Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 1.3 - Chapter 1

Discussing the Devouring with Freida 

The feeling of being swallowed by heat and slowly devoured was familiar to me. I focused my mind as much as I could just like last time to try and resist it. I haven’t even made a book yet, come on! 

But despite mimicking what I had done in the past to survive, there was simply too much heat this time. No matter how hard I pushed, it just pushed back harder. 

I kept on fighting away, swiping away at the heat with as much courage as I could muster, when suddenly it started getting sucked away in a certain direction. The Devouring heat around me started swooshing away, like a vacuum cleaner was sucking it all up. Alriiight! Get out of here! 

I was so amused by the shrinking heat that I shooed it away with my hands like a dog, pushing more into the vacuum cleaner, when suddenly I heard a large snap. Immediately the heat stopped leaving me. No matter how hard I pushed, it just bounced back. 

...Um? Did I break the vacuum cleaner? Did I maybe do something really bad just now? Oh no. For a moment I reeled in horror within the greatly reduced fog of heat. Naturally, there was nobody to tell me what had happened. I was all alone. But I was also alive and could think about it later. 

It felt as if there was about half as much Devouring heat as before. It wasn’t too hard to push the diminished heat into me and put a lid on it. I packed it all tight inside of me, like stuffing something into a cardboard box, and pushed it into a closet. 

When I was finished, I felt immense relief and noticed my mind slowly rising out of the depths. ...Where am I? 

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a world I didn’t recognize. First of all, it was dark. I thought for a moment that it was just that the sun had set, but it was only dark around my head. I could see light filtering in by my feet, which helped my vision adjust, and eventually I could see that I was lying in a bed with dark-green curtains hung all around it. 

The curtains by my feet were pulled to be half open. Basically, I was in a canopy bed with thick drapes about half a foot or so away from the sides of the bed that were meant to block light and prying eyes. Only a rich person could afford so much cloth for something like this. 

...Oh wait, did I reincarnate as a noble this time?! The bed itself was of a much higher quality than my old one, too. It wasn’t stuffed with straw, it was made of something soft and had a warm sewn sheet on top of it with a warm blanket too. Both felt nice to the touch. Honestly, this bed was just incredibly comfy. In my Urano days I had slept in a spring bed with a down-filled quilt or comfy blanket depending on the season, but a year of poverty had changed my standards completely. In fact, it honestly felt weird that straw wasn’t poking me from beneath the sheets and flying out everywhere as I rolled around in bed. 

...Straw beds are warm too. Eventually you get used to fleas and bed bugs biting you. Eventually. But it’s been a long time since I’ve slept in a bed that felt this nice. I want to sleep even more now. 

The bed I slept in with Tuuli was narrow enough that I had to be careful not to roll into her, but this one was wide enough that I could roll around as much as I wanted. I rolled to one side and saw a chair and a small table with an unlit candle beside the bed. There was nothing in this room I recognized. 

Or there wasn’t at first, until I noticed something. My hands and hair were my own. I grabbed some hair and held in front of my eyes, which allowed me to confirm that I was still Myne. ...Well, I guess I didn’t reincarnate again. There goes my theory about where this place is. 

I searched my memories to try and remember what had happened before I fell unconscious. Which reminded me that Benno had sent a messenger to the guildmaster before I passed out. 

“...Aaah, I guess this is the guildmaster’s house, then?” I remembered that he had magic tools that could do something about the Devouring heat, and that Benno had made a deal with him, so this was definitely the guildmaster’s house. That explained why everything was so fancy. 

“Excuse me, is anybody there?” My body was too heavy for me to sit up, but I wanted to get a grasp on my surroundings. Still at the edge of the bed, I reached out and pulled the curtains a bit. They wavered, and a woman who must have heard me passed through them. 

“Please wait just a moment.” She left it at that and left. Unable to move and still confused, I remained wrapped in the blankets. My body steadily warmed up and my eyes began to droop. 

...Oh no, I’m sleeping again. As I started drifting off once more, I heard the door open and shut, then heard footsteps coming my way. I snapped back awake, like a seasoned slacker reacting to their teacher’s footsteps. 

The curtains rustled and Freida entered with a lit candle shining on her light rosy hair. “Have you awoken, Myne? How much do you remember about what happened?” Freida set the candle on the stand and sat on the chair by the bed. I tried to sit up so we could talk, but Freida gently pushed me back down. “The heat must have put an enormous burden on your body. Please, rest.” 

