Sallandin stretched out her hand and pointed somewhere.

"Dear, fetch that book up there. Next to the green cover."

Her daughter rushed over and stepped onto the ladder.

"Mother, you mean this one?"

"Yes. The one beside The Theory of Magical Changes by Weather."

The book she brought down was old and thick. Its black leather cover was more than half torn away, making the title nearly impossible to decipher.

"That’s the one he recognized. As you can see, the title is unreadable, and the contents are even harder to make sense of. It’s presumed to be a book written during the early Empire, around the time of Emperor Selsima."

Whenever ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) such obscure statements came up, Yuder would quietly shift his gaze. Kishiar, noticing, would naturally take over and explain things in a smooth, conversational tone.

"Hmm. The era of Emperor Selsima was, in many ways, an academic dark age. If a history book from that period survived, it would surely be buried under layers of codes and metaphors."

"Exactly. To someone without any background, it would read like nothing more than a bland nature essay—or worse, a meaningless scenic journal."

"Then, could it be Leaf Vein Record of the Whitebranch Tree?"

"That’s right. You know it."

"I’ve only read the interpreted versions scholars have released. I’ve never seen the original."

According to Kishiar, during the early founding period of the Empire—after the Great Cataclysm—those who established the new world and their immediate descendants were extremely cautious about recording anything, especially history. By the time of the third emperor, most of those people had passed on, and voices opposing excessive anti-record sentiment and ever-changing censorship standards began to rise.

That outcry reached a boiling point under the sixth emperor, Selsima.

Selsima was a staunch security-minded ruler who saw anyone advocating free recordkeeping as a threat and persecuted them fiercely. Those who were suppressed disguised their works as mundane essays or observational journals. Eventually, under the seventh emperor, the record-censorship bureau was abolished altogether.

"So the reason it’s titled Leaf Vein Record of the Whitebranch Tree is because it pretended to record observations of the tree’s veins?"

"Exactly. The whitebranch tree, known for its many branches, was used as a metaphor to record the names of every nation and city that existed across the continent at the time. While its detail is lacking, the book holds value in that it shows foreign lands beyond just the Or Empire—unlike most other records confined to our own country."

Yuder’s words were answered smoothly by Kishiar.

"That’s right. It’s useful for glimpsing nations of the early Empire era, but otherwise it’s not well-known or valued. And since this is the original, it’s even harder to read."

"It’s tempting. May I buy it?"

"Once our conversation is over, you’re free to buy or not as you wish. The important thing is, that man who looked like an ordinary woodcutter recognized it as a history book at a glance."

With that, Sallandin opened the book. As she and Kishiar had said, its contents were completely unreadable at first glance. The script was intentionally written in an illegible style, the grammar was so archaic it felt like a different language, and poetic metaphors were interspersed with actual sketches of trees and leaves—making it nearly impossible to tell what was what.

Sallandin gently brushed her fingers across the pages as she continued.

"The first thing he asked was, ‘When was this book written?’ I answered, ‘During Emperor Selsima’s reign.’ Then he asked which number emperor that was. I thought he was teasing me and didn’t respond. But he flipped through a few pages and then correctly said, ‘the sixth.’"

That he could pick out such a specific answer from this mess of a book... Even Yuder, with his current experience, wouldn’t be able to do that easily.

Naturally, this reminded him of what the old woman at the grocer’s had said—that when his grandfather first arrived in the village, he didn’t even know who the current emperor was.

"I thought it was just a lucky guess. But it wasn’t. He said he wanted to buy it because he thought the book might be useful to me. When I asked if he even knew what it was, he asked right back—‘Isn’t it a history book?’"

"..."

"About two weeks later, he brought it back. Said he’d finished reading and wanted to sell it back and buy another. I didn’t believe him, so I asked him questions about the book—and he answered correctly. That’s when I asked if he was a mage or a scholar. I don’t usually pry into customer details, but I was too surprised not to."

"So, what did my grandfather say in response?"

"Nothing at all."

Sallandin replied softly.

"I never got an answer. He simply bought a new book and left. I never asked again."

Yuder’s grandfather continued to buy history books for some time after that, read them, and return them to the shop.

"When most of the history books in our store had been cleared out, I told him, ‘This isn’t a specialized bookstore. If you want books like that, you should go to a proper shop or a temple.’ But he didn’t go to those places. Instead, he started buying other kinds of books."

Sallandin said that Yuder’s grandfather read anything and everything—books on theology, magic, weaponry, education, administration, essays, poetry, even personal journals.

"In the early years, he’d sell the books immediately after reading them. But as time passed, he bought fewer books and kept more of them. Most of the ones he didn’t sell were obscure research records—at least, that’s what I remember. Still, I suppose that was his taste."

She clicked her tongue and shook her head.

"That’s all I remember. I used to enjoy the herbs or jerky he’d give as gifts now and then. Then one day he just stopped coming. I figured something had happened. He looked quite weak near the end... Did he pass from illness?"

"No. He collapsed suddenly and couldn’t recover. He passed away a few days later."

"Then at least he didn’t suffer long. I’ve grown old myself, and nothing’s worse than lingering in pain. Even showing your face to your children becomes awkward."

"Mother..."

Sallandin’s daughter looked distressed hearing her mother’s half-laughing words. But to Yuder, it sounded more like: You’ve heard I’m old and unwell. If you’ve got any decency, take the hint and go.

Was someone with that kind of spirit really only a trainee mage?

Yuder stared at Sallandin, whose body may have weakened but whose eyes still burned sharp, and asked,

"Forgive me, but I have one more question. Did my grandfather often ask questions like the one you mentioned earlier? About which number emperor Selsima was?"

"Questions?"

Sallandin’s gaze returned to the open history book.

"He asked quite a few. Mostly about the contents of the books. But about a year after he started coming, he stopped saying anything unnecessary. At least by my standards."

"You didn’t think he was... strange?"

At Yuder’s question, Sallandin gave a curious smile.

"As you know, even if I’ve stopped practicing, I was once a mage. And the mages who come here—none of them are normal. Some have spent their lives trying to turn tears and snot into wine. Not recognizing the name of the emperor is only mildly surprising compared to that."

"..."

"That’s all. If you have no more questions, buy what you want and be on your way."

Kishiar purchased the book Yuder’s grandfather had once recognized, along with a few smaller items. They must have been quite expensive magical tools—Sallandin’s daughter looked visibly shocked when he paid in full at once. Until that moment, she hadn’t seemed entirely convinced by her mother’s remarks. But seeing someone casually pay such a large sum clearly made her reconsider. Perhaps this really was a nobleman in disguise.

"What do you think about Sallandin’s final comment?"

Yuder asked in a low voice once they were a fair distance from the shop.

"That she didn’t think he was a strange person?"

"Yes."

"By a mage’s standards, that’s almost the same as saying she considered your grandfather a mage as well."

"I thought so too."