Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.4 - Chapter 3

Life in the Temple

In the end, Ferdinand made it exceedingly clear that I was to show him anything I wrote going forward, since my common sense was apparently “anything but common.” I agreed, of course, and put my oh-so shameless novel in a sealed box after he left. He had ordered me to burn it, but perhaps one day it would see the light of day.

“Fran, summon Ella and Hugo from the kitchen,” I said. “I wish to speak to them about what was just decided.”

“Lady Rozemyne, I would rather you communicate with the chefs through an attendant...”

“My apologies, Fran, but I think it’s best that I speak to them directly. You and the other attendants know very little about marriage, no?”

Fran went to the kitchen, unable to protest further. He and the others could speak for me in matters of work, but their lack of knowledge about life in the lower city put them at a loss when it came to marriage.

“Excuse us,” Ella and Hugo said respectfully as they entered, very clearly tense. Fran explained that I would be speaking to them directly and then stepped down. Since Ella and Hugo were commoners, my two guard knights were standing close behind me.

“You have both served me well in the Royal Academy,” I said. “I imagine that making so much food every day has been quite the challenge. The students were all overjoyed to eat it. You will most likely continue to accompany me whenever I return to the Royal Academy, and I look forward to your continued good service. Now, as for your marriage...”

Upon hearing this, their faces stiffened and they swallowed audibly.

“There is no problem with the marriage itself,” I continued, smiling in an attempt to ease their concerns. “If you are to be wed this summer, you have my blessing.”

“Thank you very much!”

“That said, we must discuss your living arrangements. There are married servants in the castle, so I will request quarters there for your use, but I cannot create a room for a married couple here in the temple. You will either have to stay in separate rooms as you have been or rent a room in the lower city and commute from there, as arduous as that may be. I should note that if you do choose the latter, you will not lose your rooms in the temple, so you may still rest here during busy periods.”

I glanced at Fran, signaling him to bring over the money we had prepared for them. Hugo inhaled with wide eyes when he saw the bag and heard the clinking of the coins inside.

“This is your pay for having worked so hard all throughout winter in the Royal Academy, and a gift from me to celebrate your marriage. May it help pay for your wedding.”

“...You’re giving us this much?” Hugo asked.

“Naturally. Since you are going to be accompanying me during Spring Prayer as usual, Hugo, you shall get time off work from tomorrow until then. Ella will have time off during Spring Prayer. It is not an especially long vacation, but use it to prepare for your wedding. I would have liked to give you time off together; however, that was not an option. My apologies.”

“No, thank you. Your consideration is more than we could ever ask for.”

Preparing for marriage was really quite something. Ella and Hugo needed to rent and furnish a room, as well as prepare for the upcoming winter. The Starbind Ceremony was deliberately held in the summer to give newlyweds time to ready themselves—one could sleep without needing a blanket during the warmer months, and food was in enough of an abundance that wages could be used to stock up on firewood.

Ella and Hugo already had rooms in the castle and the temple, so if they focused on preparing their bedroom in the lower city and nothing else, they would most likely be able to manage in time. Newlyweds needed cloth for their sheets, comforters, and mattresses, so the fiancées would normally weave it themselves as the start of their winter handiwork—hence why being good at sewing was necessary for one to be considered a beauty.

“Because you were working at the Royal Academy, I assume you did not have time to prepare any cloth. Is that correct, Ella? Are you going to be okay?” I asked.

“My mother said she would weave some for me.”

Ella’s mother had evidently decided to help out of concern for how focused her daughter was on her work. If what she ended up making didn’t suffice, Ella would make do with secondhand cloth. Hugo had made a point of noting that it didn’t matter to him either way, since he wasn’t marrying a “generic sewing beauty.” Their abrupt lovey-doveyness was amusing to watch, but it was also heartwarming to see them working to prepare for their new life together.

I wonder whether I should gift Ella a hairpin the divine color of summer? She’d probably be happier to receive new cooking implements...

Ella had spent her coming-of-age ceremony in the Noble’s Quarter, so she hadn’t attended the one in the temple. She would be wearing her fancy outfit for the first time this coming Starbind Ceremony, something her mother was no doubt looking forward to. Since Ella was a member of my personnel, the very least I could do was gift her a not-so-expensive hairpin.

Once our conversation was over, Ella and Hugo left. Next on my agenda was a pre-meeting with Fran, Zahm, and the others on the upcoming ceremonies. There was a week between the winter coming-of-age ceremony and the spring baptisms, and I was pretty sure I could use that time to relax in the temple.

