Duke’s Mansion, Library.
Mu’en stood at the entrance, staring at the rows upon rows of towering bookshelves crammed full of books. He couldn’t help but vigorously rub his face.
“Screw this world.”
“Even a clay figure has a temper. If you’re going to torment me like this, I might as well fight back!”
Mu’en raised his head, and the confusion, fear, and anger that had appeared in his eyes due to his father’s departure and the failure of his plans had all vanished.
In their place was only determination.
So what if he’s the blonde-haired villain? Does that mean he doesn’t deserve happiness?
I’ll prove them wrong!
“Calm down. What I need to do first is get stronger.”
Mu’en looked at the extensive collection of books in front of him.
Although it was still far from the Saint Maria Library, for the current Mu’en, this collection was more than enough.
“Since Father is gone, I’ll teach myself, and then validate my skills by battling assassins.”
“In other words, the resources of the Duke’s Mansion can at least help me become strong enough to defeat the assassins recorded in the Black Book!”
“At that level, I’ll have enough strength to protect myself!”
“I still need to develop discreetly; I’ll skip school for now.”
“It’s just as well that Father and Mother are gone. At least no one will be nagging me about this.”
After reworking his plan, Mu’en’s gaze became even more resolute.
No longer wasting time, he directly pulled out a book from the closest shelf and started flipping through it.
However, he wasn’t in a hurry to read it carefully. After casually flipping through a couple of pages, he closed his eyes.
A few minutes later, he opened his eyes again, with an irrepressible look of joy.
“As expected, books can be recorded too.”
“Though it seems like only the text I’ve seen with my eyes can be recorded.”
“But that’s enough. I can temporarily skip the time-consuming process of memorizing each book by quickly scanning them and recording everything in the Black Book.”
“That way, I can refer to them whenever I need!”
Thinking this, Mu’en hesitated no longer. Starting with the book in his hand, he began flipping through it rapidly.
Not aiming to comprehend, but simply to imprint it all into his eyes.
“Wait, what book am I even looking at?”
Only after almost flipping through the entire book did Mu’en remember this important question. He turned to look at the cover.
“‘Unlocking with Fish Bones – 100 Methods of Breaking and Entering’… Are you kidding me?!”
Realizing this, Mu’en slammed the book on the ground in mild irritation:
“Why would the Duke’s Mansion have such a book, and put it in such a conspicuous place?”
Skeptical, Mu’en randomly pulled out another book from the shelf:
“‘Pickup Techniques Even a Monkey Can Learn – How to Gracefully Woo a Goddess’… I just want to know how not to get pummeled by a goddess.”
“‘Even a Fool Can Learn in Three Days! – Judging a Woman’s Fertility by Hip Measurements’… Three days? A village auntie can analyze it for you in three minutes.”
“‘Mating and Breeding Methods of ”’… Should I even be reading this?”
“‘Bedroom Techniques’… Cough, I’m just checking if this book is proper. Definitely not memorizing it.”
…
“This is such a scam. Half the books here are useless, and some are just plain weird.”
After spending the entire day organizing the Duke’s Mansion’s library, Mu’en felt a deep despair towards Campbell’s ancestors. Those old folks, including his cheap dad, probably never liked reading!
Setting up this library was likely just for show, otherwise they wouldn’t have stuffed all this random nonsense in here!
A third of the books were even of the indescribable variety!
“But at least half of them are useful.”
Looking at the book in his hand now, Mu’en showed a pleased expression.
Even if he didn’t like reading, as a centuries-old family, the Campbell library was undoubtedly vast, containing many books on martial arts, magic, and even faith and divine blessings.
And these books were extremely useful for Mu’en at this moment!
Like this book in his hand, ‘Elementary Martial Techniques for Beginners,’ which was like rain after a long drought for Mu’en, who urgently needed to rebuild his foundation.
“Whether to study it or not can wait. First, I need to record it.”
Excited, Mu’en eagerly flipped open the book.
Just then, An’s voice came from behind.
“Young Master, are you still reading?”
An entered the library, glancing at the cold food on the side, frowning:
“You haven’t even eaten properly.”
“Don’t worry, let me finish this book first.”
“But you said the same thing earlier.”
Suddenly, An stepped forward and firmly closed ‘Elementary Martial Techniques for Beginners’ in Mu’en’s hand.
“An, what are you doing?”
Mu’en smiled wryly:
“I know my limits.”
“Young Master, dinner is ready.”
“Eh, it’s already this late? I didn’t notice. Just bring it over like lunch…”
“But Young Master, if we do that, you’ll forget to eat again.”
An stared into Mu’en’s eyes: “I promised Lord and Madam to take care of you, so I can’t allow you to keep doing this. At least for dinner, you should eat properly.”
“I…”
Mu’en looked at An, who was squatting in front of him. Her floral scent wafted into his nostrils, making his head feel a bit heavy, as if the exhaustion of organizing books all day had suddenly hit him.
Looking at An’s unyielding expression, and then at the book he hadn’t had time to record yet, Mu’en sighed in resignation:
“Alright then, let’s eat first.”
Although he’d been busy organizing all day and hadn’t had much time to record, it wasn’t so urgent that he couldn’t afford a proper dinner.
He’ll just consider it a balance of work and rest.
Mu’en stood up, put the book back on the shelf, and headed to the dining room.
“…”
An, however, was not in a hurry to follow. She suddenly turned around and pulled out the book Mu’en had just been reading.
“‘Elementary Martial Techniques for Beginners’…”
An glanced over the words on the book.
Then she looked up at the bookshelves.
The books were clearly reorganized, no longer as messy as before.
The useless books were tucked away in the innermost corners, while the valuable ones on martial arts, magic, and various knowledge had been purposefully placed within easy reach by Mu’en.
“Young Master, you’ve really changed.”
‘Clang.’
A cold light flashed.
The ‘Elementary Martial Techniques for Beginners’ in An’s hand was suddenly sliced in half by an unseen blade, turning into scattered fragments that An tossed out the window into the wind.
“Changed so quickly, so suddenly, as if overnight, you’re not the same you.”
“If that’s the case, then there are some things I can’t wait on any longer.”
“Don’t blame me, Young Master Mu’en.”
