The bond between Lutz and Main grew deeper as he accepted her for who she was.
They went on to complete their paper
and received a passing grade from Benno.
Now, the two of them are faced with new encounters...
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Nine The Guild Master's Granddaughter
Wow! I've never seen so much money in one place before!
Uh, I've never bought anything myself,
so I can't tell what's worth how much.
What? Are you kidding me?
She collapses at the drop of a hat, so she's never sent on errands.
Mark, teach her the various denominations of currency.
Certainly, Master.
One small bronze coin is worth 10 lyon.
Small Bronze Coin
10 lyon
Ten small bronzes are 100 lyon, equal to one medium bronze coin.
Small Bronze Coin Medium Bronze Coin
10 lyon 100 lyon
And ten medium bronzes are 1,000 lyon, equal to one large bronze coin.
Medium Bronze Coin Large Bronze Coin
100 lyon 1,000 lyon
I see.
Then ten large bronzes are 10,000 lyon, which is...
Large Bronze Coin
1,000 lyon 10,000 lyon
One small silver coin.
Small Bronze Coin = 10 lyon Medium Bronze Coin = 100 lyon Large Bronze Coin = 1,000 lyon Small Silver Coin = 10,000 lyon Big Silver Coin = 100,000 lyon Small Gold Coin = 1,000,000 lyon Big Gold Coin = 10,000,000 lyon
Ten small silvers are 100,000 lyon, equal to one large silver coin.
Ten large silvers are 1 million, equal to one small gold coin.
Ten small golds are 10 million, equal to one large gold coin.
Correct. Very well done.
Now, let's discuss the payment for the paper prototype.
Your share is one small silver and eight large bronzes each.
This is money we earned, right?
It doesn't feel real, huh?
When spring comes, we'll mass-produce the paper.
You'll be able to make a small gold coin in no time.
Speaking of making money...
Would this make a decent product?
You were involved in that as well?
N-Nothing. Do you make these all by yourself, lass?
"I come up with creations, and Lutz makes them," so...
No. I make the decorations, and Lutz makes the pin.
Right?
Huh? Y-Yeah...
We're planning on making that our winter handiwork.
Sounds good.
Now, a question:
Do you two have the time and energy to go somewhere?
This is the Merchant Guild.
Merchant Guild, you say?
Anybody who does any kind of business must register themselves with the Guild.
Unless you do, you can't sell paper or even scraps of it.
If you do business without registering, you'll be punished severely.
The three of us are going upstairs.
Your card, please.
The gate vanished!
Is that a magical item, too?
Yes. This place has links to nobility.
I hope your registration goes smoothly...
A carpenter's son, and a soldier's daughter?
Please take a seat and wait.
A bookshelf!
Bookshelf? That's a file cabinet.
It only has scrolls and wooden plaques.
You don't call everything with writing a book?
Even plaques and scrolls?
Of course not!
Books are smartly bound, highly valuable items.
Not that I care, as long as I can read!
I should've seen it coming!
Knowing that old fart, he's going to find something to complain about!
"Old fart"?
Mercantile law, noble almanacs, and...
What's that?
A map!
This is Ehrenfest.
Ehrenfest?
Yeah.
Towns are named after their lords.
Where does the lord live?
In the noble quarters to the north.
To the east is the highway, and you'll find a lot of travelers there.
The south has farming villages, the forest, and a small town.
The river lies to the west.
Cross it, and you'll reach the neighboring domain.
The two lords are friends, so it's a busy route.
You'll eventually go there to stock up as well.
Really?
Yes, if we can get you registered.
Is it that difficult to get registered?
Mister Benno, the guild master would like to see you.
Let's go.
Thank you for coming.
So that's the "old fart."
Let's get right down to business, Benno.
Temporary registrations are for unbaptized children to help their family business.
I can't permit them for kids who aren't related to you.
There's a first time for everything.
What if I say it's for a clear objective?
What do you mean?
You'll change your tune once you find out what these two have up their sleeves.
What could these kids have?
You'll see. Main, show our Guild Master the thing.
Here you are.
I-Is that...
Is that your product?!
Weren't you looking for a hair ornament a lot like this?
Oh? I'm starting to see the big picture here.
Did you say that hair ornament?
That's the next big thing! Find out who made it!
