The storage building was part of the same structure as the bathroom, but its interior was separated by walls, so the entrance was located in the opposite direction.

Yuder opened the door to the storage room, with Kishiar following behind him.

Even stronger than the stale, dusty smell that had greeted them upon returning home, the air here was thick and stagnant. Only the oil lamp Yuder had lit and brought with him glowed faintly like a lone sun, casting light around them.

Kishiar looked around the interior with a smile.

“I thought it’d be easy to find something that could pass for a chair... but there really is quite a lot here.”

“This place used to be where woodcutters would rest for a short while, so everything they used back then is still here.”

“So «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» that’s why they call this place the Shelter Tree House.”

“That’s part of it, but not the whole reason. Do you remember the large serman tree that looked like a signpost on the way up to the house?”

“The one you used to climb and rest in all the time? The same tree you once fell asleep in and caused a huge uproar because everyone thought you’d gone missing?”

The man with a sharp memory added unnecessary details with a cheerful tone.

“...Yes. If you go closer, there’s actually another tree stump beside it. Apparently, the old woodcutters used to rest on that stump, or use it as a temporary stand to process the wood they were carrying. So they eventually decided to build a proper shelter near the stump—and that became the origin of this building.”

“I see. So the stump came first, and this house followed.”

“Yes. Mind your step.”

Among the piles of goods tangled and heaped here and there, there were occasionally long farming tools that seemed placed with the sole intention of tripping someone up. Yuder, having spent his childhood playing here, could naturally avoid them even with his eyes closed, but Kishiar wasn’t so familiar with the place.

No matter how great a Swordmaster he might be, in a state like now—half-distracted, seemingly overjoyed just to be here—it wouldn’t be surprising if he tripped and fell.

“How thoughtful of you to worry. If you held my hand, I think I’d be able to avoid them even better.”

What kind of trick was this?

Yuder stared blankly at him, and Kishiar twisted away, covering his mouth with his hand as if embarrassed.

“Of course, I do have good night vision... but you know this place better than I do.”

“...”

A few moments later, Yuder resumed walking—one hand holding the oil lamp, the other clasping Kishiar’s hand.

As he answered the flurry of questions from his curious companion about the things they passed, he eventually found a spot that looked like it might hold the item they were searching for.

“If I remember correctly... I think I shoved it in somewhere around here.”

“All I see are books.”

Kishiar glanced at the stacked boxes, piled nearly to Yuder’s height, and commented.

“Yes. There are books my grandfather read, but I suspect most of them are ledgers he kept. Before we left this place, I shoved them all in one pile. So... if we clear them away, it should be behind them. Please wait there for a moment.”

“You’re not going to let me help? I could clear this in an instant with my power.”

“Well, there’s no need to go that far. You said you were interested in seeing the things here, so look around while I clear the way. It would be even better if you made sure nothing collapses.”

“Hmm.”

Kishiar nodded.

Yuder yanked several boxes out at once, clearing them in a single pull, then reached into the newly formed gap. As he felt around inside, he thought he touched the leg of something like a chair—but it wasn’t certain yet.

—I’ll need to clear a few more to be sure.

He didn’t use his powers this time, instead moving everything one by one, just like in the old days.

Amid the supposedly book-only boxes, there were also random old objects: a rain gutter from the roof Yuder had once broken while playing, a wooden rocking horse with a snapped head, and several other miscellaneous items.

After carefully moving a few more pieces aside, he finally spotted the chair they’d been looking for.

Wooden chairs with varying leg heights and different seat and back sizes.

He ran his hand along the surface, smoothed to avoid splinters, and coated in oil for shine.

A faint smile spread across his lips.

—Yes. This is it.

“I found it. I just need to clear the rest and bring it out now... What are you doing?”

As he turned back with a feeling of satisfaction, he saw only two long legs sticking out between the book boxes.

Yuder walked closer and found Kishiar sitting on the floor, completely absorbed in reading something.

