03x02 - The Story About Winter Stays and the Future

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: The scripture picture books Main had created were now on the market.

Narrator: However...

Wolf: There's no doubt about it...

Wolf: It's ink.

Benno: If we're going to prioritize safety,

Benno: we might want to have Main start staying at the cathedral now.

Tuuli: What?

Main: I don't want to be away from all of you,

Main: but I'd regret it even more if something were to happen to any of you,

Main: so I'll go to the cathedral.

Narrator: Main tried to put on a brave face, but...

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Ep Sign: Chapter The Story About Winter Stays and the Future

Main: It's morning already?

Delia: Lady Main!

Delia: Please stay in bed until you're summoned.

Main: Oh, really? Sorry.

Delia: And don't apologize to your attendants.

Main: Even though we didn't have books at home, I was able to talk to Tuuli.

Rosina: That is all for today.

Main: Then I shall go help the head priest.

Fran: Lady after speaking with the head priest,

Fran: he has instructed me to tell you

Fran: that you may not leave your room until we have more information.

Main: Huh?! But that means... I can't even go to the library?

Main: I thought I'd somehow make it through if I had my books!

Main: Talk about gloom and doom.

Fran: Lady let's think about who should be your chef during your stay here.

Fran: We'll need to find an assistant from the orphanage for Ella.

Main: Right. I wonder who'd be a good candidate.

Fran: Please take your time thinking about it.

Fran: There's still plenty of time.

Delia: Lady if you have time, please show me how to do arithmetic.

Main: Sure, of course.

Main: See? If you do this, it's easy.

Delia: Yes. You're a surprisingly good teacher, Lady Main.

Delia: Far better than Gil.

Main: Well, I was teaching people at the gate,

Main: so maybe I could be a teacher for the cathedral classroom.

Fran: Lady what do you mean by this "cathedral classroom"?

Main: A place where people can learn how to read and write.

Main: The more people who learn how to read letters and books,

Main: there'll be people who can write and then we'll get even more books!

Main: Then we'll get lots, and lots, and lots...

Main: Many, many more books to read!

Main Mob: Yay!

Main Mob: Thank you!

Fran: Lady I'm afraid I haven't been informed of such a place...

Gil: I mean, we have karuta and picture books,

Gil: so I'm pretty sure most of us can read a little now.

Main: But I want you to be able to write, too.

Main: That'll make your job as an attendant

Main: or when you come work at the workshop or orphanage much easier.

Gil: Would I be able to write reports by myself?!

Gil: Then I wanna learn!

Main: I'll make sure to teach you everything you need to know.

Fran: Lady a grey-robed priest should be the one teaching.

Rosina: You mustn't bother with such a thing, Lady Main.

Main: Okay...

Lutz: you okay?

Main: Lutz!

Lutz: Whoa.

Main: Hug me.

Main: I wanna go home.

Lutz: It's only been a day.

Main: I'm so lonely without my family.

Main: I might actually die from loneliness.

Lutz: That's seriously not funny coming from you.

Delia: Honestly, if you're going to hug someone, it should be a rich noble.

Gil: Lady Main relies way too much on Lutz.

Main Narrator: Then we talked about the hand work for the winter.

Main Narrator: We can't make paper in the winter,

Main Narrator: so we decided to make a Reversi set, a chess set, and playing cards out of wood.

Lutz: All right. First, let's make a pattern.

Gil: I wouldn't lose to Lutz if I had a writing tablet, too!

Main: I'll prepare one for you once spring comes along,

Main: since you know how to write and do arithmetic now.

Gil: Really? Yay!

Gil: Then I'll be on the same level as Lutz and Fran!

Main: The same?

Gil: Yeah! Because if I get a writing tablet,

Gil: that'll mean I've been acknowledged just like Lutz and Fran!

Gil: That settles it! I'm definitely beating Lutz!

Lutz: Yeah, hurry up and beat me already.

Lutz: Otherwise, it'll be an issue for me, too.

Main: And why is that?

