She was almost two meters tall, but thanks to her good proportions and thin muscles, Ainar did not seem too bulky.
It's strange to be looking at her.
He must have erased the Bone Knight's essence.
It was strange to see Ainar again after so long. After all, he was used to his appearance after his body shrank all those years ago in the Rift. If I searched my memories, I could still see remains of ancient Ainar on this woman's face.
He looked so young then.
Ainar had become much more mature than she seemed in my memories. Although perhaps it was more a difference in the way he behaved than a change in his face itself.
«Ha ha! It is not unusual to fall asleep reading a book. Are you discriminating against me for being a barbarian?».
«One… in this eso. R-Really-»
«I'm kidding! I'm joking. I promise not to cause any more trouble, so leave me alone, okay?».
I sensed relief in his sincere laughter, and his speaking skills had improved considerably. She was joking with the other person and even naturally fostered an environment that made it difficult to be scolded. Honestly, I was impressed. He was now able to use the characteristics of the barbarian tribe to his advantage.
«...Okay, if you say so».
«Haha thanks! Oh, do you want some beef jerky?»
«...Okay. And food is not allowed-»
«I know! You are very thin. Now go! You must be busy». Ainar practically pushed the librarian from behind to scare her away and opened a book, probably as a way to keep his promise not to fall asleep.
¿Ahora... lee?
For some reason, my heart felt swollen. I spent some time pretending to read while secretly watching her from across the library.
«Mm....» Ainar frowned. It seemed like she had been perplexed by part of the book. But even this served to show how much he had changed. «Hello friend!» He called me without hesitation.
«...Are you talking to me?»
«Haha, how weird you are, friend! Is there anyone else here? Can you come and read this for me?»
Huh, to think that he would call a human his friend and go so far as to ask for help. Do I look like a barbarian to you?
«Don't be afraid! I won't hurt you».
«It's not because I'm scared, I'm just surprised. He believed that barbarians hated humans».
«Those are prejudices! Well, I was like that at one point, but little by little I realized that there is no reason for me to dislike you».
Hmm, I don't think I was confused with a barbarian.
I also don't think I was involved with Bjorn Yandel, so I went to his table as he had asked.
«I'm reading this part and I don't understand this word. Can you tell me what it means?»
«This reads... logistics. It refers to a branch of the army that manages and supplies goods».
«Branch? What is that? Sounds interesting».
Why are you reading a book about the military if you don't even know it?
It was ridiculous, but I decided to answer your question. When I looked at the stack of books stacked next to it, I saw that there were several genres other than military nonfiction. Most were history books.
Are you reading them?
«Anyway, thanks! I can finish the rest thanks to you».
When I finished explaining the word to him, Ainar concentrated on his reading again and I also returned to my seat. Some time passed and, in the end, I couldn't help but ask: «Why are you reading that book?».
«Hey? Are you fighting with me?».
«No, it's not that...»
«Hahaha! Don't make that face. I know I must look strange.»
Wow, now he's really messing with people.
As he watched, Ainar's bright laughter soon dried as his expression changed to something more serious. «The warrior I respected most in the world used to read books. Well, I'll never be able to follow in his footsteps... But I have to do something». There is a slight tinge of loneliness in his tone.
I remembered what Erwen and Raven informed me Ainar was up to.
After my death... 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 went by, more people began to support her, and now she was practically considered the next successor.
Suddenly, Ainar looked at me. «Anyway... this is a bit disappointing».
«What?»
«If you had been born a barbarian, you would have been quite handsome».
«...Is that so?»
«Anyway, it's fate we've met here, so why don't we show up? I am Ainar, Fenelin's second daughter. And you are?»
«Riehen Schuitz». When I revealed my pseudonym, Ainar seemed to think about it for a moment, as if he wanted to memorize it. Then he handed me some books from his pile. «Why do you suddenly give them to me?».
«It's a gift for a new friend».
Who gives away library books? It's not like I can take them.
«...Thank you.» I was stunned, but I still did the polite thing and thanked him. But what was this?
«No problem. This is nothing to a higher species».
«. higher species?»
«Oh, is that too difficult a term for you? You wouldn't know it, being human, but...» Ainar glanced around us and then leaned over so only I could hear. «Barbarians are the most superior race in the world».
…¿Eh?
«Read that book and you'll see for yourself if I'm right or wrong».
Instinctively I checked the titles of the books they gave me.
The secret of the heart: The selfish superiority factor
Barbarians III: Why magicians covet their hearts
Seven reasons why you should not provoke a barbarian, learnings from the war of sacred relics
Those were the titles of the books.
***
«Are you not reading?»
«...i'm reading.»
