DTBTHS Chapter 24

"Isn't it good to feel less pain?"

"No, it's dangerous. Pain is a warning your body sends. You need to hurt to be careful, but because you don't hurt, it's easy to overexert yourself."

"Ah..."

"When I treated the wound on your arm before, you were calm even without using anesthetic herbs."

"...It didn't really hurt."

"When disinfecting wounds, it's normal to shed a few tears from the pain. This time when you collapsed too—an ordinary person would have already been lying down resting from pain before the nosebleed even started."

I suppose so. Thinking back, it made sense.

Unlike her past life when she'd been terrified even by a paper cut, in this life she endured far worse pain fairly well.

'And when it hurt too much, I even ran away to the Phantom Library... I wonder if that's also somewhat related.'

She could guess the cause of her abnormal pain perception. Something must have broken during the experiments.

'This is fortunate. Considering what I have to do going forward, dulled pain perception is honestly a blessing.'

When Ariadne nodded, Zailyn sighed deeply.

"You feel less pain, Miss. Everyone will be careful, but please keep this fact in mind yourself and always pay attention to your physical condition."

"Yes, I'll do that."

"Still, things should be easier from now on. You won't fall seriously ill like this again. Most of the aftereffects have disappeared thanks to the divine power."

"Then can I walk around freely now?"

"Of course."

"Can I run too?"

"You can run as much as you like."

It was good news. When Ariadne's expression brightened, Zailyn looked at her with pitying eyes.

After the physician left, only the Countess and Ariadne remained.

The Countess spoke.

"I was truly shocked when you suddenly collapsed. Do you know how worried I was?"

"I'm sorry."

"How do you feel?"

"Extremely light."

It was divine power she'd only read about in text, but experiencing it directly was remarkable. Rather than feeling like she'd woken from illness, it felt like she'd slept well and woken up pleasantly.

Ariadne bowed politely.

"Thank you for calling the priest, Aunt."

"It's something I had to do, nothing more. I'm so relieved you've recovered. Now all that's left is for you to become healthy."

The Countess gently brushed back Ariadne's fallen hair and continued.

"By the way, that Erich boy... He says he's reflected, but he's so immature. That boy might pick a fight with you again, and like last time, bad people might sneak in..."

The Countess trailed off and commanded toward the door, "Come in."

Then Veronica entered and saluted.

"Veronica Brante, reporting."

"For various reasons, to make it easier and safer for you to move around, I've decided to assign you a guard knight."

Ariadne's eyes widened.

Unlike their blood-soaked first meeting, the cleaned-up Veronica had the impression of a sleepy cat.

'I didn't expect Veronica to appear here. And as my guard knight, no less.'

"My guard knight?"

"Yes. She may look young, but her skills are solid. Nika, if Erich is rude to Ariadne, you know what to do?"

"I won't... cause injuries."

"Good. As long as no bones are broken, don't hold back and hit him."

"Yees, Commander."

She answered slowly, but somehow seemed excited about it. The Countess smiled knowingly and sent Veronica out.

Ariadne asked what had been bothering her.

"Um, did the Young Count—did Brother Erich get in trouble because I collapsed?"

"..."

The Countess stroked her chin as if troubled. Ariadne hastily added.

"It wasn't because of Brother Erich. Rather, he helped me."

"He said you would say that."

"Pardon?"

"Erich confessed honestly about everything he said to you. He said he thinks you collapsing was his fault after all."

That was unexpected. He hadn't seemed like that type of person.

She was briefly speechless, then quickly explained again.

"But it really wasn't. I collapsed because I stayed in my workshop for a long time and then walked all the way to the garden."

"That may be the main reason, but you can't say it's completely not that boy's fault. Isn't that right?"

"No, it's not at all. We just talked."

Ariadne firmly denied it. The Countess tilted her head.

"Well, if he's reflecting on his own, we should let him reflect. It's a rare occurrence."

The Countess said this and laughed quietly.

Ariadne quickly recovered from her sickbed. Her physical condition was worlds apart from before the priest came.

'As expected, a priest is essential for conquering the Great Labyrinth. I should make the priest I recruit as a companion someone with the most outstanding divine power. To recruit that person, I'll need to invest quite a bit in the temple...'

As soon as she recovered, the first thing she did was go to the workshop.

'It's safe.'

The Elixir sat quietly in the pot. She divided it into glass bottles.

