"……!!"
I was startled and turned around at the metallic voice that suddenly came from behind.
Someone walked out of the darkness.
"You are……."
"Heh heh, I seem to have startled you."
White beard, wrinkled skin with age spots, a bent back, and an old cane barely supporting his body.
He was an old man, very old at a glance.
He chuckled, passed by me, and went inside.
I cautiously spoke to him.
"Are you perhaps the owner of this bookstore?"
"Yes, I am the 13th Jack and the owner of this old bookstore."
He stroked his beard and nodded.
I looked at the old man. His white eyebrows were long, covering more than half of his eyes. The color of the eyes vaguely visible through the gap was gold.
'He must be over 100 years old.'
"So, what brings a young miss like you to this place?"
I flinched at the word "young miss," but assuming he misspoke "young lady," I told him my business.
"I'm looking for a book. The sequel to <Arista and Elisa: Hearts Across Borders>."
After saying it a few times, I wasn't embarrassed to say the title anymore.
"Do you happen to know it……?"
I cautiously added the last words.
My heart was pounding. I had a feeling that if I couldn't find it here, I wouldn't be able to find it anywhere.
"Hmm, let's see. The sequel to that book……."
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The old man tapped the floor with his cane and moved his feet.
He passed me and moved deeper inside.
I stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do, and cautiously followed the old man.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The store was narrow and long.
Like a cross-section of accumulated sediment, I looked in wonder at the tomb of books piled up to the ceiling.
'There are so many books.'
The old man introduced himself as the 13th Jack.
'13th' means that they run the used bookstore for generations, right?
'If it's the 13th generation, it must be close to 1000 years.'
I was impressed by the depth of time when suddenly.
"Ah, here it is."
The old man, who had been walking ahead, stopped.
His cane was pointing to somewhere in the middle of the firmly stacked tower of books.
"Is it there?"
"Yes, it's here."
It's there!
The joy of finally finding it was brief.
Realistic worries arose.
'How do I get that out?'
I raised my head to estimate the end of the tower.
But…….
'I can't see the end!'
Perhaps because the room was dark, or because it was shrouded in darkness, the end was not visible.
Even if I removed them one by one, I didn't think I could take out the book I wanted today.
'What should I do…….'
I became more anxious because I didn't have much time.
Eventually, I cautiously asked the old man.
"How do I take out the book?"
Then the old man laughed heartily.
"No need to worry, young miss."
Then he began to move his cane in the air.
But…….
'Mana?'
A blue tail formed along the trajectory of the cane he was moving.
I could tell at a glance. That's mana.
I stared blankly at the old man.
'He was a wizard?'
Sure enough.
Following his cane, the books began to float into the air one by one.
Soon, one of the floating books flew toward me.
I grabbed the book in a daze.
Then, thump-
The floating books returned to their original positions. As if nothing had happened.
"Well, is that the book you want, young miss?"
"Ah……."
My mind, which had been captivated by the unexpected magic, returned to the old man's voice.
I looked down at the book in my arms.
It was shabby and old. However, like the books in the Rodbell Archives, which are managed with preservation magic, the books here were old but in good condition.
<Arista and Elisa: The Story After>
"……I think it's the right one."
I felt strange for some reason. How should I put it.
'I feel connected to the past.'
The era of the first head was a long time ago, but the book she wanted to read is now in my arms.
'Did that person read this too? I wish they had.'
Leaving behind a sense of sadness, I bowed to the old man.
"Thank you for finding it."
"Heh heh."
"But……."
I hesitated and cautiously spoke.
"Are you a wizard?"
Wizards who did not belong anywhere were commonly called 'hermit wizards'.
Hermit wizards usually dislike revealing their identities, so it could be a rude question.
'But he showed off his magic too openly for that.'
Then is it okay to ask?
Fortunately, the old man nodded readily.
"A Jack who is not a wizard cannot run this bookstore."
I nodded without realizing it at that statement. Certainly, without magic, it would be difficult to find what you want among this huge pile of books.
'Magic…….'
Is it because I've been thinking about magic a lot today? I kept feeling a lingering attachment.
So I cautiously asked the old man.
"Did you learn magic from your predecessor?"
After all, according to him, it seems to be a family of wizards for generations.
The old man nodded quietly.
"I suppose so."
"I see……."
So magic can only be learned with a teacher.
As I hesitated with regret, the old man looked at me and asked.
"Do you want to learn magic?"
I flinched at the question that pierced through my heart and slowly nodded.
"Yes."
And I thought.
The old man in front of me doesn't know who I am or what circumstances I have.
So wouldn't it be okay to be a little more honest?
"Actually…… I want to learn magic but it's hard to find someone to teach me. I guess it's difficult……?"
"Hmm."
The old man stroked his beard again and stared at me.
Somehow his golden eyes seemed to pierce through me. I tensed up and looked at him.
"You're worrying for nothing."
"Yes?"
"You will be able to achieve what you want."
"What does that……."
I stared at the old man who was uttering incomprehensible words in confusion.
But the old man shook his head and said.
"You're lucky, young miss. <Jack's Used Bookstore> is closing today. That book is Jack's gift to you, the last customer."
"Ah……."
"And as a final piece of advice, 'that' cannot be handled there."
"Yes?"
"Return home safely."
Thump.
"……!"
In an instant, the path seemed to distance itself, and when I came to my senses, I was standing outside the door.
Squeak, squeak…… Thump-!
The sign of <Jack's Used Bookstore>, which had been shaking uneasily, fell in front of my eyes.
……I was kicked out in the blink of an eye.
Just in case, I pulled the door, but it wouldn't open.
'Was it a dream?'
The existence of the book in my arms proved that it wasn't a dream, but it was just as strange an experience.
"'That' cannot be handled there, could it be……."
I looked down at the bag.
Could it be that he knows what's inside this?
……I felt strange for some reason, but I bowed toward the door.
"Thank you."
Whether his words are true or not, the fact that I have to go there doesn't change.
I put the book in the bag and took out my watch to check the time.
3:12 PM.
Considering that I have to return to the carriage by at least 5:00 PM, I didn't have much time left.
'I was in here longer than I thought.'
I became anxious again.
I put the watch away and took out the map.
Fortunately, the next destination wasn't far from here.
About a 20-minute walk.
'Let's move quickly.'
I moved straight away.
Soon, I raised my head and looked up at a house with smoke rising from the chimney.
It looked like an ordinary house on the outside, but the identity of this place was special.
<Workshop 1>
'Workshop'. In other words, a place called a 'Mana Stone Processing Factory'.
In particular, <Workshop 1> was a place that dealt with the most special mana stones in the system.
"Hoo."
After taking a deep breath, I took out an old pouch from my bag and checked inside.
A round object emitting a beautiful light.
Another purpose of today's outing.
"……Mana Beast Core."
I'm going to process this today.
Comments
Post a Comment