Ascendance of a Bookworm (2019) s01e08 Episode Script
Lutz's Myne
1
After tense negotiations,
Main secured the rights to
produce and sell her paper.
However,
that made Lutz suspicious of her.
With his unspoken doubts
still up in the air,
the two were about to dive headlong
into the process of paper making.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Eight
Lutz's Main
This will be your workshop.
It's already been given a quick cleanup.
You can see your pot and ashes right there,
and we'll have your materials brought here
as they're delivered to the company.
Thank you, Mister Mark.
Let's carry the stuff
we brought from home inside.
Okay.
Lutz is interacting with me like usual.
I was worried that he'd figured out
that I wasn't really Main.
I'm glad we've made up.
I have to return to the store.
Here is the key to this place.
Be sure to lock up and
return the key every day.
Understood. Thank you for everything.
So, what are we doing today?
Hmm Decide what size the steamer will be,
take another look at the order forms, and
Oh, we also need to make bamboo sticks.
Bamboo sticks? For what?
Drainer
We'll put a bunch of them
together to make a drainer.
It's part of the deckle,
used to screen the paper solution.
Deckle
It broke again.
These are really difficult to make.
Maybe we should just decide on a length
and have someone else make it.
We're going to the lumberer's to order
the steamer and stuff tomorrow.
We can ask then.
Yeah
Huh?
What kinda wood did ya say ya want?
U-Uh To make a steamer
Yeah, so what kinda wood?!
E-Er It should be hard and dry
so that the steam doesn't alter its shape.
Okay, good. You do know your stuff.
I'd say you want hedwan,
tworso, or peditree.
Which will it be?
How am I supposed to decide?
Do you know, Lutz?
Hedwan is probably the easiest to use.
Do ya have a size in mind?
Yes, it's on the order form.
We would also like a mallet to pound fibers.
Something Lutz can hold and swing.
Pound fibers?
What for?
Unfortunately, I can't tell you that.
Striking the right balance between
hardness and weight will be key.
What ya use as a base
will also change things.
A base?
I hadn't considered that.
Can we have the mallet and
the base made together?
I'll write another order form now.
Sure, that's not a problem
But you're gonna write the form?
Yes.
Will this do?
Y-Yeah
Unbelievable. This looks good.
Oh, one last thing.
We want bamboo sticks like this one.
Can you make them?
Hmm Precision work
like this is beyond me.
You should ask a craftsman.
Understood!
Thank you for all your help!
Sure. Drop by anytime ya need anything.
Bamboo sticks, eh?
Does it have to be wavy?
I was trying to make it
nice and straight, actually.
Then coming to me was the right decision.
Is that all you need?
Can you also make a drainer for us?
It's a screen of sorts, with the bamboo
sticks tied up in a row like this.
That seems like a pain,
but it's not impossible.
However, I will need
really sturdy thread for it.
Sturdy thread?
Like in spinne webs.
I can pick something out for you
if we can go to a thread seller now.
Absolutely!
Hey, don't push yourself.
You'll go down first.
I'll be fine! I'm not exerting myself
Then I'll bring her there.
It seems she's once again
in the mood to be carried.
Sorry to make you do this again and again.
Oh, it's nothing. Please don't worry about it.
A month and a half later,
we had everything in place
to start making our paper.
Blue skies! White clouds!
'Tis the perfect day to make paper, Lutz!
Lutz?
Are you okay?
Do you want me to carry the steamer?
Nah, you can't handle it.
Maybe you should take a break, Lutz.
Nah.
Once we start steaming, we'll have to sit
around and wait for a bell's time, right?
That can be my break.
Okay.
I'm gonna go chop some wood.
You watch the pot and rest up.
But you need the rest more than I do.
I can't have you falling sick
before we finish the paper.
You can pick up twigs or whatever around here,
but don't try to do too much.
And yell if anything goes wrong, okay?
Got it.
We're out of twigs.
Guess I'll go pick up some more.
What is that?
That is one red fruit.
Is it edible?
Ow, hot!
H-Huh? What's with this sprouty thing?
Lutz Lutz!
