“Of course I am! How do you think I own this library?” The old man said boastfully.
“Wait…! You own the library?! No way?!” Silver exclaimed in shock again.
He feels like he might have a heart attack before the old man does.
“How are you even able to pay for the expenses here when you aren’t earning anything now?”
“Yes way!” The old man playfully responded with a satisfied look on his face from finally being able to boast about it.
“I was only able to buy this land and have the library built because of my savings when I was an adventurer.
I was very smart back then, or rather, I was forced to be smarter back then.
I recklessly got onto a boat to Orario when I saved enough money.
As for why?
Because I couldn’t become a mage through natural talent!
I have always wanted to be a mage!
I tried the school district, where I learned that you either have it innately or you acquire it through falna, or if you have money, just buy a grimoire.
I didn’t have any of those conditions when I was young.
I even had a hard time just getting Falna.
I could not enroll in the school district, so I could only try my luck in Orario!
Just getting there is already hard enough and time consuming enough.
But getting into a descent familia is even harder!
Still, with great perseverance, I managed to join one.
But that is not the end of my hardship for magic!
Because normal people wouldn’t even awaken a skill once they get a falna, much less magic!
It made me understand that I am not some genius!
I am just an ordinary person after all.
You say there are grimoires?!
But I am just a poor guy!
Don’t even think about it!
Even so…
I could not just end everything in there.
So, I became smart.
I continued my adventurous life with a slight hope of maybe awakening magic by accident or something.
I didn’t awaken even a skill in the end, but it doesn’t matter.
Because it was no longer my pursuit.
I just wanted to earn a huge amount of Valis and then come back home to build a library.
I could not get magic, so I will just go for books.
Mages are mostly scholars, and scholars are knowledgeable people who read books.
And I read many books.
So me reading books equals scholars, and scholars equal mages, so I equal mages!
It’s unreasonable, but it’s the only way I have.”
“Oh…” Silver responded with a sad tone.
“As for the issue of not earning anything here,” the old man showed off his face-changing technique again, from his nostalgic, irritable, and sad look to now looking very thoughtful.
“The town mayor reimburses the expenses of the library and even gives me pay as the librarian even though I actually own this place. I declined at first, but he said that he also wanted the town to have a library before, but it was too difficult. The building could be sold easily, but the books are not so easy to get!. As for the books here. All of it is actually my collection over the years. At the start, I only had one shelf, which was not even filled with books. My books at that time were the ones I bought while adventuring in Orario. I could have bought more, but I would not be able to bring it back even if I did.”
“So that’s the case!” Silver said with wonder as he nodded in understanding.
“That’s right! Anyway, that is the gist of things. So let us start the lesson, as more than an hour had already passed!” Old Sax said with energy after looking at the grandfather clock by the wall.
“Yes, Sir!” Silver responded with energy.
– After noon –
The bleak orange-reddish sky blanketing the horizon is overhead.
The long cawing of seagulls is sounding from the direction of the sea.
Most people had already started preparing to go home.
Silver, too, is already nearby the orphanage.
He walked closer to the gate as he thought of things that happened today.
His interactions with old Sax.
The new knowledge he acquired.
Those common-sense-like things that were not written in books.
Old Sax even treated him to lunch, though he said it was payment for running out to buy the lunch itself.
‘I guess it could be considered an errand,’ he thought casually.
‘Old Sax said he used a spear before because it was the easiest to get started in.
He is either in the back line or the middle line whenever he goes to the dungeon with the familia team.
And he only ever goes in a team.’
“Hey, everyone! How’s the day?” Silver greeted as he passed by the other kids who also had just gotten home from running errands.
“Oh! It was okay!” Someone responded casually with a tired look.
They were just kids or teens after all.
So they should be very tired by this time.
Silver just nodded to everyone after thinking about it, and then he went straight to the Mathron who is resting in the living room; well, it could also be considered a lounge or rest area.
There was a long chair in the style of a sofa but just made of wood, so it was hard, but it was the best that the orphanage had.
The matron was sitting there while listening to the kids talking about their day with a smile on her face.
She does not seem to be tired when the kids already are.
It must be caused by being an adventurer before.
Some kids have already gotten asleep on the carpet.
Carpet is a thing here, though it is mostly made of animal fur and hide.
“Good afternoon, Mother Mathron,” Silver greeted politely as he got close and then sat in an empty space.
“Good afternoon to you too, Silver,” the matron responded casually, then asked, “So, how is your time in the library? How is old Sax doing?”
“It was okay; I learned many things from old Sax, and he said if I want to learn things to get enrolled into the school district, then I should ask you to help me train and learn to fight,” Silver stated directly.
-Word count = 1056-
I won’t hold up any chapter that is relevant to the story.