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Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 1.3 - Chapter 23




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Strategy Meeting and the Temple 

I returned home to find my entire family impatiently waiting for me, worry clear on their faces. The moment I opened the door, Tuuli and Mom sighed in relief, as did Dad moments before yelling at me in anger. 

“You’re late! How much will you have to make us worry before you’re satisfied?!” 

“Sorry for worrying you, Dad.” Benno had told me enough about the temple that I knew Dad would be extremely worried for me. I apologized on the spot, then headed to put my stuff in the bedroom, eyeing the dinner already prepared on the table. My empty stomach had started making itself known the moment I got home. 

“I went to Benno’s store and the Merchant’s Guild after going to the temple, and it took a lot of time. I’m tired and super hungry.” 

I washed my hands and sat at the table to eat. Dad narrowed his eyes at me, brows furrowed. 

“What in the world happened?” said Dad, speaking for everyone there. Mom and Tuuli were looking at me with their eyes full of worry. 

“I’ll tell you everything that happened, but can I eat first? I’m hungry and there’s a lot to say.” 

“...Alright.” 

Everyone’s expressions darkened as they realized that I probably didn’t have many positive things to say. I could tell they were all falling deep into thought. I tried searching my memory for something positive to say and remembered something with a start. I could definitely lighten the mood a bit by mentioning what Corinna said. 

“Um, Mom. Benno told me this when I went to his store, but Corinna wants to see my baptism dress and hairpin. Can I show them to her?” 

Mom dropped her spoon into her soup. Her eyes widened and she looked around in a panic, shaking her head with her cheeks blushing. “Wh-What?! Goodness, that outfit isn’t worth showing to Corinna!” 

“...Okay. I’ll turn her down, then.” I had thought Mom might be hesitant, but I didn’t expect her to reject the offer so firmly. It would probably be best to just turn Corinna down if Mom was so upset about it. 

But despite my kind intentions, Mom panicked even harder at that suggestion and waved her hands around with wide eyes. “Wh-What are you saying, Myne?! We can’t turn her down. That would be rude to her. Wait just a moment. Aaah, goodness, I can’t answer her right away.” 

Mom had fallen into a complete panic. She was happy to be recognized by Corinna, but she didn’t know how to deal with someone who was practically a hero to her. I smiled at that, finding it funny. Mom never acted like this usually, and it was really cute. 

I watched Mom murmuring to herself and barely eating, amused, when suddenly Tuuli poked me in the side. “Hey, Myne. Does that mean we’ll be taking them to Corinna’s house?” 

“Probably?” Mom herself said we couldn’t turn her down, so it was basically guaranteed that we would be bringing the outfit and whatnot to her. I wasn’t sure if Mom would go or if I would be alone, but either way, someone was bringing the clothes over. There was basically no chance of us inviting her to our place, for obvious reasons. 

Tuuli looked at me with eyes shining in anticipation and clasped her hands in front of her chest. It was the cutest pose she made when asking for something. “Can I go with you this time, Myne?” 

Last time, when I brought her the rinsham, Corinna had sent a letter of invitation exclusively to me which meant that Tuuli had to stay home despite wanting to go. There wasn’t a letter of invitation this time so I could just mention that Tuuli was coming with me when I gave Benno our reply. 

“Corinna is a nice lady, so I don’t think she’ll turn you down. But just in case, I’ll mention that you made the big flowers on my hairpin and ask if you can come too.” 

“Yaaay! I love you, Myne! Thank you!” Tuuli’s face lit up and she skipped with innocent joy. 

Tuuli... You’re so cute. Just what I’d expect from my angel. Tuuli was an apprentice seamstress, so Corinna with all her fame and charisma was probably an idol to her. I smiled at Tuuli and Mom held her hands out, shaking her head. 

“Hold on, you two. Just hold on. I haven’t decided on whether we’ll be going or not yet.” 

“Huh? But you can’t turn her down.” 

“That’s true, but...” 

“I think Corinna will want to talk to the person who actually sewed the outfit, but... If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to.” 

