| Author: Shizuku | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: – characters |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1869 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
We follow Ophelia to her room and our lecture starts. I had barely spent any time in this world, so I had to learn their writing from the ground up. Luckily the characters looked similar to the roman alphabet, so it wasn’t too hard.
It wasn’t easy enough to memorize in a single day either though. I’ll have to practice writing and reading many times before I know it by heart, so I stop accidentally writing roman characters.
While I was busy learning to write and read, Olivia was taking arithmetic classes. From what I could hear, it was hard to say she was doing well at all.
“So uhh, 33 x 4 is…145?1”
“Wrong. Calm down and try again.”
“Uhh…”
Good luck, young lady.
Obviously, solving that level of maths was a piece of cake for me. I had learned harder stuff in elementary school2. Eventually Ophelia focused only on correcting Olivia, and I was left to study on my own.
B-but I was fine with being left alone!
The study session went on until the sun set, and then Ophelia left the room to prepare dinner. Olivia took a deep breath as her shoulders relaxed.
“You’ve worked hard, young lady.” I try talking to her, and she glares at me with her lips pursed.
“Ugh, why is it that you can do math so easily? I thought you were created recently.”
“I don’t know how to reply to that.”
I have to keep it a secret that mentally I’m an adult.
“If I had to guess, I would say it was thanks to Mistress Ophelia’s excellent magic skills, which imprinted these skills onto me during my creation.”
“Man, my mother really is an incredible sorcerer, huh.”
Somehow I had come up with a convincing excuse. I barely know anything about this world, but my few days here were enough to let me know Ophelia was no average sorcerer. All the magic tools in the house had been built by her, and thanks to them I was able to live in pretty much the same way as during my past life.
“She’s always been amazing like that. She used to be an adventurer together with Father before.”
“Is that so?”
Ophelia’s past, huh. She hadn’t told me anything about that herself.
“Father was a swordsman, he had a special sword, and would use many skills no one had seen before. Mother is also well versed in alchemy, on top of magic. She even got the nickname ‘Ebony Witch’ back then.”
“Both your parents must have been excellent personages then.”
“Yeah, I heard they even hunted a dragon together.”
Olivia seemed to really like talking about her parents. I could see she loved them. But then Olivia’s face suddenly clouded over.
“But when Father passed away, Mother pretty much stopped going out on adventures. She also stopped teaching me magic, and instead told me to focus more on arithmetic and science.”
I’m sure Ophelia was also afflicted by her husband’s passing then. Not like being an adventurer is an easy line of work either.
“Say, Natalia. Do you think I can become an adventurer like Father or Mother?”
M…hm?
I guess this means she can’t see the point of studying. A girl of her age probably doesn’t understand how general studies could help her, given that usually an adventurer just hunts monsters and harvests their parts. But knowledge can be a powerful weapon. Someone without much of it can easily get influenced by others, or exploited even.
“Let’s say you get a request to hunt a pack of monsters, and you’ll be paid depending on how many you defeat. Don’t you think it’d be helpful to be able to calculate your payment yourself?”
“Hmm…but isn’t that something the guild already does for me?”
“Perhaps. But how will you know that the guild didn’t make a mistake somewhere? Or not just in the guild, but shopping for anything in the city? Are you sure that will never happen?”
“It…might…”
“Exactly. There’s always people who try to fumble the numbers to take advantage of others. Knowledge is important so that you won’t fall into any traps like that.”
Hearing me, Olivia nodded meekfully.
“The same goes for language. Do you think anyone will take you seriously if you constantly use the wrong words or can’t understand what others tell you? Even if you become a strong adventurer?”
“Probably not.”
“And science will let you know which plants or herbs can be used to get you out of tricky situations during your adventurers. Everything you’re studying is connected like that. ‘Studies are also important to become an adventurer’ were my Mistress’ words, right? And I believe you said you look up to her as an excellent adventurer too?”
“You’re right, it’s actually useful.”
Somehow I convinced Olivia.
“Yeah, I’ll have to work harder then.”
“That’s the spirit, young lady.”
She said that while clenching her fists, a determined smile on her face. She’s so cute. Though I mean that in a general way. I’m no lolicon3.
