Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 4.9 - Chapter 2

The Harvest Festival and a Meeting

The Harvest Festival arrived seemingly out of nowhere. I was going to be using this opportunity to retrieve the Gutenbergs, as was now the norm, so after traveling through the Central District, I made my way to Leisegang. Giebe Leisegang invited me to tea while returning his chalices, then started telling me about Great-Grandfather.

“He informed me that Lady Georgine’s group stopped in Gerlach on their way back to Ahrensbach,” Giebe Leisegang said.

“Is that not to be expected, though?” I asked. “I understand that she returned to her home duchy by highbeast, but we must also account for the many carriages transporting her luggage.”

Traveling by highbeast would have been the fastest way for them to return to Ahrensbach—and the wisest, considering the urgency of their summons. I was pretty sure that Georgine’s group had been given permission to fly in Ehrenfest, but as nobles from another duchy, they still couldn’t cross the city barrier on highbeast. That was why they had initially departed by carriage, but that wasn’t to say that these carriages became unnecessary once they were outside the city; normal highbeasts couldn’t carry much luggage, after all.

“Naturally, there is nothing strange about their caravan visiting Gerlach to rest and sleep,” the giebe replied. Leisegang was on poor terms with the Veronica faction, and with Georgine by extension. Gerlach, however, got along well with Georgine, so there was nothing suspicious about her party taking a detour to stay there. “The problem is that Lady Georgine visited Gerlach personally, and a strange meeting apparently took place there.”

“I see. If she went there herself, not just her carriages, then this is of the utmost importance. Why has Aub Ehrenfest not been informed?”

“I was in the Noble’s Quarter for Lady Georgine’s visit and did not see her visit Gerlach myself. Furthermore, Grandfather has no evidence to reinforce his claim, so we would not be able to protest if Gerlach dismisses it as a false charge.”

It seemed that Great-Grandfather’s suspicions were mostly based on the fact that several nobles had returned to their province just before the urgent summons arrived, despite Georgine’s presence in Ehrenfest. He had also mentioned that no Leisegang farmers had seen Georgine’s flock of highbeasts flying overhead. It certainly did seem like circumstantial evidence being used unfairly, and something that might not have been worth reporting to the archduke.

“In any case, I will inform the aub as a precaution,” I said. “Though I will note the distinct lack of evidence.” I couldn’t tell whether Great-Grandfather was onto something or just delusional, but either way, it was good to know he was as healthy as ever.

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Aside from that information of dubious veracity, we also spoke about printing. Apparently, the city of Fluss had succeeded in creating the necessary environment to start contributing to the industry.

“They can make paper now, and any paper we lack after the fact can simply be purchased from Illgner. I received a report that they are very much prepared to start printing throughout the winter,” Giebe Leisegang explained. Everyone was snowed in during the winter, so printing would more or less be treated as a pastime for the commoners.

“I look forward to seeing what books Leisegang is able to produce.”

I performed the Harvest Festival in Fluss, then retrieved the Gutenbergs and returned to Ehrenfest. My first course of action was to inform Ferdinand of what Giebe Leisegang had told me, then I sent a magic letter to Sylvester explaining the same.

“I suppose this is a thread that must be pulled at...” Ferdinand muttered, then summoned Justus at once.

Having seen the Harvest Festival through to the end, I promptly summoned the Gilberta, Plantin, and Othmar Companies for a meeting. There were reports about the Gutenbergs’ work and the merchants from other duchies to be discussed, plus I needed to receive the hairpins previously ordered. Representing the Gilberta Company were Otto, Theo, and Tuuli, who arrived with numerous boxes. Benno, Mark, and Lutz were representing the Plantin Company, while the Othmar Company had Gustav and Freida, each with three attendants.

“Now then—the reports,” I said. “How was Leisegang? I want to hear your honest opinions as Gutenbergs.”

“It is clear to see why Leisegang has come to be known as Ehrenfest’s breadbasket; the province is devoted to farming above all else and cares little about profit, which has made the atmosphere there very relaxed,” Lutz said. “Those living there acknowledge that printing may help to line their pockets, but for the most part, they view it as a form of entertainment to carry them through the winter.”

Compared to other provinces, Leisegang wasn’t desperately reliant on printing being a huge success. Its land was plentiful, as one would expect from a breadbasket, and the abundance of new materials had excited Heidi to no end. As for the province’s smiths, they had quickly given up on making their own letter types and were instead electing to buy them, since the process was much too finicky for them to master.

“There are several types of wood that seem to be well suited for paper,” Lutz continued, “but Leisegang does not have the time to research them, so they intend to sell the wood to Illgner to be researched there instead.”

Lutz and Damian saw Leisegang’s lack of merchant sensibilities as a source of continual exasperation. Time and time again, they had found themselves wanting to scream, “You could earn so much more money if you wanted to! What are you doing?!”

