It Seems the Demon King Has Returned to a World Where Gender Roles Are Reversed - Chapter 66

 Chapter 66 : Exploration and Investigation

“...”  

Seeing Eric running toward him with a broad smile, Ragna stopped in place and waited.  

As Eric reached him, his face flushed red, panting heavily.  

“You okay?”  

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. I knew you’d be here.”  

“Well, yeah. Were you looking for me?”  

“...Yeah.”  

“Why?”  

“Well... I didn’t have much to do, and since you’re in the library, I thought it’d be less lonely if we hung out together.”  

Eric’s voice trembled slightly as he answered, then cautiously asked,  

“Um... am I bothering you?”  

“...No, not at all.”  

At Ragna’s response, Eric let out a sigh of relief.  

Then he posed a question.  

“B-But why are you here? Are you looking for a specific book?”  

“...I’m looking for something related to a book I borrowed before. I was about to head deeper inside.”  

Ragna pointed toward the dimly lit shelves packed tightly with books.  

Eric nodded, looking in that direction.  

“Got it. Well, that’s perfect. I’ll guide you.”  

“You sure? Weren’t you looking for something too?”  

“D-Don’t worry about it. I’m fine with what I’ve got. Oh, instead of standing here talking, why don’t we head inside?”  

Eric glanced at Ragna as he spoke. Ragna nodded and began walking toward the inner stacks, with Eric following closely, matching his pace.  

With each step, the light filtering through the window slats grew fainter.  

The surroundings grew darker.  

The musty scent of old paper grew stronger, tickling the nose.  

That smell, reminiscent of old times, brought a nostalgic feeling. It reminded Ragna of his days at the Magic Tower, and he couldn’t help but give a wry smile.  

“This way.”  

“...Huh? But I’m pretty sure last time it was in that direction...”  

Ragna pointed in the opposite direction from where Eric was leading.  

He was certain that when he borrowed history books before, he had gone the other way.  

But Eric smiled and responded,  

“Y-Yeah, there are books over there too, but if you want more detailed information, this way is better.”  

“Hmm, is that so?”  

Ragna nodded, accepting Eric’s explanation.  

After all, he hadn’t been coming to the library for long. It made sense to trust Eric’s guidance. With that thought, Ragna followed Eric’s lead.  

Deeper and deeper they went. The further they walked, the darker it became. It was almost too dim to read comfortably.  

Unlike the neatly organized shelves near the entrance, the deeper stacks twisted like a maze, with books arranged haphazardly.  

It felt like one could easily get lost if they weren’t careful.  

“Here we are.”  

“...Hmm.”  

At their destination, Ragna squinted at the titles on the bookshelves. He nodded.  

Indeed, this section felt more substantial than the one he’d visited before.  

If the books in the previous section were like summaries listing basic information, these felt like scholarly theses delving into what happened and why.  

Eric was right. Thinking this, Ragna expressed his gratitude.  

“Thanks. This does seem better.”  

“N-No problem at all.”  

Eric ducked his head shyly in response.  

Ragna set down his bag and began earnestly searching for the books he needed.  

Eric stood quietly by his side, watching.  

After some time, Ragna held a stack of books large enough to be considered a small pile. Eric looked surprised.  

“...Wow. Are you really taking all of those?”  

“Is that not allowed?”  

“Well... there’s no strict limit on how many books you can check out, but the librarian might refuse if it’s too many. It’s a hassle to reshelve so many books later.”  

That made sense. Ragna scratched his head, looking at the pile of books stacked neatly on the floor.  

He hadn’t thought about it while picking them out, but each book was quite thick, and together they’d formed a small mountain.  

This could be a problem, Ragna muttered to himself, pondering what to do.  

The best option would be to read the books here without checking them out.  

But the environment wasn’t ideal. The space was cramped, and the dim lighting made it hard to read the fading ink on yellowed pages.  

In the end, he’d have to take some books out to read them properly.  

While Ragna was deep in thought, Eric crouched down cautiously, his eyes brimming with curiosity as he examined the covers of the books Ragna had picked.  

“Hmm... A Study of Magical Beasts by Era: The Birth of Beasts and Their Relation to the Demon King, Records of the Demon Race Invasion Wars... Are you researching the Demon King’s invasion era from 500 years ago?”  

“Well, I’m curious about what happened back then... Why do you ask?”  

“Oh, no reason, just thought it was interesting. Hmm... I see.”  

Muttering, Eric stood up. Then he suggested,  

“How about this?”  

“Hm?”  

“It’s probably impossible to check out all these books. The librarian would be overwhelmed if one person tried to take this many.”  

“...Yeah, that makes sense.”  

“So, the only option is to reduce the number of books you take. But there’s a way to increase the number you can check out.”  

“...?”  

“It’s simple. Split the borrowing. Half under your name, half under mine. That way, you can take out more books, even if it’s just a few.”  

“...Is that okay? If something goes wrong with lending your name...”  

“It’ll be fine. The librarian probably won’t say anything. A-And...”  

“...And?”  

“Well... it’s my first time coming to the library with someone. A-And since we’re f-friends, I think I can do at least this much.”  

Eric’s voice trembled, especially when he emphasized “friends.”  

Seeing this, Ragna let out a small chuckle and nodded.  

“Alright, I’ll take you up on that.”  

“...!”  

Eric’s face lit up as he blinked. Ragna gave a wry smile and turned his attention to the pile of books, selecting which ones to take and reshelving the rest.  

