Reincarnated As An Archmage’s Daughter

Hania sat cross-legged on the floor, her back against a bookshelf labeled "EMBARRASSING PHASE: AGES 14-17 (DO NOT OPEN)."

Truck-kun was parked beside her, his engine idling contentedly. He had been here since the beginning, since Hania's soul first arrived in this world and the library began to manifest around her consciousness.

"I missed this place," he said, his headlights sweeping across the familiar shelves. "Two years stuck in that tree, and all I could think about was my favorite reading corner."

Hania raised an eyebrow. "You have a favorite reading corner?"

"Section 47-B: 'OBSCURE MEDICAL TEXTBOOKS I MEMORIZED AT 3AM.' The ambient lighting is perfect for existential dread."

"That's... very specific."

"I had seven years to explore. I know every shelf, every category, every embarrassing secret you've tried to hide." Truck-kun's engine rumbled with amusement. "Speaking of which—"

"Don't."

"—your 'RED +++ SECTION' has expanded significantly since I was gone."

Hania's face went red. "It has not."

"It has. You added a new subsection: 'ENEMIES TO LOVERS: ROYAL EDITION.'"

"That's—that's for research. For the romance novel empire I'm going to build."

Truck-kun's headlights flickered with mock solemnity. "Ah yes. The empire. Tell me, how's that business plan coming along?"

"It's coming along great. I've been gathering material my entire life. Once I'm old enough to publish, I'll revolutionize the genre. The people of this world are starving for quality content, for literature with romantic themes."

"Hania, I've watched this library grow for years. I've seen every book that manifested from your memories. I know exactly what kind of 'literature' you're planning to produce."

Hania crossed her arms. "Then you know it's genius."

"I know it's forty-seven volumes of extremely detailed fantasy romance with titles like 'The Duke's Forbidden Desire' and 'My Contract Marriage to the Demon King.'"

"Those are classics!"

"Those are unholy!"

"They're the same thing!"

Truck-kun laughed, the sound echoing through the library. "I missed this. Arguing with you about your terrible taste in literature."

"My taste is excellent. You just don't appreciate the genre."

"I appreciate it. I just think you should be honest about what it is."

"It's art."

"Oh, really."

"YEAH. AND THAT'S THE BEST KIND!"

★★★

After the laughter died down, Hania looked around the library with new eyes. She hadn't been here in two years. The space had changed in her absence.

"The shelves are taller," she observed. "And there are more of them."

"Your knowledge has been growing," Truck-kun said. "Spider anatomy, dimensional theory, political strategy, medical terminology—it's all been filing itself while you were unconscious."

"So the library kept expanding even while I was in a coma?"

"Your brain never stopped working. It just... organized things differently. I watched it happen from the garden." Truck-kun's engine softened. "I could see the glow from between the branches. New books appearing every day. New shelves forming. Your mind was still alive, even when your body wasn't."

"You could see it?"

"The garden and the library are connected. They're both part of your consciousness now. When you fell into the coma, the boundary between them weakened. I could feel you dreaming, even when you couldn't wake up."

"That's... actually kind of beautiful."

"It was mostly frustrating. Do you know how boring it is to watch books manifest when you can't read them?"

Hania laughed. "I can imagine."

"No, you can't. I was stuck in a tree, watching your library expand with fascinating new content, and I couldn't reach any of it. It was torture."

"At least you had the squirrels."

"The squirrels were terrible conversationalists. All they wanted to talk about was nuts."

Hania stood up and began walking through the library, Truck-kun rolling alongside her. She noticed sections she didn't recognize.

"Wait, what's this?" She stopped in front of a shelf labeled "SPIDER CULTURE: STUFF I LEARNED WHILE UNCONSCIOUS."

"That manifested about six months into your coma. Your brain was processing everything Lusha's healers were doing to your body. The sensory input was still flowing, even though you couldn't consciously register it."

"So I learned spider culture while I was in a coma?"