“Thank you. But I feel like I’ll fall asleep mid-sentence if I keep lying down, so...” I got up and sat cross legged as Freida smiled and shook her head, telling me not to push myself. “Ummm, okay, how much do I remember? I remember up until the heat burst out in Benno’s store and swallowed me up. There was so much of it I was being overwhelmed, and then it all got sucked away somewhere. Did you do that, Freida?” 

The heat had never been sucked away like that before. She had likely used one of those magic tools Benno was talking about to save me, which meant an expensive magic tool had probably been destroyed in the process. I felt the blood drain from my face, and in contrast Freida nodded several times with a warm smile. 

“That is mostly correct. I packed as much heat of yours as I could into the old magic tool. It broke due to that, but I imagine it took much of your Devouring heat with it. How do you feel?” 

“Great! I feel a lot better. But aren’t magic tools really expensive...?” I asked, my face pale. 

Freida informed me of the price with an extremely amused smile. “Indeed. The one that just broke was worth two small golds and eight large silvers. Benno said that you would be able to afford that, but I wonder if that’s truly the case.” 

That pretty much confirmed that Benno knew the price of the magic tool when he paid me for extra information on the rinsham. The price he paid would be too much of a coincidence otherwise. ...Wait. Didn’t he offer to pay two small golds at first? That wouldn’t have been enough. Did he think I would make up for it with paper sales? 

Feeling some degree of unease towards Benno’s actions, I looked at Freida and nodded. “...I’ll pay.” 

“So you do have enough, then...? Then you’ve escaped me once again.” Freida opened her eyes wide, then pouted a little with frustration. “If you had been unable to afford it, we would have had you register with the Othmar Company rather than the Gilberta Company. Grandfather told Benno that the magic tool would cost a small gold and two large silvers, so I thought for sure you wouldn’t have enough. It seems that Benno thought one step ahead of us.” 

...Good job, me, for turning down the two small golds! And Benno, the best decision you ever made was raising the price just high enough that it would cover this! The day I join a store that lays traps for me in life-threatening situations is the day my fragile self succumbs to sheer anxiety! I patted my chest in relief and Freida got a serious look in her eyes. 

“If I may use an example, that magic merely sucked some water out of an overly full cup. There is still water in the cup, waiting to be refilled, and as you grow older the overall amount of water will increase.” 

I nodded. Half a year ago it was worse than a year ago. A month ago it was worse than half a year ago. Now it was worse than it was a month ago. The Devouring heat was getting increasingly difficult to manage, and I was only fine now thanks to the magic tool. There was less heat within me now than before, but I knew better than anyone that it would refill and get worse over time. 

“The problem is that the bigger the cup gets, the faster the water increases. I can imagine that it will only take a year at best before it is filled up entirely again.” 

My senses told me that she was telling the truth, likely due to her own past with the Devouring. I nodded and Freida continued on in a flat tone, her expression looking as if she was intentionally cutting out her emotions. 

“Therefore, Myne. Think well and choose. Would you rather live and die as a noble’s slave, or would you rather live with your family and rot away in a year’s time?” I blinked in surprise, not understanding her, and Freida gave a troubled smile. “Magic tools are generally held only by nobles. My grandfather purchased these old, nearly broken ones by fishing through his connections and paying exorbitant sums, but I believe that outside of the ones we own, you won’t find any other magic tools for sale.” 

“Whaaaat?! A worthless, nearly broken magic tool still costs two small golds and eight big silvers?!” I opened my eyes wide in surprise, and Freida slowly tilted her head after blinking several times. 

“I believe that is a reasonable price considering it saved your life. A properly working magic tool will run you a price of several large golds. For a commoner with the Devouring to survive, they need to sign a contract agreeing to work for a noble in return for a magic tool, and subsequently work the rest of their life as the noble’s slave to pay back the debt,” explained Freida as if it were just common sense, implying that she had received the exact same explanation several times in the past. 

“...Is that what you did, Freida?” 

Freida’s expression blossomed into a smile. “Indeed. I have already signed a contract with a noble. Although I am allowed to live at home until my adulthood ceremony, upon coming of age, he will take me as his mistress.” 

“Bwuuuh?! M-M-M, Mistress?! Do you know what that word means?!” I hadn’t expected to hear such a word from such a cute, pretty little girl. My mouth flapped open and closed like a fish, which made Freida look confused herself. 

“...Judging by that reaction, you know what a mistress is?” That wasn’t a word that most six or seven year olds knew. And under normal circumstances, they would never casually say that they planned to become one themselves. 

