“Limited edition books? We don’t handle such items in our store.”

As if pausing at the mention of wanting a limited edition book, the clerk’s attitude casually changed.

Elysia faintly smiled, seeing the shift as if the clerk hadn’t been paying attention, she might not have noticed. It was a momentary and subtle change. Moreover, when the clerk finished speaking, the atmosphere inside the bookstore felt different.

In the subtly sharpened atmosphere, she sensed that she had come to the right place.

“Limited edition books.”

“Guest, we don’t have anything like that.”

“Since I know everything, it would be better for you to guide me.”

It was as expected that she couldn’t enter immediately.

Any guild, no matter which one had entrances that were difficult to approach. To resolve the matter without being caught by Damon, it was inevitable. It was too dangerous for Elysia to go to a suspicious place.

“I said I want to buy limited edition books. Do I have to say a name here?”

“…You seem to know something.”

The clerk’s tone softened in response to her firm attitude.

Until the end of the original story, the true owner of the information guild used by Sierra was not revealed. Even though she didn’t know who it was, she thought it was a very cautious opponent. Initially, due to the name Solar, she thought it was a guild secretly operated by the emperor.

However, since it provided information that could destroy the imperial family to Sierra, it wasn’t a guild operated by the emperor. In addition, it resolved everything from murders to conspiracies.

Of course, among them, there were things that threatened the imperial family.

That meant it wasn’t a guild operated by the Emperor…

“Limited edition books are on a special bookshelf. Please follow me.”

Was this really the right thing to do?

Elysia couldn’t control her fluttering heart even as she followed the man. What she disliked the most was danger, and stepping into this danger now was like putting her foot directly into it.

‘…Remember. I have to remember.’

Sierra was adept at tactics as the female lead.

She frequented the information guild enough to call it her most visited place, not the party venue. The information guild was not a place for the faint-hearted. Given the nature of the clandestine business, it was extremely dangerous.

Those who came for requests were usually not in their right minds.

“Lady?”

“It’s not Lady. Please call me Madam.”

Elysia pressed the hat down over her face again. How did Sierra do this every time? As someone with a weak resolve like Elysia, her hands were trembling. Trying to appear nonchalant, she held her hands as naturally as possible and followed the clerk.

According to her memory, when Sierra first visited the information guild, she was threatened with her life. It happened directly because she went through without the proper procedures. Now, Elysia was in the same situation.

Since crucial confidential information could only be obtained through the guild leader, she was undoubtedly heading to that place.

“Come this way, Madam.”

Hearing the term ‘Madam,’ Damon suddenly came to mind. How flustered she was when he called her ‘wife’ from their first meeting.

“Madam?”

“Ah… No, it’s nothing.”

Walking behind the clerk toward the back of the cashier, a door opened, revealing a space filled with bookshelves packed with books. She thought the bookstore was just a cover, though she didn’t expect there to be so many books.

“What I want is not real books!”

“I know. I know what Madam wants. Is this your first visit?”

She made a mistake.

Due to her embarrassment, she ended up revealing that she was here for the first time. Elysia bit her lip, waiting for the other person’s response. She shouldn’t have given away the fact that it was her first time before entering the entrance…

“Unlike other entrances, Laduelle Bookstore is a bit picky. It wouldn’t be right for a space like this to be in a bookstore that anyone in the capital can see, right?”

The man pulled out about five books in order from the middle of the bookshelf, creating a slight noise as the bookshelf began to split.

“This is as far as my role goes. I wish you luck.”

Really.

Seriously, it was indeed the path to the information guild. It was just as described in the book. While there were countless paths to the Solar Information Guild, they all led to one place. The dark underground with no sunlight and damp pathways, even the large puddles here and there.

Everything matched the description in the book.

“I… I don’t see anything.”

Indeed, she couldn’t see anything at all. The only things visible were a few steps in front of her.

As she walked, she became fearful, wondering if there was an end to it. What was even more astonishing was that when she turned around, she couldn’t see the path she had walked. Clearly, this darkness was not natural darkness.

It was an artificially created darkness through magic.

Living with Damon had undoubtedly removed her fear. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have thought of walking into the information guild on her own. Even she thought she was insane. Now that she had entered, regret flooded over her.

She worried about whether she could safely return.

