Ascendance of a Bookworm

Volume 6, Chapter 19: A Discussion with the High Priest and the Trip Back Home

Having to sit through another lecture with the High Priest and finally getting the chance to return home was like entering hell and heaven together. I was looking forward to seeing Dad and Tuuli later in the day when they would fetch me, but that also meant I had to sit through the High Priest’s migraine-inducing lectures.

“Follow me, Myne.”

“Yes…”

Fran and Damuel accompanied me to the High Priest’s room. When we arrive there, just like what he had stated in the letter, the High Priest immediately told me to follow him to the hidden room (but it might as well be called a detention room now)

I plopped myself down on the usual bench, while the High Priest walked to his desk to pick up a pen and a wooden board. He opened up a bottle of ink before taking a seat on his chair. He crossed his legs and bored down an intimidating stare.

“I will not be lecturing you today. I hope you can recall how I said I had some questions. Let’s start. First off, I would like to know what are your future plans with the printing press.”

So it turns out that he had made a list of questions he was unable to ask me during his visit at the Myne Workshop. He had summoned me here so that he could personally ask me his unanswered queries about the printing press book production’s potential and the speed it could produce them. Unfortunately, I could not give him an exact number.

“We have yet to make a completed printing press. I will need to make much more metal letter pieces before we can produce books that only consist of words. In fact, we cannot begin the book production without securing a large supply of ink and paper, so it will be difficult to estimate how fast and much a printing press can do right now.”

“I see…” the High Priest mumbled as he referred back to the questions on his board.

“Moving on, I would like to talk about it’s impact on the world. When you start mass-printing, what impact will it have on those who copy books manually? Could you talk about what happened to these people in your past world?”

“It was still around, but as a hobby, not a job. It’s not a very viable job because machinery can replace them easily. This process was a gradual one, but it took about two centuries before this job went out of date. It definitely wasn’t as fast as two decades.”

My words made the High Priest knit his eyebrows together and he continued jotting down on his board.

“Though you did mention that everyone in your country could get an education, and that it was the norm for people to be able to read, I don’t suppose that it was that way since day one. What was the impact of the widespread distribution of books and a boost in literary rate in your world?”

“It was a revolutionary event. The impact it had on each country and its culture differed, but it’s not necessary to know the details because likewise, the impact on this world will be different.”

“May I know what were some of the changes?” The High Priest prompted and I tried to pull out some examples from Urano’s world.

There were quite a few examples I could think of, but I hesitated to tell it to the High Priest because. After all, he didn’t have the necessary knowledge so he would probably struggle to understand it.

“There have been a couple of cases in history where the working-class peasants teamed up, learning and sharing knowledge together, so that they could gain the capabilities to overthrow the and set up their own ruling system. Conversely, some have used printing to mass-produce and distribute propaganda to influence the public’s sentiments. One thing for sure is that commoners becoming literate will influence how certain information is spread. I cannot answer who and how someone might take advantage of that.”

“So you mean to say, it’s impact on society will be so drastic that predicting it is simply impossible. That sounds worrisome…” the High Priest words trailed off as his hands busied away writing on the board.

“But this world is different from mine because mana is crucial here, right? There’s no saying the same thing will happen here even when books are more widely distributed and literary rates jump. Moreover, books can be used to inform the public how hard-working and crucial the nobles are to society’s well-being. Of course, things won’t turn out good if the nobles and priests are just telling black lies.”

“What do you mean? The High Priest didn’t seem to quite understand what I just said. I gave him a shrug and continued.

“Those living in the lower city have no means to find out what the nobles do. Only those in the farming towns get to witness the nobles and blue priests provide them with the mana-filled chalices that support them during the Spring Prayer. As such, they are much more religious and have a stronger faith in the gods than those in the lower city. This is just my speculation, by the way.”

“The thought of the commoner’s faith in the gods has never occured to me, let alone telling them what the nobles do. I am very intrigued by what you have said, you provide new perspectives on untouched topics.”

Because I was a commoner and had memories of another world, the High Priest seemed very interested in the new profound perspectives I could offer, be it literally or figuratively.

“Hm… If that’s so… This is my decision now that you have answered my questions. Myne, the printing will have to be delated.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Though we can suppress any uprisings from the commoners with magic, the nobles won’t take the idea of printing too well.”

