Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.12 - Chapter 14

Meeting with the Merchants

Once we’d concluded our business in the orphanage, I went to Melchior’s room. An ordonnanz had informed us that we should go through the documents before the merchants arrived.

“Rozemyne,” Melchior said when he saw me, “I am glad you could make it.”

Seeing my cute younger brother in his High Bishop robes made me less upset about leaving the temple and more remorseful. His inauguration had come and gone, but my belongings kept him from moving into the chambers he deserved. I refused to make him wait much longer.

“I will clear out my chambers and give them to you as soon as I can. I never thought my absence during Spring Prayer would require us to accelerate the handover.”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Our original plan was to do it right before the Archduke Conference. And you didn’t expect to spend so long in Ahrensbach, so...”

“On a more important note...” Kazmiar indicated a desk covered with documents, some of which belonged to my retinue. “Might we discuss your attendants’ schedules?”

“I apologize for the sudden change of plan, but I wish to bring Fran, Zahm, Wilma, and Gil with me to Alexandria’s temple,” I said. “Monika and Nicola will join Philine’s service, while Fritz will serve Melchior. I would also like three gray priests to help establish a new workshop.”

Kazmiar knew about Ferdinand and Hartmut’s scouting. He crossed his arms, seeming troubled, and plainly replied, “If Fran and Zahm both leave the High Bishop’s chambers, only Monika and Nicola will understand its responsibilities.”

I tilted my head at him. “Back when I was an apprentice blue shrine maiden, the High Bishop did so little work that Ferdinand was forced to take over his duties. Lothar, Gido, and his other attendants from that time should also know how to do them. Isn’t that right, Fran?”

Zahm had joined my service when I took over as the High Bishop so that Fran had someone to help with the workload. He had understood the job from the start, so I suspected that any of Ferdinand’s old attendants would fit the bill.

“Ymir and Kurt spent very little time doing High Bishop work, but Lothar and Gido would do perfectly. Lord Ferdinand took over such duties while Lady Rozemyne was in her jureve.”

Zahm nodded in response to Fran’s explanation. Kazmiar was the current High Priest, so they were both extremely serious; they wouldn’t be able to leave the temple without his permission, no matter what Ferdinand or I said.

“Could you not take new attendants in both chambers and ask those with experience to educate those without?” Zahm asked. “If you base your search on the same criteria as Lord Ferdinand, then you should find some relatively skilled candidates.”

“So say Fran and Zahm,” Kazmiar said. “Lothar, what do you think?”

At once, all eyes fell on him.

“Gido and I are the only ones still familiar with the High Bishop’s chambers, while Ymir and Kurt are the same for the High Priest’s chambers. To that end, I would advise taking new attendants who are excellent with paperwork.”

Kazmiar nodded. “I will need to ask about Lord Ferdinand’s criteria later.”

From there, I mentioned my desire for a new person to help run the workshop. “Now that Gil plans to move with me, we would propose that either you or Melchior ask Bartz to start working as the workshop’s manager. It is much too risky to leave Fritz on his own; who will take over if something happens to him or if circumstances require him to go on a long trip?”

They both agreed to my request. As neither Melchior nor Kazmiar was involved with the workshop, they understood the amount of trouble not having a manager would cause them.

“Melchior, Kazmiar—the temple workshop was made so that the orphans could sustain themselves,” I said. “Under no circumstances should you take that from them.” I wouldn’t tolerate them using their noble authority to steal from the orphans.

“Do you really think I would do that, Sister?”

“We live in a harsh world, Melchior; when money moves, cruelty and embezzlement are sure to follow. It is your duty as an archduke candidate to not only avoid extortion but also ensure that it does not entrap those around you. More people than you would expect think poorly of orphans having an income and would jump at the chance to take it for themselves.”

I didn’t think Melchior or Kazmiar would resort to embezzlement, but the latter had grown up in a society that scorned the temple. He had a side to him that wouldn’t hesitate to sever the orphans’ lifeline.

I continued, “No matter how talented a scholar might be—no matter how well they treat you personally—they might not have the temple’s best interests at heart. Dirk and Konrad feared such nobles and sought positions from which they could protect the orphanage. Melchior, I ask you to support Dirk for the sake of the orphanage and the temple at large.”

