Chapter 24 – The Outside World (3)

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“That, that person…!”  

Shuji pointed at the man who had barged through the door.  

“Well, well! What a fascinating place! I didn’t believe it, but it turns out everything that artist said was true!”  

A burly, muscular man with a massive sword as tall as himself laughed heartily.  

“So this is the library I’ve heard about!”  

“…To be precise, this is the Butterfly Library. I am the librarian and curator, a witch.”  

“A witch! Hah! I was taught they were all wiped out during the Unification War! To think I’d see a living witch in my lifetime! I must’ve used up all my luck!”  

“Sigh…”  

He didn’t seem like a good person.  

Through the butterflies, I had confirmed his identity. From the memories extracted from Sirius’s brain, I knew he was from the outskirts—a piece of information that clearly set him apart.  

The outskirts were a controllable region, but unlike the central district, they weren’t particularly loved by the United States.  

Perhaps that’s why strange people like him were so common there.  

“Guest, what brings you here?”  

I spoke in a soft, polite tone, maintaining a courteous posture.  

“Books! I heard those books are something else! The book’s name… I think it was called *Lolita*. I was told to ask if I could keep it permanently!”  

“I see.”  

I closed my eyes and smiled.  

Then, with a sigh, I flicked my right finger.  

*Snap—!*  

Instantly, a sword appeared in Shuji’s hand, and Yu Hae was handed a weapon.  

“…Uh, ma’am?”  

Shuji looked at me in confusion.  

Yu Hae, who seemed to have grasped the situation, glared at the giant man by the door with murderous intent.  

“Books have the right to be provided to everyone equally. Knowledge is equal for all, so permanent ownership is impossible. Guest.”  

“Is that so!”  

*Whoosh—!*  

At that moment, he hurled his massive sword straight at me.  

*Crash—!*  

*Clang!*  

Yu Hae deflected the sword flying toward my face with his own blade.  

“…That artist told me to deliver this message: ‘If I can’t have it, I’ll just take it.’ That artist explained the library so easily. To think he’d entrust such an easy task after receiving such a large sum. Keh keh keh!”  

He laughed confidently, stretching his hand toward the sword he had thrown.  

*Whoosh—!*  

*Thud—!*  

The sword instantly returned to his hand.  

He gripped the hilt tightly with his right hand, grinding his teeth.  

“But I’m a bit annoyed that you dared to block my sword. I was hoping to leave a scar on that pretty face of yours. What a shame.”  

“I see you have such tastes, Guest. For someone like you, I’d recommend a novel called *Extreme Sea*.”  

“Cut the crap. Books are too complicated. I’m just here to take that book because I was paid to.”  

His goal was clear, his reasoning a bit disgusting, but still simple and straightforward.  

I liked that.  

If I extracted his brain and fed it to the butterflies, the library would not only grow stronger but also gain new knowledge.  

“Uh, uh…”  

At that moment, Shuji, still disoriented, looked down at the weapon in her hand in confusion.  

Just a moment ago, she had been holding nothing, but now her palm gripped a cold, heavy blade.  

The hilt was smooth, and the blade was viciously sharp.  

It felt as if it demanded flesh, sending a tingling sensation through her fingertips just from holding it.  

“Ma’am, what is this…?”  

She reflexively shook her hand as if trying to shake it off, but the sword remained firmly in her grip.  

It felt as if it had always been hers.  

“As I mentioned, Shuji, you now belong to the library. That means you cannot be free until the library achieves its desired outcome.”  

“W-what does that mean!!!”  

“It means combat. I’m used to it, but it seems you’re having a bit of trouble, huh?”  

Yu Hae teased Shuji, glaring at her. Shuji flinched and stared at the sword tightly wrapped around her hand.  

It felt as if it wasn’t just her hand but something deeper—connected to her very soul.  

A clash of instinctive rejection and an inexplicable sense of kinship overwhelmed her, pressing down on her mind.  

I could feel it.  

The library was pressuring Shuji.  

But before I could question it further, the man in front of us spoke as if waiting.  

“Hey. When are you coming in?”  