Gustav’s wrinkled features moved into a gentle smile. “Leisegang is attached not to wealth but to completing its duty, which is exactly why its position as Ehrenfest’s breadbasket has gone uncontested for so long—at least, that is what I was told once before,” he noted. The Othmar Company had dealt in food for a very long time, so it had an ancient history with Leisegang. He then glanced at Benno and said, “Larger businesses must focus on more than the profit before their eyes if they wish to maintain their status long into the future.”

“Gustav, how were the merchants from other duchies?” I asked. “Were we able to handle them?”

“Due to various improvements, everything went significantly better than last year. Though, of course, there are still areas in which we must improve.”

He went on to explain that business with Dunkelfelger had caused a sharp increase in Ehrenfest’s volume of trade and that selling the rinsham production method at the Archduke Conference had reduced demand for the product itself, causing the price of oil to settle down a little.

“Benno, what happened to the girl from Klassenberg who was left here last year?”

“Naturally, we had the visiting Klassenberg merchants take Karin and ensure her safe return home. It seems that her father is in hot water at the moment, having been responsible for his duchy losing trade spots this year.”

As it turned out, the man in question hadn’t expected Ehrenfest nobles to get involved with or even notice the dealings of merchants. He had apparently said to a member of the Plantin Company, “You certainly are brave to have done this to a greater duchy.”

“It would have been such a wonderful marriage, yet here we are,” Gustav interjected, sighing and shaking his head. “There goes our opportunity to form a strong bond with Klassenberg merchants.”

Benno glared at him, then looked at me and grinned. “First impressions are crucial, Lady Rozemyne, and our business deal with you means that the Plantin Company has a hand in all of our duchy’s trends. We could not risk merchants of other duchies getting away with treating us so lightly. Doing so would impact your reputation as well.” I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Hartmut was nodding along in agreement.

Next, I addressed the Gilberta Company. “Do you have with you the hairpin that we intend to give Lady Detlinde at the Royal Academy?”

“It is here,” Otto replied, then turned to Brunhilde and said, “What are your thoughts?” It was only natural that he would seek her approval, as she had actually overseen the hairpin discussion while I read in the book room. She opened the box and quietly analyzed the hairpin inside.

“It matches the specifications perfectly. Well done.”

“We are honored.”

Otto and Tuuli relaxed their shoulders, the tension having drained from their bodies in an instant. According to Brunhilde, Detlinde’s order had simply and shockingly been for “a hairpin fancier than the one Lady Adolphine wore last year.”

“We mentioned that making a hairpin of the same quality as one given to the fiancée of a royal—let alone one that can be seen as even more glamorous—gave us pause,” Otto said. “Lady Detlinde’s attendant likewise recommended that she request a less extravagant hairpin as a show of respect to the royal family, but...”

Detlinde had refused everyone’s advice with a smile and said, “I am going to be the next aub, you know.” It was a blunt response that had seemingly left no room for any further debate on the matter.

Assuming that Detlinde did end up wearing this hairpin, it was very likely that the royal family would have something to say to Ahrensbach—and also to Ehrenfest for having made it to begin with. Even Wilfried had attempted to persuade Detlinde against her plan, arguing that a future aub needed to demonstrate restraint, but his words had fallen on deaf ears.

“That was when I offered a suggestion: she could appear even fancier by wearing multiple hairpins at once,” Brunhilde revealed. Eglantine and Adolphine had each worn only a single hairpin, so Brunhilde had suggested ordering several lower-grade hairpins instead of one tremendously extravagant one, thereby allowing Detlinde to show respect to Adolphine while simultaneously appearing fancier than her. “She was satisfied with this idea, so we ordered five hairpins, as you can see. This is a solution that both appeases Lady Detlinde and eliminates the risk of us offending the royal family.”

Ordering five hairpins was nothing to sneeze at. It had ended up being quite the sum for Ferdinand to pay, but when Detlinde had pleaded for them, he had merely smiled and said, “As you wish.”

Hm... I seem to recall Father saying that the best times are those when peace of heart and home can be bought with money, and to enjoy it while it lasts.

Detlinde had also asked to use the same flowers as on Adolphine’s hairpin. Either she was holding a very serious grudge because of Adolphine’s comments during last year’s tea party, or she just didn’t like her in general. I stared down at the hairpins, which formed a gradient of red to white when lined up together, and then let out a sigh.

“I can’t help but feel that she would stand out quite fiercely if she were to put these all on at once...” I said. In truth, the idea seemed so gaudy that I wanted to stick a label on the hairpin box warning against overuse.

Brunhilde nodded with a troubled smile. “The archducal couple of Ahrensbach will give the final verdict before Lady Detlinde puts them on or leaves her dormitory, so I expect they will convince her to settle for a more reasonable number.” In other words, this wasn’t an issue for us to concern ourselves with, since the solution was as simple as putting on fewer hairpins.

“As for the other hairpins,” Otto said, “this is for the second prince, and this for Dunkelfelger.”

The visiting merchants had conveyed these orders, and the goods themselves were to be delivered at the Royal Academy. One was a new hairpin for Eglantine, while the other was a gift for Lestilaut to give to his escort.

