Tensei Shite Inaka de Slowlife wo Okuritai - Chapter 576

Bookstore in the capital

"Ahh... so it must be so sad when you don't get sympathy from others."

　How do people release the frustration that builds up when their prized collection receives no praise at all? They do so by showing off their collection to those who appreciate it.

　If he were in Koriat Village, he would undoubtedly be able to brag to Thor and Asmo and receive plenty of envious looks from them, but sadly, he didn't have a single friend like that in the royal capital.

　Although Gregor and I have become close, he is only interested in dolls, so there is a good chance that he will not appreciate the greatness of the mini dragon.

　If someone asked me to discuss how to turn a mini dragon into a doll, I was sure I would lose my temper.

"If that's the case, it's not too late. Ask Schugel to make it into a different magical tool."

　Despite confiding my worries, Elna-kaaan spoke mercilessly to me.

"No."

　I don't regret choosing this one at all.

"Oh, I see."

　As she spoke, hugging the mini-dragon, Elna-kaaan stopped speaking and put the teacup on the table, refusing to say anything more.

"Well, we'll be heading out soon."

　Nord-tousan stood up from the sofa and said.

"shopping?"

"That would be nice."

　Mother Elna muttered with a melancholy look on her face.

　Judging from the annoyed tone of his voice, it didn't seem like a great event.

"Take care!"

"...You still haven't told me what your purpose is or where you're going?"

"Why not a tea party?"

"...You got it."

　Six days have passed since we arrived at the royal capital.

　This time, he had been invited as a guest of the Miss Feed family, so he had hardly gone out at all, but with two famous members of the Slowlett family visiting, rumors were sure to spread.

　So that means that the nobles who have obtained the information will now be forcing their plans into something. Poor thing.

"Huh? By the way, Elna-kaasan left her dress at the mansion so she can't participate..."

　I'm sure Elna-kaasan deliberately left the dress at the mansion so that she wouldn't be invited to parties or tea parties. If she used that excuse in situations like this, she could decline, right?

　When I asked her that, Elna-kaasan's face became very sour.

"Lady Floria... gave it to me willingly."

　Mother Elna tried to decline the invitation, citing the lack of a dress, but Lady Floria, who was present, not only gave her several dresses that she wasn't using, but also immediately called a clothing store and had a custom-made dress made.

　Of course, the expenses are covered by Misfeed's family.

　A high-class dress for a noble's wife to wear to a party or tea party would easily cost more than ten gold coins, but it doesn't seem to be a problem for a duke family that owns a staggering amount of wealth. Well, if they have that many magical tools in their basement, a dress is no big deal.

　If he apologizes for the misunderstanding caused by his husband, Schugel, then Nord-tousan's reputation won't be damaged.

　As expected of a great nobleman, the exchange was flawless.

"That's like meddling in something that shouldn't be happening to you... my condolences."

"Please don't kill me."

　It seems our strategy of forgetting our formal attire won't work on aristocrats who have a lot of power and wealth.

　I don't want to imagine a similar situation happening again, but I'll have to think of a new way to avoid it in the future.

"If you'd like, Al can come too..."

"No."

　After all, the ones who were invited were the two dragon slayers. Naturally, the people who invited them were interested in the two of them, and they had absolutely no interest in the lackluster second son.

　If I had someone with impressive sword skills like Elinora, or someone with intelligence and tolerance like Silvio, it might not be a problem to accompany me, but I don't have the looks or the abilities to be popular with everyone.

"I'll buy some souvenirs in the royal capital."

　Eleonora has asked me to buy spices to make curry, and Silvio has asked me to buy some interesting books.

　I'm likely to forget about both of them if I'm not careful, so I want to buy them while I still remember.

　If he were to forget and return to his territory, he would definitely be scolded.

"Do so. It will surely be more meaningful."

　Perhaps because Elna-kaaan isn't very good at tea parties, she didn't force me and told me in a gentle voice.

"...Elna. This is a rare opportunity, isn't it?"

　However, it seemed like Nord-tousan wanted to broaden my horizons and wanted to take me to a tea party.

"Don't even think about taking Al to a tea party. He'll just end up with some weird business idea."

"That's true. You should buy some souvenirs this time."

　When Elna-kaasan whispered something in his ear, Nord-tousan changed his mind with a straight face.

　●

　After seeing off Elna-kaasan and Nord-tousan, I decided to leave the Misfeed family mansion.

　A servant from the Missford household offered to provide a carriage for me, but I politely declined.

　Schugel was at work at the school, Floria was at a tea party, Gideon was holed up in the courtyard practicing cancelling chants, and Ra-chan was also away at an after-school activity.

　That means no one will interfere with us today.

　It would be a shame to miss the opportunity to wander around the royal capital at my own leisure.

　That's why I wander around the royal capital alone.

　Honestly, this is the first time I've walked around the city alone since arriving in the royal capital.

　I used a carriage when I went to visit Gregor's inn and when I went out to town with Ra-chan.

　The main street of the royal capital was bustling today as well.

　The ground is nicely paved with cobblestones and the buildings standing side by side are tall.

　There were so many more people there than in Koriat Village, and it felt like a festival every day.

　The population density is quite high, so walking there every day would probably be tiring, but it feels fresh when I walk there occasionally like this.

　The streets are lined with a variety of stores, including clothing stores, restaurants, weapon shops, and general stores. Some of the stores are familiar to me, while some seem to be new stores that I don't remember. It's fun just walking around and comparing the stores with my memories of the last time I was here.

　It would be nice to wander around freely, enjoying the hustle and bustle of the royal capital, but today I have a goal in mind: to buy the spices needed for curry for Elinora and to buy a book for Silvio.