Lutz: I'm going to tour a papyrus workshop in a neighboring city this spring.

Main: A neighboring city?

Flashback,Main: What do you want to do in life, Lutz?

Flashback,Lutz: Me?

Flashback,Lutz: I want to travel to other cities.

Flashback,Main: Other cities?

Flashback,Lutz: I wanna become a traveling trader and see the world for myself.

Main: So your dream is coming true.

Lutz: Yeah.

Lutz: Okay, Main. I'll see you later.

Main: Yeah.

Gil: Are you lonely, Lady Main?

Main: Well, I always had my family around me.

Gil: I'll coddle you like Lutz does!

Fran: Absolutely not.

Fran: Gil, Lady Main is your master.

Fran: It is not your duty as her attendant to coddle her.

Fran: You and Lutz are not the same.

Gil: Fine...

Fran: Lady I can imagine you're lonely due to the current circumstances.

Fran: When your family or Lutz are here to see you, I can overlook them spoiling you.

Fran: However, I would like you to keep an appropriate distance with your attendants.

Main: Okay.

Tuuli: it's like you're a little baby again.

Main: Well, I'm lonely, and Mom can't come, either.

Main: But I'm not lonely when we're like this.

Tuuli: Then I'll tell you stories, since Mom can't come.

Main: Okay!

Tuuli: Once upon a time, there were little star children.

Tuuli: Okay, I'll see you later, Main.

Main: Come back soon, okay, Tuuli?

Main: Wait...

Main: Tuuli...

Fran: Lady Main.

Main: Fran.

Fran: I have a message from the head priest.

Fran: He would like you to have your robes

Fran: for the ceremony delivered when Master Karstedt is here.

Main: Oh... all right.

Main: I'll have Lutz tell Mister Benno.

Fran: Thank you.

Flashback,Tuuli: Your cooking is so delicious, Main.

Flashback,Effa: You've got some on your mouth, Main.

Flashback,Gunther: make sure you eat plenty, so you can grow big.

Flashback,Tuuli: Main.

Flashback,Effa: Main.

Flashback,Gunther: Main.

Flashback,Tuuli: Main.

Flashback,Effa: Main.

Flashback,Gunther: Main.

Flashback,Tuuli: Main.

Flashback,Effa: Main.

Flashback,Gunther: Main.

Main: The colder it got, the more homesick I became.

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Main: On the day of the first snowfall of the year...

Main: Mister Benno! I missed you!

Benno: How depressing.

Main: What's wrong? You look rather pale.

Benno: I'm going to be speaking with the head priest and an upper-class noble.

Benno: I'm getting a headache just thinking about it.

Mark: Sir, you're going to mess up your hair.

Main: Wait, are you actually nervous?

Main: You're always more than happy to start fights with the guild master and vested interests.

Benno: Don't group the guild master and upper-class nobles together!

Main: Oh, don't even worry. Lord Karstedt is a good person.

Benno: You simpleton!

Benno: There's no way I'd be summoned to the cathedral just to deliver your robes!

Main: Huh?

Benno: They're clearly trying to gather more information about you.

Mark: Without a doubt.

Ferdinand: Thank you all for gathering here today.

Ferdinand: First, let's have a look at her ceremonial robes.

Benno: These are Lady Main's ceremonial robes.

Ferdinand: Well done, Benno.

Karstedt: Next, I would like for Apprentice Priestess Main...

Karstedt: to accept these robes.

Main: I humbly accept.

Flashback,Damuel: Stop this, Schicicoza!

Flashback,Schicicoza: Quiet, Damuel.

Flashback,Schicicoza: Know your place.

Flashback,Karstedt: Damuel. Tell the truth.

Flashback,Damuel: When Schicicoza told me to know my place,

Flashback,Damuel: I couldn't stop him anymore.

Flashback,Damuel: I'm terribly sorry!

Main: Why...

Ferdinand: Karstedt, Damuel. Your punishment has come to an end for now.

