Ascendance of a Bookworm

A few days after Schwarz and the others’ costumes were completed, a letter arrived from the Gilberta Trading Company. It asked whether it would be better to deliver my winter hair ornament and armband at the temple or at the castle. I entrusted Johan with a safety pin and asked him to bring everything to the temple together.

...It’s been a while since I last saw Tulli.

When I told Fran about the meeting with the Gilberta Trading Company, Filine, who had been listening, tilted her head in puzzlement and said, “...Wouldn’t it be better to have them delivered to the castle along with the costumes?”

Filine was right—it would be less trouble that way. But if the winter attire and ornaments were sent to the castle together, I wouldn’t get to meet Tulli.

“The artisan making my hair ornaments still can’t come up to the castle. So, as before, I’ll receive them here and place the order for the spring hair ornament here,” I explained.

I wanted to order my own hair ornaments myself, and Filine nodded in understanding.

Actually, since my close aides started coming in and out of the temple, it became more necessary than ever to keep my relationship with Tulli hidden. Upon the high priest’s request, the guild and Wilma have been diligently crafting stories about my connections with Lutz and Tulli for shared understanding within the temple and have been having those above the apprentice level read them.

Recently, in the legend of the saint that Wilma compiled for Hartmut, there was also mention of my ties to Lutz and Tulli. When Wilma asked, “I intend to give this to Lord Hartmut; is that alright?” I realized that it meant, “Please familiarize yourself with this first,” so I carefully reviewed it and sighed lightly.

I was once only allowed attendants assigned by my guardians, but when I tried to choose my own attendants, I became aware of the orphanage’s existence and secretly inspected it. I noticed the orphanage’s dire state, with fewer azure priests and shrine maidens, and struggled to save the poor orphans. I ordered the Gilberta Trading Company, my designated merchant, to establish the Rosemine workshop.

By the way, when the workshop was founded, Lutz and Tulli were dispatched from the Gilberta Trading Company. I was so grateful for their efforts to save the orphans that I taught Lutz how to make printing machines and Tulli how to weave hair ornaments.

Also, Benno from the Gilberta Trading Company developed new paper and, upon my request, established a bookstore under a new name, the Plantin Trading Company.

...It’s not entirely wrong, but it gives me mixed feelings.

According to Wilma, my achievement of giving the orphans food and work so they wouldn’t just wait for charity but could sustain their own lives was remarkable. Hearing the gods’ words in dreams and creating unprecedented mysterious things made me nothing short of a saint.

...The subjective parts are greatly exaggerated.

Since I felt these expressions distorted the facts, I asked for some rewriting. Strangely, it came back even more exaggerated, with the excuse that it was “an honest representation of the facts.”

Wilma said that Hartmut was impressed reading the “restrained expression” materials, but she didn’t want to think about what had been added to Hartmut’s research.

Tulli arrived, and the meeting with the Gilberta Trading Company was held in the orphanage director’s office. Since I was only purchasing hair ornaments, the clerks didn’t have to come along, but Hartmut insisted on coming. He seemed to find the legend of the saint in the temple very enjoyable.

Come to think of it, sometimes I find myself going to the high priest’s room in the afternoon, though I’m not sure when the meeting requests were made. It seems I am burdened with a lot of work in exchange for hearing some stories, but since I’m satisfied, I leave it alone.

“Then, Tulli, may I see the hair ornament?”

Otto, Theo, and Tulli came from the Gilberta Trading Company. After greetings, I asked Tulli to show me the hair ornament.