Chapter 175

Leaving the audience chamber, I recalled my final conversation with her.

“Regular meetings will soon be held. At that moment, I shall consider your proposal, so it would be good if you could present your opinion.”

“Must we really take such an approach?”

“Shouldn’t we quell the unnecessary rumors that we’ve been secretly listening to your opinions in private chambers? Here, I have no choice but to depend on you.”

Lady Serpina said this with a smile and addressed me thus:

“Show me your abilities, Sir Swoen.”

“Hmm… Is showing off my abilities really necessary?”

I couldn’t quite fault Lady Serpina’s perspective. Favoring only one close aide like Yuri might work for Aishias Army, but doing so here would lead to unnecessary complications. Many commanders will push hard for a southern campaign at this regular meeting. Do I need to persuade them?

“I guess I should at least gild my abilities to make them look impressive.”

Since most of my abilities are about to be exposed to Lady Serpina, I needed to naturally mask them. Not just her, Jinoru also seemed to have figured something out, so I needed to understand what basis they used to deduce my abilities.

Thus, the place I must head to is—

Guided by the maid, I arrived at a massive building located downtown near Einhardt Castle, which looked to be around three stories tall.

“This is the place.”

“Thank you.”

In response to my gratitude, the maid wearing a neatly tied white apron bowed politely.

“What time would be convenient for us to come fetch you?”

“Since we know the way back, we can return on our own, so don’t worry about it.”

“Is that so? If you say so…”

With an elegant gesture, the maid bid us farewell.

“Ah, umm… Ah, goodbye!”

Standing beside me, Reika awkwardly waved goodbye to the maid who had seen us off.

This is the library. The day after my private meeting with Lady Serpina, I came here personally to investigate, and Reika, who didn’t seem to have anything better to do, decided to tag along. Since Miss Iren had gone off to training, I thought she might get lonely and didn’t object to bringing Reika along.

“Wow… It’s huge!”

“Indeed.”

The Einhardt Grand Library. This three-story building was packed with ancient texts, housing the greatest repository of wisdom on the continent. I learned of its existence from the random dialogues of the territorial people before being reincarnated into this world.

Clicking on a wandering villager would sometimes yield lines like “Farming ultimately depends on the weather,” or “I hope the Era of Chaos ends soon and peace returns.” Having played this game for 10,000 hours, I’d memorized all the few lines the villagers had.

One line stood out particularly clearly:

“There’s a grand library in Einhardt Castle where you can find books filled with all sorts of information.”

Though the library didn’t offer any special bonuses in the game, its mere existence was confirmed through this dialogue. Naturally, I assumed that such a library would exist in this real-world version of the game.

So, after questioning the maids who handled various tasks around the house:

“I managed to arrive here.”

Impressed by the sheer size of the building, Reika stammered beside me as I spoke.

“Shall we go in?”

“Uh? Oh, yes!”

Taking Reika inside, we were greeted by an old man at the counter wearing a stylish monocle.

“What brings you here today?”

“We’d like to browse the books.”

“To use the Einhardt Grand Library, one must belong to Serpina’s army…”

“My name is Swoen.”

“Please wait a moment.”

The old man checked some densely written documents from a drawer, glanced at me a few times, then finally spoke.

“Sir Swoen. Welcome. But may I ask about the person beside you?”

“Oh, I am—”

“Forgive me, but are civilians not allowed to enter?”

“That’s correct.”

Responding firmly, I gave him a sly smile.

“What about family members?”

“Family members?”

“Yes. This is my wife. She’s accompanying me today.”

“S…!”

“Do you mean…?”

“Yes. My wife. She’s accompanying me today.”

“S…!”

Grabbing Reika’s hand to silently signal her, I gestured for her to play along quietly. Whether she understood or was just embarrassed, she blushed deeply, lowered her head, and didn’t utter a word.

“Does that mean I have to leave my wife outside while entering?”

“Hmm…”

After pondering for a moment, the old man nodded and said,

“Very well. Please come in. My apologies, madam.”

“Ah, yes, thank you!”

And just like that, we entered the grand library without much trouble.

“Here are the books you’re looking for.”

“Thank you.”

While thanking the librarian who guided us, I finally apologized to Reika, who hadn’t spoken a word up until now.

“If I offended you, I’m sorry, Reika. But since you came with me, I couldn’t just leave you out.”

“No, no! That’s not it… Um… It’s just…”

Reika mumbled shyly, her voice barely audible. Over the past few days, she had adapted well to me and Miss Iren, speaking confidently. Now, however, she seemed to revert to the timid self I first met.

“It’s just… Um… No, that’s not right…”

“Huh?”

“Because… We…”

Reika’s face turned redder than a red bean.

“About… Our engagement…”

“You’re serious about this, right?”

“Wha… Yes! I mean, yes! I’ve been thinking about it!”

“How serious are you if your voice is cracking at the end?”

“Ahhh… Ugh…”

Watching her blush and bow her head made me chuckle. Her flustered demeanor had grown rather adorable over time.

“Think about it carefully. I’ll follow Reika’s decision.”

“Ah… Yes, understood.”

If she decides to marry me, I should probably discuss it with Miss Iren first. Even if she declines marriage, it’s fine. Reika values her freedom and might not want to tie herself down to one man… At the very least, I wanted to respect her choices regardless of her abilities.

Anyway, this wasn’t something to decide immediately.