“Understood. As the High Bishop, I will protect the orphanage.”

I checked the documents and reassignment plans Kazmiar laid out, then got Fran and Zahm to prepare the money for the transfers. Kazmiar heaved a heavy sigh as he watched.

“More than anything else, Lady Rozemyne, we are sad to see you go. I never thought Spring Prayer could require so much mana; it would seem the temple has depended on your capacity for quite some time. We concluded this year’s ceremony without incident by using the feystones filled with your divine power, but I truly fear for next year.”

Even when Wilfried and Charlotte had circled the duchy for Spring Prayer, they had used feystones containing my mana. They were older now and wouldn’t need quite as much support, but they still weren’t relying exclusively on their own mana or preparing their own feystones.

“Kazmiar, it was decided that aubs could petition the Sovereign temple during the Archduke Conference to return the blue priests taken from them,” I said. “Relay this information to the archduke, if you would.”

“That would aid us greatly. We are in dire need of more blue priests and shrine maidens.”

To begin with, Ehrenfest’s temple severely lacked adults. It comprised mostly children, as one could see from the new apprentices and those assisting the archducal family. Looking at it now, one would never believe there had once been a time when only adults could participate in religious ceremonies.

“The returning blue priests and shrine maidens might still not be enough,” I said. “I would advise coming up with a way to bring more nobles into the temple. You could create a scenario where they would scramble for a place.”

“Oh? How would we do that?” Kazmiar asked, leaning forward. I was proposing the solution to what he saw as a serious issue.

“Make it so that only those who obtain more than fifteen divine protections during their repeated protections ritual can serve the archducal family. Or prioritize those who obtain more than ten as retainers at the Royal Academy. You will need the archduke’s permission in either case, but both should work nicely.”

“Lady Rozemyne, that sounds much too...” Kazmiar fell silent, but the look on his face spoke to how abnormal my idea seemed to him.

“It is far from unreasonable. If one dedicates a certain amount of mana to a divine instrument, they become able to form it themselves. My retainers competed to see who could create one first and obtained more divine protections in the process.”

“I appreciate your advice, Lady Rozemyne. I shall not soon forget it.”

I signed the documents and paid as much as was necessary for the attendants I wanted. Simply moving them from one temple to another was far cheaper than buying them fully. I might have been late to realize it, but the Sovereign temple had severely underpaid the duchies that had sold them their blue priests and shrine maidens. It was a pretty irritating discovery.

“Lord Melchior, the Plantin Company has arrived at the back gate,” a guard announced.

Melchior sent one attendant to greet them while the others started making tea. The room was much busier than a moment ago.

“Angelica, send an ordonnanz to Philine,” I said. “Fran, let us go welcome our guests.”

We headed to the room that was used when meeting merchants, and our guests soon arrived. Benno entered first, then a man and woman I’d never seen before. Behind them were Dimo, Zack, Johann, Josef, and almost all of the other Gutenbergs moving with us. Heidi was absent, having once again been left at home.

It really is strange seeing Benno here without Lutz and Mark...

They were together so often that one might think they were inseparable. I supposed that Lutz and Mark had elected not to come today because we were meeting the Plantin Company’s new store owner.

I turned my attention to the pair I didn’t recognize. Now that I was actually focused on her, the woman was obviously Benno’s sister—they had the same hair and eye color, and she had Corinna’s dainty features. The man must have been her husband.

“Allow me to introduce Jares and Milda, the new heads of the Plantin Company,” Benno said. “Going forward, they will serve as the store’s representatives during meetings at the temple. May today’s gathering be useful to us all.”

The couple approached Melchior and me. “Blessed be the waves of Flutrane the Goddess of Water, who guided us toward this serendipitous meeting.”

“Jares, Milda—from the bottom of my heart, may the Goddess of Water bless you both.”

Once we’d greeted our guests, we gestured them to their seats.

“Milda is my sister,” Benno explained. “She is younger than me but older than my other sister, Corinna. Though she was living in another city with her husband, I summoned her back to inherit the Plantin Company. She was educated to inherit my old store, so you need not worry about a drop in sales.”

