落とし穴４５堀：魔女の知らない世界 (Part1)
### Pitfall 45: The World the Witch Doesn't Know
**Side: Cleena**
I am reading in silence.
While the collection here isn't as vast as the Academy's, each individual book contains an amount of information that could rival ten of the Academy's volumes.
Yet, they don't feel archaic in the slightest. The text is incredibly easy to read, and I don't need to keep a translation guide by my side.
"...It’s strange, looking at it again."
That’s right. What I see before my eyes is not the script of my homeland. It is the language of my husband Yuki’s country, known as Japanese.
Thanks to Yuki’s "Skill Granting" ability, I learned Japanese instantly, but it truly is something else. The variety of characters used in daily life—Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji, classical literature, Japanese-made English, and simple English—is as different from my homeland as heaven is from earth.
To master such a complex language in an instant is the work of a god.
Well, Yuki *is* a messenger of the gods, though even experiencing it firsthand, it hasn't quite sunk in. I can read Japanese books, so I clearly have the knowledge, but...
"...Yuki lacks a certain sense of self-awareness, or perhaps, a sense of dignity..."
Yes. Perhaps the reason it doesn't feel real is because of how Yuki carries himself.
He understands his position—or perhaps he understands how others view him—but he never tries to place himself above anyone else.
In a way, he is just like any ordinary person you’d find in town.
"...It’s a mistake to be dissatisfied with that. Yuki is a good person."
He came all the way from a world with far more advanced civilization to this one, where we are strangling ourselves in our own decline. It would be arrogant of us to demand that Yuki act in the way we desire.
Including myself, all of his wives share the opinion that Yuki should be the king of the world.
But he dismissed that idea, saying it was too much trouble and would take too much time.
It is true that even if he were to openly declare such a thing, there is no telling how long it would take to unify the world. I think it’s faster to follow Yuki’s policy: increase the world's interactions and let them discover the problems regarding magic power on their own.
"...Then, our role is to study more and be of use to Yuki."
We, his wives, help him so that the day Yuki can spend his time in leisure comes as soon as possible. That is the minimum requirement for standing by his side.
I haven't been in Weed for long, so I haven't been of much use yet, but when it comes to magic and research into magical power, that is a different story.
Yuki told me that my knowledge would be useful even on this continent where magic is commonplace, and he assigned me to the same department as the demon Zargis.
Of course, my most important job is Yuki’s bodyguard. Losing him would mean the destruction of this world.
I have been entrusted with such a vital task.
However, Yuki usually only acts through his Doppelganger, and his true body never leaves our home in Weed.
That is why we are free to do as we please.
It might feel like we’re just playing around, but according to Yuki, ideas are born from doing various things, so one should start with what they love.
He says things like that and never stops his wives from pursuing their interests. In fact, he encourages it.
This library, too, was stocked with books just for me after I arrived.
Weed has a school for teaching, and there are books there, but those are for education; they don't have the specialized texts I’m reading now.
Well, they do have some interesting stories, though.
"...Hmm. Today, Ria is on guard duty, so I will fully satisfy my thirst for knowledge. That is what makes Yuki the happiest."
I want a child with Yuki, but since the other wives are currently busy raising their children, pregnancy will unfortunately have to wait.
But I think that’s for the best.
...I’m certain I would have drowned in carnal desire otherwise.
Eoid and Amanda, who were happily wed yesterday, only have eyes for each other; they probably intend to spend every moment from morning to night in love.
But if I did that, I wouldn't be able to get anything else done, and I would be perfectly fine with that. That is how powerful the allure of the flesh is—it is enough to drive one into decadence.
In my case, because there are so many wives, the frequency is inevitably lower, and because I can pursue other things that interest me, I won't drown in it.
"Oh, is that Cleena over there?"
Hearing that voice, I turned to see Ratz holding Shans.
Yes, Ratz’s child, Shans, is adorable.
Demi-humans are often persecuted on the New Continent, but I have no such prejudices. Rather, I think the unique abilities of demi-humans are invaluable.
Well, as for Ratz, being one of Yuki’s wives, her abilities are exceptional.
Not only is she strong, but her business acumen is staggering; she runs Weed’s largest enterprise, Super Ratz.
"Awoo."
"Now, now, Shans. You must be quiet in the library."
"Uu?"
I say that to Shans, but there is no way a child not even a year old could understand.
"It’s fine. This library is for our use only. Shans is a good girl, so there’s no problem."
"Uu? Awoo, awoo."
When I say that, her eyes, which were filled with curiosity upon entering the room, lock onto me, and she reaches out her hands desperately.
"You shouldn't spoil her too much, you know? Here."
"Yes. I know. I will scold her if she does something wrong. But Shans wouldn't do that, would she?"
"Uu."
When I ask Shans that, having received her from Ratz, she gives a firm reply.
Well, she probably doesn't understand the meaning, but Shans, clinging to me for dear life, is just too cute. Her tiny rabbit ears twitch happily.
"Come to think of it, Ratz, do you have business in the library?"
"Yes, I do. I also came to see if there were any good picture books for Shans."
"...I see. Then leave Shans to me. I’ll find a picture book she’ll like."
"That would be a great help, but aren't you in the middle of your research?"
"...It’s more study than research, so it’s fine. Things like this have no end. Besides, I pride myself on knowing this library better than anyone."
"Then I’ll leave it to you. Shans, Mommy is going to look at some books for a bit, so make sure you listen to Mommy Cleena."
"Uu."
Shans replies as if she understands.
As Ratz disappears behind the bookshelves, Shans turns back to me with an expectant gaze.
"Shall we find a picture book you like, Shans?"
"Awoo!"
I say that and head toward the picture book corner.
This area was prepared by Yuki for the children, with small bookshelves at their height, filled with many picture books so that our future children can read freely.
"Which one do you want to read?"
"Uu?"
As expected, she doesn't know yet.
I pick out a book at random and return to the desk.
Hmm, what would be good for this child...?
"...Oh dear. I can't tell what the content is just by looking at the title."
"Uu?"
Everything stocked here is a picture book from Yuki’s country.
The stories we tell children on the New Continent can be counted on one hand.
Mostly tales of Holy Sword users, defeating evil monsters, or saving a village in trouble—that’s about it.
Honestly, it’s embarrassing to claim I love books when I don't even know the picture books meant for children.
In the end, even though I love books, I had only ever read what interested me personally.
"Awoo, awoo."
As I was thinking this, Shans was struggling in my arms, desperately trying to reach for the picture book.
"Ah, sorry."
I hurriedly grab a nearby book and open it in front of Shans.
It can't be helped; I’ll just have to learn the contents of the picture book along with the child.
"Let’s see... Once upon a time, in a land far away..."
And so, together with Shans, I enter the world of the story.
After some time had passed, Ratz returned from the depths of the bookshelves.
"I’m sorry. I ended up reading more than I thought. Was Shans a good girl?"
"Yes. She’s asleep."