Chapter 06
“Phew—”
There were a series of actions that needed to be taken to obtain information here.
Taking a deep breath, Daphne followed the steps exactly as she had seen in the original story.
She slowly looked through every bookshelf in the store before walking up to the counter.
Then, she spoke the code phrase.
“Shopkeeper, the book I want isn’t here.”
“Would you like me to find it for you?”
If she simply agreed to this, she would be treated as a regular customer.
“No, I must have looked in the wrong place. I’ll search again.”
She had to go through the process one more time.
Just as before, she walked through the store again, starting near the counter and working her way to the back.
When she reached the last bookshelf for the second time and returned to the counter, the old man had already closed the book he had been reading.
“Still no luck?”
“No.”
“Please write down the title of the book you’re looking for here.”
The old man handed her a piece of paper and a pen.
Daphne took the pen and wrote down a single word.
“Phantom”
The old man read the word and slowly looked up at her.
His expression was hard to read—was he surprised? That would make sense.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
The old man stared at her as if trying to determine whether she was lying or telling the truth.
After a moment, he folded the paper in half, placed it inside the book he had been reading, and closed it.
“Please wait a moment.”
Not even a minute had passed before he reopened the book and checked the slip of paper.
‘Is that how they communicate?’
After reading it, the man held the paper over the flickering candlelight.
The slip of paper burned away completely, vanishing without a trace.
“Follow me.”
She had been granted permission.
Daphne had asked to meet the Duke of Anax, but she hadn’t expected him to be here.
At the very least, she assumed she would meet the branch leader.
Once she did, she could request a direct meeting under certain conditions.
The old man walked around the bookstore, pulling books from the shelves and returning them in a specific order.
Woong—
The floor vibrated slightly.
When Daphne turned her head, she saw a section of the bookshelf transforming into a doorway.
“Magic?”
She had heard that only a few people could use magic.
Mana was something one had to be born with.
Not only that but the amount of mana each person possessed varied, making skilled magic users extremely rare.
The old man ignored her question and simply opened the door.
Beyond it was complete darkness.
“Follow me.”
He stepped inside first.
Daphne quickly followed, sticking close behind him so she wouldn’t lose sight of him.
The moment her body fully crossed the threshold, the door automatically closed behind her.
At the same time, the darkness vanished, and the space was illuminated.
Her mouth fell open in shock.
The area before her was impossibly vast—far too large to be inside a small bookstore.
The space was filled with mysterious staircases and doors.
The staircases twisted and turned in impossible ways, some even appearing upside down.
Was this space warped?
“The path is complicated, so stay close.”
“…We have to walk?”
“Yes.”
Daphne let out a deep sigh as she looked at the endless staircases ahead.
For a moment, she seriously considered just turning back.
By the time her legs were shaking from exhaustion, the old man finally stopped.
“This is the room.”
At the end of a luxurious hallway stood a single dark brown door.
“You’ll go in alone. I will return when your business is finished.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and one more thing. Did you come here alone?”
Daphne shook her head.
“In that case, it seems we have an uninvited guest. Understood. Please enjoy your time.”
With that, the old man closed the door.
As soon as it shut, the door slowly faded away, leaving only a solid wall behind.
“Uninvited guest?”
She frowned in confusion before quickly realizing what he meant.
“So they assigned someone to watch me.”
It made sense.
She had caused quite a stir recently.
Until the Marquis returned, the Baron would want to keep a close eye on her.
“…”
There was no time to waste.
If she was being watched, she needed to complete her task quickly and return home.
Knock, knock—
Standing before the door, she lightly knocked.
Silence followed.
She patiently waited for a response.
After a short pause, a voice, devoid of emotion, answered.
“Come in.”
Daphne slowly opened the door and stepped inside.
The room was extravagant, completely unlike the orphanage director’s office she had once known.
At the center of the room was a chaise lounge.
Lounging lazily atop it was a man with long pink hair, wearing a mask that covered half his face.
Though his eyes were hidden, his lips curled into a faint smile.
In his hand, he casually toyed with an unlit cigar, having just cut its tip.
After a moment, he set the cigar down on an ashtray and gestured toward the chair across from him.
“Have a seat.”
Daphne took the offered seat, and the man adjusted his posture, sitting up slightly.
His long pink hair cascaded over the lounge chair, shimmering with each movement.
“You asked to meet Phantom?”
For a brief moment, she found herself wondering how he maintained such flawless hair.
But she quickly refocused.
“Yes. Can I meet him?”
The man chuckled softly as if contemplating something.
“I must meet him,” she pressed.
“You refer to him as ‘he.’ Does that mean you know who he is?”
“And if I do?”
“Would you be willing to tell me how?”
“I should keep at least one card to myself, shouldn’t I?”
Daphne smiled, refusing to reveal any more.
Seeing her unwavering confidence, the man ran his fingers through his hair.
Even with his face partially covered, his movements were graceful, almost artistic.
“You’re quite lucky,” he finally said.
“What do you mean?”
“The Phantom you’ve been searching for…”
He smirked.
“…is me.”
“…What?”
The real Phantom?
The original story had never revealed what he looked like.
There were even rumors—some said he had terrible burn scars, others claimed he was hideous beyond words.
Daphne quickly regained her composure.
“And how do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“You’re quite cautious. A good trait in this world.”
The man’s smile briefly faded.
Though his lips still curved slightly, his words carried a subtle warning.
“As much as you have the freedom to believe me or not, we also have the freedom to choose which requests we accept.”
It was a veiled threat.
Most people probably would have relented at this point.
But Daphne had no other options.
She had to be certain.
“So, are you saying you won’t take my request?”
“If you don’t believe me, I’ll simply prove it.”
With that, he rang a small bell.
Moments later, the old man from earlier entered.
“You called?”
“We need a truth-seeing spell.”
Daphne’s eyes widened in shock.
The old man, as if accustomed to this request, flipped through a book and tore out a page.
It bore a complex magic circle.
Without hesitation, the masked man cut his finger and smeared blood onto the paper.
Immediately, the spell glowed red and pulsed with energy.
“Ugh—”
Daphne instinctively turned away from the bright light.
As the glow faded, she slowly opened her eyes.
“Now, state what you wish to verify,” the man said, locking eyes with her.
Then, he spoke.
“I am the Phantom of this guild.”
The old man began chanting an incantation in response.
The spell shimmered, and the symbols lifted into the air, dissolving one by one.
The old man turned to Daphne.
“If he had lied, the spell would have attacked his heart instantly. Since the magic circle has faded, it means he spoke the truth.”
A soft clink echoed as something hit the table.
It was the mask the man had been wearing.
Daphne turned to look at him.
He was stunningly beautiful.
Far from the rumors, his appearance was beyond perfection—as if sculpted by the gods themselves.
But what stood out the most were his golden eyes, gleaming with an intense, piercing light.
He smirked.
“Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Theophanes Anax, ruler of Anax and Phantom of this guild.”
