Chapter 8

“Ottou, I’m sorry, but what is this?” asked Yuui. “An Agnasruze book,” he replied with his perpetual smile. “No, that’s not what I mean…” Yuui shook her head, thinking it was her fault this had happened, since she’d asked the wrong question. “What makes this an Agnasruze book?” “Ash.” “Huh?” “There’s a volcano in Agnasruze. There is ash on the book. It’s not ash from a fireplace—it’s ash from a volcano. So it’s most likely from there.” It took a moment for Yuui to understand what he was saying. “Ummm, so in other words…” Yuui blinked many times. “This isn’t a book written about that town but a book that was there?” “Correct.” Thinking back, Yuui realized she’d asked him to find “an Agnasruze book.” Her shoulders slumped. Her vague phrasing had messed everything up. Regardless, he’d done well to find this in such a short time. If Ottou’s judgment was correct, this ledger had been brought from that town to Leirest for some reason, where it ended up filling the library stacks. That was obviously quite incredible and intriguing, but… “Ottou, I’m very sorry, because you did so well to find this, but…,” started Yuui. Just then, however, the hand that had been idly flipping through the pages stopped. For just a brief moment, the character for dragon had jumped out at her. It was to the right of a line item about halni dye. Just a few scribbled columns of characters written in the margin, unrelated to the content of the ledger. Though the peculiar handwriting made it difficult to read, Yuui managed to get through it. It appeared to be a simple diary note. …Will this year’s dragon procurement commence without issue? Only two weeks remain until the festival begins, and there is idle talk that things are only half assembled… I told them I was unsure of entrusting them with this. It is odd how lacking in motivation young folk are these days. No drive, and they rarely join the gathering… Regardless, I shall inquire with the youngsters tomorrow. If I threaten them, perhaps they would come to understand the disaster this could be. “Dragon…procurement?” That was an impossible combination of words. This ledger was indeed old, but it was written in Central Standard, which Yuui could read. It wasn’t written in Kingdom Classical. Which meant the document was only about two hundred years at the oldest. But dragons went extinct long before that. The earliest estimates placed it over a thousand years ago. The time periods clearly didn’t line up. They’d found this ledger by chance, so she didn’t think it was a joke or a lie. And if that were the case, then what was this ledger? Just some meaningless scribbles? But they didn’t feel fake as you would otherwise expect them to. She felt her heart leap. This…was a hit, wasn’t it? Ix had told them to research Agnasruze. They found a book they thought had been in the town. Inside was a note hinting at the existence of dragons. There were still all sorts of things they didn’t know, but Yuui didn’t think this was just a coincidence. The possibility that this would go nowhere still remained, of course, but they’d found this clue so quickly after having searched so hard beforehand. One half of her was telling her to keep calm, but the other couldn’t help getting excited. Yuui rushed to read the notes before and after that one, but they were just complaints about the writer’s wife or talking about how cute their kids were. Poring over the text to see if she could at least learn the writer’s name, she found a signature on the back cover. It was written in even messier handwriting than the front cover, however, so Yuui couldn’t read it. Anyway, she needed to tell Ix about this as soon as possible… They needed to investigate this document more. There might be something written in some of the other notes, not just that one. Yuui sensed someone standing behind her and turned around to look. “Oh, you’ve found it.” “Ah!” “But you’ve brought a different companion today. I believe that may have been the correct choice.” The person rambling on casually was the head librarian. Yuui thought she’d hidden herself the last time the woman had been around, but apparently, she’d discovered Yuui anyway. Perhaps it was to be expected; Yuui had been coming every day. “Um, what is this…?” asked Yuui, holding up the ledger. “It’s not in the library catalog,” claimed the woman with only a single quick glance at it. “Must be some random papers used to fill the stacks.” “Ah, I thought so.” “Do you want to take it with you?” “Huh? Y-yes, but…” To be honest, she had been thinking of just walking out with it. She didn’t yet know which trivial notes in the margins could hold another clue. And in order to show Ix, who was still bedridden, she’d have to copy each and every one of the relevant entries. She could get more done if she enlisted Ottou’s help, but it would still take time. Unfortunately, however, the library didn’t actually let you take books out. Just as Yuui thought the head librarian had probably come over to remind her of that, she spoke again. “You can take it. It’s not officially in our collection, after all. I’ll give it to you.” “Huh, a-are you certain?” “Yes, yes. However, I do have one promise I would like you to make before you do.” “A promise? What might that be?” “Books are meant to be read. No matter their content, it is far too tragic for them to go unread, for the book to simply rot away without anyone knowing what lies between its pages. I want