this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2023
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PrePub - Ascendance of a Bookworm

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  • Ascendance of a Bookworm
  • Honzuki no Gekokujou
  • 『本好きの下剋上』

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[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Rescuing Ferdinand may be her primary motivation for obtaining Ahrensbach's foundation, but rescuing the fish is probably a close second.

“Aah, fish tastes so good...” I gushed. “I’ve come to want Ahrensbach.” - Rozemyne P4V8

[–] the16bitgamer 4 points 1 year ago

I think the fish is one of the many ~~excuses~~ reason she’ll keep the foundation, since dunk doesn’t want it.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Next season on Whale Wars.....

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

So we got the chapter where the color insert is happening. Also the Lutz - Myne telepathic connection finally got some spotlight. We will probably get an explanation after successful coup.

I think the fastest way is to use ICBM but teleportation circle is also fast enough. (Chekhov's gun also plays a role). The build up, up to this point is great. I can't wait for next week.

I wonder what Rozmyne will do with Quintas Name stone. Can she save him with it?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wow, the plot is accelerating at light speed now. Everyone is ready to defend Ehrenfest, and just when they're deciding how Rozemyne can best help if Georgine attacks before she leaves, she receives a vision of Ferdinand being attacked.

Obviously nothing will stand between her and saving Ferdinand, and thanks to the information she learned in her vision she now has a casus belli to strike at Ahrensbach first in the name of stopping traitors.

Of course Dunkelfelger is gleeful at the opportunity to participate in a true game of ditter, putting down traitors and rescuing Ferdinand are all they need for the Aub himself to join in.

I'm relieved to see Eckhart and Justus made it out of Ahrensbach alive. I'm sure their intelligence will be vital for Rozemyne's invasion and rescue. Aurelia probably knows where the mana replenishment hall is, but as Ferdinand's attendant I'm certain Justus would at least know what room it's located in.

This is so exciting, I can't wait for the next chapter. I imagine 5.7.7 will get us to Ahrensbach's border and then go into the epilogue. I also wonder what the Royal Family's reaction will be to all of this.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Really cranked it up to 11 this week. Holy crap

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fair warning, next week should be the epilogue, so no Rozemyne for another three probably.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The first release of the next volume will surely have at the very least one regular chapter, along with the prologue, so it's only two, not from her perspective. And even the epilogue and the side-stories might potentially still have her in it, just from a different person's point of view. It doesn't happen too often, but it does happen sometimes.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Next week is part 7 of this book, the week after is part 8, so no it would be three weeks until we get stuff about Rozemyne in the next book. Though yeah, we are certainly going to be getting stuff about her from other perspectives in the epilogue and side stories.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Oh... weeks yes. Somehow I read that as three releases yesterday. :o

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm really worried about Ferdinand. Rozemyne will have to go through the Ahrensbach temple's book room (using silver cloth, registering with it, or becoming the High Bishop?) to get to the foundation. Final boss: unread book room.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

There are more problems and unknowns than just the alure of books here.

  1. We don't know for sure that every temple had their foundation door in what was originally the book room, when it was constructed.
  2. What used to be the book room, might have been refurbished to serve some other function, which would make it not appear like a book room, but still contain the door.
  3. The door itself might have been moved.
  4. We don't know if priests from one temple, can pass through the book room barrier of another temple. If not, Rozemyne will have to break through by force, which will mean delays for that itself and being more exhausted when taking the foundation, meaning even more delays and potentially running out of rejuvenation potions.
  5. The layout of the Ahrensbach temple might be entirely different, causing even more potential delays.

Thankfully there are also positives.

