“Don’t get the wrong idea, Azariah. You still have an interview to get through. Although, assuming you don’t mess it up completely, you’ll get this job.” 

“That’s an issue, though.” 

“If you have that little confidence in yourself, I have no need for you within this library.” Her disdain is clear in her voice, which frightens me. The best thing for me to do in this situation is shut up, I know that much. 

She said we’d only get along in very specific situations, right? That means she must really not like me most of the time… “Let’s begin.” She says as she takes out two statues and a scroll.

The two statues are of humans, or some sort of humanoid creature. One is all pitch black and one is all snow white. The white one is male, has four wings pointed up into the sky, is wearing a toga, and blindfolded. The black one is a naked female, with four wings pointed at the ground, with its eyes exposed. I prefer the black one.

She unrolls the scroll she took out. On it is yet another complex magic circle, written in purple ink this time. It is absurdly less intricate and much smaller than the one I assume summoned me to this world. It’s only about 10 inches in diameter. As for all the details, it’s in insanely detailed drawing with all sorts of letters and symbols. The only reason I’m not impressed is because that first circle was even more intricate, and on an entirely different scale.

She takes that scroll and then… rips it into pieces. Eeeeh!? What are you doing!? I can’t help but stand up in surprise, and slam my hands onto the desk. 

“Hoh? That’s your reaction?” Miss Von Stein says, as if it’s the only noteworthy thing to come out of me during our meeting. When she said we wouldn’t get along she clearly meant it both ways!

“Why… why would you do that!?” 

“Calm down, Azariah.” 

“But-” 

“Calm down” Miss Von Stein raises her voice, which prompts me to shut up. 

“Tearing it up like that was necessary for its activation. Keep that sort of reaction for when somebody’s messing with the books here.” 

“Are… are all magic circles like that…” 

“No, that one was for a particularly complicated spell, and it only has one use.”

Phew… thank God… I’m going to take a vow to not make any magic circle you have to destroy to activate. They’re all way too pretty for that. 

“That reaction was good enough to trust you around the books and other magical items, but don’t overdo it.” 

“Yes ma’am.”

“So now, let’s begin this little test in earnest.” I feel a pang of energy throughout my body, causing me to flinch. 

“Hoh?” Miss Von Stein, as if impressed.  

“I know quite a bit about you, I know why you want this job, so what else could I ask you?” What kind of question is that? Shouldn’t you already know that? Up until now, you’ve struck me as the type of person to be prepared…

“Say, Azariah? Do you have a family name? Or is it just Azariah?” This question strikes me with a sense of deja vu. I really feel like I’ve been asked this question before. “Azariah” has only existed for a couple of days though? Maybe I’ve asked myself this, and I forgot about it?

“It’s just Azariah. I have no family name.” 

“I see…” We’re sitting in an awkward silence for a bit. This makes me really uncomfortable. 

“Azariah, what’s my first name?” The breaking of that silence gives me no relief though. What? How am I supposed to answer that question? Shouldn’t you already know the answer to it?

“Take as long as you need. You won't see this much patience from me very much, so make the most of it.” OK… unlimited time limit, that’s appreciated… Still though, I’ve never heard her first name, how am I supposed to know it? Looking at her, I can’t help but think whatever name she has starts with an L… I just get that vibe.

“You have 5 seconds.” Huh!? I thought I didn’t have a time limit!? 

“5… 4…” Ahh! Stop it! I’m not anywhere close to figuring this out!? 

“3… 2…” I desperately try to rack my brain for anywhere I might have heard her name, but I draw a blank. 

“1…” 

“Lucidna!”

Oh no, I got really desperate when she got to one, so I just came up with some random, fantasy sounding name. Oh God, I failed… 

“Huh, it only took you three tries?” What? I don’t understand what she’s saying at all. 

“Even I wasn’t expecting you to do so well. But yes, my full name is indeed Lucidna Von Stein.” Huh!? Her name is actually Lucidna!? But I just made it up!?

“Before you ask any questions, I used that magic circle  and the statues to cast a time looping spell.  I told you my name in the first loop and you managed to remember that information just three loops later.” Huh? OK… that’s a lot to take in all at once… magic can do that sort of stuff?

“That test is necessary due to the off chance you get stuck in a looping hallway or other spatial anomaly in the library. This library is filled with things like that, after all. Still though, even remembering my name in 15 or 20 loops would have been enough to pass.” Stop praising me, I’m still thinking about how magic can make time loops…

“I see you’re still in shock. Don’t get ahead of yourself, the loop only applies to this room. For the rest of the world, time has been flowing normally.” OK, that’s a whole lot easier to handle. 

“Are you done gawking now?” 

“Y- yes…” 

“OK then, let’s finish up this waste of time. Do you know what this job entails?” 

“Yes. Organizing books, doing what librarians say, help out people in the library.” 

“That actually requires talking with people. Are you prepared for that?” 

“Yes, I wouldn’t settle for any other job.”

“Are you sure?” Lucidna puts extra emphasis on the “sure”, raising her voice and one of her eyebrows. Fortunately for me, I’m on a high for getting so far into this without freaking out once, and learning time loops are possible, so I’m unaffected by this attempt to make me nervous. 

“Yes.” I say, with a newfound air of confidence.

“Alright then, you have the job.” 

“Really!?” 

“Quiet, this is a library.” 

“O- of course…” 

“So, the interview is over. We’ll discuss your employment now.” 

“Yes.” 