The words that came spluttering out of my Mom’s mouth didn’t contain any particular meaning. I started to say that Tuuli and I could go ourselves, but Mom shook her head hard. 

“I never said I didn’t want to go.” 

“Okay. We can all go together, then,” I said with a smile, leaving Mom speechless. Tuuli looked at her and giggled. I laughed too, and Mom ultimately gave a defeated smile and laughed as well. Dad watched us laugh with a complicated smile on his face. 

“Okay, let’s talk about what happened today,” said Mom as she prepared the after-dinner tea. Immediately, a weight fell over us. Everyone looked at me, urging me to speak. 

“Ummm, okay. I’ll start with the temple. I told them I didn’t want to be an apprentice shrine maiden anymore, but once they learned I have the Devouring, they said they want to talk to my parents and gave me this letter of invitation. It’s for the day after tomorrow at third bell.” 

I took the board out of my bag and the second Dad saw it, his expression twisted. As a guard, he knew how letters of invitation worked and he had seen many of them over his life. He knew exactly what meaning a letter of invitation from a noble such as the High Bishop meant. His mouth bent into a hard frown as he looked at what was ultimately a forceful letter of summons. 

“Myne, what did you do?!” 

“I didn’t do anything. We just talked and they read the bible to me.” 

“You had a noble reading a book to you...?” 

“...I mean, back then I didn’t realize the High Priest was a noble. It wasn’t my fault.” I pursed my lips and continued on, telling them that the chalice in the temple shined when I touched it. 

Both of them looked at me with shocked expressions and practically slumped against their chairs as if their souls had left their bodies. Apparently that was a bit too much for them to process. I waved my hands in front of their eyes and tilted my head as they stared at the ceiling in a daze. “Can I continue?” 

Dad came back to his senses with a gasp and shook his head awake, then scratched his chin. “Yeah, keep going.” 

“I went to Benno’s store after leaving the temple. He knows a lot more about the Devouring, nobles, and the temple than me, so he taught me a lot.” Everyone was looking at me curiously, so I looked around and nodded before taking a deep breath. “Well, the thing is, the Devouring heat inside of me is actually mana. Benno said that there’s probably no chance of me escaping the temple and nobles.” 

“No way...” Mom and Tuuli put a hand on their mouths and shook in fear. I wasn’t sure if that was them being afraid of me for having mana, or afraid of how much control the temple had over us commoners. I lowered my eyes and continued. 

“But the temple has magic tools, so if I go there, I won’t die.” 

Dad, Mom, and Tuuli all looked at me with a mixture of hope and unease. The fact they were worried for me and not afraid of my mana was such a relief I felt the tension drain from my body. 

“Wait, Myne. If you go to the temple, does that mean we won’t be able to see you, even if you stay alive?” 

“At this rate, probably...” I said, making Tuuli tear up and shake her head. 

“...How is that different from a noble enslaving you? I’m not giving you to the temple,” said Dad in a strained voice. It was true that normally, my only future was entering the temple as a gray shrine maiden, having my mana sucked up, my money stolen in the form of donations, and then spending the rest of my lifespan enslaved in the service of blue priests. 

“Well, Dad. Do you know about the Sovereignty? Have you heard about a political shift that’s had a big impact on the nobility?” 

“There was a merchant talking about something like that a few days ago. I know a lot since I work as a guard at the gate, but that’s got nothing to do with us.” 


It was possible that Benno had heard about this through Otto. I kept that possibility in mind and shook my head. “It’s because of that shift that I’m being summoned to the temple. Benno said that right now there’s a lot fewer nobles and the temple needs more mana. I’m not sure if he was right, though. What do you think?” 

Dad gasped a little, probably due to having heard the same thing. He stroked his chin and closed his eyes as if trying to remember the details. “There’s definitely fewer nobles now. A lot of nobles are leaving, but lately not many nobles have been arriving.” 

“So Benno was right? In that case, I might have a chance.” 

“What do you mean?” Everyone leaned forward, eager to hear the details. 

