The Principle of a Philosopher by Eternal Fool “Asley”

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For a moment, Patty kept staring in the direction the four had left with wide, bewildered eyes.

“”Good grief… what a noisy bunch,”” Tzar sighed, exasperation evident in his voice.

Lala turned to him and said,

“Sir Instructor, is the plate–“

“”No problem.””

On the already set plate, a brown-grilled spherical dish was placed.

“Here’s your Bruce Baka-Yaki!”

Patty tilted her head, examining the ten-centimeter sphere before her.

Following his words, Patty picked up a spoon and cracked the top of the sphere.

As the spoon slid through, she realized the inside was hollow. Carefully, she broke away the upper part and let it fall into the sphere.

Inside, a hearty vegetable stew was revealed.

“”This dish has a history — Bruce, who serves as a gatekeeper of the Holy Demon Kingdom, created this dish to mock an infamous incident caused by the Devil King. The ingredients are reminiscent of the Devil King’s signature red. Eat it with the crust that fell inside. Now, before it gets cold, enjoy.””

Carrots, red bell peppers, red onions, red potatoes, and lean red meat filled the air with a rich aroma, making Patty’s eyes sparkle.

She dipped her spoon into the stew, scooping it up with the crust.

After blowing on it several times, Patty brought the spoon to her lips.

The sweet flavor spread through her mouth instantly. The white sauce, soaked with the flavors of the vegetables and lean meat, offered a delightful texture. Overwhelmed by all the ingredients’ synergy, Patty pressed her cheeks in bliss. As she swayed her head from side to side with a smile, both Tzar and Lala watched her with pleased expressions.

Patty kept eating without stopping for even a moment, bringing more of the stew to her small mouth.

“Ugh, so tired…”

A lethargic voice interrupted the scene.

A man sat down in the seat Barun had vacated earlier and pointed at Tzar.

“Lala, gimme one Skewered Tzar.”

“That’s not on the menu, bro.”

“”Ah, We were just talking about you, gatekeeper…””

“So, Bruce, you want the usual?”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

Bruce, leaning lazily on the counter, suddenly looked to his side.

There, he saw Patty, diligently blowing on her stew before taking a bite.

Beside her lay a book.

“Oh? Isn’t that… the Principles of a Philosopher?”

At his words, Lala and Tzar also turned to look at Patty.

Holding the spoon in her mouth, Patty tilted her head.

“Kid, you went to the Pochisley Agency, didn’t you?”

Patty nodded silently.

Bruce clapped his hands together in front of her.

“Heh, sorry for asking that all of a sudden — seeing the book got me a bit nostalgic, that’s all. Mind if I take a look?”

Having no reason to refuse, Patty put down her spoon and handed the ‘Principles of a Philosopher’ to Bruce. He flipped through the pages and chuckled.

“If he’d used just the name ‘Asley,’ it might’ve sold a bit better… Hahaha.”

The author’s name in the Principles of a Philosopher was listed as ‘The Grand Philosopher’.

“I mean, isn’t it weird? A pen name like ‘The Grand Philosopher’… Heh.”

Patty, not quite getting what Bruce was talking about, just tilted her head in confusion.

Bruce chuckled again, then turned his gaze back to the book.

“Let’s see what we got here… From ‘Chapter 010 – Beilanea’: ‘Humans tend to easily forget past acts they want forgotten’… ‘Chapter 017 – The Fun Life of Bullying Shenanigans’: ‘Humans tend to let their guard down in critical moments, for they are shallow in immediate assessments’… ‘Chapter 022 – The Fool’s Secrets’: ‘Gumans are creatures that prefer to shift the blame to others’… Man, these REALLY are from the time Asley saw himself as non-human! Hahaha!”

“”What, have you never actually read it?””

“Eh, I’ve got a thousand copies at home, so I figured I’d get around to it eventually, you know?”

Tzar sighed deeply at Bruce’s troubled expression.

“”It is the same here at Lala Farm — all seven locations. That makes a total of 7,000 copies.””

“We’ve got a copy right here, too!” Lala added, pointing to a jar in the kitchen.

“Hahaha! It DOES make a good pickle jar weight!”

“I DO read it… sometimes! I like Blazer’s quotes!”

“Oh yeah? Let’s see what we got… From ‘Chapter 025 – The Labyrinth of No Return’: ‘In many cases, one will form their opinions based on what the concerned parties are displaying. Aspects are picked out, shaved off, or embellished to arrive at a conclusion.’ (Blazer)… Yeah, he used to say that, didn’t he? Typical of him.”

“”The book is not simply a collection of quotes, mind you. It includes proper analyses of monsters and Devilkin as well.””

“Huh, you’re right. Like from ‘Chapter 069 – Power’: ‘When monsters follow Devilkin, they exhibit a noticeable degree of coordinated behavior’… This must be from when he saved Ryan and the others, right?”

“I was there, too!” Lala chimed in.

“”So were We, of course,”” Tzar added with nostalgia in his voice.

Before long, Lala finished cooking and served Bruce his meal.

At the same time, Patty placed her hands together in satisfaction over her empty plate.

“…Oh, sorry for taking your time, kid. You heading out now?”

Patty nodded.