What's wrong?
What is this?
Trombe!
Trombe? What's that?
I'll explain later!
What's the matter, Lutz?
We have a trombe!
You run away!
Okay.
See any more sprouting?
There shouldn't be.
What the What a weird plant.
Are you okay?
Yeah Lutz, what was that?
A trombe.
If it's not weeded out as soon
as it starts sprouting,
it'll suck up all the nutrients
in the soil and grow in a flash.
So that's why it sprouted so quickly.
Yeah. It becomes a real danger
if it gets too big,
and the knight order
would have to be called in.
They have a knight order?
Sounds like a fantasy world, all right.
But that's weird.
It's not trombe season yet,
and it was growing really fast.
But it hasn't affected the soil here much.
Huh
What? Don't you find it strange?
Well, I've never seen one before.
Right.
You only started coming to
the forest this spring.
I have an idea!
Why don't we try make paper
out of that trombe?
There's a bunch lying around, and you
chopped it down right after it sprouted,
so the fibers should still be soft.
And so we started making the paper with trombe.
Will this do for the steaming part?
Probably.
Let me try peeling the bark off.
Oh, wow!
It came off!
This might be the perfect
material for paper!
I'm surprised you can tell.
So, what next?
We stretch it out and let it dry.
When it's fully dried,
we wash it in the stream again.
Hey
What?
Never mind. We'll talk about it
when we finish the paper.
You can never predict
when trombe will grow.
We'll have to try other plants as well.
Is Lutz still suspicious of me?
The paper making process
continued to go smoothly,
but I couldn't tell what was on Lutz's mind.
Today, we boil the dried bark!
We just have to let it boil for a bell, right?
Yeah, but we also need to stir it
Gah! I just remembered
another thing we're missing!
What is it?
Lutz, make me two long sticks
to stir the pot.
Basically
Bamboo would be nice.
Chopsticks
Will this do?
Yeah! Thanks, Lutz!
It's impressive that you can
hold them like that to stir the pot.
U-Uh Yeah, aren't I cool?
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Today's work involves
me removing any knots and bruises in the fiber
and Lutz beating the fiber down.
Once the edile fruit mixed in water
produces a sticky starch,
we mix the fiber in it,
completing the paper solution.
We finally got to a stage I'm familiar with!
You see, I made paper out of milk cartons
back when I was Urano.
Are you really familiar with it?
I've done this before. I got this.
When and where?
I, uh I-I
It's a girly secret! No prying!
Why are you shaking it like that?
It balances out the thickness of the paper.
Huh. And you know that
because you've done it before?
Lutz
Please don't glare at me like that.
A few more days passed
Everything went smoothly,
and we finished our first pieces of paper.
It's paper.
It's actually paper.
We really did it.
It'll be dry by sunset.
Once it's dried, we have to
peel it off carefully so it doesn't tear,
and we'll be all done.
So it's as good as finished, right?
I said we'd talk when
we finished the paper, remember?
Do you want to do it out here
or inside the workshop?
Here is fine.
So, what did you want to talk about?
Tell me
Who are you?
You know how to make paper,
and even said you'd done it before.
There's no way you're Main.
You're right.
Then if you're not her
Where is the real Main? Give her back!
Okay.
I don't mind giving her back,
but it'd be better if I did it back home.
Why?
Because I'm pretty sure
only a corpse will remain after I'm gone.
Y Wha Wh What are you saying?!
You mean she's gone forever?
She's never coming back?!
I think so.
Answer me this:
did you devour Main with your fever?
That's half-right and half-wrong.
I believe that the real Main
was consumed by her fever, too.
But I am not the cause of the fever.
Hell, it's eating away at me, too.
What does that mean?!
Isn't this all your doing?!
Didn't Main disappear because of you?!
Tell me I'm right!
You know
It's not like I wanted to be Main!
I lived and died in a different world,
but suddenly I found that
I'd become some child!
If I had the choice, I'd never have
picked such a sickly body!
You didn't want to take Main's place?
Would you want to?
Her body is so frail, just walking a little
leaves it bedridden the next day.
