Ascendance of a Bookworm

“Myne, I was told to ask when you’re free…”

The summons from the Gilberta Trading Company came about ten days after Kamil was born.

I figured they must have arranged to take me to the wax workshop. I couldn’t think of any other reason for the summons, so I looked up at Lutz with a beaming smile.

“You’re going to take me to the wax workshop, right? Then it’s better if Fran comes along too. How about the morning of the day after tomorrow?”

“No, apparently there’s someone who wants to meet you.”

“…Oh.”

My excitement immediately dropped. I pouted, wanting to go to the Wax Workshop soon, but I agreed nonetheless.

“Maybe it’s better if the attendant who comes along isn’t Fran, but Gil. He said he’s a craftsman from the Ink Workshop.”

At Lutz’s words, my spirits bounced back sharply. Since I had the chance, I thought I’d ask if they could make colored ink.

“Ufufu~ I’m looking forward to it, Lutz. …Ah, is it okay if I meet someone from the Ink Workshop and talk to them?”

The late president of the Ink Association had been probing for information about me. The new president might still be gathering intel. Suddenly feeling uneasy, Lutz shrugged lightly.

“Master must have decided it’s okay, so they probably want to introduce you. It should be fine.”

“Then, I’ll just look forward to it honestly.”

On the promised day, I headed to the Gilberta Trading Company with Lutz, Darmel, and Gil, who came to pick me up in the morning. Mark looked busy but still noticed me and came out to the storefront.

“Good morning, Miss Myne. The guest has already arrived.”

“Good morning, Mark. You look busy, but could you guide me, please?”

Mark smiled gently and led me to a room in the back of the Gilberta Trading Company. There, I saw a familiar master craftsman from the Ink Workshop and a young woman. The master craftsman still looked nervously frowning.

The young woman had her hair tied up, so she seemed to be an adult. Her reddish-brown hair was simply braided and pinned up, indicating she didn’t care much about appearances. Her curious gray eyes darted around busily, making her look rather young.

“Hey, Dad. That girl?”

“You’re pointing at someone of noble birth. Don’t point.”

They seemed to be father and daughter. Scolded in a short, low voice, she hurriedly hid her pointing hand behind her back. Yet, her eyes full of curiosity stayed fixed on me.

“Good morning, Miss Myne.”

Benno greeted me and motioned for me to sit beside him. I nodded and looked up at Darmel. With smooth grace, Darmel escorted me to a chair. Truly, a noble’s attendant—so elegant.

“Since Wolf passed away, I, Bias, have become the new president of the Ink Association. It wasn’t my wish, but since I took on the role, I want to do as much as I can.”

Bias furrowed his brows deeply and sighed heavily.

Apparently, Wolf’s death was suspicious, and the master craftsmen of the Ink Workshop struggled over who would succeed the president. Eventually, Bias ended up with the position that no one wanted. Poor guy.

“It’s not good to speak ill of the deceased, but… that man was too pushy and got involved in outrageous matters.”

Bias hung his head. He seemed to be struggling greatly, burdened with cleaning up Wolf’s mess. Not very talkative, he spoke in short sentences.

“I want to run the workshop and unify the Ink Workshop. But I’m not good with words, so I’m not suited for sales.”

Originally, the Ink Workshop’s job was just to make ink. Sales were handled through the Merchant Guild’s merchants or shops.

But in downtown, there was only one stationery shop handling ink, and except for selling to that shop, Wolf had monopolized sales to nobles using forceful methods and profited.

“Until now, the craftsmen only needed to make ink without worrying about sales. But with Wolf gone, someone must become the contact. Asking the old man at the stationery shop, who has no connections with nobles, to deal with them is unreasonable.”