to save that text from such a fate, so I would like you to treasure it, whether that means caring for it as it fades or entrusting it to someone else. I cannot give it to you if you won’t accept that responsibility.” “U-uh…” Yuui stared up at the ceiling. She hadn’t expected taking a bundle of papers would involve so much responsibility. Were books really that precious? But the head librarian’s gaze looked sincere. Was Yuui the strange one for being unable to answer immediately…? Her eyes wandered for a time. 6 It took four days for the swelling to go down. Thanks to that girl Rozalia’s magic, Ix had felt barely any pain. Even so, he’d been burning up as he lay there, and his head had been hazy. He couldn’t tell when he was awake and when he was asleep, but his recovery seemed almost too fast, considering the horrific injuries he’d sustained. In an attempt to pay back the others for caring for him, he quickly rose from bed, then went to organize the cupboards and do other small chores. The noise he made while clambering around was enough to cause Morna to swing by. “Oh, I-Ixie…?” “Ah, Morna. Sorry for bothering you.” “N-no, it’s fine. As long as you’re better… Fyu-fyu…,” she said, relieved. “Are you feeling okay already?” “Well, I think I can move without problems now,” noted Ix, lightly rolling his shoulders to show her. “R-really? Good. Yeah.” “Where’s Ottou? And Yuui?” “Oh, they’re in the shop. I-I’ll bring them.” Morna returned with only Yuui, however. Her exasperated expression seemed to say, “You sure are lively for someone who just got up.” “So was there something you needed?” Yuui asked. “Yeah, after we split up, I went to the Adventurers’ Guild. And there…yeah.” Ix met her gaze. “There I found something that seemed like a clue. If I remember, it was—” “Agnasruze, right?” “…How did you know that?” “You told me. Don’t you remember?” asked Yuui, shaking her head. “We can touch base later. I have something to tell you as well.” “Okay…” He felt somewhat dissatisfied with her explanation but decided to just keep going with his story. Then Ix explained everything that had happened that night. He’d collapsed on the side of the road, suffering from the horrible injuries the two adventurers inflicted upon him. The pair had made sure to pummel every inch of his body and had broken as many bones as they could. Ix had been so injured, he couldn’t even call for help or stand up. Instead, he’d lain on the ground, shivering. But since the two adventurers had raised such a magnificent ruckus, Tomah and his group, who happened to be nearby, came to see what was going on. Perhaps this was the situation’s silver lining. Apparently, Tomah’s friend Dann had heard the jeers and had gotten a whiff of blood with his excellent vukodrak senses. The two adventurers turned tail as soon as they saw the three running toward them, but Ix was already at death’s door. It wouldn’t have been surprising if he’d died, had Rozalia not quickly cast healing magic on him. The elf’s powerful magic and excellent technique had averted his fate. Afterward, Tomah realized Ix was the person he’d spoken to in the Guild. Feeling responsible for the incident, Tomah had carried him all the way back to the shop. That was everything that happened that night. “I owe them my life,” admitted Ix. “And it was all because I wasn’t being careful enough. I’m only here because I got lucky.” “Yes, I am glad you came out of it alive.” “Especially since there wouldn’t be anyone to fix your wand if I dropped dead.” “…Why are you saying it that way?” Yuui glowered at Ix. “Do you not think it’s rude to Morna and me, since we were legitimately concerned for you?” “No, I didn’t mean it like that, sorry. But who were those three? My memories aren’t all there from after I got jumped, but it sounded like they knew you…right?” “…Yes, I am acquainted with them.” “From the Academy?” “Yes, from there.” “Strange combination. Both vukodraks and elves are in a similar position as you, Yuui. Well, it happened at different times in history… But you’re all still students at the Royal Academy and even working together as adventurers—” “I would prefer not to talk about it,” said Yuui curtly, cutting him off. Ix shut his trap before he could ask another question. He’d intended to lighten the mood, but it seemed there was something going on. As it was, he didn’t know her well enough to pry further. “Right, sorry,” he said. “No, it’s fine. It’s just that I have no connection to them now, and I have no intention of working with them again. That’s all,” muttered Yuui quietly. “I thought you said you’d make time to talk again?” “Is that any of your business?” “No…it’s not.” Ix shrugged. “I just wanted to thank them for saving me, that’s all.” “Then this discussion is over,” she snapped and cleared her throat. “More importantly, would you mind telling me about the clue you found? Why did you have me research Agnasruze?” “Well, I didn’t intend to force you into it…,” he grumbled, before telling her about the strange request form he’d found in the Guild’s storage and that it had said something about dragons and Mount Agnas. “You say the characters were written with magic on a slate?” asked Yuui, crossing her arms. “That is rather perplexing. I do not understand the purpose.” “Well, that’s all the clue was. It’s strange, but nothing more than that. Thinking about it now, I feel like it wasn’t that big a deal. Sorry my delirious ramblings sent you on