The great library of the city was both home to the servant of knowledge and the wizards who researching arcane magic.

The bookshelf of brown, stood tall, inside were numerous books, neatly aligned depending on their content.

Her nails touched the leather cover of the book, then gently took it and looked at the title.

The weave of weather magic.

A short sigh escaped from her lips, fixing the pink scarf warped around her neck. Liliana briefly checked the content before turning back, heading to the seat that she was in before.

She pulled the chair as it made a clamor at her feet. She sat, and placed the thick book on the table with a thud before opening its cover.

She read silently, just like the other wizards and servant of knowledge around her. But Liliana really stood out because of her beauty, and she would receive a fleeting glance from time to time.

Tracing the words written on the paper with her index finger, she kenned the letters inside her head, jumbling and deciphering what they meant.

Her wooden staff was slanted to the table, patiently waiting for its owner to return to her senses. Liliana was learning new magic that she could use. The experience points she gathered at the fight at the abandoned village boosted her up.

Fighting an enemy who was powerful than you really help you level up quickly.

The isekai novels that she had read, it was the norm for the protagonist to fight a powerful monster right off the bat. Defeating anything with magic or sword or luck.

But this world is not like that. The difference in power means death to the weaker one. That's why I need to be stronger.

At this point, she could only rely on Shen and Darwyn. Liliana was grateful for having companions like them, but she cannot help to think that she, was more or less a piece of baggage.

She leveled up and can finally acquire magic a beginner wizard could only hope for. But it was enough to keep up with the two.

Liliana perused the content of the book quickly, she flipped the page one by one. Only the sound of rustling paper and the chatter of people can be heard, everyone was focused on what they were doing.

The wizard was immersed in reading, that she did not notice the man sitting next to her, or rather, next to the other table.

A young man with reddish hair and flaming eyes. He was about the same age as Liliana. Carrying a book, he sat and started reading, too.

He looked troubled, mumbling something incomprehensible to himself. Cocking his head in frustration, wondering, confused. He was a beginner, that much was obvious.

His blabbering soon perked the ears of Liliana. At first, she didn't pay heed to it. Then it kept going, and on and on and so forth.

Liliana's eyes quivered in his direction and saw him pulling threads of his hair.

She remembered something as she watched the struggling young man. Herself. That was the reaction of a man who has trouble understanding the concept of the weave of mana. Liliana knew that feeling too well.

Now, she could go back and return reading, certainly, that was what a stranger might do. But the current Liliana was greatly influenced by the paladin in her party, so much so that she felt the need to do something to ease the problem of this young man.

“Um... Excuse me?” In the silent library, her soft voice resembled a lullaby, enticing all the listeners to look at her. Maybe Dawryn's obliviousness also affected her, she didn't perceive any of this.

Being called out by Liliana, the young man widens his eyes. “Wh-what is it?” His wobbling voice made Liliana chuckled, and he blushed in return.

“What's the book that you're reading?” She asked, pointing at the book. The young man pursued her finger, landing his gaze on what he was holding.

“T-this... Um, just a book for cantrips... Nothing special really.” He said shyly, scraping his cheek.

“Oh, mind if I see it?”

“Y-yeah, sure.”

With that as a confirmation, Liliana left her chair with mute action and sat near the young man.

The cold air wafted a hint of sweet citrus, tickling his nose and causing him to turn redder.

“So which is it?” Her soothing tone almost stopped his beating heart, holding his breath, he answered. “T-this one... A-about the levitation thing.”

“Hoo, I see.” She was completely serious, her eyes were only focused on the pages.

Her fingerprint repeatedly tapped the words as if marking it. “See here, the book said that you should at least have a good grasp of the weight you wanted to carry. A simple spell like this can lift up to 10 pounds.”

“I-is that so? So that's why it won't work on a sword.”

“Hahaha, using the spell on the sword is a complete waste. The force you could generate by this spell is only small. Maybe picking up keys from afar would be a good use of this spell.” She said confidently as she closed her eyes, puffing her small chest.

He does not know why, but she sounded so happy talking to him. A young man with a young mind cannot help but think that there were several meanings to what she was doing.

Their conversation continued with the young man asking things, and Liliana responding to it. It was informative for the boy, and entertaining to Liliana.

As the two proceeded to talk, something popped inside Liliana's head. “Why are you learning magic? From the looks of it, you're more of a fighter type.”

Certainly, the young man was slim, but his muscle was lean, she could perceive it even looking outside the shirt he wore.

He acknowledged it with a nod. “Because I want to use both magic and sword.”

“Why not be a paladin?” When she said that, a figure of a bulky man who was standing back appeared in the corner of her mind. This brought a smile—overflowing with fondness—to her face.

That sight of her melted the face of the young man, almost forgetting to reply. “I—I'm not really a religious person...” His nape became itchy as he reached for it with his hand and rubbing it back and forth.

Liliana let out a hmm before opening her mouth.“So the only path for you is the arcane warrior.”

“That's right.”

As far as Liliana knew, an arcane warrior was extremely rare, and if she got it right, the first S-class adventurer was an arcane warrior.

But it's hard. She thought as she stared at the boy. He needed to master both the art of sword and magic, failing one of them would lead you to be half-assed in both.

“There are only a few talented people that can do so many things at once. Always remember that you are not one of them.”

Darwyn warned her about this. Focus only on what was ahead, then solve them one by one. Normal people were, after all, normal. They couldn't compete with the might of the dragon, or the intelligence of the lich, or the speed of a wisp. They must do things the way they can do it.

But the joyous face of the young man made it rather hard for her to say it.

She buried what she wanted to tell along with a sigh. And then she gripped her palm, turning it into a fist. “You can do it...!”

Her eyes shone brightly with a determined look. She does not have the mental fortitude of Darwyn who could say the cold hard truth without flinching.

I can't do that...yet...

She couldn't bear the thought of this man being depressed because of her. So that was why she would do things on her own, the way Darwyn told her.

The young man was encouraged by the lovely tone of Liliana. His chest felt so full that he thought that it would burst at any moment.

“Yes...!” Fortunately, the young man remembered that they were inside a library and he did not shout, his voice softened but it was brimming with energy.

“My dream is to become the strongest adventurer.” There were no lies in his words. He really wanted to become the world's strongest.

Liliana beamed at him, her palms were touching as she smiled. “I know you can do it. Hard work always pays off.”

“Hahaha, I hope so... By the way, c-can I ask your name?”

The sudden shift in his mood was not noticeable to Liliana. In her past life, men wouldn't even look at her, not to mention asking her name.

She did not know that she was being hit. In her own terms, she was the picture definition of shoujo protagonist. A girl who was innocent to all but romance.

“My name is Liliana. I'm a wizard...!” Zip. She brushed the brim of her hat around then winked at him. This was how Liliana always acted, it was nothing new.

But for the young man, there are hundreds, if not thousands of ways to interpret that wink alone. He fumbled through his words before calming himself down.

“I-it's nice to meet you, Liliana... M-my name is Landers.”

His hand went forward, trembling. In return, Liliana grasped his palm firmly and shaking it up and down. Looking at his eyes, Liliana said happily, “It's nice meeting you to Landers. I expect you to become the world's strongest.”