Ascendance of a Bookworm Chapter 86 - Lutz’s Anger and Gil’s Anger

Chapter 86: Lutz’s Anger and Gil’s Anger

“Man, we’ve got a lot to carry today.”

Lutz, who ca to pick up this morning, looks down into a basket piled high with cloth. The basket, which is the one he uses when he goes to the forest, is packed with cloth-wrapped bundles of clothing. There’s the clothing for Fran, Delia, and Gil, my blue robe and sash, and the three-piece outfit that I’d bought just yesterday.

My new outfit is cute, and it has a sort of traditional local charm to it, but it isn’t covered in patches, it’s covered in beautiful embroidery, and the sleeves are long and flowing. It is not the kind of thing that kids in this part of town wear. If I put this on and wandered around outside, I can’t even begin to imagine what people would start saying.

Since we’re even being cautious about showing these to our families, Lutz and I are wearing the sa street clothes we always do. We’ve headed to Benno’s shop, where we’ll get changed in Lutz’s storeroom there.

As we do things in the north side of town, our garnts and other personal effects are, bit by bit, becoming high-class. That’s just what to be expected, since high-class goods are what are used in that part of town. However, if we’re not careful, and people start thinking that we’re usually carrying around highly priced things, our trips to and from our hos will start to get more dangerous.

A child’s first set of apprentice’s clothes are often new, specially prepared by parents in celebration of their child’s baptismal ceremony, so they don’t draw much attention, but if a child starts growing up and still keeps wearing new clothing, then, probably, they’ll catch the eye of a robber. So, I think it might be a good idea for to ask Benno if he could get so sort of place for to store my things.

“So,” I ask him, ”based on all that, would you be able to rent a room for cheap?”

While Lutz is upstairs in his own room, changing, and I’m here in the back office waiting for him, I decide to try asking if I could rent a room from him. Benno, grappling with a pile of paperwork, shoots a look, an extrely skeptical expression on his face.

“Sure, I could rent you a room, but if you want sothing cheap it’ll be in the attic, right? …Can you really go all the way up to the attic, every day, just to change your clothes?”

I groan quietly to myself, rembering how I still get out of breath climbing up five stories to get ho.

“If I take it really, really, slowly, it’ll be alright, I think.”

“Not in the slightest. Don’t you have a room in the temple? What do you do when you have visitors over?”

“Visitors?”

I’d made arrangents for going to the temple to donate my mana and read books. I don’t have anything arranged for receiving any sort of visitors. I tilt my head uncomprehendingly, and Benno looks up at , setting his pen down.

“Even when Lutz cos to pick you up, under ordinary circumstances, he should be sent to your room, right? How have you been doing it?”

“…Lutz was asked to wait outside the gates, and a gray-robed priest ca to get . Ummm, in other words, I thought it might be okay if we worked things out so that the library could be my room?”

“And that happened?!”

“I an, I just really wish it would happen…”

I know that there’s no way the library, full of expensive books, could ever be my room. It’s just a wish.

Benno sighs. “Well, whatever. …If you don’t have a room, then today you’re going to go talk to the head priest and ask to borrow one.”

“Huh? Today?”

“Lutz is already going to the temple today to talk with Fran about how to manage your condition.” “Alright. I’ll ask him about it.”

The conversation dies down a bit, and Benno picks up and rings the bell on his desk. After a mont, one of his female employees steps through the inner door.

“You called for , sir?”

“Help her get changed,” he orders. “Ma?ne, use that screen over there and get changed. Getting up to the attic is too much for you.”

Eh? You want to get changed here?!

I choke down the words that threaten to fly from my throat. Benno, having given his instructions, picks up his pen and gets back to work. Briskly, the woman spreads out the screen, setting up a changing area for . With how matter-of-factly everything is going, it feels like I’m the weird one for finding this bewildering, and I can’t really co up with any good way to object.

“…Ummm, Mister Benno. I’m thankful for the offer, but I’m sure I can make it upstairs if I take it slowly, you know?”

“Don’t waste what little energy you have right before you head out.”

Benno smashes through my feeble resistance with a single sentence. Maybe he’s doing this out of concern, or maybe consideration, or maybe because I’m a little girl, so if I just tell myself I don’t need to be embarrassed I won’t be embarrassed, right…? No, no, I’m still pretty embarrassed!

“Ummm…”

“What will you be changing into?” asks the woman. “These? …Alright, everything’s ready. Please co back here, if you will.”

“Make sure you’re all ready by the ti Lutz gets back down,” says Benno.

With no ti for to object, everything’s been set up for to get changed. I give in, heading behind the screen.

“…Then, thank you very much for your assistance.”