a wild goose chase.” “Oh, I’m not so sure about that.” “Huh?” “I did turn up one thing,” she announced, then went to bring an old pile of papers over from the shelf. Ix raised an eyebrow in question. It was her turn to explain. Yuui told him how she and Ottou had found this notebook in the library, how it was most likely from Agnasruze, and… “Dragon procurement…?” asked Ix. “Indeed.” Yuui nodded. “I don’t believe it is a real dragon, but I have to admit I think it might be a lead, considering its connection to the request form.” “Since Ottou claimed it had been in Agnasruze, I’m sure he’s right,” mumbled Ix as he looked over the cover with confusion. “Festival Supply Accounts…Ega Fulmen?” “Oh, so that’s what it says. Ega, is that a name?” “It’s an old male name.” “Do you know him?” “Wouldn’t that be nice.” Obviously, Ix was acquainted with neither the man nor his family. Tossing the cover aside, he gazed up at the celling. “Hmm…” “What’s wrong? I thought we’d made a breakthrough. With this, our only option is to go check it out, isn’t it? If we can meet this Ega person…,” said Yuui breathlessly, seeming somewhat excited. “It’s a breakthrough, but…” Ix shook his head. “It’s a gamble. It’s safe to say our only lead right now is Mount Agnas. Agnasruze is far, but we could get there in two days if we go by stagecoach. But that’s cutting it close. If there’s nothing there, then that’s the summer gone. I’d like to act with more certainty.” “But we’ve exhausted what we can investigate here. We’ve researched everything, and the two clues we’ve found both point to the same place… Could that really be a coincidence?” “But—” “Is it possible you are trying to use the fact that we have found a clue as an excuse to extend the period for repairing the wand?” “Of course not,” Ix said with a snort. “What I was going to say is that there is one other major issue.” “I’m listening.” “Travel costs. I don’t have any cash. We need to pay for transportation and lodging when we get there.” “Uh, that’s…” That wasn’t an excuse—it was a pressing issue. Since Ix didn’t know whether his career as a craftsman would pan out, spending large amounts of money on a free commission could end with him dying alone in the gutter. That wasn’t an exaggeration, either. And if that happened, her request would never be completed. As understanding dawned on Yuui, her grin soured into a frown. She certainly didn’t have the extra funds. While they were scowling at each other, they suddenly heard footsteps outside the room. “D-do you need…money?” “Ah?! M-Morna!” Yuui jumped slightly, then forced a smile on her face. “Y-yes, we do. We were just talking about how we don’t have enough to travel.” “Hee-hee-hee, th-then take this…” In her limply hanging arms, Morna was carrying a bulging sack. She dropped it to the ground in front of them, where it made a heavy thud. Ix looked inside and muttered, “Huh?” It was a massive sum. Well, perhaps not massive, but a decent amount. “Morna, where’d you get this…?” asked Ix pointedly. “Huh? Ummm, it was… Y-you dropped it when you collapsed.” “I dropped it? All this?” “Ah, n-no, not that—it was the, uh, enedo stuff…” “Oh, the teeth?” She was referring to those teeth that the pair of adventurers had brought into the Guild. They must have dropped them in the panic that ensued while fleeing from Tomah. “S-so I sold them…and made some coin.” “Huh? You sold them?” “Y-yeah,” mumbled Morna. Ix stared unblinkingly at her, but she averted her gaze. “Uh, was that…wrong?” “No, it wasn’t wrong…” “W-well, if we held on to them, those people would come and tell us to give them back. So I thought it’d be better to turn them into money. I closed the shop and asked the merchant I always work with… Was that…all right? Foo-foo-foo…” “I guess that’s fine…” Legally, it wasn’t an issue. Since they’d already sold the teeth, the funds belonged to neither the two adventurers nor the person who originally owned the teeth, since the adventurers had obtained them illegally. The money belonged to Morna. And if her merchant managed things well, no one should be able to find this shop. But that bag had contained a lot of teeth. Getting your hands on that amount of material was hard work. Morna had gotten a hefty return on investment from selling them, and whoever turned them in at the Guild would have netted a good deal of glory. And the two adventurers had lost it all to some half-baked craftsman… Ix actually felt kind of bad for them. “This solves our travel money problems, yes?” Yuui said in realization, clasping her hands together. “…Yeah. All that’s left is if the customer wants to take this gamble,” said Ix. “Then there is no issue.” Yuui smiled. “Right, shall we get going? It would be best to leave as soon as possible. Perhaps we should even leave tonight if your injuries are not a problem.” “Oh, then I’ll get Ixie’s bags packed!” cried Morna. “What? Morna!” shouted Ix, trying to stop her, but she’d already disappeared. “…And you as well, Yuui. Hold up. You made it sound like you’re planning on going, too.” “What are you saying?” she asked, blinking in confusion. “Of course I’m going.” “No, not ‘of course.’ This is my assignment. You should wait here.” “But the thing is…we’re going to find someone. You can never have too many helping hands for a job like that. And besides,” added Yuui as she pointed to Ix’s face, “who will fix my wand if you get beaten up again?” His face was still wrapped in bandages.