Ascendance of a Bookworm

While I was clinging to Ralf’s back, swinging my legs, the outer wall gate came into view.

The outer wall was built to protect the city, and up close, it was quite tall. It was about the height of a two- to three-story building in Japan, and quite thick as well. There were gates on the east, west, south, and north sides of the wall, and a few soldiers were stationed there to check people entering the city.

The gate in front of us was the South Gate, and I could see a few soldiers. One of them should be my father.

I couldn’t tell which one was my father, but Tulli seemed to know. Holding her bundle tightly, she waved energetically and ran forward.

“Father!”

“Tulli, what’s wrong!?”

“I came to bring you something you forgot. You need this, right?”

Tulli smiled brightly and handed over the bundle to my father, who blinked in surprise.

So kind. Too kind, Tulli. I never spoke to my father with such gentle words when I was Reno. Even now, my true feelings keep threatening to slip out: “If you forget things, Mom gets really grumpy and it’s a hassle for us—did you forget how she was this morning?”

“Ah, thanks for this... Hm? You left Myne behind!?”

After taking the bundle with a relieved look, my father furrowed his brows. It seemed he was only focused on his beloved daughter Tulli. He hadn’t noticed Ralf or me, the other beloved daughter on his back.

Tulli shook her head and pointed toward Ralf.

“No, we came together. See, Ralf’s carrying me.”

“Oh? Ah, that’s right.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed for not noticing at first, my father’s gaze shifted slightly as he patted Ralf’s head.

“Sorry to trouble you by having you carry her, Ralf.”

“Since I’m heading to the forest, it’s no problem.”

Ralf scratched his head as if bothered but then gently put me down from his back. He picked up his own luggage that he had entrusted to Fey and Lutz.

“Thanks, Ralf. Thanks to Lutz and Fey too.”

After sending off Ralf and the others as they left through the gate to go to the forest, Tulli and I were allowed to enter the waiting room by the gate.

The outer wall was thick enough to house a room about six tatami mats wide inside it. It wasn’t very large but apparently had a waiting room and a guard room. The waiting room was a simple space with a few chairs and a table, plus a cabinet.

Feeling like I was on a trip abroad, I looked around curiously, and one of my father’s colleagues came over with some water.

“You girls are good daughters for bringing something you forgot.”

It took about 20 minutes to walk from home to the gate at Tulli’s pace, so I was very grateful for the thoughtfulness of bringing water.

I gulped down the water in the wooden cup in one go and let out a big breath.

“Ah, delicious. Feels like I’m alive again.”

“You hardly walked yourself, Myne, did you?”

Hearing Tulli’s words with her lips pouted, everyone burst out laughing.

I tried to sulk, but since everyone had seen me being carried by Ralf, I had no way to argue back.

While I was drinking a refill and being laughed at, a soldier entered the room, carrying a wooden box like a toolbox, then quickly left.

Frowning at the hurried scene, I asked,

“Dad, did something happen?”

“Just some suspicious person came to the gate. Nothing to worry about.”

Waving his hands, my father told me not to worry, but the busy atmosphere made me a little anxious. Would it really be okay?

I mean, this is the gate, and the guards are all flustered—doesn’t that sound like trouble?

Despite my worries, Tulli looked completely unfazed, tilting her head.

“What do you mean by suspicious person? Have I seen them before?”

She couldn’t think of anyone who would make the guards so nervous at the gate they usually pass through.

My father stroked his scruffy beard and searched for words.

“Ah, someone who looks like a criminal, or on the other hand, a noble who might need a herald sent to the lord.”

“Hmm…”

A criminal-looking face is judged just by appearance. Considering the environment, communication didn’t seem very advanced, so it made sense to detain and investigate suspicious people.