The Newest Library Patron
In a small and sparsely furnished, yet oddly cozy bedroom of the local church, a priest who answers to the name Yoji Ryoshi lightly groans as he rises from bed. Beyond his window lies the gentle scenery of a local park where small birds dance about under the day's first rays of sunlight and dew drips from the leaves of the church's flower garden. Placing a hand upon his nightstand for leverage, he rises to his feet... and yet he feels something off- the texture of his nightstand. Looking down, he sees a small black and white card, around the size of a credit card. Upon further observation, it appears to be a library card featuring a silhouette with a witches hat and magic circles for accents. On the back of the card are simple instructions: 'To visit the Library, you need only hold this card and desire so while opening a windowless door.'
While Yoji briefly ponders if this is a prank, a quick scan with his demon eye revealed that odd traces truly did linger upon the card. He casts a sidelong gaze at the door to his room- no windows... Should he give it a try? The folks he's meet recently are... bizarre, but mostly harmless. After donning his priestly robes, he hefts the door to his room open.
Upon his entry into the Library, what first greets Yoji is the elegant scene of the first floor lobby. A high ceiling with a chandelier hangs above rows and rows of neatly organized books, the walls have subtle white floral wallpaper. Front and center before him are a few tables, among which seats a shorter woman sporting robes and a witches hat. Setting aside a cup of tea, she rises to address the newest library patron with an odd book clutched close to her chest.
"I greet thee, Cursed One. I am Amaryllis, the Grand Librarian of the place, keeper of ancient wisdom. So long as you treat my Library with respect, the door will remain open to you."
Yoji in turn winces silently: (Oh Lord, give me strength. Not another one in need of speech therapy.)
Amaryllis observes his expression and corrects herself: "Ah, sorry. Most of the Demon Hunters and similar associates I've met like talking that way. I'm guessing that's not the case for you? Uh, either way- welcome in. I have a wide collection of reading material, from fiction to modern scholarly records, to, of course, actual occult tomes penned by our tragic predecessors. I highly recommend the occult tomes personally."
Almost tearing up, Yoji gives thanks to his Lord before his eyes catch the smaller details in the background... For example, the ashen haired man literally eating books in one of the aisles. Or the woman in a light brown coat who seems to be chuckling to herself while reading... the kama sutra...? Or the half naked girl resting on a sofa while peeking over the other woman's shoulder with bemused eyes.
As he sees Amaryllis trace his wandering eyes to the other patrons, it's now his turn to observe her expression- while his wariness of the library has increased, he still offers some consoling words: "Fret not, miss. I understand. Truly, I do... Perhaps more than I'd like to. The 'Demon Hunters' in this city are a truly colorful bunch. By the way, your actual name is...?"
With an awkward chuckle, Amaryllis nods along (and ignores his question): "Yeah. Don't let it deter you though. I promise the Library will prove to be a valuable asset. It can even help you save time on travel! You can't just connect to any random door in the city, but if you look behind you there are a number of spare doors with small maps at the side. They connect to various preset locations. Doesn't hurt to check them out since that's also the way back into the Library if you lose your card or otherwise need a new one. The main entrance will send you out the door you came in by the way." With a slight sparkle to her eyes, she adds: "...But I still recommend checking on the occult tomes if you have the time."
Yoji notes her fervor: "It seems you put a lot of thought into this library of yours. I'm not yet certain about the occult tomes, but I do enjoy reading as much as anyone else-"
Before he can once again ask for her actual name, he's suddenly cut off by Amaryllis who leans forwards: "Don't go thinking that being a priest makes you different from other cursed ones. You're not the first priest to gain demonic powers and you won't be the last! Take the 'Holy Light and Healing' aura for example, there's more to it than just waving your hands and making people better!..."
Yoji felt caught off guard by the sudden lecture- although the irony that he was the one being lectured for once wasn't lost on him... Amaryllis's rant continued on regardless of his inner thoughts: "...Like with everything else in this world, knowledge is power, and your predecessors put a lot of effort into passing on that knowledge. See the door over there in the corner?" She points to a door with a relief of a crucifix above it, "In there are the occult tomes written by other Christian priests who suffered from demonic possession. It's not a massive collection, but you should at the very least browse those... And maybe the Warped Spirits section- they have all kinds of nasty curses and weird powers. If you want to heal anyone afflicted, they'd prove vital... Oh, and also-"
Sensing the never-ending deluge of recommendations coming his way, Yoji coughed firmly: "OK, you've convinced me. You make a very compelling argument." With a slight smile, he muses, perhaps to himself as much as Amaryllis, "I might have to visit again if only to find someone I can consult about the supernatural. Someone that doesn't speak in riddles."
After a brief pause (born of a mixture of embarrassment from being caught prattling on and happiness that she'd secured another patron for her Library), Amaryllis smiled brightly: "Yes, of course. If you ever have any questions, just ask at the front desk and Kerry will help you get in touch." Yoji glances over to the long service desk, where a man(?) sits with his face obscured by a book. On hearing his name, he lowers the book, revealing himself to be a human skeleton. "...Kerry is made from an anatomical model and not a corpse by the way. I didn't go grave robbing to make my familiar."
