Let’s Go to Town*3
And so, we passed the checkpoint without incident.
Apparently, unless you look really suspicious, they don’t dig too deep. They just check your baggage a little, make sure you’re not carrying illegal drugs or animals, ask a few questions, and that’s it. I guess I worried for nothing.
But… another kind of worry showed up instead. Uuuuuuuuugh.
“Lisas-san… um, sorry. You didn’t really want to come to the capital, did you…?”
Yeah. Lisas-san. The man himself.
He’s the one who couldn’t stand being in the same royal capital where his ex-wife and her affair partner live, so he gave up on continuing as a knight in the Third Order and fell into ruin with some washed-up adventurers… and despite that! I totally forgot all that and brought him right back to the royal capital!
Aaaaah! I’m so sorry, Lisas-san! Aaaaaaah!
“It’s fine. I’ve got no reason to go to the royal castle… and if we happen to run into them, well, I’ll deal with it when it happens.”
He said it like it was nothing, and sure, I guess it’s not that likely to bump into castle folk unless you actually go there… but still.
“Well then, shall we get to the bookstore? You won’t be able to enjoy lunch if you’re that worried, right, Asuma-sama?”
“Can’t we get our food to go? If we eat at the inn, that’ll reduce the chances of running into anyone you don’t want to see…”
“… You really don’t have to worry that much.”
Really? Well, if Lisas-san says so, then fine. Let’s just stick to the plan: hit the bookstore, drop off our stuff at the inn, and then find a restaurant somewhere…
… Still worried, though!
Anyway, the capital’s cityscape.
Compared to Lark, the capital’s got way more stone buildings.
Seriously, it’s all stone. It’s kinda amazing, actually. The sense of unity is impressive.
“All the main buildings in the capital were built by the same mage.”
“A mage? Not a carpenter?”
“Yeah. A truly skilled mage can raise pillars and walls straight out of the earth and form entire buildings.”
Huh. Makes sense. I really underestimated fantasy power. I mean, I do stuff like that myself, so it’s not weird that others can too—but actually seeing it put to use like this is kinda awe-inspiring.
“So that means Asuma-sama’s a skilled mage too!”
… Okay, I think I get how that reputation started.
Yeah… I guess I have done stuff worthy of being called “a skilled mage.” But out here, I’m still just a kid in an elementary-school body. So yeah, better to stay humble.
“There are some wooden buildings around here too.”
“Ah, probably built by a mage who’s good at growing plants.”
“… Makes sense!”
This city is so fantasy. Seriously. This world is amazing!
While we were still impressed by the fantasy-ness of it all, Lisas-san led us into a bookstore.
“Even if you can’t find everything here, there are two other stores nearby. Smaller than this one, though.”
The bookstore he brought us to was huge.
I mean really, huge. And totally fantasy-style!
“Whoa… bookshelves all the way up to the ceiling!”
“Asuma-sama, do you like books even outside of dungeon stuff?”
“Yeah… I think I do, actually…”
Just seeing so many books makes me happy. Books are just… fun to look at. And in a fantasy bookstore like this? There’s no way I can stay calm.
“Well, we can always check the other two stores later. Take your time—but make sure we’re done before closing, okay?”
“Yeah! I’ll hurry! Even if I had infinite time, it wouldn’t be enough! Woohoo!”
I dashed deeper into the store like a kid set free during lunch break. It really felt like an adventure—because, come on, there’s that many books! How can I not be excited?
But once I started choosing books, I ran into a few problems.
“… I wonder what kind of books people in this world actually want to read.”
“Want to read? Umm, what do you mean…?”
“Well, I mean, what kind of books do villagers like, for example?”
See, for me, this entire world is already fantasy, so history books, magic theory, ecosystem studies—all of it feels like reading fantasy novels. But that might not line up with local tastes.
And of course, taste isn’t the same as demand. Like medicine you don’t like but have to take—some books are worth having even if they’re not fun. That’s what a library’s for, right?
“Oh! Then we should get field guides! Herb guides and flower books! They’ll come in handy when sorting herbs or finding pretty flowers!”
Mishisia-san swooped in with her usual perfect timing. Thank you! Based on her suggestion, I started piling up field guides.
“Novels are tricky if you chase trends. Better stick to the classics.”
“Yeah, true. If nobles come for the hot springs, they might want to spend time rereading classics anyway.”
