Chapter 75 - 76

Chapter 75 – It was a giant library!

"This place…is a library?"

I muttered as I looked at the chamber, with its walls lined with bookshelves.

It really was big.

It would take at least three minutes to reach the end of it.

And the ceiling…

I raised my head and looked at the ceiling as we walked.

However, the ceiling stopped after a certain point and went even higher up.

"Surely…it doesn't lead to the outside?"

And then I felt something tugging on my pants.

When I turned around, Shiel was trying to tell me something.

"Uh…be careful…of the ground…oh."

There was a handrail in front of me.

And when I looked down, an endless darkness stretched down below.

"…Woah. It looks like there would be no coming back once you fell down there…"

I hated high places.

And I did not expect to be reminded of that while underground…

When I raised my head again, I observed that there were several floors where the walls were lined with bookshelves.

As for the ceiling, it was much like the graveyard, in that it felt like the actual sky was above you, and it could be seen through the ceiling windows.

"This place is incredible…"

As for the place we had come out from, I wasn't sure if Ril had known, but it wasn't a bookshelf.

Judging by the decorations around it, it had likely been an actual entrance before.

Ril and Mel were currently running through the hallway to the far back as if they were racing.

Now that I thought about it, it seemed like they had wanted to come here for something specific.

Well, there was no magic to detect, so it was probably safe.

Still, I cast Shield on them, just to be safe.

"Now it should be fine… Do you know about this place, Shiel?"

Shiel nodded.

"I see… I wonder how many books there are…"

Books had been the last thing that I expected to find.

They would likely be filled with knowledge about the technology of the civilization that slept below us. It could be very useful…

"Ah, but it wouldn't be written in a language that we could read…"

I muttered, and Shiel nodded in agreement.

However, after twisting her body as if in thought, she started to move along the floor again.

"What is it, Shiel?"

A hand came out and she gestured for me to follow her.

"Oh? Is there something that even I could read?"

And so I followed after her.

Shiel seemed to have found what she was looking for, as she suddenly stopped.

Then she pointed at a certain row of books.

"I can read these ones?"

And so I pulled out a book from the shelf.

It was quite thin for a book. It was about as thick as two of my fingers.

I opened it to see what was inside.

What I saw was an illustration of a city that was so detailed that it looked real.

There were mountains in the distance, and a river ran from them… And the city was surrounded by great walls.

The shapes of the houses and roofs were different from ours, but you could see that this was a place where people lived.

Furthermore, there were words underneath the picture, as if to explain.

But of course, I couldn't read it.

I turned the page.

Here, there was yet another very life-like picture.

This one showed food. There were also pictures that looked like they were parts of the map on the previous page.

As I kept looking, I saw that each page showed some kind of dish, and an explanation.

"This… Is it a book about this city's food?"

Shiel nodded.

"I see. Even if I can't read it, I can get an idea with these pictures… Is there anything else?"

Shiel looked like she was thinking.

Just then, a voice rang from behind me.

"Lord Heal! What…what is this place?"

When I turned around, I saw Rienna standing there.

"Ah, Rienna. I think it's…a library."

I said. But Rienna just tilted her head to the side.

"A lib…rary? Is it like a storage room for books?"

I suppose Rienna's old home did not have libraries.

"Yes, that's a simple way of putting it."

"Storage for books… There really are so many different kinds of places underground. And this one is so beautiful…"

Rienna said as she looked up and down.

"By the way, Rienna. Why are you here?"

"Oh. I just heard from Fule in the training ground. Someone was digging in a place that they shouldn't. And she suggested I come down here and admonish them for breaking the rules."

Did Fule do that because she thought I would be too nice about it…

"About that… It was Ril and Mel who were digging."

"Those two?"

Rienna looked very surprised.

"Yeah. I was surprised as well. They were always quick to learn, but I hadn't expected to find them in a place like this."

"…Perhaps both of them have some kind of crest."

"Crest? Now that I think about it, I never tried to find out."

Some monsters were born with crests, just like humans.

But I didn't even know what kind of monster Mel was, so I had no idea if it had one.

However, Ashton and Haines had crests, so it was very likely that Ril had one as well.

"I'll ask Baris to find out. He was able to find out if the goblin babies had crests."

"I see. I should tell Baris about these books as well. Even if we can't read them, Baris should be able to gain some kind of information from the pictures at least."

"Yes. Though, I can't imagine how long it would take him… But he should be very happy, regardless."

"Yes, Baris would be very happy. But since we're here, want to take a look? Shiel says that these books over here all have pictures."

"I see. Then we should look at them. Ah…"

Rienna's eyes suddenly stopped behind me.

When I looked around, I saw that Mappa was standing there.

He too was looking at the books with a big grin.

"You came too, Mappa? Huh?"

I noticed that Shiel was rushing towards Mappa.

Was she trying to stop him?

However, Shiel did not reach him in time.

Mappa was still grinning as he took one book from the shelf and opened it.

But the moment that he opened the book, blood rushed out of his nose, and he fell down on the spot, quite unconscious.

"Mappa!? Hey, Mappa!?"

And so we immediately rushed to his side.

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Chapter 76 – We couldn't read it!

"Mappa!"

Blood sprayed into the air as Mappa fell backwards.

