Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 2.4 - Chapter 13

The Source of Strife 

Sylvester and Karstedt, exhibiting truly praiseworthy reaction times, shut the door and leapt behind the wind shield in the blink of an eye. I poured as much mana as I could into the shield to strengthen it; I had to protect everyone inside, no matter what. 

The beams of mana that the High Priest and Bindewald had shot from their wands smashed together so hard that they began to surge around each other, excess energy whipping around. But there was an obvious difference in the size and power of their mana, and in no time at all the High Priest’s mana overwhelmed Bindewald, pushing his beam back until it hit him and sent him flying. He slammed hard against the wall before falling to the ground with a thud. He was covered in burns just like Dad was, and rolled on the ground letting out pained groans that made him sound even more like a toad. 

“Urr... Grurrrr...” 

The High Bishop had survived thanks to the bands of light wrapped around him, but he was completely frozen, his eyes wide open. It must have been terrifying to see the huge beams of mana colliding right in front of him. The gray shrine maidens and collapsed Devouring soldiers, however, were nowhere to be seen; they had no means of protecting themselves from the explosion of mana that had erased them from existence. 

“Myne, this is how you destroy evidence. Be thorough if you’re going to do it. None of these people are supposed to be in here in the first place,” the High Priest said as he looked down at the toad with cold eyes and thrust out his wand without mercy. Bindewald squealed and crawled away as fast as he could, but the High Priest caught up in just a few steps. His lack of mercy was much appreciated when he was a friend, but I would never, ever want him as an enemy. 

...The High Priest is kinda terrifying. 

“Ferdinand, isn’t that enough?” said Sylvester. “And Myne, get rid of the shield. We don’t need it anymore.” He wasn’t wearing the blue robes of a priest but rather a fancier outfit that one might expect a noble to wear. He stepped forward, whipping his bright yellow cape behind him. I stopped pouring mana into the shield as instructed, letting it fade, and the High Priest made his wand disappear as well. 

“Stand down, Ferdinand.” Sylvester jutted up his chin as he made the order. In response, the High Priest stepped back and knelt before Sylvester, arms crossed in front of his chest. 

“...Um?” My jaw dropped at the sight of the High Priest kneeling. All blue priests were equal in status within the temple, and it was taught that there was no need for them to kneel to each other here, so the High Priest wouldn’t be bowing before Sylvester like that if he was a blue priest. 

...I thought Brother Sylvester was just a particularly high-status priest, but was he maybe a fake all along? 

I knew from how close they had seemed over Spring Prayer that he and the High Priest went way back, but the High Priest had never done anything to express such a clear gap in status before. Were I to assume that I had seen a more personal side to their relationship during Spring Prayer, then this would be how they acted during official public business. In other words, not only was Sylvester not a blue priest, he was of a high enough status that someone with higher status than anyone in the Knight’s Order would kneel before him. 

...Am I about to be adopted by someone ridiculously important? 

I felt a cold sweat run down my back. Sylvester was of a high enough status to suppress the High Bishop and make the High Priest kneel. To be fair, he had to be to save me and everyone else, but it was still coming out of left field for me. My heart pounded as I tried to process the situation. 

“Aah, Sylvester! You’ve come at the perfect time. Do me a favor and order this insolent fool to undo these bindings,” the High Bishop said while looking between him and the High Priest, still bound by the bands of light. They seemed to know each other. But all Sylvester did was glance in the kneeling High Priest’s direction without ordering him to undo the bindings. 

“I hurried back at the call of the Knight’s Order, and this mess is what I find? What happened here?” 

“...Wh-Who’re you?” Bindewald croaked out, his head shooting back and forth between Sylvester and the High Bishop. He wasn’t keeping up with the situation at all. 

Karstedt took a step in front of Sylvester and, with his feet planted firmly and his head held high, glared down at Bindewald. “You sit before Aub Ehrenfest himself.” 

“Wh... Wh-Wh-What?!” Bindewald pointed at Sylvester, shaking. “That can’t be! This is a lie!” he repeated over and over. Personally, I had absolutely no idea why he was shaking like a frog staring down the open mouth of a snake. 

As I tilted my head in confusion, I heard a rustling as Dad got up so that he could kneel as well. I scooted over and whispered “Dad, do you know who that is?” in a quiet voice. 

“There’s only one person in the duchy that has the same name as this city, and that’s the archduke,” he replied quietly, a grim look on his face. 

...WHAT?! The adult-sized elementary schooler Sylvester is the archduke? I wanted to scream, but clamped a hand over my mouth and swallowed my surprise. 

...This guy poked the cheek of a girl he’d just met, made her say “pooey,” snatched away her hair stick, performed acrobatic stunts in front of farmers, went hunting in the lower city’s forest without any guards... and he’s the archduke? A weirdo like him, the archduke? Um, what? Is this duchy going to be okay? 