  1. Between Ferdinand going to the Ahrensbach temple for ceremonies and Justus... being Justus, Justus is very likely able to provide Ehrenfest with the layout of Ahrensbach's temple and castle.
  2. Rozemyne still being at least partially dyed in Ferdinand's colour might come in handy. If Ferdinand got permission to enter the book room, their similar mana might allow Rozemyne to pass through. If a literal god can't tell the two apart, there's a good chance a mere barrier can't either...
  3. Considering point 2, it might even be possible for Rozemyne to just walk into the mana replenishment hall already, without any need to take the foundation. After all Ferdinand has access to it, so someone dyed in his mana might be registered by the barrier as "him" and be able to enter.
  4. Rozemyne is carrying Ferdinand's name-stone. If the barrier only requires someone to carry the mana of an admitted person (like the brooches for guests of Dormitories worked, when Aub Dunkelfelger brought Rozemyne and Ferdinand into their dorm for ditter), just having the stone might allow Rozemyne into the book room... or as per 3, maybe even the replenishment hall.
  5. Rozemyne has Ahrensbach's bible key, which might allow the person who owns it to bypass the barrier. Rozemyne did fully dye it after the Gloria incident, so she's the current owner.
  6. Ahrensbach's blue priests are highly disrespected by their nobility and Detlinde in particular. Ferdinand very likely treated them considerably better than they were ever treated by any Ahrensbach noble. As a result I would expect none of them to be too loyal to Detlinde and Georgine and thus either open to being forced or coerced into cooperating, or probably even outright willing and eager to help Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger.
[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Well Detlinde has ascended to maximum bitch

She also did the classic "villain monologuing to someone they think is dying" trope

And she still thinks Ferdinand loves her? The delusion

The Lutz mind-meld is back in action. The way she described it, it sounds super disorienting; I'm surprised Lutz, having experienced it as a child, doesn't have some sort of trauma

Can't wait to get Dunk first wife's perspective on this. And Hanne!

Anyway LFG!!!

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

I was thinking we were going to delay the majority of the conflict until next volume, and starting off this set of chapters with the baptism really made me think that was going to be the case.

Of course I forgot this is bookworm, so of course we can't just execute an invasion - we need meetings and a phone call and a meeting to figure out a noble justification! There's plenty of ways to fill up the volume that don't involve actual conflict.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Wow soo much to talk about...

At first I was surprised that they would mention Rozemyne's move to the Sovereignty in a letter to Ferdinand, but I guess that won't matter anymore now.

I was quite surprised that Rozemyne was able to see Detlinde. Since she's not physically present, I would have expected her to only see things through mana and thus be unable to see anything of Detlinde, that is covered by silver cloth. It would have been... interesting if Rozemyne only saw two hovering hands and only heard Detlinde. ^^ I guess this magic somehow taps into the senses of the other person, rather than solely relying on mana. Or it's an oversight by the author.

There is one piece of good news: We know for near enough certain that an antidote exists. Detlinde said the poison was acting instantly and was airborn, so Letizia would have been hit by it too, but is clearly not affected. And neither was Detlinde, when she threw the second dose at Ferdinand. I suspect they slipped Letizia the antidote inside a hard candy, so she would survive to be used as a scape-goat. Detlinde probably didn't anticipate Letizia giving some of those to Ferdinand and send some to Rozemyne through, which means that they might already be in the possession of the antidote. Or maybe Ferdinand even discovered that the hard candy contained the antidote and it was exactly that, which he slipped in his mouth, but it just takes a couple of mintues to do it's work. So in theory it's entirely possible Ferdinand will already be out and about by the time the rescue arrives, albeit with being stuck in schtappe sealing braclelets, there's only so much he can do. But hey, at least he already managed to get at least some Ahrensbach nobles on his side, who might then hide him from Georgine.

But if he is truly knocked out and incapable of escaping the replenishment hall by himself, there would be another way than stealing Ahrensbach#s foundation: Letizia. Yes, she is not strong enough to drag him out by herself and can't get anyone other person into the hall either, but she can bring objects. Objects like a rope for example! Tie one end around Ferdinand's hip and leave the other side outside the room and they can just drag Ferdinand out. Not the most elegant of solutions, but who cares about that when it comes to saving a life.