“How is the orphanage? Has Konrad adjusted to living there?” I asked Monika. She was normally the one sent to discuss things with Wilma, so she visited the orphanage more than any of my other attendants.

After meeting my eyes, Monika stepped forward and began her report. “According to Wilma, for the first few days, simply hearing footsteps was enough to send him into a panic. Despite having been raised as a noble, he does not seem to have any attachment to power and authority as many blue priests do; rather, he seems relieved to have come to the orphanage.”

The abuse he had suffered in his previous home truly must have been terrible. I sighed, recalling Jonsara and the way Konrad had recoiled upon seeing a schtappe.

“I could ask for nothing more than for Konrad to live even a bit more peacefully than before. Monika, I would like to see the orphanage and workshop myself. Can you inform Wilma and Gil that I will be visiting tomorrow afternoon?”

“As you wish.” Monika nodded and then disappeared to do just that. Meanwhile, I took out my notes, scanned over what I needed to do here, and then passed a page containing notes on Spring Prayer to Zahm.

“I have discussed the splitting of the Central District with Wilfried and Charlotte. Please convey the results to the High Priest; the sooner we know of any potential problems with our schedule, the better. The two of them need time to prepare as well.”

“As you wish. I will also take this opportunity to discuss who will accompany Lady Charlotte for Spring Prayer. As you are here this year, Lady Rozemyne, Fran will not be available for her.”

“Yes, please do.”

Once Zahm had gone, I started looking over the letters that had accumulated on my desk. There were some from the Plantin and Gilberta Companies, and even one from Gustav of the Merchant’s Guild. The latter detailed his results after gathering thoughts from traveling merchants about the state of the lower city, as well as notes on his struggles as he attempted to beautify the place.

“I should also report this to Ferdinand and send a reply as soon as possible. Perhaps I will set aside time for that while assisting with his paperwork tomorrow. Fran, I am going to be writing letters to the Plantin Company, the Gilberta Company, and the Merchant’s Guild. Could you ask Gil to deliver them for me?”

Fran, who was standing beside my desk, paused for a moment in thought. He then shook his head. “Lady Rozemyne, should you not spend today resting? You do not look well at the moment. If you are looking for something to keep you busy, perhaps you could try exercising without your magic tools?”

I had thought I was doing fine, so Fran’s statement took me by surprise. I placed a contemplative hand on my face, wondering how Ferdinand would respond to me falling sick despite having returned to the temple and ending up unable to give blessings at the coming-of-age ceremony. In the end, I decided to obediently accept Fran’s proposal.

“Very well. I will spend today resting quietly. Please bring me all the new books that were printed over the winter,” I said, requesting new material to read. Fran sighed and then obeyed, although he made sure to reiterate that I needed to rest.

The next day marked my return to normal temple life after quite some time. Following my breakfast, I practiced dedication whirling and the harspiel until third bell.

“Lady Rozemyne,” Fran said, “it is time for us to go to the High Priest’s chambers.”

Leaving the harspiel cleanup to Rosina, I departed with Fran, Zahm, and Monika. Angelica and Damuel also accompanied me as guards; the former guarded the door with her life, as per usual, while the latter busily took care of all the jobs he was given. It seemed that Ferdinand was buried in a mountain of work after having been away from the temple for so long.

“Ferdinand, I am sorry to give you yet more work, but I received this letter from the Merchant’s Guild,” I noted, handing him the letter in question. “I believe a prompt response is in order.”

The contents of the letter explained that duchies other than Ehrenfest had something resembling a sewer system, using the wriggly slime things found in the toilets in the Noble’s Quarter. Said sewer system had been invented decades ago, and its growing popularity had resulted in an Extreme Makeover using the same near-instantaneous method used to construct Hasse’s monastery. It seemed that the wisest option was to modify the lower city in a similar manner, assuming that doing so wouldn’t be too disruptive, but such construction magic could only be used by the archduke; it wasn’t a decision the commoners could make on their own.

“Considering that this system is already being used in the Noble’s Quarter, it seems that only our lower city is decades behind the other duchies,” I observed.

“So it would seem... I will pass on the suggestion to the castle,” Ferdinand replied. He then wrote out a list of questions—asking when the Noble’s Quarter had initially been remodeled, whether the blueprints were still available, how much mana it would require to repeat this process with the lower city, and whether they even had enough power to spare—which he handed to me along with an ordonnanz feystone. “Send this to Elvira and Charlotte. Elvira is the one responsible for these matters; I can do nothing more than support you as your guardian.”

I accepted the feystone and sent the ordonnanz, as instructed. Charlotte and her retainers would presumably do their best investigating the questions.

