03x07 - Delia and Dirk

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: Main tries to create various colored inks with the daughter of the ink workshop foreman, Heidi.

Narrator: Meanwhile at the cathedral, they take in an abandoned child

Narrator: and name him Dirk.

Delia: Ugh! Why do I have to do this, too?

Main: Of course, you should look after him.

Main: You're going to be this child's older sister.

Delia: O-Older sister?

Main: Yes. I would like for you to care for this child like he's your own flesh and blood.

Delia: Did you see that? Dirk smiled at me!

Narrator: However...

Delia: What are these spots?

Delia: He feels so hot...

Delia: What a terrible fever... but why?

Delia: Dirk...

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Title Card: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Ep Sign: Chapter Thirty-Three Delia and Dirk

Main: Dirk's cheeks had bumps on them?

Delia: Yes. They went away immediately when I gave him goat's milk.

Fran: I saw them on him this morning.

Delia: Is this common with babies?

Main: He seems to be okay right now.

Delia: He really had bumps on his face!

Main: I can't really determine anything unless I see them myself.

Main: Let's see what happens the next time you give him milk.

Fran: I believe he's getting hungry.

Delia: I'm sorry, Dirk. We'll give you some milk in a little bit.

Main: A fever?

Delia: Yes, Lady Main. He's burning up.

Main: This is...

Delia: Please look.

Delia: He has bumps on his cheeks.

Main: Yes, I see that. Delia, go ahead and give him some milk.

Delia: All right.

Delia: Here you go, Dirk.

Rosina: The bumps disappeared.

Fran: What could this mean?

Main: Fran, could you fetch Lutz for me?

Main: Could you also request a meeting with the head priest?

Main: As soon as possible.

Fran: As you wish.

Delia: Lady did you figure something out?

Main: I cannot say yet.

Lutz: Fran said you wanted to talk to me.

Lutz: What's the matter, Main?

Main: Yes, well...

Main: I was wondering if you'd go to the forest and get me some tau fruit.

Lutz: Tau fruit?

Main: Yes. Please, Lutz.

Lutz: All right.

Main: If we have tau fruits, we can keep Dirk's mana from going berserk and k*lling him.

Ferdinand: What is it now?

Main: The baby I told you about yesterday...

Main: Are we safe talking about this here?

Ferdinand: So this must be important if you're worried about who might be watching or listening.

Main: Yes.

Ferdinand: Did something happen to this baby?

Main: I believe the baby has the Devouring.

Main: When crying from hunger,

Main: the baby develops a fever and breaks out in a rash.

Main: But after taking milk, the fever goes away and the baby returns to normal.

Ferdinand: If the child is showing that many signs as an infant,

Ferdinand: an abundance of mana must be present.

Main: I knew it.

Ferdinand: The infant definitely has the Devouring.

Main: He's thinking about something.

Ferdinand: It might be best if we have the child form a contract with a noble immediately.

Main: Huh? A contract?

Ferdinand: The baby will not survive otherwise.

Main: What it means to form a contract with noble is

Main: in exchange for the noble giving the other magic items to survive,

Main: they become the noble's subordinate,

Main: have their mana drained away,

Main: and will live that life of confinement until they literally die.

Main: Head Priest, is there any way we can have Dirk

Main: offer up mana and become a blue-robed priest like me?

Ferdinand: Raising a child as a blue-robed priest costs money.

Ferdinand: Who, exactly, would pay for that?

Main: Well...

Ferdinand: Even if you could pay,

Ferdinand: wouldn't you be favoring one child over the others as the head of the orphanage?

Ferdinand: Without magic items, those with the Devouring will die.

Ferdinand: Forming a contract with a noble is absolutely necessary.

Main: Right...

Ferdinand: Mostly, those who form contracts with Devouring children

Ferdinand: are nobles who feel like their mana is lacking.

Ferdinand: They don't usually want others to know they've made this contact,

Ferdinand: so they often have them become concubines or attendants.

Main: Just like Freida...

Ferdinand: But it's different when it comes to adopting them.

Ferdinand: Then, they need permission from the parents.

Ferdinand: It's not as though they can form these contracts with anyone.

Main: Then what about me?

Ferdinand: In your case, because of your abundance of mana,

Ferdinand: the fact that you are smart enough to make your own money,

Ferdinand: and know how to use your own talents,

Ferdinand: we decided it'd be best if you were adopted by an upper-class noble.