“Benno said I was lucky. The temple’s having problems due to the lack of nobles, so if I negotiate with them properly, I might be able to have them treat me like a noble or close to it.” 

“Details.” Dad looked at me with the sharp, fierce eyes he wore when doing his job. 

I told him what Benno had told me, as closely as I could remember. I mentioned the contract magic and workshop while I was at it. 

“...So, I’m not sure how it’ll work until I try, but if I exaggerate how weak I am and all that, it’s possible that I can negotiate for better circumstances. Given their tight situation, they should be open to at least a little negotiation. Benno said I should flail as hard as I can to survive,” I said, which made Dad’s eyes shine. 

“Flail to survive, huh? If you think about it, your situation’s not too bad.” 

“Uh huh.” Focus on my mana and my weakness so they treat me like a noble. Exaggerate my magnanimity and weakness so they’re more likely to agree to my terms. Use money as a sword to get them to accept the continued operation of my workshop. 

“There’s some other things I want, like access to the book room and my own servants to do work for me, but if they just treat me like a noble and don’t shut down my workshop, it’ll be a win for me.” 

“Alright. Let’s give it a shot. I became a soldier to protect my family and our city. What good am I for if I can’t even protect my family? I’ll make sure you win and have the best life you can.” Dad grinned with a confident look on his face, the expression of a man ready for battle. 

The next day, my parents went to work and got the next day off. I had walked around so much yesterday that I could barely move and needed to stay in bed. 

Before I knew it, the day had passed and it was time to go to the temple. My parents wore their best clothes and I wore the Gilberta Company apprentice outfit I had. Once we were dressed, we headed to the temple. 

“Dad, be sure to protect me.” I clenched my first and bent my knees a little in an attack posture, like I had seen soldiers doing at the gate. It was a pose that signified soldiers praying for each other’s success in battle. 

Dad widened his eyes, then laughed. He clenched his fist and bent his knees the same way before lightly hitting my fist with his. “You can count on me.” 

The temple was ready for us and as soon as we reached the gate, and a gray priest guided us directly to the High Bishop’s room. We passed by the chapel and the waiting rooms for commoners to go right through the area for nobles. 

As the hall became more fancily decorated around us, I could see Dad clenching his fist tighter in determination with his brows furrowed. Mom paled as she nervously kept an eye on Dad. I squeezed her hand and felt how it was trembling. 

“High Bishop, Myne and her parents have arrived,” said the grey priest as he opened the door to the High Bishop’s room. Inside I could see the High Bishop and High Priest sitting at the table, waiting for us. Behind them were four gray priests. 

I hadn’t known that the gray priests were orphans before, but now that I looked at them again, I got the feeling they were cleaner and looked better than I would expect for orphans. Maybe they weren’t treated so poorly. Or maybe it was just that those serving nobles had to keep themselves clean no matter what. 

“Good morning, High Bishop.” 

“Yes, hello Myne.” The High Bishop greeted me with the expression of a friendly old grandfather, just like I was used to. But once he saw my parents, his eyes widened. He blinked in disbelief and I could see his hands trembling a bit. 

“...And these are indeed your parents?” 

“Yes, they are.” 

“May I ask what their professions are?” 

“My dad is a soldier and my mom works at a dye workshop,” I answered. 

He looked at my parents with narrowed eyes then snorted condescendingly. He didn’t have to say anything for me to understand that he was looking down on them for being poor. 

I myself blinked in surprise at his rapid change in attitude. He was looking down at my parents with condescending eyes and there wasn’t a trace of his friendly old grandpa expression from just a second ago. It was at that moment that I realized I had only been treated so well due to the power of money, and that in reality we were indeed living in a status-based society. 

“Now, let us get this over with.” There were no greetings and we were not permitted to sit at the table. We had to stand as the High Bishop began talking. That was probably normal behavior, but I was so used to him being friendly that I couldn’t help but furrow my brows. 