Tch. I wish I was being asked to research things in a book room...

I returned to my room at fourth bell, had my lunch, and then started writing my response letters. Monika informed me when it was time for divine gifts to be sent to the orphanage and all the necessary preparations were complete, at which point I headed over there with her, Gil, and my guard knights.

Monika and Gil opened the wide set of doors which led to the dining hall, where gray shrine maidens were kneeling in wait.

“Wilma, I request a report on what has happened over the winter,” I instructed. “Everyone else may return to their duties.”

I was informed that not much had happened prior to Konrad arriving in the orphanage. Some of the children had caught minor colds, but they had recovered soon after without suffering any worse symptoms.

“How is Konrad doing?” I asked.

“The other gray shrine maidens and I feared he would not fare well in the orphanage after being raised as a noble, but there have been no problems worth mentioning. He was stiff as a board on his first day, but thanks in part to Dirk sticking with him and teaching him about life here, he now smiles quite regularly.”

Dirk had only ever really interacted with babies who were barely able to stand or apprentices who were already baptized and working in the workshop, so he had gladly welcomed Konrad, a boy who was actually his age. By this point, they were running all over the place like two peas in a pod. Delia was apparently having quite a hard time keeping up with them.

“I would like to check up on Konrad,” I said. “Could you summon him and Dirk for me?”

“As you wish.” Wilma looked at a nearby gray shrine maiden, who then left to speak to the children reading picture books in the corner.

Dirk stood up, his reddish-brown hair bouncing as he grabbed Konrad by the arm and rushed over. Delia followed after them.

“You called, Lady Rozemyne?” Delia said.

“Yes, I came to see Konrad.” I turned to the young boy. “How is the orphanage? Is the food tasty? Are you sleeping well?”

Konrad smiled, looked around, and then nodded. There was a glimmer in his eyes, which were the same grass-green color as Philine’s. It was obvious from a glance when he first arrived that he had suffered abuse, but now his fear of all those around him had lessened.

“Yes. The food is very tasty,” Konrad replied. “Also, it’s really fun here. There are lots of toys and picture books.”

Dirk was standing beside him. His auburn hair made him look a lot like Delia, who was respectfully kneeling behind them, and there was a naughty light in his scorched brown eyes. It very much reminded me of all the smug expressions Delia had used to wear; she and Dirk must have resembled each other so closely because they were raised as siblings.

“You’ve been helping Konrad out, haven’t you, Dirk?” I asked. “Thank you. I am relieved to see the two of you becoming fast friends.”

Dirk and Konrad exchanged a grin, at which point I turned my attention to Delia. Just like Tuuli, she was no longer a child and was instead a proper young woman.

“Delia, I cannot imagine it has been easy, but please continue to do your best at keeping Dirk and Konrad in order.”

“You may count on me,” Delia replied, accepting my request with a smile. Thus concluded my business in the orphanage, and so I moved to the workshop, relieved to know that things were going well.

“Gil, summon Fritz. He and I need to discuss matters involving the construction of paper-making workshops in other provinces.”

Once Fritz arrived, I informed him that paper-making workshops were due to be concurrently established in several provinces within Ehrenfest and that I wanted him to select those who would be traveling between them one after another.

“So they’re going to be visiting several provinces in one trip?” Fritz asked.

“Yes. We hope to have as many workshops producing paper as possible, so rather than spending a year developing wholly unique types of paper as we did in Illgner, we plan to teach them only how to make already existing types,” I replied. “To this end, Illgner is going to be sending craftspeople of their own.”

I went on to explain that when we called the three gray priests back from Hasse during Spring Prayer, he could request specific priests. We would then establish two four-person groups, each of which would include at least one priest who had experience in Illgner.

“These groups will be sent to provinces when they are ready for them, meaning those who prepare quickest will be prioritized. We will travel via my highbeast, and members of the Plantin Company will accompany us to establish branches of the Plant Paper and Printing Guilds, so it will not interfere with their lives that much.”

“How long will they spend in each province?”

“One to two months under our current schedule. The plan is for the groups to teach each province how to make volrin paper, the most basic of all plant papers, and then move on to the next province. Oh, and that reminds me—please add Achim and Egon to the groups. I would like to advance Operation Grimm alongside the paper-making industry.”

Operation Grimm had stalled during my long sleep, since the gray priests couldn’t be sent to other locations in my absence. I wanted them to gather stories while spreading paper-making and printing.

“I will pass word to the Plantin Company and discuss extra payment as a reward,” I said.