　I'm afraid the smell will rub off on me if I go to a spice shop, so I think I'll go around to the bookstore first.

　So I headed towards the north section.

　In this world, books are luxury items because each one is hand-made.

　So I decided that if I was looking for a book that Silvio-san would want, I should come here. In any case, the spice shop was around here too.

　As you approach the northern section, the foot traffic becomes more calm and the shops lining the area begin to exude an air of luxury.

　I've never been to a bookstore around here, but I feel like I could find one if I just walked around.

　I walked around in this casual mood for fifteen minutes.

　Outside the building, I spotted a sign with an illustration of a book on it.

　It is a building with elegant brown walls and a black roof. Looking inside through the large windows, you can see many books lined up.

　I'm sure there are books here that Silvio would like.

　I pushed open the rather heavy door and went inside.

　There was a counter in the center, and large bookshelves were set up on the left and right walls, lined with books. If you go up the stairs, there are more bookshelves on the second floor.

　The ceilings are high and the light coming in through the skylights is beautiful.

　The furnishings inside the bookstore were very calming and elegant, giving off a somewhat antique atmosphere.

"The admission fee will be one gold coin and one silver coin."

　As I was about to start browsing the bookshelves, a nervous-looking old lady at the counter called out to me.

"...The entrance fee alone is quite expensive."

"If nothing happens, I'll give you back one gold coin."

　The old woman let out a witchy grin.

　It's a measure to prevent customers from mistreating luxury items such as books, so the fee for browsing is probably included as one silver coin.

　While I was confused, a female customer came and handed the old woman one gold coin and one silver coin with ease.

　Everyone here seems to be paying.

　Well, it looks like a really nice bookstore, so I'll just go along with it.

　After handing the grandma one gold coin and one silver coin, I decide to finally browse the bookshelf.

　I picked up the books and looked inside, and they were all in pretty good condition.

　I'm sure that both the old lady who runs the shop and the customers who come here love books and handle them with care.

　The books are neatly arranged by genre, so it's easy to see what kind of books there are and how many there are. The old lady, who seems to be strict with money, does her best to do the work that needs to be done.

　Now, what book should I buy?

　My brother Silvio is addicted to reading, so he reads any book he can.

　Among these, he particularly enjoys things that satisfy his desire for knowledge and heroic tales.

　Brother Silvio recently became interested in coloring, and before that he was into collecting wild plants and mushrooms.

　They might enjoy a book on techniques and colors to improve their coloring skills.

　After looking around, I found some books on the subject on the bookshelf and after a quick look at the contents, I bought them.

　All that's left to do is get one book each about wild vegetables and mushrooms.

　This seems to be worth about five gold coins.

　The cost I got from Silvio-san was eight gold coins, so I should be able to buy about three more heroic tale books.

"Hmm, which one is better?"

　I'm trying to find a heroic tale that Silvio-san would like, but there are so many to choose from that I don't know which one to choose.

　In this world, perhaps because there are creatures such as monsters, there are a great many heroic tales, so I couldn't decide which one would suit Silvio's taste.

"...Are you looking for a heroic tale?"

　As I was struggling to choose a book from the heroic tale genre, an old lady called out to me.

"Yes, I was thinking of buying one as a souvenir for my brother..."

"What kind of heroic tales is this brother reading?"

"I think I was reading the one about Princess Marlene last time."

"Ah, that's it."

　I haven't read it, so I gave her a vague idea of ​​the title, and she seemed to understand.

　With a voice that sounded like she understood, the old woman slid open the bookshelf and took out a book on heroic tales from the one at the back.

"Then how about this? It's a heroic tale written by the same author, Donovan."

"Oh, that would be nice."

　Compared to the books lined up on the shelf outside, the binding looks a bit older and the paper is a bit weathered.

　It is still readable, but it appears to be quite old.

　I became curious and checked the back, but there was no price tag on it.

"Grandma, how much is this?"

"Thirty gold coins."

"Eh? Aren't they a bit more expensive than other books?"

"Of course. It's the first story that Donovan wrote in secret. There aren't even twenty copies left in the royal capital. It's only natural considering it's been around for over forty years and is in this condition."

　I've heard that old books have historical and artistic value and go for eye-popping prices, but can simple heroic tales also command such prices?

"Since you like Princess Marlene, you must be a big fan of Donovan, right? This book is a must-have for any Donovan fan."

"...Why would you introduce such a rare item to me?"

　What I'm curious about is why you would recommend such a book to me.

　I like books to a certain extent, but I'm not as fond of them as Silvio.

"Because you smell like money"

"Huh? Does it smell like that?"

　I couldn't help but sniff the hem of my clothes, but all I could smell was soap mixed with citrus.

"I was just kidding. I saw you travelling in a carriage with the Miss Feed daughter the other day."

　Ah, it seems the old lady witnessed the scene when I was wandering around the area with Ra-chan. That means she knew I was a noble who was acting together with the Misfeed family, and targeted me.

"...You remembered well."

"It's a customer service business."

　It's impressive that you remember me, even though I have a relatively low presence.

"So, what are we going to do?"

　The old lady asks.

　It's amazing how the old lady isn't intimidated at all, even though she knows I'm a nobleman on friendly terms with the Missfeed family.

　Even so, 30 gold coins for one book... that's more than double the budget Silvio gave me.

　With this amount of money, you could stay at a luxury inn in the royal capital for a month.

　However, I really want him to take on the troublesome work in my place since I won't be going to the royal capital for the amusement park project. If I think of it as a bribe to get him to take it on, the twenty gold coins I'll take out of my pocket aren't a big deal.

"I'll take it!"

　If I thought about it that way, there was no need to hesitate.

　I made an immediate decision, and the old woman smiled like a witch.