Chapter 2: Library

Upon opening the embossed door, I was greeted by the aroma of paper. What spread out before me was a silent space about the size of a large university lecture hall. Reading seats were lined up along its center, and bookshelves were set up all around them. The reason why there wasn’t a single sound to be heard was because practically nobody came here on days where the ban on high society meetings was lifted.

It was really calming... though it was not the time for me to be soaking in my own secure sense of solitude. I needed to gather as much information as I could before the Academy shut down for spring break.

Even if this world didn’t have anything like a secret assassination fist passed down in hushed traditions, the transmission of what little technology they did possess was largely passed down in secret within families. The transmission of information was fundamentally done from person to person, and what could be found recorded in books was fairly minimal. Adding on the fact that the literacy rate was fairly low, as well as a lack of technology and timber resources, that made paper fairly expensive.

What material could be found in the library was mostly the collections of writings by eccentric nobles who viewed them as a hobby. The descriptions were inaccurate, and there had clearly been a low amount of effort put into organizing the data. Putting it bluntly, a lot of the books here were written out of personal whimsy and imagination. You could say that it was somewhat like a lack of distinction between science and science fiction.

Nevertheless, a world where everything had to be personally witnessed wasn’t all that ideal, so I had no choice but to rely on these books. And there was no other place that had as large a collection of books as this library did, at least within my own reach. That was one reason I enrolled here.

Incidentally, information regarding what was considered macroeconomics in the other world was largely all classified as state secrets. Or perhaps it didn’t even exist in the first place. There were records of warnings towards nobles for tax evasion as well as rough data regarding the crop yields, but it was suspicious how much those could even be trusted.

I picked out a book which caught my eye and took a seat. My search was centered around books which correctly described things that I knew firsthand; for example, information about the western region of the Kingdom. I began by searching for information that I wanted within any such book. If it didn’t contain anything of value, I then searched for other books by the same author. Basically, my evaluation standard was centered on people.

Well, even in the other world, where all information was available at one’s fingertips, the fundamentals behind collecting truly important information were mostly the same. My professor often said, “there are many more people who are good at writing than there are who can precisely describe the truth.” Writing skill might be enough when it comes to writing a thesis, but in the real world, it’s clear that he knew what he was talking about.

On that note, the number of people who write about what’s right and what’s beautiful hopelessly outnumber the people who do the right thing and act beautifully.

I opened the book and flipped through the pages, dotted with sketches here and there. I was looking for details on natural history; knowledge of the flora and fauna of this world.

I was investigating the sources for all manner of commercial goods like cocoa, silkworms, and rubber. There was no guarantee that they’ll conveniently exist in this world, but the possibility was there. I was convinced that the source of all the flora and fauna in this world, including the humans, was Earth. I was one prime example of that, but my assessment was based on the fact that there were far too many similarities in the fundamental structure of the living beings here.

They weren’t exactly the same. For example, the lotus flowers here bloomed from summer to fall instead of spring. This was likely the result of evolution after being transferred here. Evolution could be said to be like the body’s own study course of the environment surrounding it and how DNA adapts to it. The tuition fee happens to be your life, though. This applies to all living beings.

There were likely several instances of large-scale “teleportations” from Earth to here over the course of history. At the very least, it happened once before the Middle Ages and brought over humanity. There were also several other cases from antiquity; for example, enormous creatures that had gone extinct on Earth could be found here. Over the long ages spent in this world, those creatures had adapted and evolved to fit the environment.

I turned over to a certain page of the book. There were drawings of creatures with a large crystal embedded in their foreheads. A giant wolf. A tiger with fangs as long as an elephant’s tusks. They were likely descendants of the ancient and enormous ancestors of Canidae and Felidae.

And then, there was the enormous lifeform which was closer to a dragon than a dinosaur. If I were to believe what was written here, they were even capable of spitting out fire. It made me lose some confidence that they really came from Earth; just a little, mind you. Going even further, it seemed that there was some sort of giant amoeba living here too.

These creatures all adapted to a natural energy called mana, and were called monsters. They were terrifying beings that any normal human couldn’t possibly compete against. Fortunately, monsters were incapable of doing anything when far from mana-dense areas. The stronger the monster, the more mana they required.

Mana flowed through ley lines within mountain ranges. This country in particular had mountain ranges located both to the west and east, and the habitat of the monsters from those mountains extended to the forests adjacent to them. The leaves of these forests were dyed red like autumn leaves, and were referred to as Loewer Wald. The mountain range that could be seen from Reylia village was the ley line to the west.