However, Shiel acted as a cushion so that his head didn't hit the ground.

"Thank you, Shiel… You always help us."

Shiel shook her body as if to say, 'don't mention it.'

"Still, why is he always like this? Running ahead without thinking… Besides, didn't he return to the surface with Fule?"

I had been surprised by Ril, but Mappa seemed to have a really sharp nose too. He was always sniffing about.

"I was thinking the same thing… Ah, let me use some magic on him."

And so Rienna cast healing magic on Mappa.

He was still breathing, and I could sense the magic inside of him.

Rienna's magic had improved greatly, so I knew there was nothing to worry about.

"That being said, it was this book that made him bleed… What kind of dangerous book is it?"

I cast Shield around us and picked it up.

However, Shiel stretched out towards me as if telling me to stop.

"It's fine. I have Shield on and…ah."

When I opened the book, there was a woman in her undergarments…who had similar proportions to Mappa.

…It was hard to believe that this was a drawing. It looked like something you saw with your eyes had somehow been pasted onto paper.

As I stared in silence, Rienna called towards me.

"Lord Heal. What is it?"

"…I don't think people should look at this. You should avoid it too, Rienna."

I slammed the book shut.

Rienna looked a little curious, but nodded with an 'I understand.'

"Shiel… Later on, could you tell Baris which section has books that children shouldn't see?"

Shiel nodded.

This was a little too strong… But then again, perhaps everyone was not that interested in such pictures if they weren't of their own kind.

That being said, how had Mappa been able to find this book so quickly?

Yes, we all knew that he was lewd…

The only explanation…is that he was able to read the letters on the book's spine.

In other words, Mappa could read letters that we couldn't.

I looked back at the book shelf.

The letters looked somehow different from the ones on Mappa's disreputable book.

At first I thought that it was just different words, but given that some of the letters looked like pictures, it was more likely that it was an entirely different system of writing.

In other words, this place had books in multiple languages.

"Shiel. Can you read all of the books here?"

Shiel shook her body to the side.

I see. So there were books that even Shiel could not read.

"I wonder how many there are….even Baris will have a difficult time."

"Hehe. Baris will be quite happy that he has another reason to live. …Oh, but where are Ril and Mel now?"

"Right. Did they find what they were looking for?"

As I went and looked for them, I saw that they were carrying a book together and walking towards us.

Ril and Mel put the book down in front of me and raised their hands.

"What is this?"

I asked. Just like before, Ril pointed at herself and then Mel, and then at me.

"Hmm… I don't understand. Do you, Rienna?"

"They want to…I see. They want to be able to talk to you, Lord Heal."

Ril seemed to think for a moment and then nod hesitantly.

I guess that meant Rienna was right.

"So, does this book contain magic that will allow them to talk?"

However, after considering this, Shiel shook her body as if to say that this was wrong.

"It doesn't… So, I guess I shouldn't use it?"

I asked. As if to say that it was okay, Shiel extended something like an arm and made a flipping motion.

"I see. So I should try opening it first."

And so I opened the book.

However, it was filled with letters I had never seen before and I didn't know what to make of it.

"This…must be some kind of academic book. Oh."

My eyes suddenly stopped on a picture.

Like the other ones, it was a person who looked very real.

There was an arrow stretching out from the human that then pointed to a bird-like creature.

"A human…can turn into a bird? Oh, and a horse. And then a slime turns into a human… Could this be…"

As if to show me the answer, a puff of smoke suddenly rose around Shiel.

And there she was…the human Shiel with the golden hair… However, she immediately returned to her slime form.

"Was that a transformation just now!?"

Rienna asked in surprise. Shiel nodded to her.

I see. So it was transformation magic… That's what the book was about.

"Ril and Mel. Does that mean you want to be a human like me?"

The two barked and chirped cheerfully.

"I see… But what about using an Ascending Stone?"

I asked. This time they started running around in a circle.

It seemed like they were trying to tell me that they liked their current state of running on four legs or flying. And so they didn't want to lose their current forms.

Though, it did seem like Ascending Stones might allow you to evolve in a way where you kept abilities from both races…

"Well, I guess it would be good magic practice. You two, you can practice by using this…is what I would like to say. But who here could read it to you…?"

Ril and Mel couldn't read it. And neither could I or the others.

Ril's mouth hung open for a moment, and then she held her head as if remembering something.

As if to say, 'that's right!'

Mel patted her consolingly on the head.

"Well… It was pretty amazing that you were even able to find this library. Next time, we just need to find something that will help us be able to read these books. Shiel. Do you think there are any stones or tools that will help us be able to decipher these letters?"

Shiel then extended a part of her body to point downward as if to say, 'in that case…'

I don't think…she meant below the library. I think she meant that it was near the control device.

"Do you mean that it's in the same place as the control device?"

I asked. And Shiel nodded.

"…Seems like we have to go there no matter what we want to do. For now, I'll discuss it with Baris and we'll figure out what to do with this library. Ril. It might take awhile before we can read this book. Is that alright?"

Both Ril and Mel nodded at me.

Rienna saw this and chuckled.

"Well, I think it's time for us all to go and eat lunch. The food will get cold if we don't go soon."

"That's true… Alright, let's go!"

And with that, we all returned to the surface.