Kerry waves to Yoji, who in turn nervously waves back: "Anyway Miss, I'll be going back for now. I need to help clean the church before morning services."
Amaryllis says her goodbyes and watches as he returns through the main entrance. If nothing else, he now knew of yet another hiding spot for the city's supernatural troublemakers... While the librarian seemed sane and sociable enough, he couldn't quite shake the feeling that things were never that easy... Truly his work was never-ending. (It was at this point he realized that he still hadn't gotten her real name.)
After Yoji had passed through the main entrance and returned home, Amaryllis remained where she was. A gentle smile devolved into a tired sigh as she thought to herself: (Oh, I hope I didn't scare him off... First the cringy welcome speech, then the ranting... Not to mention those three shameless fellows...)
She gave a sulking side-eye to the 'three shameless fellows' in question. Aki noticed her gaze and waived in a friendly manner, unaware of any wrongdoing. Komaru flashed a mysterious grin- Amaryllis felt she was intentionally causing trouble. Yoru lazily called out: "Hehehe, don't worry your pretty little head. I know that priest- I'm the one that recommended him, aren't I? Seeing problems that need fixing is the best way to arouse his interest~"
...After an extended, pouting stare, Amaryllis replied: "Then I'll hope that you're right about that... And thank you for the recommendation..."
Komaru cut in with her own take on the issue: "The truth is that it matters little. Your library is useful. For that alone he'd return. Worrying about it when you lack any competition is meaningless."
Aki noticed the conversation as well: "...I'm not sure I get it, but this is about the priest from earlier, right? Uh. Maybe I can share some snacks with him next time?" Aki accidentally holds up a comic book when saying 'snacks', prompting a sharp glare from Amaryllis. "...Ok. Never mind. I'll just keep my snacks..."
Ultimately Amaryllis accepts the futility of her worries: "It's not that easy to stop worrying, but you're right that I shouldn't dwell on it... I think I'll head out. Clear my head or something. Bye-bye, you guys."
"Buh-bye dear~" "Until next time." "Oh. Uh, bye?"
On her way over to the series of doorways with grimoire in hand, Amaryllis glares at Kerry, as if to say 'Keep an eye on Aki and don't let him burn the place down'. Kerry returns a knowing nod, assuring her.
On her way out the smaller side door, she snaps her fingers, trading her mage-ly robes and big poofy hat for a pale yellow turtleneck sweater, a pair of blue jeans, flats, and a pair of red, half-rim glasses. As the blue of her demon eye was duplicated onto her ordinary brown eye and a pale yellow bag appeared to hang over her shoulder, her disguise was complete. What remained was an ordinary woman.
'I know they're useless in combat, but these cantrips are truly the strongest magic to me.'
Due to the excessive chuunibyou in the following conversation, an automatic translation feature has been added!
Arriving before the door to a small yet elegant café, Amaryllis takes a deep breath to calm her nervous heart. She was about to visit a friend she hadn't seen much lately. Ever since she had become a demon eye user, they had only crossed paths a couple times back when she was still in the process of constructing her Library. She'd been evasive about what she'd been doing back then, and in fact hadn't checked in for over a month now... suffice to say she felt a bit guilty.
She pulls open the door and stiffly makes her way in, slightly easing up when noticing that no other customers have arrived. (It was the early morning after all.) It was then that she made eye contact with a sleepy looking friend, Akari Ichioka. Her normal gothic style was partially obscured under a apron, but still nonetheless present.
Akari's eyes blinked a few times, as if confirming what was held within her sight. Her lips curved down in a display of frustration while her eyes drooped and betrayed worry: "Amane! Where have y- Ahem* Amaryllis, you cur, it seems you look down on the nightkin to spurn our invitations so!" You'd better give me a good explanation why you've been ignoring my messages, you dummy!
Not expecting that response, Amaryllis freezes up, her hands gripping her grimoire tightly as her eyes open wide and dart back and forth between Akari and the ground: "Eh? Eh!? I-invitations?" Suddenly, the meaning of Akari's words dawns on her, causing her to fervently claw at her bag, reaching within to access the well concealed portal at the bottom. She ruthlessly snatched up the data slate with which Kerry was playing chess on.
On being exposed to the air, the data slate buzzed and beeped at the presence of the internet, not unlike a starved beast finally presented with food. Seeing the '99+' messages from Akari led her to warily look up with guilt in her eyes: "I'm sorry. I forgot that I don't get messages without service..."
"Where the hell have you been that you didn't have service for a month!?"
"Oooh... I'm really sorry..."
...
Amaryllis proceeded to explain where she'd been the last month as well as what her secret project has been ever since surviving her demonic possession- her Library. That she'd been toiling away at its creation, and that for the last month she'd be holed away inside making sure the little dimension was stable. In that time, Amaryllis and Akari had already become seated at the front counter, with the latter providing drinks and the former paying for them.
