A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

The Monster Compendium is something that exists in the adventurers' guild.

The Monster Compendium placed in numerous guilds across various locations usually differs in content depending on the country. This is because it has been steadily compiled over time based on information gathered by adventurers, and most of the detailed information tends to focus on the monsters found in that country's labyrinths.

Due to the effort involved and the possibility of damage, adventurers are prohibited from taking the compendium out of the guild. However, most adventurers simply flip through the compendium when they want to know more details about the monsters related to their quests, so it’s not much of a concern. It is a valuable resource, containing illustrations and texts detailing spawn locations, material harvest points, and sometimes even dismantling methods. Although the compendium is regularly updated, the copies are usually faded and worn.

“Excuse me, I’d like to borrow the Monster Compendium.”

“Yes. Um, which volume was it again?”

“Volume five. Oh, can I also borrow volume six together?”

The door opened gently, and at the moment Rizel, who had come to the guild alone, walked straight to the support reception, it was clear that the compendium was her purpose.

The guild staff sitting at the support counter peeked under the shelf beneath and traced their finger over the many books lined up. Since there are countless species of monsters, it takes more than one volume to detail them all, and usually the compendium is organized by broad monster races.

The staff’s honest thought was that they never expected an adventurer who would read through from the first volume, “Beast Monsters Edition,” sequentially, rather than just researching a specific monster. It would be pointless to read everything at once since one wouldn’t remember it all, right?

“Thank you for waiting.”

“Thank you.”

The staff handed over the compendium with a smile, while fidgeting a bit, feeling a bit uneasy. Rizel noticed and gave a faint smile, feeling sorry, but it couldn’t be helped—they usually dealt with adventurers who were loud and rough. Even the simple gesture of tucking her hair behind her ear seemed to momentarily silence the surrounding atmosphere, attracting attention despite being such a small gesture.

“By the way—”

“Yes?”

The staff suddenly felt curious and asked, somewhat hesitantly.

Rizel, willing to engage, gave a relieved smile as the staff stared intently at the Monster Compendium in her hands.

“You were in Partedar before, right? Didn’t you look at the Monster Compendium back then?”

By looking at a Guild Card, one can see which guild an adventurer belongs to and where they registered. Since the first quest after moving to a new country is also checked, Rizel and her group had to wait a bit when they accepted their very first quest, “Gentle Marionette’s Scarf.”

It was unusual that not only the reception staff but others also knew this. It wasn’t just because Ichito was there.

“I read all of it even in the Capital City (Parteda). But the monsters listed are different, and even for the same monsters, the descriptions vary, which is interesting.”

“Oh, really?”

Usually, guild staff don’t travel much outside the country, so they wouldn’t notice such differences.

Rizel placed the book in her hands and flipped through it, as if to show an example. Even her page-turning gesture was remarkably graceful.

“Here’s the slime page.”

Tilting the book so they could both see, the staff member who had been seated stood and leaned in. Unlike the rough hands of an adventurer, their well-manicured fingertips traced the explanation line by line.

Though entirely unrelated to the current situation, the staff inwardly thought that if Rizel had been her teacher during her childhood when she disliked studying, she surely wouldn’t have run away but listened quietly. The calm voice, neither dragging nor hurried, was incredibly easy to absorb.