I walked back to my room with a thump-thump sound.
On the way, I dropped the books because my arms were too short, but somehow, I managed to carry them all.
“…Hmm, the sun is setting.”
It’s not time for dinner yet.
There was no one in the room.
I dashed toward the bed.
“Ugh, sha!”
First, I tossed the books onto the bed, then climbed up after them.
“Hehe, it’s time to read.”
In a place like this, where there wasn’t much to do for fun, nothing was as entertaining as books.
Maybe it was because I had become younger, but my mind felt more flexible, and understanding things wasn’t that difficult anymore.
Anyway, I lost track of time as I absorbed all the knowledge.
“…Hmmm, so Wuha is a relatively new species.”
The book said that Uha was first discovered 2,500 years ago.
“That’s not as long as I thought.”
There were many other events recorded as well.
The burning and destruction of the Elves’ World Tree by the Empire, leading to the Elven kingdom being absorbed into the Empire.
The event where a disillusioned hero fled the Empire, gathered people, spread democracy, and established a republic.
“A revolution, huh.”
The event where a noble from the Empire’s frontier rebelled and founded a new kingdom.
The Empire planting explosives in the Dwarves’ caves, collapsing them all at once, committing mass slaughter, and then kidnapping skilled artisans through threats.
And then, the Empire brainwashing those artisans and using them to take complete control of the Dwarves’ lands.
“…What kind of country is this Empire…?”
It didn’t seem this extreme when I was playing the game.
It was absolutely insane.
“…Beastman slaves?”
The book said that after the Empire invaded and conquered the Beastmen’s territory, the slave trade of Beastmen became widespread.
Outside the Beastmen’s autonomous region within the Empire, Beastmen would disappear without a trace.
“Forcibly injecting a plant that induces intense pleasure… damaging the brain…”
“…And then forcing them into… sexual acts…”
“…Most of the slaves sold in the market are sex slaves… especially young ones…”
I stopped reading and quickly flipped the page.
There was a picture below that.
A Beastman girl staring blankly into space, her eyes out of focus.
Since the book was a recent edition, the photo seemed quite new as well.
“…This isn’t as bad as I thought.”
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Below the picture, there was a note:
“Censored version. To view the uncensored version, infuse magic power.”
Of course.
From what the book described, there was no way this ended with just unfocused eyes.
“…Of course.”
The girl in the picture was a very cute wolf Beastman.
But she was thin and frail, and knowing what had happened to her, all I could feel was pity.
“…I want to save them.”
That thought came to me naturally.
But there was nothing I could do at the moment, so I quickly moved on.
“Regarding the Half-Dragon Issue…?”
That was the title of the next chapter.
Worried that it might contain negative views, I hurriedly checked the book’s publication year.
“…Two years ago.”
Since it wasn’t too outdated, I felt relieved and began reading.
“…The darkness of our history, now gone—Half-Dragons.”
The book began with this sentence and detailed how Half-Dragons lived until their extinction.
“…Half of them were kidnapped by the Empire due to their outstanding appearance…”
“Most of them, along with Beastmen, became slaves.”
“Since they, unlike Beastmen, did not have access to certain drugs, they suffered even more from forced relations.”
At this point, I couldn’t help but think—this world is completely insane.
“Why does everything always go in that direction?”
I also couldn’t understand why this book was categorized under general audiences.
“Shouldn’t kids not be reading this…?”
“How is this general audience material, author?”
With that, I closed the book.
“History can wait for later.”
Now, it was finally time for the truly exciting part—Dragon Speech.
“Hehe.”
Feeling excited, I eagerly opened the book.
“Oooooh.”
From the very first paragraph, it was already cool.
Brimming with anticipation, I took a deep breath and, with a strict, dignified, and serious voice—just like a mighty dragon—I read the subtitle aloud.
“Dragon Speech, Our Lost Language.”
“Ahh, so cool.”
I carefully flipped through the pages with my tiny hands.
“…Dragon Speech Magic refers to the unique magic that only dragons can use.”
“Humans can use Arcane Speech, and demons can use it too, but Dragon Speech is a magic that belongs solely to us dragons.”
The next section explained the differences between Arcane Speech and Dragon Speech.
“Arcane Speech allows one to cast previously learned spells—faster than chanting but slower than no-cast magic.”
“By setting simple command words in advance, merely speaking them will activate the spell automatically.”
I never knew this.
I knew Dragon Speech existed, but I didn’t know about Arcane Speech.