Main: I see...

Main: Head Priest,

Main: please make sure you find Dirk a good candidate.

Ferdinand: is this infant a girl?

Main: He's a boy.

Ferdinand: Him being a boy makes this more difficult.

Ferdinand: If he was a girl, he might've had a better chance of being adopted.

Main: You mean as a pawn in a marriage of convenience.

Ferdinand: Whatever the outcome may be, we need to find out how much mana this infant has first.

Main: The head priest is going to find out how much mana you have tomorrow.

Fran: Good morning, Head Priest.

Ferdinand: Where is this child?

Fran: Right this way.

Main: Thank you kindly for coming to see us.

Ferdinand: see everyone else out of the room.

Main: Understood.

Main: I need all of you to leave for now.

Main: Oh, the color is changing.

Ferdinand: Hm... He's about equal to a stronger middle-class noble.

Ferdinand: If a noble is lacking mana right now, they may want to adopt him.

Ferdinand: But if we think about your safety,

Ferdinand: it's unwise to probe around too much for possible interest.

Ferdinand: If you're that worried, then once you're adopted by Karstedt,

Ferdinand: you should be the one to form a contract with this child.

Main: Me?

Ferdinand: You'd be a noble, so it would be possible.

Main: Thank you kindly!

Ferdinand: how many know that this child has the Devouring?

Main: Just me.

Ferdinand: In that case, continue to stay quiet about that and take care of him.

Ferdinand: The high priest will take advantage of this if he finds out about it.

Ferdinand: Between you, who can be rather disobedient, and this child who cannot think for himself yet,

Ferdinand: it's clear which one the high priest would choose.

Ferdinand: If you want to protect him, make sure he is not found out.

Ferdinand: Whether or not you are able to protect this infant

Ferdinand: may greatly change your position and your surroundings.

Ferdinand: Always keep that in mind.

Main: Yes.

Delia: Lady what did the head priest say?

Delia: Is Dirk ill?

Main: No, he is fine.

Main: He just said to continue to look after Dirk at the orphanage.

Delia: I see...

Delia: Oh, thank goodness.

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Eyecatch: Ascendance of a Bookworm

Heidi: Morning, miss. I've been waiting for you.

Main: Good morning, Heidi.

Main: We wrote down the results from all of our experiments.

Heidi: Nah, it's okay. I can't really read anyway.

Heidi: More importantly, how'd the results turn out?

Main: We found out that linseed produced blues, mische produced greens,

Main: and that eise produces yellows.

Heidi: Well done, Miss!

Main: Today, let's start using the ink we've made on vorlin paper and trombe paper.

Lutz: The colors pretty much end up as-is on the trombe paper.

Main: They end up a bit darker on the vorlin paper.

Heidi: Hopefully they stay like this even after they dry.

Main: No way...

Lutz: They darkened way more after they dried.

Main: It would be great for drawing blood, though!

Lutz: No one needs a specific ink just for that.

Heidi: Now I know why art workshops keep how paint is made a secret.

Main: Apparently paint is made very specifically by certain workshops,

Main: but the methods they use are kept a secret.

Main: You basically won't find any paint available where I live.

Main: Paints for nobles are made by the workshop they ordered them from,

Main: and delivered right to them.

Heidi: Miss! Let's find out why the inks change color!

Main: All that matters is the result!

Main: Okay, next, let's try combining the colors, Gil.

Gil: Okay, Lady Main.

Tuuli: I guess it's not great that all the colors turned black when you combined them.

Main: Seriously, what should I do?

Effa: You're not using a fixing agent?

Main: Fixing agent?

Effa: It's a liquid used to make sure the color stays.

Effa: When you're dying fabrics, you use it to make sure the color doesn't change any more.

Main: Thanks, Mom! I'll give that a try.

Lutz: So there's something called a fixing agent, huh?

Lutz: I guess we would've never figured that out if Missus Effa

Lutz: didn't work at a fabric dying workshop.

Main: Once we gather all the ingredients, I'm going to try to make some.

Main: My mom told me how to make it.

Lutz: You just need to tell us how to make it.

Gil: We'll make it for you!

Gil: You're not allowed to, Lady Main.

Lutz: Oh, also... Could you get some parchment from Wilma?