Because she'd made a small amount fearing failure, even dividing it into single-sip portions yielded only six bottles.

The first completed Elixirs.

She looked at the small glass bottles with satisfaction, then counted them one by one with her fingers.

'I should give one each to Grandfather, Uncle, and Aunt.'

That left three. After brief consideration, she classified one as Erich's portion.

'Two left. Let's give one to Veronica too. It might help somehow.'

She still didn't know when and how Veronica dies in the original story.

The Phantom Library didn't have a search function, and the original work's volume was so vast that finding the information she wanted took time.

'There might be no related information at all.'

So she'd asked Pie to search together. In return, she'd promised to bring lots of cookies.

'Should I give the last one to Pie then?'

The Phantom Library seemed far removed from the threat of contamination, but it would still be good to have it just in case.

'Though if Pie is truly a spirit, the potion would be useless...'

Spirits aren't affected by contamination. Naturally, they don't need Elixir either.

What's affected by contamination isn't the spirits, but the nature the spirits dwell within.

Spirits are immortal as long as the nature they dwell in is maintained, but when that nature disappears, they can't endure and vanish.

When a river dries up, all the spirits born from that river perish. That is a spirit's death.

Therefore, whenever labyrinths form and contamination spreads, many spirits die. No matter how powerful a spirit, there are no exceptions.

This is why spirit beasts actively form contracts with humans, and even haughty high-rank spirits search for spirit mages capable of sustaining them.

'Even if spirits don't need it... since it's the first one I made, I want to give one to Pie too.'

Ariadne attached ribbons with names written on them to each Elixir bottle.

Looking at them lined up made her feel excited. Being able to give gifts to someone was a happy thing.

She first took Pie's Elixir bottle and leaned back in the workshop's armchair.

She intended to give Pie the gift first, while also asking about being called into the Phantom Library last time.

She closed her eyes and called the name.

"Pie."

When she opened her eyes, it was the familiar Phantom Library. However, there was one difference from usual.

"...Pie?"

The white-haired child who would exclaim 'I've been waiting!' and hug her tightly whenever she entered was nowhere to be seen.

"Pie? I'm here."

Ariadne searched the study in confusion.

Previously it had been a room with only golden bookshelves, but after learning she could bring things in, there were items she'd occasionally brought, so it wasn't completely bare.

Still, it was just an obvious study space. There weren't really any hiding places. She even searched under the blanket, but Pie was nowhere to be seen.

The child who had always been here had disappeared, and she felt a sudden fear.

"Pie! Pie! Where are you?"

Could she have vanished just as suddenly as she'd appeared? She looked around frantically.

"Ariadne!"

"Pie! Where were you—"

Ariadne's words trailed off as she responded happily to the suddenly heard familiar voice.

"Ariadne! Look, look! Ariadne's request! Discovery! Great discovery! Found it!"

Pie excitedly waved what she was holding.

The child's upper body protruded halfway through a glass wall. Her lower body was beyond her study, in another room.

Ariadne's eyes widened.

"Pie, you—"

"Here! Here! What Ariadne was looking for! Commission, search item! Trophy!"

Pie, who had completely passed through the glass wall and run over, held out a leather-bound book to her.

Instead of taking it, she approached the glass wall that Pie had penetrated as if it weren't there.

She stretched out her arm. She could only feel the cold texture of glass—she couldn't pass through. Same as before.

But that child just came through this?

"...Pie, can you go to other studies too?"

"Other studies? Other rooms? Other memories?"

Pie, who had tilted her head, crossed the glass wall in front of her. The moment she touched it, the child's body glowed faintly and passed through the glass like a ghost.

Pie moved her mouth saying something beyond the wall. When nothing could be heard and Ariadne pointed to her ear and shook her head, Pie came back.

"Ariadne, impossible?"

"Yes, I can't. You could cross the wall?"

The head smaller than hers nodded vigorously. Good heavens. Ariadne's voice involuntarily rose.

"Why didn't you tell me this before!"

"Ariadne, didn't ask. Cause, no question. Result, no answer. But scolded? Angry? Fury? Must be reprimanded?"

Pie looked up with a tearful face. She sighed and shook her head.

"No... I'm not angry. Right, I didn't ask... I see, Pie can call me in and also go to other rooms..."

She'd never imagined she could go to rooms other than her past life's study. Ariadne barely composed herself from the shock, then asked.

"Are the other rooms in the Phantom Library also someone's study like this one?"