Ragna carried most of the chosen books himself.  

Eric offered to help, but Ragna shook his head, declining. Eric didn’t look particularly strong, despite likely having decent strength from wielding mana. Ragna didn’t want to risk him collapsing under the weight.  

Eric seemed a bit disappointed at being refused, but when Ragna explained why, he nodded with a brighter expression, understanding.  

The two made their way back to the entrance of the stacks.  

Feeling the cool air, Ragna instinctively took a deep breath, exhaling heavily. The smell of old books was something he hadn’t encountered in a while, and it felt a bit unfamiliar.  

Eric, watching Ragna breathe deeply, chuckled as if amused.  

____

In the end, they couldn’t check out all the books they’d brought.  

The librarian had balked at the sheer number.  

With a reluctant expression, Ragna had to give up some of the books.  

Still, having Eric there was a lifesaver. Without him, Ragna would’ve had to abandon most of the books. Thanks to Eric, he managed to keep the number of books he had to leave behind to a minimum.  

Ragna thanked Eric again, and Eric waved it off with a smile, saying it was no big deal.  

“...So, about that 500-year-old story.”  

“Know something about it?”  

“Not in detail, but the Demon King era is full of stories. It’s a time people talk about a lot.”  

Eric’s face lit up with excitement as he continued.  

“Especially the story of how the Demon King’s unstoppable army, which seemed poised to conquer the human world, suddenly vanished. Some say the demon race still survives somewhere on this continent. Others believe they hid a treasure trove of human riches somewhere. There are even people who believe in that treasure vault and are scouring the world for it.”  

“Hmm...”  

A demon race treasure vault, huh?  

It wasn’t entirely wrong.  

There wasn’t a specific purpose for it, but there had been a place in the demon strongholds that served a similar role.  

By now, though, it had likely been looted by the humans who’d taken over.  

With that thought, Ragna sat in the reading room, examining the books he’d brought. Eric sat beside him, flipping through one of the books with interest, likely intrigued by Ragna’s research into the events of 500 years ago.  

________

Based on the books he’d previously checked out, Ragna had pieced together a rough overview of what had happened among humans over the past 500 years and the events that had unfolded.  

From this, he began to form several questions.  

One of the biggest was about magical beasts.  

Ragna recalled a story he’d heard from an old man at a lumberyard.  

After humans defeated the Demon King, they reclaimed the lands taken by the demon race and began to prosper again.  

But that golden age lasted less than a decade.  

Suddenly, magical beasts began appearing in massive numbers across the world.  

As a result, humans were driven to the eastern part of the continent, where the Demon King’s forces had once held sway. Ironically, the lands with the fewest magical beasts were those once occupied by the Demon King’s army.  

The surviving humans formed defensive lines against the magical beasts, mounting a desperate resistance.  

This was the story of the 1340s.  

Despite their tenacious resistance, human despair only deepened.  

They simply lacked the strength to combat the endless waves of magical beasts. Humanity teetered on the brink of extinction.  

What saved them was a weapon called a golem.  

Thanks to these humanoid weapons, humans gained a foothold for a counterattack and acquired the strength to fight the magical beasts.  

This was the story the old man had told Ragna.  

But as Ragna dug through historical records, he uncovered something the old man hadn’t mentioned: what happened after humans barely fended off the magical beast invasions.  

In the year 1360, at the dawn of a new decade, humans named the far eastern land that had provided them with golems “Tanga” and established a nation there called the Theocratic Kingdom.  

Centered around this Theocratic Kingdom, they formed a coalition of kingdoms. The defensive belts formed to combat the magical beasts became the foundation for nations joining this coalition.  

Based on this coalition, they resolved to wage a war to reclaim the western lands held by the magical beasts.  

This was the historical “Reconquest Movement.”  

The humans of the temple, who had lost many of their holy sites to the magical beasts, were particularly fervent about this cause.  

With the declaration of this glorious war, the participating humans joined with firm resolve in their hearts and marched westward.  

But as ten, then twenty years passed, their fervor began to wane.  

The western lands ravaged by magical beasts had been utterly destroyed over decades.  

What were once fertile fields had turned into wastelands, and once-glorious cities were reduced to rubble.  

Realizing that reclaiming the western lands would yield little of value, the leaders of the kingdoms began to withdraw from the Reconquest Movement.  

And they started to harbor different ambitions.  

The human heart is a cunning thing.  

The warmer their backs and the fuller their stomachs, the more they crave something else.  

No matter how much they possess, they always want what others have. That was the state of humans at the time.  

The passion for the Reconquest Movement faded, but its backlash ignited something unthinkable.  

The failed Reconquest Movement caused immense losses, particularly for the many nobles who had participated. They had hoped to become pioneering lords ruling over reclaimed western lands, but all they received from the royal courts were meager compensations.  

Inevitably, they began to voice their discontent with the royal families.  

As a result, the kingdom leaders needed a suitable scapegoat to quell their complaints. And their eyes fell upon their former allies.  

But their gazes were no longer those of comrades.  

They were the eyes of beasts eyeing their prey.  

In the year 1390, one of the kingdoms in the coalition, Kalfrain, launched an invasion against Udisella. This sparked numerous conflicts along the borders of the kingdoms.  

The kingdoms descended into a state of extreme chaos, warring against one another.  

This marked the beginning of what is commonly known as the “Warring States Period.”  

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Translated by Reversalnovel.web.id