The man gestured dismissively toward the two of them.  

His massive frame, bulging muscles—his skin was covered in deep scars and marks that spoke of years of battle.  

‘Though I don’t understand why he’s shirtless.’  

Did he really want to show off his body that badly?  

Well, it’s not like I cared, but his perfectly sculpted body, devoid of any unnecessary fat, was undeniably impressive.  

However, what was more unsettling was his gaze.  

There was no pure malice in his eyes.  

No hatred, no emotion—just a single instinct.  

A gaze that desired only combat, with money being nothing more than a necessity for survival.  

His true goal wasn’t to survive but simply to fight for the sake of fighting.  

“Do you really have time to be so relaxed?”  

The moment his words fell, the ground split apart.  

No, he tore the ground apart.  

The giant man, dragging his massive sword, suddenly crouched and leaped forward with explosive force.  

*Crash—!*  

Instantly, cracks spread beneath his feet.  

The floor caved in, and fragments flew into the air.  

The library had deliberately created this phenomenon.  

“Ahhh!!! I’m gonna die!!! Ahhh!!!”  

“Stop overreacting! If you want to live, you have to fight to survive!”  

“Oh no, I’m dead!!!”  

Shuji instinctively moved her body.  

The sudden recoil nearly threw her off balance, but she managed to steady herself just before the ground shook violently, causing her to lose her footing and tumble.  

“Ahhh!!!”  

“Damn it!”  

While the two were in disarray, their opponent didn’t miss their movements.  

‘Hmm. He’s like a giant.’  

At least, that’s how it seemed to me.  

It was clear he was trying to overwhelm them with sheer force.  

Though he looked more like a beast born for combat than a human, his gaze was eerily clear.  

There was no madness.  

No hatred.  

Only pure combat.  

“Damn it. He’s more troublesome than those bastards!”  

Seeing the man pause briefly to prepare, Yu Hae gripped his sword and stepped forward.  

It was an instinctive decision.  

And of course, there was no way the man wouldn’t block Yu Hae’s attack.  

*Crash—!*  

“Ahhh!!!”  

*Bang—!*  

In an instant, Yu Hae was sent flying backward, struck not by the blade but by the flat side of the sword.  

“Uh, uh…?”  

Momentarily panicked, Shuji quickly assumed a defensive stance and raised her sword.  

“Pfft! What are you gonna do with that tiny sword?”  

The man mocked her, moving even faster.  

His massive sword sliced through the air as it came down.  

*Crash—!*  

“Damn it!!!”  

Yu Hae quickly stepped in front of Shuji, raising his sword to block the greatsword.  

A barrage of curses mixed with the clashing of swords, echoing throughout the library.  

The impact of the attack reverberated through both of their bodies.  

“Ugh!?”  

“Keh hahaha!”  

Yu Hae flinched as his arm went numb.  

It was sheer brute force, devoid of any technique or finesse—just pure destructive power.  

But his sword didn’t stop there.  

“Think you can handle this too?”  

“Wh-what the hell!?”  

*Crack—!*  

The tip of his sword shattered the ground, causing it to tremble.  

“Shuji! Fall back!”  

“Y-yes!”  

At Yu Hae’s words, Shuji quickly retreated, and Yu Hae followed suit.  

*Crash—!*  

The sword, filled with power, slammed into the ground.  

“I see.”  

It wasn’t just brute strength—his speed was unexpectedly fast.  

“Think you can handle this one too!?”  

This time, he swung sideways.  

*Whoosh—!*  

It wasn’t a simple slash.  

It was a monstrous strike that seemed to tear through space itself.  

Yu Hae barely dodged by crouching, but Shuji, unable to fully evade, was slightly grazed.  

“Ugh!?”  

“Ah!”  

Even the wind grazing her cheek left a sharp cut.  

She began to touch her cheek, feeling the stinging pain.  

“It’s not over yet!!!”  

A savage roar echoed through the library.  

 

*****  

 

Sparks flew every time steel clashed against steel.  

The shockwaves were so powerful that the surrounding air trembled, the floor cracked, and the walls crumbled.  

