On the page the woman showed, the same geometric patterns etched in Martina’s memory were indeed depicted. Furthermore, the stains the woman pointed out were there as well.
“You’re absolutely right…”
(These patterns are identical to those in The Pursuit of Aesthetic Balance. And this stain—it was present on that page too. Now that I think about it, I’ve seen similar geometric patterns and stains in another book in the past. With three such occurrences, could this mean something significant?)
When Martina shared with the woman about the other geometric patterns and stains she had encountered, the woman furrowed her brow.
“If there were only two, one might dismiss it as overthinking, but with three, there does seem to be some intent behind it.”
“Yes. It might be worth investigating. These geometric patterns resemble magic circles to some degree.”
The two nodded at each other with resolute expressions and decided to perfectly replicate the pages Martina had seen, including the stains, and insert them into a historical reference book for safekeeping.
Martina mentally laid out the three pages side by side, pondering if anything could be gleaned from them. But with so little information, she struggled to grasp any clues.
(If I could find a few more examples, I feel like something might start to make sense.)
As she carefully and accurately replicated the patterns, the woman watched Martina with admiration.
“I’m always amazed when I see this.”
“Thank you… Alright, it’s done. Could you place this in the history book?”
“Of course. Thank you.”
After seeing the woman bow her head and return to her seat, Martina decided to ask the others if they had seen any books containing similar geometric patterns.
She pulled out another blank sheet of paper and began replicating the patterns flawlessly once again.
“Lady Laforet, I have something to discuss—”
And so, Martina’s morning flew by in a blur of activity.
When lunchtime arrived, Martina exited the archive. Standing by the door, ever-watchful, was Sasha, who cast sharp glances around as he diligently carried out his role as her guard.
Martina called out to him.
“Sasha, thank you for your hard work. It’s lunchtime, so I’m heading to the dining hall.”
Sasha turned around at her words, his stern expression softening into a grin.
“Understood. Honestly, I’m starving, so that’s great news!”
“Then let’s get going quickly.”
Watching Sasha head cheerfully toward the palace library’s entrance, Martina resolved to make a conscious effort not to forget about lunch.
(If I don’t go with him, Sasha might miss his lunch… But, maybe he could just leave me behind like Roland does?)
Martina’s thoughts began to shift away from remembering lunch to wondering how Sasha might act if she forgot about it. Seeing her deep in thought, Sasha leaned in, a puzzled look on his face.
“What’s up? Stomachache or something?”
“No, that’s not it. I was just thinking that if I ever forget lunch, maybe you could head to the dining hall on your own.”
“Now that you mention it, didn’t you say yesterday that you forgot to eat?”
“Yes. When I get absorbed in a book, it happens all too often…”
As Martina smiled wryly, Sasha, now looking quite serious, declared firmly:
“Martina, eating’s important. You won’t grow properly if you skip meals. So from now on, I’ll make sure to remind you when it’s lunchtime!”
When Sasha flashed her a bright grin, showing his teeth, Martina was about to thank him when they ran into Roland, who was coming down another corridor toward the dining hall.
“Oh, Roland.”
“Martina, Sasha, I’m glad I caught you. I was meeting Haruka and figured Martina would also head to the dining hall, so I came this way.”
“I see.”
As Roland joined them on their walk, Martina asked:
“Roland, about yesterday’s lunch—did I cause you to miss your meal? You didn’t skip it because of me, did you?”
Since Roland had become her guard, they had always eaten lunch together. Only now did she realize that she might have unintentionally left him hanging the day before.
“Don’t worry, I ate. I even called out to you, but you were so engrossed in that book, and you told me you didn’t need lunch.”
“…I have no memory of that.”
“Haha, when Martina’s focused, she’s really something.”
Roland laughed warmly and placed a hand on Sasha’s shoulder.
“Sasha, make sure Martina maintains a healthy lifestyle. Even if she absentmindedly turns you down, don’t give up.”
“Got it!”
Sasha nodded with a determined gaze, and Martina felt a pang of guilt.
(I’ll make sure to eat lunch from now on. For Roland and Sasha’s sake—and so I can spend time with Haruka.)
As Martina made her somewhat shaky resolution, Roland placed a hand on her shoulder.
“Martina, research doesn’t yield results overnight. Don’t overdo it.”
His words made Martina realize she had been pushing herself harder than she thought. She wanted to complete the return magic circle as quickly as possible for Haruka’s sake, to ease her mind.
“I understand.”
“If you push yourself too hard and get sick, Haruka will be upset. And, of course, so will we.”
Roland’s gentle smile and kind words filled Martina with warmth. She nodded firmly.
“Thank you. I’ll be more careful.”