Were Rozemyne to successfully take over the foundation however, this is essentially a dream come true for the royal family. They dearly want to execute Detlinde already, but had to delay it until Letizia becomes Aub, since without a Grutrissheit, they have no way to pass the duchy's foundation on to another person. But Rozemyne has no intention of keeping it, meaning they can pick whoever they wish as the new Aub Ahrensbach and then have Rozemyne transfer the position over, freeing them up to do whatever they wish with Detlinde.

It might even mollify the losing duchies of the civil war, to see someone from the victorious faction being punished by the king, since it'd reinforce that the purge was done for justice and to protect the future of the country, rather than petty revenge (in truth it was petty revenge, primarily driven by Klassenberg, but it's the public perception that counts here, not the actual facts...). It will also show that he hasn't grown soft and thus serves as a warning for any future wanna-be rebel.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think Letzia could save Ferdinand with a rope. It isn't something a proper noble lady like her could even fathom she could do.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

She does not need to fathom it, she only needs to be told to do it, given the pre-knotted quasi-lasso and then put it around Ferdinand.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I was quite surprised that Rozemyne was able to see Detlinde. Since she’s not physically present, I would have expected her to only see things through mana and thus be unable to see anything of Detlinde, that is covered by silver cloth. It would have been… interesting if Rozemyne only saw two hovering hands and only heard Detlinde. ^^ I guess this magic somehow taps into the senses of the other person, rather than solely relying on mana. Or it’s an oversight by the author.

I think this is similar to how Lutz saw Myne during the tromb incident and Siggy

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When Myne instinctively cast the spell through the ring lent to her by Ferdinand, there was no mana blocking silver cloth involved...

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Good point. Also the mana blocking cufs should have also terminated the feed immediatly (which it didn't).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

That I have no issue with, since they are schtappe sealing, rather than mana sealing cuffs, so it's possible they might not work 100% on any non-schtappe related magic, especially in light of how Ferdinand is carrying at the very least Rozemyne's protective charm and likely several of his own devising, which might well have interfered with the workings of the cuffs for a while, until being drained of mana.

I think it was no coincidence that the connection broke, the moment the rainbows from Rozemyne's charm faded. Of course that also coincides with the moment Ferdinand lost consciousness, so I can't be sure.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I don't think she's gonna get that nap she so desperately needs.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I wonder if a time-saving magic circle could be modified to work on a Human. That way she might be able to get a full-night's sleep equivalent in a bell or two.

But I don't think so. If that was possible, Ferdinand would have invented it long ago, so he can spend more of his day productively (i.e. locked in his hidden room, brewing away). ^^

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I wonder how the negotiations with the royals are going to go.

I bet Trauerqual will be only to happy to agree and probably try to shove his crown on Rozemyne, the moment he hears that she has the Grutrissheit, even if it's just two thirds. Anastasius and Magdalena will be only too happy to get a way to execute Detlinde, so they'll probably be all for it. But the wildcard I can't predict is Sigiswald. Also Trauerqual's first and second wife, since we have no clue about what they are like...

There is also the issue of Raublut. Here he can really show his colours and either confirm himself to covertly work against the Royal Family, or turn out to be an overly cautious and foolish loyalist, who mistakenly fixated on Ferdinand and Ehrenfest as the real threat, while unknowning cooperating with the actual threat.

Unless he sees Ahrensbach merely as a convenient tool, rather than an integral ally to his plans. If that's the case, he might go along with the "true ditter" to keep his cover up and help crush Ahrensbach.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Was it explained how Rozemyne could see the events in the supply room? I think it was implied that it was one of the charms, but I'm not sure.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It is not explained, but it appears to be the same thing that Myne did to call for Lutz, while bound up by the trombe.

Though I would expect that Ferdinand cast that spell deliberately, rather than instinctively like Myne did, and was further aided by him wearing one of her charms, still filled with some of her mana.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

On a side note I'm surprised it managed to bypass dutchy boarders.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

True... I didn't even think of that.

I wonder if it might be because he charged both Ehrenfest's and Ahrensbach's foundations and thus some of his mana is in both sides of the duchy barrier between them.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Country Gate? oO Is this a mistranslation, or did Rozemyne actually say that?

