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Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.4 - Chapter 11




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Haldenzel’s Craftspeople

Charlotte had returned from Spring Prayer, meaning it was now time for Wilfried to take his turn. Ferdinand and I needed to observe the transfer of the chalice as the High Priest and High Bishop, respectively, but once that was done, we saw them both off and started making our way back to our rooms.

“Wait a moment, Ferdinand. Aren’t you going to be traveling by highbeast?” I asked. “Why, then, are you due to be away for the same number of days as Wilfried and Charlotte? You aren’t saving any time at all.”

“Unlike you, I need not prioritize preserving my stamina above all else. My objective is not to minimize my schedule.”

Rather than using his highbeast to visit multiple winter mansions in a day, Ferdinand was going to finish a ceremony each morning and then gather ingredients in the surrounding area. He apparently had much more leeway this year in more ways than one, since I was awake now, and we were still getting help from Wilfried and Charlotte.

“This is a rare opportunity to travel,” Ferdinand concluded. “I must make use of it.”

“Ferdinand, might I ask that you not say these things in front of Angelica?” I asked. She was looking at Ferdinand and Eckhart with an expression that radiated pure envy, muttering “Ingredient gathering...” to herself. Ferdinand and Eckhart were, of course, ignoring her entirely.

“You will be leaving for Haldenzel before I return from Spring Prayer, correct? Here, Elvira sent a letter. Read it later,” Ferdinand said.

“Okay. Eheheh... It has warnings about the trip and who will be accompanying me, I see.”

“Did I not say later?” Ferdinand asked. He was exasperated that I had started reading the letter as soon as I took it from him, but I ignored him and continued reading.

The essential core of the party was going to be me, the Gutenbergs, Elvira, and then Wilfried and Charlotte, who we were going to properly introduce to the printing industry. Ten knights from the Order and Karstedt, as the knight commander, would also be accompanying us as guards, since so many of the archducal family were going to be together in one place.

“I see you won’t be coming with us, Ferdinand. I thought you might be, since you’re my guardian.”

“There is no need, considering that your parents, Karstedt and Elvira, are both attending.”

“Oh, true. Hm... The letter says to bring only one attendant, one scholar, and one personal guard knight, since there are going to be so many people coming... but also that they need to be the same gender since they’ll be sleeping in the same room. What should I do? I don’t have any single adult women among my scholars or attendants.”

It was hard for wives with families and underage children to go on such long trips, and with how harsh and cold the journey was going to be, I didn’t want to bring Rihyarda either. Ferdinand had made the decision for her to accompany me to the Royal Academy, but given her age, it felt wrong of me to push her so hard.

“You cannot pick a new retainer just for Haldenzel, and we have little time. For now, discuss this with Elvira,” Ferdinand said.

After confirming with Elvira that I was allowed to bring apprentices as well, I settled on having Lieseleta and Philine accompany me. Angelica was going to be coming along too, but that had been set in stone from day one, since she was my only female adult guard knight.

Several days had passed since Ferdinand departed for Spring Prayer, and I was now getting ready to leave for Haldenzel. Fran carried over a box wrapped in cloth.

“Lady Rozemyne, these are the three small chalices we are to deliver to Haldenzel, and this is the greeting to say when delivering them. Please use it as a reference.”

“Thank you, Fran. This will be very helpful.”

It was the temple’s responsibility to deliver the small chalices, so I would be traveling to Haldenzel in my ceremonial High Bishop robes. I had accompanied Ferdinand when he was delivering them to giebes back in my shrine maiden days, but this was going to be my first time doing it on my own. I was feeling somewhat uneasy and wanted to bring one of my temple attendants with me for support, but I soon gave up on the idea; they would almost certainly die of stress from having to travel with an entire party of nobles.

“Good morning, Lady Rozemyne.” Benno and Damian greeted me from the front gate where they were waiting with the carriages; they had been instructed to come to the temple early so that we could reach the castle by third bell. Johann and Zack must have come on foot, as I saw a gray priest guiding them over from the back entrance.