“We certainly do want as many stories as possible to make new books...” Fritz said with a small smile, agreeing with my plot to mix Operation Grimm into the Gutenbergs’ trips. Gil, however, gave me a worried look.

“I hope the High Priest doesn’t get mad about this...” he muttered.

“Shh, Gil! You must not invite misfortune!”

The winter coming-of-age ceremony was the next day, and preparations began early in the morning. I put on my ceremonial High Bishop garb, donned my hairpin that was the divine color of winter, and then headed to the chapel.

“Guard knights, stand there.” I pointed at the wall where Eckhart was standing.

Angelica’s blue eyes hardened. “I want to follow you inside as well. I don’t think we can say the chapel is free of danger, and it’s not good to be separated from your guard knights,” she said, seemingly unsatisfied now that she had learned there were some blue priests we needed to be on guard against. But rules were rules. One could dismiss them as pointless traditions if one wanted to, but I couldn’t just up and change them on a whim.

“I will consult the High Priest and see if these rules could potentially be changed in the future,” I replied. “For now, however, I am afraid you will have to give up.”

“Okay...” Angelica conceded with a reluctant nod before going to stand at attention next to Damuel and Eckhart.

Fran took me to the door, where I waited for Ferdinand to announce my entrance. He soon intoned, “The High Bishop shall now enter,” at which point two gray priests opened the doors for me. Inside on the right were the blue priests, lined up by the shrine, while on the left were the new adults.

I entered the chapel, the bible Fran had given me in my arms, and advanced toward the altar. The atmosphere was alive with the sounds of ringing bells and the surprised, muted stirring of the crowd. The blue priests were using magic tools that quieted voices, so no matter how loud the new adults were, their voices were no more than whispers to me. Even so, I heard many similar comments among them.

“Hey, look. It’s the tiny High Bishop.”

“The High Bishop who can actually give blessings is back. She really is tiny.”

Stop calling me tiny! It’s the jureve’s fault, not mine! I’ll get bigger soon!

Despite my silent protests, I maintained a flat expression as though I had heard nothing at all. But not all their murmurs were about my size.

“Wow, nobles really do wear the Gilberta Company’s hairpins.”

“Though that one’s way fancier than the ones we use.”

I heard some of the women whispering about my hairpin. I was struck with the sudden urge to look around and see how popular hairpins were now, but I contained myself; I was better off waiting until after I had climbed up to the shrine, since that would give me a much better vantage point.

I continued up the stairs, taking care not to step on the hem of my robes and trip, and eventually reached the altar. Once I set down the bible and spread it open, Ferdinand began to read aloud in his resounding voice. I majestically looked over the chapel while listening to him.

People wore white during their baptisms to indicate that they had just been born as people, but for the coming-of-age ceremony, those in attendance wore clothes matching the season’s divine colors. Since it was winter, they could wear either red or white. Most had chosen red, perhaps because white looked somewhat cold, and almost all of the women were wearing hairpins. Some were decorated with a collection of small flowers, like the first one I had made for Tuuli, while others were more elaborate with large flowers.

Flowers didn’t bloom during the winter months, so those with winter ceremonies couldn’t simply go to the forest to pick any to wear as ornaments. I thought back on how overjoyed Freida had been about getting to wear flowers to her baptism. Not many people had worn hairpins at the time, but they had apparently really caught on while I was asleep.

The Gilberta Company sure is working hard, huh?

I sighed at the thought of just how many days and months had passed, and then it became my turn. It was time to give the new adults a blessing.

“Now, let us offer our prayers to the gods. Praise be to the gods!”

The blue priests struck the praying pose, standing on one leg and raising both arms, as did the new adults. I gazed across them all and then poured mana into my ring to give the blessing.

“O Geduldh, Goddess of Earth; O Ewigeliebe, God of Life; hear my prayers. May you grace those who have newly come of age with your blessing. May those who offer their prayers and gratitude be blessed with your divine protection.”

Once the red and white lights of my blessing had settled, the door leading outside opened. Ferdinand intoned that those who had received my blessing were sure to have bright futures ahead, and with that, the new adults began filtering out.

I wonder if they’re here...

I turned my gaze toward the door, hopeful, and saw Dad and Mom looking my way with tearful eyes. They had visibly aged a little over the past two years. I smiled, trying to tell them I was doing okay, and Dad replied with a big nod.

Wait... Mom and Dad are here, but I don’t see Tuuli or Kamil. Are they sick or something?

I was really worried, but there was nobody here I could ask for answers. And so, the winter coming-of-age ceremony came to an end with my resolving to indirectly ask Lutz or Tuuli the next time I saw them.