Main: From there, due to Mister Benno's request to know the opinions of nobles,

Main: I had the head priest take a look at my handiwork.

Ferdinand: If you're going to sell these in the lower parts of the city, I see no issue.

Main: The magical item that prevents eavesdropping.

Ferdinand: Enschupot.

Main: What is this?

Main: I see.

Main: He set up this boundary for Mister Benno, since he doesn't have any mana.

Ferdinand: Now then, Benno... I have something I'd like to ask you.

Benno: Please, go right ahead.

Ferdinand: Is the head of the Ink Guild without a doubt Wolf?

Benno: Yes.

Ferdinand: Ever since you established a magical contract with them,

Ferdinand: they started investigating and Lutz became their prime target.

Ferdinand: Is this also true?

Benno: It is.

Benno: Usually, I'll gather as much information as possible

Benno: before establishing a contract, to put us at a slight advantage.

Benno: I cannot fathom why he'd want information after the contract has been signed.

Ferdinand: Are you acquainted with this man, Main?

Main: No. I have not seen his face, nor do I know his name.

Main: Mister Benno had me hide while they established the contract.

Ferdinand: A wise decision, Benno.

Karstedt: Perhaps the reason Wolf openly gathered information after forming the contract

Karstedt: was because he didn't care if things went south after the contract was in place.

Benno: May I ask what you mean?

Ferdinand: Contract magic cannot be undone unless everyone in the contract agrees to it.

Ferdinand: I'm assuming he was trying to take advantage of that.

Benno: I had only heard bad rumors about him, but...

Ferdinand: What kind of rumors?

Benno: In order to gain the favor of nobles, he's willing to commit crimes.

Main: Crimes?!

Benno: I'm not entirely sure just how true this is...

Ferdinand: What do you think Wolf intended to do after getting information on Main?

Benno: Lady Main's greatest asset is her ability to create one product after another,

Benno: and her knowledge of how to create these items.

Benno: He could either kidnap Lady Main to gain this knowledge...

Benno: Or take those closest to her hostage and demand this knowledge be handed over.

Karstedt: Knowledge?

Main: Yeah, I'm sure this all sounds unbelievable.

Benno: However, imprisoning Lady Main is far more difficult than kidnapping her in her case.

Ferdinand: True.

Ferdinand: She'll run a fever for a few days

Ferdinand: after putting her in the reflection room for half a day.

Ferdinand: She'll die before they can get any information out of her.

Karstedt: Meaning it's probably likely that he'd sell her off

Karstedt: to some noble after gaining some of her knowledge.

Main: Sell me off?!

Benno: Or he could try to force a subordination contract through her Devouring.

Ferdinand: Seems likely.

Ferdinand: Benno, I'd like you to continue gathering information through your workplace,

Ferdinand: and continue to conceal Main's existence here.

Benno: As you wish.

Main: Then we had Damuel join in, so they could discuss the judgment their superior

Main: had given them for incompetence during their mission to subjugate the trombe.

Ferdinand: The judgment the lord had passed upon Schicicoza is death.

Ferdinand: As far as the public knows, Schicicoza died in the line of duty.

Main: As far as the public knows?

Ferdinand: Karstedt and Damuel have paid for your robes.

Main: Oh, so that's why he paid Mister Benno earlier.

Ferdinand: Damuel has been demoted to apprentice status.

Ferdinand: He will be your bodyguard for the next year.

Main: Huh?

Ferdinand: You are truly in danger.

Karstedt: Word has spread among the upper-class nobles

Karstedt: that there's an apprentice priestess who can be exploited,

Karstedt: given the amount of mana you have.

Karstedt: And that you had been granted blue robes by the lord.

Ferdinand: Do you see?

Ferdinand: That's the apprentice priestess who was granted blue robes by the church and the lord.

Main: That's the first time I've heard any of that.

Main: You dumb noble.

Karstedt: After finding out she was given her blue robes by the lord,

Karstedt: I'm sure nobles who want to get close to her will try to curry favor with him.