Because if that is correct, there are some serious implications here. Let's look at the possibilities.

  1. Anyone with a Grutrissheit can open the country gates, even if they are not the Zent or even registered as a member of the royal family. This would make Lanzenave a considerably bigger threat, since it'd mean they could invade from any country gate of their choosing, if it's the Lanzenave King who wants to invade.

  2. Rozemyne intends to pressure the royal family to move up her adoption and be registered as a royal, or maybe even made a secret Zent, TODAY. With none of them having a Grutrissheit, they can't open Dunkelfelger's country gate for her after all.

Either way, she just essentially told Aub Dunkelfelger that she has a Grutrissheit, since it's well known that only someone with a Grutrissheit can open country gates. I doubt the royal family will be particularly happy about this particular bit. In the worst case, they might even interpret this as her trying to win Dunkelfelger over as an ally for a coup.

Tactically it would make a whole lot of sense to lead the strike-force outside the country and attack through Ahrensbach's country gate. They would completely catch Ahrensbach off guard, they would have a good view of any potential reinforcements Lanzenave might have in place, waiting outside the gate to move in for support and instead of having to travel over Giebe controlled land, they would traverse over open ocean all the way to Ahrensbach's capital, thus needing to content only with the Knight's Order, rather than any local forces.

Which brings me to Lanzenave and Leonzio. Personally I think Leonzio is doing this at his own initiative, without the consent or permission his king and only supported by a small cabal of close allies from his home. If the king was involved, surely he'd want Yurgenschmidt for himself, rather than give it to Detlinde. And if they intended to just string Detlinde along and then get rid of her, once they got into a position to take the Yurgenschimdt foundation for themselves, surely it'd be better to send the successor, who already has a Grutrissheit of his own, rather than some minor prince way down the line of succession.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

"I See..." He said "Hah. HAHAHAHAHA! [...]" - Aub Dunkefelger

His reaction is of someone that just learned the she has G-book, so I don't think that this is mistranslation.

I wonder if something will happen when an attack will go through a country gate where Ferdinand himself ordered to station some knights for protection from Lanzenave.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

WIth Georgine about to launch her attack at Ehrenfest, I would expect her to either reduce the guards or withdraw them entirely, to have more forces for the attack.

And with how well of an impression Ferdinand made in Ahrensbach, contrasted to how Detlinde is viewed, I would not be the least bit surprised, if any small contingent of guards that remains at the country gate, would just surrender, once they see a combined Ehrenfest and Dunkelfelger force bearing down on them, or maybe even join them, once they're told what happened.

Even if Georgine put some of her more trusted (or most thoroughly brainwashed) people at the country gate, I very much doubt they can even slow down Aub Dunkelfelger and Rozemyne, plus a host of very eager and capable Dunkelfelger Knights and a furious Eckhart, but I doubt even she foresaw the possibility of an attack from outside the country.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

She doesn't need to open the country gate, since she is already inside. There are teleportation circles between the country gates that the Zent would use to open/close them. Presumably Rozemyne plans on using her Grutrissheit knowledge to use those.

This isn't that big of a threat, since it only lets her teleport to the country gate. Once there, she us still outside of the dutchy gate, which will need Aub Dunkelfelger to open.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Oh right, I forgot about that, even though it was mentioned in the Eisenreich history lesson by Giebe Kirnberger.

I don't think Ahrensbach's inner country gate will be a problem. It's already past the feast celebrating spring, when Ahrensbach traditionally opens their gate to trade with Lanzenave. There's also a chance they might not even have been able to close it the previous autumn without a proper Aub. Not to mention that with Leonzio being part of the plan, there's a good chance they'd want to open the gate for him and maybe some troops he's bringing, regardless of tradition.

But coming through the Zent's own personal teleportation circle should give the strike team even more legitimacy in the eyes of any Ahrensbach knight stationed at the gate, who's on the fence about following Detlinde and Georgine.