Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.4 - Chapter 15

The Disciples of the Gutenbergs

I brought Melchior to the table with Dad and the others, introduced him as the son of the archduke and the next High Bishop, then said that he would be speaking with them as my successor.

“Ah, so Lord Melchior is the one who will take your place when you come of age,” Dad said. “That is heartening to hear. We have found it much easier to coordinate with the archduke and the Knight’s Order thanks to these conversations with you. We found it very beneficial during the winter and when that noble from another duchy came to the western gate.”

Dad then looked at Damuel, who was standing behind me. “Might I use this opportunity to thank Lord Damuel in person? I don’t know when I’ll next have the chance.”

I turned around to see what Damuel thought. He seemed a bit troubled by the idea, but he didn’t speak out against it.

I returned my attention to Dad, ready to give him permission, only to find that he wasn’t the only person now focused on my knight. The soldiers all stood up, then knelt before the two of us.

“Though you said you were only acting on Lady Rozemyne’s orders, Lord Damuel, we soldiers of the lower city hold you in the highest esteem. Thank you.”

What in the world happened...?

Taken aback by this unusually intense thank-you, I turned to Damuel and Angelica. In retrospect, there was no point in expecting anything from Angelica; her head was profoundly empty, and her bright smile was a clear indicator that she had no idea what was going on.

“Gunther,” I said, “what was it that Damuel did, exactly?”

“I performed my duty and nothing more,” Damuel interjected.

“If that were true, I doubt the soldiers would have thought to thank you. As your lady, I absolutely must hear these tales of your heroics.”

Dad shot a glance at Damuel, who clearly didn’t want to discuss this matter, then began to explain. “In the winter, we received a command to stop any nobles from escaping through the north gate. The Knight’s Order distributed plenty of magic tools for us soldiers to use—so many that, by the time they were done, we each had one for summoning aid. The issue was that any fleeing nobles could simply mount their highbeasts and fly over the gate. Plus, even if we called for aid with our new tools, the north gate is at the very edge of the Noble’s Quarter; there was no guarantee that help would immediately arrive.”

During the winter, most of the Knight’s Order had mobilized for the purge. There were always two knights stationed at the north gate, but they alone wouldn’t have been able to stop the flood of escaping nobles. Thankfully, when the call for aid had come, Damuel had arrived immediately and before anybody else.

“It wasn’t anything special,” Damuel said modestly. “I was in the temple preparing for the Dedication Ritual, so I just happened to be close to the north gate.”

Though he was doing his best to downplay it, Damuel had arrived in a flash and attacked the fleeing nobles from behind, supporting the commoner soldiers who had wilted in the face of their onslaught. He had come across as quite the savior.

“Thanks to Lord Damuel, none of the soldiers manning the north gate sustained any fatal wounds,” Dad explained. “He was also first to arrive in response to the west gate incident. The soldiers are all extremely thankful.”

I was surprised to hear just how much Damuel had done—and just how much trust and gratitude he had earned from everyone as a result. Moved, I asked the soldiers to resume their seats. Then I asked about the status of the lower city and conveyed that Groschel would soon be reconstructed, which meant we were going to have enormous work orders for some of the craftspeople. Melchior listened as well, with great interest.

As I continued to speak with the soldiers, time got away from me. A retainer whispered something to Melchior, who then rose from his chair and announced, “I must be going now; I promised Father that I would return in time for dinner. Rozemyne, thank you for today. I learned so much.”

“I was glad to see you showing such a thirst for knowledge,” I replied. “This is my gift to you, my hardworking little brother: a protective charm.” I’d given the charms for Wilfried and Charlotte to Philine so that she could distribute them before they left.

“Thank you very much,” Melchior replied, sounding all proper. “Also, I will speak with Father about what the soldiers said today. If you could check the accuracy of my reports upon your return, I would appreciate that greatly. Now, if you will excuse me.”

And with that polite farewell, he hurried up onto his retainer’s highbeast and went home.