“The initial discussions involved me becoming the noble’s second or third wife, but an official marriage would be quite complicated due to lines of succession and competition between wives. In particular, my family has more money than a laynoble, so an official marriage would likely lead to undue strife according to my grandfather.” 

“Gaaah?! Guildmaster! What kind of things are you telling this kid?!” I let out a shout and Freida’s expression hardened a little. 

“Myne, I am saying this for your benefit. Choosing to live means choosing to live in the world of nobility. If you do not maneuver carefully, you will be killed for other reasons even if magic tools save your life. Information is critical for protecting your life. Choosing not to heed these warnings will only put yourself in danger.” 

“I’m sorry. I am the fool. It’s me.” As always, my innocent Japanese brain was not equipped to deal with the challenges presented to me. This was an entirely different world from the one where I had lived in relaxed peace. I apologized immediately and Freida forced a smile. 

“Do not worry. Our situations are fairly out of the ordinary. My grandfather is the guildmaster of the Merchant’s Guild and through his work has connections with many nobles. He was capable of selecting ideal circumstances for me thanks to those seeking favors, help, and so on.” 

“Ideal circumstances...?” I tilted my head in confusion and Freida beamed a sincere smile, clearly glad that I had asked. 

“There is a store waiting for me in the nobles’ district. I am not being given just a floor in my master’s estate or something of the like, but rather an entire store to call my own. My family will have to fund it all, but I am quite looking forward to doing the business I had given up on with my Devouring.” Freida smiled like a blooming flower, eyes shining with excitement for her future. 

“...I see. You’re not sad that you don’t get to marry someone you love?” 

“Dear me, Myne. What are you saying? My father would decide upon my master regardless of any other factors. Even if I were given choices, they would be carefully selected choices and I would have no true agency.” 

Riiight... What’s common sense to me isn’t common sense here. I forgot that fathers tend to pick marriage candidates here. It all has to do with which families know which families. 

“My family is quite satisfied that I will be establishing a base of operations for them in the nobles’ district, and although thirty percent of my profit will be going to my master, the store will be physically distant from him to such an extent that I will avoid much hassle that would otherwise pose significant problems. That was the best deal possible.” 

Although I knew it was standard for this world, seeing Freida speak of her future as a mistress with an excited smile made me feel conflicted. 

“My family had leverage with nobles in the form of financial support, but does yours? You might face a future where my position as a mistress is outright enviable. Think hard, think well, and choose a life that you can live without regrets.” 

Aaah... I understand. I’m sick with the Devouring too. I need a noble’s protection just to survive. Freida’s telling me to plan ahead for the next time that the Devouring heat becomes too much for me. I’ll need to choose whether to become a noble’s slave or die with my family. 

“Thank you. I’ll think hard about what I want to do. I’m glad you told me all this.” 

“Certainly. I imagine you have no other associates with this knowledge? If you ever have any concerns about your Devouring, feel free to consult me. I believe I might be the only one who will ever truly understand what you’re going through.” 

The Devouring was such a rare disease that few knew about it. It felt nice to finally have someone I could talk to about it. 

“Thanks for all your help. I think I need to get home now, though.” I could tell the room was getting steadily darker; the sun would likely be setting soon. My family would worry if I didn’t get home soon. 

I tried to get up since we had finished our conversation, but Freida once again gently pushed me back into bed. “Fret not, you may continue to rest. Your family just saw you during their last visit.” 

“Last visit? Wait, how long have I been out?” I blinked in surprise at the implication that a day had passed. 

Freida put a hand to her cheek and thought for a moment. “You were brought here yesterday at noon, and the sun is about to set today. You must have been quite exhausted, considering how long it took you to awaken even after your fever fell. We decided that you may stay here until the baptism festival the day after tomorrow, regardless of when you wake up.” 

It seemed that a lot had gone down between Benno, the guildmaster, and my family while I was asleep. Just imagining how my family reacted to hearing about me passing out made my stomach hurt. 

“Judging by his attitude today, I imagine that Lutz will be visiting right in the morning tomorrow, perhaps with your family in tow. Close your eyes again and rest for today.” 

“Thank you, Freida.” 

“Be sure to make a firm decision before speaking of this with your family. And... if you feel better tomorrow, shall we make the sweets as promised?” Freida stood up and quietly left with the candle, leaving my vision in darkness. 

I mulled over what Freida had said and thought hard about my future, but my body desired rest and my eyes started to droop despite the fact I was sitting up. I snuggled into bed beneath the covers and, without resisting the comfy covers for even a second, fell asleep on the spot.