With a brand new (VIP) Library card in hand, Akari processes this new information: "...I don't know what I expected, but knowing you I should have seen that coming." Seeing the bashful and awkward smile on Amaryllis's face, Akari sighed and changed the topic: "No matter. We nightkin are not so petty. You arrived before us and pleaded for forgiveness, and thus the matter can end here. What of the tomes of horror? Have you done your duty as holder of wisdom?" Well, whatever. I'll forgive you for now. You apologized and everything. What about B-Sensei's Land of Carnage series? Have you read the newest one?
Eyes lighting up like a prisoner seeing sunlight for the first time in years, Amaryllis cheers at Akari's forgiveness: "Yatta~ Thank you! ...Eh... Ahem... It is only natural that I, the Holder of Ancient Wisdom would perform my duties flawlessly. I have acquired and overcome the newest tome of horror! To see the gallant wolf of fire bested with such petty schemes was a shame. Of course! I wouldn't miss the new book. My favorite part was that flaming werewolf monster. I thought for sure the it would catch the main character.
Akari in turn remembers her own favorite scenes: "It is obvious to one such as I that the gallant wolf would fail. Otherwise how would the elegant lord of the night show his crimson majesty?" The werewolf obviously wasn't going to catch the main character. It was totally a vampire's mansion, so things can't end until we see the vampire!
With a weighty nod, Amaryllis replies: "True, as the Crimson Miasma of the 16th Ward, you would be the authority on such matters. I'm sure the fell lady of the night was well within your expectations..." Leave it to Akari to smell a vampire coming a mile away. The female vampire probably didn't surprise you at all.
Akari pauses a moment as her mind processes that information. "(...Lady...? But, he... Is there another vampire?)" Ultimately she pushes the conversation along: "Uh, yes, of course! As a nightkin, such details would never escape me! Such a grand mansion was obviously home to two vampires."
Before Amaryllis could continue that topic, Akari excitedly produces a fancy looking book covered in fake blood spatter from below the counter, a spiderweb-patterned bookmark tucked near the back of the book betraying her current progress (Amaryllis notices but says nothing). Akari proudly points to squiggly text on the cover, B-sensei's signature: "Bow and kneel mortal, for I was the first to attain this wisdom!" Hehe, aren't you jealous? I managed to get in line and grabbed a copy before the normal release date, complete with the author's signature!
Amaryllis pauses confidently with a chuckle before dramatically pulling a book with very similar fake bloodstains from her bag: "Fufufu... Such petty concerns. What would I care for such wisdom when I attained the true source of all knowledge!?" Nope, not jealous~ I got my hands on the special collector's edition- even got to read some cut scenes.
Akari holds her arms up before her, as if defending her eyes against a blinding light: "I-Impossible! To think that you obtained the source of all knowledge!" Kyaa~ I wanted to read that! I hear the cut scenes are really good!
With a smug smile, Amaryllis holds out the book: "Yet I, the keeper of ancient secrets am merciful. I have already attained everything the source of all knowledge has to offer- take it with you and learn true wisdom as I have!" Hehehe~ I knew you'd be interested. You can borrow it if you want to read the cut scenes.
Greedily observing the book, Akari grabs ahold of it: "I thank you. I, the Crimson Vermillion of the Night will not forget this favor. Such deep secrets are invaluable..." Ooh! Thanks, Amane! I'll take you up on that. Akari pauses hesitantly. The mood seemed cheerful- was it alright to ask? "...And what of the domain of trials? The beginning of the end has already passed." What happened with university by the way? You missed the time to sign up for classes.
At first Amaryllis is caught off guard by the sudden shift in topics. Calmly, but with a complicated expression, Amaryllis explains: "The domain of trials... I think what I wanted was not to experience the end, but to keep company with you who would brave such hardship- but that wasn't the true path to wisdom. The domain of trials is a place to seek the future amidst the end, and to enter for any other reason is foolish. The role of Grand Librarian suits me better, such that I can provide rest to you that may grow weary of the trials... I even made sure to stock the tomes of hardship... I... It ill befits a holder of wisdom to fall behind." University... I wanted to go university and experience that with you, but I realized that university isn't a place for that. It's a place you go to fulfill a dream. I made the Library in part because I wanted to fulfill my own dream while supporting you in whatever you do... I even made a section for university textbooks. You were looking towards the future, and I didn't want to be the only one living in the past.
On hearing the real reason behind Amaryllis's new Library, Akari's eyes turned a bit red as she held back her tears: "You fool... If you're thinking about that kind of thing then tell me sooner... That's kind of unfair- I don't think I can stay angry even if I wanted to..."
"...So you were sti-... Um, I actually wanted to surprise you, so I was keeping it secret. Catching 72 warped spirits took me longer than I thought. The longer I kept up the secret, the more I felt like I couldn't stop... Sunk cost fallacy and all."
"...I feel like you just casually said something very terrifying..."
"I mean, I needed something to power to Library while I'm away. It's fine. They're all sealed up tight."
"And if they escape?"
"They'd probably eat each other and create something on par with a demon emperor."
"...I kind of don't want to visit anymore..."
"Eh!?"
The two friends spent the rest of the early morning catching up and discussing their favorite horror novels. The last chapter of a certain book wasn't brought up again that day.