Chapter 44

After concluding negotiations with the Dwarf King, I literally took a deep breath.

Using the Second Legion as a decoy to pin down the Alliance of Kings, during which time we launched a surprise attack on Ismus across Rozaria, rescued Gunther, and then negotiated, it had been a whirlwind of activity.

To be honest, I wished I had another body.

"Could I ask the Commander to make another me?"

That way, the workload would be halved.

I said this jokingly, but the maid, Sati, who was standing beside me, enthusiastically agreed.

"Please do."

Apparently, if I were to have another me, she wouldn't have to waste time while I was away on the battlefield.

"By the way, what do you do when I'm away?"

"I basically clean."

"You always do that, don't you?"

"I do it more thoroughly."

Apparently, since I am the only one living in this mansion, when I'm gone, there's really nothing to do.

So, she either cleans more thoroughly or, recently, strokes the belly of the cat that has taken up residence in the garden. It's pitiful to have no hobbies.

Indeed, in this world, unlike my previous life, there is almost no entertainment. Of course, there is no internet or TV.

There are plays and acrobats, but Ivalice is a small town and a front-line city, so they don't come often.

Even if there were a theater in this town, it's unlikely that Sati would go there.

This girl is humble, or rather, surprisingly has no desires. If I were to give her money to go see a play, she would probably buy a gift for me or give it to the poor.

That's the kind of girl Sati is.

"…Hmm, I need to find this girl a hobby."

I came to this conclusion. In the future, I will have more opportunities to be away from Ivalice.

Each time, if Sati were to put all her effort into cleaning, this mansion might be completely dust-free.

In fact, this mansion was abnormally clean. Not a speck of dust.

I tried touching the edge of a bookshelf to see if there was any dust, as one might do in a Japanese TV drama, but, unlike in the drama, no dust stuck to my finger.

In other words, it was that thoroughly cleaned. I couldn't help but think that there was no need to go to such lengths, though I didn't tell her to stop cleaning.

"Besides, this bookshelf only contains books I've read once. They could be disposed of."

"Are they going to be disposed of?"

"…No, that would be a waste."

Books are precious in this world.

There is no such thing as a printing press, so each book must be handwritten or copied by a magician using the "Duplicate" spell.

As I was thinking this, Sati made an unexpected statement.

"But, Sati can't read, even though she loves books."

"You like books?"

"Yes."

"I see. Then, why don't you read them while I'm away?"

"I can't do that."

She said this decisively.

"Borrowing my things without permission is something a maid shouldn't do. Besides—"

She continued.

"Sati loves books, but she can't read. Borrowing them would be meaningless."

"…I see, Sati can't read."

That makes sense. I don't know the literacy rate in this world, but at least in Ivalice, there are no educational institutions.

Magicians and scholars run private schools to teach children reading and basic arithmetic, but that has its limits.

Moreover, Sati is the child of a slave. She probably didn't even receive the most basic education.

"By the way, why do you like books even though you can't read?"

"I like the smell of books. Just looking at the spines makes me feel smarter. And sometimes, when I flip through the pages, there are illustrations. I can lose track of time just looking at them. There are pictures of places I've never been to, and beautiful women—"

Uncharacteristically, Sati's words didn't stop. She must be very interested in books. She's a smart girl, and perhaps she has a strong curiosity.

Thinking this, I decided to teach Sati how to read.

"Really, is that okay?"

She asked, excited and apologetic.

"Yes, Gunther is currently writing letters to the dwarves in various places. It will take some time for the letters to reach them and for them to come to this town. I'll teach you letters in between my duties."

"Really!? I'm so happy!"

She was so happy she almost jumped. Sati is a girl who doesn't show her emotions, so it's rare to see her so expressive. Seeing her like this made me happy too.

Sati said,

"When I can read, I want to read this book first."

She went to the library and came back with a pile of books in her arms, like a child who has received presents from Santa. The first book she opened was a cookbook.

"Is this a cookbook for recipes?"

"Yes."

"If I can read this, I can make many more dishes for Ike-sama. And I can make them even more delicious."

Even though she already makes delicious food, she continued without giving me a chance to comment.

The next book she opened was an adventurer's travelogue from the East, a diary-like read about a real person who lived about a hundred years ago and adventured to the country of Seika in the east of this continent.

"Ah, I've read that too. I don't know what's true and what's not, but it was quite interesting."

Sati had never left the city of Arsenam before meeting me. She might be fascinated by this kind of adventure story.

"Yes, Sati wants to go on an adventure, even once. She wants to ride a horse and travel to unknown lands."

"Surprisingly proactive. I thought you might prefer romance novels, like most girls."

"I want to read those too. Anyway, Sati wants to read a lot of books."

Sati declared this with enthusiasm, but I noticed that among the books she brought were some that resembled erotic novels.

—Left behind by the previous lord.

For now, I decided to hide all those dangerous books and start teaching her letters immediately.

The writing system in this world is complex and strange.

Like English, the pronunciation and spelling often don't match, and the grammar is flawed.

The difficulty of learning it might be even higher than Japanese.

"Well, it's better than Sati having nothing to do."

I said this and started with the simplest letters, equivalent to 'A' in the alphabet or 'あ' in Japanese. Sati listened to my lecture with great enthusiasm.

Given her intelligence, I thought she would be able to read simple books within a year. However, her intelligence exceeded my expectations.

—One month later, she came to me, looking happy and running a little.

"Ike-sama, Gunther-sama taught me how to write."

It seems she not only learned to read but also to write. She handed me a piece of paper. Though the writing was clumsy, it was a proper sentence.

"Master, I love you."

—It probably doesn't have a deep meaning, but it made me feel a bit embarrassed.

Anyway, at this rate, Sati would become a reader in less than half a year.

In this world with little entertainment, the luxury of reading books should be allowed to a maid. Thinking this, I continued teaching her letters while waiting for the dwarves Gunther had called to gather.