“May we load our luggage into the highbeast?” Lutz asked.

“Oh my. Lutz. They brought you here to help?”

“Yes, because the carriages must be ridden back,” he replied. He wasn’t going to be following us to Haldenzel, but Benno had still brought him here to help us. I smiled a bit at that and opened the door to Lessy’s back seat.

“Bwuh?! The heck is that?!” Johann exclaimed, recoiling as he saw one side of my Pandabus start stretching open.

“This is Lady Rozemyne’s highbeast,” Lutz replied. “You are going to be traveling inside it, so put your things inside.”

Everyone else had ridden inside Lessy before, so they were carrying their things inside without even the slightest reaction. Among the luggage we had plant paper and colored ink to sell, tools that we needed for altering magic contracts, tools that Zack needed for his work, and changes of clothes. Meanwhile, Johann was observing my highbeast with a grimace. It was only when Zack barked at him to hurry up that he timidly started loading his own things too.

“C’mon, Johann. You’re in the way. Go sit down already. It’s more comfortable than a carriage.” After a few terse remarks, Zack shoved Johann into Lessy before climbing in himself. And with that, we were off.

Johann kicked and screamed as we soared up into the air. It was an experience that everyone else in my highbeast had gone through themselves at one point or another, so they watched on with knowing sympathy. It was honestly quite funny.

I followed Damuel to the castle, where we were due to meet up with the others coming with us to Haldenzel. Angelica was in the passenger’s seat; I needed to have a guard with me when I was riding with commoners.

Third bell hadn’t yet chimed, but everyone was ready and waiting in front of the castle—over twenty people in total. I came down in Lessy and started greeting them. Damuel was temporarily relieved of duty, while Lieseleta rushed forward with Angelica’s luggage.

“We leave at once,” Elvira declared as the person in charge of our group, spurring a flock of highbeasts to rise into the air. Wilfried was among them, riding on his own highbeast, while Charlotte was having to ride the highbeast of one of her attendants.

And so we made our way to Haldenzel, surrounded by guard knights. Unlike when we had traveled to the castle, it was completely quiet inside my Pandabus.

“This is around where Haldenzel starts, right?” I asked.

“It is the duchy’s northernmost province,” Benno replied. Last year, the Gutenbergs had traveled by carriage while selling books on the road, so the journey had taken them days. By highbeast, however, it hadn’t even taken us half a day. We soared over a thick conifer forest, and there was Haldenzel. Its southern area was covered in forest, while the north mainly had shorter trees and was still blanketed in snow. In the middle of a wide plain was a large stone castle of ivory white, which served as both a summer mansion for Giebe Haldenzel and a winter mansion for the people of the province.

“Welcome to Haldenzel.”

We were greeted first by Giebe Haldenzel, then by the other residents of the castle. Elvira returned their lengthy greetings as our representative, after which I stepped forward with the small chalices as the High Bishop.

“By the grace of Flutrane the Goddess of Water, the bringer of healing and change, and the twelve goddesses who serve by her side, Geduldh the Goddess of Earth has been granted the power to birth new life. I pray from the bottom of my heart that the countless lives upon this mortal realm are filled with Flutrane’s divine color.”

“Indeed, Geduldh the Goddess of Earth is filled with Flutrane the Goddess of Water’s mana,” Giebe Haldenzel said. “Blessed be the melting of the snow. Blessed be the coming of spring.”

Upon delivering the chalices to the giebe, my duties as the High Bishop came to an end. It had been a bit of a nerve-racking experience, since it was my first time delivering chalices to a noble directly, but I had ultimately done it without issue. Giebe Haldenzel’s attendants accepted the chalices and carried them off somewhere. They probably knew exactly where to store them.

“I believe it best if we enjoy tea and discuss our future plans over a break,” Haldenzel said. We were subsequently taken to a wide dining hall and served warm tea. It was a little sweet and unlike any tea I had drunk before in this world, but it warmed my body and soul all the same.

