Ascendance of a Bookworm

Leaving the Blacksmith Workshop, we headed to the woodworking workshop. Both are located on Artisan Street, so they’re close by.

After passing three workshops, Benno opened the door carved with a design of a saw crossed against a large tree background. Holding me in his arms, he stepped inside.

“I’m Benno from the Gilberta Trading Company. Is the master craftsman here?”

“I’m sorry. The master isn’t here right now… Wait, Myne!?”

“Oh, so this is Sieg’s workshop?”

The faces inside the shop were all familiar. Sieg, Lutz’s second oldest brother, was standing right where he could meet Benno’s gaze as he held me. He had his mouth slightly agape in surprise.

“...Do you know each other?”

“He’s Lutz’s older brother.”

When Benno put me down, it seemed Sieg finally caught sight of Lutz too. I heard him whisper quietly, “...Lutz, right?”

Since Lutz was changing in the room rented from the Gilberta Trading Company, this was probably the first time Sieg had seen him in his apprentice clothes, hair neatly done. The usual casual outfit Lutz wore when going to the forest, carrying a basket on his back, made him look completely different from how he appeared during work.

“Hmmm, Lutz’s brother, huh? ...I have something I want to order. Is that okay?”

“W-Wait a moment, please! I’ll call the assistant.”

Sieg hurried inside, and shortly after, a sturdy-built man came out.

“Ah, Mr. Benno, welcome. What shall we make this time?”

“Lutz.”

“Yes. Here it is.”

Lutz took out the writing board he was making for Fran and placed it on the table. Benno pointed to it and placed his order.

“I want one the same size as this board. Make the board part like this. Carve our shop’s crest on the front and my name on the back.”

The assistant pulled out a measuring tape and measured all around, sketching the dimensions on the wooden tag.

As they discussed which wood to use, the crest, the spelling of the name, and the font, Sieg came out from the back, seemingly curious about Lutz’s behavior.

“Big brother Sieg, can I place an order too?”

“Myne? ...Sure, I don’t mind.”

“I want a hard, thin board. The size should be uniform, about this size…”

When I gestured the size with my hands, Sieg hurriedly brought a measuring tape. We decided the length, width, and thickness properly.

“Make seventy of the same kind.”

“Seventy!? What do you need that many for?”

“Hehe~ I’m making ‘karuta’ with 35 basic characters.”

My attendants-in-training, Gil and Delia, still can’t read yet. Attendants sometimes help with paperwork or write letters on behalf of their masters, like Fran does, so being able to read and write is necessary.

If I only gave Fran a present, Gil would certainly sulk. So, I wanted to give Gil something fun to help learn letters.

Making karuta out of wooden boards means the children at the orphanage can play together. When they grow up, they’ll have to learn anyway, so it’s best to learn through play when they’re young.

“Karuta? What strange thing are you making again?”

“Yes, exactly. When can you have it ready?”

“…Since it’s just cutting to the right size…”

“But cutting alone isn’t enough. You have to polish the surface and edges until they’re smooth.”

“Like the hairpin?”

I nodded vigorously, and Sieg scratched his head awkwardly. Polishing each piece would take some time, but karuta boards aren’t something that need rushing.

“The other things you ordered will take about ten days to finish, so it’s fine if they’re done by then.”

“That should be plenty of time.”

“How about double the price from last time?”

“That… you’ll have to ask the assistant about that. I don’t really know about pricing.”

When Sieg said that, the assistant who seemed to have finished the negotiation with Benno peeked over after listening in for a while.

“You mean the last time you made something?”

“Yes. During winter chores, Sieg helped me make a hairpin. For one medium copper coin.”