01x10 - To the Second Winter

[bunniefuu]

F: A hair ornament sale expanded Main's world some more.

F: Meanwhile, the Devouring was threatening to ravage her body.

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Ep Ep Title: Chapter Ten To the Second Winter

M: A year has passed since I came to this world.

M: It's pork stocking day again.

M: Soon, my second winter here will arrive.

M: Three days, huh?

M: I haven't been bedridden for this long in a while.

M: I thought I'd been getting better lately, but here we are.

M: Stay away, Devouring Fever!

M: Stuff it in a box, shut the lid on it,

M: and we're good!

M: It's so strange.

M: A little anxiety was all it took for it to return.

Flashback,F: The Devouring won't do anything, as long as you're motivated.

M: That's right. I should distract myself with fun things.

M: Benno told me to go through this. I wonder what it's about.

All: We're home!

T: Look, Main!

M: Oh, bacon!

T: I'll make you some soup right away.

M: Thanks, Tuuli.

L: Hey, Main.

M: Lutz?

L: Tuuli told me your fever's gone down, so I stopped by to see how you're doing.

L: You missed out on pork stocking again, huh?

M: Actually, I'm rather glad I did.

L: I got worried cause your fever lasted so long this time.

M: It's gone now, so relax.

L: I don't know anything about this "devouring" thing Freida mentioned,

L: so I'm not sure I did a good job monitoring your condition.

M: Nah, you were perfect.

M: It's thanks to you that I've stopped collapsing in public.

L: Glad to hear it.

M: I can go to the store tomorrow.

M: By the way, take a look.

B: One...

sign_Slate,Sign: One: Smarten up your appearance and learn how to greet people

B: Smarten up your appearance and learn how to greet people.

B: Two...

B: Learn how to read and write all the basic words and numbers.

sign_Slate,Sign: Two: Learn how to read and write all the basic words and numbers

B: Three...

sign_Slate,Sign: Three: Learn how to use a calculator

B: Learn how to use a calculator.

M: It's the training process for new apprentices.

B: Listen up! Get this done over the winter!

L: All of this over the winter?

L: No way!

M: The biggest issue is the appearance part.

B: Is your fever gone?

M: Yes. Sorry I caused you trouble.

M: Thank you for giving me this.

M: It says to smarten up our appearance, but what exactly are you looking for?

B: For starters, you'll need work clothes and shoes.

B: Ten small silvers should get you to passable levels.

L: Ten small silvers? I don't have that kind of money!

M: Remember those silvers we deposited with the Guild?

M: We can just use those.

L: Oh, we did that for times like these?

M: And as capital for when we start making something new.

M: Remember when we were stuck needing nails?

B: Basically, you need money for anything and everything.

L: I see.

L: I always thought you should take all your earnings home,

L: so I felt guilty toward my folks.

M: It's not a bad thing to save up money you made for yourself.

L: Man, I feel better now.

L: Thanks, Main.

B: That takes care of the appearance issue.

B: Next... Lutz, you need to learn some manners.

B: You can't serve customers talking like you do now.

M: For starters,

M: it'd be nice if you could add "please" and "thank you" to your sentences.

M: If you could, please.

L: Oh, uh, I guess I can do that...

L: Please!

M: Come on, Mister Benno...

B: I don't know how much you can improve over the winter,

B: but give it your best shot.

B: By the way, we've run into a problem with the Simple All-In-One Shampoo.

M: What happened?

B: I'm having a workshop make it for me,

B: but they're not getting the same results despite following your instructions.

B: Would you have any idea why?

M: I mean, it's as simple as crushing the fruit and extracting the oil.

B: I can't sell it like this.

B: And that would violate the contract magic.

M: What happens when the contract magic is violated?

B: In the worst case, it could threaten our very lives.

M: Why didn't you tell me that?!

M: And so we made our way to the workshop at once.

M: Oh, I get it now.

B: What was it?

G: What was the problem?

M: The cloth you're using to wring the oil out.

B: The cloth?

M: You're using a nice smooth cloth here, which has tiny pores by nature.

left,Sign: Smooth

right,Sign: Rough

M: But the cheap rough cloth back home is way more porous.

M: Wringing the fruit with it leaves fruit fiber and seed pieces in the oil.

M: Those play a crucial role in removing the impurities in your hair.

G: I see. We need rougher cloth, huh?

G: That means we can't use everything we extracted so far.

M: Of course we can. Not using them would be a huge waste.