Karstedt: Even if it means having you kidnapped

Karstedt: just so they can save you and the lord feels indebted.

Ferdinand: And if they're someone who opposes the lord,

Ferdinand: they could kidnap you and sell you off to one of his enemies,

Ferdinand: or even claim that you're their child.

Ferdinand: And in that case, your family would be in the way.

Ferdinand: They would probably be silenced.

Damuel: Among the lower-class nobles,

Damuel: there is still much contempt towards the apprentice priestess.

Damuel: I'm sure they'd rather not acknowledge an apprentice priestess

Damuel: who's a commoner having so much mana.

Damuel: Even I couldn't believe this to be true until I saw her.

Damuel: And Schicicoza's mother was delighted that Schicicoza came home

Damuel: due to the purge.

Damuel: I heard that she bears great resentment

Damuel: towards the apprentice priestess due to what just happened.

Main: Resentment towards me?

Karstedt: If she wants to go as far as sacrificing her own family for the sake of revenge,

Karstedt: things will get ugly.

Ferdinand: Main.

Main: Yes?

Ferdinand: I was going to eventually have you marry a noble.

Main: Huh?

Ferdinand: It is extremely likely that you and those around you will be thrown into danger.

Ferdinand: You should have a noble adopt you as soon as possible.

Main: Adopt me?

Ferdinand: Yes. If you were adopted by Karstedt,

Ferdinand: you could be protected to some degree.

Ferdinand: I assure you that he is a good man.

Karstedt: would you like to become my daughter?

Main: I can't!

Ferdinand: And what do you mean by that, Main?

Main: I want to go home.

Main: I don't want to be apart from my family any longer.

Ferdinand: calm down.

Ferdinand: We're going into my workshop to make sure the effects of this are minimal.

Ferdinand: I know the Dedication Ceremony is approaching,

Ferdinand: but you've held in too much mana.

Ferdinand: You fool.

Main: I'm sorry...

Ferdinand: To think you'd be this unstable even with your family visiting you...

Ferdinand: Did something happen?

Main: It's all your fault, Head Priest.

Main: You just had to go digging through my memories.

Main: Thinking about the family I'll never get to see again...

Main: I never want to be apart from my current family.

Main: And yet...

Ferdinand: control yourself!

Main: If I let some noble adopt me, I'll never be able to see my family!

Ferdinand: Main!

Ferdinand: It calms you down to a certain degree when I do this, does it not?

Main: You've still got a ways to go.

Main: Hup...

Main: This will do.

Ferdinand: Honestly...

Ferdinand: Now, listen to me. Your mana is far too powerful.

Ferdinand: It is enough that it should be used for this domain and this country.

Main: This country?

Ferdinand: Yes. you need to realize this yourself.

Ferdinand: When your emotions become volatile, you put those around you in danger.

Ferdinand: Since you cannot control your powers,

Ferdinand: it is very possible to put your beloved family in danger.

Main: I'll be fine as long as I have my family.

Main: So please... Don't separate me from my family!

Ferdinand: Ten years old.

Ferdinand: The enrollment age for the Royal Academy is ten.

Ferdinand: Until then, have your family spoil you as much as you'd like.

Main: Thank you very much!

Ferdinand: But from that point on, I will not honor your opinions.

Ferdinand: If you are deemed dangerous or harmful,

Ferdinand: you will be dealt with.

Ferdinand: Just remember that.

Main: Okay...

Next_Chapter ,Caption: Next Chapter The Dedication Ceremony and Spring Arrives

Karstedt: Hm... The game played with these resembles gewinnen.

Main: Looks like I win!

Ferdinand: I have lost?!

Ferdinand: One more match! I will win the next round!

Main: If you buy Reversi, I'll play another game with you.

Main: Four big gold coins!

Main: Considering it just costs five small silvers, I just made eight times more!

Main: You should always take as much money

Main: as you can from wherever you can when the opportunity shows itself!

Ferdinand: I still don't understand.