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 and overall the second volume of the Ascendance of a Bookworm light novel adaption.

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 begins 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 she makes 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 wants her to sell the rights to the simple all-in-one-shampoo, and in exchange, he'll cover all expenses for their paper-making. The deal will 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. Myne collapses again, and Lutz is assigned to take care of her health.

Work on the paper begins. Lutz starts becoming suspicious of Myne's strangely adult behavior, while Myne begins to fear losing his friendship. Still, they forge ahead and make two types of plant paper: volrin paper and trombe paper. Both products surpass Benno's expectations.

Myne tells Benno about the hairpin she made for her sister Tuuli's baptism, and he takes both her and Lutz to the Merchant's Guild to get guild cards and meet the Guildmaster. Myne agrees to make hairpins for the baptism outfit of the Guildmaster's granddaughter, Freida. When she visits Freida, Myne learns more about what it means to be a merchant. She also learns that Freida has the Devouring, the same illness she has. She also learns how to cure it: Either by buying expensive magic tools or signing a contract with a noble.

The Guildmaster is delighted with his granddaughter's hair ornaments. Meanwhile, Myne moves up her plans for winter handiwork as her Devouring gets worse.

Benno gives Lutz and Myne a list of things they need to learn for their upcoming apprenticeship. Myne gets to work teaching Lutz writing and mathematics, and they both go to buy new clothes. In addition, Myne sells Benno more information about the simple all-in-one-shampoo for three small golds, and they agree to name it "Rinsham". Benno becomes suspicious of Myne's origins but decides to not to press the subject.

The appearance of a trombe kicks off a new round of paper-making, though it is getting close to winter. Myne's Devouring keeps getting worse, to the point that Lutz has to carry Myne to the store. Benno talks with Lutz about her condition and he calms down.

However, despite all of Myne's efforts, the Devouring overwhelms her during a visit to the Gilberta Company, and she collapses. Benno and Lutz hurry to the Guildmaster's place to ask for some of the magic tools that could save her.

Characters are listed in order of appearance.


 * Japanese Volume
 * English Volume