If this is indeed what you're looking for,
they plan to make more as part of their winter handiwork.
But since they aren't being allowed temporary registrations,
they regrettably can't sell them, even if they do make more.
What a crying shame, truly!
I approve their temporary registration.
Thank you very much.
And so, Lutz and I were issued IDs—guild cards.
Let me introduce myself. I'm Gustaf, the guild master.
My granddaughter Frieda will be baptized in the winter.
I would like the ornament before the ceremony.
How does this sound?
There's only a month left until the winter baptism ceremony.
We can prioritize your order, but it will cost you.
This is as high as I can go!
Thank you for your business!
Then we have a deal.
Make another like the one you showed me earlier before the ceremony.
Don't you want it styled to her hair color or her outfit?
I don't want her to find out about it.
Oh boy. Not one of those unpleasant surprises.
Wouldn't your granddaughter be troubled if she'd already planned to wear something different?
If you're giving her a gift,
you'd want to see her smile rather than frown, right?
Besides, she'd wear it more lovingly if it were made with her opinions in mind.
Main, was it?
Why don't you work for me?
Rejected!
My store is bigger than Benno's, and you'll be paid better.
Mister Benno has helped me so much, I could never fully repay him.
I'll repay him for you.
U-Uh...
Main! Tell him in no unclear terms that you refuse!
I-I'm afraid I must refuse.
I see.
Of course you couldn't speak your mind next to such a scary escort.
After that, we made plans to meet with the guild master's granddaughter,
and then returned to the store.
Welcome back.
That old fart jumped on the hair ornament, so I took his order for this much.
Oh, what was that all about?
It means four small silvers.
What? Four small silvers?!
That's daylight robbery!
If you can make money, make as much of it whenever, wherever, and however you can.
But...
You should study up on the value of things.
All of your creations are luxury items.
If you don't understand how they're priced,
you'll turn the market upside down.
Before leaving, Lutz and I decided to take a portion of the prototype money—
the small silver coin—and deposit it with the Merchant Guild.
The Guild also functions as a bank, apparently.
You go to war tomorrow.
Stay on your toes.
We're just going to see a girl, you know?
I've heard that Frieda takes after the old fart the most among his grandchildren.
If she tries to recruit Main like he did today, prevent it at all costs.
Got that, Lutz?
Gotcha.
You don't have to be so wary.
See you tomorrow, then.
As Urano, I always looked forward to repaying my folks with my first salary.
What? How did you get this money, Main?
We finished our paper, so we had Benno buy it.
We have to stock up for winter soon, right? Use this money.
This is amazing, Main.
You must've worked so hard.
Lutz and I made it together.
Come to think of it, you two have been up to something.
Attagirl, Main!
I'm not sure I follow, but I'm proud of you anyway, Main!
That hurts, Dad.
Dad and Mom were over the moon.
How about your folks?
They were happy I made money,
but when I told my dad I made paper and sold it,
he started ranting about how I should be a paper craftsman.
Oh...
But I wanna work a job where I'll get the chance to leave this town.
You wanna hurry up and make a book too, right?
Yeah. When that's done, the next goal is a bookstore.
That's a long ways away, though.
I don't mind selling books with you, Main.
It hit me while looking at that map yesterday.
Booksellers can sell their wares to nobility across the lands.
Doesn't that sound great?
It certainly doesn't sound bad.
Would you be Main?
Oh, yes.
I'm Frieda.
Pleasure to meet you.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
I could tell immediately from your hairpin.
It was the perfect identifier.
I-It's nice to see you.
Allow me to show you to my home.
This girl exudes "well-bred rich girl" from every pore of her skin.
Looks like Benno's fears that she takes after her grandfather were unfounded.
We're here.
The Ottmar Company?
So this is the guild master's store.
He's gotta be really loaded.
Let us get right to it, then.
Sure.
Miss Frieda, here's a sample of the hair ornament the guild master ordered.
Oh my! This is it!
You see, I've always loved watching the baptism day parade.
And this summer,
this hair ornament stood out from everything else.
So I begged Grandfather to get me one for myself!
I'll bring out the outfit right away.
So then, we sat down
and picked out a color for the ornament that'd suit the outfit.
She also gave me some of the thread used in the outfit.
But we did run into a snag.
If you're going to wear your hair like this on the day, you'll need two ornaments.
