Chapter 162 - A Monster Compendium at the Bookstore
The carriage stopped a short distance before the bookstore.
The three-story bookstore was built of black bricks, and guards armed with spears and swords stood on either side of its double doors.
The security seemed a little excessive, but books were still expensive here in the royal capital.
Printing was still limited to methods akin to woodblock printing, and mass-printing technology had yet to become widespread. As a result, even a small, thin book cost at least a silver coin, while thicker books and specialized volumes could set one back several large silver coins or even gold coins.
That was why large bookstores always employed multiple guards.
As Dahlia stepped down from the carriage, Volf offered her his hand with even more gentleness than usual.
Dahlia placed her hand in his as though nothing had happened.
Of the two, both determined not to mention what had happened earlier, Volf was the first to speak.
"...Dahlia, is there any particular book you're looking for?"
"A book on aristocratic etiquette and another on letter writing. I'd already ordered the etiquette book that Ozwald-san recommended. Also, if they have a monster compendium from the neighboring country, I'd like to take a look at it."
"Ah, I've been wanting to see one of those myself."
Dahlia approached the counter near the entrance and spoke to the attendant. When she gave him her reservation number, he went to the back and returned with a bag containing her books.
Since the books had been paid for in advance when she placed the order, she was able to check the contents and collect them on the spot.
"Dahlia, would you mind if we browsed for a while?"
"Of course. Is there anything you're looking for on this floor, Volf?"
"To tell you the truth, I've never really had the chance to browse a bookstore at my leisure..."
Wearing his fairy-crystal glasses, Volf gave her an awkward smile with his green eyes.
Given his striking looks, women often approached him. Before he got his glasses, he probably hadn't even been able to browse for books in peace.
"By all means, take your time."
The first floor was crowded with people and lined with fairy tales, novels, and practical books on everyday life.
Both of them put on cloth gloves so they could handle the books, then began following the designated route clockwise.
"Volf, how have you been buying books all this time?"
"I'd ask the bookseller who came to the barracks to bring me a few books in genres I liked, then choose from those. Sometimes I'd ask Dorino or Randolph to pick up books for me, too."
Dahlia supposed that was one way to do it, but there was something undeniably enjoyable about browsing through so many books in a spacious bookstore.
Volf would walk a little, stop, and look around curiously—an unusual sight. His almost childlike behavior was rather endearing.
In the fairy-tale section, the two whispered to each other about stories they'd read as children. In the novel section, they picked up some newly released tales about adventurers and knights.
Volf lingered for quite a while in the travel-writing section before finally deciding, after much deliberation, to buy a book about traveling within their own country.
Later, in the cookbook section, Dahlia found a recipe book from the Eastern Country and immediately decided to buy it.
After purchasing their books on the first floor, they climbed the stairs to the second.
The second floor was devoted mainly to academic and specialized books. Most of the books on weapons, armor, and magic tools were also kept here.
"There aren't any books on magic swords..."
"That's because there are so few magic swords to begin with."
Volf looked so disappointed that Dahlia couldn't help feeling sorry for him.
But magic swords themselves were exceedingly rare. Even with explanatory text, there simply wasn't enough material to fill a thick specialist book.
Even so, he found a specialized book on weapons that included a section on magic swords and promptly decided to buy it.
With their bags growing a little heavier, they made their way up to the third floor.
The third floor housed only expensive dictionaries and illustrated reference books, so visitors were required to register their names at the entrance.
Since belongings were sometimes inspected as well, a male attendant and a female attendant stood ready on either side of the entrance.
Volf removed his fairy-crystal glasses and stepped ahead of Dahlia.
The man standing to the right of the door greeted him warmly and let them inside without even checking their names.
"Volf, um..."
Dahlia followed as Volf escorted her inside, unsure whether it was really all right to proceed like this.
"He used to bring books to the squad. He helped me out in all sorts of ways."
The man they'd just met at the entrance had been the bookseller responsible for bringing books to the Monster Subjugation Squad for several years, starting shortly after Volf had joined.
Even when Volf made vague requests for books about magic swords or monsters, the man always managed to recommend something that sounded interesting.
When Randolph asked for books from neighboring countries, the man quickly found exactly what he needed and brought them along.
He was extremely knowledgeable about books in every field and had an uncanny knack for recommending just the right ones.
Incidentally, his top recommendation was a large-format, relatively thin book with pictures of plants and monsters on the outside and portraits of beautiful, scantily clad women inside.
