Taking Roxy, who had been about to bury herself in her books again, along with him, Cui Ciyou headed straight for the Research Building at the Ranoa University of Magic.
"Silent Sevenstar... Nanahoshi Shizuka..."
They weren't exactly kindred spirits. After all, the Earth Rudeus and Nanahoshi Shizuka came from probably wasn't the same Earth as Cui Ciyou's.
The Research Building stood in the deepest, most secluded corner of the university.
A powerful barrier enveloped the entire building.
With Roxy leading the way, the two went straight to the far end of the Research Building's third floor.
At the end of the corridor stood a door unlike those of the other rooms, made of thick, heavy metal. There was no room number on it, only an extremely crude "Keep out" warning scrawled crookedly in chalk.
"This is it." Roxy stopped and spoke softly.
"Apparently, Miss Silent knocked through the walls of three rooms here and converted them into her own private laboratory. She almost never steps outside this door. The university staff bring all her meals to the door at regular intervals. She's the most mysterious Special Talent Student at this university."
Then she added irritably, "And she never attends classes."
Cui Ciyou gathered his thoughts, then raised his hand and gently knocked three times on the cold metal door.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking echoed through the silent corridor.
A moment later, a slightly hoarse female voice, laden with impatience and exhaustion, came muffled through the door.
"...Come in."
The reply was brief, as though one more word would have been a waste of precious life.
Then Cui Ciyou slowly pushed the heavy metal door open a crack.
An even stronger, strange odor-a mixture of musty paper and unidentified chemicals-immediately hit them, making both of them instinctively frown.
When they