One of Haldenzel’s scholars stepped forward. “After this, I shall guide you all to our printing and smithing workshops,” he said. “We have craftspeople working there at present, so Lord Wilfried and Lady Charlotte may see for themselves what work is being done. After that, we shall go to the scholars involved in the printing industry and sign new contracts with the Plantin Company.”

Wilfried and Charlotte received this news with tight expressions. This wasn’t a sightseeing trip; it was a work trip for them to see the printing industry in action. It was going to be the first time their retainers (and Elvira, for that matter) saw an actual printing workshop. They all seemed excited to be properly delving into the subject for the first time.

“Now then, shall we go?”

The castle in Haldenzel apparently had an underground area where the commoners lived, while the upper floors contained workplaces and accommodation for the nobles. It felt entirely like its own little city.

“You were raised here, Ernesta?” Charlotte asked.

“Indeed. The printing industry was only established in Haldenzel a few years ago, however, and since I have been in your service for the entire duration of its existence, I am not very knowledgeable about it myself.”

It seemed that Charlotte’s guard knight Ernesta was a mednoble from Haldenzel. We listened to her talk about the province as we walked along a dim hallway. There were heavy banging sounds coming from the far end.


“What’s that noise?” Wilfried asked, covering one ear as we came closer and closer to the source of the racket. “It’s really loud.” I could sense our knights heightening their guard as the rhythmic banging continued.

“That is the sound of printing. We only have one press working at the moment, but the banging is even louder when all three move at once,” Giebe Haldenzel answered with a smile as he opened the door to the printing room.

The clamor intensified in an instant. Inside were a number of tall, muscular guys gripping a large rod which made a loud banging sound each time they pulled it. They looked like the kind of people who would be hunting during the summer, but at the moment, they were working in clothes stained with black ink. The sight alone was enough to overwhelm those raised in the Noble’s Quarter; it was all they could do to watch with wide eyes.

Meanwhile, a scholar involved with the printing industry began his explanation. He noted that there were three printing presses here: one that Ingo had brought and built himself, one that had been made under Ingo’s instruction, and one they had made themselves without assistance. Only one press was being used at the current moment.

“This is the case for the metal letter types,” the scholar continued. “As commoners cannot read, we are having scholars handle the typesetting and proofreading. We were surprised to learn that, in Lady Rozemyne’s workshop, there are gray priests doing that work.”

“Those of my orphanage are all quite skilled,” I replied.

The craftspeople took out the printed paper, applied ink to the press, and then set the next sheet in place. They had only been doing the work for about two years, but their movements were already like clockwork.

“Haldenzel treats printing as winter work. We take a break from it in the summer, since we have to prioritize hunting in the north and farming in the south. Printing is something to do over the long winter,” the scholar explained while going through the printing steps. Everyone listened and the other scholar started making notes, but this was all information that I already knew, so I found myself more interested in Haldenzel culture.

“Haldenzel has a hunting industry?” I asked.

Giebe Haldenzel nodded with the look of a man who took great pride in his work. “It is our greatest duty to hunt as many feybeasts as possible,” he said.

“The more feybeasts that get hunted in these cold lands, the weaker the Lord of Winter will be when he eventually rises,” Karstedt added, offering his insight as the knight commander.

Winter feybeasts consumed each other to grow more powerful, with the last surviving one becoming the Lord of Winter, and it was for this reason that those from Haldenzel tried to reduce their numbers as much as possible. Historically, Haldenzel had the most knights out of any province due to the nobility being raised in this environment. Even the commoners were tougher than average, since they had to be able to hunt feybeasts to a certain degree themselves.

“But that is not the only reason we hunt feybeasts. We also hunt them to protect our food,” Haldenzel continued. The commoners would starve if the feybeasts destroyed their fields of valuable crops. Although those in the south lived similar lives to the farmers around the city of Ehrenfest, those in the north better resembled tribal hunters and spent the summer traveling around Haldenzel to hunt before spending the winter in the castle. “Many of the tribes have finished preparing to depart. Once Spring Prayer ends tonight, they will leave to hunt.”

