Chapter 76

< 76. Rest (2) >

Tap, tap, tap.

After finishing his work, Oliver visited the restaurant Forest located on 27th Street in Zone T and then headed straight to his lodging.

He was already tired and planned to return and rest after reporting his mission, but he ended up returning much earlier than expected.

The reason was that he didn't know Forest.

When he visited the restaurant, a different staff member greeted him instead of the usual one, explaining that Forest had something to do and couldn't come to the restaurant today, asking for his understanding.

When Oliver asked what it was, the staff member only said that Forest had gone to a regular meeting of the intermediary association in Randa and didn't know anything more.

Oliver, who had asked out of reflex, didn't press further and only asked the staff member to convey that he had completed the mission. In response, the staff member brought a document and asked Oliver to sign it.

By signing the document to officially record the completion of the mission, Oliver felt a sense of finality, and the fatigue accumulated over a month suddenly hit him.

Well, it wasn't that serious.

Murphy had taken good care of his accommodation and meals.

He had experienced worse, so it wasn't that bad.

Just a bit heavy and sleepy?

Probably, a good day's rest would refresh him completely.

He arrived at the lodging, opened the door, and went in.

"Who... Ah! It's you."

The innkeeper, who was preparing food in the kitchen as usual, said as soon as she saw Oliver.

"Yes, hello. It's been a while."

"Yes, it really has. Did you finish your work?"

"Yes, more or less... Is everything okay?"

"Everything? Except for the rise in egg prices. How can egg prices rise?... But more importantly, have you eaten? Would you like some food?"

"No, it's fine."

“Ah!”

At that moment, someone shouted.

It was a young worker from the inn, who was bringing a basket of potatoes. The boy, whose body was covered in dirt from moving the potatoes, looked surprised when he saw Oliver and showed a very happy expression.

Someone came to mind, hmm... Ah! It was Mari.

“Rosburn! I told you to bring the potatoes! The basket doesn't walk by itself!”

As usual, the innkeeper's scolding made Rosburn jump and start moving the basket of potatoes.

He seemed to have something to say, but Oliver didn't follow to ask.

The first reason was that he wasn't particularly curious. The second reason was that the boy was busy, and Oliver was sleepy.

So, Oliver went up the stairs and entered his room.

It had been a month since he last returned, but nothing had changed.

He had few personal items, and if he did, they were stored in a personal box.

He already knew that the innkeeper, though somewhat picky, didn't snoop through guests' rooms while cleaning.

‘Hmm... But staying here for too long is a bit...’

Oliver thought suddenly.

He had no complaints about his life here, but considering the information he had recently obtained, he felt it would be better to leave and find a new place to stay.

Even if the price was reduced, staying at a lodging was a waste of money in the long run. He realized that it would be more beneficial to rent or buy a house, even if it meant a significant initial investment.

Many retired soldiers complained about rent, which was the basis for his conclusion.

Based on their words, he calculated the numbers and found that staying at the inn was an unnecessary expense for him.

‘It’s better to rent long-term. It’s cheaper and less troublesome. Besides, a house is unnecessary for me.’

Oliver concluded. What he needed was a place to live comfortably, not a house as an asset.

Most importantly, Oliver wanted a perfect personal space.

A personal space where he could conduct black magic experiments.

A house with a warehouse or basement would be good, and if not, getting a warehouse in a secluded place like Glim's doll shop would be better.

‘Even if human corpses are not allowed, dog or cat corpses should be fine, right?’

Just as he was considering asking Forest about this, there was a knock on the door.

Oliver turned his head. He could see the emotion through the door. It was a familiar emotion.

“...Rosburn? What is it?”

Oliver's words made Rosburn jump.

A trembling voice came from the other side of the door.

"Can, can I come in?"

"Ah, just a moment."

Oliver got up from his seat and opened the door.

A boy with straw-colored hair, looking anxious, was standing there.

"Ah, hello."

"Yes, hello. Is there something you need?"

"Th, the owner asked if you would like to have dinner."

"Dinner? Hmm... Yes, I will eat."

"Ah, yes..."

Rosburn didn't leave and fidgeted, his anxiety and fear evident, and his hands fidgeting.

Still, a thin but strong thread of will kept the boy standing.

“...Is there something you want to say?”

"Ah..."

The boy's emotions were even more agitated.

Countless feelings of defeat and frustration weighed down on him, but a small, tenacious will tried to rise.

Finally, the boy spoke in a trembling voice.

"Can, can you teach me how to read?"

***

In the evening, Oliver had dinner and went out.