The movements of the two combatants grew increasingly frantic, nearing madness.  

 

“Ahhh!!!”  

“If you falter, you die!”  

A single misstep meant death.  

A moment of hesitation meant being cut down.  

This fear only made them more desperate.  

Yet, the man’s expression was filled with satisfaction.  

‘He’s enjoying the fight itself…’  

His type was slightly more challenging, which made him even more intriguing.  

If the butterflies consumed him, what kind of knowledge would they gain?  

Aren’t you curious?  

Look at those eyes!  

He’s reveling in the thrill of being alive!  

How do you defeat someone like that, filled with excitement and ecstasy?  

It wasn’t the cruel pleasure of destroying an opponent but a pure reverence for combat itself.  

“Th-this can’t be real!!!”  

In the end, Shuji despaired, realizing she was no match for him.  

While Yu Hae and the man clashed fiercely, Shuji was still clutching her sword, unsure how to use it.  

‘Ah, I can feel it.’  

I could sense his emotions, now bound to the library.  

「Heavy.」  

「Sticky.」  

「Exhausting.」  

Every time his sword clashed with Yu Hae, I could feel exactly what Yu Hae was feeling.  

“Combat, you see,” the man said.  

The trajectory of his sword swung like a butterfly, beautiful and chaotic.  

Then, he slowly stepped forward.  

And in an instant, he disappeared.  

“Wh-what!?”  

“Huh!?”  

He wasn’t gone.  

They just couldn’t keep up with his movements.  

I raised my right hand.  

“Hah—!”  

The moment he appeared in front of me,  

*Slap—!*  

“Ugh!?”  

I slapped his left cheek.  

The sound of flesh hitting flesh echoed, and with the full force of the library’s power behind my slap, his left cheek instantly swelled, and he lost several teeth.  

*Thud—!*  

The man, now furious, began swinging his sword wildly at me.  

“You damn witch!!! Who do you think you are!?”  

*Whoosh—!*  

I dodged the sword aimed at my head by moving slightly to the left.  

At the same time, I looked at him with pity and disdain.  

“Guest, you’ve forgotten the most important thing.”  

“Ahhh!!!”  

*Clang—!*  

Instead of the floor being shattered by his sword, it deflected the blade.  

“Wh-what is it!?”  

“Guest, since you don’t know what kind of gentleman the library is, as the curator and librarian, I’ll show you the gentlemanly side of the Butterfly Library.”  

“Stop spouting nonsense!!!!”  

The man, enraged, swung his sword sideways as if seeking revenge for the slap.  

*Crash—!*  

I instantly caught the sword mid-swing with my right hand.  

“Huh!?”  

Despite the blade being dangerously close to my palm, I showed no fear of being cut or stabbed. The sword was firmly in my grasp.  

“Th-this can’t be…”  

“The library is hungry, you are suffering, and the library is thirsty.”  

“I don’t care about your damn gentlemanly crap!!!”  

He let go of the sword’s hilt and swung his right fist at my face.  

*Flutter—*  

At that moment, a red-winged butterfly flew at incredible speed, throwing itself at the fist flying toward my face.  

And it exploded.  

*Pop—!*  

The butterfly scattered the red liquid it had stored in its wings.  

“Ah, ahhh!!! Ahhh!!!”  

Instantly, the man’s right hand began to melt.  

Soon, his arm, shoulder, body, and finally his head dissolved into an incredibly thin liquid.  

It didn’t take long for him to completely liquefy.  

And I, standing motionless and expressionless, watched him with a pitiful gaze, wiping the liquid off my face as it splattered.  

“N-no, I… Ah, ahhh!!! Mom!!! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!!! Ugh!!! Ahhh!!!”  

The man dissolved into water, despairing.  

The butterflies flew over to consume the liquid, and the library quenched its thirst.  

[Will you announce the library?]  

“……”  

The message appeared before my eyes.  

“Do it.”  

 

=====  

[The library has been announced!]  

[Deceased—Out]  (translater note: Out is in fact his name..)

[The library has quenched its thirst!]  

=====  

That day, the world learned that the library had quenched its thirst.