“You dare continue to play the fool?! Your rudeness will get you killed! That is not how one speaks to Aub Ehrenfest! Kneel, now!” barked Karstedt, interrupting my much more disrespectful thoughts. 

“Y-Yes sir!” I jumped in surprise as Karstedt yelled at Bindewald, and I immediately knelt on the ground. 

“...Myne. What in the world are you doing over there?” Karstedt called over in a voice tinged with both exasperation and confusion. I timidly lifted my head and saw that while everyone else was kneeling with their arms across their chests, only I was groveling with my forehead pressed against the floor. Everyone was looking at me like I was a weirdo and it kinda hurt. 

“W-Well, you said to kneel, so it kind of just... happened.” Apparently I had just made a fool of myself in the middle of something very important. I hurriedly fixed my posture and knelt properly, at which point Sylvester leisurely scanned the hallway. His expression was strict and deadly serious, unlike any I had seen him wear before. Had he been like this the first time I saw him, I wouldn’t have been surprised at all to learn that he was the archduke. 

Sylvester’s gaze fell on the High Bishop, whereupon he narrowed his eyes. “Now then, could you explain what happened here, uncle?” 

In a shocking twist, Sylvester and the High Bishop were relatives. That meant that, if Sylvester adopted me, I would end up related to the High Bishop too. 

Nooo thank you! I don’t need a great-uncle like him! 

“Aah, I knew you would listen, Sylvester!” 

And so the High Bishop told his story, which was more than a little twisted in his favor: Count Bindewald had been summoned here because of me; it ended up in a mess that brought Sylvester back because of me; it was all my fault for not just letting myself get imprisoned; it was my fault he was suffering in the High Priest’s bands of light; and all the problems in the temple were caused by a commoner like me being given blue robes. 

In the end, everything was apparently about eighty percent my fault, plus twenty percent the High Priest’s fault. We had supposedly used Sylvester’s absence to trick him and lead him into a trap. To be honest, it was all so paper thin that I honestly had to question whether the High Bishop was just plain stupid or not. Like, I had been doing pretty much all the math in the temple’s financial ledgers while helping the High Priest; I knew well that he wasn’t trying to trap the High Bishop while Sylvester was gone. That was just completely off base—the High Priest was much scarier than that. 

“Count Bindewald, are you of the same perspective?” Sylvester asked, moving his eyes to Bindewald and frowning with annoyance after the High Bishop started repeating himself. The burned-up toad was pretty much on the same page as the High Bishop, blaming me, the commoner, for everything. 

Isn’t it kind of unreasonable to blame those burns on me? I mean, come on. 

“Now then, Ferdinand. Please present your evidence and testimony.” 

“As you wish.” 

The High Priest began to dryly list off everything that had happened after Bindewald entered the city using a forged permit. He included a report on me being attacked in the lower city, seeking my father’s perspective as a guard at the east gate where the problem had first occurred, which strengthened his testimony further. Judging by how much the High Priest knew, he must have been magically contacted in his room somehow, which was possibly why he had left his hidden room in the first place. 

“As I am not from this duchy, I had no way of knowing that the rules had changed, or that my permit was forged. I was invited and came, nothing more. Is that a crime?” Bindewald insisted the incident in the lower city had nothing to do with him, and that he was just another victim here. “Aub Ehrenfest, I had no idea that this document was forged. I thought for certain that you had signed it yourself,” he said with a forced smile while taking out a document from his coat pocket. 

Karstedt retrieved it and handed the document to Sylvester, who looked over it before giving a slight grin. I could see him going “Hell yeah, evidence get!” on the inside, which made me realize something—there were some other documents I wanted him to get from Bindewald. 

“Count Bindewald tricked Dirk into a submission contract by claiming it was an adoption form. Would that document count as forged as well?” 

“This child is lying to you. I presented it as a submission contract from the very start. A noble such as myself would never adopt a commoner orphan,” Bindewald replied on the spot, glaring at me and calling me a liar. 

Delia glared back at him with a fierce look in her eyes, Dirk still in her arms. “The High Bishop and the count said it was an adoption form, and there were two layers of parchment at the top to hide the actual title.” 

“Silence!” 

“...Show us the document.” 

With the second layer of parchment already removed, there was nothing suspicious about the submission contract at all. There was consequently nothing to hide, so Bindewald took it out and presented it to Karstedt without a moment of hesitation. 

“So, Ferdinand?” 

“I was shown an adoption contract.” The High Priest glared at Bindewald, as if frustrated that he would tell such an obvious lie. My testimony as a commoner and Delia’s testimony as an apprentice gray shrine maiden meant nothing due to our lower status, but the High Priest was a noble, which meant that his testimony had weight. The fact that Sylvester had asked for his opinion showed how much trust he had in him. 

