Chapter 28 – Reading Day
Tre’ainar has been fidgety all morning long.
『Hey, child. Why the delay? The state of your hair is of no concern to anyone. Cease this imprudent observance of yourself, child. Depart at once.』
“Aah …Oh, okay, I’m done. Geez…”
『…… Hey, make haste already.』
A day off on an academy holiday.
Trained diligently in the morning…… not without motive, we’re going out to the city today.
“Oh, Little man. What happened? Are you all right now?”
“Eh? Oh, well. To town for a bit today.”
“…… Is it a date?”
“Wrong.”
“Oh my, do stay single as long as possible. Yoyoyo”
As I was going out, Sadiz made fun of me, but I left the mansion to buy something… or rather, I went to the city to receive it.
Because of the holidays, the commercial district is crowded with people all morning, and people my age were wearing plain clothes and playing and shopping with friends today.
Some of them look like they’re on a date. Just die.
Passing through these people, my goal is the biggest bookstore in the Capital.
“Oh, it’s Young Earth.”
“Hello…” 1
When I arrived at the bookstore, the manager noticed me as he was arranging the lineup of books in front of the store.
“Thank you for the patronage this morning. All the books you ordered have arrived. They were mostly old titles, but everything is fine. But was it okay not to deliver them? There’s a fair amount, right?”
“Oh, that’s fine. And. I want to see it as soon as possible…. No, I wanted to see it sooner.”
Yes, today I came to pick up the books that I had previously ordered.
“Well then, please wait here. I’ll bring it now.”
The manager laughed and walked into the store.
Then, Tre’ainar who had been grinning for a long time became even more restless.
『Oh, finally the sequels to the Destiny series… Also, Dragon Circle, Thousand Piece, and to even resume the epic of Jaeger x Jaeger! During my time, the author went on a hiatus without writing a continuation.』 2
Whatever, Tre’ainar, usually full of dignity, is already running around me like a kid.
“Young Earth. I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I also prepared a small cart to make it easy to carry around.”
“Ah. Thank you, Sir!”
『At laaaaaasstt!!!!』
If anyone other than me could see Tre’ainar, they would never believe he was the so called ‘Great Demon King’.
『Hey, child! Go to the park right there forthwith! I shall read it before returning to the mansion!』
“Okay, okay damn.”
『Ha~, what to do! What to do? What do we do? Where do we begin!?』
“Hahaha. I wonder if it’s okay. The Demon King’s Eyes Shine on Human Culture.”
『Hmm, as I have said, there are no barriers to culture. Rejecting conventions based on their racial discrepancy is a human trait. Or rather, I refuse to indulge in inelegant matters.』
“I see. Okay.”
He looked so happy, Ha~.
Then again, maybe it’s not unreasonable.
He’s been trapped alone behind that seal for over 15 years and couldn’t even talk to anyone.
There would have been no entertainment at all.
I’ve shown him a little bit of the city, but it’s all within the range of my actions.
Even so, he saw to my various training routines without fail.
If this would make him so happy, then, I’m glad I bought it.
“Is it that interesting? This book”
A spacious Imperial Capital Central Park.
Children playing with large playground equipment.
A picnic with families spreading their lunch boxes on the lawn.
A man and a woman of the same age as me on the bench and she’s giving him a lap pillow.
『Child, you should read these as well. The Destiny series is as yet too intricate for children, but would you not find Thousand Piece interesting? Tis the story of a man going on an adventure with his comrades to become the King of the Bandits.』
“No, wait. The Great Demon King was reading the story of the Bandit King?”
『Surely I have said so. There is no racial barrier when it comes to culture.』
“Great…tch, too intricate for me? Everyone takes me lightly, don’t they? Academically I’m better than my father.”
『Ho. In that case, go with the Destiny series!』
As I was close to bursting into laughter, I crossed the park’s spacious lawn, sat down in the shade of a tree in the corner, in an area where there was no distractions or loud voices, and picked up a book.
“What do you want to do? Do you read from the first series? Or do you resume from the continuation you haven’t seen?”
『Hmm… the middle… No, may as well! From the start! Read from the beginning! I wish to relive the old days after so long an absence! Or rather, read and then express your impressions later child!』 3
Then I lean on the tree and take one of the books and open it.