“I look forward to it,” I said. “This is my first time participating in Spring Prayer for a province.”

After our tour of the printing room, we moved on to the smithy. Inside were a bunch of craftsmen with a wooden box, wearing tense expressions as they awaited Johann’s arrival. I could hear Johann swallow hard when he saw them, and they all exchanged stern looks.

“Now, show Ehrenfest’s craftsman the results of your winter labors,” Giebe Haldenzel instructed, prompting the smiths to step forward with their box. Johann accepted it, set it down on a table, and then started going through the metal letter types inside.

All was quiet in the smithy, and the air was thick with tension. The craftsmen watched Johann’s hands with almost frightfully intense expressions, but he was examining each letter type so carefully that he seemed not to notice them at all. The smith who had previously been afraid of my highbeast and floundering amid all the nobles was now nowhere to be seen.

Johann continued to examine the metal letter types in silence while the scholars explained to Wilfried and Charlotte how the letter types and all the other parts that were needed were made, as well as how they were being used with the printing presses. The repeated clinking of metal could be heard as Johann separated the letter types into two piles.

“These ones pass. These ones don’t,” Johann said plainly. “They aren’t made according to the blueprints. They fail.” He must have put his all into the examination because there was sweat beading on his brow by the time he was done. He wiped it away with his sleeve and sighed, pleased that the job was done.

The craftspeople whose letter types hadn’t received passing marks stared at Johann with wide eyes. “Whaddaya mean, they fail?!” one cried. “Don’t mess with us! We did make them according to the blueprints!”

“What’s even wrong with ’em?!” yelled another.

Johann shook his head, enduring the barks from the young craftsmen and the hard looks from the older ones. “I mean... I told you. They’re not made according to the blueprints. They’re not usable.”

“Say that again. I dare you!”

The atmosphere became immediately hostile as the Haldenzel craftspeople began to audibly threaten Johann. The nobles around me had turned to look at them, clearly shocked by the aggression.

This isn’t good...

The Haldenzel craftsmen were enraged about having spent all winter making the letter types only to be rejected without explanation, while Johann glared back at them, unwilling to budge on his decision. This was about the only time he showed the backbone that came naturally to most other craftspeople, and while neither side was wrong in its position, it was exceedingly dangerous for this kind of aggression to be shown while nobles were watching. I instinctively stepped forward to break up the feud.

“Johann, allow me to see them as well. I am the one who ordered them to begin with.”

“Lady Rozemyne...”

A stir ran through the nobles and the craftspeople as I, the adopted daughter of the archduke and a guest of the province, involved myself in a commoner dispute. I ignored the fuss entirely and started to examine individual letter types from both piles, checking them from all angles.

“...Ah. These certainly won’t do indeed. Am I right to assume this is the problem?” I asked, pointing out the issue I was referring to. Johann nodded in response. If one compared the two piles, it was clear to see that the failed letter types varied in length and width. Such inconsistencies, no matter how slight, were a grave issue. I recalled how the letter types Johann had initially created for me hadn’t had any such discrepancies and once again found myself surprised at how much more skilled he was than other smiths. “These are so slanted that the printed letters will smudge on the page, which makes them unusable. And this one did not receive a proper metal finish, meaning it will damage the paper during the printing process.”

I pointed at each tiny letter type in turn and explained why it had received a failing mark. The craftspeople balked at me, clearly wanting to say that our expectations were much too high, but my status as a noble meant they were unable to protest.

“I suppose you must find this level of precision unreasonable, but I have been ordering such exact products from Johann for years now. Metal letter types do not allow for any degree of concession; the result must be perfect in all areas.” As the craftspeople deflated, I turned my attention to Johann. “Now, this is a problem that many craftspeople have, but your explanations are fatally lacking. In Ehrenfest workshops, you may be able to reject products without giving further explanation, as the people there know you are not much of an orator. But this is Haldenzel. I imagine those making these for the first time will not understand their faults if you do not explain them in detail.”

