The Shepherd Alone on the Hill is a Genius Wizard-Chapter 121: Banquet Revelations (1)

After waiting about ten more minutes while browsing through some books on the first floor, Turan asked the other two to step outside the library for a moment.

He thought perhaps they were the reason the librarian wasn’t appearing.

But even after sending them out, the librarian didn’t show themselves.

Wondering if even he could no longer see them, he requested them to move a book or two if they were there, but there was no response.

This meant the librarian had either disappeared from this library or at least entered a state where they couldn’t exert influence or communicate.

The three occupied chairs on the library’s first floor and pondered the reason.

"I wonder why?"

"Well... the only major event around here recently was the war, but that shouldn’t have affected it."

Orem’s library had stood for thousands of years - how many wars had occurred around here and how many times had the owner changed?

If such things could cause problems with the spirit’s existence, it would have disappeared long ago.

"Maybe because we leaked information about the gods? Like blasphemy or something?"

"Well, since they were created by gods, maybe... but when I left last time, there was no mention of disappearing."

Though he wasn’t entirely sure since he had rushed out after realizing Bize had been kidnapped, he remembered the librarian merely agreeing when he said he would come back.

Then should they consider this sudden disappearance was due to something even the librarian hadn’t expected?

"What if someone destroyed or captured them?"

"Then it would be dangerous for us to even be here. If someone could interact with Elder Librarian, it would mean they’re a mage with at least three, maybe even four or more bloodline abilities..."

The former would be a mage with potential comparable to a great house head, while the latter would likely be something possessed by a divine being.

Either way, not an opponent Turan’s group could face head-on.

"But if they had that much power, we’d be able to detect them first in most cases, so no need to worry."

Though the Mimicker relic’s senses had become somewhat dulled from familiarity to the point of ignoring ordinary humans coming and going, it could still sensitively detect powerful mages’ movements.

Meaning even without concentrating, he could notice the moment a head-level mage approached within several hundred meters.

While reassuring Meisa like this, Turan turned to look at Solif, who had been quiet for a while, at the sound of pages turning beside him.

He was seriously reading a book he had pulled from a nearby shelf at some point.

"What are you reading?"

"This? Seems to be a philosophy book from about a thousand years ago dealing with Prea faith and human dignity. Did you read it when you came before?"

"No, I’m not really interested in philosophy."

The books Turan had looked up and read in this library were all practical ones that could be put to use.

For example, masu guides, various house histories, or travelogues.

Information about natural laws that had disappeared and only the librarian knew was a bonus.

In contrast, Solif was interested in ancient history and mythology, so he seemed to have come across this while looking for related books.

"It says humans have inherent rights here. The right to survive, prosper, and be happy wasn’t given by the gods, but just by being human. Under this, ordinary people and mages should be considered equal."

"That’s completely heretical! Amazing it survived without being burned."

Wasn’t this directly contradicting the Prea faith’s doctrine that mages, as descendants of gods, protect and rule humans based on their bloodline and power?

Scholars would surely try to burn it with blazing eyes if they saw it.

This content is taken from fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm.

Perhaps what he was reading now was the last copy remaining in the world.

After reading a bit more, Solif seemed to lose interest and put the book back where it had been while saying:

"I’m not really fond of reading books but this place is quite nice. Would’ve been good if there was something like this in the east."

"Nothing like this in the east?"

"There are some ruins of the old empire but nothing like this library. The only thing I remember is maybe a dueling ground where you could come back to life once a day even if you died fighting?"

While chatting like this, Turan realized the topic had drifted in a strange direction and turned back to Meisa to try deducing the librarian’s whereabouts.

But she too had quietly brought over a book and was reading it, just like Solif earlier.

"Meisa?"

"Hm? Oh, it just caught my eye for a moment."

At Turan’s call, Meisa showed signs of embarrassment for some reason and quickly closed the book.

The revealed cover was engraved with the curious title ’The Night Noble and His Lady’, which seemed to be some kind of romance novel.

She too seemed tired of listing hypotheses that weren’t going anywhere.

"...Well, it’s not like we’ll find an answer just talking among ourselves. Let’s ask if anyone used the library before us when we go back."

After reaching that conclusion, Turan also opened a masu guide and brought over Bize who had been curled up sleeping on the desk to read together.

==

After immersing themselves in reading until early evening, the three people and one black eagle returned to House Baltas’s mansion.

They were planning to hold a banquet this evening to commemorate their visit, where they intended to ask the lord if anyone had used the library by appropriately using the atmosphere and alcohol.

While receiving service in the bath, Turan recalled how those maids had wailed when he refused this in the past.

Back then, being served by someone had felt unfamiliar and awkward, but he wondered when he had become able to act like a noble so naturally.

After having his hair combed and wearing clothes interwoven with gold thread for the first time in a while, Turan let Bize rest in their lodgings and headed to the banquet hall.

Before long, he met Solif who had dressed up just as sharply.

With his short silver hair oiled and combed back, he looked at Turan with an expression of approval and said:

"See, when you dress up, you’re quite handsome too, though not as much as me! Have more confidence, friend."

"If you say so."

As he always felt, that guy’s self-absorption was bizarrely extreme.

Was that also created by House Baraha’s personality molding, or was he just born that way?

While chatting at one end of the banquet hall, the relic’s senses alerted him that Meisa was approaching from behind.

Turning his head, Turan’s eyes widened at her appearance.

Solif beside him also turned his head a step later and showed a surprised expression, making Meisa flinch at their gazes and unnecessarily run her hand through her hair while asking.

"...Why, do I look strange?"

"No, not strange. You look beautiful."

Over the several weeks traveling from the hot spring area to here, Meisa had continuously received nutrition and filled her entire body with flesh and muscle through training.

Naturally, her skeletal face had changed as well.

The beauty that had been hidden by her disheveled appearance from roughly washing with water throughout their journey finally shone through the maids’ devoted grooming.

Glossy reddish-brown long hair and large blue eyes, delicate features on an oval face.

Moreover, instead of her usual defensive coat, a silver-gray dress embroidered with gold thread perfectly revealed her tall and elegant figure.

Truly, it would be impossible to recall the skeletal witch of the past looking at her now.

If they wanted to disguise her, it would be good if they could just change her hair color, so it seemed worth looking into whether there were any magic devices that could help with that later.