After just a brief conversation, he could figure out whether a man preferred breasts or hips, along with their other tastes, and recommend the perfect book to each interested member of the squad. The younger men had been particularly enthusiastic about his service.
Volf vaguely remembered buying one himself in the past, but he'd sooner die than let Dahlia find out about that.
"He certainly seems knowledgeable about magic swords and monsters."
"...He does."
Volf gave a brief answer and quickened his pace toward the glass cases at the back.
Inside the glass cases were thick, heavy-looking dictionaries and illustrated reference books.
Their substantial leather covers came in rich shades of black, red, deep green, navy, gold, and silver, while the pages—apparently made of parchment—were a delicate ivory color.
Some featured delicate embroidery, gold and silver ornamentation, or inlaid colored gemstones, making them works of art in their own right.
In the center of a glass case was the monster compendium from the neighboring country that Dahlia had been hoping to find.
Its cover was black, decorated with gold lettering and gold embroidery, and it was impressively thick—about as bulky as the encyclopedias she'd known in her previous life.
Volf spoke to the shop attendant on the other side of the glass case and asked to have the book brought out.
At a nearby table, Dahlia carefully turned the pages with her gloves still on and was amazed by the meticulous, colorful illustrations.
Fortunately, the text had been translated into their country's language, so Dahlia could read it without difficulty.
After turning a few pages, she stopped at an entry for the Alraune, a monster that had only ever been confirmed to exist in the neighboring country.
It looked like a beautiful young woman with deep green hair, but the lower half of its body was connected to dark red flower petals, green leaves, and vines.
It was described as a subspecies of Mandrake, with a voice capable of inducing hallucinations.
Dahlia was astonished to find that the notes even stated, "As a material, its petals can prevent hallucinations."
Apparently, knowledge of its uses as a material was already commonplace in the neighboring country.
The book also indicated whether the monsters were currently being raised or bred, making it easy to understand why the neighboring country was known as the "Land of Livestock."
Unicorns, Magic Sheep, King Snakes, Sköll, Dullahan—every illustration she encountered was detailed and colorful, and the information itself was fascinating.
"How much is this one?"
She'd become so engrossed in the book that Volf's voice brought her back to her senses.
"Seven gold coins."
By Dahlia's reckoning, that was equivalent to around 700,000 yen. It was certainly expensive.
Still, this was likely a hand-copied edition, and illustrated reference books with such fine, full-color artwork were exceedingly rare. The price was only to be expected, especially given the value of its contents.
As Dahlia debated whether she could justify using the Rossetti Company's development budget to buy it or should consult Ivano first, Volf informed the attendant that he would purchase the book.
"I thought it would be useful as a reference when we go on expeditions. We need to learn as much as we can about unfamiliar monsters, since we never know when we might encounter them. There have even been cases of monsters crossing national borders."
Speaking with the practical mindset of a member of the Monster Subjugation Squad, he swiftly completed the purchase.
Dahlia was surprised, but she understood his reasoning.
After all, monsters knew no national borders.
There had even been a case in the past when a Hydra that had caused enormous devastation in the neighboring country crossed the border into their own.
She'd heard that the Monster Subjugation Squad and the mages had joined forces to defeat it, but the damage had apparently been extensive.
The monster compendium was placed in an equally luxurious box decorated in black and gold, then wrapped in lustrous black cloth. Volf casually cradled the treasure-like package in one arm.
"Dahlia, my room in the barracks isn't very spacious, and I'm often away on expeditions. Would you mind letting me keep this at the tower?"
"Huh? Um, Volf..."
"I visit the tower all the time on my days off anyway, and you could use it as a reference for materials, too. It might be fun to read it together."
His golden eyes wavered uncertainly as he spoke a little faster than usual.
It certainly smelled like a carefully orchestrated scheme, but honestly, Dahlia was delighted.
She was looking forward to the monster compendium itself, of course, but the thought of Volf coming over to read it—and of the two of them reading and discussing it together—was just as exciting.
"Then I'll keep it on the second floor."
She would clear a space on top of the bookshelf against the wall and give this book a special place of its own.
She also wanted to prepare a matching pair of gloves for them to wear while reading, so they wouldn't dirty the pages.
"Thank you."
"No, I should be the one thanking you."
With remarkably similar smiles on their faces, the two of them left the bookstore.
Comments
Post a Comment