When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword - Chapter 84

When I Tried Strengthening 【Rusted Sword】, It Evolved Into An Overpowered Magic Sword

Chapter 84   Library

We presented our adventurer’s guild books at the middle-tier reception and proceeded into the area.

The three of us climbed further up the spiral staircase.

According to what we were told at the reception, it seemed that information about the dangerous regions was located deep within the middle tier, somewhere near the upper-tier reception area.

We couldn’t quite understand the criteria for organizing the books, but the arrangement was inconvenient for us right now.

As we reluctantly climbed the long staircase, glancing sideways at the numerous bookshelves, Amethyst suddenly began to hold her head with one hand.

“Ugh, I’m starting to get a headache.”

Amethyst was frowning with evident discomfort.

I could understand her feelings to some extent.

Seeing Amethyst’s state, Dia asked a straightforward question.

“Could it be that you caught Spinel and Lapis’s cold?”

“No, it’s not that. Being surrounded by this many books is just so suffocating it’s making my head spin.”

“Oh, I see.”

It wasn’t common to see such a vast collection of books.

Even a single book could be quite expensive, so it’s no surprise that seeing thousands or tens of thousands of them is overwhelming.

For someone like Amethyst, who seems naturally energetic, this sea of books must be particularly difficult to endure.

Plus, the long, winding staircase was like a giant serpent. Even I was getting dizzy.

“By the way, Amethyst, aren’t you good at reading? You always seem to be reading quite a few books for study.”

“It’s not that I’m bad at it. I do enjoy reading for studying. It’s just a matter of degree, you know? We had a fair number of books in our village, but nothing like this.”

“Well, there probably isn’t another place with this many books.”

Listening to this conversation, I remembered something faintly.

Amethyst had been the top student in both sports and academics in her hometown village.

If I recall correctly, she was also good at fighting.

She seemed accustomed to reading for study, but it appeared that this sheer volume of books was giving her a headache.

She didn’t seem to be the type to be thrilled by books for her own sake, like a literature enthusiast.

Oh, but maybe she enjoys reading adventure tales? If that’s the case, we might become close during this journey if things go well.

As I secretly held onto this faint hope, Dia suddenly peered into my face.

“Rust-san, you seem quite pleased.”

“Eh?”

“Could it be that you like books?”

It seemed I had been unknowingly smiling.

I had merely found a tiny hope that we might bond during the journey, despite the emotional distance with Amethyst.

Well, it’s true that my feelings have been stirred up since coming to this library.

“I don’t exactly like books in general, but I do love adventure tales. I think I mentioned this before, but the heroes in adventure tales were what inspired me to become an adventurer. I always dreamed of becoming a cool hero like them one day.”

“Oh, you did say that before. When we first entered the library, you were staring intently at the adventure tales section.”

That was indeed the case. I had been captivated by it earlier.

Though I was jolted back to reality by Amethyst’s cold gaze, I’m confident that if I had come here alone, I would have been engrossed in the adventure tales for as long as time allowed.

I really do love stories of heroes.

“So, I read adventure tales all the time when I was a child, but since I only had a few books of my own, I would mostly borrow books from the village chief’s house.”

“The village chief? From your hometown?”

“Yes. His name is Beryl, and he was a big book lover, with a huge collection at home. I used to visit him frequently to borrow books, and coming to the library reminded me of those times.”

Beryl the village chief.

One of the few people in Red Village I felt close to.

Well, I might not have been very close to him, actually.

He was very taciturn, hardly did anything, and always seemed like a lifelike doll, sitting in a rocking chair and reading books.

Even when I suddenly dropped by his house, he never complained, and when I asked to read his books, he would just nod slowly.

I thought of our relationship as close, but I’m unsure how Beryl felt about it.

It was difficult to gauge his emotions from his expressions.

Still, the time spent reading adventure tales quietly at his house was as enjoyable and cherished as playing with Ruby.

“Having so many books individually means he must have been quite wealthy, right? Even one book would be pretty expensive.”

“Hmm, I wonder.”

“Eh?”

“Come to think of it, I don’t actually know much about Beryl. No one ever talked about him, and I just thought of him as a kind old man. I’ve vaguely heard that he was once a skilled adventurer, but I’m not sure if it’s true.”

What kind of person was he, really?

As I think about Beryl now, such questions arise.

It certainly seems difficult to amass such a large collection of books individually.

It would require a considerable amount of money.

If the rumors are true and he was once a high-level adventurer, it wouldn’t be surprising if he had a lot of money and books.

But there was no sign of such a background, and I’ve never heard any stories about him.

“Did you really used to visit the home of a stranger like that? Didn’t your parents say anything?”

“Well, now that you mention it, it does sound a bit dangerous, but Beryl was trusted by everyone. He usually seemed absent-minded, but he would do his job properly during village events and resolve problems through discussions with the villagers when they arose. He was like a grandfather to everyone. More than anything, I had nothing else to do but read books.”

When I had free time, I naturally ended up going to Beryl’s house.

When Ruby went off to play with other kids, or when my mom was out for work.

His home was like a library to me, a place of childhood memories.

“You don’t seem to have many friends, do you?”

“Ugh…!”

Amethyst suddenly jabbed a sharp, piercing comment straight into my heart.

It’s not a big deal.

Playing with friends isn’t everything.

Reading adventure tales was incredibly enjoyable too.

Everyone’s childhood memories are different.

Even as I tried to be strong in my heart, the emotional wound didn’t heal, and sensing this, Dia spoke gently to me.

“If you’d like, please recommend some adventure tales next time.”

“O-of course! Do you have any preferences for story developments? There are adventure tales with female protagonists as well, so that might be more to your liking…”

“…”

As I nervously rambled on, Amethyst glared at me with a cold look.