Tre’ainar looks in from over my shoulder, his eyes shimmering.
In a park with a lot of families and couples, I read with the Great Demon King in the shade of a tree?
Regrettably… this, isn’t it really too lovey-dovey?
Huh, reading a book with the Great Demon King, is this a first in history?
『Hey, child. Move to the next page!』
“Well, I’m still reading! It’s my first time, and I’m not used to reading such books in the first place, so don’t rush!”
Tre’ainar isn’t bothered about the surreal situation we’re in, seems he’s really immersed in the book.
If I don’t finish reading the page, I can’t move on to the next one, so I have no choice but to go on reading.
“Hmm…”
Right from the start, I was attracted to the story’s setting.
It contains some difficult terms, but it can be read normally.
The main character is –
『Hey, child… still?』
“Eh?”
『Then, next page…』
Some dubious words from Tre’ainar with a slightly grumpy face over my shoulder.
What? No, I’m still on the page, I’ve only read a few opening lines?
“Hey, wait a minute. It’s my first time, so don’t rush like that.”
『No, I am aware! But is your reading not it a tad slow? I have already read the first page silently without missing a word five times over!』
“Eh!? So fast!?”
How fast does this guy want to read? I mean, normally it’s too fast!
Well, he has read this book before, so it’s natural to be able to read it smoothly.
Ha, I finally finished reading the first page.
“Now, next.”
『Hmm………………………………………… Hey, are you on the next page yet?』
“How in the world!?”
I just turned the page a few seconds ago!?
“How fast can you read?”
I couldn’t stand Tre’ainar’s pace, so I raised my voice.
But Tre’ainar also approached my face with an ogre-like expression.
『You are slow to read!! Your pace is sluggish! By the time you finish reading one page, I must have read the same page time and again! Tis frustrating!』
“Nna!?”
『With so much time spent on a single page… surely it shall require the whole of today to finish reading everything!』
“Eh!? No way, all this, today!?”
I didn’t think I’d be complaining about the speed of silent reading when I came here.
I didn’t think I’d read all dozens of books today.
No, not possible.
Just reading one novel, my eyes and head get tired, but you can read it even faster…
『Good grief. With our sparring sessions, and also the effects of ladder training, your movement, intuition, prediction, reaction speed and so on are improving… but in the first place, you must also exercise your ‘eye power’.』
“No, besides, this rapid reading speed of the Great Demon King is due to those ridiculous Rikudo magic eyes…. Hey, if I’m too slow to finish reading, why don’t I just flip to the end without reading it anymore?”
『Do not be a dullard! Tis a book you bought and paid for. If I read without you reading it, tis as if I am leaning on your charity!』
“No, this is also a thank you…”
『And if you trace the source of the funds, it would be pocket money from the wages that Hiro and Mamu earned by working! Do you mean for me to thank Hiro and Mamu for their charity!? To the end, tis simply a situation in which I merely peek at the book you are reading! 』
“Hah, such a bothersome rejection, you!”
『In any case, we shall train your eyes! At this rate, we can neither discuss the plot in our spare time, nor can we predict future developments together…. Also it will be useful in battle!』 4
Huh? Just now, you’ve said something like discussing the plot? That’s not what you said!?
『Tis a break from training today, but it would be better if I could relax…』
“Eh!? Is that your motivation!?”
『Hmm. I shall train your ‘Dynamic vision’ and ‘Peripheral vision’!』
However, misleading the matter like that, Tre’ainar forcibly took the conversation in the direction of the training.
『Magical Speed Reading Training!』 5
He also suggested a strange training.
Wha-, speed reading training, it can’t be useful in battle!
And in the end…… it was useful in battle.
[S1]The word used here, ども(dohmo), is very versatile with lots of meanings. But here it simply works as a greeting.
[S2]Dragon Circle? Thousand Piece?? Jaeger x Jaeger??? They’ve got Shonen Jump Novels in this universe!!!
[S3]But what is the beginning? It’s still being argued to this day!!!
[S4]They could start a Shounen Review YouTube channel! Great Demon Reviews with Child!
[S5]Here we go again with the shit naming!!!