Beatrice
"Beatrice, I want you to manage my library. To prevent the knowledge inside from being taken by anyone, I need you to act as the guardian of my library until the destined moment comes, and protect my knowledge."
The one who created her—Echidna, the Witch of Greed—suddenly said this to Beatrice one day.
As if she had seen through Beatrice's reluctance, her mother handed her a black book.
"...The effects aren't complete yet. I still can't fully decipher the magic formula of that gospel, but this replica can at least serve as a basic indicator of the holder's future."
Holding her breath, Beatrice accepted the gospel that could serve as a guide to the future.
At that time, she still held hopeful dreams that this book would tell her the path she was meant to take—who she should talk to and what she should do each day.
"Let me explain the term of the library guardian's role. If I don't return, one day, someone will definitely open the library. At that time, you will understand—the person who is qualified to inherit my knowledge will come to take you."
"To take Betty...?"
"Let's just assume that person is that one. The time limit is when that person arrives at the forbidden library. At that moment, you can let go of this task. This is my final wish."
From the mouth of a witch who could see the future, the word "final" held indescribable weight.
In that instant, unable to refuse the request of the mother she loved most, the great spirit signed a contract that led straight to hell.
Not long after parting with Echidna, Beatrice learned that the Witch of Envy had devoured the other six witches.
In the 30th year of her contract, her only friend, Roswaal, passed away.
About 100 years into the contract, the younger brother of the first Sword Saint, who had once fought alongside them against the platinum dragons, came to see her.
After she rejected him, he left in disappointment, and not long after, her last human friend also departed from this world.
—It couldn't be helped. Compared to fragile humans, she was a powerful, immortal great spirit.
Beatrice consoled herself this way.
But unable to bear the pain of loss anymore, she gradually cut off contact with the outside world.
Alone, the great spirit stayed isolated in her room, waiting for "that person," unknowingly living four hundred years of solitude.
During those 400 years, many people accidentally stumbled into the forbidden library.
Whether it was him or her, they always had many opinions about Beatrice, the guardian of the library.
In the end, all of them demanded the library be opened.
Faced with their proposals, commands, and outstretched hands, Beatrice's heart was shaken.
But the book that should guide her future remained unchanged. Her future was always blank.
She asked them about "that person" with hope, only to be cruelly betrayed each time.
In the end, she would drive them out of the library and continue waiting with fragile hope for the next person to open the door.
She believed that this empty existence would continue until her death—until something she never expected happened.
Despite trying her best to avoid contact with the outside world, Beatrice heard that the current Roswaal served a half-elf who was the contracted partner of Puck.
She never imagined she would reunite with Puck at the Roswaal mansion.
In her 400 years of loneliness, this was one of the rare moments that made her heart leap.
Puck was also a great spirit like Beatrice.
Of course, he had parted ways with Echidna long ago—so long ago that it was before Beatrice had even signed her contract.
Reuniting with Puck, whom she looked up to like an older brother, made Beatrice incredibly happy.
But that joy was soon shattered.
Seeing Puck looking happy by his contractor's side caused a crack in Beatrice's heart.
—I'm so jealous.
Yes, although there was some jealousy, the feeling of envy far outweighed it. It was a yearning—a longing to complete her own contract.
Then, not long after, another anomaly barged uninvited and rudely into the forbidden library.
It was a strange human.
To be honest, he was only allowed to use the library to make up for the wrongs of Roswaal and her "brother."
She only chose him to vent her dissatisfaction.
The reason she picked him was simply because of the witch's lingering scent. But he intruded into her library anyway.
Coincidentally, he had a rare affinity for Yin magic.
Coincidentally, his compatibility with spirits was absurdly high.
For some reason, her proud "Door Crossing" was easily bypassed by him.
—What a strange boy. Just like...
Her heart wavered.
It wasn't hard to understand.
Puck's existence had already caused her to think seriously about fulfilling her mission. However, Beatrice did not want to fall into despair again. So, in the end, she chose to forcibly draw the boy's mana using a rough method.
—His mana reserve is so small. Looks like he's not suitable for me after all.
Maybe she went too far. But with this, he would probably be scared off like everyone else, right?
Looking at the unconscious Subaru, Beatrice thought that anyone treated a little harshly would remember the fear of a great spirit and stay away from her.
—So then why did it turn out like this?
Beatrice couldn't understand.
Even though she had driven him out so many times, Subaru continued to return so casually. Rather, his attitude toward her grew more and more relaxed.
But at the same time, Beatrice noticed that the boy was filled with interest in the library's knowledge and her own power.
No—more accurately, it was a cursed-like desire. It was a greed far greater than any other person who had entered the forbidden library.
Four hundred years of waiting had long since led Beatrice to conclude that "that person" would never come.
But now, this boy who fit the conditions too perfectly sparked a tiny flame in her heart.
What remained was whether she had the courage to open the "Tome of Wisdom" that had remained blank for 400 years.
"Beatrice, decide for yourself. A person's future is chosen by themselves. Don't be bound by a mere book. Even if Roswaal's book is burned, he's still alive."
Before Beatrice could decide, one day the boy—after one of his "madness" episodes—suddenly said that to her.
Beatrice didn't even understand why those words shook her so deeply.
Then came a sense of grievance. If she just admitted it like this, then what would her four hundred years of life have been for?
"In any case, the next time we meet, I'll be the one to take you away."
Before she could even complain, the boy declared this.
Beatrice admitted that she had wavered. But the situation outside the mansion, and the memories of all the passersby in her long life, made the survival mode of four hundred years win out.
Beatrice pushed the boy into "death"—or at least, it should have been like that.
But the "death" that had surrounded the mansion was no longer there.
The passerby whom she thought could not possibly have survived stepped into her territory once again, wearing a smile even more alive than before.
"Yo, I've come to take you with me—just as I promised."
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