Is it that off-putting?

I had hoped that we might become friends during the journey, but it seems that’s still a distant dream.

While this exchange was happening, we arrived at the section with books on dangerous area information.

The three of us scanned the bookshelves, looking for relevant volumes.

We were mainly looking for books detailing the danger levels of different areas.

Then Dia, with a sudden realization, spoke up.

“Oh, this looks useful for our next quest! It even has easy-to-read maps.”

“Yes, it seems like it will help us decide our destination. Let’s read through it.”

With the book Dia found in hand, we sat down at the edge of the stairs.

Part of the bookshelves had wooden planks jutting out as makeshift seats.

It seemed that we were supposed to sit here and read, though most people we passed were either too lazy or preferred sitting on the stairs to read.

We decided to follow their lead.

We flipped through the pages to determine our next destination.

As we focused on the text, I heard Amethyst ask Dia.

“I heard you’re looking for information on dangerous areas. Are you planning to go on a long journey for your next quest?”

“Well, something like that. We’re looking for a dangerous area with high risk and not much exploration done yet. I’ll explain more about it later.”

I realized I hadn’t yet shared the details of the quest with Amethyst.

Given the nature of the information, it’s better not to discuss it in public.

I’ll probably explain it on the way to the dangerous area. Dia will likely handle it.

As I considered this, I scanned through information on several dangerous areas and focused on one particular location.

A dangerous area to the north of the town of Clear Land.

An extremely cold, snow and ice-covered region.

It’s called ‘Snowflower Garden.’

Not only is it somewhat distant from the town, but its characteristics also suggest that exploration has been limited.

It’s cold, difficult to fight, and offers little profit.

The monsters there are reportedly strong and troublesome, and few people venture there willingly.

If that’s the case, there’s a good chance that the altar of the evil god might be hidden there.

“It sounds like a very cold place. Should we buy some winter clothing before heading there?”

“Yeah, let’s make sure we’re properly prepared before going to the dangerous area.”

There were a few other notable dangerous areas, so I kept that information in mind as well.

We then got up from our seats, returned the book to the shelf, and prepared to leave the library. However, something caught my eye at the edge of my vision.

The reception desk located on the upper floors of the library.

Come to think of it, the information on dangerous areas was supposed to be just before the upper floor.

“I wonder what kind of information is on the top floor?”

I gazed up the stairs from a distance and took a few steps closer when I was suddenly addressed by a voice from the reception desk.

“Excuse me, but only Gold-level adventurers and above are allowed past this point. I’m sorry, but could I please see your adventurer’s guild book?”

“Oh, uh, well…”

I was taken aback by the sudden request.

It seemed I had inadvertently stepped into the upper-level area.

I instinctively reached into my pocket to show my adventurer’s guild book to prove that despite my appearance, I am a legitimate Gold-level adventurer.

But just before I could, I hesitated and glanced back at Amethyst.

“…What? Are you being sarcastic?”

“Oh, no, it’s not like that at all…”

I quickly denied it, but to Amethyst, it probably looked like that was the intention.

Indeed, Amethyst was the only one not qualified to enter the upper level.

Only Dia and I were allowed to proceed further.

So, if I were to advance to the upper level and then look at Amethyst in a way that seemed intentional, it would understandably be seen as a slight.

Since I wasn’t particularly interested in the books on the upper level, I decided to turn back…

“I’ll wait here with Amethyst, so if you’re curious, you can go and take a look.”

“Huh? O-okay…”

Dia kindly offered to let me take a look at the upper floor, even though I wasn’t that interested.

Still, it seemed a bit awkward to decline such a considerate offer, and having come this far up the stairs, it felt like a waste not to at least have a look.

My hand, which had been poised to retrieve the guild book, found a purpose as I decided to take Dia up on her offer and peek at the upper level.

I showed my adventurer’s guild book to the receptionist, who looked slightly surprised, and then climbed the stairs.

It seems like Dia has been a real lifesaver today. She’s bridging the gap between Amethyst and me, almost like she’s facilitating the conversation.

If she’s doing this consciously, she must have remarkable conversational skills, but given her usual shy demeanor, it’s probably an unconscious action.

Either way, it’s impressive. It shows she has a natural instinct for understanding and caring about others.

I’m sure I’ll benefit from this thoughtfulness countless times during this journey.

“…I should head back soon.”

I muttered this to myself and hurried up the stairs.

I reached for the books that caught my eye, flipping through pages lightly to move on to the next one.

Just knowing what kinds of books are available was sufficient.

So I resolved to finish quickly and return to Dia and Amethyst.

As I swiftly browsed through the books, a few titles caught my attention and made me pause.

Books on the historical traitor Renegade who committed colossal sins.

Information on the super-giant beasts feared as natural disasters.

Among the information that seemed naturally confidential, there were also some curious pieces that made me wonder why they weren’t publicly available.

Each time I spotted such a book, I stopped to study it intently.

“…No, I need to get back now.”

I told myself, determined to finish with the next book…

But unexpectedly, I picked up a book that caught my attention.

“Huh? This is…”

A record of the war between humanity and the Demon King’s army that took place two hundred years ago.

The account of the dark age known as the Eclipse, the time closest to the world’s end.

I remember the guild master mentioning that there were adventurers who had experienced that war and left records.

I had intended to ask about it after our conversation but had completely forgotten.

As I stared at the book in my hand, an image of the Black Demon’s demon lord flashed through my mind.

“…The Seven Great Demon Lords.”

Information on them might be hidden within this book.

I know there are false pieces of information too, and I mustn’t be deceived by them, but I desperately want to see this now.

It should be acceptable to keep this in the back of my mind.

So, I focused intently on the pages, burning the information into my memory.