— Traffic jam, just got in, sorry sorry.
In the hall of the Musicians' Association, Elena kept casting anxious glances toward the entrance. It was almost time — why hadn't Lucian arrived yet? Today was his first day managing the library, and she still had to take him to meet Mr. Hank, the Association's head of day-to-day affairs. Even if he was late, with Mr. Victor's connections he wouldn't lose the job, but it would certainly leave a bad impression on Mr. Hank. In the future, he'd inevitably face criticism and petty obstacles whenever he worked, and if Mr. Wolf found out about it, he'd very likely seize on the incident to humiliate and berate him.
Standing alongside Elena on reception duty was a golden-haired girl named Cathy, whose eyes — green as the surface of a lake — studied Elena with a mix of curiosity and amusement. "Elena, who are you waiting for? You don't usually act like this."
The Musicians' Association always assigned reception in pairs. The first time Lucian had come, Elena had sent her partner off to lunch early because of George, and the second time, Cathy had happened to be escorting another visitor up to the third floor to meet with a director.
"A friend. He's coming to work at the Association. Lucian — you're finally here!" Elena, in her pale white dress and lovely as an angel, let out a breath of relief and stepped out from behind the wooden counter, walking toward Lucian. "Hmm? Why do you look so pale? Are you sick?"
Although Lucian couldn't see his own face, he could well imagine how ghastly and drawn it must look. The round trip to Sir Vein's manor had made the throbbing pain and dizziness in his head even worse, and his forehead was still burning. "I think I actually am sick — my head's a bit feverish, but it's nothing serious. Elena, could you take me to see Mr. Hank? And, well, thank you for your concern." This kind of outward symptom born from soul damage was not something a common charity-clinic doctor could treat.
"All right. The library work is easy anyway, especially today since it's a service day." Elena signaled to Cathy with a glance, then led Lucian toward the third floor.
Mr. Hank was a tall, thin, stern-looking middle-aged man dressed in formal attire. He didn't give Lucian any trouble, though — after a brief inquiry into his name, age, and health, he simply had Elena take Lucian to the library.
"Your morning partner in the library will be Piero Sandor. He loves music, but he's... an odd one." On the way to the second-floor music library, Elena introduced Lucian to his new coworker. She wasn't the sort of girl who spoke ill of others, and after thinking for a moment, she settled on "odd" as her description of Piero. "The kind of person whose train of thought is often impossible to follow. Thankfully, he's normal enough in other respects and not the least bit reclusive. Just treat him normally, Lucian, and you'll be fine."
Anyone willing to take on this kind of low-pay, easygoing job clearly had connections at the Musicians' Association, and Lucian wasn't keen on running into anyone too difficult. After hearing Elena's introduction, he finally felt reassured. "Thank you, Elena."
Before long, the two of them reached the music library. It was spacious and quiet, occupying half the entire second floor. It was said to house several thousand volumes on music theory and related subjects, the vast majority of formally recorded Music Scores, and every past issue of periodicals such as *The Musical Review* and *The Symphony Gazette*, along with a small selection of religious texts and travel accounts for the musicians' reference.
It had just struck eight thirty. No musicians or performers had arrived yet, and the library was nearly silent. A slender, delicate-looking youth with black hair and brown eyes sat in a chair behind the wooden counter, quietly reading a Music Score in his hands, so absorbed and serious he might have been a stone statue.
Seeing this scene, Lucian formed his first impression of Piero: "A gentle, frail boy — obsessed with music, as expected."
Elena called softly, "Piero? Piero… Hmm, this is your new partner, Lucian. He'll be managing the library with you from now on."
After repeated calls, Piero finally surfaced from the music, lifting his head. His brown eyes held a touch of confusion. "Good morning, Elena. Is it Sunday already?"
"Hello, Piero. I'm Lucian Evans." Lucian suppressed the throbbing in his head and smiled as he introduced himself.
Only then did Piero fully register the situation. He came around from behind the counter and walked up to Lucian. "Hello, Lucian. I'm Piero Sandor..."
The moment he finished his introduction, his gaze locked onto Lucian's face. Just when Lucian expected him to ask something polite like "Are you ill?", Piero suddenly said:
"Lucian, do take care of yourself."
The words themselves were harmless — even fitting. But the meaningful smile that spread across Piero's face at the same time seemed to say "I understand — every man understands," and the whole sentence instantly became very strange, as though alluding to some unmentionable matter.
"What on earth was going through this guy's head just now? No one could arrive at that conclusion without a long, tortuous journey of thought." Lucian had roughly guessed his meaning and now had a vivid appreciation for how wildly his mind leapt. No wonder Elena said he often said things nobody could understand.
Beside them, Elena quietly shot Lucian a little smile, as if to say: "See? That's exactly what I meant."
"Right then, I need to get back downstairs. Lucian, work hard — this place is the Association's greatest treasure. Learn to make good use of it." Elena pointed toward the books, Music Scores, and newspapers arranged on the shelves.
After seeing Elena off, Piero led Lucian behind the counter and offered a simple explanation: "Lucian, my thoughts are like inspiration — they pop up from all sorts of places, and sometimes you might not follow them. Don't worry about it."