On the other hand, the open plains possessed practically no mana. In other words, there was a border between where humans and monsters could live: the open plains and the mountain ranges. There were exceptions where a flock of monsters came out from the forest of the eastern mountain range, however. When they showed signs of doing so, the knights were sent on a campaign to deal with them.

This could be considered the most important duty of the army in this current age. According to my foster father, who witnessed the knights’ departure from the capital several years ago, they had both a flashy departure on their campaign and a celebration for their triumphant return.

I’d seen the severed head of an enormous wolf the knights had struck down before, and judging from the presence of fangs, a tongue, and a gullet, I could conjecture that they survived by using both normal food and mana as their source of energy.

Setting that aside, even if there were any useful resources in their habitat, the region was far too dangerous. It isn’t really a place I could just go waltzing into.

Incidentally, the Empire, which lay past the northwestern border marked by a large river, was a mostly mountainous region, and they were apparently quite involved in dealing with monsters. It was possible that they possess knowledge that doesn’t exist here.

“Monsters have a certain sense of adventure to them, but I’ve got to find some new merchandise that’s closer at hand.”

From a purely financial standpoint, the Weinder Company was perfectly capable of growing in scale from apiculture alone, but my goal was just a little bigger than that. For starters, I needed a bit more ammunition to complete negotiations about expanding the honey business; otherwise it would be too risky.

The people I was negotiating with were in a far stronger position than I was. If they didn’t believe we were capable of continuously bringing in profits, then they wouldn’t even negotiate with us. We needed to make them think we were the goose who lays golden eggs, not the golden eggs themselves. Even with that, if we weren’t careful in picking our targets, it would end in the same way as the fairy tale.

Equal targets for negotiations between both parties didn’t exist, and when they weren’t equal, the value of negotiations lowered. When one was in the weaker position, as long as one possessed some form of weapon to gain a partial victory, then it was possible to create the conditions for an equivalent trade. This was a necessity for creating a consistently profitable relationship. It wasn’t about doing what’s right, but doing what’s most profitable for both parties.

So, what did my powerless and tiny company need to acquire to accomplish that? Information in itself is intangible. I needed some ultimate weapon that nobody would be able to discover. The downside of such a weapon was, once it was brought to the fore, it would be easy to steal. But that’s just the kind of fault weapons meant for the weak have.

“Oh, I’ve seen this one before.”

The book described a fruit which resembled cocoa across the river to the north. It was very similar to what I saw in the industrial archives back in the other world. It was a bit inconvenient that it was located to the north, but there wasn’t much I could do about that. And so, I continued to flip through the pages.

“Huh, the description cuts off at the most important point.”

I got up from my seat and headed further in past the bookshelves. I vaguely remember seeing other books here written by the same author in the archive. A dusty scent tickled my nose as I opened the door further within. The only source of light in here was from a dim skylight. It wasn’t a place people normally came to.

I strained my eyes and looked over the chaotically crammed bookshelves; finally, I spotted a copy of the reference book. I took it in hand and headed towards the corner of the room beneath the skylight. And just then, the slight sound of scraping paper reached my ears.

I came to a stop and listened harder. It was unmistakably the sound of pages being turned. I never thought there’d be another visitor here. Seems quite promising if they’re trying to gather intel over in the corner during high society open season.

This may be my first opportunity to form a personal connection here in the capital as a fellow loner, or, I guess with the way Mia would put it, as a disappointing student. I proceeded towards the light, filled with hope, yet also caution. Then, my feet came to a complete stop.

A beautiful girl was sitting beneath the light pouring down from above in the corner of the gloomy archive. It was like an angel had descended here unseen. She had a book spread open atop a small table. Unlike the time I saw her back at the gazebo, her long platinum hair was tied to the side and resting over her shoulder. Her slender fingers slowly danced over the pages, and her innocent eyes were wholeheartedly focused on their contents.

Why is she here? The moment I came back to my senses, my hand began to tremble. The poetic scene before my eyes was terrifyingly dangerous. Isn’t this the person I need to avoid encountering the most right now?

My breathing came to a stop, and I slowly tried to rest my right hand on a bookshelf. However, due to my panic and the darkness, I misjudged the distance and knocked over an old leather book.

“Wh-Who’s there?” the girl asked, as she hurriedly closed her book shut.

*

“N-No one suspicious, Your Highness.” I raised both my hands, like a salaryman falsely accused of being a molester, and took a single step towards her from the bookshelf.

“You’re... Ricardo, right?” The princess put her hand to her chest and let out a sigh of relief upon seeing me.