"You absorbed it. The healers talked to you constantly. They told you stories, sang you songs, described their history. Your subconscious filed it all away."

Hania pulled a book off the shelf and flipped it open. The pages were filled with detailed diagrams of spider social hierarchies, mating rituals, and territorial disputes.

"This is... incredibly comprehensive."

"I told you. Your brain never stopped working."

She put the book back and continued walking. The next section made her stop dead.

"Truck-kun, what is this?"

The shelf was labeled "THINGS I SHOULDN'T KNOW BUT DO."

"You don't want to open those," Truck-kun said quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because some of the books in there are dangerous. Your mother's threads, the curse on your father, the true nature of the golden sphere, it's all in there. But you're not ready to read it yet."

Hania's hand hovered over a book titled "The Binding of the Crescent Moon."

"You've read it?"

"I've read the covers. I don't dare open them. The knowledge inside is... heavy. It would break you if you tried to absorb it all at once."

Hania slowly withdrew her hand. "How do you know?"

"Because I know you, Hania. You don't do things halfway. If you opened that book, you'd read it cover to cover. And then you'd try to fix everything immediately. But some things can't be fixed. They have to be understood first."

Hania stared at the shelf for a long moment. Then she turned away.

"You're right. I'm not ready."

"Good. That's growth."

"Don't patronize me."

"I'm not patronizing. I'm proud of you."

"Same thing."

They eventually made their way to the section labeled "METAPHYSICS: STUFF THAT MAKES MY HEAD HURT." This section had also grown.

"Dimensional stabilization," Hania said, scanning the shelves. "I need to figure out how to anchor the garden."

"Third shelf from the bottom, fourth book from the left," Truck-kun said immediately. "'Dimensional Anchors: A Comprehensive Guide to Not Falling Into the Void.'"

Hania stared at him. "You memorized the location?"

"I know this library better than you do."

"That's... actually kind of embarrassing."

"It's efficient. Now grab the book."

Hania pulled out the volume and began reading. Truck-kun watched her, his engine idling quietly.

"Anything useful?" he asked after a few minutes.

"Actually, yes. It says that dimensional spaces are held together by anchor points, specific locations or objects that have strong emotional significance to the creator. The garden is anchored to my father's soul, but the anchor is weakened because of the curse."

"So to stabilize the garden, you need to strengthen the anchor?"

"Or create a new one. Multiple anchors make the space more stable." Hania's eyes scanned the page. "I need to imbue an object with significant emotional weight, something connected to the garden, and then bind it to the space using a stabilization ritual."

Truck-kun was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "The stone."

Hania's heart lurched. "The stone my father gave me. I lost it in the Southern Sea."

"You lost it. But you could find it again."

"It's at the bottom of the ocean, Truck-kun. How am I supposed to—"

"Hania." His voice was patient. "You're a Noctis. I think we can manage to find one lost stone."

Hania stared at him. Then she laughed.

"You're right. I'm being dramatic."

They moved to the "BIOLOGY: NOPE" section, which had grown considerably since Hania's coma.

"The spider anatomy books are here," Truck-kun said, gesturing with his headlights. "Fourth shelf. The ones with the terrible illustrations."

Hania pulled out "Spider Anatomy for People Who Don't Want to Think About It."

She read for several minutes, her expression shifting from confusion to understanding.

"The spider mana network is distributed," she said slowly. "It's not centralized like a human core. It's spread throughout the entire body, with nodes at every major joint."

"So when a spider gets Silk Rot, the damage is everywhere?"

"Exactly. That's why the fungal sap doesn't cure it, it only treats the visible symptoms at the spinnerets. The underlying damage is throughout the entire network."

"And your targeted mana infusion would repair the damage?"

"It would repair the network. If I can infuse mana directly into the damaged nodes, I can regenerate the channels from the inside out."

Truck-kun's headlights brightened. "That sounds brilliant."

"It sounds insane. Spider mana networks are incredibly complex. If I make a mistake, I could cause a feedback loop that would..." She stopped, reading further. "...that would cause the spider to explode."

