Transmigrated Into A Tragic Romance Fantasy-Chapter 14: Bun-Haired Young Lady

Wow...Just how many books do they have?

The Grand Duchy’s library was briefly mentioned in the novel.

There was a scene where Lumia’s maid returned and borrowed some books from this place.

While she collected books about magic for Lumia, the maid took the opportunity to rent some ‘personal’ books.

Namely, romance novels.

That’s why I know they exist.

If romance novels exist, then naturally, there would be fantasy novels like ‘Game of Thrones’ or ‘Lord of the Rings’ as well.

In this world, finding romance-filled fantasy novels should be as easy as finding sand in the desert.

The only problem was......

This place is too big.

Rendler had already disappeared somewhere.

Since he said some things about ‘nourishing the mind’, he instructed me to look for magic theory books.

So I could use this knowledge in my training with Rachel this evening.

Judging by his gait, he seemed to know this place, so I should have asked him for directions.

Hm......

There were countless rows of bookshelves, so tall I had to crank my neck to see them in their entirety.

Just seeing all those densely packed books was making me dizzy.

Although there were some signs above each bookshelves for the major categories, there were simply too many genres, I wouldn’t be able to find anything with those.

Truly, what a strange way to feel suffocated by books.

Yet, the musty and homely smell of the library put me in a good mood. This silence and tranquility makes one think they are cut off from the world, as they shop in this cradle of knowledge.

Anyway,

I just need to find someone to help me....Ah.

As I wondered, I found a librarian wearing a hat with the library’s emblem on it.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes? How may I assist you, Sir?”

The librarian who was busy organizing some books then turned and looked at me.

“Ah, L-Lord Elden? Wh-What brings you here...?”

Now, as if studying a new phenomenon, the librarian looked at me with an astonished and curious gaze.

It took a three-day ride on horseback to reach Raphelion County from the Grand Duchy. Perhaps even this librarian had heard the tales of my notoriety?

Elden Raphelion must have been quite the character indeed.

Then, the librarian’s gaze turned into something familiar.

In his eyes, I must look like an arsonist searching for the breach to unleash hell on.

So, instead of explaining myself, I thought it would be better to simply order him around.

“I’m looking for a novel section.”

“W-what? Why? N-No, I mean. What kind of novels are you searching for, My Lord?”

“Hmm.”

My memories of Elden Raphelion’s life weren’t perfect.

They were like foggy memories after a night of drinking.

Especially in situations like this, when there was nothing of interest to Elden, nothing of use would come to mind.

Fantasy? It’s a bit weird to ask for this genre when I’m already in a fantasy world. It’s the same when someone enters a library asking where the ‘contemporary’ section of books is.

Genre Fiction? No, I don’t think such classifications existed in the Medieval Era.

“......!”

As the silence grew longer, the librarian looked ready to burst into tears at any moment.

Eventually,

“......Novels that a grown man would find entertaining.”

Even as I said it, the answer felt embarrassingly vague.

Since I was unable to define the genre with a single word, I had no choice but to explain it to him in such a vague way.

It was the best answer I could come up with. Fortunately, it must have been something Elden Raphelion would say since the librarian’s complexion eased up immediately.

“Ah, I see. Please follow me then.”

Right.

In the end, since it seemed like we had managed to understand each other, I followed the librarian.

We weaved and pushed through this maze-like library for about five minutes, and then, the librarian finally stopped.

“Here we are, My Lord! I hope you enjoy your reading~!”

......Enjoy my reading?

It was a somewhat peculiar farewell, but perhaps for them, books were something as enjoyable as a videogame.

With such thoughts, I approached the bookshelf.

[The Dragoness’ Pleasure Journey]

[How the Chaste Woman Cools Her Body]

[The Master of the Brothel]

[Taming the Beastly Heroine]

......

It seems that he had misunderstood my request.

**

“Eek! I... I’ve committed a grave sin!”

After returning to the librarian and clearing up the misunderstanding, I managed to arrive at my destination without any issues.

I wondered if I might find a book titled ‘How To Live As The Scoundrel - Elden Raphelion.

With such thoughts in mind, I entered the [ Pure Literature ] section.

Of course the Fantasy novels would be Pure Literature in a fantasy world.

But to me, they still are fantasy novels.

As I thought, this Pure Literature section was filled with exciting books.

[The Red Wolves]

[The Chronicles of Lion King Radahn]

[The Rania Chronicles]

[The Emperor of Darkness]

Of course, even if they were fantasy novels, they were written against the backdrop of this medieval era, which might make them seem like a child’s fermented soybean soup to a modern man; fortunately, I was one such child.

Jun-woo was not just a web-novel reader, but a true bookworm who would devour even classical fantasy works.

Hmm~ What should I start with?

I decided to take a full look at the Pure Literature section first.

If I was to borrow every book that caught my attention, then I would easily end up with more than 100 books.

To narrow it down to the most interesting ones, I needed to carefully consider my options.

Regardless of the endeavor, the first step was crucial.

A successful first step would guarantee a delightful future.

Thus, I took my time strolling through the Pure Literature section with my hands clasped behind my back.

