The Reward for Saving The World is a Husband - Chapter 14
Elias led me out of the room, perhaps thinking that Beric might come back. He seemed worried that the only clue about the dragon, namely me, might be stolen away.
Though I didn’t show it, I was pleased. Being confined in that room, I had no way to gather information about this world.
Through Beric’s memories, I had grasped a rough idea of daily life here, but I had learned nothing about the resources needed to revive my comrades.
Moreover, to adapt quickly to this new world, there was a lot of basic knowledge I needed to acquire.
‘Let’s start with books.’
The easiest way to gather various information without arousing suspicion was through books.
It would have been better if knowledge could be transmitted through terminals like in our world, but this would do.
‘There’s no need to rush.’
Taking advantage of my new position in Elias’s office, I requested various books to read in my spare time.
“Since I haven’t been able to read for years, I’m curious about how the world works.”
“Is it okay if the books are written in the common language of Lucendria?”
“It doesn’t matter what language they’re in.”
“…Really?”
After hearing my answer, he wrote something down and then called a servant to bring the books listed on the paper.
I glanced through the twenty or so books piled on the table and thought to myself,
‘Clever.’
I didn’t know what the common language of Lucendria was, but the books were written in at least five different languages.
The content also ranged from children’s adventure tales to recently published magecraft theses.
‘He didn’t need to do all this. I would have told him anything honestly.’
Elias glanced at me periodically as I lounged on the sofa reading. Each time, I met his gaze with a bright smile, which eventually made him stop.
By the time I had finished about four books, the sky outside had turned a reddish hue. Elias stood up.
“Let’s go eat.”
“..…!”
I set the book down and stood up eagerly. He approached and glanced at the book I had been reading.
“‘Common Yet Useful Plant Encyclopedia’…? Are you interested in this?”
“You brought it, so I read it. Besides, I like plants.”
To be precise, I found them ‘fascinating.’ The world was so green.
In the world where I was born and raised, the air was so heavily polluted that it was difficult to breathe without special equipment or body modifications.
Naturally, plants were not something easily seen.
So when I saw the food laid out on the table in the dining room Elias and I went to, the first thing I tried was the ‘variety of greens with sauce,’ a salad.
‘So this is what greens… what they taste like!’
Edible plants were quite delicious. While the sauce added to the flavor, the freshness of the plants themselves was eye-opening.
Of course, the salad was just the first thing I tried, but I tasted everything on the table, one by one.
If I hadn’t peeked into Beric’s memories, I might have gone mad with excitement, but I managed to maintain a semblance of his dignity.
“You seem to know dining etiquette. So, earlier… were you just really hungry?”
Elias asked, looking slightly puzzled.
It made sense; I had licked the bowl clean earlier, so it must have seemed odd how my dining manners had improved so much in such a short time.
“Uh, well…”
Since it was true that I had been extremely hungry, I mumbled a vague response, and he asked another question.
“And the variety of reading? Are you perhaps of noble origin?”
Unlike Beric, who judged status based on appearance, Elias assessed it by the level of education.
“I don’t know about family. I don’t even know who my birth parents are. I’ve been alone since I was young.”
“…I see. Have you ever tried to find your parents?”
“Hmm… I don’t think I ever did.”
I never had the luxury to do so.
When I was a child, I was too busy begging and surviving the merciless violence of the streets. Then, after being kidnapped by the lab, I lost my freedom. And after that, I was focused on surviving in a world on the brink of collapse.