—Is that one of Grandfather’s books?

“What are you so engrossed in? I doubt it’s anything particularly interesting.”

“...Ah.”

Only then did the man look up.

Unlike the earlier smile that had filled his face, he now wore a rather strange expression.

“Yuder. Have you ever read any of the books here?”

“No.”

It was a natural answer. Until he left this place, he had lived a life largely unconnected to reading or intellectual curiosity.

It was a miracle he still remembered how to read at all, which was the only reason he’d understood the Cavalry recruitment notice.

If he had forgotten even that, he might have joined years later.

Kishiar asked again.

“Then do you know exactly what your grandfather did before he came here?”

“I don’t know that either. He was good with his hands, so maybe he worked as a carpenter or a gardener for some noble family.”

Then Kishiar said something Yuder had never even imagined.

“Have you ever considered the possibility that he might have been involved with magic?”

“...What?”

He thought it was a joke—but it wasn’t.

Kishiar closed the book he’d been reading and showed the cover without a trace of a smile.

The title was long and scholarly, impossible to guess the contents at a glance:

“Contemplating the Blessings Embodied in All Things Amid Vast Nature—Focused on Trees, Flowers, Grass, and Soil—”

“The cover looks familiar, but today’s the first time I’ve read the title properly. Is it some gardening book published by a temple or something?”

“I thought the same, but no. It’s actually a collection of research papers published by a wizard guild.”

“...”

“It’s not even from the Orr Empire—it seems to have been published by a guild in the Kingdom of Eryl. Around eighty-three years ago.”

Yuder blinked several times and looked again at the book cover.

The title hadn’t changed, but the book suddenly felt entirely unfamiliar.

“Well... I never heard Grandfather mention anything about magic. I didn’t even know this was that kind of book. Are you sure it’s really magical?”

“It’s not a spellbook. It’s a collection of academic research.”

The difference didn’t seem clear, but Kishiar insisted there was a distinction.

“A spellbook teaches how to use magic. But mages don’t only publish those kinds of books. This is more like something Tais Yulman or the Western Mage Alliance would compile—a collection of studies focused on a specific field.”

Thinking of it as something like what the Western Mage Alliance would publish made the meaning much clearer.

“Books like this are usually released every few years. Naturally, general demand is low, and it’s hard to get a copy.”

“What’s it about... exactly?”

It hadn’t even been that long—but Kishiar, who had already shocked even Inon before with his reading speed, now answered calmly as if he had absorbed the whole thing.

“You already know the Kingdom of Eryl is a small country in the west, right?”

“Yes.”

“It’s not that wealthy, but in terms of magical knowledge, it’s quite advanced. It has many unique plants and a strong tradition of toxicology. The mages there are famous for using poisonous herbs in magic and enchanted items. So naturally, there are a lot of plant-focused researchers.”

“I see.”

“This book was written by people like that. As I said before, the content isn’t particularly groundbreaking. It’s just a series of essays comparing the characteristics of native plants in various regions to local soil types. No major discoveries—more like observational logs and recorded findings.”

Kishiar added that unless someone was obsessed with botany, they’d probably only be of interest to a gardener or a priest tending holy fire.

In other words, they were basically worthless.

Yuder paused in thought, then spoke.

“Then maybe it was just one of those random books Grandfather picked up in his youth. There are literate commoners who don’t care what a book says—if they can afford it, they’ll grab whatever they can.”

“I thought that might be the case too. But look at the other books underneath.”

Kishiar pointed to the surrounding stacks. Yuder skimmed the titles.

“A Retrospective on the Mineral Changes of the Past Hundred Years in the Mollyhan Mine”

“On How Humans Can Use Tools More Efficiently...”

“What Is Needed for the Simplest Form of Craftsmanship”

They all sounded unrelated and random just from their titles.

“All of these were published by mage research guilds from various places, just like this one.”