M: You just need to make them scrubs... I mean, put in abrasives.

M: If you select the ingredients carefully, you'll be able to make high quality stuff.

G: Wow, missy. You know a lot.

B: And she probably knows a lot more than she's letting on.

M: Crap! If this keeps up, it'll be the Lutz situation all over again!

B: Main.

M: I absolutely can't say any more!

M: Any more information will cost you.

M: I'm not giving it out for free.

B: Very well.

B: Mind if we borrow your meeting room?

G: S-Sure, go ahead.

M: Huh? Wai...

L: Main!

M: Hey!

B: We're just going to talk.

B: Everyone stay away.

B: Two small golds.

M: Excuse me?

B: I'll pay you two small golds.

B: Give me information: any improvements, substitute ingredients,

B: and everything else you can think of.

M: Two small golds?

M: Three small golds.

B: Three small golds?

M: "If you can make money, make as much of it whenever, wherever, and however you can."

M: Isn't that right?

B: Three small golds, was it? That's as high as I can go.

M: W-Wait a minute!

B: Just take it and save it.

B: Money is the only thing that can stave off your Devouring.

M: How did you know?

B: I always considered the possibility,

B: but the old fart confirmed it the other day.

B: He said Freida told him you had the Devouring.

B: She's survived because she's rich and has ties with nobility.

B: All I can do for you is pay for your information.

M: Mister Benno...

B: Sit down.

B: Even if you have to sell everything you know, do it and save up money

B: for when the time comes.

M: What do you mean?

B: When your fever can't be suppressed anymore.

M: I thought the fever had grown more active lately.

M: So I wasn't just imagining it.

M: It took so much to get this far...

M: I don't wanna die yet.

M: I want to...

M: No, I will survive!

M: I understand. I'll take the three small golds.

M: I sold the methods to improve the Simple All-In-One Shampoo to Benno,

M: including how salt can act as an abrasive,

M: and how citrus makes it easier to remove impurities.

B: Hmm... Did you try all of this out?

M: No, I couldn't. The ingredients are too valuable for my family.

B: You couldn't try them, and yet you know they work?

B: Just who are you?

M: That's a secret.

M: No amount of small golds will get me to talk.

M: I was ready for this when I decided to give you all that information.

M: But...

M: Will you give me the boot because you find a child like me creepy?

B: Nah. Since you're so profitable,

B: I'll try even harder to ensure nobody else gets their hands on you.

B: I'm a businessman, after all.

M: Mister Benno...

B: Oh, also, Simple All-In-One Shampoo is too long and complicated.

B: Can we call it AIO Shampoo instead?

M: Sure, but is that really the best you've got?

B: How about SimSham, then?

M: AIO Shampoo is fine.

B: We're going to make and sell loads of AIO Shampoo and hair ornaments!

M: You've got it!

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

T: What? More hair ornaments to make?

M: Yeah.

M: People heard about Freida's and ordered some for themselves.

T: So you're asking us to move our winter handiwork up?

E: This is such a busy time, too.

M: That's why I got us an advance!

M: Two medium bronzes for each flowery decoration.

Bo: Two medium bronzes each?!

M: I used Rush! It was super effective!

G: Do I make the hairpin part?

M: That's Lutz's job.

G: Lutz again?

M: Dad, I want to visit the gate tomorrow. Can we go together?

G: What? Of course!

O: I heard you fell sick again, Main.

M: Yeah, but I'm fine now.

O: I see.

G: We have a trombe!

M: They were saying trombe's dangerous...

M: It's been happening a lot lately.

L: We got a bunch of trombe branches.

L: I didn't expect us to be making paper again so soon.

M: Benno'd yell at us if we let this trombe go to waste.

L: Brr! So cold!

M: Makes me want some piping hot buttered potatoes.

M: We'll need butter for that.

L: You want me to enter the river in this cold?

M: Let's work with well water tomorrow.

L: Can we? Thank goodness!

M: Yeah. Just don't forget the butter.

L: Butter? What for?

M: Huh? Did I not say?

L: By the way, did the handiwork go well?

M: Yep. Dad wanted to join in, and I didn't know how to refuse.

M: How about your place?

L: No good.

L: I asked Ralph and the other guys for help, but they didn't care.

M: You just need to cast the Rush spell on them.

L: The Rush spell?

M: Here you go, Lutz.

M: That's five medium bronzes for five hairpins.

R: Five medium bronzes?