Wait, what? He wants ME to check his reports? Am I just imagining it, or is Melchior waaay too mature? Am I actually doing a good job of being a reliable older sister?

I saw Melchior off, so in awe of his maturity that I started to feel uneasy about myself.

The next morning went as expected: I saw my attendants and chefs into a carriage, then watched as the gray priests started their return journey to Ehrenfest.

“Soldiers,” I said, “once again, I must praise your excellent guard work. Please accept this token of my thanks.”

I started to hand money to each of the soldiers. Then, when it came time to give Dad his share, I discreetly slipped him a pouch containing two charms as well. He seemed to notice right away and thanked me while sliding it into his chest pocket. Mom and Tuuli had already received their charms from me—and, since the commoner charms were all the same, Dad could just consult one of them if he wanted any help using his. I was also pretty confident that he would be able to guess whom he needed to give the second charm to.

From there, I continued to hand small pouches of money to the rest of the soldiers, keeping half an eye on Dad all the while. He barked for everyone to stand at attention and informed them that their job here wasn’t yet done.

“We will see them safely to the temple,” he assured me.

“Thank you, Gunther. I wish you a smooth journey.”

It had only been brief, but I was glad to have had another opportunity to speak with Dad. I watched as he disappeared into the distance with his men and the carriage, then climbed into my highbeast and made my way toward the next winter mansion.

After finishing my assigned portion of Spring Prayer and returning to the temple, I sent word to the Plantin Company. I’d expected to need three days to recover from the trip, but I was feeling right as rain after only two; my health really was getting better, to the point that I no longer fell ill simply from traveling around.

On top of that, I was only bedridden three times while we were traveling around the duchy. Eheheh.

“Lady Rozemyne, the Gutenbergs have arrived,” Gil announced. “Most of the luggage has been brought out of the workshop. We expect to be leaving soon.”

At once, I exited the meeting room and started toward the front entrance, with my retainers who were accompanying me to Kirnberger and the scholars working in the printing industry in tow. Lieseleta and Gretia were serving as attendants; Hartmut and Roderick as scholars; and Cornelius, Leonore, and Judithe as guard knights. Judithe was still underage, but she was being allowed to tag along because Kirnberger was her home province.

Damuel and Angelica had circled the Central District for this year’s Spring Prayer, so they were taking some well deserved time off. As for Ottilie and Philine, they were staying behind to keep Clarissa under control. To be honest, I wished that Hartmut were staying at the temple instead of coming with us, but he’d somehow managed to worm his way into our group.

He was right that I’ll probably need an archscholar with me, but... I’m still not too pleased about this.

Also coming with us were Henrik and the other layscholars already familiar with the printing industry. By this point, I recognized all of their faces. Muriella was going to be accompanying Elvira as her scholar; it was good to see that the printing knowledge she had acquired at the Royal Academy was benefiting her.

“I’ve been working really hard,” Judithe called to me with a proud smile, her orange ponytail swaying from side to side. “Ever since it was decided that Kirnberger would be our next destination, I’ve been gathering intelligence from Brunhilde and Leonore, and making arrangements through Theodore so that everything is ready for our arrival.”

Judithe went on to explain that she had told Giebe Kirnberger about the issues faced in Leisegang and Groschel—as well as how to avoid them.

“Giebe Kirnberger was very receptive,” she continued, “especially after learning that he would be blamed for any imperfections in the commoner craftspeople’s work environment.”

Brunhilde had apparently argued that there were no faults in the Gutenbergs’ teaching methods or the tools they brought with them, indicating the progress made in Illgner and Haldenzel as evidence. She had then stated that provinces only struggled to adopt the printing industry when they were unprepared or unwilling to learn. The problems faced in Groschel had apparently left a great impression on her.

“Kirnberger has everything ready for the Gutenbergs to do their jobs,” Judithe concluded.

“Excellent work,” I said. “That is wonderful to hear.”

Judithe puffed out her chest in response. Ehrenfest would only continue to improve now that we had more nobles bridging the gap between us and the commoners.