Oh, right... Benno said she took a husband from another city so she wouldn’t need to marry one of the guildmaster’s sons. At least, I think he did...

We had discussed the matter so long ago that I couldn’t remember the details, but that was neither here nor there. I trusted Benno’s younger sister to do right by his store. She was bound to be just like Corinna—warm and smiley with an intense thirst for profit.

“We might seem like newcomers, but rest assured, we have been involved with the Plantin and Gilberta Companies for years,” Milda said. “We provided ingredients to be used in rinsham, plants to help with paper-making, and ingredients to aid with researching new ink.”

Isn’t that to say I was completely wrecking Benno all that time ago?

Milda continued, “I was born and raised in this city and educated to inherit the Gilberta Company. I also have excellent bargaining power against both the Othmar Company and the Merchant’s Guild.”

Wait... Is she going to blackmail the guildmaster with the circumstances of her marriage? If so, she really is Benno’s little sister. I can already tell she’s twice as lethal as Corinna. Even when Benno’s gone, the Plantin Company’s sure to be safe in her hands.

“I came here today hoping to meet those who will manage the workshop after Lady Rozemyne’s departure,” Milda explained. “Would that be alright?”

“Fritz will continue to oversee it, with Bartz joining him as an administrator,” Kazmiar replied. “Lord Melchior, would you like me to summon them?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Benno looked deeply concerned as he watched the trio’s conversation. I deduced the reason and tried to put his mind at ease.

“Fritz and Bartz will both serve Melchior, meaning the temple workshop will remain under archducal management.”

“We appreciate your consideration.”

It was extremely important to the commoner merchants whether the aub’s family or other nobles would run the workshop. Benno relaxed a little, then put on his merchant smile and gave me an intense look.

“In that case, Lady Rozemyne, might I ask you to explain where we are going and when? The reports we received are so at odds with one another that we have no idea how to decipher them.”

Eep! Benno’s furious! He might be smiling, but there’s fury in those dark-red eyes!

“We spent the past year preparing to move to the Sovereignty at the end of spring,” he said. “Then, halfway through the season, a guard at the east gate told us you were becoming the new Aub Ahrensbach. We found that strange enough, so you can imagine our confusion when Lady Brunhilde brought us schematics for our new stores and workshops in Alexandria. I would appreciate some clarity on the matter.”

From his perspective, my destination had changed from the Sovereignty to Ahrensbach to Alexandria in the span of a single season. Now he didn’t know what was going on. I could sympathize with his irritation at not knowing whether to continue with his preparations.

I wish I could explain it all, but I can’t... Don’t get mad at me!

The truth of the matter was that I’d obtained my own Book of Mestionora, stolen a foundation to rescue Ferdinand, and then almost died to the gods themselves. I wouldn’t have minded saying all that in the privacy of a hidden room, though I wondered what it would actually accomplish; Benno and the others hadn’t been exposed to much magic in their lives, so they wouldn’t even be able to comprehend most of my story.

“Um, I sincerely apologize for the abrupt change, but I am moving to Alexandria instead of the Sovereignty. Of course, I should note that Alexandria is more or less just Ahrensbach under a new name. I will officially become its aub during the Archduke Conference.”

“Lady Rozemyne, an aub...?” Benno muttered, slightly displeased with the idea. His tone reminded me that most people saw an enormous contrast between moving to the Sovereignty and moving to another duchy. Not wanting him to pull out now, I desperately attempted to keep him on board.

“The Gutenbergs are my valued personnel, so I apologize that my circumstances impacted your move. Do not let it distract you from the sheer excellence of Alexandria, my very own library city. Printing cannot begin without the Plantin Company, and your stores have been made exactly as you wished.”

“The stores and workshops have already been built...?”

“I used magic just the other day to construct a new castle and city. Do you remember the spell used to make Hasse’s monastery? Imagine that on a much larger scale. Philine—the map, if you would.”

My trusty scholar spread a detailed map of the city on the table and then distributed smaller maps of the stores and their surroundings. The Gutenbergs analyzed them closely.

“Your new homes and stores are here,” I said, indicating a spot on the larger map. “Your workshops are here, in the center of the lower city. So far, only these areas were remade with my entwickeln. As people still need to pack and move, we plan to reconstruct the rest piecemeal.”