The High Priest proceeded to explain that copy bookings manually was a stable and lucrative job. As such, it was a very crucial job for priests, shrine maidens and Royal Academy students of a lower-income background. If I were to introduce my books that only required printing, I would surely be despised by local laynobles.

“…That means only the nobles’ might perceive this negatively?”

We had never had run into conflicts with nobles till this point, and frankly, this terrified me. I felt a shiver run down my spine when the High Priest nodded,

“You have only been printing books for the children and you did mention that printing has been limited because of your limited supply of paper. As such, there have limited impacts on the priests and nobles that would force you to halt production. But the situation will differ with the finished printing press, right?”

The rationale behind the production of letter pieces was to rid the tedious process of manually cutting out every letter by hand. It was much better for text-only books to be produced with the metal letter pieces. This very idea was used back in Earth, and also caused manually copying books jobs to turn obsolete.”

“So how long will we have to delay printing…”

I asked in trepidation, I was surely going to suffer knowing that I could not print even if I a completed printing press on hand. The High Priest turned his golden eyes to me.

“Until you have been adopted by Karstedt.”

“Bweh?”

“Any commoners that are a hindrance to nobles will be eliminated immediately. But things will be different if you are an archnoble’s daughter. Your business will receive the archduke’s support, as such it will prove difficult for the other nobles to target you.”

A commoner girl like me was just a nobody, an easy target for any noble. But if I became the adopted daughter of an archnoble and seek the approval of the archduke, I could turn my business into a state one. In that case, the nobles that copy books for extra income could no longer attack me. Furthermore, the High Priest mentioned that I should attempt to drag the laynobles to invest in the printing business to remove any further opposition to mass-printing. Things were getting so serious that I couldn’t wrap my head around it anymore.

…Am I really going to be able to wait two whole years to print, even though we already have a ready-to-do printing press? It’s already been two and a half years since I became Myne. Could I wait that long again with just printing picture books for children?

The High Priest probably saw through me, he looked at me and lifted the corners of his mouth.

“How about this instead, Myne? You could become Karstedt’s adopted daughter right now. That way you can start printing now.”

I know he was trying to tempt me, and it did work for a split second. But the next moment I shook my head.

“No… I can finally return home… I can’t bear to not see them again.”

“Are you against becoming Karstedt’s adopted daughter that much?”

“That’s not what I meant. Lord Karstedt is an amazing guy. Not only is he valiant and very dependable, he is an archnoble too. I can’t find a better adoptive father elsewhere.”

But no matter what, I wanted to stay with my family. Two years was already a short time, I couldn’t bear to make our last time together even shorter.”

“It’s a given that you would be homesick after being separated for this long. Well… do reconsider this when you get back home and have your share of love and affection with your family. Who knows, you might change your mind.” the High Priest gave a cheeky smile.

He was totally doing this because he expected me to succumb to my love for books, and eventually proceed with the adoption before I turn ten. This made me clench my fist and glare right back at him.”

“I won’t change my mind. I want to be with my family for as long as possible. Afterall, you are the one who made me realise how horrible I had been in my last life when I chose books over everything else and that I needed to better treasure my new family.”

His magic tool was like a figurative slap in the face, it deeply engraved into my mind that once you lose something, you can never get it back again. I wasn’t going to become the person i was that abandoned everything around me for books.”

My response made the High Priest’s grin change into a melancholic one.

“You have a very strong conviction, I doubt you will go back on it. Very well. Have fun printing a sum of picture books for the next two years.”

