Chapter 70 Library Encounter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Princess Ronafemia’s unexpected appearance had been surprising, but at least it hadn’t earned her displeasure. Well… in return, a few nobles resented him for the incident in the Assembly Hall, and some of the princess’s attendants clearly found him unpleasant. He couldn’t help but glance behind him now and then, uneasy.
But dwelling on that was pointless. After all, being liked by everyone was impossible.
At that moment, he sat at the long table in the Grand Palace library, and—aside from one other notorious outcast—no one else dared to sit there.
Well… there weren’t many people around to begin with, anyway.
He hadn’t expected to manifest his “loner” ability even in another world, and that stung more than he wanted to admit. Then again, maybe the other hated one possessed the same [Loner (Solitude)] skill…
”Um… do you have the [Loner (Solitude)] skill through Inspiration, Ninim? People don’t come near us…” he asked cautiously.
The girl he addressed, Ninim of the People of Birene, narrowed her reddish-amber eyes at him, suspicion clear. “Excuse me? I’ve never heard of such Inspiration… and—don’t blame me. You’re hated too, aren’t you?”
Implicitly, she had just said, “Don’t point fingers at me!” A cruel, merciless remark.
”Uh… sorry…” he mumbled.
Though she looked younger than him, she had the composure of a seasoned bureaucrat from the Free Alliance of Yugan Cities. The raw intensity of her presence left him, a nervous soul, shrinking back. Ninim was genuinely terrifying.
Apparently, People of Birene originally lived in the Birene Peaks under the Caesaran Empire. After being expelled and persecuted, they wandered for decades until settling in the old Imperial Capital of Keldan—what had now become a ghost town and eventually the State Capital, Livonia. In short… the People of Birene were essentially illegal immigrants.
Reflecting on it, Ayumu realized that some of the white-haired people in the Slum Street near his pharmacy—the ones who’d tried to shake him down—were likely People of Birene. Even some bandits along the way had resembled them. He had long assumed white hair was just a common trait among otherworlders, but now he understood: these people had once been displaced, forced to survive however they could.
Perhaps their criminal actions were born of necessity, feeding starving families. He might even have been responsible for some of their deaths while defending himself.
Still… sympathy wasn’t required. Many could survive misery without resorting to crime. Even if a bandit family starved, he wasn’t at fault.
Right in front of him sat Ninim: someone who had risen to become a skilled bureaucrat despite her illegal-immigrant background. Yet here, she still faced discrimination.
A few days ago:
”Move out of the way! You colorless rat!”
Ayumu, walking through the Grand Palace, ducked behind a pillar at the roar. Before him, Ninim faced a group of knights in a tense standoff.
”In this wide corridor, move aside? It’s wide enough—just pass through!” she argued, clearly refusing to be intimidated by the slur. [T/N: “colorless rat”—derogatory term for pale-skinned People of Birene]
”Hmph! If you have the intelligence of a rat, listen carefully. A colorless rat like you has no right to walk freely in the Grand Palace, yet you strut about as if human. This is unacceptable! Keep to the side, rat!”
Ninim glared, frustration etched across her youthful face, but the knights’ violent stance left her no choice but to step aside. They muttered about her as they left, satisfied: “From the start, just behave and stay out of our sight, filthy colorless…”
If this were a manga or anime, the protagonist would have coolly defended her. But Ayumu couldn’t picture himself that way. He was terrified of getting hit.
He stared at her. Pale—no, snow-white skin and hair. A childlike face that looked fourteen at most, yet she was clever, audacious, and capable enough to hold her ground even before knights.
Yes… she was impressive. Beautiful, brave, and far too good to be treated like this. He didn’t understand the prejudice.
”Staring at me… is there a problem?”
”No, nothing…” he mumbled, eyes reluctantly leaving her as he returned to his real purpose: reading Battle Tactics of the Magi.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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