Bindewald paled, having disrespected the High Priest after thinking he was just another blue priest. “Surely you just misread. Plus, we are talking about an orphan with the Devouring here—in this case, there is not much difference between an adoption form and a submission contract. Am I wrong?” 

He was wrong, but apparently he wanted to pretend he wasn’t. Bindewald’s eyes flitted across the room; he had sensed things weren’t in his favor and was looking for a way out which, in his mind, he found when he saw me. His eyes widened in realization and he pointed at me, changing the topic out of nowhere. 

“More importantly, I ask you to punish that commoner!” 

“Commoner?” Sylvester replied, an eyebrow raised. The fact he had replied at all must have made Bindewald think he had a chance as he began ranting about me, spit shooting out of his mouth. 

“I have heard this Myne girl is a commoner who was only given blue robes due to your magnanimity, Aub. And yet, she arrogantly behaves as if she is at the top of the world. She fired her mana at me, a noble, and killed my personal guards who only fought to protect me. She is a dangerous and violent commoner. I can hardly imagine what vile corruption rots her mind.” 

His speech was so ridiculous that I couldn’t help but blink in surprise. What the heck is this toad saying? Does he have actual brain damage or something? 

“You’re the one who ordered your soldiers to kidnap me. Do you not even remember what you did just a moment ago?” 

“Do not argue with a noble, commoner!” Bindewald barked, glaring at me furiously. But Sylvester just grinned. 

“Count Bindewald, let me clear up a misunderstanding real fast. That girl you keep calling a commoner is my adopted daughter.” 

“Sh-She’s... What?! A commoner, adopted by an archduke?!” 

Sylvester, ignoring Bindewald’s stunned expression, gestured me over. “We’ve already finished the adoption contract. Myne, c’mere.” I walked over to him, and Sylvester pulled at the chain around my neck, exposing the necklace with the black stone. “And here’s proof of that.” 

“This girl... is your adopted daughter...?” 

“Yup. If she were a commoner, you’d be in the right here. The law would work in your favor. But Myne’s already my adopted daughter. Know what that means? Your crime isn’t just illegally entering the capital city of another duchy, it’s attacking a member of the archduke’s family. Her guards are seriously injured, and she’s saying that you attacked her with mana.” Sylvester gave a dismissive snort, then looked my way. “Tell me what the count did to you.” 

“He didn’t just attack me with mana; I was ambushed in the lower city, and he tried to force a submission contract on me. That’s when he cut me with a knife,” I explained as I spread my palm, showing the wound that had finally stopped bleeding. I listed everything I could remember while watching the toad pale with horror. “The men that attacked us during Spring Prayer were also Devouring soldiers forced into submission contracts with him. He was whining about the pawns he lost when trying to attack me, both now and in the spring.” 

My testimony as a commoner might not have meant anything, but being the daughter of the archduke changed that, whether I was adopted or not—not to mention that Sylvester had accompanied us during Spring Prayer. Count Bindewald was surely unaware of the fact, but his party had attacked the archduke directly. 

“Fascinating. Sounds like he’s got a list of crimes to his name. Count Bindewald, you’re under arrest. Your crimes are illegally entering my city and attacking my daughter alongside her knight bodyguard,” Sylvester said in a firm tone that left no room for argument. “As for the mysterious attack on the carriages during Spring Prayer, I was there with them. It will be taken as a declaration of war from your duchy’s archduke. You are a criminal who has greatly disturbed inter-duchy politics; you will be interrogated, I will question Aub Ahrensbach on whether he does intend to declare war, and then your fate will be decided. Get him.” 

Karstedt made his wand appear and brought it down in a sharp slash, which sent bands of light just like the ones wrapped around the High Bishop flying out from its tip. Bindewald, his eyes rolled back in his head and foam bubbling at his mouth, was captured without any resistance. 

Karstedt then strode to the door leading to the Noble’s Gate, threw it open, and shot a beam of light up into the sky. The Noble’s Gate opened, and the Knight’s Order—having apparently been waiting behind it—marched into the temple to retrieve Bindewald and the unconscious Damuel. That was when Sylvester, who had been watching them out of the corner of his eye, shifted his gaze to the High Bishop. 

“Sylvester, we do not even know what woman gave birth to Ferdinand. There is no need for you to pay any mind to the likes of him. And how were you ever fooled into adopting a despicable commoner like Myne? I cannot believe a child like her has corrupted the heart of our duchy’s archduke. Please, cancel the adoption right away,” the High Bishop said haughtily from the ground, still wrapped in bands of light. “This is my sincerest warning as your uncle and you would do well to listen.” 

I could tell from Karstedt’s and Ferdinand’s exasperated expressions that this wasn’t the first time he had used that line. 

