Ascendance of a Bookworm

Volume 6 Chapter 12: The Temple Stay has been Extended (Part 1)

When I woke up, I had a long schedule of lectures awaiting me. First came Lutz and Benno, then Fran and Gil, and then Damuel and the High Priest. Why are there more people in my life scolding me now?

… But like seriously, can they stop using the excuse of “visiting the sick” to scold me in bed. I want to sleep.

Damuel gave the longest and most passionate speech this time. After my sudden collapse, he was apparently scared that the High Priest would also deem him a useless knight like his previous superior did.

“I was dead sure I was going to be killed this time! I felt like I was already dead when we carried you back,” he exclaimed fiercely, holding back his tears.

“I’m sorry. Really. But just to give you a heads up, when we start officially printing, I might pass out from excitement quite frequently.”

“You’re not sorry at all!”

“I apologise that I’m not strong enough to stop my fainting spells.”

“Not that! You don’t need to be sorry for that!”

With everyone scolding me 24/7, everyday, it was difficult to stay enthusiastic for the letter pieces, and thus my fever subsided quickly. Even after my recovery, the lectures persisted. They kept nagging about the same times repeatedly that it was getting rather dull. I only wanted to get home, the snow had melted enough for carriages to pass through, so it wasn’t that far off.

“Just let me go home…”

But before that, I needed to write a letter to seek an audience with the High Priest. But I instead got one from the High Priest who requested to meet me. But it was not so much of ‘wanting to meet me’ but more of a ‘when are you free’ letter because I was the one going over, not him coming over.

“Fran, the High Priest rarely writes me a letter, something important must be going on. I would like to see him as soon as possible— no wait, I would like to head over today, but I don’t know what I should say to him.”

“It would be inconvenient for his attendants if you visited so suddenly. I would suggest that you visit tomorrow,” Fran gave a slight smile.

And so I wrote a reply that I would be available tomorrow.

“Should I get him a present or something? After all, he did come to see me when I was sick.”

The High Priest gave me lots of food as get-well gifts, but I wasn’t in need of it because the snow was thawing, meaning I would be returning home shortly. As of now, I planned to relocate half of it to the girls’ building’s basement storage.

“You can try some of the sweets you have made here. In fact, your cookies were well-received by the High Priest.”

“How about the caramel custard I tried making recently?”

When Tuuli visited, I tried making both caramel custard and ice cream. But it ended up with a warm warning that ice cream is best enjoyed for warm weather. Of course, ice cream was nice in heated homes from modern times, but having it in front of the fireplace just made one feel cold and the taste dull, your body would just go cold.

“Hmm… Sure, the caramel custard is nice, but you can only enjoy it after you have gotten used to its texture. First-timers might find it somewhat weird… The custard might not be a good idea for first-timers.”

Steaming was not a known cooking method here, I made this assumption based on Lutz’s reaction to the steamed potatoffels. Ella was taken aback with making the caramel custard, and those who tried it raved about the texture and was concerned how it crumbled apart before it entered their mouth. Regardless, it was still well-received because it was sweet and tasty…

“If that’s so, we can ask Ella if she can make the cookies the High Priest likes.”

I decided on the cookies. The flavours chosen were my preferred, the plain and tea ones.

After that was taken care of, I began working on the plans for the printing press. If my memory serves me correctly, the first printing presses on Earth were modified grape presses, so I doubt they were that hard to make. It was just that I struggled to recall its measurements, let alone how it looked like.

“Huh… I think it needs some tool to apply the ink? Maybe it was a handle like this, the leather pulls out like this… with something to hold it down with the paper… Did the letter pieces get lined up here?”

I combed through my memories furiously, but to no avail as the blueprints were barely piecing up. I was unable to give a precise blueprint, but it was possible for me to give a rough idea upfront. These notes and ideas will have to be noted out so that I could experiment with them with letter press.

