(You’d never guess it. That goofy-looking woman actually likes reading?)
As La Luna wondered, she rummaged through the very bottom of the bookshelf and pulled out a fairly thick book. Books in this world didn’t have their titles printed on the spines, so you had to take them off the shelf to see what they were called. That puzzled her.
The Fundamental Structure of Magic III
(The… what of magic? The third what?)
La Luna was stumped. Back in school, she’d only learned a few basic words, but this book’s title was clearly written in advanced grammar. She couldn’t make heads or tails of it, apart from a few individual words.
(But it has “magic” in the title, so it’s probably a magic book, right?)
She figured that being bored at home was still being bored, so she might as well take a look. La Luna dragged the book into the sunlight, opened it, and started reading. Its cover was made of animal hide, but unlike the leather-making methods from the Middle Ages in her previous life, it didn’t smell bad at all. In fact, it had a faint, sweet fragrance.
When she opened to the first page, she saw that the paper was slightly yellowed, but the golden calligraphy still gleamed in the sunlight.
(…………)
La Luna took one look, then silently closed the book.
She really couldn’t understand it… The whole thing was full of unfamiliar words and all kinds of strange, baffling diagrams. Why make herself miserable trying to read this?
With a helpless sigh, La Luna dragged the book back to the shelf. But just as she was about to put it away, she noticed a small label stuck to the side of the bookshelf.
I–X
In an instant, La Luna understood. The books were arranged in order by number. If she counted along the shelf, one by one, she could find the book she wanted.
(Then…)
If the book in her hands was number three, then the one she wanted should be two books over…
The Fundamental Structure of Magic I
Ohhh!!!
La Luna excitedly dragged the book into the sunlight, opened it, and read it carefully. Compared to III, the wording in I was clearly much more basic. After one read-through, she could more or less understand what state the diagrams described were in when used in magic.
While La Luna was enjoying a peaceful life poring over books, Itefeil felt the pressure mounting. She was on her way to the scene with her subordinates and the Woodpecker cavalry, explaining the circumstances of the case as they went.
She’d already guessed who this group was, and this mission had a direct bearing on her position, so Itefeil answered every question they asked. Unlike the other members of the group, the blond man riding a unicorn remained silent. When Itefeil finished organizing her subordinates’ findings and relayed them, he simply listened quietly. After they’d talked for a while, the atmosphere in the group eased, and the others even started cracking jokes now and then.
“I never expected there’d be such a beautiful police inspector in a city this far west. If a reporter from the Imperial Capital’s Daily Weekly saw you, they’d make a huge fuss about you, haha!”
Itefeil only smiled at jokes like that without giving a direct answer. Setting aside whether it was unprofessional to talk about things unrelated to work while on duty, given their backgrounds, she didn’t need to take it seriously when they teased a lowly police inspector like her.
(Honestly, they’re like a bunch of kids.)
Itefeil kept a polite smile on her face, but inwardly she looked down on their behavior. By comparison, the blond man’s silence alone was enough to show how composed he was.
What a mature, handsome, dashing knight!!
Itefeil’s heart fluttered, but she knew she had to suppress those feelings. The man was clearly far above her station. Besides, if he was a true member of the royal family—or even a distant relative—he’d surely have more than one lover in the future. As a commoner with no connections or power, she’d probably end up as nothing more than a plaything.
Thinking it over, Itefeil decided she was better off staying put and doing her job as a police inspector. If she handled this mission well, she might even get promoted to Chief Inspector. Then, perhaps, she’d have a chance to earn a low-ranking noble title from the Empire.
As a commoner, only a practical, down-to-earth outlook like that could put her at ease and let her focus on her work. As for the stories street storytellers sang about nobles falling in love with commoners, or nobodies turning into princesses…
NOTHING BUT WISHFUL THINKING.
(Sigh.)
Itefeil let out a regretful sigh. It wasn’t every day you met such a wonderful man, but his status put him out of her reach. Maybe she ought to rethink whether her standards were simply unrealistic.
A romance that ended before it even began.
At the thought, Itefeil couldn’t help sneaking a glance at the blond man. He seemed to be deep in thought, head bowed. Then he suddenly sensed someone watching him and looked up—straight into her gaze.
“Ugh!”
(Our eyes met!!!)
Itefeil’s face flushed slightly. The Woodpecker members beside her, who’d been chatting about other things, suddenly noticed something was off.
“Miss Itefeil, are you feeling unwell?”
Itefeil stammered, “I… I’m fine. It’s just that we girls have a few days like this every month.”
Seeing Itefeil’s expression, the Woodpecker cavalryman scratched his head.
“Oh, is that so? You girls really are hard to understand.”
“…”
(Waaah, how do these royal heirs manage to get girls when they’re all such clueless idiots? T^T)
