Part 1 Volume 2

This is the second volume of the Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 light novel adaption written by Miya Kazuki and illustrated by You Shiina.

It has been a year since our hero was reborn into a new world in the body of Myne, a sickly little girl from a poor family. She's been doing her best to fulfill her dream of making books, but her plans have been foiled at every turn.

But now Myne has a deal with Benno the merchant: With her friend Lutz's help, she will make a paper prototype that he can sell in his shop. In exchange, he will take her and Lutz on as apprentices. But making the prototype is filled with its own challenges, and can she trust a conniving merchant like Benno? And the most important question is, does Myne have the deadly sickness known as "The Devouring"?

Follow Myne's efforts to become this world's first librarian in volume 2 of this biblio-fantasy dedicated to book lovers!


 * Prologue (Tuuli POV)
 * Chapter 1: The Road to Washi
 * Chapter 2: Invitation to the Otto Residence
 * Chapter 3: Summons from Benno
 * Chapter 4: Contract Magic
 * Chapter 5: Lutz's Most Important Job
 * Chapter 6: Ordering Tools and Materials
 * Chapter 7: Starting to Make Paper
 * Chapter 8: Painful Mistakes
 * Chapter 9: Lutz's Myne
 * Chapter 10: Completed Paper
 * Chapter 11: The Merchants' Guild
 * Chapter 12: The Guildmaster and the Hair Ornament
 * Chapter 13: The Guildmaster's Granddaughter
 * Chapter 14: Freida's Hair Ornament
 * Chapter 15: Delivering the Hair Ornaments
 * Chapter 16: Winter Handiwork
 * Chapter 17: Lutz's Training Curriculum
 * Chapter 18: Why It Failed and How to Fix It
 * Chapter 19: A Trombe Appears
 * Chapter 20: We Went Ahead and Made Some
 * Chapter 21: Myne Collapses
 * Epilogue (Lutz POV)
 * Corinna's Married Life (Corinna POV)
 * Gossiping by the Well (Effa POV)
 * Afterword

Myne's success in getting a provisional apprenticeship propels her forward. Using the washi technique to make paper, Myne beings to plan. To her chagrin, she soon realizes that she doesn't even have to materials to make the tools she needs to make paper. After making a deal with her father's coworker, Otto to exchange nails for the simple all-in-one-shampoo for Otto's wife, Corinna, the merchant, Benno, summons her.

Benno offers a deal to Myne and her friend Lutz: He would buy the rights to the simple all-in-one-shampoo, and in exchange, he would cover all expenses for the paper making. It is further agreed that the deal would last until Myne and Lutz's baptism and ownership rights of the future paper and the simple all-in-one-shampoo are decided upon. The deal is sealed with contract magic.

Lutz is assigned to take care of Myne after she collapses again and work on the paper begins. Lutz starts becoming suspicious of Myne as she acts like an adult in a child's body, causing a lot of emotional pain to Myne as she fears Lutz becoming antagonistic. The paper making continues, and they make two variants of plant paper: volrin paper and trombe paper. Both papers surpass Benno's expectations and, as a gift, Myne tells him about the hairpin she made for her sister Tuuli's baptism.

Benno takes Lutz and Myne to the Merchant's Guild to get guild card for Myne and Lutz and to meet the Guildmaster. Myne agrees to make hairpins for the Guildmaster's granddaughter, Freida for her baptism. She meets Freida and they agree to make two hairpins for Freida. Myne learns more about what it means to be a merchant. She also learns that Freida, like herself, has the Devouring and how to heal it. She needs a very expensive magic tool, or to become a mistress to a noble.

After the guildmaster boasts about his granddaughter's hairpins, Myne moves up winter handiwork alongside paper making as her Devouring gets worse.

Benno, preparing for their upcoming apprenticeship, gives Lutz and Myne a list of things they must learn to fit in at the shop, so Myne teaches Lutz writing and mathematics as well as buying new clothes. In addition, Myne sells Benno further information about the simple all-in-one-shampoo as well as giving it a name “rinsham” for three large golds. Benno becomes suspicious of Myne's origins but decides to ignore it.

The appearance of a trombe begins a new round of paper-making, though it is getting close to winter. The Devouring keeps getting worse to the point that Lutz worries and carries her to the store. Benno talks with Lutz about Myne's condition and Lutz calms down. Myne continues her plans.

However, despite all of Myne's efforts, during a visit to Benno, the Devouring overwhelms her and Myne collapses.

Benno and Lutz hurry to the guildmaster's place as he still has some old magic tools that could save Myne.

Characters are listed in order of appearance.


 * Japanese: 2015-02-25 (ISBN: 978-4864723473)
 * English: 2019-07-09 (ISBN: 978-1718356016)


 * Japanese Volume
 * English Volume