The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player 43

Chapter 43

Raul closed the skill book and looked at the girl.

“Shouldn’t you start with an apology if you’ve touched someone else’s belongings? And why should I satisfy your curiosity?”

At Raul’s words, she appeared slightly startled.

“You really can hear me. I’m sorry I touched the book. It’s really rare for a human to recognize me.”

She glanced at Raul, bit her lip slightly, and flew onto the desk to sit.

Holding the edges of her skirt gracefully, she bowed her head and introduced herself.

“My name is Rabelina Elliott Merdiane. Just call me Rabel. I’m a fairy, one who loves harmony and order, from the forest.”

Raul also nodded slightly.

“I’m Raul. A student who joined the academy this year. Clearly human. But you don’t seem like an ordinary fairy…”

As Raul trailed off, a shadow passed over Fairy Rabel’s expression.

“Right. In truth, I am… somewhat of a ghost. Humans who wander into the library call me ‘the ghost of the library.'”

“A ghost? You mean like a ghost?”

“How rude! Do I look like such a lowly monster to you? I’m simply a soul teetering on the edge of life and death. A special existence!”

Indeed, typical monsters or spirits would find it difficult to inhabit a library covered in all sorts of magic.

“Fair enough. But why are you so interested in this book?”

“That, that book is special. There are many special books, but that one is something more!”

Rabel’s face became slightly animated. And her gaze had not left the skill book for some time now.

“Do you even know what this book is about?”

“No, I don’t. But it’s clear. That book is special! So… could you show it to me, just once?”

Rabel looked at Raul with sparkling pink eyes and a pitiful expression.

Raul was slightly conflicted.

The truth was, Raul didn’t know much about the skill book either.

He had brought it with him through reincarnation, but even in his previous life, he hadn’t managed to obtain full information.

‘Maybe this fairy could find a way to upgrade the skill book…’

It was uncertain what the fairy might do with the book, but he decided to trust the system’s power.

After all, the fairy couldn’t even open the bookshelf on her own just before.

‘It’s tied to me, so she can’t run off with it, after all.’

Having made his decision, Raul nodded.

“Alright. I’ll show you the book. But if you find anything about it, you have to promise to tell me everything without hiding anything.”

“Of course! Thank you!! Really, thank you!”

Rabel beamed a radiant smile. Along with it, the refreshing scent of the forest lingered around Raul’s nose.

Raul fully opened the cover of the skill book and stepped aside.

Soon, Rabel approached the book with a pounding heart, soothing herself.

At last, her tiny hand reached for the page. Crack.

As if struck by a powerful current, Rabel slumped to the ground, her legs giving out.

“Ah.”

Her form, which seemed ready to blur and vanish, sharpened into clarity. Overwhelmed by the surge of energy and sensation, a moan escaped her lips.

But it was a fleeting moment. Suddenly, a spark shot out from the tome, pushing Rabel’s hand back.

“Eek!”

Shocked, Rabel wrapped her hands around herself, staring at the tome with a dazed expression.

“How could this be… It doesn’t make sense. How could such a book exist…? Could it be he foresaw this happening? But that would be against the laws, wouldn’t it? The fact this book has appeared now means…”

Rabel mumbled to herself, her gaze wavering.

Raul watched her incomprehensible reaction for a moment before speaking up.

“Hey, Rabel? Hello~!”

Rabel didn’t respond to Raul’s call, only regaining her senses after he slammed the tome shut.

“Y-you, human. No, Raul! Where did you get this book? Huh??”

Rabel demanded, flying up to confront him face-to-face.

Raul, taken aback by her looming silhouette, glanced away, saying, “C-calm down. And wasn’t it agreed I’d be the one asking questions? Are you going to break that promise?”

“…Sigh.”

Taking a deep breath to compose herself at Raul’s words, Rabel began, “This book… it contains the power of a Creator God. Understand, Raul? Not just any deity, but the power of an ancient Creator God said to have vanished!”

“……??”

While Rabel spoke as if it were a matter of great importance, Raul honestly couldn’t care less about gods or such.

Sensing his indifference, Rabel let out a deep sigh.

“Ah, humans… You see, the Creator God, in the past…”

“Wait! Honestly, I’m not interested in stuff about gods. Just tell me what you found out about the book.”

