Chapter 21

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 21

Chapter Title: The Duke's Vast Library

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The duke paused for a moment, perhaps thrown off by my unexpected words, but he soon obediently extended his hand.

I snatched hold of his straight, outstretched fingers.

"Press here like this..."

Squeeze, press.

His large hand was rough and solid. As I kneaded the calloused tips of his fingers, the duke's hand twitched noticeably.

"It might feel a bit strange at first, but if you keep it up, it'll at least temporarily ease some of that fatigue. How's it feel?"

"Seems like it does. How did you know about this?"

"Well..."

He pulled his hand back as if reclaiming it and asked.

A K-worker suffering from overwork tries every trick in the book to stay awake under the boss's watchful eye.

Isn't this just the vibe that comes from experience?

Remembering those days of surviving on coffee and energy drinks made me a little melancholic.

But I couldn't exactly say that outright.

I came up with a plausible excuse on the spot.

"It's a folk remedy passed down among commoners."

"Useful. You've done me a favor, Princess."

"Huh? It's not that big a deal..."

"So I should repay it properly."

"Repay what?"

A bad feeling washed over me.

"Are you aware that the Brail family's collection of books rivals that of the imperial palace in sheer volume?"

"Ah..."

"Whatever you're looking for, it won't be easy. You'll need to invest quite a bit of time."

I hadn't even considered that.

But does this conversation mean... he's actually going to help me?

This man?

This terrifying man?

Yet my absurd thought turned out to be reality.

"I've studied there since childhood, so I've read most of the books."

"So what Your Grace is saying is... you're offering me a sea of kindness?"

Instead of affirming my words right away, he slightly furrowed his brow.

'What's displeasing him now?'

Whatever. As the saying goes, you can't spit in a smiling face.

I relaxed my features and flashed a wide, foolish grin.

"Thank you."

And fortunately, his expression softened a touch this time.

"Since it's come up, let's head there now."

"Pardon? Don't you have work to do?"

"I was just looking to clear my head anyway."

Well, if that's the case.

The sooner, the better for me anyway.

The duke's library in the annex truly held an enormous number of books, just as he'd said.

To exaggerate a bit, bookshelves stretched endlessly to the ceiling, packed floor to ceiling with all manner of tomes.

If I'd come alone, I probably wouldn't have found what I needed—or worse, gotten lost.

Overwhelmed by the grandeur, I gaped and looked around busily.

"There are so many..."

"We've been collecting since the time of the founding duke. And many ancestors were avid readers."

"That figures."

If I didn't know better, I'd have mistaken it for a museum.

"So, what book is the princess looking for?"

The duke stepped forward and asked.

Looking closely, I saw tiny labels on the frontmost bookshelf walls.

It seemed they were sorted by category, grouped by similar topics.

"Hm, something about minerals. For example... a mineral strong enough to shatter a mana stone."

"A mineral related to mana stones..."

Fortunately, the duke didn't seem suspicious of my vague phrasing and led the way without issue.

The library's interior was dimmer than the bustling outer areas frequented by people, but it was impeccably clean, without a speck of dust.

As I curiously gazed down at the thick carpet that muffled even my small footsteps, I failed to notice the duke had stopped—and slammed right into his back.

"Oof!"

How could a person's back feel like a rock? My nose throbbed from the impact.

"S-sorry."

In response to my apology, he replied in an indifferent tone.

"Watch where you're going."

"Y-yes..."

As I sheepishly stepped back, cradling my nose, the duke pointed to a nearby bookshelf.

"Information on mana stones is scarce. To find anything worthwhile, you'd need to comb through every book here."

"Ah......"

"Of course, it shouldn't be too hard for you, Princess."

Is he insane?

I looked up at the massive shelf crammed full of thick volumes and let out an involuntary dry laugh.

"Hahaha."

"What's so funny?"

"N-nothing. You're... right."

Spot on, actually.

As if reading my thoughts, he added one more thing.

"That said, if you're looking for a mineral with high magic resistance, I can recommend this one."

He reached up to a high shelf—even on tiptoes, I couldn't have touched it—and handed me a book.

I Shall Defy Magic

Nostradamourides.

"Whoa!"

The book was disgustingly thick and heavy.

My arm sagged under the weight, and I forced some strength into it while plastering on an awkward smile.

"Thanks for the recommendation. Then I'll borrow this and..."

"Books aren't allowed to be checked out. You have to read them here."

"Ah, I see. Then..."

"Looks like you'll be coming here often from now on."

That shattered my vision of lounging in a comfy room with snacks while devouring books.

"R-really? No lending service or anything...?"

"Lending service?"

His reaction suggested he'd never heard the term, so I shook my head.

...Right, this isn't a public library. No way they'd have something that civilized.

"Never mind, haha."

With that, I shuffled over and leaned against the bookshelf before sliding down to sit.

Unaware that the duke watching me had slowly curved his lips upward.

Nostradamourides's I Shall Defy Magic delved into surprisingly specialized content, belying the cheap vibe of its title.

Of course, being ancient knowledge, much of it was outdated by modern standards, but magic itself was so capricious that even old information was worth scrutinizing closely.

Flip, flip.

'Magic disruption, transplantation... Ah, found it.'

Magic Resistance

I hurriedly flipped to the page and began reading the dense text intently.

And soon, I inwardly cheered.

"......!"

Yesss!

Barely suppressing a shout of joy, I reread the passage before me.

[The mysterious ore known today as Partanium exhibits strong resistance to mana, the pure force of nature.

Thus, the dwarven smiths of antiquity forged it into magical tools.]

Fortunately, Partanium was a mineral I knew well.

It had briefly been all the rage as a curiosity, but now it was practically forgotten.

Partanium resisted not just magic, but also temperature extremes and corrosion. As such, it demanded incredibly finicky processing methods.

I vaguely recalled hearing that someone tried weaponizing it, but gave up because it wasn't cost-effective...

Even the Magic Tower domain that owned the Partanium mines had washed their hands of it for decades.

'If not for my exploitative employer's help, I would've been in real trouble.'

I fondly stroked the book on my lap.

Without any leads, it would've been a long, winding road to get here.

And with my short stature, finding this book on my own would've been a pipe dream.

I was genuinely grateful for that part. But...

"...Your Grace?"

"What is it?"

"No work today either?"

"No, I'm handling it here."

Why leave a perfectly good office unused?

I swallowed the question that rose to my throat.

Kaian Brail. This inscrutable man had been coming to the library with me every day while I pored over books for the past few days.

I still had no idea why.

Just to tease me?

His mere presence made every hair on my body stand on end; I couldn't even cough without it echoing like thunder. It was pure torment.

'Today's the last day for that nonsense.'

I gave the duke an awkward smile and headed toward the bookshelf, book in hand.

'So high...'

But the slot where the book had been was dizzyingly tall.

Fortunately, I spotted a low step stool nearby and climbed on, standing on tiptoe.

Supporting the heavy book with one arm made my body wobble wildly, but I stubbornly focused on engaging my nonexistent core.

But...?

"Huh?"

Something's wrong.

Why does the bookshelf seem to be getting closer?

As the world slowed to a crawl, the tall shelf began tilting toward me.

"Wh-what!?"

Please let it be an illusion.

I really hope so...!

It was the exact moment I squeezed my eyes shut.