The early bird catches the worm—or so they say.
I woke up from my sleep, opened my eyes, stretched my body, and let out a big yawn.
"Mm~ ah~"
Feeling refreshed, I slipped on my shoes and opened the window—only to find the world still wrapped in darkness. Not a single trace of light.
"Huh?"
A cold gust of wind blew in, making me shiver. I quickly shut the window and frowned.
(It's still night. Why am I even awake?)
I crawled back into bed, pulled the blanket over myself, and tucked Lina in as well. Closing my eyes, I gave up on thinking.
(Forget it. Let's sleep some more.)
But no matter how I tossed and turned, I just couldn't fall asleep again. My mind drifted to the books.
After checking that Lina was still sound asleep, I quietly slipped out of the room, making sure not to make a sound as I closed the door behind me.
I lit the oil lamp with a firestone and stepped into the study. The flame cast a warm glow over the shelves. I grabbed a random book and left the room.
Sitting at the table, I placed the book and lamp down. It had a red cover, no title, and looked about three centimeters thick.
Opening the first page, I was greeted by dense lines of text. I stared at the first word for ages—no luck. I didn't recognize a single symbol. I started flipping through, hoping to find some pictures that might help me understand.
Nothing. Not even one.
(I really tried to find pictures in a book that's full of text. How stupid am I?)
It's like being a tourist who doesn't know the local language—you can at least gesture your meaning. But this book didn't even have fingers to point with.
I couldn't help but feel frustrated with the whole village.
(Why doesn't anyone here learn how to read? Isn't literacy important?!)
Suddenly, click! The door opened.
Lina stood there rubbing her sleepy eyes, her voice trembling with sadness.
"Karen… where did you go?"
I stood up immediately and called out to her.
"Lina, I'm here."
The moment she heard me, she froze—then ran straight at me.
"Karen!"
"!?"
She crashed into me with full force, knocking us both down to the floor.
We ended up sitting there, but Lina clung to me tightly, crying like she'd just lost me forever.
"Lina… did you have a bad dream?" I asked softly.
"No…"
Not a nightmare? Then why—?
"Then why are you crying?"
"Because when I woke up, you were gone. I thought… you didn't want me anymore."
So that's what it was. I had planned to get back before she woke up, but apparently Lina was an early riser.
"I just couldn't sleep, so I came out to read a bit. But I can't understand a single thing in this book."
"Oh… so you're not leaving me?"
She still sounded uncertain, like she needed to hear it again.
"Of course not. Lina, I'll say it as many times as you want. I'll never leave you."
She looked into my face, and I smiled awkwardly, trying to hide my embarrassment.
"Karen… I believe you," she said.
"Thanks for believing in me."
Then she hugged me even tighter—so tight I could barely breathe. At first, I thought it was just for a moment… but she didn't let go.
"Um… Lina?"
"What?"
"Can you… let go of me now?"
"No. You left me alone. This is your punishment."
"Eh… fine."
I sighed and accepted my fate. Might as well let her hold me until she's satisfied.
After what felt like forever, she finally released me. We both stood up.
Lina's eyes drifted to the book on the table. She picked it up, flipped it open, and began reading aloud.
"Ten Braves… defeated… the Demon Lord…"
"!?"
I stared at her, completely shocked.
"Lina, you can read this!? Wait—how do you even know how to read!?"
"I don't know," she said with a puzzled face.
She doesn't even know? Is she a genius or something!?
The first time we practiced magic, she learned it after seeing it once. It took me two days!
But this level of talent—it's almost unfair.
"Lina, what's this word?" I pointed to a random one.
She read it out loud perfectly. Every single one.
Still not convinced, I asked, "Can you read the whole thing to me?"
"Sure. Where should I start?"
I flipped back to the first page and pointed to the corner.
"Start here."
We both sat down on the chairs again. Lina held the book and began to read.
"A long, long time ago..."