Chapter 55: Foras’ Rare Book Store
Translator: ShiroiKaze/Soyokaze Translations
Nearly half-way through the chapters!
Here’s so Yuuri for your entertainnt:
Once our stomachs were appeased, we started heading toward the rare book store.
Going a little way down the main road, the foot traffic suddenly decreased, almost making it feel like a different city.
“This sort of deserted feeling is nice too. It feels like we’re exploring.”
“Don’t co here on your own, okay? There’s usually slave dealers and their ilk around here.”
“Uh, yeah I won’t. Probably…”
After a short walk, Haster entered a single private house.
This is a rare book store? There isn’t even a sign out here, but…
I follow after him, and upon passing through the door, the unique sll of old books filled the air.
An enormous number of books were packed tightly in bookshelves that far exceeded my height.
“Whoaa…?!”
Though it’s often said that youth tend to lose interest in serious reading, I more or less pride myself on being at the top level of Japanese people in how much I read.
I was one of those weirdos who would mutter, “Books? Haven’t read much of those lately,” while absorbed in reading novels posted online.
With this many books in front of , of course I had to be excited. There aren’t many ans of entertainnt in this world.
Tracing my finger across the spines of the books packed into the shelves, I try pulling one out.
“It’s a manuscript, huh. It’s paper, but it’s quite old?”
“That there’s an illustrated botanical manuscript from two-hundred years ago. That particular one was produced about forty years ago, I suppose.”
“Uweh?!”
The voice suddenly calling out startled . Wh-where did that…
Looking more carefully, I could see a bald head beyond a mountain of books. Would that be the owner of this store?
“Ah, hello… Pardon the intrusion.”
“I’m supposing you’re custors? My custors lately’ve been quite polite. I’m the owner here, Foras.”
“I’m Yuuri Albine.”
This is probably the first ti I’ve given this na out. Using his na with mine is sort of embarrassing.
“Albine? You related to that mischief-maker of a sage?”
“Mischief…? If you an Haster, then yes, I suppose so.”
I have a feeling he wouldn’t believe even if I told him that I’m Haster’s wife. Considering how I look.
“There sure is a lot here. This is an old book store?”
“It’s not officially a store, actually.”
“This is simply where I keep all o’ the books I’ve gathered by my own interests. Though I’ll sell so of ’em if I’m feelin’ like it.”
“That’s amazing…”
All these books… Instead of just having a few days, I would like to try taking my ti slowly reading here.
But unfortunately, my current objective takes priority.
“I’m looking for a book containing detailed information on monster ecology.”
“That’d be in the shelves over here. Of the original texts, the newer ones’ll be on the entrance side.”
“Would it be okay to read a bit in here?”
“Long as you don’t get ’em dirty, go ahead.”
Mister Foras brought a stepladder over for . He must have done so in consideration of my height.
Maybe he’s also telling to use this in place of a chair?
Since there are manuscripts and similar types of books included, so of them have nothing written on their spines. I’ll have to sit down and take a close look at them.
“First… In order…”
I silently imrse myself in my examination. Thinking about it, Haster seems like he’s got nothing to do.
“You not gonna read anythin’ boy?”
“I’m here as an escort. If you have any recomndations though, then I’d like to take a look.”
“How’m I supposed to recomnd sothin’ when I don’t know your interests?”
“Then how about ways to make won really sing at night—“
“Could you please stop?!”
My head springs up as I protest. I take my eyes off him for one minute, and he’s already up to no good!
Mister Foras also huffed as he dismissed Haster’s request.
“Can’t be showin’ that stuff to minors, ya perverted brat.”
“In spite of my looks… No, never mind. Well then, do you have anything on labyrinths?”
“Guess the kid is a boy. Adventures with won, labyrinths, and action stories are your preferences then?”
“Being more specific, I should say that I’ve a budding interest in traps after studying them a bit.”
Since Haster doesn’t need to go through the world tree anymore, his trap research stopped part-way through. That’s probably bothering him.
“Traps, huh… I should have the trap encyclopedia issued by the thieves’ guild sowhere ’round here.”
“Whoa, hey, why do you have sothing like that? Wouldn’t it be dangerous if they knew you had that?”
“Bah, they happen to know how useful my collection is to ’em. There’s a little bit o’ give and take goin’ on.”
Mister Foras smiles as he laughs, while Haster responds with an exasperated expression.
I suppose with how many there are here, it’s probably highly valuable as data alone. Anyone who understands the value of things can understand just how much this is worth.
In contrast, anyone who doesn’t understand will probably only see it as a pile of paper.
“So there are guys among the thieves who understand the value this place holds.”
“If the ones orderin’ others around are idiots, then the organization wouldn’t be lastin’ long. Fact is, a lot o’ people in underground society are likely to take the opportunity to use my books.”
I suppose fellows dyed in the Mohican world down to their brains wouldn’t be able to accumulate knowledge of the past.
Among thieves who act as adventurers, those with trap and chanism disarmant skills are well sought after. But if that knowledge was never kept on the all-too-important thieves side, then the conversation would end there.
For the thieves guild, that’s probably the very reason why they ask people like him to gather information for them.
Providing talented individuals who are useful to adventurers. That’s probably also why they get away with having a dangerous na like “Thieves” guild.
“But I never woulda thought that mischievous Haster would have a relative like you, young lady. His daughter? A niece?”