Maybe I could ask the High Priest to use the memory searching tool on me again. I mumbled to myself as I worked on the blueprint, my attendants worked around me to complete their tasks to their best.

~~~

“Good morning, High Priest,” I greeted and presented him with my gift.

“This wasn’t necessary,” he said, his face devoid of any reaction as he received them. It was impossible for me to tell if he was happy about it or not.

“Arno.”

Arno went over at the High Priest’s instructions and placed a dish on the table. Fran took the cookies out of the bag and piled them up. He took out the cup he brought from my chamber and handed it to Arno who filled it up with tea along with the High Priest’s…

“Feel free to do so, Sister Myne.”

Arno placed the cookie platter in front of me. I stared at the High Priest, unsure what I was supposed to do.

“When giving food as a gift, it is customary for the gifter to eat it first to ensure that it is not poisoned. I take it that you did not know of this, so I figured I might as well teach it to you now.”

Poison testing…? Um, that’s scary.

I had no qualms about eating the cookies since they were mine, having to hear about food being poisoned made me anxious about consuming anything outside my chambers.

“Likewise, the host will also drink the tea first.”

I took a bit of my cookies and the High Priest drank his tea that was brewed from the same pot as mine did. We each continued at our leisure after the testing was done.

Fran had got it right when he mentioned that the High Priest enjoyed the cookies. His face remained expressionless, but the cookies vanished the quickest out of anything else on the table.

We talked about random topics from the weather to the orphanage’s situation. After we finished our tea, the discussion turned to the main topic.

I think I can pass off as a noble now. I hope so. I would like to think so.

“Um, High Priest. Since I’m returning home soon, so I was hoping—”

“No.”

My words were cut off by the High Priest who clanked his teacup back on its plate.

“Bwuh?”

I tilted my head to the side, perplexed why the High Priest refused to let me return when the snow was beginning to thaw. He pushed his chair back as he got up. He gave a quick scan of his room and proceeded to the hidden room next to his bed.

“Follow me.”

He did not want his attendants hearing the reason why. So I moved accordingly as well - I placed my cup down, stood up and walked to the opened door to the hidden room.

When I was in, I saw on the familiar bench and he sat in the usual chair.

“So it’s about something you’re attendants can’t hear?”

“…Yes. It would be preferable for less to know about this.” The High Priest took in a deep breath and continued. “I just received news that Wolf has died unexpectedly. It occurred shortly after I made a request to Karstedt to investigate him”

I swallowed when he said ‘died’. But my head was still cocked to the side, because I was confused about an important detail.

Um… Who’s Wolf?

“You look befuddled.”

“Um, High Priest. I know this sounds ridiculous, but who is Wolf? The name sounds familiar, but I can’t quite put my finger on it…”

The fact that I couldn’t put a face to his name indicated that he wasn’t someone I knew. I knew he was significant because the High Priest talked about him as if he were someone I knew, but I still couldn’t recall who he was.

The eyes of the High Priest widened in shock before he let out a long sigh. “Wolf is the Ink Guild’s guildmaster.”

“Oh, that shady man?”

I’d been imprisoned at the temple all winter because the leader of the Ink Guild approached Lutz and tried uncovering information on me.

“Wait… He’s dead?! When, what, how?!”

“Your reaction is too delayed!”

Apparently, Wolf was under investigation by Karstedt and the High Priest, to see if the rumour circulating him was fact or fiction, and to figure out who had ordered him to look into me. However, before they could pinpoint a suspect, Wolf died.

“Wolf had heard from somewhere that a shrine maiden who was a commoner, was also acting as a forewoman.”

Since he emphasized the word “somewhere”, I remembered that very few nobles knew my true identity. Not many nobles here could have had such knowledge about me.

“Wolf was looking into who was the forewoman and if she had any ties to Benno. However, just when he was about to start the investigation, you fled inside the temple, and your health has minimised your interaction with others outside. Needless to say, his investigation was not fruitful.”

What the High Priest said gave me a fright. Nobles had ordered Wolf to look into me, but the investigation did not cover much and he was under the scrutiny of Karstedt and the High Priest. He ended up dead after all that, so it didn’t take long for me to piece it together.

“…Was Wolf killed by the noble?”

The High Priest nodded with certainty. “Most definitely.”

“…Are the nobles targeting me?”

Commoners meant nothing to the nobles, nobles ruthlessly killed anyone who stood in their way. Even though that was a fact I knew, having it happen so abruptly and close to me made me frightened. I crossed my arms and rubbed my arms covered with goosebumps.

“Is the noble after me?”

“There is no question that a number of nobles are after you, but we have no idea who they are or what they are after. And I think few would know too,” he replied with a solemn voice that made me shudder.

“When the Spring Prayer begins, the nobles in charge of the rural towns will leave together. Our biggest concern is you being kidnapped out from the city, therefore you must remain in the temple until their numbers have dwindled. With less of them, it will be much easier to determine their allegiance and motives.”

Well, the only good thing is that he didn’t say I couldn’t return home.

I had no choice but to sadly agree to extend my stay in the temple. I did my best to comfort myself. The High Priest was relieved that I had agreed easily and took out a small palm-sized item.

“I will need to talk to your family about the extension and adoption. Give them this.”

“…Yes.”

This would be a serious topic, of me getting adopted by a noble, so there was no way I could casually bring it up whenever Tuuli or Dad visited. I had intended to bring it up when I got home, but High Priest plans to tell it to them while I was still here. I faced down as I studied the letter of invitation the High Priest gave me.

“You probably know this, but you are not to tell anyone about Wolf or your adoption. Your attendants are no exception,” he instructed and Delia popped into my mind, so I did not argue back.

~~~

I had Fran summon Lutz immediately when I returned to my chambers so I could hand him the letter. He agreed to pass it over, but he seemed perplexed as to what bad things I had done that the High Priest had to summon them over. The only thing I could tell him was that I was staying until the end of the Spring Prayer. It was ok to tell this much information. Or at least, I had to tell that to everyone around me, including my attendants, if I didn’t want to cause any confusion

“How about our food?” Delia asked when she heard my conversation with Lutz.

I just smiled back and said, “It won’t be long till the market opens, plus we still have food leftover from the High Priest.”

So that was why the High Priest gave us food, it was so that we could last in the temple even after winter ended.