Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume Short Story-2 - Chapter 5

Lutz — Growing Healthily

Description: A previously unpublished short story from the online collection, set midway through Part 4 Volume 5. Lutz brings back souvenirs from Groschel and takes a trip around the lower city. He sees Dirk and Konrad in the orphanage; Otto and Corinna’s daughter, Renate; and Gunther and Effa’s son, Kamil. Everyone is growing healthily.

Author’s Note: I wrote this story during the publication of the web novel. I’d spent so long writing exclusively about nobles that I suddenly found myself craving a change of pace. It was fun writing about all the kids growing up.

Myne’s highbeast landed at the temple, having brought us all the way from Groschel. She wouldn’t be able to unmake it while there were still things inside, so we Gutenbergs climbed out and started unloading the luggage. I would have appreciated a moment to stretch and enjoy the freedom, but with Fran and the other attendants helping us, there wasn’t enough time. We were all in a big hurry.

“Everyone’s belongings have been moved, Lady Rozemyne,” an attendant called when we were done.

Myne put her highbeast away. Then she greeted everyone and entered the temple. She’d seemed a little tired to me, but I wasn’t too concerned; Fran had noticed too, and I trusted that he would make her rest.

As soon as Myne was out of sight, we started sorting through the luggage.

“Lutz, keep the ink workshop’s things with yours!”

“Only whatever’s too heavy to carry!”

We Gutenbergs would put our belongings on a wagon headed for the Plantin Company while the gray priests took whatever was going to the workshop. Shouting out instructions wasn’t an option when there were nobles around.

“This is for the workshop, this is for Zack, and this is for the Plantin Company...” Ingo muttered, looking thoroughly impressed as he examined the organized stacks. “Alright. The rest should be easy.”

Myne had wanted the luggage to be properly organized, so she had ensured that each and every box was fixed with a note describing its contents. Such labels were standard practice for the Plantin Company, but these were far more detailed. Myne had told us to write them when we first traveled to Illgner, and while I’d considered it a pain at the time, I couldn’t help but recognize their worth. Lost belongings were a thing of the past, and the system still worked even when we went to other places with larger groups. The others must have shared my appreciation because the Plantin Company now used labels far more than it used to.

“Well, that should do it.”

“Alright, let’s go home. See you at the meeting.”

“I’ll send some people to fetch our things for the ink workshop. See you later!”

Once most of the luggage was organized, the Gutenbergs departed with only as much as they could carry. We had plans to reconvene at the Plantin Company for a meeting, but for now, everyone just wanted to hurry home to their families. The others went on their way at a brisk pace.

Damian climbed in next to the coachman and asked to be taken to the Plantin Company. I watched him out of the corner of my eye while reaching for the boxes meant to be taken to the workshop.

“Sure you don’t want a ride back, Lutz?” he asked.

“There isn’t even room for me. I’ll just walk home—after I get this luggage to the workshop, of course.”

Gil chuckled and slapped one of the boxes. “The young’uns need their souvenirs too.” Inside were copies of a book we’d already given to Myne—collections of stories from the craftspeople in Groschel, made to test the presses and teach the workers how to print.

Myne, who was using her book deposit system—or whatever it was called—to gather together “all of the country’s written material,” had jumped for joy when we gave her the thin volume and immediately hugged it to her chest. Now that we’d stopped meeting in her hidden room, it was hard to catch glimpses of the true Myne; her clothes and speech always made her seem so proper. One thing that never changed, though, was the face she made upon seeing a book.

Once the luggage was safely in the workshop, the gray priests all dispersed. They had to wash themselves before dinner, apparently. Gil and I reached into one of the boxes and pulled out the books from Groschel. Myne and the other Gutenbergs had received their copies, leaving us with nine.

“This one’s for the workshop, and this one’s yours,” I explained. Because we’d made them as part of a test run, we had no plans to sell them; we would store one in the workshop in case we ever decided to add its stories to a new book and would distribute the others for personal use.

“Alright, let’s go hand them out,” I said.

