Isn't it Usually the Other Way Around?
My father and I were waiting at the ticket gate of the train station when Raphael, having spotted me, hurried over from the gate.
"Reinhardt, you came."
"It's been a while. That was sudden, so it surprised me. But I'm happy to see you."
"I'm happy too. Father, this is my friend, Reinhardt Westland." Raphael said to the man who had come up beside him.
"Ah."
"Oh, we meet again. I didn’t introduce myself last time, but I am Roosevelt Clondale, Raphael’s father."
It was the man I met in the archives of the Royal Capital Library. Raphael’s father—and the head of the Magic Tower?
So that meeting last time wasn’t just a coincidence...
That day, we only exchanged greetings, and we agreed to have lunch together at my house the following day.
The next day, after lunch, we talked with Duke Clondale and his son in Father's study.
"I don’t want Reinhardt to be suspicious of me, so let me clear up a misunderstanding first. The title of Head of the Magic Tower is in name only. The actual administrator is someone else. My true title is Director of the Royal Palace Library. So, I take pride in my knowledge of books."
This time, the purpose of the investigation was regarding the Beastkin nation and their divine blessings. Investigators from the Magic Tower would be accompanying and conducting the interviews.
"Is the reason Duke Clondale personally came here because of Hardt?"
"Yes, I heard the divine blessing from the Sage God is related to the library. And isn’t it unfair that you can read library books faster than normal?"
When my father asked if he had read the report, he said no report had reached him.
When asked if there was anything else, I told him that if I copy a book into a blank book, I can read library books from anywhere.
"What! I hadn’t heard anything like that. That damn Chancellor must have purposely kept it from me.” He said, cursing the Chancellor.
"Please calm down, Father. You’re startling the Westland father and son." Raphael tried to soothe him.
"Ah, sorry about that. I just get a bit carried away when it comes to books. By the way, is there anything else you're hiding about this blessing? I’m not saying you have to tell me for free. Let's work together to protect the Beastkin and keep other nobles from interfering. What do you say?"
I looked to Father, and he nodded, so I continued.
"If there’s a book I read in the library that the Sage God doesn’t have yet, it gets automatically transferred to the Sage God. As a reward, I get to talk to the Sage God."
".. .Is that true? You can talk to the Sage God? Have you spoken with them before?"
"Yes. Apparently, one of the books in the Royal Capital Library archives, where I met you, was one such book. The church told me to keep looking and thanked me."
"... Say, if I agree to cooperate, could you ask the Sage God next time if I could receive the same blessing as you?"
"Eh?"
"Please! I’ll even give you a personal tour of the Royal Palace Library and the archives, using my authority. Or perhaps you'd prefer our family library? It’s full of books from other countries. Come with us when we return."
Just as I thought that was a bit too much, Father politely declined.
Even so, the Duke wouldn’t give up and kept pressing. I was getting worried about what to do when Raphael snapped and scolded his father, telling him to stop messing around and take his job seriously. He ordered the knight escort to shove the Duke into a carriage and send him home.
Isn’t it usually the other way around?
"Sorry about earlier. My father becomes relentless when it comes to books. But he does have considerable influence in the palace as a duke, so please trust him." Raphael apologized to us.
Is Raphael so mature because of Duke Clondale?
Raphael and I moved to the greenhouse, leaving just the two of us and Atre. Well, the escort knights were still nearby.
"Finally, we meet. You must be Atre. I'm Raphael, Reinhardt’s friend. I’d be happy if we could get along.” He greeted Atre.
"Woof, woof (Sure)." Atre replied, and I conveyed the message.
"You really can communicate with him. I’m jealous."
From there, we talked about my blessing, the beastkin, and my time in the dungeon.
"So Raphael, you went into a dungeon too?"
"Yeah. You wrote in your letter that you went into your local dungeon. I thought it wouldn’t do for me to never have entered ours, since it’s the greatest source of income for our ducal house."
Of the two dungeons they had, he went into the one with herbs and fruits. It had ten levels, alternating between herb and fruit floors, and he reached the fifth floor.
However, the fifth floor was set in summer, very hot, and had only a few herbs, none of which he knew how to use.
"What kind of herbs were on the fifth floor?" I asked.
He said the roots were thick and yellow inside, and the stems were about a meter long.
Wait—that’s turmeric? Turmeric is the base for curry powder, right?
Could the fifth floor be a level where curry spices are cultivated?
What do you think about this chapter?