Ainar kept insisting on me, so I had no choice but to read the books they gave me. To be honest, I was also curious. Sure, the titles might be weird, but the content might end up being normal...
…No matter.
I didn't know who had written those books, but they were all the same: texts that praised barbarians as a superior race. What the hell were they thinking when they wrote these things? Considering that they were capable of writing books, the authors could not be barbaric. And if they were in their right mind, they wouldn't have published them with a barbaric audience in mind.
Tap.
I stopped trying to understand it and closed the book. When I did, Ainar looked at me from across the table with bright eyes. «How are you? Wasn't it a good book?».
«...It was certainly an interesting story».
«Haha, don't make that dejected face. Humans are not so inferior. We're just special. Did you know? The illiteracy rate of barbarians is ninety-nine times higher than that of humans, but we still maintain and pass on traditions dating back thousands of years. That's something no other race has managed to do. Oh, also, do you know why barbarians don't float in water? In reality, it is because the density of our souls is significantly higher than that of other races».
«Um, do you know what density is?»
«...Ahem, there's also a reason why Spirit Footprints only work on 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 just started».
«I'm sorry, but I just remembered something I have to do. Maybe I'll catch you later».
«...Really? What a pity. Goodbye.»
It was nice to see Ainar again, but I had a feeling this conference would last the rest of the day, so I booked it.
I won't attract attention here.
I moved to another corner of the library and started reading a new book. Most of the ones I chose were current affairs books. There were quite a few newspaper archives published throughout the year.
I heard that the palace implemented many policies for adventurers on the lower floors. I guess these are some of them.
In the middle of my research, I turned to the next page and my hands froze when I came across a familiar name in an article from a year ago.
Niall Urbans, Chief of the Seventh District of the Adventurer's Guild, resigns voluntarily for personal reasons, not political ones.
Did that guy retire?
My interest was piqued and I took a look at the article, which didn't take me long to read.
Regarding his sudden decision to retire, many acquaintances of the district chief, who ran for guild master just two years earlier, believe the decision may be due to a change of heart following the death of his daughter a year ago.
«...Was that girl his only daughter?».
I was not sure. We weren't particularly close.
Still, I had to check it.
I searched through the books that contained articles from a year earlier and, before long, I was able to find what I was looking for.
The eldest daughter of the Urbans family, Julian Urbans, announces her wedding to the CEO of the company, Alminus.
It started with an article about a commitment.
Julian Urbans Found Dead On His Wedding Night
Then, three months later, an obituary was published. The cause of death was an ugly fall. Apparently she was drunk, lost her footing and fell headlong from a third-floor terrace.
In his insurance claim, Niall Urbans firmly insisted that the death was not a suicide, but an accident.
For some reason, it had a bitter taste in its mouth. We weren't in a close relationship, but knowing what I knew about his situation, I almost felt like I had some responsibility for what happened.
Anyway, let's go back to 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 many things to do at the beginning of each month. As he exchanged vouchers for money and sold the equipment, time flew by, and soon it was time to hand out the loot.
«There should be some money left over even after paying off the debt».
«Then we don't have to sell the house!»
«About that, I actually want us to postpone paying the debt».
"Why?
«That's because there's still a long time until the money is due, and there are things we need to invest money in right now».
«S-If you want to do that, sir... then I can't argue with you... But where do you plan to spend all that money?».
«I'm going to buy a boat».
«A boat?»
While Erwen seemed confused, Amelia understood where she was going and nodded. «True, unless we plan to continue 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 below».
We had joined the war as mercenaries because we had no money, but we managed to reach our target amount in a single expedition. There was no reason for us to go to war again. Although it would make us good money considering the pay we received this time, there was something more important to me than that.
«Where do you plan to explore?»
«The Burrow Island.»
«...Burrow Island? Where is that?»
As Amelia's reaction implied, it was not a well-known island. Only someone like Raven would know her. However, when I offered a brief description of the island, recognition blossomed on Erwen and Amelia's faces.
«An island hidden under the sea... I know which one you're talking about».
«I think my sister had already told me about that place before!».
«But can the three of us go alone? We don't even have a browser».
«That's why we have to start searching now».
«Looks like we're going to be busy for a while».
Fortunately, the two agreed to follow my plan without much discussion, so, starting the next day, we started looking for a boat and a navigator. Once again, time 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...
«Ahem, I just wanted to thank you.»
«...How was that a thank you?»
Gosh, face it, will you?
I chuckled and looked at the clock on the table. «Now I'll be back.»
«Clear.»
As soon as I closed my eyes, the whole world turned white.
[Your soul has resonated and is being drawn to a different world.]
Now then. Do I turn on the computer?