"Explode?!"

"Literally explode. The pressure would build up in the nodes and" She made a gesture with her hands. "Boom."

Truck-kun was quiet for a moment.

"Maybe don't explode the patient."

"I'll try not to."

"Try harder."

Hania closed the book. "I need to practice. I need a way to test my mana infusion technique before I try it on a living spider."

"What about the threads in your own mana?"

Hania frowned. "What about them?"

"They're woven into your channels, right? They're a foreign structure that's redirecting your power. If you can learn to manipulate those threads, you'll understand how to manipulate similar structures in spider channels."

Hania's eyes widened. "Truck-kun, that's actually brilliant."

"I know."

Hania laughed and threw her arms around his hood. "I'm so glad you're back."

Truck-kun's engine rumbled warmly. "Me too, kid. Me too."

As they walked back through the library, Hania noticed a new shelf she didn't recognize.

"Wait. What's this?"

The label read: "BOOKS I MANIFESTED WHILE IN A COMA: WHY BRAIN, WHY?"

Truck-kun's engine made a choking sound.

"Those are new," he said, trying to contain his laughter.

"What do you mean, new?"

"They appeared while you were unconscious. Your brain decided to process some... unresolved material."

Hania's face went pale. "What kind of material?"

"The kind that made me very grateful I was stuck in a tree and couldn't read them."

Hania pulled a book off the shelf. The title read: "The Spider Queen's Secret Desire: A Tale of Silk and Seduction."

She immediately put it back.

"NO. NO. WHY?!"

"Your brain was processing Lusha's care while you were unconscious. It just... took some creative liberties."

"CREATIVE LIBERTIES?! THIS IS A HATE CRIME AGAINST MY OWN SUBCONSCIOUS!"

Truck-kun was laughing so hard his engine was sputtering. "There's a whole series! 'The Archmage's Forbidden Touch,' 'The Vampire's Midnight Confession,' 'The Crown Prince's Reluctant Heart'—"

"STOP! STOP! I DON'T WANT TO KNOW!"

"You should read them. I bet they might be very... imaginative."

"I'M NINE YEARS OLD!"

"Your brain apparently didn't get the memo."

Hania buried her face in her hands. "This is the worst day of my life."

"This is the funniest day of my life. I've been waiting two years to tell you about these."

"You knew about these and you didn't warn me?!"

"I wanted to see your reaction. It was worth it."

Hania glared at him through her fingers. "I hate you."

"I know. I love you too."

"Ugh..."

★★★

Later, they sat in the central clearing of the library.

"I need to apologize to the orb," Hania said quietly. I didn't mean what I said. I was just... overwhelmed."

"I know. But the orb doesn't know that. All it heard was that it's not important."

Hania winced. "I know. I need to make it right."

"When?"

"Soon. But first, I need to figure out the anchor point. I need to find the stone."

"And the medical challenge?"

"That too. I need to practice my mana infusion technique. I need to study spider anatomy. I need to—"

"Hania."

She stopped.

"You can't do everything at once. You need to prioritize."

"I know. But I don't know what to prioritize. Everything feels urgent."

Truck-kun's engine was quiet for a moment. Then he said, "What's the thing that's been keeping you up at night? The thing you can't stop thinking about?"

Hania was silent. She knew the answer.

"You're silence says it all."

She leaned her head against Truck-kun's bumper.

"I missed you," she said quietly. "I missed this. Having someone who knows me. Who's seen all my embarrassing memories and terrible taste in books and still sticks around."

"That's what family is, kid. Sticking around even when the other person is a disaster."

"I'm not a disaster."

"A catastrophe wrapped in a princess dress."

"That's... actually kind of sweet." Hania closed her eyes. "Don't leave me again."

"I won't. I promise."

"Even if I get stuck in another coma?"

"Especially then. I'll be right here, organizing your new books and judging your taste in literature."

Hania laughed. "That's all I ask."