A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

Since this is an elite group chapter, there is some gore involved.

By the time everyone had finished lunch and the pleasant weather began to lull them into drowsiness,

Rizel walked along a narrow brick path by the waterway and stepped into a back alley. The scent of freshly washed clothes hung overhead, carried by the breeze passing through the alley. Unable to resist, she let out a small sneeze.

On days like this, the laundry would dry well. Lowering the hand she had covered her mouth with, she looked up at the patch of blue sky framed by the buildings and thought so.

Then, her eyes caught sight of a small, shabby old shop. Smiling at the pile of books precariously teetering at the store’s entrance, she stepped inside, stepping over the books. If any of them were rare, she felt a slight twinge of regret, but books that didn’t fit on the shelves simply could not be helped.

“Excuse me.”

“Hmm.”

A gruff, unfriendly reply, as if clearing a scratchy throat.

Buried among the piles of books, an ill-tempered old man sat in an armchair reading. Bookstores like this were usually nothing more than a hobby or pastime, so he probably didn't have much intention to sell, Rizel reasoned, not worth worrying about.

After all, it was the same when she came with Jade. As she approached, the store owner lifted his heavily wrinkled, heavy eyelids and eyed her.

“I’m looking for something on practical magic theory.”

“Huh? …Not practical?”

He laughed softly, then frowned with suspicion.

Shaking her head and saying it’s just something like that, she gently encouraged, “Maybe you have some over there?” The owner shot a glare around the shop. Since the last time she came with Jade, repeatedly exchanging “Not yet?” “A little longer,” and buying a modest number of books (by Rizel’s standards), he must have judged that she had some knowledge of books.

“If you want something about mana construct, there are a few books over on that wall.”

“Thank you.”

Rizel headed to the indicated shelf.

Careful not to kick the books stacked at her feet, she stood before the shelf. The books were arranged messily, filling every gap, but at least their titles were visible.

She tilted her head, drawn to a book stacked sideways on top of the shelf, and reached out. The shelf was so packed that it resisted, but she pulled it out carefully and opened it.

“(Study on the Bias of Mana Attributes in Living Beings… no, that’s not it.)”

It was a book explaining why different people excel at different types of magic.

Many similar research themes existed, and even in the original world, multiple theories had arisen. By the way, no definitive theory has been established yet. The world is full of mysteries.

For now, it piqued her interest, so she kept it and looked for the next one. Something on the basics of mana construct, general construct formulas—“those generally used in Sars” would be good. Of course, this was to aid labyrinth exploration.

If you look at adventurer mages, you’ll notice large individual differences in their magic styles. Somehow, there also seemed to be national characteristics. It was better to grasp those differences.

“...?”

While perusing a few books, she suddenly noticed a pair of shoes in the corner of her eye. Someone stood by the bookshelf, occasionally flipping pages; they were probably doing some light reading too.

Without looking, she thought to herself she hadn’t noticed when the other customer arrived. As her interest waned and she was about to return to reading, a voice called out.

“Hey, hello.”

Noticing Rizel had noticed him, the voice spoke.

A calm, rich voice. Without the coldness one might show to a fellow enthusiast, Rizel smiled and turned to face him.

“Hello.”

Perhaps the bookstore’s atmosphere made them speak quietly.

Their eyes met, and the man smiled, deepening the wrinkles at the corners. He was a composed gentleman with carefully groomed salt-and-pepper hair that suited his calm face. His well-tailored coat caught the eye for having a single bright red button.