Benno looked at the maps and schematics and muttered, “It hurts that Mark isn’t here...”

Milda and Jares, who had come in Mark’s stead, were busy speaking with Melchior’s group. They intended to stay in Ehrenfest, so they weren’t too concerned with the details of our move.

“Lady Rozemyne, do these new buildings have windows and doors?” Dimo asked.

“Exactly the kind of question I would expect from a carpenter. We have installed our own, but you are welcome to replace them if you wish.” Replacing all the doors and windows at once wouldn’t have been feasible, so we were largely reusing the city’s old ones. Only the more well-to-do were ordering their own.

“Benno, schedule that as my first job in Alexandria,” Dimo said. “It should give my workshop a chance to make a name for itself.”

“Benno, could you order the doorknobs, latches, and such from Johann?” Zack asked, also trying to take advantage of the opportunity. “You know he won’t disappoint.”

Out of all the Gutenbergs, the Plantin Company had the most money and the most experience setting up new stores. It made sense that everyone was consulting Benno, but he still scrunched up his face.

“Your first job is making more printing presses,” he said. “Can’t start the printing industry otherwise.”

“So we’re back to making letter types?” Johann asked, slumping his shoulders.

Benno exhaled and then folded up the schematics. “Lady Rozemyne, I am more interested in the schedule of our move than the layout of your new city. We were told when you planned to move to the Sovereignty that the industry would not begin until you came of age. Now that you are becoming an aub, I imagine that has changed.”

“N-Ngh... That is correct. We intend to start it sooner.”

I thought back to when I’d insisted that those involved with the printing industry wouldn’t need to move before my coming-of-age. As much as I didn’t want to admit it, Benno had been right in saying that plans involving me always ended up being rushed. His dark-red eyes practically screamed, “Told you so.”

“As an aub, I must develop my duchy’s industry. How soon can you be ready to move?”

The Gutenbergs had assumed they wouldn’t need to relocate anytime soon. They had it much harder than Benno’s lot, who had spent the past year preparing to move at a moment’s notice.

Johann met my eye while I was gazing around the room. “I planned to move with the Plantin Company from the start,” he said. I was reminded that the foreman’s granddaughter had turned him down and that he wanted to leave Ehrenfest as soon as he could.

“Heidi was motivated to begin with, and the Plantin Company instructed us to hurry up and prepare to move the moment we were asked to review our stores’ schematics,” Josef explained, smacking the sheet in question with his fingers. “So... yeah, I can technically make this work.”

I would never have guessed that checking schematics would induce so much panic.

The heck?! It’s like Benno can see the future!

I stared at him in shock, only to receive a light glare in response. “This wasn’t a prediction I wanted to come true,” his eyes seemed to say. “But, well, here we are...” He was being so discreet only because there were other nobles present; otherwise, he would already have started grinding a fist against my head.

Sorry, but thanks! Your help is invaluable.

“However,” Josef continued, “moving right away means Heidi won’t be able to assist Horace with getting his credentials, leaving the workshop without a successor. She hopes to remedy this by letting him have one of the fruits of her research. May we have permission to spend money on this endeavor?”

I was already making an unreasonable request; if we could solve the problems I was causing my Gutenbergs by throwing money at them, then I would foot the bill without a second thought. Someone as passionate about research as Heidi would create new ink for Alexandria before we knew it. Compared to delaying the printing industry for two whole years, Josef’s proposal was nothing.

“You may. I want you both to be fully ready to move.”

“My thanks.”

I turned to Dimo, silently requesting his thoughts.

“I’m married, but it shouldn’t be a problem,” he said. “I just need someone to hire me a carriage for our belongings; I won’t be able to find one on such short notice.”

Next, all eyes fell on Zack.

“It depends how ready my wife is,” he began with a slight grimace. “I’m used to preparing for long trips without her, but moving all our things just sounds...”

“Yeah,” Dimo said. “My wife and I live with our family, so we can just leave the house to them once our stuff’s packed, but that’s not true for everyone.”

Josef and Heidi were somewhat unusual, since they went on their work trips together. Heidi, in particular, was especially eager to move. Zack’s wife was more normal and would probably think the change was much too sudden.