“Dirk and Konrad are gonna love them,” Gil added, and we started making our way to the orphanage.

“Oh, Gil, won’t you get yelled at if you don’t act all polite again?” I asked as our destination came into view. After half a year in Groschel, he’d taken to speaking like its commoners.

He let out an annoyed sigh. “Man... It was filthy and smelly in Groschel, but I enjoyed it.”

“Meanwhile, I’m going straight back to the lower city.”

Gil glared at me. I shrugged. We laughed together. Then we whipped ourselves back into shape. Gutenbergs spoke with nobles on some occasions and with commoners on others; being able to swap between personas was important so that we could adapt to wherever we ended up.

“Hello, everyone,” Gil intoned. “We have returned from Groschel with souvenirs for Dirk and Konrad.”

“Oh my! They’re sure to be delighted,” Wilma replied. “Dirk, Konrad—Gil and Lutz have come with souvenirs.”

The pair raced over, dragging Delia along with them. They had grown a lot in the past six months. Konrad, in particular, had gone from being extremely malnourished to looking as plump and healthy as a child his age should. His expression was brighter, to boot.

“Welcome back, Gil,” they said. “Lutz, what did you bring?”

“We aren’t going to sell these books. Treat them well,” I explained, then handed them a volume each while they looked up at me with sparkling eyes.

Dirk turned to Gil, happily clutching his book. “Now that you’re back, we can go to the forest again!”

“Unfortunately not,” he replied. “There’s too much for me to do in the workshop.”

Gil was busy—he needed to give a detailed report on Groschel before winter socializing, check how much progress the workshop had made, and then assign winter handiwork accordingly. He didn’t have time to take anyone to the forest.

“Gil, can you really not make time?” Delia asked, concern tinting her eyes when she saw Dirk and Konrad slump over in disappointment.

The workshop had enough on its plate with the rush to print goods in time for winter socializing. On top of that, with people lost to Groschel and winter handiwork, there were especially few chances for anyone to venture to the forest. Dirk and Konrad were the only kids in the orphanage too young to be apprentices, so they were essentially being left to their own devices.

Being stuck inside must be awful...

“Gil won’t have time, but I can take you,” I said. “Let’s go tomorrow.”

“What? Are you sure, Lutz?” Delia asked, her eyes widening.

Truth be told, I had a few days off now that we’d returned from our long trip, and I knew my family would make me help out with winter preparations as soon as I got home. Going to the forest was a convenient means of escape.

“Yeah,” I said. “They can help with winter prep. It’s killing two birds with one stone.”

“Yippee! I’ll do my best!”

“Thank you, Lutz!”

Giddy with excitement, Dirk and Konrad made me promise again and again that I would go with them to the forest. Soon enough, it was time for me to leave.

“If you’ll excuse me, I need to get going so I can give Master Benno a report,” I said. “Don’t forget to be ready for the forest tomorrow.”

“I’m more worried about you forgetting. See you tomorrow, Lutz!”

I exited the orphanage with Gil, who walked me to the gate to the lower city. He stopped beside it and sighed.

“Sorry, Lutz. I didn’t mean to eat into your time off.”

“It’s fine. Better to visit the forest than be worked to the bone at home.”

On that note, I passed through the gate and into the lower city. It was so much cleaner than the filth-covered streets of Groschel, even seeming to glow in comparison. My shoulders relaxed, and an unconscious “I’m finally home...” escaped me.

I passed the Othmar Company—which was also the guildmaster’s home—and turned a corner to the Plantin Company. I entered through the back with five volumes in hand.

“Hi, Mr. Mark. Is Master Benno here?”

“Welcome back, Lutz,” Mark replied, turning to face me. “The master is receiving a report from Damian, who returned ahead of you. He eagerly awaits your input.”

I realized then that Mark had been speaking with a woman I didn’t recognize. Her reddish-brown hair was done up, which meant she was of age, but she was clearly still young. I was most surprised to see her wearing the uniform of a Plantin Company lehange; she must have joined while I was in Groschel.

