Saved Him, Now I'm Obsessed - Chapter 63

The Kalovanian Empire had a strong tendency to reject literacy and revere military prowess. In fact, the illiteracy rate among the imperial citizens, including the nobles, was quite high.

Recently, as enjoying culture has become fashionable, nobles have begun to take interest in literature and art, but they are still a tiny minority. Even then, it was treated merely as an elegant hobby for noble ladies.

Walking along the well-paved path with Ian, we finally arrived at the library.

The library was a modest two-story building. Its simple angular form without a single curve, made of red bricks, contrasted strikingly with the lush greenery around it.

It seemed quite different from the lavish marble buildings of the imperial palace.

This building felt like it existed in the wrong place. It was more modest than the mansions of the nobles. It would have seemed more natural if it were located in the South Gate street, where pharmacies and herb shops were concentrated.

“It’s smaller and more modest than I expected.”

“Count Midnad wasn’t particularly known for his aesthetic sense. The building was designed with only functionality in mind.”

“Did he personally design the building too?”

“He didn’t do everything alone, but he was involved in a significant part of it.”

“I suppose appearance isn’t the most important thing. But it seems quite small to house a collection of 120,000 books.”

“It looks like a two-story building, but it actually goes six floors underground. Sunlight isn’t particularly good for book preservation, so it was designed to be deep underground.”

“That’s fascinating. A building deeper below ground than above! By the way, the number of books seems high considering the nobles’ lack of interest.”

“The Kalovanian Empire became an empire through numerous wars, you know. Many books came in as spoils of war whenever they conquered other countries. Even the foolish nobles know that books are valuable items, even if they’re not interested in them.”

His explanation elicited a sigh from me. Though we hadn’t entered the library yet, I could already imagine what the interior might look like.

Countless books haphazardly shelved or piled up. Perhaps with true treasures among them, unrecognized. The mere thought was dreadful.

I followed Ian into the library. At least they seemed to care about temperature and humidity, as the interior was cool and well-ventilated.

I didn’t know about the condition of the underground levels where the books were actually stored. I harbored a tiny hope. Well, 120,000 volumes is an enormous amount, but it would be fine if they were just stored without damage.

“With so many books stored, finding the materials we want might be quite a task.”

“That won’t be difficult. When Count Midnad established the library, he also provided classification standards. The books are well-organized according to his system.”

Count Midnad had broadly classified the books into theology, geography, history and biographies, animals, plants, and minerals, and organized them by alphabetical order and recording period.

Moreover, he had selected important books, added annotations to their titles, and compiled a ‘Comprehensive Catalog of Ancient and Modern Books’. That catalog is still being organized and managed according to his classification system.

As soon as we passed through the first floor and entered the door leading underground, a new world unfolded. Books were densely packed along the walls following the circular staircase.

The books weren’t just displayed like pretty decorations. Long ladders were placed between the bookshelves, making it easy to reach books on higher shelves.

At the entrance of each floor, there was a catalog of books, reflecting Count Midnad’s obsessive attention to detail.

Looking at the well-organized books, I made a resolution. From today on, if anyone asks me about the most respected historical figure, I will definitely answer Count Midnad. I truly respect him.

The imperial library had an enormous number of books, matching its size. We were able to find the location of the records of noble deaths that Ian had mentioned with the help of a librarian, but…

“Are all of these the records you mentioned?”

“Yes. These are indeed the records related to the deaths of nobles at that time. Then, I’ll take my leave. Please call me if you need anything.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

When Ian was talking earlier, I thought he meant just one or two volumes of records. But I never imagined that all the books filling up an entire section of the library would be the records of noble deaths that Ian had mentioned.

“I didn’t expect there to be so many.”

“And this is just for the nobles who stayed in the capital.”

“It’s incredible. It would take over a week just to read through all of this. I don’t think the gravedigger’s daughter can hold on for that long…”

Even if we figure out what her illness is and how to treat it, what use would it be if she’s no longer alive? The timing of treatment was just as important as the method of treatment.

Moreover, she was currently unconscious, so she needed someone else’s help to take medicine. It was thanks to the gravedigger’s best efforts that she had managed to hold on for a week; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been strange if she had already died of starvation.

Besides, it was uncertain how long giving her sugar water would remain effective. We needed to find a solution as soon as possible.

“It won’t take a week. Although they’re organized by order of succession rather than order of death, if we consider the likely age range for receiving titles… Since there are about twenty names you’ve written down, we should be able to sort through them quite quickly.”

I nodded at his words. Ian and I decided to sort through the records based on the years written on the covers, taking into account the age range of the deceased.

“Around this time… The records should be shelved up there.”

I placed a stool prepared for reaching high shelves under the bookcase and stood on it to take out the book.

“It’s really heavy…”

Not only were there many records, but each volume was thick and heavy. As I tried to take out several at once, holding them to my chest, I momentarily lost my balance.

“Ah!”

I felt my body float in the air and tightly closed my eyes, bracing for the imminent pain. But my time in the air lasted longer than expected.

“Huh?”

Fortunately, it seemed that Ian had caught me just as I was about to fall backward. When I opened my eyes, I found myself dangling my legs in his arms. Ian was holding me as if I were a small child.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for Your Highness the Crown Prince, I could have been seriously hurt.”

Despite my words of gratitude, he continued to hold me.

“Aren’t I heavy? You can put me down now.”

In response to my question, he smiled mischievously and said:

“I’m too anxious to put you down. I thought you were just bad with directions, but lately you’ve been falling like this all the time. How can I not worry?”

He carefully set me down as he spoke.

“When have I ever?”

“Just yesterday, you fell and ended up in my arms like this, didn’t you? I can’t sleep at night worrying about how much you might bump into things and fall when I’m not around.”

“That was just once yesterday. And that wasn’t even on a proper path, it was somewhere I’d never been before… I just tripped by accident.”

At my protest, he narrowed his eyes and stared at me intently.

“So, apart from yesterday, you’ve never bumped into anything or fallen?”

“Well… It’s because I’m not used to this body yet. The length of my limbs and my eye level are strangely different, and there’s a difference in muscle strength too…”

As I continued speaking, he stared at me with an expression that said, ‘See, I told you so,’ and then said:

“So…”

“What do you mean ‘so’? Are you planning to carry me around every day or something?”

“I wouldn’t mind doing that.”

I chuckled at his seemingly confident attitude.

“Never mind. Even though this body has become smaller and lighter, I’m still an adult. Do you know how tiring it is to carry even a newborn all day long?”

“Then should I hold your hand all the time to keep you from falling?”

“You seem to be treating me like a child ever since I took on Claire’s body.”

“Do you dislike it?”

“Who likes being treated like a child?”

“It’s not treating you like a child, it’s being considerate. There aren’t many people I’m this considerate towards.”

He spoke to me with a rather proud look on his face, as if boasting.

“Oh, really… Instead of thinking about holding my hand, why don’t you help me pick up the books that fell on the floor?”

“I’ll pick them up for you, so just sit down. Don’t trip over the books and fall again.”

He pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. Before I could grumble about being treated like a child, he mouthed the word ‘Consideration’ without making a sound.

I sat down arrogantly on the chair he had pulled out, crossing my legs. He chuckled and knelt down on one knee to start organizing the books that had fallen and were in disarray on the floor.

I sat resting my chin on my hand, leaning on the table, looking down at him picking up the books. Somehow, it felt like our roles had been reversed. Shouldn’t Ian, the Crown Prince, be comfortably seated in the chair while I knelt down to pick up the books?

“Don’t you think our roles have been switched?”