Lutz: I'll get things ready at the workshop, so we can print.

Main: So as you can see, I'm being left out,

Main: and Gil and Lutz are off making the fixing agent somewhere.

Main: Isn't that mean?

Rosina: Oh, Lady Main.

Rosina: A fixing agent is absolutely necessary when drawing or painting.

Rosina: Wilma always mentions it's impossible to paint or draw without it.

Main: Huh?

Rosina: You always seem to know the most surprising things,

Rosina: but you had no idea about fixing agents.

Delia: Just a little more, Dirk. Don't give up!

Main: Dirk can already flip over?

Delia: No, not yet.

Delia: He's almost got it though.

Main: That's quite fast. My little Kamil's nowhere near that.

Delia: Well done, my little brother. You're quite talented.

Main: What's with that adorable smile?!

Main: I've never seen that before!

Rosina: Lady Main.

Rosina: Leave Dirk to Delia and let us start this harspiel lesson.

Wilma: Good morning, Lady Main. I've come to take Dirk.

Main: Good morning, Wilma. Thank you again.

Wilma: How was last night, Delia?

Delia: The same as usual, Wilma.

Wilma: I'll go ahead and take Dirk.

Delia: When Dirk leaves, I get so lonely.

Delia: Okay, off you go.

Delia: Lady do you think Dirk feels lonely or is crying?

Main: He's surrounded by other children, so I'm sure he's not lonely.

Main: Even if he may not be able to sleep because it's too loud.

Delia: But that's not fair to Dirk.

Main: Well, Wilma will look after him.

Delia: How do we know that, though?

Delia: Ugh! Are you even listening to me, Lady Main?

Main: Well, if you're that worried, why don't you see for yourself?

Delia: I don't want to go to the orphanage!

Main: Make sure you two get plenty of rest.

Fran: Please excuse us.

Rosina: Excuse us.

Main: Sir Damuel.

Main: I'm going to head to the orphanage.

Damuel: Hey, Apprentice Priestess.

Damuel: Where are your attendants?

Main: Huh?

Damuel: Why are you trying to leave without a single escort?

Damuel: Perfect timing.

Damuel: You, attendant. Go with Lady Main to the orphanage.

Delia: Huh?

Main: Just to the entrance of the orphanage will do.

Main: Do you think you'll be able to?

Delia: As you wish.

Delia: Now, if you'll excuse me.

Damuel: Hey.

Damuel: Are you implying that the apprentice priestess, your master, should open the door?

Damuel: Open the door.

Main: Good work, you two.

Delia: Lady I'm going to head back.

Main: All right. Sorry to push you like this.

Main: Thank you, Delia.

Delia: It's all right.

Delia: Dirk!

Delia: Seriously! What if Dirk got hurt?!

Delia: You need to keep a better eye on him!

Wilma: Lady do you think Delia will be all right?

Wilma: I heard that she didn't like coming to the orphanage.

Main: I'm not sure.

Main: But I'm hoping she'll let Dirk's cuteness get to her little by little.

Main: This isn't the same place you came from anymore, Delia.

Delia: Ugh, what's that supposed to mean?!

Wilma: That's Delia's voice.

Main: I wonder what happened.

Damuel: Let's hurry back, Apprentice Priestess.

Delia: The head priest can't be trusted!

Fran: He can be trusted.

Main: Fran, Delia.

Main: What's this all about?

Delia: Lady is it true that Dirk is supposed to be adopted?

Caption: Next Chapter Ominous Developments

Main: Head Priest, I thought that Dirk actually had more mana than I do.

Ferdinand: At the time of your births, Dirk's would probably measure higher.

Ferdinand: This doesn't apply to the original

Ferdinand: but after you took over her consciousness and your mana condensed,

Ferdinand: your mana capacity vastly increased.

Main: This must be it.

mana,Sign: Mana

Main: When you compress mana,

Main: it creates empty space for your body's mana to fill, so you compress it tighter,

Main: and then you get even more space.

Ferdinand: Yes. This is a method of controlling mana that you learn at the royal academy.

Main: What? Really?

Main: Here I was barely surviving.

Ferdinand: I'm sure some harm may come from this.

Main: Wh-What do you mean by harm?

Ferdinand: I'll tell you if you go to the royal academy.

Main: What?

Main: Tell me now, Head Priest!