This is more difficult than I had thought it would.

There were so many enticing novels that caught my attention.

A search function at times like these would be a lifesaver.

It would also be great to have a fellow reader around to get recommendations from.

As I lamented the lack of modern conveniences or a book-loving friend, I took another round and eventually, I managed to choose seven books that appeared to be the best.

They were books with only the title and author unceremoniously written on the cover, with no introductions, so I figured I’d have to sample them to get a feel.

With a tower of seven books in my arms, I began moving to a place where I could read.

However...

This is starting to become bothersome.

There had been someone skulking about on the edge of my vision for a while now.

It was a woman of my age, dressed in a manner that suggested she was a noble lady.

I looked at her face for a moment, but I couldn’t recall ever seeing her.

A wastrel and a library.

Perhaps she believed these two things had nothing in common, but as she was starting to become annoying, I decided to ignore her.

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...

...

Stomp-.

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But I could no longer ignore her when her footsteps began to match mine.

First, I decided to set down the tower of seven books I was holding.

Thud-.Arriving at the designated reading spot, I placed the books on the table.

She followed me.

It was as if a bothersome salesman had decided to latch on me, so I scowled.

At times like these, my infamy has its uses.

So, I glared at the source of my annoyance.

“I’d appreciate it if you’d state your business quickly.”

The reason she must have been hovering around me, and following me in silence must be because her status was lower than that of a count’s.

Since there was no need to tolerate such annoyance during my reading time, I confronted her with a cold tone, but......

“Wow! Are you really Elden Raphelion?”

The Young lady with her hair curled up in twin buns while holding two books in her arms, spoke with a bright smile on her face.

**

“Hmm~ hmm~”

A cheerful hum.

Light and bubbly steps.

And an appreciation for the musty aroma of a library that would never grow old, as she looked for her next book.

“Hmm~ What shall I read today~?”

A count’s daughter whose motive to enroll in the Royal Academy had been her love for books.

It wouldn’t be wrong to call her a legitimate ‘bookworm’.

Driven by such love, the young lady traveled to the distant Grand Duchy of Winterfell, to access their library.

Not even the biting cold of these lands was able to dampen her fervor for reading.

“Ohh~ This one looks interesting, right?”

It had been more than four days since she arrived in Winterfell, and ever since that day, she reveled in the pleasure of reading books she only heard of.

“Ah! A novel written by Ront? This one is a must-read!”

Today was no different.

Her smile threatened to split her face as she stood amidst thousands of novels.

Her skirt fluttered as she paced around the library halls in excitement.

But then, her bright smile faltered with a hint of confusion.

Huh...?

A familiar figure caught her eye.

A man with rare jet-black hair in these northern lands, and crimson eyes that twinkled like rubies.

She was especially familiar with such a figure since she used to sit behind him.

The young lady approached to greet him, but she quickly stopped.

Right. There’s no way Elden would be in a library. Silly me.

Though they were classmates, they never interacted much or got along well.

Still, even she knew that quiet places like libraries were the exact opposite of his preferred spots.

It was much more common to see him together with Deron, Kyle, and Blund drinking or doing something physical.

So, she convinced herself that she was mistaken, and was about to look away when a stray thought appeared in her mind.

Come to think of it, weren’t those four the chosen finalists for the Third Northern Duchess Betrothal Contest?

She recalled what her maid had told her.

Since she was classmates with the finalists, her maid asked her which seemed the more likely to win.

However, she was never interested in such things. Her only passion had been reading novels, and this likely contributed to her lack of friends and lackluster grades in the Academy.

The Betrothal Contest was just one of those matters she had little to no interest in.

Her sudden interest was simply because the man’s face was so similar to Elden’s and due to the unexpected place she encountered him.

Hmmm, the more I look, the more he seems like Elden.

No matter how she looked at him, he was indeed Elden Raphelion.

As the finalist for the Betrothal Contest, it was perfectly reasonable for him to be in the Grand Duchy.

But what on earth was he doing in the Pure Literature section of a library?

Had he finally discovered the joys of reading?

With such questions in mind, the bun-haired lady lingered around Elden.

Then, as she looked at the seven-book tower he had built, she sighed.

Oh, those books are really boring.

All of them were poor works, seemingly written with the only purpose of displeasing the reader.

As Elden stacked such horrible books that she certainly would never recommend to someone, she found herself following him.

And then,

“I’d appreciate it if you’d state your business quickly.”

She had come face to face with him.

He really was Elden.

“Wow! Are you really Elden Raphelion?”

“...I am.”

“What are you doing here?”

“As you can see, I’m trying to read some novels. But, you are...?”

“Huh?”

Even if there hadn’t been much interaction through their years of study, how could he not recognize a fellow classmate?

While she may have kept some distance since their interests were different, being treated as a total stranger was a bit sad. So she introduced herself.

“Don’t you remember me? I used to sit behind you in our final year?”

The bun-haired lady who always read novels in the back seat was none other than the second daughter of the Count Elrond - Ariel Elrond.

“Hmmm.”

“Do you remember me now?”

“I can’t say I do.”

“......”