The Path to Knowledge

*Chapter unnedited*

—You were the one who received them, now it's your turn to continue the act of courtesy —Lucy says.

—Courtesy? I'm not going to fall for that game. It's turn-based: I give a lesson and you give one, right? —he responds.

—Your father may be the viscount (or any noble title), but my father is of the same rank. And even if you got in through connections, that doesn't exempt you from doing your duty. Or do you really want your dear students to accuse you? —she continues with overwhelming logic.

Laplace, defeated by such overwhelming logic, frowns, makes a "hump" sound, stands in the center, and begins the class in a very carefree manner.

The class ends. Lucy asks if they will continue with the lessons, but they respond no. Then Laplace and Lucy start arguing, leaving no room for either to ask questions.

They decide to have breakfast in the dining hall, although they don't find anyone they know to ask their questions. They spend the morning searching for the gardener and the supervisors, without success.

They decide to return to the instructors. In the room, only Lucy is seen, politely asking if they will take another lesson. They respond no, and she sits very carefree in the armchair.

Lucy begins answering questions: skills are general, and they should be able to see them in the interface (ignoring that they are new to the world). Cleaning skill increases with each act of cleaning, but doing a specific percentage helps a bit with that particular skill, although having a general one is more than enough. Everyone knows that, but I suppose you're wondering if classes increase your servant skills. So yes, they do. Don't worry, over time you will level up more and everything will become easier.

Ren and Rio are satisfied. Doing any activity regularly levels up some aspect, but they don't ask more because Ren comments they might be suspected since they probably were born with an interface similar to theirs (though deep down he wonders if they were really born or if it’s also the system's doing).

With time pressing, Ren says goodbye to Rio, encouraging her to do activities she regularly did in the previous world and can repeat here, like reading, writing, walking—something common. He also tells her that if that's not enough, she should venture to do something new. Maybe it's easier to level up when you don't know something.

With Ren outside, Rio starts looking for the head servant or someone like the "teacher" she mentioned so much.

Meanwhile, Ren finds the gardener in the wing, just as agreed. They head toward the service door, and Ren tells him he is going to the central library. Rio says she will only step out for a moment to wait for someone else, a cat-girl, then returns.

The cat-girl enters the scene. She is a humanoid with tiger features. She greets the gardener with a kick to his rear, saying he finally dared to leave that mansion. He denies it and says he's only there to introduce an invoked who showed interest in "reading books." He says it in code to avoid suspicion.

Does the feline understand the message? She says:

—Oh, so that's the thing? I think it's fine. I know where the library is. Is that him? Hmmm, hello, what do we have here? You look good in that outfit —she proceeds to touch his forearm— you lack muscle, well, that’s how it is. My name is Nina, nice to meet you!

Ren, confused and blushing, also introduces himself. Noah asks her to take good care of him and gives her a briefcase, telling her to carry it at all times. If anyone asks, he is Nina’s butler and carries her belongings until they can get a new house.
Noah, while saying this, looks around nervously, worried about a player’s arrival. He wishes them luck and leaves.

They say goodbye, and Ren and Nina head towards the library from the mansion. On the way, Nina tells him she knows why he’s going to the library, or she’s almost sure.

She says every invoked person becomes curious once they hear the story.

She tells Ren she didn’t actually learn the other language (referring to a book with her hands). She considers herself dumb but trusts the gardener’s words and it makes sense, since there have been no incidents between "people" (she makes air quotes) in the town.

Nina asks about his story, Ren tells it, and on the way, she shares hers.
It turns out she dressed as a "Neko" for a contest and thinks the sphere didn’t find a profession suitable for her, so it turned her into another race. But the strangest thing is she must stay in that role. For her, it’s easier because the cat race migrates a lot and she can roam free.

She also mentions there’s no need to be afraid of the "players." They can’t realize they are different from an NPC, so even if Ren went out all day, he only needs to invent a good reason to be there, like carrying a bag or waiting for his master, and the players would leave him alone, though they don’t usually interact.

Nina talks about her recent adventures. She mentions she feels more monsters than usual have appeared in the cities and outskirts, so she has more hunter work. The guild prefers monster missions because they pay more and leave aside hunting jobs.
Ren and Nina arrive at the library.

—Now that you’ve seen the density of the book, do you really think you’re ready to learn it? No offense, but I see more muscle than brain in you. It’s just like learning another language; it takes months or even years to master. The one who did it is a true genius or simply loved books a lot —Nina says.

Ren is satisfied to see the other world section and trusts the gardener’s words. However, he spends some time leafing through the muscle growth book seeking more strength to defend what matters to him.