Page | 350 “Furthermore, Lord Ferdinand agreed with Lord Hartmut’s suggestion.” “He did...?” Lord Ferdinand was normally so adamant about operating within the rules... yet here he was, going back on his own guiding beliefs so that Lady Rozemyne would not need to return to Ehrenfest. This realization made me feel unusually warm inside. “Lord Ferdinand certainly has grown softer...” I muttered. Lothar smiled and nodded. “It is all thanks to Lady Rozemyne. I was surprised to see him, of all people, heed the words of that young child so carefully and make so many arrangements for her.” “Indeed,” Ymir added. “I recall thinking that Lady Rozemyne was quite something—she never faltered beneath his cold glare, and she came up with one solution after another each time she was scolded, never once giving up on her desires.” I could not help but chuckle at his evaluation. “It certainly was Lady Rozemyne who brought about this change in Lord Ferdinand,” Lothar said, speaking slowly and thoughtfully. “We attendants were stricken with fear at the thought of us needing to return to the orphanage, and we did all that we could to read Lord Ferdinand and guess his intentions. Lady Rozemyne, in contrast, fought to make her own feelings heard. Perhaps that is what separates us?” I could still remember how infuriated and exasperated Lady Rozemyne had been when she had failed to understand Lord Ferdinand’s intentions. “There is doubtless some truth to that,” I said, “but perhaps her being so unpredictable also factored into it. Her speech and actions
Page | 351 seldom conform to the logic of nobles or the temple. That surely forced Lord Ferdinand to observe her so closely.” After learning that Lady Rozemyne did not understand the more indirect language that nobles used, Lord Ferdinand had started interacting with her in increasingly blunt and direct ways. It had even reached a point where, back in her days as a blue shrine maiden, Lady Rozemyne had come to associate Lord Ferdinand’s hidden room with long and criticizing lectures. I wonder when Lord Ferdinand went from grumbling about her antics to treating her with such care... It was such a gradual change that I cannot quite pinpoint it. “As of late, she has seemed particularly hesitant about the handover process,” Lothar noted. “I was surprised to see how suddenly the distance between them closed.” “I was more surprised that Lord Ferdinand accepted it without even trying to rebuke her,” Ymir added. “He did not call her a bother, nor did he pick her up and toss her out of his chambers for being too annoying.” We all chuckled as we recalled just how much he had treated her like a pest at times. “It seemed to me that Lord Ferdinand was not used to being considered an equal, where one would act with concern for him, and he would act with concern for them in turn. I sometimes saw him deep in thought.” “I’ll never forget Lady Rozemyne rampaging around, doing everything in her power to make the High Priest understand that there are people who care about him,” Ymir said. Lothar put a hand over his mouth to keep back his laughter, and it wasn’t long before I was doing the same. Everyone saw it all, Lady Rozemyne.
Page | 352 That said, I saw Lady Rozemyne’s actions as less of a rampage, and more of a desperate attempt to get through to Lord Ferdinand. She had spoken as directly and as freely as someone who had no worries that their feelings might be rebuffed, and with such careful consideration. It was identical to how she interacted with her family in the lower city. If only Lord Ferdinand had changed sooner—perhaps then Lady Rozemyne would not have cried alone after being forbidden from meeting with her lower-city associates in her hidden room. And if their warm, caring relationship had been given room to grow further, perhaps Lord Ferdinand would have one day come to express his emotions honestly instead of disregarding them entirely. O Goddess of Time Dregarnuhr, I pray that you undo the present. Take us back to before those two were separated... But no matter how much I prayed, my wish would not be granted. I was also aware that this change between them had come about precisely because their separation had been decided. Going back in time would only reestablish the distance that had once kept them at arm’s length of each other. I knew all this, but after seeing how far they had come, I could not help but feel frustrated that it had all ended so soon. “We have all we need for the ritual,” Lothar said. “We may now depart.” I picked up the full ceremonial outfit we had chosen for Lord Damuel and then went to leave. As I turned toward the exit, however, I spotted Lord Ferdinand’s ceremonial robes still hanging by the door. “Fran, is something wrong?” “I still cannot believe that Lord Ferdinand’s ceremonial robes are here...” I said, feeling a profound sense of sorrow as I gazed upon them. Lothar and Ymir looked at them as well, and for a while, we
Page | 353 remained completely silent. They were likely feeling a similar melancholy. “Or that Lady Rozemyne will only be in the temple for a few more years...” Lothar suddenly added. It had already been decided that she would move on from the temple upon coming of age; perhaps we would experience this same sadness then as well. The very thought of that departure ate away at me until my heart felt strangely hollow. It was like a depressing cloud hung over me. “Am I going to be left alone again, I wonder...?” I mused aloud. As a gray priest, there was no place for me but the temple. Lord Ferdinand had already left me behind, and it was inevitable that Lady Rozemyne would one day do the same. It surprised me how much that frustrated me. This was my first time learning that I had these feelings at all. I had felt no sadness when Sister Margaret went—only a deep sense of relief. Yet now the mere thought of losing those whom I served made my heart ache. I, too, had changed a lot. “Personally, I would rather stay here in the temple, even if Lord Ferdinand asked me to leave,” Ymir said. “The outside world is too scary.” Lothar agreed, and the two of them went on ahead. If Lord Ferdinand or Lady Rozemyne wished it, I would accompany them to an entirely new world... I swore that in my heart and knelt once more before Lord Ferdinand’s ceremonial robes.
