Chapter 1 – Butterfly’s Library (1)

R̀êàd̃ ̃ön̈ ̈K̃át̀R̀èãd̂ĩǹ​ǵC̈äf̃é

 

I liked butterflies.  

I loved the way they fluttered their delicate wings freely, cutting through the sky.  

I admired their freedom as they danced beautifully and desperately, surrendering their bodies to the wind.  

I also loved books that contained their traces.  

Whenever I discovered a butterfly illustration delicately drawn among heavy tomes or a story about butterflies recorded by someone’s hand, my heart would race.  

Once, I even chased a butterfly and accidentally disturbed a beehive.  

That’s how much I loved butterflies.  

So, I studied them, and I especially sought out books about them.  

It might have been close to obsession, but I adored the leisurely yet desperate freedom of their fluttering wings.  

 

“So, you’re saying I died?”  

“That’s correct.”  

“…I see.”  

I asked with a mix of confusion and resignation, and the reaper before me nodded calmly.  

What kind of being was this? A reaper? Or perhaps a mountain spirit? I couldn’t tell.  

But the being looked at me and said,  

“You died from overwork. To the point where even you didn’t realize it.”  

At those words, memories of the past flashed through my mind.  

The long nights spent studying butterflies, the endless hours flipping through pages of books… and at the end of it all, death was waiting for me, a reality I had forgotten as I pushed forward.  

However, perhaps out of pity, the reaper told me that the gods would grant me one more chance and asked what my wish was.  

Without much thought, I said,  

“Something where I don’t have to chase butterflies anymore, anything. I just… want to know a lot about butterflies.”  

It might have sounded like a careless request, but butterflies were always in my heart.  

And that determined my fate.  

 

*****  

 

“So, I became a librarian.”  

When I opened my eyes, I was standing in a massive tower-shaped library.  

Above me, endless shelves stretched out like clouds, and the books seemed to whisper something between light and shadow.  

Moreover, this place was a mystical space where all stories converged, a place of truth where the boundaries between reality and dreams blurred.  

“My appearance… my hands, my face. My hunchback… it’s gone.”  

I was no longer my former self.  

To the point of feeling a slight despair, I no longer had the appearance of a man.  

Instead, I had become the owner and librarian of the library, dressed in elegant black robes.  

 

*Flutter flutter~*  

I heard the sound of butterflies flying in.  

The sound of an enormous number of butterflies flying in.  

“Hello. What kind of butterflies are you?”  

In response to my curious question, the butterflies simply surrounded me.  

Light began to emanate from my body, and soon the butterflies absorbed that light as they flew around.  

Each with different colors and patterns, their fluttering wings breathed life into the library.  

I extended my index finger to welcome a butterfly.  

“Is this a tiger swallowtail?”  

A butterfly with reddish wings landed on the tip of my finger.  

Its gently fluttering wings soon stilled, standing straight up, and the butterfly comfortably folded its legs and clung to my finger.  

Enchanted by its beauty, I held my breath and watched the butterfly.  

“Fascinating… I’ve never seen this butterfly on Earth. It looks incredibly unique.”  

As the butterflies began to fly around, the light they carried poured down from the library’s ceiling like starlight.  

The butterflies crossing between the books seemed to flow with that light, and the grandeur and mystery of this space made my eyes sparkle in a way that human language could never describe.  

 

I would live eternally among the butterflies and books.  

From my childhood chasing butterflies and disturbing beehives, to my youth recording butterflies, and now as a librarian living with butterflies.  

Everything was connected to butterflies.  

And so, I thought,  

*This must be heaven for me.*  

With a faint smile, I sat in the librarian’s chair, swinging my legs leisurely as I gazed at the library.  

 

*Creak~*  

And then, I heard the sound of the door opening and saw someone enter.  

“…What is this place?”  

Instantly, the unfamiliar man’s voice shattered the serene silence of the glowing library.  

From behind the bookshelves, I slowly revealed myself alongside the butterflies.  

*Flutter flutter.*  

Dozens, hundreds of beautiful butterflies flew at once, creating a harmonious fluttering sound.  

My black robes brushed against the floor as I quietly stepped forward, soon standing before him.  

“Welcome to the Butterfly’s Library.”  