The High Priest was just looking at us with a quiet, unmoved expression. He didn’t have scorn in his eyes like the High Bishop did. But he seemingly had no intention of calling the High Bishop out, either. He was calm and unmoved. 

The High Bishop coughed, then began speaking with an incredibly arrogant expression on his face. “It seems that you two have refused Myne’s wish to become an apprentice shrine maiden.” 

“Yes, that’s right. I don’t want my precious daughter to be treated like an orphan.” Dad looked at the High Bishop with sparks flying, but the High Bishop just stroked his beard while showing no interest whatsoever in my dad’s hostile tone. 

“Hm. That may be so, but Myne has the Devouring. She will not survive without magic tools. There are magic tools here at the temple. We will express our benevolence and take her in with us.” 

That was an order that left no room for negotiation. The High Bishop’s smug tone and behavior were putting high pressure on us. I wasn’t used to dealing with this kind of status-based discrimination and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. I seemingly wasn’t alone there and I could feel Dad nearly bursting with anger. 

“I refuse. Myne won’t be able to survive here as a servant.” 

“That’s right. Even without the Devouring, Myne is very weak and sickly. She’s the kind of child that collapses twice during a baptism ceremony and ends up bedridden for days with a fever. She wouldn’t last in the temple.” Mom squeezed my hand protectively. 

By rejecting the High Bishop despite his higher status, they were literally putting their lives on the line. The High Bishop had naturally not expected for a moment that they would refuse, and so when they both did, he exploded angrily, his cheeks and somewhat balding head bright red with fury. 

“What rude parents you two are! Be quiet and hand over your daughter!” He was being so emotional and pathetic for a member of the church that I actually flinched at the sight of him. How was he a noble? Why did we have to bow before him just because we were commoners? I just couldn’t understand. 

Dad himself was shaking with anger, as was reasonable, but he repeated his rejection with a cold voice that gave no hint as to his feelings. “I refuse. There are many orphans in this temple. You can work them to the bone as your personal playthings instead. Under no circumstances will I throw my precious daughter into an orphanage,” he said. 

Mom nodded while squeezing my hand so hard it hurt. They were being so courageous that I couldn’t help but smile with pride, but that just poured oil on the High Bishop’s fire. 

“Don’t be ridiculous! Priests! Capture these impudent parents and lock Myne up!” The High Bishop stood up so fast his chair toppled and he turned to scream at the gray priests standing behind him. He went straight to using force to get his way, either due to having a short fuse or due to having no intention of discussing anything with commoners. 

“Get back.” Dad stepped forward to protect Mom and I just as the gray priests moved forward. They couldn’t all come at once due to the table in the way. There was a time gap between each one. 

The High Bishop gave a smug grin as my Dad assumed a fighting posture. “If you lay a hand on a priest, I will have you executed in the name of the gods.” 

“I’ve been ready for that ever since I swore to protect Myne.” 

Dad drove a fist into the stomach of the first priest that reached him and knocked him out with a knee to the jaw. A priest came at him from behind, which he responded to with a backhanded punch and kicking him away. 

Dad didn’t hesitate at all as he incapacitated the priests by hitting their vital points. In the first place, the orphans raised to be servants to the nobility had no chance of beating a trained soldier like my dad. The remaining two priests, probably not used to very much violence in their daily lives, looked at Dad fearfully and backed up. 

“Hmph. You can handle a few at a time, but how about many at once?” The High Bishop opened the door as if to mock Dad’s resolve. I didn’t know how they had been summoned, but there were more than ten priests outside and they all came rushing in at once. 

I felt something snap inside of me as I saw the High Bishop smirk like he had just beaten us. Enough of this already! My body heated up as if all the blood in my body was boiling, but despite that, my head felt oddly calm with a sharp chill. I could feel my entire body being painted over with fury. 

“You’re the one who’s being ridiculous. Don’t you dare touch my mom and dad.” 

I took a step forward and for some reason, everyone looked at me with stunned, horrified expressions. The once smugly laughing High Bishop, the once calmly sitting High Priest, and even the priests that came flooding in were all staring at me in shock. 



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