Eglantine’s new hairpin used a white flower called a verlange, which openly symbolized Ewigeliebe’s possessiveness and meant, “I will protect you from everything, no matter what comes.” It was very in character for Anastasius to pick something like that.

Lestilaut’s hairpin for the woman he was escorting used flowers of the divine color of autumn. He had apparently attached an illustration to his order, outlining what he wanted in great detail. Tuuli mentioned that she hadn’t seen anything of the sort before, so the flowers being used could presumably only be found in Dunkelfelger.

“It must have been tremendously hard work trying to recreate flowers you have never seen before,” I said, looking at Tuuli with concern. To my surprise, however, she shook her head with a smile.

“No, my lady; the hairpin was very enjoyable to create. We craftspeople all gathered together and eagerly debated the best way to go about making it, and the finished product turned out better than expected, which came as a great relief. As you say, the flowers we were asked to use do not grow in Ehrenfest, and this particular combination of colors is unheard of, so I was able to learn a great deal while working on this order.”

I don’t know who designed this hairpin, but whoever it was has excellent taste. A true person of culture.

The next hairpin they took out was the one that Hartmut had ordered for Clarissa. The flowers decorating it were yellow, bordering on orange, which honestly took me by surprise. For some reason, I had assumed that Clarissa’s birth season was summer and that she had Leidenschaft’s divine protection.

“Surprising, isn’t it?” Hartmut said with a subtle grin; my surprise must have shown on my face. “I also was taken aback when I first found out when Clarissa was born.”

Next, Tuuli took out my hairpin. Its design matched the divine colors of winter, incorporating a rather large red flower surrounded by smaller white ones.

“This looks adorable and very wintry,” I remarked. “I am very fond of it, indeed.”

“I am glad it pleases you.”

Once we had gone through all the hairpins, the Plantin Company delivered new printed goods. Chief among them was our first volume on Dunkelfelger’s history. We were having to print it as a series, since the source material was so enormously long.

“This history book alone should keep the Rozemyne Workshop afloat for a very long time,” Lutz said.

“Indeed; there certainly is a lot to be printed,” I said, handing Roderick two copies—one for me and one for Dunkelfelger—before turning to Freida. “I was hoping to once again order some pound cake for the Interduchy Tournament; will that be possible?”

“Yes, my lady. We have the chefs and ingredients ready, as well as the rohres that you ordered personally. Cosimo.”

Freida called to one of the Othmar Company’s attendants, who placed a bag on the table in one smooth motion. Brunhilde looked inside, confirmed that there weren’t any issues, and then handed it to me. I grinned upon seeing the grapelike rohres that were stuffed inside.

Now I can do even more with my cooking.

“The Italian restaurant has proven very popular with merchants from other duchies, and we were so busy this summer that our heads began to spin. We are expanding our roster of chefs, and many merchants offered to hire them out. Several were quite persistent, hoping to wield their status as merchants from greater duchies, but...”

I was listed as a coinvestor of the restaurant, so they had managed to block such requests by telling the merchants to ask me first.

“Klassenberg remains very conscious of the fact that its forceful methods have cost it business opportunities once already. As it stands, we have no reason to believe they attempted to kidnap our hairpin craftspeople or leave any merchants behind this year,” Freida reported. If my influence was keeping the commoners safe, then there was nothing more I could ask for.

“Does that mean the number of customers has begun to wane?” I asked.

“Yes. The foreign merchants have now all returned to their own duchies.”

It seemed that even the owners of major stores had come to Ehrenfest, and only now had business started to calm down. They had worked hard to get ingredients for pound cake for the Interduchy Tournament and prepare wood and such for winter.

“Now that there are fewer customers for me to interrupt, I am thinking of visiting the Italian restaurant. Ferdinand is due to leave for Ahrensbach before spring, and my hope is that we can share a meal together before then.”

“We would be honored to host you,” Freida said, her face lighting up at the very idea. “Did you have anything in mind for the menu?”

“Double consommé, but the rest is up to you. I trust in Leise’s new recipes.”

“You may count on us.”

No sooner had the meeting concluded than I extended my Italian restaurant invitation to Ferdinand. He met my suggestion with a cold stare and said, “Are you foolish? I am busy.” But it was precisely because he was so busy that he needed some good food to revitalize him.

“They have the most delicious double consommé prepared, as well as new recipes from Leise. Would you not like to indulge in some Ehrenfest cooking before you leave for Ahrensbach?”

He had already said that he wouldn’t be bringing any chefs with him, and the time-stopping magic tool we planned to send him off with would only last for as long as the situation in Ahrensbach allowed. I wanted to make sure he could enjoy as much Ehrenfest food as possible—and if we weren’t permitted to meet him, in the same way that Aurelia couldn’t meet with her family, then it was possible that we wouldn’t be able to send meals to him once he was gone.

“Consider it one of my farewell gifts,” I said.

“A farewell, hm...? I see. In some ways, this could indeed be considered an excellent opportunity. Very well, then. Ten days from now,” Ferdinand replied, setting the date with a heavy sigh.