Oh, I suppose I'll have to double your pay.
No. You gave me thread to use as material,
so it's fine as is.
That won't do. I'll pay for two.
Oh, you don't have to.
But I will.
You really don't have to.
No, let me!
Then why not make the second one half-price?
Main wants to give a discount in return for the thread.
Frieda wants to pay for the two ornaments.
Then let's split it down the middle and make the second one half-price.
You're a genius, Lutz!
Is that acceptable, Miss Frieda?
I don't mind, but...
If you can make money, make as much of it whenever, wherever, and however you can.
Isn't that what business is all about?
Huh? Is she more than just an innocent rich girl?
It's colde water.
A drink made by mixing colde juice with honey and diluting it with water.
Oh, the fruit that looks like raspberries?
So sweet!
Yeah! It's so sweet and nice!
Did you make this, Miss Frieda?
No, our cook did.
I guess you never need to cook, then.
How do you spend your time usually?
My favorite pastime?
Counting money, I guess?
Excuse me?
Not just counting it, but piling it up, too!
It gives me great joy to feel its pleasant weight fill up a bag.
And isn't the sound of coins scraping together the most delightful thing?
M-My piggy bank growing heavier used to make me happy, too.
You understand my hobby?!
Say, Main! Why don't you work for me?!
No!
Our store is bigger than Mister Benno's, and the pay will be better.
Mister Benno has helped me so much, I could never fully repay him.
I can repay him for you!
Main, turn her down in no unclear terms!
I'm getting déjà vu... I had this same conversation yesterday!
You haven't been baptized, meaning you're not officially his apprentice yet.
So join me. You love sweet things, don't you?
I do...
I-I must respectfully decline!
That's too bad.
But we'll see each other often at the Guild.
I can hardly wait.
Right...
What? You made the second one half-price?
Are you stupid?!
What if people now start demanding the second one be free?!
And I told you,
When we got back to the store,
"If you can make money, make as much of it whenever, wherever, and however you can!"
Benno gave us a real earful.
Well, whatever. As long as you charged for the second one.
So, how was the old fart's granddaughter?
She's a cut above even the guild master.
I thought she was kinda like Main.
What? In what way?!
The way she looks when she's talking about money
is just how you look when you're talking about books.
And you two are the same in terms of being cute but also total weirdos.
One month later...
My, how wonderful!
May I try them on?
Of course.
Allow me.
B-But...
All done.
How do I look?
Oh, very pretty, Frieda.
You look like a flower fairy right now.
It suits you very well, Miss Frieda.
Thank you, Main!
The guild master and Benno left the room to discuss business.
Miss Frieda paid for the ornaments herself.
Well, our job here is done.
Thank you very much, Miss Frieda.
Main! We're friends now, so call me Frieda!
F-Friends?
I have to say, you've come up with a truly intriguing concept.
What do you mean?
Well, we have cloth embroidered with thread to give it depth,
but nothing like these flowers—made out of thread alone, yet jumping out at you.
This could be revolutionary.
So this is what Benno was talking about.
I may have just made a huge mistake.
Main, we should leave.
Oh, I'm frail and fall ill often.
Lutz is monitoring my condition for me.
Huh?
Main, do you have the Devouring?
The what?
The Devouring. It feels like you have a fever inside that's eating away at you.
You know about my illness?
I do, because I have it as well.
See how tiny I am?
I was thinking you were pretty small yourself.
How can it be cured?
The Devouring...
can't be cured.
Because it's not a disease, exactly.
You can control the fever, but it costs a lot of money.
Money...
The Devouring won't do anything, as long as you're motivated.
But remember that it'll come back to bite you if you're ever aimless or lose heart.
Is that so?
Thank you very much for that information, Miss Frieda.
Main.
You really should come work for me.
We'll make lots of money while figuring out interesting products.
Doesn't it sound fun?
Oh, Miss Frieda.
That's Frieda to you!
Frieda.
Next Chapter To the Second Winter
So you've finally learned that you have the Devouring.
I have! And when I was told that I'd be fine as long as I was motivated,
I felt like I'd become a type of migratory fish.
Mygreatory fish? What does that mean?
A fish that dies if it doesn't keep swimming.
I've never heard of any such fish.
I would love to see one.
Forget about the fish and worry about me, High Priest!
Illustration by Akira Rio