Ascendance of a Bookworm

There were many unreasonable things and things I wanted to argue against, but for now, I was relieved that Wilfried had an outburst and accepted maintaining the status quo for one year. Whatever path Wilfried chooses from now on, Foster Father and Foster Mother will surely watch over him.

“Well then, I shall return to my room. I need to have the close aides consider their next course of action.”

“Ah, yes. Apart from those who have made the name offering, minors require parental permission. Since the status quo will be maintained for one year and due to concerns about information leaks, it’s best to consider leaving them behind in principle. If they truly wish to serve there, they can join the central administration once they come of age.”

I nodded at Foster Father’s words and was about to step toward the door when I remembered I had to ask something.

“...Um, Foster Father.”

“Yes?”

“I want to write a letter to Lord Ferdinand. Is that alright? Or should I still hold back?”

If I didn’t need to behave as Wilfried’s fiancée under the status quo, I hoped to at least be allowed to write letters. Foster Father looked exasperated, as if saying, “Even after what everyone’s said, you still care about Ferdinand,” but he permitted it on the condition that I show him the contents before sending it to Arensbach.

“...You really do like your uncle, don’t you.”

Wilfried sighed as he walked with me toward the door.

“I do like him, but I think you worry about him the way Brother Wilfried worries about Lady Veronica. He is like family — a mentor who took care of me since before my baptism ceremony in childhood. Now he’s heading to a place where it's hard to meet him, by royal decree, working in an environment where he uses healing potions so frequently that you can smell them nearby. It’s only natural to be concerned.”

“When we stayed in the tea room during the territory competition, you noticed the smell of healing potions too, didn’t you?” I said, and Wilfried looked a bit troubled.

“Uncle always smells of medicine, but it’s impossible to tell if it’s from his mixing or his frequent use.”

“What? You can’t tell? Brother Wilfried, don’t you get too few chances to mix potions yourself? You should practice distinguishing the smell of freshly mixed potions from those used regularly, or you won’t be able to prepare what’s needed when it’s necessary.”

When I said that not being able to make healing potions or amulets would be troublesome, Wilfried’s face turned extremely displeased.

“Rosemine, as your brother, that’s a warning: your common sense is off. Ordinary noble families hardly mix potions themselves.”

“What? But Lord Ferdinand always made his own potions and amulets…”

“Uncle’s hobby is research and mixing, right? That’s not the usual practice for noble families.”

He said it so matter-of-factly that I felt my sense of normalcy shattering and had to confirm.

“Really...? Then, is it common sense to be told that you should at least be able to make your own medicine?”

“It’s better to be able to, and you should remember how, but it’s usually the clerks’ job to make them daily.”

Even though Ferdinand sometimes locked himself in the temple workshop alone, he never let Justox in, nor did Justox routinely deliver potions. I had always believed it natural to make my own daily medicines, but apparently, that was not the case.

...Lord Ferdinand’s standards were strange after all!

Adding my commoner-era standards in another world, my sense of common sense was already off, but Ferdinand’s noble standards were actually quite different from general norms.

...Well, I had suspected it for a while, but hearing it so clearly now…

“Why else would you have clerks if not for this?”

“My clerks mainly handle temple work, copying, collecting stories at the noble academy, and writing new ones. Making potions or amulets is difficult, and I can’t just leak Lord Ferdinand’s recipes outside. Plus, it requires quite a bit of mana.”