Chapter 367: Responsibility (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 367: Responsibility (5)
She was almost six feet tall, but thanks to her good proportions and lean muscles, Ainar didn't look too bulky.
It's strange to be looking up at her.
She must have erased the essence of the Bone Knight.
It was strange to see Ainar again after so long. After all, I was used to the way she looked after her body shrank all those years ago in the rift. Well, if I combed through my memories, I could still see remnants of the old Ainar in this woman's face.
She looked so young back then.
Ainar had become much more mature than she looked in my memories. Though maybe it was more a difference in the way she held herself than a change in her face itself.
"Haha! It's not weird to fall asleep while reading a book. Are you discriminating against me for being a barbarian?"
"Um... th-that's not it. R-Really—"
"I'm joking! Joking! I promise not to cause any more trouble, so let me off the hook, okay?"
I sensed an ease in her hearty laughter, and her speaking skills had improved considerably. She was messing around with the other person and even naturally fostered an atmosphere that made it hard for them to scold her. I was honestly impressed. She was now able to use the characteristics of the barbarian tribe to her advantage.
"...Okay, if you say so."
"Haha, thanks! Ah, do you want some beef jerky?"
"...It's all right. And food is not permitted—"
"I know! It's just that you're so skinny. Now, go! You must be busy!" Ainar practically pushed the librarian in the back to shoo her away and opened a book, likely as a way of keeping her promise not to fall asleep.
She... reads now?
For some reason, I felt my heart swell. I spent some time pretending to read while secretly observing her from across the library.
"Mm..." Ainar frowned. It seemed she was stumped by a part of the book. But even this served to prove how much she had changed. "Hey, friend!" She called out to me without hesitation.
"...Are you talking to me?"
"Haha, you're strange, friend! Is there anyone else here? Can you come here and read this for me?"
Huh, to think she would call a human her friend and go so far as to ask one for help. Do... I look like a barbarian to her?
"Don't be scared! I won't hurt you!"
"It's not because I'm scared, I'm just surprised. I thought barbarians hated humans."
"That's all prejudice! Well, I was like that at one point, but I slowly realized there's no reason to dislike you."
Hmm, I don't think she mistook me for a barbarian.
I didn't think she made any connection between me and Bjorn Yandel, either, so I headed over to her table as requested.
"I'm reading this part here and I just can't understand this word. Can you tell me what it means?"
"This reads... logistics. It refers to a branch of the military that manages and supplies goods."
"Branch? What is that? It sounds interesting."
Why is she reading a book on the military if she doesn't even know that?
It was ridiculous, but I decided to answer her question. When I looked at the pile of books stacked next to her, I saw there were various genres other than military nonfiction. Most were history books.
She's reading these?
"Anyway, thanks! I can finish the rest thanks to you!"
When I finished explaining the word to her, Ainar returned her attention to her reading and I returned to my seat as well. Some time passed, and eventually, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Why are you reading that book?"
"Huh? Are you picking a fight with me?"
"No, that's not it..."
"Haha! Don't make that face. I know I must look strange!"
Jeez, she's really screwing with people now.
As I watched, Ainar's bright laughter soon dried up as her expression shifted to something more serious. "The warrior I respected most in the world often read books. Well, I'll never be able to follow in his footsteps... But I have to do something." There's a slight, lonely tinge to her tone.
I recalled what Erwen and Raven informed me Ainar was up to.
After I died... she declared that she would become a chieftain.
I had been considered a strong candidate, but once I died, she had boldly expressed her own ambitions to the tribesmen. At first, they were skeptical, but as time passed, more people began to support her, and now she was practically considered the next successor.
Suddenly, Ainar looked at me. "Anyway... this is a little disappointing."
"What is?"
"If you were born a barbarian, you would have been quite handsome."
"...Is that so?"
"Anyway, it's fate that we met here, so why don't we introduce ourselves? I am Ainar, the second daughter of Fenelin. You are?"
"Riehen Schuitz." When I revealed my pseudonym, Ainar seemed to think it over for a moment as if to commit it to memory. Then she handed me some of the books from her pile. "Why... are you giving these to me all of a sudden?"
"It's a gift for a new friend."
Who gives library books as a gift? It's not like I can take these with me.
"...Thanks." I was flabbergasted, but I still did the polite thing and thanked her. But what was this?
"No problem. This is nothing for a higher species."
"...Higher species?"
"Ah, is that too difficult a term for you? You wouldn't know, being human, but..." Ainar stole a glance at our surroundings and then leaned in so that only I could hear. "Barbarians are the most superior race in the world."