Is that fever gonna eat you alive,
just like Main?
Yeah, probably.
So if you want me gone, just say so.
I'll go away anytime.
Why are you telling me that?
Because I would've been long gone
already if it wasn't for you.
I fell sick after Mom used
my wood tablets as firewood, remember?
At the time, I didn't mind if
the fever swallowed me whole.
Try as I might, I was never getting
my books, so I didn't care anymore.
But then
I saw your face,
remembered the promise I made to you,
and came back to myself.
What promise?
To introduce you to Otto.
Oh, but that was
We met Otto and Benno,
so I fulfilled my promise.
I even managed to make paper.
I do still want to complete a book,
but if you want me gone, I'm okay with that.
That's just absurd!
Since when have you been Main?
What do you think?
When do you think I stopped
being the Main you knew?
Why, you
Was it when you started wearing that thing?
Yeah, that's correct.
That's almost an entire year ago!
The family hasn't realized?
They have noticed that I'm weird,
but I don't think they've ever considered
that I might not be Main.
Besides, Dad was saying he was happy
just seeing how active I'd become.
I see.
Lutz?
I don't think it's my place to decide.
It should be Main's family.
Are you saying things
can stay like this for now?
And you're okay with that?
Again, it's not my place to decide!
Are you sure you don't want me gone?
I'm not the real Main, you know?
It's fine.
It's not like Main will come back
once you're gone.
Besides, if it's been you for an entire year,
most of my memories with "Main"
are actually of you.
So You can still be Main to me.
Lutz's words made everything
fall into place deep inside of me.
It may have only been a tiny piece,
but it was the final piece of the puzzle
that is my life here.
And as the river grew colder,
and paper-making became that much harder
Mister Benno, we've brought
prototypes of the paper.
Oh?
We've made three samples of varying
thickness each from two plants.
Let me see for myself how good it is.
Wow, it works.
It's easier to write on than parchment,
but it does blot the ink a little.
It's not that big a problem, I suppose
So, do we pass?
Can Lutz be your apprentice?
You pass.
Yay!
We did it, Lutz!
Yeah!
This one is higher quality.
We made those from trombe.
What? Trombe?!
Hmm It'd be nice if we could
mass-produce paper from it.
No way! Not with something that dangerous!
Do you want to turn the forest
into a wasteland?!
Huh? We can't use it?
Next Chapter
The Guild Master's Granddaughter
How do you like that, Head Priest?
I went and finished my paper!
Good. Now you can finally
start making books.
U-Uh, no. There's a lot left to do yet.
Apparently, you need some kind
of license to sell paper.
And the next step in the book-making
process will need even more capital
I see you still have a long, long way to go.
Illustration by Hachikawa Kyu
After tense negotiations,
Main secured the rights to
produce and sell her paper.
However,
that made Lutz suspicious of her.
With his unspoken doubts
still up in the air,
the two were about to dive headlong
into the process of paper making.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Eight
Lutz's Main
This will be your workshop.
It's already been given a quick cleanup.
You can see your pot and ashes right there,
and we'll have your materials brought here
as they're delivered to the company.
Thank you, Mister Mark.
Let's carry the stuff
we brought from home inside.
Okay.
Lutz is interacting with me like usual.
I was worried that he'd figured out
that I wasn't really Main.
I'm glad we've made up.
I have to return to the store.
Here is the key to this place.
Be sure to lock up and
return the key every day.
Understood. Thank you for everything.
So, what are we doing today?
Hmm Decide what size the steamer will be,
take another look at the order forms, and
Oh, we also need to make bamboo sticks.
Bamboo sticks? For what?
Drainer
We'll put a bunch of them
together to make a drainer.
It's part of the deckle,
used to screen the paper solution.
Deckle
It broke again.
These are really difficult to make.
Maybe we should just decide on a length
and have someone else make it.
We're going to the lumberer's to order
the steamer and stuff tomorrow.
We can ask then.
Yeah
Huh?
What kinda wood did ya say ya want?
U-Uh To make a steamer
Yeah, so what kinda wood?!
E-Er It should be hard and dry
so that the steam doesn't alter its shape.
