The Forbidden Library – Part 04
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Translator: Kell
The librarian led us out of the tower and back into town.
We were provided rooms in what appeared to be an inn, though our room assignments were strange. Zero and I shared a room, but Barcel and Gemma were given separate rooms.
“Who decided on this room assignment?” I wondered after the librarian left.
Zero, pouring hot water into a wooden tub, gave me an incomprehensible answer. “We did.”
“I don’t remember drawing lots or anything.”
“You claimed ownership over me to that demon, to which they acknowledged. To them, you and I are a pair. When they put their hands on the captain, the attendant did not say a word.”
“He was probably frozen in fear.”
“He was frozen because he cared more about himself than the captain.”
I guess.
But Barcel was a fragile, ordinary human being. Protecting the captain from the demon was probably too much to ask.
“The demon wants the captain,” Zero added. “They would not put her in a room with another man.”
“So they picked us rooms based on love or whatnot?”
“They mentioned giving women to the knights, no? That is what they think humans are like. A man and a woman are always a pair. If one is missing, it would not feel right.” Zero took off her clothes and dipped herself into the tub. “Mercenary, help me wash my back.”
“Why would I do that?”
“There is no one else around.”
Just do it on your own. You’ve done it before. How can she even be naked in front of me like it’s nothing? And how can I stay calm looking at her like this? I guess I just got used to it. Habituation sure is scary.
“Hurry up,” Zero urged. “Or the water will get cold. You are my mate, no?”
Sighing, I walked towards her. After rinsing the ash out of her hair and running a lathered-up piece of cloth across her back—it looked perfect, like a work of art—Zero looked over her shoulder.
“Speaking of which, the attendant might be provided a woman soon.”
“Okay,” I mumbled. “Lucky bastard.”
Zero pulled me into the tub. I plunged headfirst, struggling as I gasped for air.
“What the fuck was that for?! Are you trying to kill me?!”
“I thought you wanted to get in with me,” Zero said. “You are jealous of the attendant, no? I have kept this a secret until now, Mercenary, but I am, in fact, a woman.”
“Really? That’s news to me.”
“Aren’t you glad?”
“About what?”
Pouting, Zero splashed water onto me.
“Stop it, you idiot! The room will get wet!”
“So you do not care about getting wet yourself?”
“I took off all my stuff that’s prone to rust. And you can just dry me off anyway.”
Zero looked more and more displeased. “You think of me as nothing more than a handy dryer, huh?”
“Because you think of me as nothing more than a comfortable bed.” I grimaced.
Zero was about to say something, but she gave up on it, and instead stood up. This time she slammed me directly into the tub. Huge splashes of water drenched the room. I was soaking wet as well.
“Hey,” was all I could say.
Completely unconcerned about my annoyance, Zero began lathering up the soap. “I am offering to wash you myself. Did you know? I am actually a dryer and a washer. Very convenient, wouldn’t you say?”
“And I’m your bed, chair, and carriage. Quite handy, right? Now make sure you clean my fur thoroughly.”
I might as well go all out. I took off my clothes in the tub and began washing them.
“Hey, Witch.”
“Yes?”
“That was a demon, right?”
“I suppose so. Since we do not know its name, we do not know what kind of ability it possesses. Based on what happened in the Archway, it is most likely a demon with powers related to human memory. It seems capable of controlling insects, but that is probably the Beastfallen’s ability, not the demon’s.”
“Do demons only have one ability?”
“Yes. Hence, witches summon various demons depending on what they want. A demon that is good at finding people, a demon that turns water into poison, a demon that makes love come to fruition—all sorts of things.”
“So they’re like tools.”
“Yes. Extremely dangerous tools.”
“What about that demon you summoned to my body before?”
“None.”
I turned to Zero. “So it doesn’t have an ability?”
“You could say that. It is, nonetheless, an extremely high-ranking demon. It does not have any abilities of its own, but it can use the powers of any demon of a lower rank than itself. In other words, it has the ability to copy others.”
“Sounds powerful as hell.”
“Indeed. It is called the Nameless Demon King. This demon had not given its name to any witch, and witches can not use demons whose names they do not know. In short, the demon can not be summoned. But one day, for some reason, it made contact with me.”
I let out a gasp of admiration. “I’m not sure I get it, but I guess that means you’re amazing.”
“Good, then. I am glad you understand.”
Chuckling, Zero splashed my head with the cloudy water.
While Zero and Mercenary were washing each other like newlyweds—or like a pet and its owner—a girl came to Barcel’s room, just as Zero had expected.
Right after he washed himself and was making himself comfortable, he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to see a pretty girl standing there, hunched over anxiously. She looked to be about half his age.
She had a slender body, fair skin, lovely freckles, and flaxen hair that was tied in two braids. Her well-groomed, soft-looking fingers and nails suggested she came from a well-to-do family. Even when she was just standing there, one could tell that she was raised with care.
“I-I was told that you are my mate,” the girl said in a trembling voice.
For a moment, Barcel’s brain could not process the meaning of the word.
“Do you know what ‘mate’ means, young lady?” he asked.
The girl’s cheeks flushed—or no, not really. It would have been fine if she reddened, but she turned pale as she nodded weakly.
Looks like she knows what it means, Barcel thought.
He leaned out of the door and checked both sides of the corridor, wondering if there was a procurer somewhere, but that did not seem to be the case.
“Who told you to come here?”
“The Director.”
“Then please tell the Director that I have dedicated myself to the Knights Templar and have taken a vow of celibacy. I don’t need a woman to take care of me, and if I do, she has to be at least ten years older than you.”
“A-Am I not good enough?” Disappointment filled her eyes.
Uh, oh. Barcel shut his mouth. There were cases in the world where turning someone away was a bad idea. If he let the girl go, she would find herself in a terrible spot. That said, he could not lay a hand on her like the director wanted.
“What’s your name?” Barcel asked.
“Mina.”
“Were you born in this town?”
“Yes.”
“And the others?”
Mina shook her head. “There were hardly any people here. But after that night, more people started coming. The Director is gathering them. What was once a small fort now feels like a castle.”
“I see.” Barcel stroked his stubbly chin.
Mate or not, the girl knew about the fort’s past. She was a great source of information in the current situation where they knew nothing.
Barcel smiled at Mina. “Wanna go someplace nice with me?”
“Barcel?” Gemma’s icy voice came from behind.
He looked up to see Gemma standing there with a look of disappointment on her face, clearly having misunderstood something. Barcel turned pale at her perfect timing.
“It’s not what you think, Captain,” Barcel said. “I was thinking of asking Mina for some information about this town. Captain!”
Ignoring Barcel’s excuses, Gemma spun on her heels and marched back to her room, slamming the door shut behind her.
Barcel pressed his hand to his forehead.
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