outside the Tower of Illusions and got delayed for a while."
Only then did Fivik lift her chin and gesture to the side with her lips.
Not far away, several books of varying thickness floated quietly in midair.
Some had mottled covers and scorched corners. Strange emblems still remained on the spines of others. One looked as though it had been stitched back together from shattered parchment, with a faint gray ring drifting around its edges.
"Those are the ones we picked out but haven't examined yet," Fivik said. "They're all books related to Leomund and Eight Leaves."
He Xi looked over, a trace of puzzlement flickering in his eyes.
Teacher had specifically called him here just to help search these books for information?
A sense of involvement...
Given Teacher's usual personality—if she could solve something herself, she would never drag someone else in to