I just want to get this embarrassing thing over with as quickly as possible. If I let this woman help , then I can get changed in no ti. If I get my dress off and the blouse on imdiately, the blouse will hang down past my butt so even if soone were to see I won’t be indecent.

The woman helps button up about half of the many tiny buttons on the blouse, helps adjust the length and waist of the skirt, and helps tie up the laces on the bodice. Finally, we put the hairpin Benno gave in my hair, and everything is complete.

“I’m all done, Mister Benno. Thank you.”

Holding my folded-up street clothes, I step out from behind the screen. Benno looks up from his desk, slowly looking up and down.

“…Well, that works well enough.”

“Eh? Eh? By ‘that works’, do you an I look like a proper young lady? Do I look really cute?”

“As long as you’re not talking.”

“Ngh?”

I shut my mouth, putting my street clothes into the basket. Mark enters the room, bringing Lutz with him.

“Pardon my intrusion,” he says. “Ah, Ma?ne. You’ve finished changing, I see?”

“Thanks to Mister Benno’s help,” I reply.

He pauses, looking over at Benno. “…Master Benno?”

“Ma?ne, you idiot!” says Benno. ”Don’t skip the important part! All I did was call Matilda in.”

Benno, roughly scratching his head, looks pointedly over at Matilda as she puts away the screen. “Ahh,” says Mark, nodding, before pushing Lutz, having changed into his apprentice’s clothes, in front of him. Benno glances briefly at Lutz, making sure that he’s carrying a particular wooden tablet, then nods.

“Alright, Lutz, today your job is to go to the temple and have a talk with Fran, one of Ma?ne’s attendants, about how to manage her physical condition. Have you finished the summary of what you’re going to explain to him?”

“Yes, Master Benno.”

Lutz bows politely, just like how Mark does, then picks up his basket and leaves the room. Seeing him acting like a model shop assistant makes feel a little proud. I can understand, at least a little bit, what a parent must feel when they co to watch their kid at school on parents’ day.

Aaah, Lutz is growing up, too…

“Wow, Lutz, your posture and tone are really good,” I say, as I follow him out of the shop.

“I’m not there yet, but this is part of my job, too.”

Lutz huffs proudly, smiling. I think it’s wonderful that he’s able to be proud of his own hard work. I’ve definitely got to follow his example.

“You’re doing so well being polite at the store. I’ve got to do the sa and try to talk like a young lady at the temple, too.”

“…Can you do that?”

“When I tried, Mister Benno didn’t tell I failed, so I don’t think it’s that weird. But it’s sothing that I need to practice so that I can get used to it. …When we get there, I’m going to start talking differently, so even if it doesn’t really fit , you’d better not start laughing.”

If Lutz starts laughing, then my rich girl act, which I’m still very much not used to, will instantly co crumbling down.

“…Do I need to talk politely, too?”

“Mister Benno really surprised with how careful he was being with his words when he was talking with nobles. I think you should aim to be pretty polite, maybe?”

“Y… yeah…”

When I arrive at the temple, all three of my attendants are waiting for in the courtyard beyond the gates. As I wonder to myself how they’d managed to do this when nobody’d contacted them in advance, Lutz kindly informs that the Gilberta Company had sent a ssenger ahead of us. It seems that even when returning ho, word must be sent in advance. Noble society is too much of a pain in the ass.

Now then, how do I greet them? “Hello,” maybe? “I’m back,” perhaps? Hmmm…

“Heh heh, I got you in trouble, didn’t I?”

“…Huh?”

I’d planned to use my rich girl voice for all of my interactions at the temple today, but Delia ruined that plan from the outset. I make a confused noise, tilting my head. Fran steps forward, pushing Delia aside.

“Welco back, Sister Ma?ne. I am glad for your safe return. I have truly been awaiting your arrival.”

I quickly pull myself together. “I thank you, Fran,” I reply, taking care to speak as eloquently as I can. “Has anything of note happened while I’ve been away, perhaps?”

Fran crosses his hands before his chest, bowing slightly. “All is well,” he says.

“What is well?” interjects Delia. “She had a visitor co by, but she didn’t have her attendants with her! Now that was a public embarrassnt, wasn’t it? Heh heh, this makes so happy.”

Based on how she’s puffing out her chest, this seems like it should be an exceptionally embarrassing event, but I don’t recall feeling particularly embarrassed at all. Instead, I learned how skilled Fran is, and actually felt rather relieved that neither of the other two were there to cause problems for .

“…Fran was there, of course,” I say.

“Hmph! That just ant that now everyone knows you can only bring out one attendant. You couldn’t even offer them flowers! I’m sure your visitor must have been very disappointed.”

What does “offering flowers” involve? Even just from context, I don’t really feel the need to know, though. Benno made acquaintances with the head priest, pleased the head priest with his gifts, and seized the initiative in the conversation about distributing the profits of Ma?ne’s Workshop, so that was entirely satisfactory, wasn’t it?