I was actually surprised she managed to remember the name of a commoner she’d never really talked to. It was a big contrast from me and my general incapability of putting names to faces.

“I didn’t mean to intrude. I will leave at once, so please forgive me.”

“Oh my, intrude? Is the library not for everyone to use freely?” the princess replied with a gentle smile and a flawless public stance.

How is that kind of stance supposed to be useful in this critical situation, where I’m all alone with a princess in a secluded location? The gazebos in the courtyard were also a common facility for all to use, but there was a tacit understanding of who gets to use what. Kind of like the large gazebo in the dead center that this princess used.

“Your leniency is much appreciated.” Calm down. If she’s abiding by her public stance, then it’ll be bad if I don’t respect that. Though I was implying I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.

“Oh, excuse me. Please have a seat.” The princess pointed the palm of her hand to an empty seat at her table.

And thus, the path of retreat for this idiotic commoner was cut off. The impossible situation of sitting at a table with a princess had come to pass. Well, the fact that this wasn’t happening in the gazebo meant that it was at least theoretically possible, but it still wasn’t supposed to be a situation that occurred in reality.

“What are you doing in such a place, Your Highness?”

Her porcelain cheeks immediately turned red upon hearing my question. Crap, I stepped on a landmine already.

“Umm. Actually, this is the time that I usually receive lessons from Professor Fulsig.”

“Professor Fulsig... the library director?” I recalled the old man with a white beard I’d spotted just once before in the hallway.

The princess turned around and pointed out a small door further within. Considering the layout of the building, the director’s office seems to connect to the archives, meaning that the red-ponytailed knight was headed towards the director’s office to confirm the princess’s safety.

“Professor Fulsig has his research to attend to, so I often spend my time reading here while I wait for him. I do not get many opportunities to do so during such times as these, after all.” The princess explained her circumstances in an embarrassed manner.

She was apparently getting lessons due to her lack of attendance, owing to her position as the Oracle Princess. As for that director, he seemed to have driven the princess out of his office so that he could focus on his research instead. How promising... I mean, how reckless of him.

“Worry not. I won’t speak of what I have seen today. Umm, how do I put it... right. I mean, this place is meant to be used freely by all students, isn’t it?” So all that happened here was two students meeting in the library.

“Thank you very much. So, Ricardo, what brings you here?” Her gaze turned to the reference book in my hand.

“I was looking for this book.” I showed her the cover of the book, and immediately broke into a cold sweat upon remembering the history of the author. Quator Felbach was a member of Duke Felbach’s family; the same Duke Felbach who had rebelled against the kingdom twenty years ago.

Quator Felbach was the subject of a silly anecdote, where he was arrested during the outbreak of the rebellion while investigating mushrooms in the middle of a public park in the capital. Just as the anecdote would imply, he didn’t seem to be involved with the rebellion itself. But regardless, his misfortune continued and he passed away at the end of the uprising. Honestly speaking, it was a regrettable thing to happen to someone like him, but that isn’t the problem at hand right now.

The Kingdom prided itself on its stability, and the Felbach Rebellion was a major crisis. It was a stain on their history, which even had rumors of collusion with the Empire behind it. Over twenty houses were crushed for being implicated in the rebellion. So just how would the royal family perceive someone sneaking into the archive to read a book written by someone related to the aforesaid rebellion?

“Our company’s merchandise is dependent upon the climate and vegetation in the western region.”

“Are you perhaps referring to that honey?”

“...Yes. That isn’t all, of course. This book writes about the flora and fauna of the western region in fine detail, and it serves as a good reference in multiple areas.”

I didn’t want to leak any information that could be connected to company secrets, but I was left with no other choice. If anything, I thought I deserved a bit of credit for emphasizing how this was all just business. The best thing to do at such times is to just simply speak the truth. I carefully inspected the princess’s expression.

“I see. So that honey is a product of the west...” The princess smiled happily. It seemed the topic of sweets really did hit a chord with girls, even among royalty. Thanks to that, I was finally released from my tension. How to put it? Despite what her appearance and title would imply, she seems to have quite the honest and docile personality.

Moreover, even though the conversation moved over to honey, she didn’t touch upon the competition at all. Could it really be that she held that competition out of pure concern over a fight between fellow students...?

No, it was too early to make that assessment. The sensibilities of royalty, whose very existence was political, should be different from my own. If I was capable of making that sort of assessment, I wouldn’t be going through such hardships.

“So, what manner of book are you reading, Your Highness?” I tried changing the topic.