We headed through the front entrance to find the luggage all ready to be loaded and the Gutenbergs kneeling in very neat rows. Benno was acting as their representative; he greeted me and then turned to look behind him.

“Lady Rozemyne, please allow us to introduce the disciples who are accompanying us for the first time,” he said. “Blessed be the waves of Flutrane the Goddess of Water who guided us toward this serendipitous meeting.”

I cast an eye over all those kneeling before me. The people behind the Gutenbergs were probably the disciples. They were all young boys who looked close to coming of age, and seeing them reminded me of Johann and Zack when I first met them.

“Ingo,” Benno called. The carpenter stood up in response, along with his disciple.

“Lady Rozemyne, this is my disciple, Dimo,” Ingo explained. “He has been involved in the creation of your printing presses since the very beginning. He knows everything there is to know about their design, and making them comes as easily to him as breathing.”

I took a closer look at Dimo and instantly recognized him. He was one of the carpenters who had been with Ingo back when he set up printing presses in the Rozemyne Workshop and Hasse’s monastery.

“Dimo, is it?” I asked. “I remember the extreme care with which you sanded down the temple workshop’s first printing press, all so that we wouldn’t need to worry about splinters. I was aware that Ingo had his eye on you but not that you were now trusted enough to join him on these excursions.”

Ingo and Dimo both stared at me, as if surprised that I remembered the young disciple. It was a pretty unnecessary reaction, if you asked me; I remembered everyone who had been involved in the making of that first printing press, in the same way that I remembered just how much its creation had moved me.

“I gave Dimo the printing press schematics,” Ingo said. “I also taught him the process and how to coordinate with the workshops of other provinces. As per your request, I’m going to stay in Ehrenfest and focus on my work here.”

“Indeed. Your task is going to require the collective efforts of every carpenter in the city of Ehrenfest. I trust you will once again demonstrate why I chose to give you my exclusive business.”

I also wanted Ingo to make bookshelves for my library, but that could wait. For now, he needed to focus on the competition between the carpentry workshops as they all tried to make the best furniture for Groschel’s high-class inns. They were going to be extremely busy in the lead-up to the autumn entwickeln.

“Dimo, I expect great things from you as well,” I said.

“I will do my best to be recognized as a Gutenberg.”

It was good to see him so motivated. I gave him an affirming nod just as Benno called for Josef. Ingo and Dimo knelt down again, while Josef and his disciple stood up instead.

“Lady Rozemyne, this is Horace,” Josef said. “He is going to be replacing Heidi and me on this trip.”

Horace was a completely new face to me. He certainly wasn’t the craftsperson I remembered seeing back when I visited Heidi at her ink workshop.

“He was chosen based on the fact that he can focus on his work without acting out or becoming absorbed in research,” Josef noted. “He shouldn’t encounter any issues when teaching others, and there’s no risk of him becoming obsessed with new ink as Heidi would. Any research will take place back here in Ehrenfest, assuming any materials are brought back from Kirnberger.”

Sending an ink fanatic like Heidi to Kirnberger would have been much too dangerous, especially if she had gone without someone to rein her in. That was why Josef had chosen Horace to go instead—he needed someone who could stand on an equal footing with the Gutenbergs and operate without constant supervision. His struggles as a husband never seemed to end.

“Josef,” I said, “allow me to congratulate you on your wife’s pregnancy. Has she calmed down at all, I wonder?”

“Thank you,” he replied, then flashed me a look of complete exhaustion. “If she were the kind of person to exercise more caution now that she’s with child, I would be going to Kirnberger instead of Horace.”

It seemed that not even pregnancy could slow the unstoppable force that was Heidi. She had even wanted to come here today to greet me. The only reason she had refrained was because Josef and Lutz had desperately explained that pregnant women weren’t welcome in the temple.

“Horace, for Josef’s sake, be sure to focus on your duties,” I said with a smile. “Do not become so obsessed with research that you forget to eat.”

Horace had seemed particularly tense, perhaps because he had yet to produce any meaningful results in the field of new ink. Seeing my smile made him relax, though, and he nodded in response.