Okay, good. You do know your stuff.
I'd say you want hedwan,
tworso, or peditree.
Which will it be?
How am I supposed to decide?
Do you know, Lutz?
Hedwan is probably the easiest to use.
Do ya have a size in mind?
Yes, it's on the order form.
We would also like a mallet to pound fibers.
Something Lutz can hold and swing.
Pound fibers?
What for?
Unfortunately, I can't tell you that.
Striking the right balance between
hardness and weight will be key.
What ya use as a base
will also change things.
A base?
I hadn't considered that.
Can we have the mallet and
the base made together?
I'll write another order form now.
Sure, that's not a problem
But you're gonna write the form?
Yes.
Will this do?
Y-Yeah
Unbelievable. This looks good.
Oh, one last thing.
We want bamboo sticks like this one.
Can you make them?
Hmm Precision work
like this is beyond me.
You should ask a craftsman.
Understood!
Thank you for all your help!
Sure. Drop by anytime ya need anything.
Bamboo sticks, eh?
Does it have to be wavy?
I was trying to make it
nice and straight, actually.
Then coming to me was the right decision.
Is that all you need?
Can you also make a drainer for us?
It's a screen of sorts, with the bamboo
sticks tied up in a row like this.
That seems like a pain,
but it's not impossible.
However, I will need
really sturdy thread for it.
Sturdy thread?
Like in spinne webs.
I can pick something out for you
if we can go to a thread seller now.
Absolutely!
Hey, don't push yourself.
You'll go down first.
I'll be fine! I'm not exerting myself
Then I'll bring her there.
It seems she's once again
in the mood to be carried.
Sorry to make you do this again and again.
Oh, it's nothing. Please don't worry about it.
A month and a half later,
we had everything in place
to start making our paper.
Blue skies! White clouds!
'Tis the perfect day to make paper, Lutz!
Lutz?
Are you okay?
Do you want me to carry the steamer?
Nah, you can't handle it.
Maybe you should take a break, Lutz.
Nah.
Once we start steaming, we'll have to sit
around and wait for a bell's time, right?
That can be my break.
Okay.
I'm gonna go chop some wood.
You watch the pot and rest up.
But you need the rest more than I do.
I can't have you falling sick
before we finish the paper.
You can pick up twigs or whatever around here,
but don't try to do too much.
And yell if anything goes wrong, okay?
Got it.
We're out of twigs.
Guess I'll go pick up some more.
What is that?
That is one red fruit.
Is it edible?
Ow, hot!
H-Huh? What's with this sprouty thing?
Lutz Lutz!
What's wrong?
What is this?
Trombe!
Trombe? What's that?
I'll explain later!
What's the matter, Lutz?
We have a trombe!
You run away!
Okay.
See any more sprouting?
There shouldn't be.
What the What a weird plant.
Are you okay?
Yeah Lutz, what was that?
A trombe.
If it's not weeded out as soon
as it starts sprouting,
it'll suck up all the nutrients
in the soil and grow in a flash.
So that's why it sprouted so quickly.
Yeah. It becomes a real danger
if it gets too big,
and the knight order
would have to be called in.
They have a knight order?
Sounds like a fantasy world, all right.
But that's weird.
It's not trombe season yet,
and it was growing really fast.
But it hasn't affected the soil here much.
Huh
What? Don't you find it strange?
Well, I've never seen one before.
Right.
You only started coming to
the forest this spring.
I have an idea!
Why don't we try make paper
out of that trombe?
There's a bunch lying around, and you
chopped it down right after it sprouted,
so the fibers should still be soft.
And so we started making the paper with trombe.
Will this do for the steaming part?
Probably.
Let me try peeling the bark off.
Oh, wow!
It came off!
This might be the perfect
material for paper!
I'm surprised you can tell.
So, what next?
We stretch it out and let it dry.
When it's fully dried,
we wash it in the stream again.
Hey
What?
Never mind. We'll talk about it
when we finish the paper.
You can never predict
when trombe will grow.
We'll have to try other plants as well.
Is Lutz still suspicious of me?