“If I had to say, then I’m a slave to his lust I suppose?”
“Wha—hey?!”
“His slave?!”
“He treats well every night, so it’s fine, right?”
“That shitty brat, he’s finally gone so low that he’ll lay his hands on a child…!? I’ll fucking murder him the next ti he shows his face here!”
“Won’t be able to co here again…”
Mwahaha… This is payback for torturing every night.
But I would feel bad for him if I left things like this, so let’s follow that up a bit.
“I’m just joking. I’m actually his wife.”
“Either way is basically the sa. Young lady, if it ever gets hard for you, you’re welco here at any ti, alright?”
“I won’t have that. I won’t hand Yuuri over to anyone.”
“Why’s the boy… Ooh, I get it. A lot’s goin’ on here…”
He seems to be convinced of sothing odd.
Perhaps he’s writing a love story in his head about a depraved sage toying with the little girl he made into his wife, and their young boy servant or sothing?
But more importantly, there’s sothing he said in there that bothered .
“That aside… Have you known him for a long ti?”
“Haster? I’ve known him since he was a little brat.”
“Oh ho. Tell more.”
“Oh no, don’t…”
“You should hear this too, boy. You can expose your employer’s embarrassin’ past in all its glory.”
Oh my… I absolutely have to hear this!
“Please, tell all about it. I will use it to pay back all the bullying he does to .”
“Hahha! Sounds great.”
And so, I listened to stories about Haster’s youthful misconduct until the sun went down.
The person in question was pressing down on his ears and writhing on the floor the whole ti, but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
~*~
Night ti, while having a al in the dining hall, Haster gave a comparatively serious sermon.
It would seem that everyone has so type of forbidden past.
“I never thought I would be the one exposed to sha play.”
“Uuhh, I’m sorry. But it was really fun, you know?”
“And while you two were out, I had to clean up the tragic event you left here in the dining hall…”
“Mister Oreas, could it be you’re actually bad with people?”
“I get that a lot.”
After waking up late and coming here for a al, he apparently got mixed up in the quarrel between the lady and the adventurers developing here.
Furthermore, the female adventurers were piggybacking on the lady, espousing their discontent and grumblings. That ca to a head with a physical clash between them and the male adventurers who had a long history without girlfriends, turning it into a battle royal-like brawl.
Since we were part of what caused it, he had to take responsibility as our fellow traveler. It seems he was left in the awkward position of having to clean up the dining hall after that ss… Sorryz.
“Ahem, so then, Yuuri. Have you finished your investigations?”
Naturally unable to handle the accusatory gaze, Haster attempted to change the topic.
Of course, I’m getting directly on board with that. Yes, I feel bad about it too.
“I listened to old stories about you all day, so there’s no way I could have finished my search. But if you’re asking how the harvest went, then it was a good harvest.”
“Forget everything you heard. Quickly.”
He probably thinks of it as a particularly embarrassing past. But it was a very important story for .
Unusually, I stare at him with eyes full of passion, and sincerely tell him,
“I will not do that. I can’t let there be any part of Haster that I don’t know about.”
“Wh?!”
In response to my statent, he held down his nose for so reason. His face is flushed too; maybe he has a cold?
No, I’m aware. I’ve basically just stepped on a land mine. Looks like tonight is going to be intense too.
Having a premonition of hard labor, I breathed a light sigh. Watching that scene, various parts of the dining hall spat out “Keh” noises.
“The atmosphere in the dining hall sure has turned bad, huh?”
“And whose fault to you think that is?”
“Want to go to the cafe where we had breakfast? The pie over there was really good. I want to try their other ones, like the apple pie too.”
With how good the at pie was, the other pies they have are probably good too.
Just imagining it makes break out in a smile. I once dread of conquering all the sweets in my previous life too.
My stomach is a lot smaller now, so I probably won’t be able to do that now though.
Seeing my smiling and slovenly face, Haster made a decision.
“Right, then once we’re done eating we’ll go for a light walk, and after we’ve made room in our stomachs, we’ll go and get dessert.”
“Yay!”
“Mister Haster, don’t you think you’ll be eating too much?”
“Actually, Yuuri could use so more at on her bones.”
“I don’t get fat regardless of how much I eat, you know?”
Since “Golden Ratio” maintains my body shape.
Upon my remark, this ti, “goddammit!,” could be heard in the grudging voices of the females in the room.
“On the contrary, your belly always bulges out after you eat, doesn’t it?”
“Co to think of it, it does. I guess breaking the law of preservation of matter really is difficult?”
Since my abdominal muscles are weak, looking at my bulging belly from the side shows the reality of it. It’s a bit embarrassing.
Almost like a child’s… Wait, this is a child’s body, but with the effects of “Golden Ratio,” that should be prevented for … Oh?
Might this beco so sort of breakthrough? I will firmly record this in my ntal notebook.
“Hmmm, this will need so research. Maybe this will be useful for sothing?”
“Well anyway, right now is al ti. Oreas, could you request a drink for ? I can’t order it when I look like a child.”
“Don’t you dare.”
When you get alcohol in your system, you go into sex mode, so please abstain for today.
While he bathed us in his grudging stare, we finished our al, and sallied forth on our night ti date.
And yet, it would seem his crazy sex mode was there whether he had alcohol in his system or not. It really was his endless stamina.
Reviews
All reviews (0)