“But, the blueprints...”

“Not everyone can read blueprints. They may be able to read the numbers as you do, but not the more detailed instructions written alongside them. And most importantly, it is rare for customers to demand as much precision as I do. It is possible they do not understand the level of precision I require here.”

Johann blinked in realization. He was so used to my requests that he considered it a matter of course to follow the blueprints without even the slightest margin of error, but even in Ehrenfest, that was something unique to him.

“Rozemyne, these all look the same to me. What are the issues?” Wilfried asked, having at some point walked up to us from behind to look at the letter types.

“Ah, Wilfried. I believe you will understand if you compare these,” I said, lining up four letter types that had passed Johann’s inspection beside four that hadn’t. Wilfried examined them with narrowed eyes before eventually voicing his thoughts.

“From this pile, this one looks a little shorter.”

“Brother, allow me to see as well,” Charlotte said, changing places with Wilfried to peer at the metal letter types herself. I started telling them how printing worked and noted that even the slightest letter type imperfection could cause huge problems, only to notice that the Haldenzel smiths were listening with humbled expressions. It occurred to me that I had never before tried to explain this topic in detail, since Johann completed my orders perfectly every time. Perhaps I was the one who needed to work on my explanation skills.

“The height of each letter type needs to be exactly the same before they can be used, and slanted letter types will cause a mess of problems,” I eventually concluded. “The metal letter types Johann makes are completely identical in size. I would even go as far as to say there is beauty in their perfection. Do you not agree?”

It was easy to miss the flaws in the letter types when considering them individually, but when ten or twenty were lined up, they became quite apparent. Some couldn’t stand on their own, some were a little rough, and some stood slightly taller, even if only by less than a single millimeter. After confirming the mistakes themselves, the smiths of Haldenzel stood up with renewed strength.

“...We’ll remake them.”

“Approximately half of your letter types received a passing mark, so you’re almost there,” I assured them. “You should feel proud that you were able to accomplish that much; even back in Ehrenfest, there are extremely few smiths skilled enough to make letter types that receive Johann’s approval. Isn’t that right, Johann?”

“Yes. Even my disciple, Danilo, struggles with them. He has not yet earned perfect marks.”

“And so, I place my utmost faith in Haldenzel. I trust you all to take greater care when making your letter types, and to secure a passing mark from Johann.”

Any remaining hostilities faded in an instant, and the craftspeople all put on serious faces. They were going to return to working on their letter types, so we had Zack and Johann stay behind and then started making our way to our next stop.

“We shall now head to the Haldenzel Printing Guild,” the scholar guiding us said. “I am the only scholar in charge of the printing industry, so I must admit, there is not much there.”

Those from the Plantin Company had up to this point been trailing behind the nobles, but now was their time to start working. The scholar spoke to us about the Printing Guild, and we were introduced to a corner of the room where the scholars worked. We were also shown several of the documents necessary for doing business with commoners.

“Here is our permit from the Merchant’s Guild. The existence of this document is what proves that the Printing Guild has been formed. I also have here our permit from Aub Ehrenfest and our instructions from the giebe. Before expanding the printing industry to a new location, please check for these documents first,” the head scholar explained. He went on to describe the process of obtaining the necessary permissions, establishing the workshops, doing the actual printing, and then selling the printed goods. Some very specific details of the production process and the problems they faced came up here, likely due to him having been involved from start to finish.

Wilfried listened intently, since he was being entrusted with performing final checks, while his scholar speedily wrote everything down. Charlotte’s scholar did the same, as they had been informed ahead of time that they would be doing similar work from next year onward. Philine was likewise jotting things down, having received instructions from Hartmut to learn everything she would need to know as my retainer.

“I will now begin the meeting with the Plantin Company, so you may all use this time to rest,” the scholar concluded, gesturing Benno and Damian over once he had finished his speech. We went on our way as they smoothly transitioned into discussing tomorrow’s work, returning to the noble section of the castle.



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