Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 2.1 - Chapter Ep

Epilogue 

After leaving the temple, Deid headed south to the Merchant’s Guild while watching Lutz and Karla walk together, holding hands. They were on their way to sign Lutz’s leherl contract. 

It was a result Deid hadn’t even considered when he was summoned to the temple. To be honest, he was uneasy about what would happen at the time, but in the end everything got wrapped up just about as well as it possibly could have. 

...All thanks to that High Priest. Deid himself knew that he wasn’t communicating with his son properly, but he didn’t know how to fix that either. It was precisely because a noble who knew nothing of the lower city’s way of life got involved that he had managed to speak his mind in full despite not generally doing so. 

...But still, why was Gunther’s daughter in the temple? And wearing the same blue robes as a noble at that. The girl quietly sitting next to the High Priest in the same blue robes as him had unmistakably been Myne, one of Gunther’s daughters. She didn’t go outside much, but Deid remembered her clearly since she went to the same baptism ceremony as Lutz. He had heard about the two of them making stuff together, but not about her joining the temple. 

Deid was certain he often heard Lutz saying he was off to go get Myne in the morning. They shouldn’t have anything to do with nobles. He didn’t understand why Myne was in the temple. But he did know that the High Priest had uncharacteristically gotten involved with matters of the lower city and gathered everyone for a discussion at Myne’s behest. 

“Dad, this is the Merchant’s Guild,” said Lutz while pointing at a large building located at one side of the central plaza. Deid pushed Myne into the corner of his mind and looked up at the guild. As a carpenter who worked in construction by trade, Deid had never set foot in the Merchant’s Guild before. Normally only those who dealt directly with money worked with the Guild. 

For a second Deid hesitated at stepping into a world unfamiliar to him, but after seeing Lutz walk in like it was nothing, he snorted and followed in after him. They climbed a narrow staircase and found themselves in a hallway filled with people forming lines who were all dressed like them. Deid had gotten uncharacteristically nervous for what awaited within the building, but in the end it was still a place for guys like him. 

Or so he thought, until the Gilberta Company trio passed through the lines and went further inside. At the end of the hallway was a metal gate with a guard. Lutz, Benno, and Mark took out golden card things and the gate did something with them. Immediately after, a streak of white ran through the gate and it disappeared as if melting into thin air. 

The sight of Lutz dealing naturally with a magic tool made by nobles hit Deid with a strange feeling. He felt as if his son had already gone somewhere forever out of reach. He looked down at Lutz with his mouth bent into a frown just as his son turned around and held out his hands. 

“Dad, Mom. Hold my hands. It’s the only way for people without guild cards to go upstairs.” 

It had been so long since he had held hands with his son that they were much bigger than he remembered, which threw him off as they climbed the dimly lit staircase. At the top awaited the world for the rich, overflowing with wealth like he had never seen before. The floorboards weren’t bare, they were covered with a thick carpet, and the chairs in the waiting room were beautiful with fancy designs. Everything was clean. It was impossible not to feel how out of place he was. But Lutz, wearing his well-made apprentice clothes and talking to the young apprentice girl behind the counter, seemed completely in his element. 

“What brings you here today?” 

“Please prepare a leherl contract. I have my parents and the master of the Gilberta Company here with me.” 

“Understood. And... Congratulations, Lutz.” 

“Yeah. Thanks, Freida.” 

Lutz acted and spoke entirely differently from how he did at home. Not even a full season had passed since his baptism ceremony. Deid had thought that wasn’t enough time for anything, but Lutz’s enormous growth was impossible to ignore. He was already making connections and paving a road for himself as an apprentice merchant. 

“This is the contract for making Lutz a leherl apprentice.” Neither Deid nor Karla could read the words written on the parchment spread out in front of them. They couldn’t help but tense up, on guard against merchants exploiting their lack of comprehension to trick them. 

“Lutz, read the contract for your parents.” 

It was commonplace for commoners to screw themselves by signing contracts they couldn’t read. It made sense, then, that it was important for illiterates to have someone they could trust to read things aloud for them. Lutz nodded at Benno’s request and began to read. 

Deid had heard from Karla that Lutz was studying letters on a stone slate over the winter, but he didn’t know Lutz had learned enough to read contracts. Benno saying that Lutz was using his determination to overcome his disadvantages hadn’t been a lie or exaggeration at all. 

...Guess he wasn’t being a baby after all. Deid was a bit impressed with Lutz as he fluently read aloud the contract and explained all the unique turns of phrase that merchants used. At the same time, it would feel kinda weird to praise his son for something he had been ignoring up until now, so he snorted dismissively. 

The contract described how Lutz would be treated going forward. He would be treated as a leherl, but continue living with his parents for the time being. Most leherls signed at the age of ten, so once he reached that age he would live at the Gilberta Company like the others. He would be given a room to put his stuff and change clothes, and the company would provide his lunch. They would also provide dinner if he needed it. When work called for going outside the city, he would go with them at times. His pay would be increased by a small amount. The contract ended after describing a bit more about his work conditions and pay. 

“And now you’re a leherl at our company, Lutz. I expect you to work twice as hard as you have been.” 

“Yes, Master Benno. And... Dad, Mom. I’m really glad you accept me. Thank you. I won’t ever complain or whine. I’m gonna be a crazy good merchant and make you both proud,” said Lutz with a beaming smile. 

Deid replied by saying “You better not whine. You’ve made your decision, don’t even think about complaining,” but that just made his son’s eyes sparkle with a defiant light. ...Tch. Look at you, being a man. 

“Deid, Karla. I’m gonna ask that you don’t tell anyone about what happened at the temple today,” said Benno while handing the signed contract to Mark. 

“You’re talking about Gunther’s daughter, yeah? Why was she there, and why was she wearing the clothes of a noble?” The only people who joined the temple were orphans who didn’t have any family or job they could rely on. Becoming a priest meant signing your life away to live as a slave of the nobility. It was hard to imagine Gunther letting his daughter do that, when he was the kind of father who loved his kids so much he’d even raise a sick child like Myne instead of letting her die to have less mouths to feed. 

“There’s a lot of things in the world you’re better off not knowing.” 

Deid saw Benno’s expression harden as he looked at him and Karla head on with his dark-red eyes. Deid swallowed hard. Benno’s look had the pressure only one who was prepared to lose everything could have. 

“Myne’s stuck living life with nobles now. People who can’t protect themselves from nobles would be better off not getting involved with her.” 

“I know that,” said Deid before looking at Lutz. ...So you don’t get too close with Myne either, boy. Deid swallowed what he wanted to say. Lutz hadn’t even told his family that Myne had entered the temple with blue robes. He never mentioned going to the temple when he left in the morning. It was clear that Lutz was sticking with Myne knowing full well the risks of doing so. 

Deid sighed slowly, thinking of Myne wearing her blue robes and sitting next to the High Priest — sitting on the nobles’ side. He then jabbed the back of Lutz’s head. 

“Ow! Why’d you do that, Dad?” 

“Stay strong, Lutz. Don’t lose sight of the road you’re walking down.” 

“Huh? Er, right.” Lutz nodded with an expression that made his utter lack of comprehension clear. But nonetheless, it seemed to Deid that his son’s eyes were locked right on the path he had chosen for himself.