“I’m reading this.” The princess put her bookmark in place and turned the cover of the book towards me. Her white and slender fingers almost looked ethereal under the bright sunlight, contrasting sharply with the brown leather book cover.

“Cornwall’s Journey, I see. I’ve actually read this one before.”

“Really?” Her face lit up in an instant.

Cornwall’s Journey was a romance novel written in the style of a travel journal by a minstrel. The story followed the son of Duke Cornwall, disguised as a bard, traveling from town to town as he saves the heroines. It was a tale filled with voluptuous bandits, clumsy manservants and such. The protagonist was a full-on Adonis type who wielded a rapier.

The princess seemed hopeful that she had found a kindred spirit, but I read it as a means of gauging what sort of publicity would be popular with the people of this world.

“It’s because the story is set in the west. The villages and towns my foster father peddled his goods in come up just a little.”

“I see you’re quite familiar with the western region, Ricardo. I’ve never even... left the capital before. Is it true that there are ‘fields of pink flowers as far as the eye can see,’ just as is written in the book? I have heard from my mother before that small flowers bearing such a color grow in the west.”

Her eyes were practically sparkling. Truly, she was like a bird in a cage. Larger varieties of flashy flowers like the roses and lilies one could find growing in the capital’s gardens were the exception out in the wild. On that note, the roses here were blue.

“There is this small flower called a lotus, whose color gradually changes from white to pink from its center to its edges. It’s quite beautiful. In fact, I have seen fields of them that can stretch as far as the eye can see.”

Judging from the description of the size and color in the book, there was a high probability it referred to the lotus flower. Its natural habitat was limited to a small portion of the western region. It wasn’t all that unusual a sight to the local villagers, of course. And to me, those flowers were my pot of gold.

“I’m sure it’s just as beautiful as a dream...”

I continued to observe any changes in the princess’s expression, now every bit as miraculously relieved of the tension of walking a tightrope as I was... Her eyes were wide open as she listened to me attentively. It really threw me off.

“There won’t be any large fields of them, but you may be able to see some if you go as far as Berthold.”

“Berthold is my aunt’s territory...”

“I-Is that so? Then, there should be an opportunity...”

Well, that’s a princess for you. Even her relatives are abnormal. Berthold is the largest city in the western region. However, she had a lonely smile as she replied.

“It is difficult for me to leave the capital due to my duties. Even coming to the Academy is all thanks to my aunt indulging my selfish whims.”

The reason this flowery princess became a dangerous bomb in my life was apparently all down to this aunt of hers.

Knock, knock, knock.

As I cursed the grand noble whom I didn’t know, a knock was suddenly heard in the room. It came from the door connecting to the director’s office. My body stiffened up, recalling the sharp gaze of a certain knight, but the door showed no signs of opening.

“It seems my time is up,” the princess said in a somewhat reluctant tone, as she then slowly stood from her chair with her book in hand. “Thank you very much for permitting me to hear such wonderful stories.”

She slightly bent at the waist, which was accompanied by the sound of rustling clothes, and I stood up as well in a fluster. The sound of my chair being pushed back resounded in the air. It was a stark example of the contrast between a princess and a commoner. However, she showed no signs of criticizing me, and held out her right hand.

“If the opportunity arises, please allow me to hear more another time, Ricardo.”

“...It would be my honor.”

I couldn’t possibly tell her that I didn’t want to, so I shook her hand. My consciousness was drawn to the silky feeling in my hand, along with the warmth resounding through my palm. The princess then left through the door further within. And as I watched her from behind, the sense of the heat vanishing from my palm somehow felt regrettable.

Then I realized I was standing there wistfully staring at a closed door. Here I was, having finally been relieved of that whole situation, and what was I even doing?

“I won’t make any profits worrying about a girl living in a different world.”

Besides, she was a sixteen-year-old girl. Going by the standards of the other world, that’s firmly in high school territory. On the other hand, my real age was closer to that of a teacher. Yeah, she’s just around the age of the daughter of a slightly older brother, around that of a niece. That is if we’re lying on the same axis of time, at least.

I was glad I got a slight grasp of her character, but my strategy regarding the princess hadn’t fundamentally changed. It’d be best to avoid her as much as possible.

I took my book and headed towards the normal exit, back to the library. The Academy closed over spring break, so today was my last chance to do any reading here. I couldn’t afford to waste any more time.

“...She didn’t show any signs of demanding gratitude, huh.”

Her actions during the competition were actually quite the bother for me, but as a tried and true coward, it did make me feel somewhat bad for suspecting her.

However, it was still too early to be optimistic. At the very least, I can’t make a decision until I get Mia’s report.