Chapter 38

Beyond the Differences of Race

A racial war triggered by humanity's foolish madness.

After that terrible war where the entire continent turned into a battlefield and burned, the rift between races became deeper than the valleys of the Abyss.

However, after the desperate efforts of the church, the world barely entered a mood of peace.

After the war ended, elves, dwarves, and beastmen, who had each locked their doors, resumed interactions with the human world little by little in their own ways.

There were elves teaching at the academy, beastmen traveling the world on a warrior's pilgrimage, and dwarves conducting technological research after making agreements with human nations.

One of such individuals was the beastman warrior Nakhon.

As a warrior of the Great Grasslands, he was wandering the continent to learn about the world.

He was in the middle of learning about human society while working as a mercenary, an adventurer, or sometimes even doing odd jobs.

And for that purpose, Nakhon was also studying writing concurrently these days.

Actually, he was a warrior somewhat close to... a typical musclehead.

It's enough if a warrior knows how to fight well, what's the use of a warrior reading letters.

He was the type to think like that.

As a result, he had several awkward experiences ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while traveling the human world on his warrior's pilgrimage.

Like being scammed by a human taking advantage of his ignorance.

Through that, Nakhon realized that there are things you cannot do with just strength while living in the world.

And so he belatedly began to study writing.

Also because his heterogeneous beastman appearance sometimes caused misunderstandings.

He also had an experience of being called by the guards and writing a statement because people around were whispering after a child cried upon seeing him.

Since there were times he had to explain himself like that, not knowing how to read was quite inconvenient.

At the very least, he shouldn't have trouble when writing things like contracts.

However, it would be problematic to misunderstand that all beastmen are like Nakhon.

It might be different if it were the past, but the Magical Revolution occurred and beastmen are also changing.

After a conflict of opinions between those who value tradition and those who say tradition is good but one must also know how to flexibly respond to the changing world, they reached a dramatic compromise that they should at least properly study writing.

The grasslands are also changing.

Nakhon is definitely not the average of such beastmen of the grasslands.

And even Nakhon, who was a musclehead, realized the wisdom of life after experiencing harsh things and belatedly started studying writing.

The problem was... Nakhon was someone who had built a wall with studying even in his youth when his brain was still relatively flexible.

It was to the point of a headache for him, who used to go around singing such strange songs, to study letters now that he was all grown up.

"No, how does it make any sense that you have to know letters to learn letters..."

Moreover, it was even more of a problem because he was self-studying by buying textbooks at the bookstore.

Because letters are not something easy to awaken to through self-study.

If he had the ability to read the textbook, there would be no reason to learn writing in the first place, would there.

Still, Nakhon was making an earnest effort to not be scammed like in the past ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or repeat his mistakes.

Today as well, on his way back from resolving a request at the Adventurer's Guild, he intended to stop by the bookstore to buy something helpful for studying writing.

"Mr. Nakhon, you're here today as well."

As he was lightly looking around to see if there was anything that would be of great help in learning letters, the clerk, who had become familiar with Nakhon after seeing him a few times...

"Actually, I had a book to recommend if you came, Mr. Nakhon."

Suddenly held out something.

"This is?"

"It's something called a comic book. We couldn't get it in at all because the stock was insufficient, but we finally succeeded in ordering it."

Iliad Publishing Company was literally running the printing presses ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠24 hours a day pumping out comic books, but unlike text, there were physical limitations because they were pictures.

It's a completely different story from novels, where you could ask other printing houses for help if push came to shove.

Because of that, they were suffering immensely, unable to catch up with the demand across the entire Empire.

They were planning to expand the facilities, but those facilities weren't something that could be whipped up overnight.

Still, it was resolved to some extent this time with the help of the government.

It meant the situation had opened up enough that The Elf and the Woodcutter and The Character Expedition could finally be stocked in a bookstore on the outskirts like this as well.

"A comic book?"

"You always complained, didn't you. That your head hurts because there are too many letters in the textbooks when you're trying to learn writing. This is... Look! It's a book made of pictures."

"Hmm?"

It's true that Nakhon is, so to speak, a country bumpkin who had only lived on the grasslands until he came out into the world for his pilgrimage.

However, even taking that into account, he had truly never heard of or seen a comic book before.

He wondered if even the Great Chief or the Shaman elders, who were the wisest in the grasslands and knew the outside world well, wouldn't know about it.

"A book made of pictures? Is it something like a monster encyclopedia?"

"Well, it's not that. Like this, the story unfolds with pictures. So even if you don't know the letters well, you can understand what the story is about through the pictures. This should be helpful for studying writing too. I heard this The Character Expedition was created for that purpose in the first place."

"Hmm..."

"The price might feel slightly more expensive than regular books, but it will definitely be helpful."

Due to facility issues and the still lacking technology for mass-producing comic books, the unit price was on the higher side compared to regular books.