...Huh?
"Read that book and you'll see for yourself whether I'm right or not."
I instinctively checked the titles of the books I was handed.
Secret of the Heart: The Selfish Superiority Factor
Barbarians III: Why Wizards Covet Their Hearts
Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn't Provoke a Barbarian, Learnings from the War of Sacred Relics
Those were the book titles.
***
"Aren't you reading?"
"...I'm reading."
Ainar kept prodding me so I had no choice but to read the books I was given. To be honest, I was also curious. Sure, the titles may have been odd, but the contents could end up being normal...
She's reading these?
"Anyway, thanks! I can finish the rest thanks to you!"
When I finished explaining the word to her, Ainar returned her attention to her reading and I returned to my seat as well. Some time passed, and eventually, I couldn't stop myself from asking, "Why are you reading that book?"
"Huh? Are you picking a fight with me?"
"No, that's not it..."
"Haha! Don't make that face. I know I must look strange!"
Jeez, she's really screwing with people now.
As I watched, Ainar's bright laughter soon dried up as her expression shifted to something more serious. "The warrior I respected most in the world often read books. Well, I'll never be able to follow in his footsteps... But I have to do something." There's a slight, lonely tinge to her tone.
I recalled what Erwen and Raven informed me Ainar was up to.
After I died... she declared that she would become a chieftain.
I had been considered a strong candidate, but once I died, she had boldly expressed her own ambitions to the tribesmen. At first, they were skeptical, but as time passed, more people began to support her, and now she was practically considered the next successor.
Suddenly, Ainar looked at me. "Anyway... this is a little disappointing."
"What is?"
"If you were born a barbarian, you would have been quite handsome."
"...Is that so?"
"Anyway, it's fate that we met here, so why don't we introduce ourselves? I am Ainar, the second daughter of Fenelin. You are?"
"Riehen Schuitz." When I revealed my pseudonym, Ainar seemed to think it over for a moment as if to commit it to memory. Then she handed me some of the books from her pile. "Why... are you giving these to me all of a sudden?"
"It's a gift for a new friend."
Who gives library books as a gift? It's not like I can take these with me.
"...Thanks." I was flabbergasted, but I still did the polite thing and thanked her. But what was this?
"No problem. This is nothing for a higher species."
"...Higher species?"
"Ah, is that too difficult a term for you? You wouldn't know, being human, but..." Ainar stole a glance at our surroundings and then leaned in so that only I could hear. "Barbarians are the most superior race in the world."
...Huh?
"Read that book and you'll see for yourself whether I'm right or not."
I instinctively checked the titles of the books I was handed.
Secret of the Heart: The Selfish Superiority Factor
Barbarians III: Why Wizards Covet Their Hearts
Seven Reasons Why You Shouldn't Provoke a Barbarian, Learnings from the War of Sacred Relics
Those were the book titles.
***
"Aren't you reading?"
"...I'm reading."
Ainar kept prodding me so I had no choice but to read the books I was given. To be honest, I was also curious. Sure, the titles may have been odd, but the contents could end up being normal...
...Never mind.
I didn't know who wrote these books, but they were all the same: texts praising barbarians as a superior race. What on earth were they thinking when they wrote these things? Seeing as they were capable of writing books in the first place, the authors couldn't have been barbarians. And if they were in their right minds, they wouldn't have published these with a barbarian target audience in mind.
Tap.
I gave up trying to figure it out and closed the book. When I did, Ainar looked at me from across the table with sparkling eyes. "How was it? Wasn't it a good book?"
"...It was definitely an interesting story."
"Haha, don't look so dejected. Humans aren't all that inferior. We're just special. Did you know? The barbarian illiteracy rate is ninety-nine times that of humans, but we still maintain and pass on traditions that go back thousands of years. That's something no other race has ever managed to do. Ah, also, do you know why barbarians don't float in water? That's actually because the density of our souls is significantly higher than other races."
"Um, do you know what density is?"
"...Ahem, there's also a reason why Spirit Imprints only work for barbarians!"
So you don't know, huh?
"It's because there are no souls as clean and pure as ours."
I got up from my seat.
"Hmm? Where are you going? I'm just getting started."
"Sorry, but I just remembered something I need to do. Maybe I'll catch you later."
"...Really? That's too bad. Goodbye."
It was nice seeing Ainar again, but I was getting the vibe this lecture would last the rest of the day, so I booked it.
I won't be noticed here.
