Reincarnated as an Instructor in an Adult Game

We reached the principal’s office without anything happening. I knocked, confirmed the reply, then opened the door. The book still felt a little creepy to me and Sharle, so we had been watching our surroundings, but nothing happened and we both let out a relieved breath.

I ran through matching events in my head over and over. There was no event where a book fell in the library. The closest thing was Pafa’s doll event, so I muttered “I picked it up” out loud just in case. If other students or my lovers would get caught in it, it was better for me to take the event, since I knew how to deal with them to some degree.

Inside the principal’s office, Croana was doing paperwork at her desk. Fia and Lea sat facing each other on the sofas having morning tea. The three of them smiled happily when they saw my face, then all three tilted their heads at the thick book in my right hand at the same time. I confirmed Sharle had closed the door behind us, went to Croana’s desk, handed her the book, and told her what had happened in the library. Croana made a dubious face, took the book, and started examining the outside closely.

“I bought almost every book in that library myself… this might be the very first one I purchased.”

“The very first?”

“Yes. I checked whether they were cursed or enchanted because students would see them, but books sometimes hide. They dislike being seen. That said, the first purchase was a hundred years ago, so I cannot say for certain…”

“They dislike being seen…”

“Lady Croana, then maybe it showed itself because it wanted to be seen?”

“I would not say that is impossible.”

Sharle, standing beside me, tilted her head and asked Croana. Croana smiled a little troubled and gave a small nod. So the book wanted me to see what was inside of its own will? I had gone to the library looking for medicinal herb materials, so I assumed the contents were related to herbs. But why now? I had used the library for class a fair number of times. It was far too strange for this to happen at this point.

“What? Did you make a book fall for you next?”

“Ahahahaha! That’s scary because Raide really might do it.”

“I want to deny it, but after the Pafa thing I can’t, can I…”

“Fufu. That’s true. You’re thinking this book might be something similar, aren’t you, Raide?”

“Yeah, that too… and it happened by slipping past Sharle’s senses, so it’s scary.”

“Nfufu~. You’re surprisingly cowardly, Raide?”

“…Can I plead the fifth?”

I turned my face away so Fia and Lea could not see it. Lea laughed happily and hugged me from behind. Still clinging, she said in a loud voice, “Mooooo! You’re so cuuute!” and rubbed her cheek hard against my head. I understood that if something with the concept of a ghost appeared I just had to defeat it, but scary things were still scary. I was acting tough, but having it said out loud was embarrassing and I wanted her to stop. I scratched my left cheek with a finger while she rubbed, felt Croana’s and Sharle’s warm gazes, and wanted to look down.

It was not just to hide the embarrassment, but I cleared my throat lightly and asked Croana if I could open the book and look. Croana thought a little, then nodded and handed it back to me. Fia seemed worried too. Her black dress fluttered as she floated over, sat on the desk, and smiled at me. Lea stopped rubbing her cheek and reached both arms around me from behind toward the book, bracing herself in case something happened. I looked at all four of them, said “I’m opening it,” and opened the book. Nothing happened, and everyone let out a relieved breath.

I flipped through the pages and read. It was an ordinary medicinal herb book. The names and effects of the herbs I knew were recorded more accurately than in the library books. The contents were almost the same as the effects explained in the game. I was impressed that a proper book actually existed… I thought that as I kept turning pages. Lea, who had been bracing behind me, peeked out right beside my face and said in a puzzled voice,

“Raide, you can read it?”

“Yeah, I can… you can’t, Lea?”

“Un. It’s old writing. Can Fia-nee read it?”

“May I borrow it?”

“Sure.”

Lea said that with a troubled-looking laugh. I tilted my head but handed the book to Fia. She took it with both hands and flipped pages with a serious face, then smiled in a troubled way and shook her head. Fia showed the contents to Croana as well. Croana and Sharle, who had moved beside her, also shook their heads. To me it only looked like it was written in standard language, but to the four of them it seemed to look like ancient script. I suddenly realized and had them show me the very last page, the author and the date… then I looked up at the ceiling with a tired face. The four of them made dubious expressions at my state and asked what was written… I did not want to say it.

“Raide, tell us already. Looking at you like that, I cannot believe you if you say not to worry.”

“That’s right~. Spit it out?”

“Kufufu. What was written?”

“Raide-sama?”

“…Grize Kail.”

“”””Eh…?””””

I wanted to be the one saying “eh.” Why was the name of the famous first Pope written there? And the date… three thousand years ago. Was that not older than the kingdom? That would mean the Holy Kingdom of Kail already had bookbinding technology then, but would it not normally have been a scroll? The castle archives did have a few documents from the founding, but they were all scrolls. That was said to be because they did not have the technology to bind books this size, and because scrolls could hold magical effects more strongly. But if you asked whether everything from that time survived as documents, the answer was no. If it had, the Fairy Tree should have been written about too.

…If literature that old existed, how old were the ruins? And why was such an important book in the academy library in the first place? I turned a look full of that meaning toward Croana, but she made a difficult face and shook her head.

“But I remember this book. I believe it is one I purchased. And if that name is written in it, it must be returned.”

“Yeah. But…”

“Yes. The question is how to return it.”

“Every day is fun when Raide is involved.”

“Aha! It’s too much fun, Fia-nee!”

Being treated as entertainment was a problem, I thought with a wry smile at the two of them as I looked down at the book. If it were a loan between people you could just give it back, but between countries it was not that simple. If you handled it poorly you could be suspected of stealing it.

The four of us were thinking it over when Sharle, who had been quiet for a bit, lifted her face, looked at me seriously, and said,

“Raide-sama, let us take that book and go to the royal castle now.”

“…Just hearing that proposal tells me who is at the castle.”

“The cause is you, Raide-sama. Please steel yourself. If we go now we can return it by hand.”

I let out what I thought was my biggest sigh of the day and almost slumped onto the desk. Sharle’s words made me understand who was waiting for me at the royal castle. I understood who I would have to meet. Currently visiting the royal castle was Mirishu Kail, the present Pope of the Holy Kingdom of Kail.

For the record, Croana and the other two were looking at me and laughing in a troubled way. From my point of view it was not a laughing matter…