“How did Sierra do this?”

Sierra seemed fearless from the beginning. Unlike Elysia, who was excessively fearful, Sierra had a bold style. Many readers enjoyed this aspect of her character.

Still, Elysia needed immense courage even to lift her foot off the ground at this moment.

In the novel, when Sierra first meets the guildmaster, she is on the verge of death. It wasn’t just a saying, she was genuinely threatened with her life. Ordinary people might have been scared and begged, but Sierra did not.

Instead, she threatened the other person, smiling.

“Ah… wait….”

Elysia remembered that when Sierra first approached the information guild, she had made thorough preparations.

Just in case she couldn’t come out in time, Sierra had attached people to keep an eye on things.

“Who is it?”

Just as Elysia was considering whether to turn back now, a tearing voice, as if scratching the wall, echoed. The sound was so deafening that she had to cover her ears with both hands. It was a voice that could not possibly come from a human’s vocal cords.

If there was a guide to the entrance of the guild, there was also a gatekeeper guarding the door to enter.

A figure covered in a black robe emitted a monstrous voice.

“I asked who you are.”

“I’m a buyer here for information. Who else could it be? The hospitality here is a mess.”

Elysia tried to act as nonchalant as possible, smoothing out her voice. She mimicked the usual arrogance of noblewomen she knew. Nevertheless, it still felt awkward.

“This is not a place for someone like you.”

She didn’t expect the door to be opened immediately. If they had opened the door without saying anything, she would have been suspicious.

“That’s not for you, the gatekeeper, to decide.”

“If you want to live, go back now. I don’t know how you came to know the words to find the entrance, but…”

“Don’t forget your duty as a gatekeeper.”

What made the Solar Information Guild frightening was that they chose their buyers. If they deemed someone unsuitable, they wouldn’t hesitate to kill. And there were several levels of this, as the recent encounter at the bookstore indicated.

Most people couldn’t even pass the first stage, and this gatekeeper was that stage.

If they didn’t like the guest even a bit, they wouldn’t let you in and might kill you on the spot. It was under the pretext of protecting secrets, but Elysia knew it was not just that.

…This gatekeeper was an assassin, claiming to be a gatekeeper only to carry out murders.

“The black dragon fell into the water.”

It was like gambling.

Many people knew the words to find the entrance, but only a few knew the words to access confidential information. If Sierra had provided the wrong information, Elysia would have been in a dangerous situation.

“….”

Even with her words, the gatekeeper remained silent. Perhaps the password had changed in the meantime. The Empire’s use of dragons was truly incomprehensible. They feared dragons so much, yet they used them everywhere.

“Come in.”

Fortunately, Sierra provided the correct information.

The gatekeeper opened the door without adding any more words. After all, there was no reason for Sierra to mislead Elysia. If she had made a mistake, it would have been a problem.

“Aren’t you coming in?”

“A gatekeeper has to do their job. They will guide you to the guildmaster.”

The artificially created voice was indeed difficult to listen to. Elysia barely managed to speak, her face twisted in discomfort. The voice, resonating throughout the hall, made her ears feel stuffy. The woman introduced by the gatekeeper was waiting for Elysia.

“Follow me.”

Confidential information could only be obtained through transactions with the guildmaster. While it was good that she could confront the guildmaster, the problem was whether she could make a deal. Even Sierra had struggled, and Elysia doubted if she could do it.

“The guildmaster will be here soon.”

The guildmaster’s office was more old and shabby than she had anticipated. She thought that the guildmaster would have a flashy and luxurious office, but that wasn’t the case.

At first glance, it looked like an ordinary office. As far as she knew, the Solar Information Guild was not struggling financially. On the contrary, it earned astronomical amounts of money. Yet, the office was so run-down. Was she guided to a different place?

“Um…”

“The guildmaster is usually not in the guildmaster’s office.”

Before she could ask anything, the woman disappeared. Elysia tried to recall descriptions of the guildmaster’s room, but she couldn’t remember them properly. Perhaps this was a trap, and she needed to get out quickly.

“Where are you going?”

Suddenly, a man’s voice, seemingly from nowhere, made Elysia turn around. There was a man with blond hair and green eyes.

It was Conrad, the guildmaster of the Solar Information Guild.

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