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Page | 356 Afterword Hello again, it’s Miya Kazuki. Thank you very much for reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 4 Volume 9. This marks the conclusion of Part 4. The prologue begins with Florencia watching Georgine’s group leave Ehrenfest. She, too, found the presence of Ahrensbach’s first wife discomfiting. Florencia wished to stay in close contact with her children, but the fact that they lived apart from her in the northern building and all moved with their retainers made this easier said than done. It became exceedingly hard for her to get a full grasp on the situation, as the updates she received from her children were at times contradictory, and she had few opportunities to speak with Rozemyne, despite receiving her reports from Sylvester. Naturally, Rozemyne had no way of knowing that Florencia was suffering—she was too preoccupied with the handover process in the temple and with studying for the Royal Academy. Still, she assisted Ferdinand in preparing for his departure and thought about their farewells... In a surprising turn of events, Rozemyne and Ferdinand ended up giving each other charms during their farewell meal, which they attended with their retainers. The rainbow feystones they harvested from the regisches proved very useful indeed. Unfortunately, their excitement after exchanging such wonderful gifts only lasted a brief while; someone infiltrated the temple while they were gone, kidnapped several of the gray priests, and stole the duchy’s bible. The matter is resolved thanks to the diligence of their retainers and some cooperation from the lower city, but Ferdinand ends up having to leave Ehrenfest even earlier than expected. Rozemyne fights back her tears as she gives him one last blessing
Page | 357 with all the elements, and with that, Ferdinand departs for Ahrensbach. After the epilogue, this volume transitions into a collection of short stories entitled “The Beginning of a Winter Apart.” I wrote these as per reader requests gathered to celebrate us reaching the end of another part. They focus on how the lives of certain characters have changed with Ferdinand and the others leaving. Two newly written short stories are told from Rihyarda’s and Fran’s perspectives. In Rihyarda’s story, I included some reminiscing about the past while she helped Justus to prepare for his departure. These two tend to be carrying out their duties as attendants whenever they appear in the main story, and they certainly don’t exude the same “family” vibe as other characters. I want to believe that this little encounter in their estate served to reinforce their relationship as mother and son. Fran’s story was about preparing for the Dedication Ritual. Now that Ferdinand is gone, the High Priest’s chambers remain largely empty while nobles get ready for winter socializing. Fran prepares ceremonial robes for the guard knights due to assist with the ritual, with the aid of two other priests. I really enjoyed the opportunity to expand on the attendants working in the High Priest’s chambers. Lothar has popped up before, but this was Ymir’s first appearance. Letizia received a wonderful design by Shiina-sama in this volume. She’s an Ahrensbach archduke candidate who will be taught by Ferdinand moving forward. Her family environment is exceedingly tragic. This volume had more original content than usual, including the chapters “Rewarding Hartmut’s Hard Work” and “Irreplaceable.” Hopefully, readers of the web novel found them particularly entertaining and enlightening to read.
Page | 358 The cover art for this volume focuses on the wistful departure. Ferdinand and Rozemyne are both such a mixture of emotions as they say their last farewells. Amusingly, Eckhart and Justus are there as well, but they’re hidden behind the title card. Be sure to look out for them in the title-less version within this very book. For the color illustration, I requested the scene where Ferdinand gives Rozemyne the key. I kind of visualized them being surrounded by a huge crowd, but Shiina-sama said the scene looked so much prettier with just the two of them. It’s like they’re in their own little world. (Haha.) Shiina-sama, thank you as always. And finally, I offer up my highest thanks to everyone who read this book. May we meet again in Part 5 Volume 1. October 2019, Miya Kazuki
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Page | 364 Copyright Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 4 Founder of the Royal Academy’s So-Called Library Committee Volume 9 by Miya Kazuki Translated by quof Edited by Kieran Redgewell This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. Copyright © 2019 Miya Kazuki Illustrations by You Shiina Cover illustration by You Shiina All rights reserved. Original Japanese edition published in 2019 by TO Books, Tokyo. This English edition is published by arrangement with TO Books, Tokyo English translation © 2022 J-Novel Club LLC All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. J-Novel Club LLC j-novel.club The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
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