After my conversation with Josef and Horace, it came time for Zack and his disciple to stand. “Lady Rozemyne, this is Sead,” Zack said. “He may not be quite as skilled as Danilo, but his personality makes him the best person to arbitrate between Johann and Kirnberger.”

Sead appeared to be amicable enough—a desirable trait for someone who was going to support Johann as he taught everyone how to make metal letter types. Putting two quiet, stubborn craftspeople together would have been a recipe for disaster, as even the smallest disagreement would have likely spiraled into complete chaos. Instead, Johann needed someone whom he could lean on and who would make his life easier for the next half year.

Zack continued, “To be honest, Lady Rozemyne, I simply think I can be of more use to you here in Ehrenfest.” He was a creative through and through and excelled in designing schematics, so he wanted to spend his time inventing rather than managing Johann’s interpersonal relationships.

Zack had accompanied us in the past—we wanted the nobles we were dealing with to recognize him as a Gutenberg—but he made a good point. He certainly would be better off staying in Ehrenfest and designing schematics.

“Perhaps I should give you a new order, then...” I mused aloud. “Ah, what am I thinking? You must be busy enough preparing for your marriage. The new inventions can wait until next year. Please focus on getting ready for your new life with your bride-to-be—and expect a flood of blessings on the day of your wedding.”

Zack was the first of my Gutenbergs to be getting married—I would need to put my all into blessing him and his partner. He smiled in response and said that he would make sure to brag about it when the time came.

“Sead,” I said, “opportunities to experience the craftsmanship of other workshops are few and far between. You can expect to find things in Kirnberger that you would never encounter in Ehrenfest’s lower city. Be sure to absorb as much as you can.”

“Understood.”

The last to rise were Johann and Danilo. I was already familiar with Danilo—his name and progress had been brought up before—but this was the first time he was going on one of these trips.

“Lady Rozemyne, this is Danilo,” Johann said. “I am bringing him with me so that he can learn to be my successor.”

“Can I take this to mean he has finally mastered making letter types?” I asked. I remembered hearing that Danilo had just barely failed to meet Johann’s expectations, but his presence here today must have been a good sign.

Johann nodded. “I intend to have Danilo do as much as possible while I take a back seat and focus on training Sead.” Rather than being entirely focused on honing his craft, he was now putting so much thought into training his disciple. Everyone had grown so much.

“We can never have enough skilled smiths,” I said. “I wish you luck in training both Danilo and Sead. You are the oldest of your peers, after all.”

Johann gulped—he had always left dealing with others to Zack—but then gave me a resolved nod.

I turned to his disciple. “Johann and the others have told me much about your growth, Danilo. Please continue to improve as one with my exclusive business.”

“Ever since our exchange with those craftspeople from Groschel, I’ve been asking to travel to other places,” Danilo said. Then, brimming with enthusiasm, he exclaimed, “That day has finally come! Now that I’ve come of age and secured a place on this trip, I promise to do my best!”

Danilo was the very antithesis of the quieter and more introverted Johann. It was so much fun comparing all of the craftspeople’s unique personalities.

Thus concluded our introductions. I distributed charms to the layscholars, as well as to the retainers and the Gutenbergs. The nobles received different charms from the commoners, for obvious mana-related reasons.

“Consider these protective charms a show of my appreciation for your consistent hard work,” I said. “Now, let us prepare to leave.”

I made a huge Pandabus, then asked that the luggage be moved into it. The disciples followed the directions of the more experienced Gutenbergs and got straight to work. They appeared a bit hesitant, but the fact that they didn’t kick up a fuss seemed to indicate that they had been told what to expect.

The atmosphere was quite peaceful while the luggage was being loaded into my highbeast, but then we took off. No sooner were we airborne than Danilo began flailing his arms around, his face locked in a silent scream. He had picked a great time to learn that he was scared of heights.

Johann looked at his disciple, then put his head in his hands and said, “You could stop looking out the window to start with.” He seemed pretty exasperated, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.