“Ferdinand may have been born from a different mother, but he is still my little brother. He is skilled and his work is true. I will not have you scorn him.” 

“You cannot trust a half-blood relative! My older sister—” 

“Your circumstances are your own. We are different.” 

...The High Priest is the archduke’s half-brother, and the son of the last archduke? Okay, that explains why the Knight’s Order would kneel to him. 

His past caught me by surprise. I could imagine that the High Bishop and Sylvester’s mother were always trying to get in the way of their friendship. Maybe the High Priest had joined the temple due to something like that. 

“You are my beloved nephew, Sylvester—the precious son of my older sister. I do not want you to suffer any misfortune. Please listen to my warning,” the High Bishop pleaded like a desperate old man. 

Sylvester looked down at him with cold eyes. “I am Aub Ehrenfest, and I will not repeat the same mistake forever. As archduke, I will abandon my familial sympathy and have you punished in accordance with the law.” 

“What?! Veronica will never accept this!” 

Apparently, whenever the High Bishop broke any laws, Sylvester’s mother would get involved and smooth over the situation for her little brother. I had been wondering why he was always so arrogant and aggressive, but now I understood—he really could do whatever he wanted when he had the archduke’s mother compensating for his lack of status. 

“Uncle, you went too far this time. Mother can no longer protect you. She too will be charged with forging documents and assisting in criminal acts.” 

It looked like Sylvester would be charging his own mother in order to punish the High Bishop. I could guess that, in the past, his mother had only ever protected the High Bishop, never going as far as to commit crimes that could be traced back to her. But this time she had disobeyed the orders of the archduke and forged documents to allow an outsider into the city—a clear-cut crime, regardless of whether or not the archduke was her son. Sylvester no doubt intended to punish both his mother and his uncle in one fell swoop. 

“Sylvester, you intend to turn your own mother into a criminal?! You will not escape from such a horrible act unharmed!” 

“And that is your fault!” Sylvester barked after the High Bishop yelled in protest. “You have committed so many crimes that I can no longer even count them. Mother protected you out of love each time, and now it has come to this. You will be executed for your countless crimes, and Mother will be confined to her villa. You are not needed in my politics,” he concluded flatly. 

The spark faded from the High Bishop’s eyes and he looked at Sylvester with an ashen expression, like a fire that had burnt out. But archdukes did not go back on their word. 

“Take the High Bishop and his attendants away.” 

“Yes, sir!” 

It seemed that just like how any crimes I committed would bring punishment to my family and attendants, any crimes the High Bishop committed would bring punishment to his attendants. The knights called by Karstedt first picked up the restrained High Bishop, then went to his room to get his attendants. The shrine maidens by the door were captured as well, with one of them being Delia, who raised her head and looked desperately around for help. 

Our eyes met for just a second. She lowered her gaze with a defeated smile, then held out Dirk. “Sister Myne, please take care of Dirk.” 

Her furrowed brow, lowered eyes, and trembling frown felt all too familiar; she had looked the same way when she had told me she wished I had saved her as well back when I started restructuring the orphanage. 

A sharp stab of pain pierced my heart. I had made her a promise back then: I had told her that I’d be there for her the next time she was in trouble, that I would save her when she needed it. 

I nodded to myself, then lifted my head. “Lord Sylvester, I have a request.” 

“Let’s hear it.” 

“May I ask you not to execute Delia?” 

“Why?” Sylvester asked, his deep-green eyes already gleaming with interest. 

“Delia was simply tricked by Count Bindewald and the High Bishop. It is true that she made a lot of mistakes here, but she wasn’t acting maliciously. Not to mention, she was only the High Bishop’s attendant for a brief time, and given her very young age, I don’t think she was involved in his illegal activities or flower offering at all.” 

“...Hm. True, but she was here and involved in the heart of this conflict, so she can’t escape punishment. As the archduke’s daughter, show me how you would judge her.” His gaze made it clear that she would be executed as normal if he wasn’t satisfied with my response, and I swallowed hard at the strictness hidden within the amusement in his eyes. 

“Delia will return to the orphanage that she swore never to visit again if she could help it.” 

“That’s all?” 

“A-And, erm, she will not be allowed to become anyone’s attendant. As the only escape from the orphanage is being taken as someone’s attendant, this means she will remain there for the rest of her life, forced to stay in the orphanage she hated so much for however many years to come. I believe that is more than enough punishment for her.” 

Sylvester glanced at Delia, saw the blood draining from her face, and gave a small nod. “Seems like that will be a good punishment for her. Sure. Consider it done.” 

“I thank you. Delia, you will now live in the orphanage. Your job will be to look after the orphans that are brought to us, starting with Dirk.” 

“...Understood.” Delia squeezed Dirk in a hug, and her stiff expression softened just a bit.