I moved to another corner of the library and started reading a new book. Most of the ones I chose were books on current events. There were quite a few aggregated newspaper archives published over the course of the year.
I heard the palace implemented a lot of policies for lower-floor adventurers. I guess these are some of them.
In the middle of my research, I turned to the next page and my hands froze as I came across a familiar name in an article from a year ago.
Niall Urbans, Seventh District Chief of the Adventurers' Guild, Voluntarily Resigns For Personal Reasons, Not Politics
That guy retired?
My interest was piqued and I took a closer look at the article, which didn't take long to get through.
As for his sudden decision to retire, many acquaintances of the district chief, who ran for guild master just two years prior, believe the decision may have been brought on by a change of heart following the death of his daughter one year ago.
"...Was that girl his only kid?"
I wasn't sure. We weren't particularly close.
Still, I should check.
I combed through the books containing articles from a year prior, and before long, I was able to find what I was looking for.
Eldest Daughter of the Urbans Family, Julian Urbans, Announces Marriage to the General Manager of Alminus Company
It started with an article about an engagement.
Julian Urbans Found Dead On The Night of Her Wedding
Then, three months later, an obituary was posted. The cause of death was a nasty fall. Apparently, she was drunk, lost her footing, and fell headfirst from a third-floor terrace.
In his insurance claim, Niall Urbans once again firmly insisted the death was not a suicide, but an accident.
For some reason, there was a bitter taste in my mouth. We didn't have a close relationship but knowing what I knew about her situation, I almost felt like I had some responsibility for what happened.
Anyway, let's go back for today. Maybe I shouldn't have looked into that...
***
One day, two days, three days, four days...
As always, time passed very quickly in the city, especially since there were a lot of things to do at the beginning of each month. As I exchanged the vouchers for money and sold the equipment, time really flew by, and soon the time came to divvy up the loot.
"There should still be some money left over even after we pay off the debt."
"Th-then we don't have to sell the house!"
"About that, I actually want us to postpone paying off the debt."
"W-Why...?"
"That's because there's still plenty of time until the money is due, and there are things we need to invest money in right now."
"I-If you want to do that, Mister... th-then I can't argue with you... But where are you thinking of spending all that money?"
"I'm going to buy a boat."
"A boat?"
While Erwen looked confused, Amelia picked up on where I was going with this and nodded. "True, unless we plan to keep fighting on the war front, it would be best to have at least one ship."
"Exactly. And I want to go somewhere on the sixth floor next."
We had joined the war as mercenaries because we didn't have money, but we managed to hit our target amount in just one expedition. There was no reason for us to go to war again. Though it'd make us good money considering the payout we received this time, there was something more important to me than that.
"Where do you plan to explore?"
"Burrow Island."
"...Burrow Island? Where is that?"
As Amelia's reaction implied, it wasn't a well-known island. Only someone like Raven would know about it. However, when I offered a brief description of the island, recognition bloomed on Erwen and Amelia's faces.
"An island hidden under the sea... I know the one you're talking about now."
"I think my sister told me about that place before!"
"But can we go just the three of us? We don't even have a navigator."
"That's why we have to start looking now."
"Looks like we're going to be busy for a while."
Thankfully, the two agreed to follow my plan without much argument, so starting the next day, we went around looking for a ship and navigator. Time once again flew by.
"Where's Erwen?"
"Sleeping."
"Really? You didn't have to come with me, you know."
"...You never know. But if you don't want me to, I won't come next time."
Uh, I never said I didn't want her to...
"Ahem, I was just trying to say thank you."
"...How was that a thank you?"
Jeez, just accept it, will you?
I chuckled, then checked the clock on the table. "I'll be back."
"Sure."
As soon as I closed my eyes, the whole world was dyed white.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn into a different world.]
Now, then. Shall I turn on the computer?
...Never mind.
I didn't know who wrote these books, but they were all the same: texts praising barbarians as a superior race. What on earth were they thinking when they wrote these things? Seeing as they were capable of writing books in the first place, the authors couldn't have been barbarians. And if they were in their right minds, they wouldn't have published these with a barbarian target audience in mind.
Tap.
I gave up trying to figure it out and closed the book. When I did, Ainar looked at me from across the table with sparkling eyes. "How was it? Wasn't it a good book?"
"...It was definitely an interesting story."
"Haha, don't look so dejected. Humans aren't all that inferior. We're just special. Did you know? The barbarian illiteracy rate is ninety-nine times that of humans, but we still maintain and pass on traditions that go back thousands of years. That's something no other race has ever managed to do. Ah, also, do you know why barbarians don't float in water? That's actually because the density of our souls is significantly higher than other races."