It wasn't at the level of high-priced luxury goods or anything like that, but about 1.5 times that of a normal book.

The time when a single book was equivalent to the living expenses of a family of four was a story from the distant past.

Of course, there were separately books at the level of true luxury goods made for the small minority of the wealthy class.

Things like that were items you couldn't even see, let alone buy, in a regular bookstore like this, so they were out of the question.

Even if it was 1.5 times more expensive than a regular book, it wasn't much of a burden for Nakhon, who had a good track record as an adventurer.

"Commercial tactics?"

Still, because it was a bit pricey, when Nakhon unconsciously ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠said such a thing...

"It's not?! Isn't it too much when I specifically set it aside thinking of you when there are many people looking for it."

The bookstore employee made a displeased expression.

At that reaction, Nakhon realized he had made a mistake and hastily apologized.

The sight of a charismatic wolf beastman at a loss was quite impressive.

The clerk accepted that apology expressed with a long beastly snout and drooping ears.

"So you're going to buy it, right?"

Nakhon, who made a face like he was thinking for a moment, nodded his head.

"I'll buy it."

"Thank you as always~."

Did I just get scammed?

Leaving that thought behind, Nakhon left the bookstore holding the unfamiliar item called a comic book in his hand.

Then, Nakhon felt gazes focused on him.

At first, he wondered if it was gazes of unfamiliarity directed towards a beastman, but it wasn't that.

Humans are envious of him?

Nakhon felt bewildered by the unfamiliar situation he had never even imagined.

Wondering what on earth they were envious of, he looked at where the people's gazes were directed, and...

He realized they were looking at the comic book he had bought and carried out.

"Could it be...?"

Belatedly realizing the fact that people were envious of him having bought a comic book, Nakhon felt bewildered.

Nakhon, who inevitably had to be insensitive to the culture, trends, or popularity of the human world, couldn't understand buying gazes of envy just because of a single book──to be exact, two comic books.

It wasn't even like he had gone hunting and caught large prey or dealt with a monster and established military merit, but such envious gazes.

It had already been over 3 years since he came out of the grasslands and lived rubbing shoulders with humans, but there were still full of things he couldn't understand.

Still, one thing was certain: it wasn't a bad feeling.

A sense of superiority that sneakily tickled his heart raised its head amidst the bewilderment.

A warrior's mind, technique, and body must all be robust, so what was this base emotion.

"I still lack discipline as well."

The wolf beastman reflected on himself and moved his steps to his lodging.

And after having a simple meal at the restaurant attached to the inn, he began reading for his writing study in his room.

Meaning he started reading the comic while having a dictionary beside him and looking at another textbook he bought for studying writing.

He understood it after actually experiencing it.

The clerk's recommendation was accurate.

It entered his head much better and was more interesting than when he studied looking at something full of only letters.

Don't they say a genius cannot beat someone who makes an effort, and someone who makes an effort cannot beat someone who enjoys it.

Above all, the story... is fun!

He came to enjoy reading comic books.

Previously, even if he wanted to study, it simply wouldn't enter his head and wasn't fun, so it was difficult, but this was fun.

He was curious about the next story and wondered if what he had just read was correct, so he would naturally concentrate on studying while leafing through the dictionary and the textbook.

"Love between a human and an elf...! I have to acknowledge this."

A love with a determined end due to the limit of lifespans.

However, seeing the figures of the two people in the comic who were all the more beautiful and rootable because of that, Nakhon forgot that this was a fabricated story and blessed their union.

"I hope they lived happily ever after."

Could it perhaps be that this wasn't merely a fabricated story but an actually existing one?

Nakhon fell deeply into The Elf and the Woodcutter to the point of having such thoughts.

Nakhon, showing a reaction like children asking their parents that after reading a fairy tale, felt as if he had returned to his childhood when he dreamt of being a warrior, not as a warrior.

The envious glares that focused on him leaving the bookstore.

If it was a fun storybook like this, it was certainly understandable to show such a reaction.

It was said that stock had started to release a bit, but the supply was still lacking.

If it were a novel instead, 'illegal transcription' would at least be possible, but that didn't work for comic books either.

If a criminal organization or something jumped in, they could do it, but compared to the effort put in for copying, the gains were small, so a group in their right mind wouldn't do it.

Because of that, it was a situation where you couldn't even obtain it through shady channels, so people who succeeded in buying a comic book were buying the envy of those around them.

So there were even people who tried to buy comic books specifically to brag, even though they actually had no interest.

A comic book that was even harder to get because of that bubble.

Nakhon now understood the reactions of the people he couldn't understand at first.

"I wonder if this The Character Expedition is also fun."

Nakhon, who had read through The Elf and the Woodcutter in a flash, brought his hand to The Character Expedition with expectations this time.

Reading began along with the expectation.