I don’t really understand, but it looks like Delia wants to hear that she did in fact cause trouble. This is a huge bother, so there’s no better way to get this over with than as quickly as possible.

“Argh. Yes. That was a problem. I’m in a lot of trouble now.”

“Heh heh. Wasn’t it?”

“Sister Ma?ne,” says Fran, “what―”

“You’re causing trouble, Delia. Even now.”

Fran looks down passively, seeming to understand what I’m going after. I glance briefly at the clothing in the basket on Lutz’s back, then look evenly at Delia, slowly tilting my head to the side.

“How can I get you to work for seriously, Delia?”

“There’s no way I’d ever work for you, now is there?! You’re so kind of idiot, aren’t you! Too stupid.”

Delia smiles triumphantly, turns around, and leaves to go off sowhere. She didn’t say any goodbyes, just doing whatever she wanted, so just like before, even though I wound up driving her away, I don’t feel the slightest bit guilty. It’s actually a bit refreshing.

“…Hey, Ma?ne,” says Lutz. “Who was that?”

“One of my attendants,” I reply.

“What? Soone like that can be an attendant?”

Lutz, dumbfounded, watches Delia as she heads off into the distance. His resolve to speak politely seems to have completely crumbled away. I understand completely. If I don’t put so willpower into it, my proper young lady speech isn’t going to co back either.

“I apologize for my impertinence,” objects Fran imdiately, perhaps feeling that his profession had been insulted, “but she is very much outside the norm.”

Being an attendant is a job that requires one to be an excellent individual, like Fran is, so it’s likely that Delia, who had her eyes set on becoming the temple master’s mistress, is indeed outside the norm.

“Fran, here, is an excellent attendant,” I tell Lutz. “Delia has certain problems, though…”

“Hmm. So they’re not all like that, huh? That’s good.”

As soon as Lutz voices his understanding, the other problem child butts into the conversation, pointing straight at Lutz.

“And how about you, just kinda barging in here? What gives you the right?”

“…Who’s this?” says Lutz, making an unpleasant face.

Given that the two of them are the sa height and build, and they’re having this conversation here, I’d assu that Lutz has already figured out that this boy is Gil.

“An attendant,” I reply, matter-of-factly.

“Please think of this one as unusual as well,” says Fran.

“You an you’re the only decent one?!” cries Lutz. “What’s up with that?!”

I have no follow-up. To Lutz, who sees that two out of my three attendants are outside the norm, it obviously looks like Fran is in the minority. As Fran and I stand there, at our wits’ end, Gil turns to yell at Lutz.

“What’s up with you, you outsider!”

“I’m Lutz. Ma?ne’s associate. I’m the one primarily involved with managing her condition. I’m here because Master Benno asked to talk with her attendants about how to manage her condition as well. And you, an attendant who can’t even manage a simple greeting…”

To Lutz, who had been nervous about having to introduce himself to a nobleman, this must have seed like a huge anticlimax.

“I’m sorry, Lutz. It’s because I’m still inexperienced as a master.”

“Isn’t supporting you with that sothing your attendants are supposed to be doing? Do you really need soone like this who can’t even do the work he’s assigned? If he doesn’t want to work, get rid of him. That other girl, too, she’s not thinking of anything but how to cause you trouble.”

It is exactly as he says, but since these attendants were specifically assigned to , I can’t get rid of them so easily.

“Well,” I say, “their stupidity is actually kind of helpful, in so cases, so it’s all good for now.”

“…Helpful?” he says, skeptically.

“Delia is the temple master’s spy, for example, but whenever she does anything, she imdiately tells about it. I definitely prefer that over soone who actually sneaks around in the shadows.”

I really do prefer these kids over people I’d have no control over at all. “What a pain,” he mutters, shrugging.

“…Hey. Tiny. You making fun of us?” says Gil.

Gil glares daggers at and Lutz. I’m pretty sure that he’s pointing out my stature when he said “tiny,” but I don’t feel like giving him the dignity of a response.

“Fran, I have a favor to request of you,” I say.

“Certainly, Sister. What do you wish to do?”

“Don’t ignore ! Stop being stupid!”

Gil lunges forward, yelling, and grabs my arm, pulling with all his might. Given the differences in our physiques and our strength, he has no trouble pulling , with my body barely big enough to be a four- or five-year-old, off-balance.

“Yaagh!” I yelp.

As I’m yanked off my feet, Lutz is there to grab , and we fall to the ground together. I sit there, squashing Lutz, blinking uncomprehendingly, not quite processing what had just happened in that single instant.