“Do we have a new lehange?” I asked.

“Yes, allow me to introduce her. This is Karin, the daughter of a visiting merchant from Klassenberg. Due to certain circumstances, we are going to be housing her until next summer. Karin, this is Lutz, one of our leherl apprentices. He just returned from a business trip.”

Karin and I greeted each other. What kind of circumstances would result in a Klassenberg merchant staying with the Plantin Company? Her beauty caught my attention first, then the strength of her will. She must have been pretty domineering to have come all the way to Ehrenfest. I assumed she had the training of a proper merchant from a greater duchy, but her blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

In an instant, Karin’s focus switched to the books I was carrying. She reminded me of a cat that had just spotted its prey. Mark must have noticed too, as he smiled and stepped between us.

“Lutz, I must insist that you report to Master Benno,” he said. “Now.”

“Understood,” I replied with a nod, then immediately headed to Benno’s office. Damian was gone by the time I arrived.

“Heya, Lutz. Finally back?” Benno asked, looking up and grinning at me. “I trust everything went well.”

“It did. The nobles in Groschel were far less cooperative than in Illgner and Haldenzel, so I thought there might be problems. Lady Rozemyne kept everything in order, though.”

I’d started to worry when we found out the giebe and scholar in charge paid no attention to the lower city’s craftspeople, but Myne had used her authority as the archduke’s adopted daughter to bridge the gap between them and steer us away from disaster. Having such a strong supporter had once again proven to be a tremendous boon.

I thought back to seeing Myne perform her duties as a member of the Ehrenfest archducal family. Rather than seeming like the Myne I remembered, she’d exuded the aura of a noble with many responsibilities to bear.

“I’m giving you three days off,” Benno told me. “Go spend it with your family.”

“Thank you. But before I go... Here. We made this book in Groschel to test out its printing press.”

Benno accepted the book and started thumbing through it.

“I wish to give one to Renate of the Gilberta Company,” I said. “May I?”

“Sure. She’s going to love it. I might as well come with you.”

Benno put away some documents and stood up. He had taken to visiting the Gilberta Company whenever he could to help train Renate as its successor. Otto had tried on his own, but he was too soft on his daughter to be a reliable mentor.

“Lutz, about Karin...”

Once we were on the road, Benno explained why Karin was staying at the Plantin Company. She had come to Ehrenfest on business with her father, only for him to leave her behind. He wasn’t due to return until next year.

“Was she entrusted to us so she could learn from our store?” I asked.

“You look way too pleased right now.”

“Of course. If my hunch is correct, it means a Klassenberg merchant recognized your skills.”

A merchant from a greater duchy choosing the Plantin Company as somewhere for his daughter to study was truly special. Or so I thought, but Benno scratched his head and gave me a conflicted smile.

“More likely than not, having her join us as a lehange was just the best way for her dad to gather information. I can’t even guess how much she’s going to get from us.”

“Weren’t you aware of that when you agreed to let her stay?”

Benno heaved a heavy sigh and said, “There are extenuating circumstances at work.” He refused to elaborate, but I could tell that Karin was a pretty sharp thorn in his side.

“Lutz! Uncle Benno!” Renate exclaimed, pushing past the servant lady who had come to greet us. Her hair, done in a half-up style, closely resembled Benno’s in its color, while her facial features reminded me of Corinna.

“You sure have grown,” Benno said, picking up the girl as she squealed with joy. Side by side, they looked a lot like father and daughter.

That reminds me... Benno used to carry Myne all over the place. She was just too slow on her own two feet.

Renate was about as tall as Myne had been then. She had learned to speak before Dirk or Kamil, who were roughly her age, and didn’t shy away from putting that skill to use. Every time I came here, she was chattering about one thing or another. Benno had once said that she was only ever quiet when eating or sleeping.

“So, what’ve you learned lately?”

“Well...!”

Renate settled into Benno’s lap and twittered away. He listened to her every word, interjecting only to teach her extra details and ask questions to make sure she really understood what she was telling him. Their discussion was almost entirely about business; Renate’s education had started much earlier than my own so that she could one day serve as her family’s successor.

