Only upon returning home did Shiro's headache subside. Immediately after arriving, he went to the tree near which he always trained. This tree had once been brought by Grandfather Andrian. And it was also where he always trained with Ran. This tree held special significance for him; it was here that his interest in magic was born.
Shiro relaxed and began his mana training. For some reason, his mana behaved strangely near that ritual, as if afraid of it. Shiro didn't pay much attention to it, since mana is not a living being, which meant it was likely the work of that ritual. Did this mean it was connected to mana, somehow affecting it? Shiro had never heard of such a thing, so he doubted it.
Maybe he just imagined it?
The next day, Andrian warned Kanashimi that their training would have to be suspended so he could complete all the preparations for his trip to the capital on some business.
Now Kanashimi would be without a sparring partner for about a week. This particular morning, he decided to spend it walking to the square to find out what had happened after his escape from Erebos's gang. And, of course, to visit the library.
Arriving at the main square, he saw no sign that a group of bandits had been there quite recently. He even went to the very spot where the guards had been piled up and Erebos sat with his gang.
Seeing nothing of interest and having no desire to ask random strangers, he headed to the library.
He entered the large stone building, the entrance adorned with a beautiful wooden door painted with a pattern of runes. This was the library; Kanashimi often went there as he was very interested in the history of the world.
Approaching the stand on the wall, he checked the brief news summary. Among a pile of less significant news, there was a sheet talking about the results of the expedition to the monster continent.
Kanashimi didn't even bother reading the brief summary and immediately went to one of the employees behind a long wooden counter. He was very interested in the expedition, so he wanted to know everything, not just a brief summary of known information.
Of course, he would have to pay for this, unless he had paid access to the library. Fortunately, Kanashimi was a fairly frequent visitor here, so he always had paid access, and the employees knew him by sight.
He even had a friend here.
When Kanashimi approached the employee behind the counter, someone suddenly called his name.
"Kanashimi! My dear friend, it's been so long since I've seen you, I was starting to worry."
Kanashimi turned and saw a young man with golden hair, Alkey. Alkey was the son of the manager of this building.
All acquaintances jokingly called him Econ, because of his last name Economo. Everyone except Kanashimi.
Alkey had a very good attitude towards Kanashimi because he was a very good listener, and Alkey loved to talk. A lot. Although most of the time, Kanashimi only pretended to listen to him.
Of course, sometimes Kanashimi actually listened to him, but usually his words just flew past his ears. It was unclear whether Alkey realized this, but it seemed neither of them cared.
Alkey approached the girl behind the counter, put his hands on her shoulders, and peeked out from the left of her, making the girl shudder. He then said to her in a gentle voice, "Krista, go cover for me in the hall, and I'll chat with Kanashimi, okay?"
The girl nodded and silently went to the reading room.
Kanashimi watched her go and paused for a second.
'Krista...'
Alkey stared at Kanashimi and smiled sweetly.
"Cute, isn't she?"
Kanashimi nodded and decided to ask about her name.
"The name, where did...
Alkey didn't let Kanashimi finish.
"Local. Surprising, right?"
Kanashimi nodded.
The interest in this name was not something strange, as on the island of Baldr, it was customary to name children with names used by the two peoples who first settled on this island and, after a long time, created a single state. Very few people born on Baldr had names from other peoples.
Kanashimi and his entire family were a real anomaly. Their names were chosen by their mother when they still lived in Akre. Here, everyone was surprised by their names and the surname "Goto," as if they were completely out of place.
Of course, no one forced anyone to use ancient names, and those who did not use them were not condemned. It's just that many people had never even heard the names of other peoples, so when making new acquaintances, Kanashimi was always the center of attention.
Alkey laughed.
"I was surprised too. But not as much as when I found out about your family."
Kanashimi nodded indifferently, looking somewhere to the side. But Alkey showed no signs of stopping.
"By the way, your brother stopped by here a couple of days ago."
Alkey smiled.
"Did you give him the leaflet?"
"Of course, I made it myself! By the way, you probably came to find out more about the expedition after that incident, right? Well, there's a problem with that."
Kanashimi immediately understood what Alkey meant. He had expected such an outcome, although he thought it was quite unlikely. If such measures had been taken, then the information must be frightening. Or very inconvenient for the government.
"The authorities are forbidding the showing of frightening news?"
"Something like that. You always figure everything out, my perceptive friend. You've probably heard about the incident on the square? Well, when they busted the shop, the bandit managed to escape with his accomplices. But...After that, the news reached even the king. Everyone was alarmed; it was a nightmare. So, the king's servants came to us that very day. You won't believe it, there was a Nymph among them! So beautiful. I've never seen them before; white hair, pale skin, crimson eyes, quiet, modest even. Kanashimi, have you ever seen nymphs?"
Kanashimi was already getting tired of his talk, but this time he listened attentively; he was genuinely interested.
"In childhood. Mostly I know about them only by rumor."
Kanashimi lived with a nymph until he was 7 years old. His mother's sister was a nymph. Of course, he remembers little of those times, but he does remember some things.
"And what rumors have you heard?"
"Only the most obvious. A humanoid race that possesses unique magic, incredibly beautiful, with unique vision."
Alkey smirked.
"You said it like it's nothing! But that's not all! Did you know their libido is like that of an old man? Or a child...They have none! None at all!"
Alkey was getting too carried away, but when he saw the expression on Kanashimi's face, he immediately fell silent and laughed.
"Ok, I'm quiet!"
Kanashimi sighed; Alkey's talks were exhausting him.
"Let's get to the point."
"Okay, okay! So, when they arrived, they immediately found my father and went into negotiations, and they forbade publishing the full information and banned ordinary citizens who took it from the bandits from telling anyone or leaving the city."
"That means I won't be able to get the full information."
Alkey sighed and replied sadly, "I'm sorry, my friend, I'd be happy to share it with you in secret, but my father would scold me, and the nymph, and her entourage. So, I'm sorry, I can't. But...
He winked and smiled.
"If you want to see the beautiful nymph, then stay here. She lives right in this building, but she's sleeping now. And they sleep for a long time, at least 15 hours. It's been about 14 hours now. And yesterday...
Alkey saw how Kanashimi was looking at him and stopped, laughing.
"Okay, okay, I'm quiet."
But unable to bear even a few moments of silence, he asked, "So? Will you wait for the nymph to wake up?"