The Legendary Rebuilding of a World by a Realist Demon King Chapter 38

Jeanne Learns to Read

As the rest of the commanders moved out and the soldiers rested, I saw a single girl sitting at the council table.

She looked bored as she sat there and leaned on her elbow.

I considered talking to her.

But if I did, she would probably expect me to amuse her for a while.

And yet I was rather busy and needed to rest as well.

And so I didn't talk to her. At least, until I realized that she had been staring at Eve for quite some time.

She was looking at Eve's book, and there was something like jealousy in her eyes.

It was only a dictionary, not the most compelling reading material.

As I thought this, she began to mutter to herself.

"…It must be nice to be able to read."

Those words were enough to get an idea of what was going through her head.

Saint Jeanne wished to read books.

She was the daughter of poor farmers in the countryside of France. She was illiterate in that world as well as this one.

And this seemed to trouble her.

I found that I pitied her, and so I said,

"Jeanne. Do you want to be able to read?"

"Demon King."

She said as she raised her head.

"Yes, I would."

"Are you interested in being an administrator?"

"Never."

"A noblewoman?"

"Hardly."

"Then why do you wish to read?"

"It seems like a good way to stave off boredom."

"I see. Well, you're not wrong."

"There are many books in this castle's library that look interesting. I want to read them all."

"You do seem to like being there."

"Yes, though I can only look at the illustrations."

"How tragic."

"Perhaps. It's my lot as a heroine."

She said and pretended to cry.

Feeling sorry for her, I promised that I would teach her to read.

"You will? Demon King?"

"I do not mind. You are important to this castle, Jeanne. It would be convenient if you could read. And I do not wish for you to be bored."

"Do you say that to the ladies at night?"

"I definitely do not."

"Hijikata once told me. Men who bore women in the bedchamber are scum."

"It is better that you don't trust the words of the worst womanizer of his age."

"Of course."

She said obediently. And then the lesson began.

I had Eve bring over some paper and then started to teach Jeanne the alphabet of this world.

The alphabet was the same that was used in France.

A to Z. Twenty-six characters.

Of course, they looked different, but it was easy to memorize.

But then again, Jeanne was not even familiar with any alphabet.

And so I had to be slow and patient as we started with 'A.'

I scribbled an 'A.'

"Aaa."

Well, alright.

It was pronounced differently in the small country of England, but that was fine.

Though, the British were known for their poor food, but someone should say something about their language. I complained. Jeanne readily agreed.

"Yes, I do hate those English."

"Indeed. There are beasts who dress as gentlemen and gentlemen who dress as beasts in this world. But they tend to be the former."

"We think very alike."

"But then again, I do love tea."

"Agreed."

We said as we sipped the tea that Eve had poured.

Jeanne wrote this world's 'A' many times until she finally memorized it.

I suggested she move on to 'B' but she refused.

"'A' will do for today. But there is one word I would like to know."

"Very well then. And what word is that?"

She closed her eyes and said it slowly.

"Ashta."

Then she pleaded for me to teach her.

I didn't know why she was insisting on it, but I told her.

"ASHTA."

She copied what I had written down.

Her handwriting was terrible. Except for the 'A.' That was fairly decent.

When she was finished, she kissed the sheet of paper and put it into her amulet.

"Is it a good luck charm?"

"Yes, one from back home. Writing the name of someone you like will protect that spot from arrows."

"I see. And so that is why it is at your chest."

"It is where the heart is."

"Well, let us hope that the rest of you doesn't get hit by arrows either."

"There is no need for that. Even on the frontlines of Orleans, I was not hit by any arrows. In fact, it was as if the arrows avoided me when I charged into the enemies. It is God's protection."

"If you have God, then why do you need that charm?"

"How tactless, Demon King. God is not around every hour of the day. There is a need to rest. And that is when I will need this charm."

"I see. Well, as long as you are safe, then I am happy."

"Don't worry. The next fight will be brutal, but we will win."

"What makes you so sure?"

"You are the strongest Demon King."

"Clearly."

"It's simple, isn't it? But I do have one worry."

"And what is that?"

"You may be strong, but you do not have the protection of God. You might be hit by a stray arrow."

"That would be rather unpleasant."

"But I will prevent it."

"And how will you do that…?"

Then she grabbed me by the shoulders in a tight grip.

And then she kissed me on the cheek before I could react.

"Now, at least your head should be safe from arrows. As a Demon Lord, you cannot die as long as your head is safe?"

I wasn't quite sure what to say.

As sad as it might seem, I had never had a young woman be so forward with me before.

There was a moment of silence before she said, happily,

"You are quite innocent, Demon King. …But that has its charms."

She smiled and left.

Eve entered just then, as if they had traded places.

I was a little anxious about whether she had seen us, but it appeared that she had not.

However, the fact that I had been alone with Jeanne was enough to put her in a bad mood.

She put down a tall stack of documents and insisted that I should help her go through them.

It wasn't really the work of a Demon King, but I did want to lessen her load. And so I hid my feelings and went along with it.

The work continued into the night, but as we had an early morning the next day, I had to stop and go to sleep.

It only took half a minute for me to fall asleep.

The next morning, I awoke with the impression that I had dreamed of a blonde girl.

In case you're wondering, these are not the author's opinions and he is actually a fan.

Chapter end