Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 2

Epilogue

"You don't need to feel guilty, no matter what, even if the devouring kills me. It comes out of nowhere and nobody can stop it. And... I'm not going to let it beat me yet. I still haven't made a book."

Lutz thought back to what Myne had said the last time she caught a devouring fever. The circumstances were similar in that she'd passed out without showing any signs of being unhealthy. Now he was in front of her, shaking her as he felt her body heating up more and more. She wouldn't open her eyes.

"Wake up, Myne! C'mon, open your eyes!" No matter how much Lutz cried out, Myne remained unconscious. She didn't make a single peep. And to make matters worse, her fever showed no signs of going down like it did last time.

"C'mon, Myne. You always call yourself useless, but I need you. I can't go on without you. I'm the one who'll be useless without you!" Lutz clasped her hands and called out to her repeatedly, but her fever just kept going up, to the point where it felt like her body was about to melt. In fact, something resembling yellowish vapor was rising off her body like steam. There was just nothing Lutz could do.

He looked around and desperately set his sights on Benno, an adult who clearly had more power than him. "Even my family laughed at and ignored me for wanting to become a merchant, but Myne accepted my dream with a smile. When Otto was introducing us to you, I was actually so scared I wanted to run away, but Myne held my hand and got me through it. She still is, too. She's teaching me everything I need to do to become a merchant. But here I am, useless to her. I can't save her from the devouring. I... Please. Benno, sir, please save Myne. I can't do it on my own. I'm just a kid, I'm poor, I can't do anything..."

"I can't." Benno shot down Lutz's desperate request with a calm, quiet voice.

"Why not?! You're an adult, you have lots of money, you sell to nobles..." Lutz said everything he could in hopes of getting a different answer.

Benno looked down at Lutz and scrunched his face up bitterly. He gritted his teeth with frustration and shook his head. "My store is growing, but it's only recently that nobles have started giving me business. I don't have any significant connections. I'm still just another commoner for them to rip off and underpay. The thing is...

I'm just as powerless as you are."

"Not even you can save her...?" Lutz had never expected that. It took him a moment to believe that Benno, the owner of a large store that did business with nobles, was powerless to save Myne. If he couldn't do it, who could?

Just as Lutz was about to lose hope, he remembered that he knew someone who had cured their devouring. "But Freida said she cured hers... The guildmaster can save Myne!"

"Already finished negotiating with him." Benno let out a sigh and scratched his head. He put on a dry smile and shrugged. "He told me he could give her a little more time for the right price. Apparently he still has some crappy old magic tools he fished out from a financially collapsing noble family to save his granddaughter in the past. He'll sell her that tool, which'll probably break after a single use, for two small golds."

"G-Golds?!" Lutz had been excited over the small silvers he earned from selling paper, considering it enough to make him rich, but Benno said he needed small golds to save Myne. The price was so above his head that he felt dizzy.

"But that tool will only give her about half a year of time. One year at best. Paying once won't be enough — she'll be back in this situation before long. Especially since she's so small. It turns out that the devouring symptoms get worse as a person grows, so as she gets older they'll get even worse. You think I can afford to give that much money to a single apprentice? I can't."

Benno wasn't wrong. It would be absurd to expect him to pay that much. But giving up on that meant giving up on Myne's life.

"There's not much I can do. I'm buying Myne's weirdo knowledge to make as much money as possible with her. I arranged buying the magic tool from the geezer. That's all I can do. So, Lutz. What can you do?" Benno glared at Lutz with his sharp predatorial eyes, and Lutz glared back at him. If Benno couldn't do much of anything with all his age, power, intellect, and money, what could he expect Lutz to do?

"...I can't do anything. I'm a kid. I don't have power, smarts, money, nothing. If there's something I can do, tell me. I'll do anything for Myne!"

"Then don't let Myne worry about you. Don't be a burden to her," Benno replied immediately and Lutz gasped. That was exactly what he had been doing. Benno's expression softened just a little as he saw Lutz tear up with frustration, but his eyes remained sharp as he spoke again. "Listen, Lutz. This girl's not as young as she looks. At the very least, she's mature enough to smile and take care of others when she's suffering herself. Don't let her fool you. Don't take advantage of her help."

Memories of Myne weakly smiling after the devouring heat went away last time despite her ragged exhaustion flashed through Lutz's mind. He remembered how relieved he had felt after seeing that smile.

"If you're a man, don't add to Myne's burden. There's no going back now. You have to do everything you can to buy her extra time. You said you would make anything she thought up? Then do it! Make each crazy product she thinks up! If you've got the time to cry, work instead. Think instead. Make money!" yelled Benno in a firm voice, causing Lutz to jerk his head up, eyes full of purpose. "...Heh. Finally got a good expression on your face." Benno started to grin just as Mark rushed into the room.

"Sir, the guildmaster has responded. He said to bring her to him immediately. I have prepared a carriage."

"Let's go, Lutz." Benno hefted up Myne's limp, feverish body and raced to the carriage Mark had prepared. Lutz ran behind him and jumped inside too. "Go as fast as you can!"

What could he do? Would he be capable of saving Myne? The carriage shook as if reflecting the unstable state of Lutz's heart as it raced up the main road toward the guildmaster's house.