Volume 1 Chapter 59, Part 2 Mean Villainess, Devouring Books
"I'm sorry, Elena."
"I think I should apologize to Rolus, not to you."
"Yeah, that's right."
My mind was a mess when the carriage stopped.
It seemed we had arrived at the Royal Central Library.
I wondered if I could absorb any knowledge in this state.
While thinking that, as I got out of the carriage, another shock hit me.
It was my first time here, yet I felt like I had seen this building before.
Just once, but the impact was strong enough for me to remember.
After all, I saw this place in that dream where I witnessed the flow from my death to the funeral.
After seeing the gaming fanatic crying at the funeral, the scene suddenly shifted to when my past life was here.
My past self strode confidently into this building.
"Come on, Elena."
"Yes."
Using the temporary admission permit my father sent with a letter, I smoothly entered the hall.
In the dream, this place was completely empty, but in reality, it was filled with people.
However, despite the crowd, it was very quiet.
Only the sound of pages flipping echoed, creating a pleasant atmosphere.
"Elena, I have some work to do, but will you be okay on your own?"
"Yes."
"Okay, see you later."
"Understood."
After parting with Elder Brother, I stood still for a moment.
A feeling to trace my past life's footsteps clashed with a slight fear.
If only Rolus were here.
No, no, no.
I need to go.
Even alone.
My past self walked confidently to the back of this library.
Striding, without hesitation, weaving through the large bookshelves.
"...This is it."
A large bookshelf in the dimmest part of the library.
I sat down in front of it and pulled out a book from the bottom shelf.
I couldn't tell which book it was.
I definitely made eye contact with my past self at that moment.
That's why I couldn't approach her.
And she moved her lips, saying "Do your best."
"Is this it?"
I pulled out a thick book with a leather cover.
I didn't know which book my past self had, but I figured I could find out its general location, and I might understand if I started flipping through it.
'Bingo!'
To my surprise, the contents of the book I picked up were written in Japanese.
Elder Brother would probably think it's a spellbook.
As I thought about that, I opened the first page, and it seemed to be a diary.
This handwriting belongs to that female student I saw the other day.
It describes how she suddenly found herself in an unknown place, being taken around here and there, and being told she couldn't go home.
Words like scared, lonely, tired, and wanting to go home lined the pages, and it was painful to read, but as I continued, it gradually changed.
That female student seems to have fallen in love.
The phrase "the guard" appeared more and more frequently.
Speaking of "the guard," it was the knight who was particularly flustered when the female student took on the curse meant for the 6th king.
He was so flustered that I wondered if they were in love with each other.
However, this diary seems to be written from the perspective of unrequited love.
I wondered how the female student felt seeing that flustered state, but that day was not recorded.
Because after that, she was frozen and died.
It's just that everything feels so pitiful.
When the female student's diary ended, another diary began.
It seems to be written by the reincarnation of the female student.
If we consider the first "I" to be the female student, then this is the second "I."
The second "I" was reincarnated in Japan.
It mentions that due to being summoned to this land once, she reincarnated in Japan while still possessing magical power.
'Upon closer inspection, Japan was overflowing with magic, just that I didn't know how to use it. This place is a treasure trove.'
There's a cheerful line like that.
Apparently, she is trying to break the curse before a thousand years pass.
She believed that if she accumulated magical power surpassing that of the earth god, she could do it.
However, that was not to be.
Because she died of illness before achieving her goal.
It seems magical power couldn't overcome the virus.
The girl who died of illness came to this land in a spiritual form.
And using magic, she fused the diary she wrote with the diary written by the female student.
That is this book.
My soul, which has reincarnated many times, seems to be persistently continuing to write this diary out of obsession.
As I read on for a while, it shifted from a diary to a summary of life.
It seems that around this point, I began to lose the ability to inherit all memories.
Well, if I had inherited all memories, I should have retained the memories of my time as the female student.
'When I was born in Japan, I realized I could interfere with this world to some extent.'
The several versions of me are writing this.
The previous life, which was supposed to be born in Japan, died in an accident without interfering with this world, right?
The earlier version of me was really trying hard.
'If I were born in this world, I would just meet a miserable end.'
'Even if I were born in Japan, I could interfere, but I would still meet a miserable end.'
Wow, it turned into a diary listing all my unfortunate deaths.
It's sad.
Yet, every version of me had a tragically short life.
It's pitiful, even if it's due to a curse.
And there was a common thread in every life.
There was always someone by my side, mourning my death.
Like a knight guarding me during my school days, or a game enthusiast in my previous life.
...Could it be that this knight has been reincarnating by my side all along?
They must have really liked that schoolgirl.
I don't know, though.
"Ah"
'I was listing the foods I wanted to eat in Japanese, and before I knew it, I had starved to death.'
This is that thing; the food that Elder Brother once brought, saying it might be a spell, was written down in a memo.
So it was the previous me who wrote that, huh?
It's too sad.
After reading so many diverse ways to die, I finally reached the last page, unable to feel anything but sorrow.
'I was carelessly immersed in games. My next life was supposed to break the curse, yet I couldn't prepare at all. I wish I could have inherited more memories from my previous life.'
That regret was written down.
It's true!
I really was just playing games!
While I grumble internally, I also feel grateful for something.
Thanks to my love for fantasy, I was able to reach this point.
If I hadn't encountered fantasy in my previous life, I wouldn't have cared about the causes of death of the fifth and 6th kings, nor would I have shown interest in this Royal Central Library.
...Let's just say that's how it is.
To ensure my previous self isn't useless...
For now, I don't know how to break the curse, but I must carry the thoughts of a thousand years of 'me' on my shoulders and fight against this thousand-year curse.
...For now, could you please tell me how to break it?
I thought this as I rummaged through the nearby books.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)