“Well, thanks for the chat — I’ll cover your bill. Use the money you saved to buy yourself something nice, eh? Hahaha!”

Bruce’s offer made Patty look towards Tzar in the kitchen.

In response, Tzar nodded slightly.

“”No need to worry about him. This man eats here because he has a giant stack of free meal tickets to go through. Hmm…?”

Tzar’s gaze changed as he looked at Patty, making her flinch.

Realizing he had frightened her, Tzar quickly regained his composure.

“”Excuse me — We did not mean to scare you. You should visit the Gaston’s Magic Tool Shop in the west district. It has quite a sizeable selection of interesting things. Mention Our name, and they will let you in.””

Patty’s eyes lit up with excitement.

She nodded eagerly, smiled brightly, and bowed to the three of them before leaving.

At the door, she waved to Mister Diarmuid, who saw her off. After watching her small figure disappear, Bruce turned to Tzar and said,

“Hey, how’d you know she’d be interested in magic tools?”

“”…She had special eyes.””

“Her arcane energy is quite powerful too, Sir Instructor.”

Hearing their explanations, Bruce glanced once more at where Patty had disappeared.

“So… Evil Eyes, huh…” Bruce murmured, looking towards the entrance. He then looked back at Tzar, who nodded once.

Bruce proceeded to devour the meal in front of him, thanked them, and left the restaurant.

“Sir Instructor…?”

“”No need to worry — this is just a precaution. It is part of his job, too,”” Tzar said.

With that, Tzar and Lala returned to their work.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

In the western district of the Holy Demon Kingdom, among the many stone-built shops, one stood out — a wooden building radiating its unique atmosphere.

Patty arrived in front of Gaston’s Magic Tool Shop, her heart aflutter with excitement at the magical aura surrounding it. She slowly ascended the three steps to the entrance and reached for the door, only to have it open from the inside.

A voice could be heard along with the sound of the door opening and closing.

“I’ll be on my way now, sir– Hmm?”

A woman emerging from the shop noticed Patty and turned her gaze toward her.

“Oh, a customer? Sorry — the shop is closed today.”

At those words, Patty’s expression immediately fell.

She had been caught off guard, unable to mention Tzar’s introduction.

The woman sensed Patty’s confusion, but that proved to be a non-issue only a moment later. She quickly noticed the ‘Principles of a Philosopher’ book in her hands, just as Bruce had earlier.

“Oh, that’s a… Wait, did Itsuki send you? Itsuki from the Pochisley Agency?”

Patty tilted her head, unfamiliar with the name Itsuki, but she did recall the Pochisley Agency.

The connection made sense — the young woman at Pochisley Agency had recommended the Diarmuid Kitchen to her. Then, in turn, Tzar had recommended Gaston’s Magic Tool Shop. It was not a stretch to say she had been sent here by the Pochisley Agency.

Nodding repeatedly, Patty brought a smile to the woman’s face.

“Hmm, all right then — go on in! You can ask Tifa for help inside. I have to run errands now.”

Patty nodded again, and the woman poked her head back into the shop. She proceeded to shout a message inside,

“We have a guest! Please take good care of her!”

Sending Patty inside, the woman then hurried off toward the central district.

Patty stepped into the shop, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the curious materials on the shelves.

Each item was rare and precious, a fact she appreciated deeply thanks to her upbringing by Melchi and Gaspard.

At some point, Patty felt a strong presence behind her. She turned cautiously, but no one was there. To be precise, no one was in her line of sight.

“What are you looking at? I am right here!”

The voice came from below her.

Patty shifted her gaze downward and saw a Chihuahua with black ears and white fur.

“Hmm… I see Fuyu has already left. She seemed to be unaware that Tifa had returned to Beilanea.”

Patty crouched to get a better look at the Chihuahua, who proceeded to glance back at her with a sly grin.

“BUT since you are a guest of ours, I can’t neglect my duty! This is Gaston’s Magic Tool Shop! And I, Tarawo, the mascot dog, shall guide you! Fwahahaha! Fear not, young lady! I won’t eat you! Enjoy the shop as your blood circulates and your cells divide!”

Grateful for Tarawo’s gesture, Patty nodded happily and ventured further into the shop.

Tarawo trotted alongside her, guiding her diligently despite not looking like a King Wolf.

As they reached the far end of the shop, Patty’s eyes were drawn to a staff mounted on the wall behind the counter. Noticing her interest, Tarawo spoke with satisfaction,

“Fwahahaha! You have a keen eye, young lady! This is the Devil King’s staff! …Like, the real deal! It is called the Star Rod, a mass-produced staff that he used in his early Magic University days. When the Devil King was captured by the guards in Beilanea, they confiscated this staff and sold it off. My Master, Tifa, found it in the market and bought it back. Hmm? I see you have a copy of ‘Principles of a Philosopher’?… Tifa has about a hundred thousand copies at her house. That’s ten times the stock we have been keeping in this shop’s storage! –Ah, which reminds me, young lady! That Principles of a Philosopher mentions me as well! Let me read it to you!”

Although Tarawo’s manner came off as forceful, Patty did not mind the suggestion.

Patty crouched and placed her copy of the Principles of a Philosopher on the floor. In front of her, Tarawo opened the book.

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