“If you think she might take issue, then you are welcome to stay here for the time being,” I said. “Our original plan was for you to wait until my coming-of-age.”

“Hmm... We’re setting up somewhere new, so I really should be there from the start.”

Zack continued to muse while I turned to Benno and said, “Lutz of the Plantin Company can also delay his move.”

“Why’s that?” Benno asked.

“As I recall, his coming-of-age ceremony is right around the corner. His parents must be looking forward to celebrating with him, so I would not oppose him staying here until its conclusion.” For all their communication issues, Lutz’s family was very close. He was only a season away from becoming an adult, so letting him stay in Ehrenfest a little while longer was fine with me.

“Zack raised a good point, though. As someone due to start working in a new area, Lutz will also want to be in Alexandria from the beginning. I will pass your message on to him, but I suspect he will prioritize moving over celebrating with his family.”

Our smith was still deep in thought when Johann gave him a slap on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. Go at your wife’s pace. I’ll manage the workshop on my own, somehow.” They were going to be in the same workshop when they moved, so he wanted to help Zack as much as he could.

Not that Zack seemed to appreciate it.

“Come on. You know that’s not happening.”

Zack’s rough response made the entire room fall silent. I tried to smooth things over by focusing on the schedule.

“We intend to start by setting up a printing workshop in the temple. It won’t be too different from what Johann had to do on his trips, so he really should be able to manage on his own.”

“Yeah, exactly!” Johann exclaimed. “I can manage—”

“Don’t get cocky,” Zack snapped, a harsh glint in his gray eyes. “Teaching smiths to make letter types is nothing like starting a new workshop from scratch. I plan to have my wife do all the paperwork. D’you really think you could manage the finances on your own? You know enough math to make your schematics, but you make all sorts of mistakes when summing the cost of the materials.”

“Th-That’s...”

“In a brand-new city where you have no connections, how do you expect to draw in customers? Your first jobs there are registering the types, pumps, and such with the Smithing Guild and then moving on to the Merchant’s Guild, right?”

“Ngh... Alright, never mind.”

Johann hung his head, his protests torn to shreds. Far from a jack-of-all-trades, he was at his best when he was silently working in the smithy.

“I appreciate the thought,” Zack said. “I just don’t want the workshop to go under as soon as it opens.” He sighed, then stood up straight and looked at me. “Lady Rozemyne, I would rather move with the Plantin Company. My wife might complain a little, but we can make it work.”

In short, the Gutenbergs would all do their best to move with me. I exhaled, relieved, and glanced at Benno. How was I going to make my next request without earning his ire?

Benno pretended not to notice me at first but eventually conceded and smiled. “Yes, Lady Rozemyne? Is there something else?”

Ngh... He’s asking whether I seriously intend to give them more work. And, well... I do.

“My sincerest apologies, but... could you bring those from the temple with you when you move?”

Benno’s face twisted in a grimace. For him to have made such a bitter expression in the presence of other nobles, my request must have been truly unreasonable.

“We have decided to move Fran and several others to Alexandria’s temple, but they know little of the outside world,” I explained. “I cannot send them on the journey alone. Of course, I will cover the necessary costs for their travel.”

“My concerns are not financial,” Benno replied at length. “I simply doubt I can procure enough boats and carriages. On a long-distance trip such as ours, taking food, clothes, and other goods into account, we will need a carriage or two for each person.”

I thought back to when we’d used carriages for Spring Prayer, counted the number of people who had traveled with us on my fingers... and sighed. We really would need a lot of carriages, especially when everyone was transporting their furniture and work tools on top of everything else. They wouldn’t even have designated places to rest along the way, as was usually the case for those performing Spring Prayer.

To complicate matters further, Benno’s caravan would include women and children, and their slower speed would make them more vulnerable to bandit attacks. We could improve their security by hiring more guards, but where would we find them, and how many would be enough? Not to mention, those guards would need to bring supplies, leaving the party with even more luggage to account for.

“Could you not take them in your highbeast as you did with the Gutenbergs for our long-distance trips?” Benno asked.

“Unfortunately not. My schedule is going to be full until the new duchy has settled down to some degree, and returning to Ehrenfest will prove much harder for me after the Archduke Conference.” Still, I was the one forcing him to change his plans again; the least I could do was try to propose a solution. “Would you be able to take them if we reduced your luggage to the bare minimum?”

