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Volume 9 Chapter 231

Luke’s Plan and Secret Pleasures

I’m dating her, Riel.
It’s been about six months since we started dating.
Riel is of the high elf race, which has a small population even within the Alheim Elf Kingdom.
It seems that high elves are more common among the royal and noble families.
Could Riel be one of them?
I haven’t asked her about her family yet.
I tried to ask before, but she avoided the question for some reason, so I’m not pushing it.
I thought if she wanted to talk about it, she would.
By the way, Riel was introduced to me by Rifa, one of Haruto’s wives and also a high elf.
For some reason, Riel reminds me of Rifa. Rifa is a little taller, but otherwise, they have similar gestures when they laugh.
Actually, until Haruto and Rifa got married, I was interested in Rifa.
Among the elves, who are naturally beautiful, Rifa was particularly lovely. It was amusing to see her, who is usually composed, occasionally pull off a grand joke.
I often found myself watching Rifa, so I was a little surprised when she introduced me to Riel. They looked so much alike.
Rifa came to me with, 『There is an elf girl who would like to meet you, Luke-san-san, are you interested?』. And that’s how I came to meet Riel.
According to Rifa, Riel became interested in me after seeing me fight when Alheim was invaded by the Appristos kingdom.
Since then, Riel and I have gone out for meals and shopping a few times, gradually becoming closer, and six months ago, I confessed to her and we started dating.
I was so happy.
Riel is just so cute.
And although she’s reliable, she sometimes does strange things, just like Rifa.
Could it be that Riel is Rifa’s sister or cousin?
……No, that’s probably not it.
After all, Rifa is a princess of Alheim. If Riel were her sister or cousin, she would also be of royal blood.
It’s unlikely that an ordinary human like me could date an elven royal. Besides, Rifa probably wouldn’t introduce her to me in the first place.
「Luke-san-san, what’s wrong?」
「Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about where to go today」
I zoned out a little.
「I can enjoy anywhere as long as I’m with you, Luke-san-san!」
Riel said with a smile.
She’s cute today too.
「How about the library?」
「I’m fine with that…… but, Luke-san, can you read elvish script?」
It seems that the Alheim library only has books written in elvish script.
elvish script is particularly difficult in this world, and only a few people can read it.
But still, I’m an apprentice sage.
「I can read it to some extent. But if there are words I don’t understand, so I want you to teach me, Riel」
「Alright! I’ll do my best!」
After that, we went to the library in the capital with Riel, and I started reading a magic book.
Riel, who sat across from me, didn’t read anything and just kept watching me.
「Don’t you want to read something, Riel?」
「I like watching you read, Luke-san, so don’t worry about me. And if there are any words you don’t understand, please don’t hesitate to ask」
She said happily.
I don’t mind being watched by Riel, but it’s a bit embarrassing to feel her gaze on me all the time.
So I decided to put my plan into action.
「Riel, do you know the meaning of this word?」
I tried to flip the magic book so Riel could read it.
「Oh, let me come over there」
Saying that, Riel moved to the seat next to me on the left.
Yes!
The first condition is cleared.
Given her personality, I thought Riel would come over to my side and teach me the meaning of the word.
「Which word is it?」
「This one」
「Well, let me see, this is—-」
Even for elves, magic books have very small letters.
It’s inevitable since they’re trying to compile vast amounts of information, such as magic, alchemy, and potion recipes, into books.
Even with Riel’s good eyesight, the letters are too small, making it hard to read without getting close to the book.
Riel leans in closer to the magic book.
Which means, she’s leaning towards me, who is sitting in the seat in front of it, so she can read the magic book.
Soft sensation suddenly ran up my arm.
Riel’s chest was pressed against my arm.
──This is the best.
Not as big as Tina-sensei’s, but Riel’s chest is quite sizable too.
I thoroughly enjoyed the sensation of her chest.
Riel is earnestly reading the text in the magic book. It makes me really happy that she’s doing her best for me.
But she seems to be struggling.
Well, that’s to be expected.
I intentionally asked Riel the most difficult part of the magic book.
Even for elves who have been surrounded by elvish script since childhood, the text I asked Riel about is not something they could easily understand.
By the way, I can read this magic book, all of it.
Originally, I couldn’t read elvish script at all.
After all, I could use magic instinctively since long ago, so I never bothered to open a magic book written in human script.
But meeting Haruto made me realize that wasn’t enough.
You can’t just use strong magic based on instinct alone.
Magic that is based on understanding the principles of magic and carefully considering its effects is stronger.
So, I started reading magic books.
And since I started dating Riel, I’ve been studying elvish script desperately.
Initially, I wanted to learn elvish script so I could communicate with Riel, whom I rarely get to see.
But now, since I came up with my current plan, I’ve been putting in even more effort than before.
「This word is the name of a medicinal herb called 『Starmist Grass』. It grows in places where mist suddenly appears on nights when stars are visible. It says here that it’s an ingredient for the universal medicine, Elixir」
Riel was as good as I expected.
Without being misled by the parts that are easy to misunderstand, she gave a perfect answer.
「I see. Thanks, Riel」
「Hehe, you’re welcome」
She smiled happily and moved away from the magic book.
In other words, Riel’s chest is also moving away from my arm.
But there’s no need to worry.
I mastered elvish script just for today.
「Sorry, but can you also tell me the meaning of this word?」
「Yes! —-Umm, this is another difficult word, isn’t it? Can I have a little time?」
「Of course. Take your time」
Once again, something soft pressed against me.
There’s a really nice scent coming from Riel’s hair as she leans against me.
Her face is close.
Riel’s earnest profile is so cute.
Right now, I’m incredibly happy.