Everyone should be free to pursue whatever hobbies they like. I wouldn't dream of placing restrictions on that. However, it isn't right to cause trouble for others.
"I’ve reflected on my past, and I no longer engage in kidnappings," Versa said.
That much should have been a given. I found it a bit awkward that she said it with such a self-righteous look, as if she were bragging about a good deed.
It felt a bit rude to ask, but I couldn't help wondering why Progenitor-san had married Versa in the first place.
"When her hobbies aren't involved, she's actually quite capable," he explained. "As a wife, there aren't any real problems to speak of. She even accepted my own interests..."
Progenitor-san’s interests?
"Lumani is a devout lover of the divine," Versa added. "The only reason he approached me was because he wanted to ask about the God of Magic, Raigiel."
So that was the catalyst for them starting a relationship and eventually marrying.
"When we first wed, Versa was just a typical lover of literature. I don't know how things ended up like this..."
Progenitor-san had a far-off look in his eyes, seemingly exhausted. He pulled a suitable chair from somewhere in the room and sat down.
Seeing this, Versa prepared a chair for me and called for the maid waiting outside.
"Tea for Lumani, Hiraku, and me. Will the Inferno Wolves and Demon Spiders be having any?"
Kuro's children and Zabuton's children replied that they would pass.
"I see. If you change your minds, just let me know."
She really did seem like a good person at heart.
Progenitor-san, Versa, and I gathered around the table. The maid brought over tea sets for everyone and poured the black tea before our eyes.
"Ensure the guests waiting in the other room are treated with proper hospitality as well," Versa instructed.
"Corie and Harkin have already been sent to attend to them," the maid replied.
She then laid out cakes in front of us. This was a first for me—being served cake while away on an expedition.
Wait... this taste?
When I looked at the maid, she offered an explanation.
"This cake is from a shop in Village Five that has been quite the talk of the town lately. I asked them specially to let me take some home, and I have preserved it with magic. The flavor may have diminished slightly compared to eating it fresh at the shop, but please forgive us."
"Umm..."
"Do you not care for sweets?"
"No, it's not that..."
While I struggled with how to phrase it, Progenitor-san spoke up for me.
"He is the Village Head of Great Tree Village, but he is also the Village Head of Village Five. Furthermore, he is the Manager of Kuro and Yuki, the very shop that serves this cake."
"Oh, is that so? Though I was unaware, please forgive my rudeness."
"No, I don't mind at all," I said. It actually made me feel pretty good. I’d have to mention this to the Acting Shop Manager later.
"By Acting Shop Manager, do you mean Kinesta-sama? She also serves as the Manager of the Village Five Iron Bull Army, correct?"
"She is, but you're quite well-informed."
"I frequent Kuro and Yuki quite often, after all."
"Is that so? Well, thank you for your patronage."
She frequented the shop? Come to think of it, where exactly were we?
Versa answered that question for me.
"We are almost directly beneath the dungeon you cleared. About one mountain's depth underground, I suppose."
One mountain's depth... so about five hundred meters down? That was quite the subterranean lair. I wondered if the maid also used the Teleportation Gate to visit Village Five.
"No, the Teleportation Gate at the Main Gate is strictly for the dungeon. We have a separate Teleportation Gate for our personal outings, so we use that one instead," the maid clarified.
That made sense. That was how she was able to visit.
I wondered if Versa went out as well. Surely she didn't sell her books in Village Five...
"That doesn't happen," Progenitor-san answered before she could. "Versa never leaves this place."
"Why is that? Is she sealed in or something?"
"No, she's just an extreme shut-in."
"I just don't see the point in going outside, you know?" Versa said.
...Was she really okay with that? Incidentally, the kidnappings in the past were apparently carried out by her subordinates.
"Furthermore, she would never sell her own books," Progenitor-san continued. "She cherishes her works as if they were her own children. In that regard, it's a blessing, but..."
"Is there a part that isn't a blessing?"
"She shows them without hesitation to anyone who comes seeking them."
Wait, did he build that dungeon just to keep people away from Versa?
"No, that dungeon has a different purpose. Or rather, Versa has a divine duty."
"A duty?"
"Heh heh heh. I am, after all, the Demon who presides over 'Knowledge.'" Versa stood up and struck a dramatic pose.
"To put it simply... she is the one who names every species of monster and magic beast born into this world."
So, the person who gave the species name 'Inferno Wolf' to Inferno Wolves was Versa?
"Exactly." Versa nodded with a proud expression. "Of course, I don't name them based on my own arbitrary whims. I take into consideration how others refer to them before I finalize a name, so rest assured."
Rest assured? Should I be? Well, I suppose it was better than her just naming them whatever she felt like.
Naming them was one thing, but how did she communicate those names to the outside world if she never left?
"We use books for that." The maid showed me a single, massive tome. "This book is the Master Book, and there are several hundred Imitation Books connected to it. If we add entries to the Master Book, the Imitation Books are updated simultaneously."
Ah, it was like that paper magic tool I used to communicate with Miyo in Shashato City. I understood the principle, more or less.
But that massive book... I felt like I'd seen something like it before. Not that exact size, something smaller.
"It's likely the book Helzernark was carrying," Progenitor-san noted.
I remembered then. That was it—the thick book Helze had when she came to the village. Using that book, she had told me that Kuro was the Inferno Wolf Emperor and Yuki was the Inferno Wolf Empress.
So that had been an Imitation Book.
"Those who do not possess an Imitation Book eventually come to Versa seeking knowledge of monsters and magic beasts... but at one point, the number of visitors exceeded all manageable limits."
"So Lumani built the dungeon for my sake," Versa added. "He set up trials so that knowledge would be granted only to those who could overcome them."
I see. So Progenitor-san had designed the dungeon.
"I didn't build it with only my own power and ideas, though. Those who seek knowledge are often physically weak, so I struggled with maintaining safety and adjusting the difficulty."
We had certainly benefited from those safety measures this time.
"The trial dungeon successfully reduced the number of people visiting for knowledge, but those seeking Versa's own stories continued to come. Taking books out is forbidden, but since we permitted transcriptions, I believe some of them have leaked out. Well, that was about three thousand years ago."
"When Lumani ran away from home, he placed gargoyle statues at the dungeon entrance. No one could come after that, so I felt quite lonely," Versa said.
"Hmph. ...The gargoyle statues were still there, but did you never think of destroying them?"
"Those were Lumani's work. I couldn't bring myself to break them."
"...I see."
Umm...
I am truly, deeply sorry for smashing them without a second thought.
Gucci: "Versa? She's a Demon from my grandfather's generation."
Dose: "I might have heard of her from around my great-great-great-grandfather's time."
Some of the Civil Official Girls: "She's the legendary author worshipped as a god by certain circles! ...Wait, is there news of a new work?! You actually met her in person?! I-I-I'm so jealous!!!"