Chapter 263 – Trick
“What do you mean?”
“A lot of these books are mine.”
“Yours…? Ah, do you mean you wrote them yourself?”
“Correct. That’s why the number I bought is a lot less than it appears.”
“You write books. How marvelous. Do you also sell them?”
“Yes. And I use the money to make a living and buy other books. I also own a small field, but, well, I’m not that interested in farming. Still helps a bit with food, I guess.”
“It’s my first time meeting an author. What kind of books do you write?”
At that moment, Kuini took hold of my sleeve and shook her head.
“Oh, was that a sensitive question? My bad, you don’t need to answer.”
“Not at all. It’s not a secret. It’s just that not many bunnies are interested in what I’m doing. I write…”
“Liv!”
Kuini tried to interrupt her, but that only made her chuckle.
“Hehe, I don’t mind telling him about it. I write erotic novels.”
That answer startled me indeed. I was under the impression that most books had serious content, especially considering how expensive they were. This proved me wrong.
“Ugh…”
Kuini groaned, unhappy with the revelation, while I was even more interested now.
“Erotic novels… How surprising. I went into bookshops many times, and I even possess a few books myself, but I’ve never seen that type.”
Liv ignored Kuini and nodded.
“That’s not strange. There are bookshops specializing in books for pure entertainment. They’re not usually located anywhere close to the main streets, so you need to know where they are, especially since Geola is such a big city. And even more so when they deal in erotic books.”
“I’m learning new things all the time. Can I buy or borrow one of your books?”
“M-My Lord!”
Right after saying this, Kuini realized her mistake and blocked her hand with her mouth, but it was too late. This made Liv giggle.
“Don’t worry, Kuini. The whole village knows how you call him in private.”
The young bunny looked shocked.
“No way…!”
“Really. My Lord, please scrape my tiny little pussy with your enormous dick! I’m all yours, my Lord! Hehehe.”
Kuini was now completely red-faced. She stood up with a shout full of shame, a finger pointing at her friend.
“Ack! That’s why I didn’t want to come here! Liv! You’re a stupid and lewd bunny!”
She then rushed out of the house, blushing so hard her long ears were also tomato colored. Once she slammed the door on her way out, Liv shook her head while sighing, even though she was still chuckling a little.
“All bunnies are lewd, though… Now, where were we again?”
“About me buying or borrowing one of your books.”
“Right. Of course, you can borrow them as much as you want. No need to give me anything in return either.”
“That’s very generous of you. Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. You’re also a special one. Most people ask me about this as soon as they start talking to me.”
She tapped on her half-mask, and I grinned dismissively.
“I’m sure there’s a reason for it, and maybe an unpleasant one. There’s no need to dig into bad memories just to satisfy my curiosity.”
She stared at me without speaking for a long time. I responded to her gaze with mine, waiting for her to speak. Eventually, she opened her mouth again.
“I’ve been meaning to ask at some point. Why are you so good to us bunnies?”
“Do I need a special reason to treat great people as I should?”
She glared at me for a few seconds more before exhaling.
“…You’re right. If only everyone thought like you…”
There was another lull, where she seemed lost in her thoughts. She then started to take her mask off, bewildering me again.
“I don’t mind showing it if it’s you, Tila.”
I tried to stay stoic but couldn’t help clenching my fists a little. The half of her face she was usually hiding had marks I recognized well. It was traces of burns, and very severe ones at that. Having been on the receiving side of such burns during my training, I was well aware of how much they hurt. But even more importantly, how hard they were to cure.
I had been assigned a transcendent life mage during my training, which meant any damage I received could be healed without exception. As long as I had a shred of life left in me, I could be “resurrected”. However, different types of damage necessitated different ranks of life mages to be healed. To be exact, any life mage could use any spell, just like other affinities. The real issue was that some spells needed a lot of sel to have any effect. As such, there was no point in learning them before reaching a certain rank. For example, the regeneration spell needed at least a rank 6 life mage to give visible results.
As for burns like these, she needed a spell called regrowth, which needed a rank 8 life mage. That’s probably why she hadn’t been able to heal it, since Geola’s best life mage had only reached rank 7.
“You’d need a rank 8 life mage for this…”
“That’s right. I heard there might be one in the empire, but it’s not a trip a bunny like me has any chance of surviving.”
She smiled depreciatingly before putting her half-mask back on her face. She was a rank 2 earth mage, and it was obvious what would happen to her if she were to try travelling to such a faraway place. At best, she would be captured and enslaved. At worst, it would be a trip straight to the afterlife. I knew how dangerous the roads were. And even mercenary guards couldn’t be completely trusted. Damn you, Wico.
There was another moment of stiff silence. This time, I took the initiative to break it.
“Let’s talk about something more cheerful. Is there any specific book you’d recommend to me in your collection?”
She suddenly smiled widely, looking as if the previous topic was already forgotten.
“Of course!”
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