The day after Rei arrived in the City of Gilm, he finished his breakfast and prepared to head out. His first stop was the stables.
“Guruu!”
Set let out a happy trill as soon as he saw Rei enter.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
“Guru.”
Set stretched his entire body, looking as if he were brimming with energy. Rei smiled, reaching out to give the creature's head a thorough scratch.
“Good to hear. So, what’s the plan for today? I heard there’s a library in town, and I’ve got some research to do. Do you want to stay here, or come with me? You won't be allowed inside, so you'll have to wait out front just like you did at the Adventurer's Guild yesterday.”
In response, Set rubbed his head against Rei’s chest. He was making his desire to come along perfectly clear through his body language.
“All right, then.”
Rei chuckled at the display and led Set out of the stables. He had already informed Dram that he would be taking Set out after breakfast, so he led his partner onto the main street without further delay.
The moment Set stepped onto the thoroughfare, people reacted much as they had the day before—eyes went wide with shock and several pedestrians scrambled back. However, news of Rei and Set seemed to have spread somewhat over the last twenty-four hours; far fewer people fled in a panic than Rei had anticipated. There were still a handful of people who bolted without even looking for the Tamed Monster's Necklace that proved the creature was a familiar or a Summoned Beast, but they were the exception.
Rei had only learned the official name for the accessory, the Tamed Monster's Necklace, from Dram during breakfast.
“Guruu.”
Set let out a low rumble as he observed the crowd's reaction. Rei gave his partner a reassuring pat on the back as they walked toward the library the landlady had pointed out earlier.
They strolled down the main boulevard, passing the Adventurer's Guild. Whenever they passed a food stall selling savory-smelling meat skewers, Rei would buy enough for both of them. Given Set’s massive size and Rei’s own surprisingly ravenous appetite, he ended up spending several Silver Coins on a bulk purchase of thirty skewers at once.
The vendors, however, seemed to view Rei as a premium client given his spending habits. Whether they were reassured by the Tamed Monster's Necklace or simply blinded by the sight of a high-paying customer, many of them proactively called out to him. To a merchant, anyone willing to part with coin was a guest, monster or otherwise.
After a pleasant stroll filled with snacking, the destination Lana had described came into view. It was the library. Though it carried the title, Rei had been warned that because Gilm was a frontier town, the selection of books was somewhat modest. Even so, it was the only place where he could acquire the knowledge he so desperately needed.
“Set, wait for me here.”
“Guruu.”
Just like at the guild, Rei left Set in the designated area for carriages and Summoned Beasts and stepped inside.
“Welcome. Will you be utilizing our services today?”
A Receptionist at a desk just inside the entrance called out to him. Rei nodded as he approached.
“Yeah. Could you explain the rules for me?”
The Receptionist, a woman in her mid-twenties, maintained an entirely expressionless face as she spoke.
“Use of the library costs five Silver Coins per day. This fee includes a security deposit in case of damage to the books. When you exit, if the books have not been damaged or soiled, three Silver Coins will be refunded to you. Please be advised that if you cause damage or stains exceeding three Silver Coins in value, you will be required to pay an additional fee. Should you attempt to flee without paying, a request will be placed with the Adventurer's Guild to collect the cost along with the fee for the request itself. If you require materials for transcription, we sell sets of ten sheets of paper and a pen for three Copper Coins.”
Rei frowned slightly at the five-silver price tag, but he paid the fee without protest. Back on Earth, he was used to libraries being free, but in this world, books were incredibly expensive. Rare volumes could easily command prices in Platinum Coins or Light Gold Coins.
“Thank you. When you are ready to leave, please have the librarian sign this document. As long as you haven't damaged any books, there won't be a problem. We will exchange the signed document for your three-silver refund. Please, enjoy your stay.”
The Receptionist handed him a slip of paper in exchange for the coins and gave a stiff bow. Rei gave a wry smile at the contrast with the libraries of his memories and headed into the stacks.
“...I see.”
Rei murmured as he surveyed the interior. By his estimation, the library was about the size of several school libraries joined together. Rows of two-meter-high bookshelves were arranged in a tidy grid, filled with volumes of all shapes and sizes. Near the librarian’s counter, several sets of four-person tables and chairs were set out for readers.
