DTBTHS Chapter 5

Ariadne wiped at her eyes where tears had pooled and blurred her vision.

'First, I need to escape from the Duke.'

Escaping by her own power was impossible.

She was only seven years old. Far too young and powerless to break free from the Duke's grasp alone.

Ariadne turned her gaze to the books spread open around her.

'There must be a clue in here somewhere.'

In the original novel, "Ariadne Eldier" was a character already dead before the story began, but the item created using her—"Glaumus"—appeared throughout the novel.

It was an important tool that allowed the protagonist to use spirit magic.

Thanks to that, though the mentions were brief, descriptions related to "Ariadne Eldier" appeared occasionally.

'I need a guardian. Someone who will protect me until I grow up.'

After rummaging for some time, she found useful information.

'The Archmage, Solan Garcia.'

A person not subject to Duke Eldier's authority, who was also her maternal grandfather by blood.

'In the original, the Archmage met me exactly once.'

He came to Eldier after hearing belatedly of Gloria's death. And for the first time, he saw his granddaughter's face.

A granddaughter who resembled his dead daughter not at all.

The moment the Archmage saw Ariadne, he was displeased, and left immediately, never seeking her out again.

'I have to seize this opportunity.'

Even if he was a grandfather who didn't consider her his granddaughter—who couldn't stand the sight of her—he would be better than Duke Franz Eldier. At minimum.

'Besides, I have plenty of things to bargain with the Archmage.'

There was much useful information, but the most valuable was the Elixir.

For an Archmage—no, for anyone in this world—it was an item impossible to ignore.

This world was slowly dying from the Taint that originated in the demon realm.

In such circumstances, the Elixir—a potion that could cure the Taint—was irreplaceably important.

Once the Elixir's development was complete, Duke Eldier would become an untouchable power.

However, without Ariadne as his special experimental subject, the Duke could not perfect the Elixir.

'The formula is all described in the novel, so if I have the ingredients, I can make Elixir. The Duke can't make it without me.'

The ingredients for the Elixir were things an Archmage could obtain easily enough.

'I'll trade with the Archmage on the condition that I make Elixir for him.'

To do that, she first needed to create a situation where she could speak with the Archmage alone.

That would be difficult, but persuading the Archmage would be even harder.

Whatever she said would sound like a child's nonsense.

'The Archmage won't rescue me immediately anyway. For now, my goal is just to catch his attention somehow.'

It was close to gambling. Still, she could see a path to survival.

'First, I'll catch his attention by showing that I don't like the Duke... then when we're alone, I'll show him me curing the Taint with Elixir I smuggled out from the study...'

Ariadne began flipping through the novel, formulating a concrete plan.

She was so absorbed that she completely failed to notice someone else appearing in the library.

"Ah!"

Thud—the sound of a thick book falling and rolling, and a small cry of alarm.

Ariadne jerked her head up in surprise and met golden eyes.

"..."

It was a child who looked perhaps five or six years old at most.

White hair like down, and skin as white as the hair.

Dressed in what appeared to be loose fabric wrapped and draped carelessly.

The child was holding books in their arms and placing books back on the shelves with their other hand. They seemed to have accidentally dropped one.

Ariadne realized that most of the books she'd pulled out and stacked haphazardly to make stairs had disappeared.

"Hic."

As she stared blankly, the child hiccuped.

Dozens of question marks filled her mouth.

'Wasn't this my past life's library? This is my dream, isn't it? How can there be another person here? What is that child? Wait, are they seriously organizing the books I pulled out right now?'

"Who are you? How did you get in here?"

When she asked sharply, the child went pale and hugged the books while tearing up.

"Hiiing..."

Eyes brimming with tears, trembling in fear like a young rabbit. Ariadne waved her hands in confusion.

"Look, I'm not angry. Don't cry. I just want to know who you are."

She spoke as gently as possible. It seemed to work—the child sniffled and glanced at her cautiously. She deliberately smiled.

"I'm Ariadne. What's your name?"

The child tilted their head, eyes still brimming with tears, then mimicked her pronunciation.

"Want, to know. Ariadne. Na—me...?"

"Hm?"

