Ascendance of a Bookworm

“Dad, please.”

“What is it?”

I clasped my hands together and made a request to my father, who brought me water while I lay listlessly in bed with a fever that wouldn’t go down. I had him carve mirror-image letters into a small piece of wood—just the size you could hold in your hand—with a charcoal pencil, so it could be used as a stamp.

“What are you going to do with this?”

“Hehe~ I’m going to use it to check the ink.”

“...Hah. If your fever doesn’t go down, I won’t even let you show it, even if it’s finished.”

Two days had passed since I asked my father. Finally, my fever broke, but there was a debate between Lutz and the family about whether I should go to the workshop now or wait a little longer. The concern was that if I went, I’d definitely get too excited. Some thought it better to wait, others argued I would end up excited and feverish anyway, so might as well let me go.

“Ah, I...”

“Mine, you’re just going to say you want to go no matter what, so just be quiet!”

“...Yes.”

With Tulli’s words winning everyone’s agreement, I wasn’t even allowed to join the debate, despite being the one it was about.

Bored, I rummaged through the storeroom, looking for a thin board. In a corner of the kitchen where the debate was happening, I wrapped the board with a rag, then further wrapped it with bamboo bark to avoid damaging the paper.

…Hehe, it looks like a baren. It’s something needed when making woodblock prints.

By the time the baren was finished, a conclusion had been reached: today I would observe my condition, and from tomorrow I could go to the temple.

My motivation surged. I prepared the stamp my father made, some soap, and second-hand clothes that were dirty and disposable, and got ready to set out.

“I’m looking forward to it, Lutz.”

“...Yeah.”

Lutz seemed excited about making something new too, his mood noticeably cheerful.

“Hey, Mine. How do you make it? You can’t touch it, right? Could you explain it to me first?”

Blue shrine maiden apprentices were told not to practice in the workshop. I nodded and began explaining to Lutz.

“When making paint, you do it in small amounts. That way it mixes more smoothly. First, you put some soot on a marble slab, right? Then you make a dent in the middle with your fingertip, add a little linseed oil there, and mix it with a putty knife. Use a little oil at first; if you need more, add it drop by drop. When it’s mixed evenly with the putty knife, you switch to a kneading stick and just keep mixing.”

I showed the amount of soot and oil with my hands as I explained, and Lutz furrowed his brow slightly.

“...How long do you keep mixing?”

“It depends on the pigment, so it’s hard to say. When I made it a long time ago, it took about 20 minutes... well, about as long as it takes for a pot of soup water to boil. But some people using different pigments hadn’t finished even after the soup was done, so it varies.”

You keep kneading until the paint has a nice shine. It’s tough even with spirit and determination. Explaining it in cooking time surprised Lutz, who opened his eyes wide.

“...You actually made that? You, Mine?”

“I used to be strong and energetic. People often said I was a healthy kid as long as I was reading. I even got a perfect attendance award at the school library.”

“Now you’re far from healthy though.”

I nodded strongly at Lutz’s words. If only I had this body, I thought, I could have done many more things.

“Well then, I’m heading to the workshop.”

“Okay. I’ll greet everyone first, then go.”

“...Alright. I’ll wait here.”

Fran was waiting at the temple entrance, so Lutz handed me over to Fran and headed to the workshop with a light step. Having been bedridden for a while, I decided to visit my room to see everyone.

After greeting the attendants in my room, just as I was about to start making ink, Rosina stopped me.

“I don’t know what you’re making, but practicing the Fischpiel comes first, Mine-sama.”