“1st shift is from 3 in the morning to 9 in the morning, 2nd is from 9 in the morning to 3 in the evening, 3rd is from 3 to 9, 4th is from 9 to 3 the next day. I’ll let you take any shift you want. Assuming you aren’t doing much else, I’ll even let you do two shifts. If you’re prioritizing money, my advice is the 4th shift, that one’s always understaffed.”

I see, so assuming I take one shift I’ll be working 6 hours a day, if I take two I’ll be working 12 hours a day. “What’s the hourly wage for the 3rd and 4th shifts?” 

“For the third shift, it’s 2 copper coins per hour, like the rest of them. The 4th is double that.” So, assuming I only work the 4th shift, that’s 4 copper coins per hour, or 3 silvers per day. Between the three of us, we need to earn 9 silvers per day to pay off all our expenses. I don’t know how much Kiaran’s going to be getting paid, and Aubrey doesn’t earn that much, so I’ll prioritize the group first.

“I want to take the 3rd and 4th shifts. Assuming I’m financially stable in the future, is it possible I can negotiate these down later?” 

“Yes, that’s fine. Just wait a few months or so, and I’ll let you go down to one shift.” Alright, so I’ll be making 4 silvers and 4 coppers a day now. Eeeeeh! I actually have a job! This is so exciting! 

“Are you going to be OK, though? You’ll be working until 3 in the morning.” 

“I’m a night owl, I’ll be fine.” Ha, I used to stay up till 4 in my past life. Working until 3 is nothing to me!

“Alright then, I’ll put you down for 3rd and 4th shifts. Eat lunch before you come in. Dinner breaks are from 5 to 6. We have our own food here you won’t need to pay for, but you can go anywhere you want as long as you’re back before 6.” And we won’t have to pay for dinner for me! Aah! Aubrey’s going to be so proud of me when I get back to the inn! 

“Come in at the same time tomorrow so I can give you a tour and tell you everything else you need to know. You’ll start actually working the day after that. You’ll be paid weekly, on Adasday.”

“OK, I understand. Is that all?” 

“One more thing. If you’ll allow me, I’d like to teach you to read & write, as well as magic later.” OK, this honestly seems way too good to be true. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just that with someone as interested in magic as you, and was talented enough to remember my name in that few loops… I’d be doing a disservice to the magical community if I allowed you to learn on your own.” 

“OK… sounds good.”

“I work the 2nd and 3rd shifts. We’ll talk whenever we get the chance in the first half of your day.” 

“OK.” “

That’s all, you can leave now.” 

“Understood.” With that, I finally get out of my seat and leave Lucidna’s office. Aaaah! I actually did a job interview! I actually have a job! I’m actually a working adult! This is so exciting! I need to tell Kiaran & Aubrey! I hope Kiaran’s already back…

><><><><

I’m currently walking around our inn room, all giddy about how well that went. How could I not be? I’ve never done anything even remotely close to that, in this life or the last. In my past life, I was actually super excited about going to school for the first day. I was super excited about just what it was like. This is a similar feeling. I feel like I’m a little girl again!

Suddenly I hear the door open. I feel a pang of anxiety, and stare dead eyed at the door. Luckily, it was just Kiaran. He honestly looks kind of tired. 

“Kiaran, did it go well?” 

“Oh, you’re already back, Azariah. Yeah, it did, I got the job.” 

“I’m happy to hear that.” Oh come on, I really want to start talking about just how well my interview went! 

“I’m going to be working from 3 in the afternoon to 3 in the morning. What about you?” 

“Huh!? Are you really going to be alright working that long!?” 

“Of course, I’ll be fine. What about you?” 

“Oh, I work from 10 to 7.” 

“Oh, 9 hours a day?” 

“You’re working what, 12 hours?” 

“That’s not what I meant. How much are you earning a day?” 

“Oh, assuming I don’t slack off, 9 silvers.”

Huh? 9 silvers a day? The amount all three of us were meant to be earning together to stay afloat? Kiaran’s earning all of that by himself? After I volunteered for 12 hour work days? I mean, we really should be making a whole lot more than 9 silvers a day in case an accident comes up, and I still like the fact that I’m spending those 12 hours in a massive library, but I can’t help but be a tad bit upset.

“Aubrey said he’d get you the highest paying job possible for you within reason. Just what job did he get you to earn 9 silver coins a day?” After I say that, Kiaran looks over to the side and puts his hands together. 

“It’s… it’s kind of embarrassing though…” Oh my God, he’s so cute. He’s setting me off… Now I need to know.

“Come on, do I seem like the type to laugh?” 

“I guess not…” 

“Tell me then. I want to know.” 

“The job is… uh… a servant boy. I’m basically a butler in this really huge mansion.” Oh my God that is so adorable. I really want to see him in uniform. 

“So, yeah… I’m earning 9 silvers a day now, what about you?” 

“Oh, 4 and a half a day, starting in 2 days.” 

“So, uh… including Aubrey’s job, how much are we making?” 

“15 and a half silver coins a day.” 

“Oh, that’s a lot, isn’t it?” 

“Yes, more than enough to pay off the inn fare and food. We should be moving on to getting into the adventurer’s guild soon.”

“Really! So I can quit my job soon and become an adventurer!?” 

“Please don’t, you’re making most of our money, and my job doesn’t pay enough to support all of us…” 

“Oh, yeah right, I’m sorry.” That, and the fact that you are working as a servant is just so adorable, I don’t want you to quit any time soon.