“Care to elaborate?”

“My belongings are being moved to Alexandria via teleporters connected to the Royal Academy’s dormitories. We could transport your luggage with mine and store it inside the castle for when you arrive.”

Furniture, work tools, out-of-season clothes—much of what Benno’s party intended to bring wouldn’t be of any use to them during the trip. Teleporting those goods would mean they could travel with far fewer carriages.

Benno didn’t even have a chance to reply before the other Gutenbergs started chiming in.

“That sounds tremendously helpful,” Josef said. “We have lots of materials and tools for making ink, and I just know Heidi will want to grab more materials on the way.”

I saw the sparkles in Dimo’s and Zack’s eyes as they turned to each other.

“Won’t this let us bring tools we were about to give up on?”

“If we teleport one of the presses, we can start printing as soon as we arrive.”

“And some pumps. We need them for our new wells.”

I didn’t mind them taking this opportunity to make their lives easier, but our main goal was to reduce the size of their caravan.

“We can only use the teleporters until the Archduke Conference, so make your preparations as quickly as you can,” I said. “It should give you more carriage space, no? Enough for Fran and the others?”

Benno shut his eyes, no doubt performing various calculations in his head. “I would propose that we travel to Leisegang by boat, then to Kannawitz by carriage, and then to the city of Alexandria by boat again. I would appreciate carriages and guards for when we arrive in Leisegang.”

According to Benno, boats would save more time than attempting the entire journey by carriage. Kannawitz was one of the provinces I’d showered with my divine power, earning me the fishermen’s gratitude, so I didn’t foresee any issues there.

But guards, hm...?

I considered asking Leisegang for soldiers or anyone else they could spare to guard the Gutenbergs. Had we discussed the matter earlier, Leonore might have been able to broach the subject for us, but she had already spoken with her family and set out on her return trip to Ehrenfest. We also had to consider who would take over as the caravan’s escort when they crossed the border into Alexandria—not that any one came to mind.

“Um, Lady Rozemyne...” Judithe said out of nowhere. “Damuel and I will guard them.”

“Come again? Is that really acceptable?” I was surprised to hear nobles volunteer to guard commoners.

“Oh...? Did you not hear? Lady Charlotte requested it.”

“Charlotte did...?”

She had apparently said, “Nothing can be allowed to happen to my sister’s Gutenbergs while they are traveling through Ehrenfest.” Everyone feared I would charge to their rescue as I’d done with Ferdinand, causing an interduchy incident in the process.

My lower-city family is traveling with them, so... Yeah, I most certainly would.

“We were told to escort them to the border gate—and then to Alexandria’s castle, if possible,” Judithe explained. “We were chosen because Lady Charlotte thought we were more likely than anyone else to receive your permission to enter Alexandria. I will cease to be your guard knight after your inauguration, so I was hoping to make the entire journey.”

Judithe’s violet eyes were brimming with hope. She must have really wanted to take a work trip to another duchy—as expected, since she hadn’t been allowed to attend my engagement ceremony.

“I would very much appreciate that,” I said. Having knights with magic tools protect the caravan would scare away bandits and allow for much easier communication. “I grant you my permission, but your age means you must also ask your father before you can venture into another duchy.”

“Not this again!”

“I wish to allow you this final duty... but it depends on your father’s decision.”

As for Damuel, I’ll get the permission he needs from Grandfather.

I returned my attention to Benno. “As I made such an unreasonable demand of you, allow me to arrange the boats, carriages, and guards. You may take these—proof that you are my personnel and documents that will grant you access to Alexandria. They should make things a little easier for you.”

Benno received the documents with a satisfied grin. “We shall move at once, as per your wishes.” He tapped a finger against the large map on the table, the flame of ambition burning brightly in his eyes, and said, “Can I assume this library city of yours will spread printing throughout the entire country?”

I recognized the look on his face and cackled. “Indeed. I aim to spread books throughout Yurgenschmidt and gather copies of them all within my library. Start your move as soon as you can, and together we will make that dream a reality.”

Our meeting ended with a promise to meet again in Alexandria.