He headed to the traditional market where the Gray Market was located.

The traditional market in a corner of Zone T.

Perhaps because it was dusk, the market was bathed in orange, and there were few people around, with shops closing one by one.

As the market fell into the night, it seemed to be going to sleep, but fortunately, Oliver's destination was still open late.

His destination was...

“...Well, it's been a while, young friend.”

An old man in a small second-hand bookstore between two shops said.

He was sitting in front of the shop, reading today's newspaper, just like the first time Oliver saw him.

"Hello, sir. It's been a while."

Oliver greeted the old man politely. He thought he should do this since he learned about the World Tree from the book the old man recommended.

The old man smiled, seemingly not disliking Oliver's attitude.

"You seem to have become even more polite. I'm grateful, but it's a bit too much for an old man who runs a boring second-hand bookstore."

“...? I read an interesting book thanks to you, so what does that have to do with you being an old man who runs a second-hand bookstore?”

The old man chuckled and shrugged, a gesture indicating he didn't want to discuss the topic further.

"Rather, what brings you here? From the looks of it, you didn't just drop by."

Oliver looked back at the path he had taken.

The old man seemed to have very good eyesight despite his age.

"Yes, that's right."

"Indeed... Can I guess? The reason you're here. You probably came because you have a question about the book's content, right? But, it's a bit disappointing that you came empty-handed, young friend."

The old man's confident voice.

Oliver answered honestly without any malice.

"No. I came to see if there's a good book to teach a child how to read."

"......"

The old man looked at Oliver without saying a word.

On the surface, he seemed calm, but inside, embarrassment and shame were slowly rising, like a kettle slowly boiling.

Feeling as if he had made a mistake, he just looked at the old man, and an awkward silence ensued.

"......"

"......"

"......Did I make a mistake?"

"No... No. Just wait a moment. I need to take some courage potion."

With that, the old man drank from a bottle in a brown envelope. He took two more sips, still feeling embarrassed.

"Feeling better... What kind of book are you looking for?"

"A book that's good for a child to learn to read. About... fourteen? Fifteen? For a child to study. Ah! If you have a math book, that would be great too, do you?"

"Fourteen, fifteen... reading and math... That's quite specific."

The old man slowly got up from his chair, saying.

His stiff knees creaked as if a tree was breaking.

"Probably, I have it. But, young friend... If you don't mind, can I ask why you want to buy this book?"

Oliver thought for a moment before answering. It didn't seem like something he needed to hide.

"Because a child who works at the inn I'm staying at asked me to teach them."

"Inn child... Is it the innkeeper's child? They'll reduce the rent if you teach them?"

The old man, looking through a large book in the depths of the bookstore, asked. It seemed to be a list of book locations.

"Oh... So you can save on rent that way?"

"Is that not the case?"

"Huh? Ah, yes. Just a child who works there."

The old man chuckled.

"Teaching without any reward? Why?"

"I don't know... The child asked me to teach them."

The old man, who had been looking for a book, turned his head slightly. In the darkness of the bookstore, he looked heavy.

"Teaching because the child asked? Is that not possible?"

"Is... it not possible?"

"It's not impossible, but... It's quite surprising. Most people don't do that."

Indeed... Thinking about it, people seemed to be a bit stingy when it came to teaching something. He knew it was natural, but it still seemed stingy.

Oliver thought for a moment. Why he had accepted the boy's request. He questioned his own choice.

It took some time, during which the old man in the bookstore found the books Oliver had ordered from a corner.

The books were very old, and when he blew on them, brown dust flew.

"Fortunately, I have these books. I don't know why I have them. Since they are old and dirty, 10,000 Randa for all of them."

Oliver, still thinking, took out money from his wallet.

As he handed over the money, he spoke.

"Because the child is amazing."

"Excuse me? What did you say?"

"Because the child is amazing."

“...What is amazing?”

"Because the child works at the inn every day and is very timid, but still approached me to learn to read. Despite being very scared, they mustered the courage... So, I think it's amazing. Wanting to learn is amazing, isn't it?"

Oliver spoke with poor vocabulary, like a three-year-old.

However, it was the most sincere answer he could give, and it was convincing to himself.

The old man, seeing Oliver, chuckled again and took out a writing tool from under the counter.

"This is...?"

"A free gift. Because you said something commendable. The will to learn is amazing. That's true."

"Ah... Thank you."

Oliver thanked the old man and took the writing tool along with the two books.

Feeling a sense of relief after achieving his goal.

"Ah, since I'm here