“Dragon Speech, however, is a dangerous magic that shakes the very foundations of reality.”
“Rather than using pre-prepared spells, it manifests the user’s will into magic, disregarding the natural laws of the world.”
That explained why, in the game, whenever Dragon Speech magic was used, there was no way to block it.
“So that’s why!”
The GM must have been crazy.
Who would create a skill like this?
Of course, I now understood that the GM hadn’t actually created these skills.
They must have been part of this world’s reality from the beginning.
“Still, you could have nerfed it when bringing it over, you know?”
[The GM looks flustered.]
[They feign innocence, wondering if it was really that difficult.]
“I almost quit because of this.”
[…The GM says they’re glad you didn’t.]
Shaking my head, I continued reading.
The book explained how to use Dragon Speech and its principles in detail.
However, it was far too complicated for me to understand.
“…What is this even saying?”
My initial excitement quickly faded, leaving only confusion.
“I should just ask Grandma and Grandpa.”
They’d probably explain it kindly.
After closing the book and checking outside the window, I saw that the sun had already set.
“…Dinner!”
Remembering my promise with my family, I quickly got out of bed and headed to my father’s office.
“Dad told me to come in the evening!”
I recalled my father’s face as he said he’d wait for me so we could have dinner together.
The King’s Office
At that moment, Albinus was standing with his arms crossed, eagerly awaiting his beloved daughter.
“Let’s eat together!”
He recalled her bright smile as she had said those words before leaving.
“…Maybe my daughter is actually an angel.”
Watching her like that, Albinus couldn’t help but suspect that his daughter might really be a divine being.
With that thought fueling him, he finished all his work at an unbelievable speed—far faster than usual.
A pace that could truly be called miraculous.
And it was all thanks to Minho.
“I’ve finished all my work. Come on, daughter! I’m waiting for you!”
The moment Albinus completed his tasks, he expected his daughter to walk in right away.
But even after some time had passed, she still hadn’t arrived.
“…What’s going on?”
Just as Albinus was about to step out, wondering if she had forgotten their promise—
“Uwaaah!”
“Gah…!!”
Minho suddenly burst into the office, roaring like a little beast.
“I almost had a heart attack! She’s too cute!”
Without thinking, Albinus scooped his daughter up into his arms.
“Aww, my adorable little girl~”
“Hehehe.”
Minho giggled sheepishly and wrapped her arms tightly around Albinus, apologizing.
“…Sorry… I got caught up in studying and lost track of time… hehe…”
Hearing her words, Albinus’ eyes widened in shock.
“What? You were studying?”
“…Yes, I’m sorry.”
Minho looked guilty, as if she had committed a terrible crime.
Albinus, on the other hand, ruffled her hair proudly.
“My, my, how admirable! You studied all by yourself?”
“…Yes! I studied history!”
“Oh, really?”
Seeing Minho’s sparkling eyes, Albinus could tell she was ready to excitedly share everything she had learned.
Quickly, he stopped her.
“Tell us all about it later, when we’re with the whole family, okay?”
Since Minho’s older sisters and her mother, Elses, were still at the academy for a visit, Albinus thought it would be better if they all heard it together.
“Your sisters and mom will enjoy hearing it too.”
“Hmm…”
“Minho, wouldn’t it be nice if your sisters and mom also enjoyed it with you?”
Minho suddenly hugged Albinus tightly again.
Despite crying that morning, she now looked as happy as could be.
“So, what made you want to study?”
“…Because I want to be a great king like you, Dad!”
“Really?”
“Yes!”
Her tail wagged excitedly as she looked at him with admiration.
Albinus felt his pride soar to the heavens.
“Ahem… Well, I do have quite the impressive achievements.”
“I should brag to El about this.”
Though he wondered if saying it himself would sound too arrogant, he couldn’t stop smiling.
“What’s wrong with bragging a little when it’s true?”
With that very dragon-like mindset, Albinus picked Minho up and carried her toward the dining hall.
“Your mom and sisters aren’t home yet, so let’s wait downstairs.”
“Okay~”
“My sweet girl.”
As Albinus walked to the dining hall, his smile nearly reached the heavens.
“…Hehe, I love eating with my family.”
“Do you like eating with your family, Minho?”
“Yes! It’s best when everyone eats together. You too, Dad.”
Seeing Minho snuggle into his arms as she said that, Albinus felt warmth fill his chest.
“…Minho is the best!!”
At that moment, he was struck by the urge to retire immediately and hand over the throne.
After all, his daughter was a genius.
Diabetes