Chapter 4 – Butterfly’s Library (3)

Rea​d o​n KatReadingCafe

 

The library was filled with towering ceilings and endless shelves.  

It wasn’t just a space for storing books.  

It felt like another dimension where all human memories, emotions, and history were condensed.  

A faintly glowing golden chandelier bathed the library in a soft golden light, and the floor was covered with hard tiles adorned with intricate patterns that swallowed every footstep. The air was so filled with silence and stillness that even breathing felt heavy.  

I had come down from above to stroll between the shelves as usual, naturally holding a book in my hand.  

The book’s cover was smooth and cool, like aged leather.  

At the same time, butterflies with red wings perched on the tip of my left index finger, slowly fluttering their wings.  

The butterflies didn’t fly.  

They were simply resting on my finger.  

I considered the butterflies more precious than any guest who entered this place, and perhaps sensing this, the butterflies remained silent, as if to comfort me.  

Quietly, yet their presence soothed me.  

To reassure him, I spoke in a relaxed tone to ease his bewildered expression.  

“So, what brings you to the library?”  

The moment I sensed his arrival, I asked softly.  

My voice echoed like a fog slowly descending from the ceiling.  

He hesitated at my question, then bowed his head.  

“There was a war… I thought I had to survive. I saw a huge tower-like structure, and there was a door in front of it, so I ran inside. When I opened the door and entered… I found this library.”  

His voice was calm, but it carried a hint of fear and trembling.  

I listened quietly and nodded slightly.  

His eyes seemed to reflect the tense moments of running to survive.  

*Flutter, flutter~*  

The butterflies flapped their wings once.  

Even the slightest movement was vividly visible to my eyes here.  

“Um, is this really a library?”  

He asked, his face drenched in sweat.  

I didn’t feel pity for him as much as I understood how unfamiliar this environment must be for him.  

After all, I had been just as bewildered when I first arrived.  

“There’s water over there, so drink some and then we can talk. You look exhausted.”  

I quietly turned and pointed to the water dispenser.  

Then, I returned to my librarian’s seat and began reading again.  

“Ah, um…”  

He let out a strained groan and turned his head back.  

Regardless, the butterflies remained still on my fingertip.  

I wasn’t particularly interested in this guest.  

Most visitors here shared their stories, but I had no intention of getting deeply involved.  

The butterflies and books were enough for me…  

“Hoo…”  

Soon, the man approached the water dispenser.  

He took out a paper cup and filled it with water as I had suggested.  

*Drip, drip~!*  

The sound of water filling the cup echoed softly.  

In the vast, quiet space of the library, the sound was loud enough to make him self-conscious, and he glanced back at me several times while holding the cup.  

It seemed as if he was worried about the noise, perhaps thinking I was watching his every move because of it.  

*He must think he needs to be polite in the library.*  

I thought to myself.  

But in truth, I didn’t care about such things at all.  

In fact, I would have welcomed even a little noise.  

This place was so quiet that it felt like even breathing wasn’t allowed, as if under pressure.  

If someone were to speak loudly, even to themselves, it would feel like a gust of wind.  

*Step, step~*  

The man slowly drank the water, his footsteps echoing as he approached me again.  

Then he spoke.  

“I want to find a book. Is there… something here that can help me survive?”  

His question was vague, but it was filled with desperation.  

This library had the ability to read people’s hearts.  

It was as if, over time, I had come to realize that the library possessed such a power.  

In any case, their deepest desires often spilled out like murmurs.  

“Take your time and look around. This place is designed so that everyone can find what they need.”  

I said indifferently, flipping through the pages of my book.  

*Flutter, flutter~!*  

The butterflies flapped their wings a little more vigorously.  

It was as if they were trying to conclude the conversation on my behalf.  

“Understood…”  

The man nodded and walked into the shelves.  

I turned my attention back to the book.  

Here, time lost its meaning.  

The fluttering of butterfly wings felt like the only unit that could measure its passage.  

“The most desperate thing I need… what I need the most…”  

His murmurs echoed from afar.  

I felt his words being absorbed and resonating within the library, and this was how the library responded to people.  

By drawing out their innermost thoughts and guiding them to the answers they sought.  

I was flipping through the pages of the book, and a butterfly flew up to decorate the thick book cover.  

 

*****  

 

“What’s this…? Lo, *Lolita*?”  

A low murmur came from beyond the shelves on the second floor.  

His voice cut through the library’s still air, carrying a mix of curiosity, confusion, and the joy of discovery.  

Time passed.  

For some, it was a fleeting moment; for others, an eternity.  

After about 30 minutes, the man approached my seat, holding back a cheer as if he had found something.  

In his slightly breathless hand was a book.  

“Th-this—”  

“Yes. Take it.”  

My response was calm.  

As if this entire situation had been foreseen.  

I kept my gaze fixed on the book in my hand, feeling the slow fluttering of the butterflies.  

“The fee… um, do you accept… items in exchange?”  

He stammered as he asked.  

I looked up and stared at him.  

His hand went to his waist, and soon he carefully placed a sword on the table.  

“It’s as valuable as cash. It’s a diamond sword. I think… its value as an item should be sufficient…”  

He said proudly.  

I stared at the sword for a moment.  

The blade shimmered like a gemstone, transparent and solid under the light.  

*Is it really made of diamond? Or just a clever imitation?*  

I wasn’t sure, but trusting in the library’s mysterious power to judge, I said,  

“Confirmed.”  

I answered briefly.  

In truth, the authenticity of the sword didn’t matter.  

This library was designed so that anyone could take the knowledge they desired.  

The fee was merely a formality to confirm that they had taken something from here.  

After accepting the sword, I placed it under the table and gestured for him to take the book with a smile.  

He beamed and began to shout loudly.  

“Th-then, I’ll take my leave now! Thank you!!!”  

The man hurried toward the door, clutching the book to his chest.  

I slowly closed my book and watched him go.  

“May that knowledge suit you well…”  

My voice remained calm, and the butterflies fluttered their wings a little more on my fingertip.  

Hearing my words, he slowed his hurried steps and turned his head.  

“Yes!”  

The man answered energetically and disappeared through the door.  

In his place, a heavy silence remained.  

 

[Guest: John Menard]  

[Nationality: United States of Greater America]  

[Borrowed Book: *Lolita*]  

[Author: Vladimir Nabokov]  

[Payment: Diamond Sword]  

 

A moment later, a notification appeared on one of the library’s walls.  

This was the library’s way of recording every guest’s visit, and I glanced at the text before turning my attention back to the sword.  

“Is it really… a diamond sword?”  

I picked up the sword.  

It was heavy but lacked sharpness, an odd weight.  

As I swung it around, the light from the crystal chandelier danced on the blade, and the butterflies, intrigued, flew up to watch from the top of the shelves, the back of the chair, my shoulder, and the desk.  

“No. No. This isn’t important.”  

Snapping out of it, I carelessly placed the sword on the desk and focused on the book again.  

If the notification in front of me, with its blue background and white text, was correct, he had indeed left a diamond sword behind.  

Swinging the sword around didn’t change anything, and it was just a fee, so there was no reason to dwell on it.  

In the first place, I had wondered if money was even necessary in a library where anything was possible, and I had concluded that it wasn’t.  

Soon, the sword turned into white, blue, and golden stardust, flying up into the air and evaporating.  

Unaware of the storm it would bring.