The man’s gaze turned to me.  

At first, he looked slightly puzzled, but then he smiled with a hint of surprise.  

“Uh… a kid?”  

“Similar, but no.”  

I answered with a slight curl of my lips.  

“Ah…”  

At my words, he hesitated for a moment before cautiously asking,  

“Um, so is this really a library…?”  

“That’s correct.”  

I nodded with a gentle smile.  

He then nodded as if he understood everything, or at least pretended to, and sighed, “Ah,” before carefully looking around.  

“No, how come… a place like this exists between the Empire, the United States, and the Holy Kingdom…?”  

“Huh?”  

“Ah, never mind.”  

At his flustered response, I chose to remain silent rather than ask further.  

I didn’t even know why I was here or why the library was in the place he mentioned.  

So, I needed to approach this very carefully.  

This library held all knowledge, but it didn’t explain why it was here.  

Instead, I slowly replied,  

“Why is the library here…? Well, knowledge is equal for everyone.”  

He looked at me with a startled expression.  

Then, his eyes lit up as if he had realized something, and he sighed again before cautiously approaching me.  

“I have a question.”  

“Go ahead.”  

I answered indifferently as a red-winged butterfly flew to my fingertip.  

“Are you… a witch?”  

I tilted my head.  

“…A, a witch?”  

When the same question came again, I returned the question instead of answering.  

“What if I am?”  

“Well…”  

He paused for a moment, then answered hesitantly,  

“No, it’s just… I’m curious. I thought witches had already… disappeared. I’ve only heard about them in rumors. Hmm…”  

I listened to his words in silence.  

Since I didn’t know the history or context of this world, I didn’t feel the need to react.  

But he seemed to think his question was impolite and bowed his head in apology.  

“S, sorry. I brought up unnecessary memories.”  

For some reason, when he apologized, I shrugged my shoulders.  

“It’s fine.”  

I answered briefly.  

“It’s natural to be curious.”  

Soon, he looked around again and said,  

“Can I look around the library?”  

“Of course. Knowledge is open to everyone.”  

He smiled brightly and headed toward the wooden staircase leading to the second floor.  

The creaking of the stairs cut through the library’s silence, but as he reached the second floor, even that sound disappeared.  

The library was once again engulfed in silence.  

 

“What’s this?”  

His mutter echoed through the library space.  

To see what book he had picked up, I moved slowly but very quietly.  

The book in his hand was a thick, old tome titled *The Communist Manifesto.*  

He read it briefly and, seemingly liking it, came back down the stairs with the book and asked me,  

“Can I borrow this book? For payment… I’ll give you these gold coins.”  

He took out five gold coins from his pocket.  

Whether they were real gold or not, the coins jingled and shone in his hand.  

I smiled and said,  

“Just leave them here.”  

He placed the coins on the table.  

“Oops.”  

*Clink!*  

As he dropped one coin, the clear sound of metal hitting the table echoed through the library.  

“…Payment confirmed. You may go.”  

“Really?”  

“Yes.”  

As he awkwardly held the book and prepared to leave, for some reason, I instinctively watched his retreating figure and said,  

“May that knowledge be useful to you.”  

He held the book to his chest, turned around, and bowed his head.  

“Th, thank you.”  

Then, he opened the door and left the library.  

 

After the man left, I looked around the library alone.  

I watched the butterflies quietly fluttering between the shelves, and since this place provided everything for me, I also provided nectar for the butterflies.  

There was even a dining area where I could eat whatever I wanted.  

However, modern conveniences like computers were absent.  

Not that I minded.  

The books contained enough knowledge.  

And suddenly, transparent letters appeared in the air.  

 

=====  

[Guest: Wilhelm von Albert]  

[Nationality: Hanseatic Empire]  

[Borrowed Book: *The Communist Manifesto*]  

[Authors: Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels]  

[Payment: Gold Coins]  

=====  

 

I whispered as I looked at the letters in the air.  

“Com, communist… Hmm. Sounds familiar…”  

But I didn’t think too deeply about it.  

I was merely the librarian of this library, and at the same time, the caretaker of butterflies and books, staying here.  

Slowly, eternally, as I was now.  

*It’s probably not important,* I muttered to myself as I reached out to the butterflies again.