"Name. Name?"

Just as she was about to respond, her vision went dark as if the lights had been switched off.

Her eyes snapped open.

Ariadne was lying on the bed in the corner of the study.

When she lost consciousness during special lessons, the Duke would lay her on this bed.

"Ugh!"

The moment she regained consciousness, pain and heat engulfed her entire body.

The aftereffects of the experiment. Even though she experienced this pain every time, she never grew accustomed to it.

"Hhh..."

She let out a moan mixed with sobs as she clutched the blanket.

'It didn't hurt in the dream.'

The dream of the library with golden bookshelves. It had been a dream, but in another sense, it was real.

The fact that she still remembered her past life was the most certain proof.

'It hurts. I'm suffering...'

She unconsciously looked to the side. There was no one around.

Franz Eldier had never once stayed by his daughter's side or nursed her.

Ariadne always woke alone in pain.

"Uh, ah, Mama, Mama..."

The pain was so severe that tears came automatically. She found herself calling for her mother without thinking.

Even knowing her mother was gone now.

The morning glories withering and falling beyond the closed window. The vines crawling toward her. The traces of her mother desperately trying to save her.

Never to be seen again. Realized too late, already lost.

"Mama, Mama, Mama..."

Ariadne buried her feverish forehead in the pillow damp with tears and sweat, weeping silently.

Several months after the day she understood everything, the Archmage visited Eldier.

Ariadne waited outside the drawing room, lavishly dressed.

Soon the Duke would summon her. Before the Archmage.

'I just need to follow the plan. It's not difficult.'

She had prepared multiple plans. Any of them was easier than the special lessons.

She remembered the fear that climbed up her toes like ants every time she stood before the massive iron door of the study.

Ironically, that fear became her strength. Because anything was better than that.

After realizing the truth, enduring became harder than when she'd known nothing and trusted her father.

'I might have gone mad without the Phantom Library.'

At least she'd managed to survive by learning how to escape into the library in her dreams.

It didn't hurt inside her past life's library. Whenever the experiment's pain became unbearable, she would close her eyes and hide there.

Though her body had no choice, her consciousness could flee to those golden bookshelves anytime.

She'd decided to call that place the Phantom Library, together with "Pie."

Pie was the name of the white-haired child she'd encountered.

That name, like the Phantom Library itself, was something she and the child had decided together.

The child existed within her library without knowing who they were or what their name was.

At first, they couldn't even speak. Their learning speed was inhumanly fast, so communication became possible fairly quickly, though.

She didn't know their identity well, but they definitely weren't human.

'They don't eat anything and just stay in there continuously. They don't seem to need sleep either.'

Ariadne was currently speculating that the child was something like a spirit of the Phantom Library. A newly-born spirit who didn't even know what they were.

According to this novel's worldview, that was the most reasonable explanation.

After roughly guessing their identity, she'd suggested choosing a name.

For humanoid spirits dwelling in specific places, it was common to name them after the place's title or nickname.

So she'd suggested all kinds of names related to libraries, but the child shook their head at every one.

You don't like spirit-style names? Then what kind of name do you want?

Ariadne. Same, name.

It seemed they preferred a human-sounding name, so after that she recited various human names.

The child tilted their head, seeming unsatisfied with anything, then pointed at an illustration in a fairy tale book they happened to be looking at.

This. Name?

That's a picture of a rabbit baking pie.

Pie. Pie.

The child nodded vigorously, pleased with that pronunciation. And so the child's name became Pie.

Remembering that absurdity, Ariadne let out a soft laugh. These days, the only things that made her laugh were related to Pie.

"Young Lady."

A servant emerging from the drawing room called her curtly.

"His Grace summons you. Mind your behavior, as you'll be before a guest."

It was time. Ariadne took a deep breath and moved forward.

'Let's go. This is the beginning.'

The door opened, and she saw an old man in a dark blue robe sitting across from the Duke.

She grasped her skirt and curtsied.

The Archmage gestured dismissively, and the Duke grabbed her.

Ariadne shook him off and knelt before the Archmage.

"Please take me away, Grandfather!"

From that moment, the progression flowing toward destined ruin began to change.