Raul cut her off. Rabel replied tersely, clearly annoyed.

“Why does such a human… Anyway, I don’t know much about the book. I only got to look at it briefly. But it seems the book is currently sealed. It’s lost its power due to some shock or another.”

“So? How do we restore the book to its original state?”

“How would I know? This cranky thing refused to tell me.”

“Tch.”

Raul clicked his tongue in disappointment, eliciting a defensive response from Rabel.

“How am I supposed to break the seal with just a brief touch? If you really want to know, make it so I can enter the book!”

At Rabel’s words, a system window popped up in front of Raul.

[Urgent Quest: Skill Tome’s Manager]

The soul entity of the Forest Fairy [Rabel] requests residency within the Skill Tome.

Upon the soul entity’s residency, it will automatically be appointed as the ‘Librarian of the Tome’.

If you appoint a librarian, the skill book’s grade, function, and efficiency can increase.

Once appointed as a librarian, they cannot be forcefully dismissed unless agreed upon.

Would you like to appoint [Rabel] as the librarian of the skill book?

YES / NO

‘What is this all about?’

Raul, after looking over the system window that had suddenly appeared, raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at Rabel.

‘Look at this guy? Is he trying to sneak into the skill book on the sly?’

From the looks of it, it seemed like having a fairy take up residence in the skill book wouldn’t cause any harm.

However, it was a bit awkward to rashly let this fairy in without knowing much about them.

Especially for free residence? Shouldn’t there be some sort of compensation if they were to come in?

“What, what’s with that look?”

Rabel flinched under Raul’s gaze, which was akin to a hunter eyeing its prey.

“Uh. Now that I think about it, I wonder if there’s even a need to hear more from you. I already knew that the ‘skill book’ was under a curse, and it seems like it might be resolved with some time. Ah, it’s getting late, I guess it’s time to head back?”

Raul picked up the skill book without any regrets and stood up.

At that, Rabel’s eyes shook aimlessly in panic.

“Ah, no. Don’t go, listen to me more, will you?”

“Well, I have things to do, so I should be going. Let’s talk another time. Though, I can’t say when I’ll be back….”

“Did I upset you? I’m sorry! Really sorry! It’s been too long since I last spoke with a human.”

Rabel apologized with a pitiful expression right in front of him.

Raul flinched for a moment but managed his expression and began to pack his things.

“I can be of help. Really, I swear! That book is also really precious to me. Just listen a bit more~!”

It was clear to see that the skill book was extremely important to Rabel.

‘Should be enough, right? Time to negotiate….’

“Ugh, really… Sob. It’s too much, sob.”

Before Raul could even start talking, the fairy’s tears had burst forth.

Looking at Rabel’s face streaming with tears, Raul’s heart sank.

“No, it’s not like that….”

“Wahhh~!!”

Feeling like he had become the villain, Raul couldn’t speak for a while.

After a moment.

Raul and Rabel were sitting across from each other with the skill book between them.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I wasn’t trying to torment you. I apologize.”

“…It’s okay.”

As Raul bowed his head sincerely, Rabel accepted his apology.

“However, I can’t give permission for this book yet. It’s really important to me too.”

Raul closed the skill encyclopedia and looked at the girl.

“Shouldn’t you start with an apology when you touch someone else’s belongings? And why should I satisfy your curiosity?”

At Raul’s words, the girl displayed a slightly surprised expression.

“So, you can really hear me. I’m sorry for touching the book. It’s quite rare for a human to recognize me.”

She glanced at Raul, bit her lip lightly, and flew to the desk to sit down.

Holding the edges of her skirt gracefully and dipping her head in greeting, she spoke.

“My name is Rabelina Elliott Merdiane. You can call me Rabel. I’m a fairy who loves harmony and order, a fairy of the forest.”

Raul slightly bowed his head as well and responded.

“I’m Raul. A student who has just enrolled in the academy this year. As you see, human. But you don’t seem like any ordinary fairy…”

As Raul trailed off, a shadow passed over the fairy Rabel’s face.

“That’s because… in a way, I’m akin to a ghost. Humans who wander into the library call me ‘the ghost of the library’.”

“A ghost? You mean, a ghost?”

“How rude! Do I look like some lowly monster to you? I am simply a soul walking the tightrope between life and death. A special existence!”