Today, Corinna was teaching Renate how to tell good cloth from bad. Renate’s one-year-old brother, Knut, took up most of their parents’ time, so she dearly looked forward to these lessons; they were the only chance she got at some alone time with her mother.

“Mother and Father are so obsessed with Knut that they don’t pay any attention to me! They never listen to what I want to say!”

“That’s how it is being the oldest. I went through the same thing.”

“Did you hate being the oldest too, Uncle Benno?”

“Sometimes.”

Benno turned to me and gestured me over without missing a beat, like he’d been waiting for Renate to run out of business-related things to talk about and start complaining about her little brother. He wanted me to help change the subject by showing Renate the book I’d brought her.

“Here, Renate. A new book,” I said. “It contains stories from Groschel, the province I was staying in.”

“Thanks, Lutz. Mm... This one’s kinda thin!”

As a test project, it really was thinner than the books I’d given Renate in the past. Still, it didn’t contain any weird poems or complex noble euphemisms, so I suspected she’d enjoy it more than the others.

“It’s full of stories from Groschel’s craftspeople, so it should make for a pretty fun read,” I explained. “There’s no art, though.”

“Okay. I’ll ask Mom to read it to me,” Renate said, happily clutching the book to her chest. “I can’t wait. The stories you bring are always so fun.”

A babysitter then arrived with Knut, who had just woken up from a nap and seemed as energetic as ever. He had recently learned to walk, and the babysitter joked that she dared not let him out of her sight. I was watching Knut stumble around (and then fall on his butt) when the door suddenly opened and Tuuli came in.

“I was wondering why Mrs. Corinna suddenly asked me to come back!” she exclaimed upon seeing me. “Welcome home, Lutz!”

“Yeah, I just got back from Groschel. I got you this book as a souvenir. It was made to test a printing press, so it’s one of only about a dozen in the world. Pretty rare, huh?”

Tuuli accepted the book, leaving me with two more: one for her little brother, and one I planned to keep. “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll read it later.”

“I was gonna give one to Kamil when we finish here. Want to come with me?”

“Mm, not today,” she replied, shaking her head. “I have work tomorrow, and the workshop is swamped with Lady Rozemyne’s orders.”

As it turned out, Myne had chosen Effa’s cloth during the dyeing contest and then ordered a hairpin to match. Tuuli spoke in a bright voice that made it clear how proud she was, but I could tell she was exhausted. If the orders were meant for winter, then she was almost out of time.

“That winter socializing thing is coming up real soon, right?” I asked. “Have you not finished yet?”

“We’re done with her winter clothes, but our work’s still far from over. Last year, Lady Rozemyne brought us orders from the royal family. Something of that nature’s bound to happen again, and we won’t be equipped for it unless I get a head start and finish her spring hairpin too. Last year was a total mess.”

“Y’know... good point.”

Myne’s gonna cause trouble—that much is obvious.

Though we couldn’t predict what that trouble would involve, we knew it was lurking right around the corner. We needed to be ready to respond to whatever sudden orders came our way.

“For safety’s sake, I’m preparing for every outcome I can think of,” Tuuli said. “I still need to finish Lady Rozemyne’s spring hairpin, but I made extras of the armbands she wanted for her school friends and designed several more hairpins in case we receive another order from the royal family.” Her achievements made it clear that she was Myne’s big sister; she couldn’t have been more ready for whatever Myne was about to spring on us.

“Well, alright. Good luck.”

“Why not take it easy today? You did just get back from a long trip.”

“I plan to.”

“I do have some free time, but I really need to get back to working on Lady Rozemyne’s hairpin...” Tuuli muttered. She waved me farewell, then headed to her room.

Benno gave a slight shrug. He must have been listening to our conversation. “You can head home, Lutz,” he said. “I want to spend some more time with Renate.”

“Thanks. If you’ll excuse me.”

“Later, Lutz!” Renate shouted, waving to me.

