Page | 350 “So, Mom... Did you get the hots for Dad just now?” “I suppose...” I replied with a knowing smile. “Just remember, Tuuli— when you get married, make sure you do what I did. Pick someone who loves and supports your dreams.” Jorg had successfully worked with his dad to revive an old technique, and I could see his dyeing getting better by the day. Still, I couldn’t afford to lose. I spread out a piece of practice cloth, added some wax based on the rlyzinie illustration that Tuuli had drawn, and then tried dyeing it in various ways. I ended up deciding on both the traditional red of a rlyzinie and the darker shade that would complement Myne so well. I wonder whether I could make the cloth gradually change from one shade to the other...? If possible, I wanted to change the shade by dyeing it several times as Myne had suggested. I hadn’t seen a demonstration and was relying entirely on the explanation that Tuuli had given me, however, so it wasn’t going to be easy. “Hmm...” Jorg grumbled, looking at my practice cloth. “So that’s why you said you’d be better at picking cloth for Lady Rozemyne, huh? Your daughter makes her hairpins. You sure have an advantage here.” “Maybe. But there’s nothing wrong with using every advantage one has, now is there?” “This is well above anything my old man gave me,” Jorg said. “You’ve had a huge advantage since before this contest even began.” Barno nodded along and shouted out that it certainly was unfair. Then, more and more people started expressing their agreement.
Page | 351 “I mean, how good of a job you do doesn’t even matter, does it?” Jorg continued. “You’ve just gotta stick your name on whatever piece of cloth is yours and they’ll pick it. That’s exactly the kind of thing a noble would do.” I struggled to hide my frustration. I couldn’t deny that my extra knowledge put me in a better position than the other dyers, but to say I would win based on nothing more than Myne recognizing my name was outrageous. “If my name alone was enough, I wouldn’t be working this hard,” I shot back. “That doesn’t prove anything. You probably still need to make something half-decent so the cheating’s less obvious,” Barno said. “Jorg, Barno, that’s enough,” the foreman interjected. “If all this cheating nonsense were true, Effa would have been picked from the start, and nobody else would have been given this new dyeing method. There wouldn’t be any point in holding this big competition.” As much as I appreciated the assistance, everyone was still sure that I would win based on favoritism alone. My pride as a dyer wouldn’t stand for that; the very thought that they believed I couldn’t win on my own merits had me steaming with anger. I mean, Myne would absolutely pick whichever piece of cloth had my name on it—there was no doubt about that—but that wasn’t how I wanted to win. “How about this—we label our pieces with numbers rather than names to keep things totally anonymous,” I declared angrily. “We’ll even have people from the Dyeing Guild set everything up. That way, the Gilberta Company merchants can’t stealthily tell any of the nobles who made what. Will that stop all this whining?” I asked, placing my hands on my hips as though I were scolding some
Page | 352 rebellious child. My tone was so forceful that Jorg and the others fearfully stepped back. “What the...? Do you really think you can win with a handicap like that?” Jorg asked. “Once we get the Dyeing Guild involved, there’s no going back. You’ll be stuck with these new rules no matter how much you cry about ’em.” “You’re all going to be the ones crying. If you still can’t win when my so-called ‘advantage’ is gone, forget about the title. You’ll never even get your beruf certification!” I said with a dismissive sniff. Jorg exchanged an awkward glance with Barno. “Ngh... Just you wait!” he shouted. “I’ve got my old man’s tech here. I won’t lose!” “See, Jorg? You’re gettin’ help from your family too,” Dilla said with one eyebrow raised. “Don’t you have just as much of an advantage?” “Yeah! That’s just as unfair!” Barno said with a disgruntled nod. Once again, the others voiced their agreement as well. “It doesn’t bother me,” I said with a wave of my hand. “Lady Rozemyne wants to revive the old techniques too, right? There’s nothing she’d want more than for people who know the otherwise forgotten methods to start bringing them back.” Dilla stared at me in wide-eyed shock, while Jorg looked equally as surprised. “Effa...” Dilla muttered. “You—” “Really. It’s fine,” I said. “I know my cloth is going to suit Lady Rozemyne better than anyone else’s.” And so, through the foreman, we petitioned the Dyeing Guild to implement our new rules. Our terms were accepted by the Gilberta Company, and we craftspeople could work knowing that we were going to be judged fairly. I ignored the loud goings-on around me and focused entirely on dyeing the rlyzinies a pleasant red. They were known to symbolize
Page | 353 familial affection, and I dyed them again and again, hoping that Myne would sense my love. As the dark reds turned to warm crimson, the cloth ended up with flowers of varying shades. Soon enough, everyone laid out their finished cloth, and the Heuss Workshop selected Jorg’s and my work to be sent to the castle. Jorg was praised for reviving his father’s old techniques, while I was praised for adopting the new technique and for having the courage to say that my cloth would suit Lady Rozemyne the best. In the end, my cloth made it to the final selection process for Lady Rozemyne, and it was ultimately chosen for her new winter outfit. I did not receive the title, however, nor was I given her exclusive business. It seemed that she hadn’t been able to choose one from the final three participants, so she had said that she would make her decision next season. The foreman, who was rejoicing at the thought of the archducal family asking for our business, patted me on the back and said, “I knew you could do it, Effa!” It was nice to know he had believed in me, but I was more frustrated that I hadn’t dyed my cloth with enough love for Myne to recognize it was from me. “They’re ordering from us, sure, but I didn’t get her exclusive business...” I muttered. “You’re looking at this all wrong,” Jorg said with a grin. He gave me an encouraging slap on the back. “I didn’t think you’d get any work without your name to rely on, but here we are. You weren’t all talk after all. Your dyeing technique was clever, and your reds really were something else. You’ll just need to try a little harder next time, yeah?”
