Menosorpo (2)

I exited the clinic after arranging a future appointment with Sybil.

And the place I headed to was the library.

Actually, the reason I went to Sybil wasnt because of Menosorpo, but due to Artemis Bow.

I wanted to check if only women could use it, but I couldnt, so I was disappointed.

I decided to search for information on Weaving in the library.

Ahem, Frondier.

However, as soon as I entered the library, I heard this.

Librarian Ainen was looking at me.

Hello, teacher.

Hmph.

Ainen turned his head away from me as if he was in a bad mood.

Maybe shes not in a bad mood, but rather just dislikes me.

Youre lucky, Frondier.

Pardon?

Mistletoe, your bluff is still working.

Oh, I guess so.

Come to think of it, Ainen teased me in the library.

When an adventurer party discovered Mistletoe, Ainen cautiously tried to sound me out.

She expected me to retract my opinion that Mistletoe doesnt look like that.

However, well, that Mistletoe turned out to be fake.

My bluff is still going strong.

It wasnt a bluff in the first place, though.

But why do you keep coming to the library? It doesnt suit you.

I need to find a book.

Isnt that what you said last time you came here?

Did I say that?

But this time, I really mean it.

I need to find a book about Weaving.

Perhaps among magic types, its an illusion maybe?

Weaving is my unique skill, so itll be incredibly difficult to acquire useful knowledge.

Ill try looking for it with the same mentality as searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Right, right. Take a good look."

Ainen shooed me away with a flick of her hand as if she was shooing away a fly.

It seems her fondness for me has dropped even further.

'That's a bit of a shame.'

As I've mentioned before, Ainen is a good source of information.

She's a librarian who gathers information from both inside and outside the Constel Academy, and she herself enjoys gossip.

Thus, she's a valuable person who informs me of minor or significant events that I might miss.

...If I were Aster Evans, that is.

'Hmm?'

That's when my eyes caught the paper Ainen was looking at.

It appeared to be some sort of quiz.

Did Ainen like this kind of thing?

"......Are you solving a quiz?"

"You haven't left yet?"

"I didn't know you liked this sort of thing."

Pushing the conversation a bit forcefully, Ainen sighed.

"I'm not doing it because I like it."

"Then why?"

"Look at this. If you get all the questions right, they give you a gift voucher. As a homemaker, I can't just pass this by."

Ainen pointed with her finger, and sure enough, there was a department store gift voucher written as a reward.

And looking at the quiz.

'...Uh.'

The quiz wasn't difficult.

It was just trivial.

The theme was 'General Knowledge Needed by Adventurers,' but it didn't seem necessary at all.

1. What is the average lifespan of a goblin?

2. When do griffins lay eggs?

...And so on.

"Where did you get stuck?"

"Why? You think you know?"

"I might."

What Ainen pointed to was the last question.

12. What does a dragon heart signify, and what happens if a human consumes it?

I thought about this question.

"Gift voucher... it looks like they are reluctant to give it away.

There are only two Dragon Hearts within the Terst Empire.

One is in the resting place of the Terst Emperor.

The other is in the Barmies Church with Pope Ansfroy.

So most people have never seen the real thing, and no photos or videos have been released.

Historically, only a very few humans have seen or used a Dragon Heart.

It's too difficult for a department store gift voucher problem.

'Does the person who made this problem even know the answer?'

I doubt it.

Only a very small number of people would know.

And then, below the problem, Ainen wrote this.

- Heart?

"......You only wrote one word."

"How would I know what happens when a human eats it?"

Ainen clasped his head and said.

Is she asking me or talking to herself?

I smiled.

"Would you like me to tell you?"

"Wow, what? Do you know the answer? Really?"

"Yes, I do."

Of course, I know.

I've actually seen the Dragon Heart,

And I've actually eaten it.

Ainen asked me with pleading eyes.

"What happens if a human eats it? Huh? Tell me. I'll share the gift certificate with you if I win."

"First of all."

"Hm?"

"You got the answer wrong."

At my words, Ainen blankly stared at me, then opened her mouth.

"Isn't the dragon heart... the heart of a dragon?"

"No. It's a mana crystal. When a dragon dies, it condenses all the mana it has into a crystal. It's called 'dragon heart' because it's in the heart."

"Wow, what are you talking about? It doesn't suit you. How do you know this?"

"I saw it in a book a while ago, somehow."

"There's such a book?"

Such a book.

There might be.

One out of millions. Maybe.

I haven't seen it though.

"So what happens if a human eats it?"

"You become a lunatic."

"......Really?"

"Yes."

Ainen seemed to be suspicious of my words, but wrote honestly.

...Actually, it's only half the answer.

Because I ate the Dragon Heart as Aster.

Even though I knew the risk of losing mind.

If you only know the right way to do it, the dragon heart can increase the total amount of mana.

'But if I write that down, it'll be the wrong answer.'

Only I truly know that piece of knowledge.