Fair enough. But since I have no idea which are classics and which are new releases, I left that part to Lisas-san. Please and thank you!
… and then.
“Yeah, this one’s too interesting to pass up.”
There’s one thing I had to get, living in a fantasy world. I reached for the spine that caught my eye and pulled it from the shelf.
A grimoire.
Because seriously—how can you not buy a grimoire in a fantasy world? I’ve got to read a real one at least once!
“Hm? Oh, you’re getting a grimoire too?”
“Yeah. I just really want to try reading one…”
Mishisia-san came over, arms full of field guides, and I asked her for help.
“I’d like to get something as basic as possible. Which one do you think’s best?”
“Ah! Something the village kids could use for magic practice too, right? Let’s see… Oh! This one! It’s old, but it’s really solid!”
“Ohh…!”
It was Mishisia-san’s recommendation, so I flipped through it eagerly—
“… I see. Kind of like a beginner’s magic textbook.”
Apparently, it’s basically this world’s equivalent of a school textbook. Probably full of everyday-use spells. Alright, once we’re home, I’ll study it thoroughly!
… Or maybe I’ll go page by page manually, just for the experience. Hmm, tough call.
Anyway, I also picked some books that would help the village kids study. These would become the foundation of Panis Village’s education!
Then I grabbed a few technical books that might help the researchers and craftsmen. Even if you can’t understand every detail, those kinds of books are still fun, right?
By the time I was done, Lisas-san had gathered a mountain of novels, and Mishisia-san’s tower of field guides had grown even taller with travelogues mixed in. So yeah—we decided to stop there.
Why? … Because there’s only so much space in the wagon!
“Looks like we won’t have room for a second stop.”
“Yeah… Bookstores are fun, huh, Asuma-sama?”
“Yeah. Really fun.”
And so, we packed the wagon full of books until it was absolutely stuffed. I can’t help but worry about the horses now. The wagon’s gotta weigh twice as much as before.
“… Well, even with this, it’s not quite enough to call it a grand library. We’ll have to come back for more trips later.”
“Of course! … But, Asuma-sama, are you okay? You don’t handle wagons too well, do you?”
… Yeah.
“I’m starting with upgrading the wagon first.”
“I figured you’d say that.”
If we’re talking about Panis Village’s future, we can’t skip that part. After all, the village’s own demand is limited—we’ll need better transport to export goods to the capital or to Lark.
“But first, the trip home… Asuma-sama. With all these books, it’s going to be tight. You okay?”
… Let’s just… focus on the immediate problem.
“I might not be okay.”
Yeah, this book-packed wagon… It’s definitely not going to improve the ride.
“If that’s the case, I’ll drive this wagon back. You and Mishisia-san can take a public coach—it’s more comfortable.”
“Wait, Lisas-san, your lap’s not big enough for Asuma-sama! I’ll drive the wagon, and you two take the public coach instead!”
They were both trying to work something out for my sake. I’m so sorry, everyone—curse my motion sickness!
“… Alright. Then, Asuma-sama, tomorrow you and I will take the public coach back to Panis Village. We’ll leave the books and wagon with Mishisia-san.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
So the two of us would be traveling separately. Honestly, that sounded like a relief.
Or so I thought.
But of course, things never go that smoothly.
The next morning, after staying the night at an inn and having breakfast—
“So this is the public coach station, huh. Oh, there’s even one going to Panis Village. Huh…”
It felt kind of like a rural bus stop, which actually impressed me.
I knew Panis Village had gotten popular among nobles and rich folk as a tourist spot, but I hadn’t seen proof until now.
Seeing that “To Panis Village” sign really hit me—it meant there were that many people heading there regularly! That made me happy.
I looked around at the people waiting: some adventurer-looking types, some well-dressed but not noble—probably researchers or wealthy commoners.
And then—
“S-sorry, Asuma-sama.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, I was scooped up.
Lisas-san picked me up like I weighed nothing and started walking briskly back the way we came.
“… We’ll have to ask Mishisia-san after all.”
“Eh? Did something happen?”
I had a bad feeling… and yeah, turns out my instincts were right.
“Sitting on the bench for the Panis-bound coach… were my former comrades. And my ex-wife.”
“… Wooooow.”
Yeah. That’s one hell of an accident! A total disaster! I’m so sorry, Lisas-san! I’m so, so sorry!!
What do you think about this chapter?