Page | 354 “Thanks, Jorg. And you got the beruf certification you wanted so much, right? Congratulations,” I replied, unable to keep my frustrations from showing through my eyes. Jorg looked down at me and cackled with amusement. “What’s with that expression?” he asked. “You don’t look all that happy for me.” “I mean, the archducal family selected neither of us for the title, but you got what you were looking for anyway. It’s not fair...” I said. He had gotten his certification for receiving business orders from an archnoble and for his contribution to the revival of an old technique. “No helping that. We were aiming for different things. Shouldn’t you just be glad that nobody else was chosen? You’ve got a second chance to make your dream come true. We’ll see if you get it before I manage to set up my own workshop.” He was right. Things weren’t over yet. I was getting a second chance. “Yeah,” I said. “Next time for sure.” I won’t miss this opportunity again. The next competition was going to be for spring, which meant the cloth would need to be green. I clenched my fists and turned to the future, wondering how I would go about dyeing this one. The second battle had already begun.
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Page | 358 Afterword Hello again, it’s Miya Kazuki. Thank you very much for reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 4 Volume 5. This volume covers everything from the end of spring in Ehrenfest to the beginning of winter and Rozemyne’s second year in the Royal Academy. Lamprecht getting married, Groschel grappling with the printing industry, and the dyeing competition being underway have made things especially busy for Rozemyne. An ambush targeting the gray priests was prevented, and while the wedding seemed to end peacefully, there were some rather ominous overtones... Groschel presumed that its printing industry was progressing smoothly, but this was far from the case, and the province soon encountered many problems that others did not. As they attempted to resolve things, Rozemyne tried to figure out which submitted piece of cloth belonged to her mother, to no avail. On the brighter side, Rozemyne was able to rejoice over the fish that Aurelia brought with her from Ahrensbach, and she had fun planning her Rozemyne Library. And so, Rozemyne’s second year at the Royal Academy begins with the coming of winter. Her guardians are no doubt preparing for one intense headache after another as they anticipate the chaos she’s going to create. This volume’s prologue was from Matthias’s perspective. He is Rozemyne’s schoolmate and the son of the former Veronica faction noble Viscount Gerlach, who is probably better described as a member of the Georgine faction within it. I wrote about how the former Veronica faction perceived the brides coming in from Ahrensbach and the ways in which the views of the children clash with those of their parents. In the end, it is thanks to Matthias’s habit
Page | 359 of overthinking everything that the archducal family manage to avoid a potentially big incident. The epilogue for this volume was written from the perspective of Hildebrand, the son of the king’s third wife. Despite having only recently been baptized and not having undergone his debut at the Archduke Conference, he is assigned to oversee the Royal Academy as a member of royalty. How exactly do Rozemyne and Charlotte look to an unbiased third party, I wonder...? Also in this volume are two new short stories, one of which focuses on Aurelia and the other on Effa. In Aurelia’s story, I aimed to describe her situation following the wedding and why she wears the veil. This was my first time writing a conversation between Aurelia and her husband Lamprecht, which was quite refreshing. The bulk of each volume is written from Rozemyne’s perspective, and Lamprecht always ends up feeling a little irrelevant due to how little contact she has with him, so hopefully this chapter gave him more of a presence. Although in terms of standing out, I think we can all agree that he’s losing to his wife. (Hahaha.) In Effa’s story, I wrote about the dyeing competition from the perspective of the lower city. It was a massive event, and the craftspeople who had to actually dye the cloth underwent a lot to make it happen. Effa wants to perform her role as a lower-city mother by dyeing the cloth used for her daughter’s clothes, but the ambitious men in her workshop are just as eager to secure the special title and exclusive business with a member of the archducal family. Her pride and stubbornness as a dyer is something that her family usually never sees, so I hope you found it entertaining. Matthias and Laurenz, the two apprentice knights of the former Veronica faction, received character designs from Shiina-sama for this volume. You may find them showing up more often from this
Page | 360 point forward. There’s also Hildebrand, the third prince, who you can tell received an honest upbringing from just a glance, and Aub Ahrensbach, who really has the “older man” look that I envisioned. Of course, there are also Freida and Charlotte, who have now grown up significantly. They’re both as cute as I was hoping. Also, an update: Bookworm won first place in the tankobon category of This Light Novel is Amazing! 2019, meaning we’ve won two years in a row! I never thought it would happen, but everyone’s votes really helped us out. I can’t even begin to describe how happy I am. Thank you all for your support. In any case, this volume concludes our four back-to-back releases! Did you enjoy them? I poured my absolute all into making this happen. There were days when I had no time to write anything due to personal matters, and sometimes I even thought I wouldn’t make it all the way to the end. It’s a huge relief to be writing this afterword now that the manuscripts are all done. I am endlessly grateful to my editor, who heroically scheduled this mad dash that I insisted on, and Shiina-sama, who inevitably gets wrapped up in these plans and accepts all the work that gets dumped on her as a result. This volume’s cover art is based on the dyeing competition, with Effa spreading out the cloth she dyed and Tuuli showing the hairpin she made. And then there’s Rozemyne, wearing their lovingly made creations with a big smile on her face. Meanwhile, the color insert has the top dogs of Ehrenfest lining up at Lamprecht’s wedding. I really do love how tense they look. Thank you once again, Shiinasama. And finally, I offer up my highest thanks to everyone who read this book. May we meet again in Part 4 Volume 6. October 2018, 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 5 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 © 2018 Miya Kazuki Illustrations by You Shiina Cover illustration by You Shiina All rights reserved. Original Japanese edition published in 2018 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.
Page | 365 Ebook edition 1.0: February 2022
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