“…Thanks.”

~~~

“Myne, we’re here to pick you up,” Dad cheered.

“Have you finished your talk with the High Priest?” Tuuli asked.

I ran into Dad and Tuuli waiting in my chamber’s hall when I returned from the High Priest’s room.

“Dad, Tuuli!”

The moment I saw them, I felt the stone that had been weighing down my chest since the talk with the High Priest disappear. I ran towards them and leaped into Dad’s arms, leaving behind Fran Damuel who were still standing at the entrance.

“Hold on!”

Dad was prepared for me running to him and hoisted me up into the air. He spun me around before putting me back down and gave me a ruffle on the head with his warm hand, turning my hair into a messy nest.

“Oh no, Myne, your hair is so messy now,” Tuuli gave me a big charming grin.

She pulled out my hair stick and used her fingers to comb my hair. The relaxing feel of having Tuuli sift through my hair made me clench onto the hair stick.

“Hold on, I’ll go get changed first,” my voice rang out with bliss as I ran back up to the second floor. Delia helped me get dressed. I quickly took off my blue roobs, along with the frilly and puffy shirt that young rich girls would wear. I picked up the Gilberta Company uniform for apprentices and stretched my arms through its sleeves. It had been a while since I last wore this and it felt a little small, but I was probably just mistaken.

During the winter, I was holed up in my chambers and could only step out if I had a thick coat on, but today the weather was much warmer and I didn’t need on anymore.

“…Excuse me, Sister Myne, but are families really that amazing?”

Delia had her head tilted to the side as she buttoned up my shirt, she looked very perplexed.

“No matter how much we do our best to attend to you, you always look forward to leaving the temple. Does your family matter that much to you?”

“My time here was quite enjoyable, you all worked hard for me. But no matter what I still miss my family and would do anything to be with them.”

I knew Delia and everyone else was doing their best as my attendants, but I could not forget about my family. I wanted to be with them.

“I’m sorry, Delia.”

“Please don’t apologise, Sister Myne. I… I just can’t understand. What does a family even mean?” Delia raised her question with pure curiosity rather than anger for me leaving them behind.

Delia grew up in the orphanage with scarce memories of her family. She also avoided the other orphans she knew from the orphanage so she had never experienced anything remotely close to a family.

“Well, what family means differs for everyone, I suppose. For me, family is home.”

“Home?”

“That’s right. My family is the place where I feel the most relaxed.”

Delia responded to my answer by darting a look of jealousy towards the stairs down.

“…That sounds really nice to have.”

I was finally dressed and quickly packed up all the things I planned to bring back home. Rosina was surprised how unpoised I was and reminded me to move with grace.

“Your haspiel playing has greatly improved over the winter, and you are better able to move with more elegance. However you easily succumb to your emotions and forget about your surroundings. Please remember everything you have learned, even if you are back home.”

Rosina was turning into another High Priest, she was constantly reminding me things I needed to commit to when I returned home. She lectured me so much that frankly, I was about to ask her to jot it down for me. I doubt I could even remember half of whatever she said. And I felt that she was getting a little paranoid, we were still going to meet again soon.

“Rosina, I will only be gone for a day. I don’t suppose all of these is necessary?”

“Ah… that’s right, you will be back tomorrow.”

Rosina gasped and used her hand to cover her mouth. This seemed to have completely slipped her mind. After calming her nerves, she gave me a soft but sad smile.

“I was thinking that this would be the last time we will get to meet. Perhaps I was acting this way because I never got to see Sister Christine again after she returned home.”

Rosina looked so melancholic that a statue of her could be enacted in the centre of a church right now. It appeared that her last master leaving had a deeper impact on her that I had initially imagined.

“Rosina, I will be back in a blink of an eye.”

“Yes, we look forward to your return.”

I wasn’t planning to bring back a lot of things. I didn’t need any extravagant clothes or shoes, and my family already had their own needs covered. I was only going to bring back my woven basket.

I made my way down the stairs with my basket in hand. Delia and Rosina trailed after me as they planned to see my off at the entrance to my chambers.

“Dad, Tuuli, we can go now.”

I saw that all my attendants were waiting in the hall. Gil looked as though he had rushed back here from the workshop while Fran was dressed differently like he was planning to accompany me back home too.

“Alright, let’s go. Everyone, I can’t thank you enough for looking after Myne over the winter,” Dad thanked my attendants.

“You don’t have to thank us, sir. As her attendants, it is given for us to do so,” Gil returned Dad a large grin.

Hearing Gil made me smile, he sounded both polite and casual. After that I looked back towards everyone.

“Alright then, please look after my chambers while I am gone, everyone.”

My attendants knelt down and placed their arms across their chest.

“We pray for your safe return.”

Damuel would be following us back as he was acting as my bodyguard, but since this would be his first time, Fran tagged along to teach him the way there. We rendezvoused with Lutz at the workshop and made our way back together.

When I finally stepped out of the temple, the first sight that came into view was the stone pavement that was now free of snow. The very sight of this filled me with nostalgia. It had been a while since I last came to the city on foot, and this time I was holding hands with Lutz and Tuuli too. Holding hands was not allowed in the temple. Their hands were so snug that it warmed me up.

Dad walked behind us with Damuel and Fran, and they were talking about security affairs and my safety.

“Haven’t got to walk this slow in a while, Myne.” Lutz chuntered with sarcasm.

“Hey Myne. Uhm… Did you get slower or something over the winter?” Tuuli asked.

“Huh, what?! I’ve gotten slwoer?!”

Fran and Damuel never rushed me in the temple, and if we needed to get somewhere quick they would just carry me. Perhaps it was because of this that I had slackened and went back to a slower speed that I better preferred.

“Wait, so how fast did I walk before? Like this?”

I was moving my legs as fast as I could, but this just made Lutz laugh and shake his head.

“It’s fine, Myne. You don’t have to be so harsh on yourself. Let’s just take it easy and enjoy your walk back home, hm?”

I dragged my feet and we soon came across the Gilberta Company. Seeing it reminded me of whatever the High Priest said about delaying printing.

“We might have to see Benno tomorrow…”

“Did something happen?”

“The High Priest said that printing will have to be delayed. It’s probably best for me to inform Benno about it,” I gave a deep sigh.

Tuuli’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Wait, what? Why, though? Weren’t you really looking forward to start printing?”

“It’s because it involves nobles.”

“…Oh. That sucks.”

Tuuli gave me a pat on my head, and I closed my eyes to relish that feeling.

“It’s not like I can’t ever print. He told me to wait for two years so I’m still ok.”

I was content with my decision. A printing press wasn’t going to pat my head or comfort me like this whenever I was feeling down.