“Let’s see…”

The book I’m looking for should be here.

After pulling out a few, I found what appeared to be the right ones.

“The Mind’s Eye of the Great Sage.”

The sole reason I came to this grand library and the essential information I needed to embellish my abilities was related to the “Mind’s Eye.”

When Jinoru roughly deduced my ability and when Lady Serpina nearly guessed it with 99% accuracy, both mentioned the word “Mind’s Eye.” Jinoru interpreted it as the ability to see the future, while Serpina saw it as my ability to judge. Regardless, since both mentioned “Mind’s Eye,” it wasn’t difficult to infer that this word played a significant role in how they deduced my abilities. However, I lacked detailed information about it, so I had to visit somewhere to confirm.

That place was this Einhardt Grand Library.

Skimming through several key sections, I formulated a reasonable conclusion.

“Several hundred years ago, during the reign of the third emperor of the Einhardt Empire, Kalthus von Einhardt, there was a man known as the ‘Sage of the Mind’s Eye.’ He excelled in military strategy and political acumen, serving as the nation’s strategist and earning great respect for his numerous achievements.”

Sure enough, the books contained information about the “Sage of the Mind’s Eye.” However, beyond describing him as an extraordinary strategist, there weren’t many clues to deduce his exact nature.

At that moment,

“Sir Swoen, are you looking for something specific…?”

Reika approached me while I was absorbed in the books.

“Oh, well…”

I explained everything about the Mind’s Eye to her. Surprisingly, she tilted her head slightly and asked,

“Are you looking for the legend of the ‘Sage of the Mind’s Eye’?”

“…You know about it?”

“I remember reading about it in the books at home once.”

Ah, that’s right. Reika’s last name—though I often forget—is Nightharte. As the adopted daughter of Jinoru Nightharte, who served the empire, it wasn’t unusual for her to know.

This story relates to the imperial family, and anyone connected to the empire would likely have heard of it. The reasoning behind why both Jinoru and Serpina mentioned “Mind’s Eye” lies in their ties to the former empire. Jinoru originally worked in the empire, and Serpina is directly descended from it.

“Could you tell me the story?”

“Simply put…”

Thanks to Reika’s kind explanation, I gained a clearer understanding of the “Sage of the Mind’s Eye.”

To summarize:

“His advice always proved correct, earning him the title ‘Mind’s Eye’ from the emperor.”

“So that’s it.”

Now I understood why Jinoru and Serpina associated me with the Mind’s Eye. While this historical figure possessed various talents beyond always giving correct advice, the title “Mind’s Eye” stuck because his words always came true. With this information in mind, if they assumed I had a similar ability to always give correct answers, it made sense why they would label me as having the “Mind’s Eye.”

“Just one more thing—there’s no concrete evidence that such an exceptional person ever existed. Historians currently lean towards viewing him as a mythical figure created to support the empire’s founding legends.”

“Is that so?”

Reika nodded in agreement.

“Yes. Considering that only the title ‘Sage of the Mind’s Eye’ remains, with no records of his actual name despite his supposed prominence as the empire’s strategist, I suspect he might be a fabricated character meant to bolster the empire’s founding myths. After all, someone whose every word comes true isn’t exactly realistic…”

“I see…”

I nodded in agreement, reflecting on the situation.

Perhaps the reason Jinoru and Serpina could associate me with this mythical tale is that another mythical entity—the mage—has already emerged. If mages exist, why not a sage with the “Mind’s Eye”? Especially since, according to their deductions, I do possess a similar ability. Whether my Divinity 100 equals the Mind’s Eye remains unclear.

Serpina deduced it from the meteor I summoned, and Jinoru inferred it through his adoptive daughter.

“Alright.”

I investigated thoroughly because knowing and responding blindly make a big difference. Serpina’s assessment was correct—I can only perceive results, not processes or logical reasoning. In such situations, how convincingly I can explain myself matters greatly. Next time I face similar scrutiny, I’ll need to skillfully use these keywords to deflect.

By embellishing my abilities convincingly, I gain the freedom to choose. If I manage this, I’ll earn Serpina’s unwavering trust and eventually return to the Lunarien Army without issue.

But…

“Then… Should I lie to Lady Serpina?”

Her image flickered in my mind, complicating my thoughts again, but I shook my head lightly. This wasn’t the time to dwell on it—not yet.

“For now.”

All I can do is handle things up to this point. Next, I should focus on…

“Is there any book you’d like to read?”

“Eh? Well, um…”

“You enjoy reading, right? Remember how you read everything at home? You seem like someone who loves books.”

“Well… I do, but we’re here for your errands…”

“I’ve finished what I needed to do. And since you rarely get to go out, why not relax a bit? Looks like you wouldn’t come alone anyway. I’ll just sit nearby and read something too.”

“…Alright… Then let’s do that?”

Reika shyly glanced up at me, seemingly eager to dive into the books. Clearly, reading was on her mind. Judging by her excitement earlier when explaining things, she was thrilled to be here. Indeed, this place could easily captivate anyone who loved books.

“Great.”

Thus, Reika and I spent some time together in the grand library. Surprisingly, instead of picking books about magic or legends, she chose chivalric romances—ordinary fantasy romance novels. Spending the afternoon leisurely reading alongside her turned out to be a pleasant experience.

* * *

A few days later.

The morning of the regular meeting finally arrived.