Rei scanned the shelves for a moment before deciding it would be faster to ask. He walked to the counter and addressed a middle-aged man in his forties who appeared to be the Librarian.
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
“I’m researching a man named Zephyle. Do you have any books related to him?”
“Zephyle? Let me see... I believe I’ve come across that name somewhere...”
The Librarian took a moment to think, then smiled as the memory clicked.
“Ah, I knew it sounded familiar. That’s the name of the Majin.”
“...The Majin? That’s a bit of a grim title.”
Rei couldn't help but ask for clarification, but the Librarian looked back at him with genuine confusion.
“Oh, am I wrong? That’s the only famous Zephyle I know of.”
“...Right. Well, do you have any books about this Majin?”
“Those would be classified under myths and fairy tales. Go straight down that aisle; they should be on the right-hand shelf at the very end.”
“Thanks. That helps a lot.”
Rei thanked the man and moved to the shelf he had indicated. He pulled out a few promising volumes and took them to a table.
“Now then, let's see what the history books have to say.”
The situation was already veering far from his expectations, but he needed to know the truth about the man who had merged with him. He opened a book and began to read.
Zephyle. He was a figure said to have lived several thousand years ago, a man who led a massive organization of mages. That alone was noteworthy, but his followers were said to have been the most powerful mages of the era, and Zephyle himself possessed enough Magic Power to command them all.
Their collective strength was reportedly enough to vanish an entire nation in a single day, which led many countries at the time to view him as a primary threat. Some nations tried to force him into servitude, but the legends said those nations were wiped out along with their entire populations before the sun set. Because of his peerless Magic Power and his mastery of magic, he became known as a human who had transcended humanity—the Majin.
“...”
Rei pressed a hand to his forehead, feeling a headache coming on. He had expected some discrepancy between his inherited knowledge and current reality, but he hadn't imagined a gap of several thousand years. Zephyle had claimed he was only a few centuries old. The fact that he was off by a factor of ten left Rei stunned.
Still, there was no going back now. He was in this world, and he had to live in it. He forced himself to accept the reality and returned the books about Zephyle to the shelf.
To regain some sense of mental stability, he turned his attention to books on adventuring and general world knowledge.
He learned that the world followed a schedule nearly identical to Earth: twenty-four hours in a day, roughly thirty days in a month, and twelve months in a year. The seven days of the week were named after Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, Darkness, and Void.
However, since clocks were a type of Magic Item, they were owned only by the wealthiest merchants and nobility. Everyone else relied on bells that were rung throughout the city every three hours. The common folk kept track of the day through these bells, which sounded at 6:00, 9:00, 12:00, 15:00, 18:00, and 21:00.
As he continued reading through books for novice adventurers, one title in particular caught his eye: Monster Dismantling: Beginner Edition.
Skinning the Water Bear had been a valuable lesson—his sloppy work had significantly lowered the selling price. Since he intended to make his living as an adventurer, mastering the art of dismantling was non-negotiable. Realizing it would take far too long to transcribe the entire book, Rei went back to the Librarian.
“Excuse me, can I help you?”
“Is it possible to buy this book from the library?”
Rei held out the manual, but the Librarian shook his head with an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry, but we don't sell our collection. If we started doing that, we’d have no books left. But... wait.”
The man looked at the book in Rei's hand and seemed to recall something.
“But?”
“I believe I saw a copy of that same book at the bookstore in town. I saw it about two weeks ago, and they only had one copy, so I can't guarantee it's still there.”
“That’s enough for me. Could you tell me where the bookstore is?”
“Of course.”
After getting directions, Rei weighed his options. He had paid a decent sum to get in, and he wanted to keep reading, but securing that manual was his top priority. Deciding that the library's books would still be here another day, Rei got his document signed, collected his refund from the Receptionist, and headed out.
Outside, he met up with Set and headed straight for the bookstore. Luck was on his side—the book was still there. He paid the steep price of one Gold Coin to secure it, then spent the rest of the afternoon picking up spare clothes and other necessities before finally heading back to the Dusk Wheat Inn.