"Um, do you know what density is?"
"...Ahem, there's also a reason why Spirit Imprints only work for barbarians!"
So you don't know, huh?
"It's because there are no souls as clean and pure as ours."
I got up from my seat.
"Hmm? Where are you going? I'm just getting started."
"Sorry, but I just remembered something I need to do. Maybe I'll catch you later."
"...Really? That's too bad. Goodbye."
It was nice seeing Ainar again, but I was getting the vibe this lecture would last the rest of the day, so I booked it.
I won't be noticed here.
I moved to another corner of the library and started reading a new book. Most of the ones I chose were books on current events. There were quite a few aggregated newspaper archives published over the course of the year.
I heard the palace implemented a lot of policies for lower-floor adventurers. I guess these are some of them.
In the middle of my research, I turned to the next page and my hands froze as I came across a familiar name in an article from a year ago.
Niall Urbans, Seventh District Chief of the Adventurers' Guild, Voluntarily Resigns For Personal Reasons, Not Politics
That guy retired?
My interest was piqued and I took a closer look at the article, which didn't take long to get through.
As for his sudden decision to retire, many acquaintances of the district chief, who ran for guild master just two years prior, believe the decision may have been brought on by a change of heart following the death of his daughter one year ago.
"...Was that girl his only kid?"
I wasn't sure. We weren't particularly close.
Still, I should check.
I combed through the books containing articles from a year prior, and before long, I was able to find what I was looking for.
Eldest Daughter of the Urbans Family, Julian Urbans, Announces Marriage to the General Manager of Alminus Company
It started with an article about an engagement.
Julian Urbans Found Dead On The Night of Her Wedding
Then, three months later, an obituary was posted. The cause of death was a nasty fall. Apparently, she was drunk, lost her footing, and fell headfirst from a third-floor terrace.
In his insurance claim, Niall Urbans once again firmly insisted the death was not a suicide, but an accident.
For some reason, there was a bitter taste in my mouth. We didn't have a close relationship but knowing what I knew about her situation, I almost felt like I had some responsibility for what happened.
Anyway, let's go back for today. Maybe I shouldn't have looked into that...
***
One day, two days, three days, four days...
As always, time passed very quickly in the city, especially since there were a lot of things to do at the beginning of each month. As I exchanged the vouchers for money and sold the equipment, time really flew by, and soon the time came to divvy up the loot.
"There should still be some money left over even after we pay off the debt."
"Th-then we don't have to sell the house!"
"About that, I actually want us to postpone paying off the debt."
"W-Why...?"
"That's because there's still plenty of time until the money is due, and there are things we need to invest money in right now."
"I-If you want to do that, Mister... th-then I can't argue with you... But where are you thinking of spending all that money?"
"I'm going to buy a boat."
"A boat?"
While Erwen looked confused, Amelia picked up on where I was going with this and nodded. "True, unless we plan to keep fighting on the war front, it would be best to have at least one ship."
"Exactly. And I want to go somewhere on the sixth floor next."
We had joined the war as mercenaries because we didn't have money, but we managed to hit our target amount in just one expedition. There was no reason for us to go to war again. Though it'd make us good money considering the payout we received this time, there was something more important to me than that.
"Where do you plan to explore?"
"Burrow Island."
"...Burrow Island? Where is that?"
As Amelia's reaction implied, it wasn't a well-known island. Only someone like Raven would know about it. However, when I offered a brief description of the island, recognition bloomed on Erwen and Amelia's faces.
"An island hidden under the sea... I know the one you're talking about now."
"I think my sister told me about that place before!"
"But can we go just the three of us? We don't even have a navigator."
"That's why we have to start looking now."
"Looks like we're going to be busy for a while."
Thankfully, the two agreed to follow my plan without much argument, so starting the next day, we went around looking for a ship and navigator. Time once again flew by.
"Where's Erwen?"
"Sleeping."
"Really? You didn't have to come with me, you know."
"...You never know. But if you don't want me to, I won't come next time."
Uh, I never said I didn't want her to...
"Ahem, I was just trying to say thank you."
"...How was that a thank you?"
Jeez, just accept it, will you?
I chuckled, then checked the clock on the table. "I'll be back."
"Sure."
As soon as I closed my eyes, the whole world was dyed white.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn into a different world.]
Now, then. Shall I turn on the computer?