I returned the gesture before going back to the Plantin Company. There, I went to my room to put away my book and change clothes. I spent so little time in Ehrenfest these days—Myne’s orders kept me far too busy—that I rarely ever wore my hand-me-downs. Now, they didn’t even fit me anymore; the trousers were too short, and the shirts were tight around the shoulders.

On my way home, I took a detour to the central plaza to get presents for my family. Kamil was sure to love the book I was about to give him, but my brother Ralph would much rather have some sausages; he was a growing boy with an appetite as large as my own.

From the central plaza, I went to Myne’s place—part of my usual routine. I knocked and said my name, and Kamil opened the door with an excited cry. If not for his eyes, which reminded me of Myne’s, he would have been a spitting image of his father.

“Welcome back, Lutz! How was your trip? Did you have fun?”

“Look, Kamil. I got a book for you. It’s full of stories the craftspeople of Groschel told us.”

“Woo-hoo!”

Kamil had grown up playing with the books and toys Myne made for children, so he’d turned into a bookworm exactly as she’d planned.

Effa stopped cooking and turned to look at me just as I gave Kamil his present. “Thanks as always, Lutz,” she said.

“You’re Lady Rozemyne’s dyer now, right?” I asked. “Tuuli said as much when I stopped by the Gilberta Company.”

Effa smiled at me, her expression a mixture of happiness and disappointment, and shook her head. “No, not yet. Lady Rozemyne hasn’t made up her mind. She wants her winter clothes to be made with my cloth, but I don’t yet have her exclusive business.”

The archduke’s wife and their daughter had given out Renaissance titles, but Myne hadn’t chosen her own Renaissance. Now, the other dyers were all ruthlessly vying for her attention.

“Still, she’s going to pick new cloth next spring or summer,” Effa said, her eyes full of motivation. “Now that Kamil can go to the forest, I’m going to spend even more time dyeing.”

“Huh. He’s going to the forest already?”

“Yeah, I’ve been going all summer,” Kamil chimed in. “Look what I got today!” Brimming with pride, he started putting his loot in a neat row on the table. He hadn’t made Myne’s mistake of bringing home poisonous mushrooms or anything of the sort, and the fact he could carry a basket on his back meant he’d come home with an actually decent haul.

Myne really was bad at everything back then.

“Impressive, huh?” Kamil said.

“Sure is,” I replied, reaching out and mussing his hair. “I’m going to the forest tomorrow. Guess I’ll need to work extra hard to keep up with you!”

Kamil grinned up at me, his eyes sparkling. “Really?! I’m going too! We’ve never been at the same time before!”

“You’re welcome to come with me, if you don’t mind me bringing Dirk and Konrad.”

Five years had passed since I’d started going to the forest with the orphans. The other kids didn’t look down on them as much anymore, but the adults’ minds were harder to change. It was no use trying to convince them from the outside, Myne had told us, which was why she’d wanted to take a more subtle approach through the Gutenbergs. It would take us some time, but we just had to show the adults that the orphans weren’t any different from the rest of us.

“Dirk and Konrad are from Lady Rozemyne’s orphanage,” I said. “They’ve been playing with the same kinds of books and toys as you, so you shouldn’t lack for things to talk about.”

Myne’s toys weren’t exactly popular here, so I was sure Kamil would appreciate the chance to hang around with other children who enjoyed them. Tuuli had told me he was having a hard time relating to the other kids in our neighborhood; he loved the picture-book bible, but there wasn’t much discussion to be had when nobody else in his social circle even knew how to read.

“Do all the kids there have picture books?” Kamil asked.

“Yeah.”

“And they won’t get mad at me for bringing up Lady Rozemyne’s toys?” He had promised his dad that he wouldn’t mention Myne or any of the toys connected to her when speaking with his neighbors. It was a vow between men, as Mr. Gunther had put it.

“They love her too, so no, they won’t get mad. They’re probably better at karuta than you.”

“Okay! I’ll go!” Kamil exclaimed, his eyes continuing to sparkle as he threw his hands up in the air.