Wizard starting from shoeing donkeys

"Baron Reine, Lord Hamilton, welcome to Usman Manor. Miss Naya is already waiting for you in the drawing room, please follow me," Knight Lawrence said politely, inclining slightly before leading the way.

"Knight Lawrence, thank you for the trouble," they replied.

As to why the Usman family had Miss Naya receive them,

Reine had just learned on the way from Hamilton that Viscount Usman had recently rushed to the provincial capital of Mingster to visit a master potion maker, apparently to request the production of a special potion to alleviate Naya's symptoms.

When Reine and Hamilton entered the manor's drawing room, they saw Miss Naya at first glance.

She was dressed in a light green silk waistcoat, with fair skin, a beautiful face, and a graceful figure, not lacking at all where it mattered.

Additionally, perhaps due to her magician bloodline, her brown eyes were deep and exuded a strange charm that made one feel a sense of affinity at first sight.

"Baron Reine, your performance in the bloody duel was impressive," she said.

"Lord Hamilton, it's a pleasure to see you again," she added.
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"Please take a seat," Naya's crisp voice rang out as she curtsied to both men.

"Miss Naya, thank you for your compliment," Reine replied with a slight bow and a smile.

...

After an exchange of pleasantries, Hamilton stood up with a smile and said, "Miss Naya, the rest of the matter should be discussed between you and Baron Reine, I will go out and tour the manor."

Knight Lawrence also smiled and added, "I will accompany Lord Hamilton."

As they watched the two leave the drawing room, Naya turned to Reine and said,

"Baron Reine, I assume Lord Hamilton has already informed you about my situation. So, please forgive my impertinence, but what would the Usman family need to offer in exchange for your assistance?"

Reine had already considered this question beforehand. Considering Hamilton as the intermediary, and his wish to forge good relations with this magician family, he didn't plan to make exorbitant demands.

However, there was one thing he needed to clarify. "Miss Naya, there is one thing I would like to know first," Reine inquired.

"If the two of us enter the dream realm and still cannot defeat the monster you speak of, can we return safely?"

"Of course, this is not because I lack confidence, but merely to understand. I hope Miss Naya doesn't mind."

Naya smiled and said, "Of course not, even if you didn't ask, I would have informed you before we officially enter the dream realm."

She could tell from Reine's every word that the most suitable candidate from Meister County—Baron Reine—didn't seem opposed to helping her slay monsters in the dream realm.

Of course, to her, this was a good thing; she wouldn't need to spend effort convincing him.

"Even if we are defeated, I still have the power to bring you, Lord Reine, back safely to the real world," Naya stated confidently.

Reine nodded at this.

"Good, that puts my mind at ease."

"The second question is about that... the monster in the dream realm. How strong is it? Lord Hamilton wasn't clear on this, so I hope Miss Naya can provide a detailed description," he requested.

"That... the adversary isn't really one specific monster but rather, in a certain area of the dream realm, there are many monsters of varied strength that appear."

"Of course, for me, if I wish to break this nightmare, it's crucial to defeat the source of it, a monster with the strength of a Peak Knight," she explained.

"Well... to put it precisely, every time it appears in my nightmares, it becomes slightly stronger than the last. The last time, it already possessed the strength of a Peak Knight. Perhaps this time, it may possess the strength of an early Great Knight."

"However, Baron Reine, with the strength you displayed in the bloody duel, plus my assistance, I believe that even if it has the strength of an early Great Knight, we have a good chance of victory," Naya said with added confidence, as if to allay Reine's potential refusal.

Reine nodded, sensing that Naya was likely not lying.

After a short contemplation, Reine remarked, "It sounds manageable. By the way, if we successfully help Miss Naya with the problem, I would like to have a look at the Usman family library, if that's alright?"

With that, Reine finally made his condition known.

"Visit the library?" Naya's eyes widened in surprise, her mouth agape.

She had anticipated some demands Reine might make, like a fine weapon, a top-level set of Knight Armor, a favored Extraordinary Battle Technique, or some cherished Sorcery Scrolls from her family's collection, among other possibilities.

But she had never expected Reine to make such a request.

It was truly surprising!

Seeing Naya's delayed response, Reine furrowed his brows and asked, "Miss Naya, is there a difficulty?"

"Please be assured, I do not intend to inspect the secretive records of your family, but merely to find some knowledge that is beneficial for me," he clarified.

Naya then recovered, smiled, and said, "Baron Reine, please forgive my lapse just now; it's because I truly didn't expect your request to be so simple."

"If it does not involve the Usman family's secrets, I think there should be no problem with your request to browse our family's library. I can agree to it right now," she assured.