Chapter 50: Book fairy

Simon couldn’t make sense of the situation at all.

This tiny, human-like creature, almost like a scaled-down person, was dressed in what looked like crude scraps of cloth, with thin, translucent pale-green wings. He had never heard of anything like it.

Could it be some kind of evolved fly? Goosebumps instantly rose on Simon’s skin, and a wave of unease crept into his heart.

Seeing the little creature’s angry expression, Simon instinctively loosened his grip and muttered,

“What exactly are you?”

“You’re the thing!”

The tiny person in his palm snapped angrily, clearly offended by the way he addressed her. She grabbed onto Simon’s thumb with both hands and tried to bend it inward, as if attempting to snap it with sheer force.

But her strength only made Simon’s finger curl slightly. Realizing her tiny body couldn’t accomplish anything, she quickly let go.

Simon lifted her up to eye level and examined her carefully.

The creature in front of him had all the features of a human, along with human-like emotions.

He raised his other hand and gently touched her head with his index finger.

She didn’t resist. Simon could feel her smooth hair, faintly warm to the touch.

“So… can you tell me what you actually are?” he asked.

The tiny girl crossed her arms, looking smug.

“What a shallow mortal.”

Her tone carried a hint of disdain.

“I’m a fairy! Just look at my cute face, my tiny and beautiful body, and these gorgeous wings. I’m one of the most beautiful and adorable beings in all the world!”

She closed her eyes and tilted her head, clearly expecting praise.

“What kind of nonsense is that? I’ve never heard of it.”

That was Simon’s blunt response.

The fairy looked dejected for a moment, lowering her head, but then immediately perked up again, returning to her arrogant expression.

“A crude mortal like you wouldn’t understand!”, she shouted.

“Even if you are a fairy, whatever that is,” Simon said helplessly, looking at the proud yet tsundere little creature in front of him.

“You still shouldn’t go around attacking people.”

He added,

“Care to explain?”

Naturally, the tiny fairy had no intention of giving a rational answer. She puffed up proudly.

“Because this is my territory! So of course I have to drive away outsiders!”

“This is the academy library. It’s a public place,” Simon countered.

Though he didn’t understand what exactly she was, from what he could tell, she wasn’t some dangerous creature corrupted by demonic power.

If anything, she was more like a mischievous child.

Even so, the fairy remained completely self-assured.

“Just from the name ‘library,’ you can tell the main thing here is books. So books are the masters of the library!”

She lifted her chin, clearly pleased with her logic.

“What kind of twisted reasoning is that…”

Simon rubbed his forehead, speechless.

Then he added,

“Even if books are the masters, what does that have to do with you?”

“Because I am a book! So that makes me the master of the library!”

The fairy said proudly, fluttering her translucent wing, though she carefully controlled their movement so she wouldn’t accidentally take off.

“What do you mean?”

Her strange and childlike explanation completely confused Simon. He frowned, staring at her in puzzlement.

“Follow me.”

With that, the fairy slowly lifted off from his palm and hovered in the air, gesturing for him to follow before flying ahead.

Simon hesitated for a moment, but curiosity won out. He stepped forward and followed her.

After weaving through the shelves for a while, the fairy finally stopped as if they had reached their destination. She flew upward until she reached a book with a completely black cover, then sat down on top of it.

“Hurry up and take this book down. Do I really have to order you around? You’re such a stupid barbarian.”

Watching her provoke him nonstop, Simon clenched his fists.

He repeated to himself several times not to argue with a childish brat, and finally managed to calm down.

He brought over a wooden ladder, climbed up, and reached the book the fairy was sitting on.

After climbing down, Simon finally had a chance to examine it.

The fairy opened one eye smugly while winking with the other, looking extremely arrogant.

As if saying: You won’t understand it anyway.

Simon tried flipping through the book.

And sure enough…

He couldn’t understand a thing.

****

The black-covered book didn’t even have a title. It wasn’t entirely plain, its edges were lined with gold, giving it a very valuable appearance.

But once opened, it was clear that the contents weren’t written in the common language of the continent, nor in ancient elven script or ancient runic language…

In short, it was a language Simon had never seen before.

Fifty years ago, after the arrival of demons, all the races of humanity had agreed on a unified language, the “Common Tongue Agreement”, to improve communication.

Based primarily on the most widely used human language and incorporating elements from other races, countless linguists refined it into the efficient and inclusive common language used today.

It eliminated communication barriers, greatly promoted the spread of knowledge and cultural exchange, and became a cornerstone of the continent’s prosperity.

Because modern common language already contained features from many linguistic systems, Simon quickly realized that the text in this book had nothing to do with any language he knew.

“Can’t read it, can you!”

The fairy lay on the open book, laughing loudly.

“What exactly are you?” Simon asked again, unable to suppress his curiosity.

“You’re the thing!”

The fairy snapped once more, flipping in midair as she spoke.

“Just look at me! Look properly!”

“How would I know?” Simon replied coldly.

Hearing that, the fairy suddenly lost control mid-flight and dropped, only managing to flap her wings again when she landed on Simon’s knee.

“I told you, you’re just a stupid barbarian!”

Her face flushed red with anger.

“I’m a fairy! Of course this book is written in fairy language!”

Simon watched her flutter up and down, his expression completely calm. He had already figured out the best way to deal with her.

Indifference.

Otherwise, she would only get more worked up.

“So what’s the point?” he said flatly, casually flipping through a few pages before preparing to put the book aside.

“Stop that filthy hand of yours! You ignorant barbarian!”, the fairy shrieked.

“Then tell me what it’s for,” Simon said, watching her expression carefully, deliberately provoking her.

“It’s just a useless book anyway. What’s so special about it?”

“Just a useless book?!”

The fairy laughed in anger and repeated his words.

“You ignorant, foolish barbarian! What you’re holding is an incredibly precious grimoire!”

“A grimoire?”

“Yes!”

She lifted her chin proudly.

“What’s that?”

The next moment, the fairy lowered her proud head.