Indeed, it would be difficult for an ordinary monster or ghost to settle in a library covered in various magic spells.

“Well, let’s say that’s the case. But why are you so interested in this book?”

“This, this book is special. There are many special books, but this one, it’s something more!”

Rabel’s expression grew tense, and her gaze had not left the skill encyclopedia for some time.

“Do you even know what book this is?”

“No, I don’t. It didn’t tell me. But I’m certain. It’s special! So… could you let me see it just this once?”

Rabel looked at Raul with sparkling pink eyes and a pleading expression.

Raul hesitated for a moment.

Truth be told, Raul himself wasn’t fully aware of the skill encyclopedia.

It had followed him since his reincarnation, but he hadn’t managed to acquire any substantial information on it even in his past life.

‘Perhaps I could find a way to upgrade the encyclopedia…’

He wasn’t sure what the fairy might do with the encyclopedia. However, he decided to trust in the power of the system.

After all, the fairy hadn’t been able to even open the bookshelf alone earlier.

‘Since it’s a bound item, she can’t run away with it anyway.’

Having made his decision, Raul nodded.

“Alright. I’ll show you the book. In return, if you find out anything about it, you have to promise to share everything without hiding.”

“Of course! Thank you!! Really, thank you!”

Rabel beamed a bright smile. Together with it, the refreshing scent of the forest lingered around Raul’s nose.

Raul opened the cover of the skill encyclopedia wide and stepped aside.

Then, with her heart pounding, Rabel cautiously approached the front of the encyclopedia.

Finally, her tiny hand touched the page. At Raul’s firm words, Rabel’s complexion darkened.

“If you really want to do something with this book, first tell me your story. Why you became like this, why you are interested in this book, things like that. I’ll make my judgment after that.”

Rabel looked up, locking eyes with Raul intently.

Raul did not look away either.

After observing Raul’s eyes for a while, Rabel sighed softly and said,

“Alright. I trust you, Raul, and I’ll tell you. It might be a long story.”

And so began Rabel’s tale.

It was a distant past, so long ago that she could no longer remember.

On the Connect continent, a massive war broke out.

The grand war, which entangled numerous races, gods, and entities that could be called demons, pushed the continent to the brink of destruction.

And crisis came for Rabel’s race, the forest fairies.

Facing extinction, the fairy clan sought to shelter Rabel, the last heir of their lineage, within a book through a certain spell.

However, possibly due to the fluctuating mana and unstable dimensions, Rabel ended up in a strange state, her soul bound to the book, while the rest of her clan was scattered through the cracks in dimensions.

Afterwards, she fell into a long slumber, and upon waking, she moved between books with special powers to barely sustain her life.

“Every time I wake up from my sleep, I lose many memories. So, I don’t even know how long I’ve lived. But I have something I must do.”

“What is it?”

“To find my scattered clan. There must be surviving fairies besides me. I have to pass on the wisdom and essence of our clan to them. I cannot close my eyes until then!”

Determination shone in Rabel’s eyes, which were slightly moist.

“But the reality is… I’m bound to the library by the books, and almost no book will accept me now.”

Rabel’s gaze drifted towards the skill manual.

“But… that book is different. It smells similar to the great magic tome that first accepted me. Maybe its hidden power is even greater. So, please, I’m asking for your help, Raul. Let me enter that book, please.”

Rabel kneeled before the desk, looking at Raul with a pleading expression.

After a moment of looking at her, Raul seemed to make up his mind and spoke.

“This book is called the skill manual. I don’t know if it contains divine power as you say but….”

Raul explained about the skill manual, omitting game-like elements and putting it in appropriate terms.

“… So, if you enter the manual, it looks like you’ll have to take on the role of a librarian. And as the manual would have it, you might end up bound to me as well. Would that be alright with you?”

He didn’t want to deceive Rabel after she had shared her entire situation.

He didn’t want to forcefully keep her in the manual and take her around against her will because that wasn’t what he wished for.

“What do you want to do with the power contained in this book?”

When Rabel asked, Raul seemed to ponder for a moment before replying calmly.

“I want to protect my family and hometown. Is that too simple?”

As Rabel stared intently at Raul’s expression, she soon smiled.

“Thank you, Raul.”

Thus, Raul gained a little fairy girl as a companion.

(To be continued)