Sieg: For those sticks Lutz was making?

Sascha: Each one of those is worth one medium bronze?!

R: It doesn't have to be Lutz, right? Can we help?

C: Merchants are all con men! Why would anyone ever want to be one?

C: I don't know what to do with Lutz.

E: Well, their boss doesn't seem to be a bad guy.

E: He is paying for our handiwork.

C: I can't help but worry, though.

C: Why take such an unstable job?

Bo: We're off!

E: See you.

C: Take care out there.

M: I'm so grateful to Lutz.

M: He's always taking care of Main.

C: Really? Main seems to be doing okay lately, too.

E: Much better compared to before, yes.

E: I just hope she grows up healthy.

L: Ugh, karffel?

M: Don't you want it?

L: I'll eat it.

L: It's so good! What the heck?

M: They don't steam their food here, after all.

M: Of course you wouldn't know how yummy steamed potatoes with butter are.

day,Sign: Bark Peeling

M: We then got to work on the trombe bark.

day,Sign: Bark Drying

M: Now that that's done, we can do the rest in the spring.

L: I'm done putting the tools away.

M: We'll have more trombe paper—

M: Why? I wasn't anxious, let alone losing heart!

L: Main? What's wrong?

L: You're burning up!

L: Your fever came out of nowhere?

L: Main, you okay?

L: The fever's... gone...

L: What the heck was that?

M: The Devouring.

L: What? But there weren't any signs of your condition worsening!

L: And you said you were all right the other day!

M: It flares up suddenly these days.

M: Before, it only used to happen when I got worked up.

L: Main...

M: Man, that scared me.

L: Can't we do anything?

M: Remember what Freida said? It costs a lot of money.

M: Benno said the same thing.

L: I'll give you a ride.

L: That's about all I can do for you.

M: "That's all"? But you're doing so much for me!

L: Just hurry up and get on.

M: Okay...

M: Welp.

M: Even with all the books I've read,

M: I can't find the right words to say to him right now.

M: Lutz is just too damn nice.

M: He stands by me even when I'm such a burden,

M: and he accepted me even after finding out I wasn't Main.

M: Hey, Lutz?

M: Even if I do collapse, you don't have to feel responsible, okay?

M: Also, I'm not gonna give in.

M: I haven't finished any books yet.

B: Main, you stay here. Lutz, come with me.

L: Save Main, Master Benno.

L: I can't do it. I can't do anything.

L: I would gladly do anything I could, but...

B: Then don't make Main look out for you.

B: That lass is way more mature than she seems.

B: Even if she's in pain, she has the wherewithal to smile for you.

B: If you're a man, make sure Main doesn't have to worry about you!

B: You had the gall to say you'd make everything Main thought of,

B: so make and sell one thing after another!

B: Make as much money as you can!

B: Now that's a good look in your eyes.

M: The next time I saw him, Lutz had gone back to his usual self.

M: I was thinking we'd be lucky to make ten,

M: but we've gone and doubled that!

L: Selling this many should help a little.

L: You need money to deal with the Devouring, right?

M: Lutz...

L: Do you have any other product ideas?

L: I'll make anything and everything you can think of!

M: Thank you.

B: That completes the delivery of the hair ornaments.

M: Sure does.

B: Okay, here's your pay.

L: Do you think we could sell these as well?

L: I made one during winter handiwork last year.

B: It was you again?

B: Did every bizarre product I've encountered in the last six months come from you?

M: Uh... Sorry about that.

B: Do you have anything that'd generate more revenue than baskets?

B: Something consumable, like the AIO Shampoo.

M: Well... How about colored and scented soaps or candles?

B: Do you know how to make those?

M: I do, though it'll need some trial and error.

B: All right. Experiment all you want come spring.

M: I will.

M: We have to make more paper, too.

M: If we add candles to that, things will get busy.

B: Main!

L: Main?!

L: You okay?!

B: This is bad! Mark, ready the carriage!

Next_Chapter ,Title: Next Chapter Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings

L: Do something, Master Benno!

L: The guild master will know what to do, right?

B: I've already negotiated with him.

L: All hail Master Benno!

B: Apparently, he still has some of the magical items he bought for Freida.

B: A one-use magical item, for just two small golds.

L: G-Golds?!

B: Consider it an investment in you.

L: Investment? You're such a...

B: You don't have to be so grateful.

B: I'm doing this out of the goodness of my heart!

M: Give me back my preview time.