I slowly look around . Fran, who I had just been talking with, looked like he had reached out to grab , but didn’t make it in ti, so he’s just standing there, looking at , with his arm outstretched. Gil stands there in shock, looking back and forth between and his hand, as if he can’t believe that he’d been able to send flying so easily.

“Ma?ne, you okay?” asks Lutz.

“You caught , so I’m all good. You okay?”

“Yeah. So that’s one of your attendants, huh? Looks like he needs so discipline, doesn’t he?”

Lutz’s tone of voice is no different than it usually is, but a fierce anger burns in his eyes as he looks at . It almost looks like the color of his eyes is the tiniest bit lighter. Realizing just how angry he is, I flinch back.

“He really does, but I don’t know if he deserves the kind of ti, effort, and caring that would take… plus, I don’t really have the strength to do it myself.”

“Alright, then, I’ll do it for you.”

From the way he’s speaking, he’s itching for a fight. He helps stand up, looks over to make sure I’m unhurt, and hands over to Fran. In the next instant, he leaps towards Gil, punching him square in the face.

“You idiot! What were you going to do if she got hurt?!”

In the poor parts of town, there are, of course, tons of quarrels between kids, but there’s a tacit understanding that you need to keep a close eye on your opponent if you get in a fight. After all, in the poor parts of town, your body is ultimately the source of your inco, so it is strictly forbidden to go too far in a fight.

This ti, Gil clearly went too far. If he’d just kept talking, then Lutz would have shrugged it off and shot back a few of his own. However, Lutz had been told, both by my family and by Benno, to protect , and Gil had dared to raise a hand against in front of him. When I’m supposed to be his master, too, on top of that.

“What are you doing?!” yells Gil.

“That’s my line! What kind of attendant attacks his master, idiot?!”

Since it’s only natural that Gil should be paid back for attacking , I stay quiet as I watch Lutz beat up Gil, thinking to myself that it would be great if this got him to behave.

“Sister Ma?ne,” says Fran, “um, should you not stop Master Lutz—”

“Why would I do such a thing? Is it not my duty as Gil’s master to discipline him? All that is happening is that Lutz is kindly doing it in my stead. I’m very happy for his help. After all, I lack the strength to do it myself.”

I also don’t care enough, though, I add, in my head. Fran nervously looks back and forth between and Gil, who is being slapped senseless.

“You wish to discipline him… right? You could send him to the reflection room, or withhold the gods’ blessings, or…”

“The reflection room?”

“You… you musn’t resort to violence!”

It seems that even discipline is greatly different between the poor parts of town and the temple.

“Lutz, that’s enough,” I say.

“This guy still doesn’t get it. He just keeps saying ‘why are you hitting ’ over and over.”

“Fran says disciplining people in the temple doesn’t involve hitting them.”

“Huh? Discipline is discipline, right?”

“It looks like it’s different here.”

Lutz clucks his tongue disappointedly as he takes his hands off of Gil. Apart from that first punch, the rest of the hits had been with an open palm, so Gil doesn’t have any obvious injuries.

“Seriously. Not only does this guy not do the things he has to, he tried to hurt you. He’s the worst. I can’t let a dangerous attendant like this stay with you. Get rid of him.”

“She doesn’t do what she has to either!” yells Gil. “She’s doesn’t give anything she’s supposed to!”

He stands up, holding a hand to his face, glaring at . It seems like, once again, there’s another bit of common knowledge that I don’t know.

“Say, Fran. What, perhaps, am I supposed to be giving him?”

“What,” says Gil, before Fran can respond, “you seriously don’t know?! How ignorant are you!”

His squawking does nothing to advance the conversation. He should be fully aware that I don’t know any of the things that are considered common knowledge in the temple, but he’s still yelling about it. What an idiot.

“Gil,” I say, “how stupid are you?”

“What did you—?!”

“I said it myself, didn’t I? I don’t know the common knowledge here. So why are you still thinking that I should know about this? Shouldn’t it be obvious, right from the start, that the daughter of commoners isn’t going to know anything about what goes on in the temple? Are you still seriously expecting to know that?”

“Ngh…”

Gil grinds his teeth, glaring at , unable to retort. Lutz steps between the two of us, as if he’s protecting from Gil.

“So why are you acting all self-important and yelling about the things she’s 'supposed’ to be giving you? What does she owe soone who doesn’t even bother doing his job? How did you co to the conclusion that soone who doesn’t do anything is owed anything?”

“The blessings of the gods are given equally to everyone! Even though you get them sooner if you go up the ranks, everything is equal! It doesn’t matter what your job is!”

“Huh?!” replies Lutz, a challenging tone in his voice.

Lutz and I exchange glances, neither of us understanding what Gil is trying to get at. I glance over at Fran, who is still standing next to .

“Fran. Might I ask you to explain this to , perhaps? What might I be expected to give to Gil?”