~~~

“Alright then, I’ll be back here tomorrow at the second bell to take you back to the temple. Do your best to stay home,” Damuel gave me a very stern reminder when we arrived at the town square. Looks like I would not be leaving the house anytime soon without a bodyguard.

“Yes, I’ll be careful, Sir Damuel, Fran. It must be quite troublesome to have walked this far and back, but thank you for doing this.”

“No worries. Please have fun with your family tonight. I look forward to seeing you again tomorrow,” Fran said his goodbyes and placed his arms across his chest.

“Thank you so much Fran and Sir Damuel, we will see you tomorrow.”

Fran and Damuel started to make their way back to the temple. I said my goodbyes to Lutz and proceeded to climb the stairs up to our home that was the fifth floor. But it didn’t long for me to start panting.

“Come on, Myne, you can do this. We’re almost there.”

It was nearly impossible for me to walk home on my own two feet without Dad and Tuuli cheering me on. This was evident how weak I had gotten over the winter. My body was crippling weak and I didn’t want to lose any more of the stamina I had worked hard to build up.

“I’m home, Mom.”

I missed seeing my house’s entrance, when I opened the door I was greeted by the delicious smell of food. Mum probably heard us outside because she was preparing the table. The aroma of Mum’s cooking sent a smile across my face.

“Welcome home, Myne.”

Mum had her hand under her belly for support and she was placing a plate on the table. She looked up and gave me a smile. Seeing her smile welled up so much joy and nostalgia in me that it washed away all the things that weighed down on me.

“I haven’t been outside for so long. I’m hungry.”

“You can put down your things first and help me with the table.”

“Yes~~”

I put my woven basket back to its usual spot and went to clean my hands. After that I helped to prepare the table with Tuuli. I was enjoying all of these because I hadn’t got to do things for myself in a while.

“Hey Mum, is the baby coming soon?”

I asked as I turned my gaze to her bulging abdomen. She gave it a gentle pat and smiled.

“Anytime now. Maybe the baby was waiting for you, Myne.”

If that was truly so, I would be beyond ecstatic. I gently stroked Mum’s belly and cheered, “Big sister has returned.”

All of a sudden, I felt a kick, almost as though the baby had heard me.

“Wow! I felt the baby kick! It responded to me!” I exclaimed in surprise which sent my whole family bending over in laughter.

I gobbled up everything Mum cooked, played with Tuuli in the bath, and squeezed into the tiny bed that I would crash into Tuuli if I tried to flip over. I ended the day by tucking into the bed with my family.

The next morning, Mom started groaning from labour pains.