The paper making process
continued to go smoothly,
but I couldn't tell what was on Lutz's mind.
Today, we boil the dried bark!
We just have to let it boil for a bell, right?
Yeah, but we also need to stir it
Gah! I just remembered
another thing we're missing!
What is it?
Lutz, make me two long sticks
to stir the pot.
Basically
Bamboo would be nice.
Chopsticks
Will this do?
Yeah! Thanks, Lutz!
It's impressive that you can
hold them like that to stir the pot.
U-Uh Yeah, aren't I cool?
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Today's work involves
me removing any knots and bruises in the fiber
and Lutz beating the fiber down.
Once the edile fruit mixed in water
produces a sticky starch,
we mix the fiber in it,
completing the paper solution.
We finally got to a stage I'm familiar with!
You see, I made paper out of milk cartons
back when I was Urano.
Are you really familiar with it?
I've done this before. I got this.
When and where?
I, uh I-I
It's a girly secret! No prying!
Why are you shaking it like that?
It balances out the thickness of the paper.
Huh. And you know that
because you've done it before?
Lutz
Please don't glare at me like that.
A few more days passed
Everything went smoothly,
and we finished our first pieces of paper.
It's paper.
It's actually paper.
We really did it.
It'll be dry by sunset.
Once it's dried, we have to
peel it off carefully so it doesn't tear,
and we'll be all done.
So it's as good as finished, right?
I said we'd talk when
we finished the paper, remember?
Do you want to do it out here
or inside the workshop?
Here is fine.
So, what did you want to talk about?
Tell me
Who are you?
You know how to make paper,
and even said you'd done it before.
There's no way you're Main.
You're right.
Then if you're not her
Where is the real Main? Give her back!
Okay.
I don't mind giving her back,
but it'd be better if I did it back home.
Why?
Because I'm pretty sure
only a corpse will remain after I'm gone.
Y Wha Wh What are you saying?!
You mean she's gone forever?
She's never coming back?!
I think so.
Answer me this:
did you devour Main with your fever?
That's half-right and half-wrong.
I believe that the real Main
was consumed by her fever, too.
But I am not the cause of the fever.
Hell, it's eating away at me, too.
What does that mean?!
Isn't this all your doing?!
Didn't Main disappear because of you?!
Tell me I'm right!
You know
It's not like I wanted to be Main!
I lived and died in a different world,
but suddenly I found that
I'd become some child!
If I had the choice, I'd never have
picked such a sickly body!
You didn't want to take Main's place?
Would you want to?
Her body is so frail, just walking a little
leaves it bedridden the next day.
Is that fever gonna eat you alive,
just like Main?
Yeah, probably.
So if you want me gone, just say so.
I'll go away anytime.
Why are you telling me that?
Because I would've been long gone
already if it wasn't for you.
I fell sick after Mom used
my wood tablets as firewood, remember?
At the time, I didn't mind if
the fever swallowed me whole.
Try as I might, I was never getting
my books, so I didn't care anymore.
But then
I saw your face,
remembered the promise I made to you,
and came back to myself.
What promise?
To introduce you to Otto.
Oh, but that was
We met Otto and Benno,
so I fulfilled my promise.
I even managed to make paper.
I do still want to complete a book,
but if you want me gone, I'm okay with that.
That's just absurd!
Since when have you been Main?
What do you think?
When do you think I stopped
being the Main you knew?
Why, you
Was it when you started wearing that thing?
Yeah, that's correct.
That's almost an entire year ago!
The family hasn't realized?
They have noticed that I'm weird,
but I don't think they've ever considered
that I might not be Main.
Besides, Dad was saying he was happy
just seeing how active I'd become.
I see.
Lutz?
I don't think it's my place to decide.
It should be Main's family.
Are you saying things
can stay like this for now?
And you're okay with that?
Again, it's not my place to decide!
Are you sure you don't want me gone?
I'm not the real Main, you know?
It's fine.
It's not like Main will come back
once you're gone.
Besides, if it's been you for an entire year,
most of my memories with "Main"
are actually of you.
So You can still be Main to me.
Lutz's words made everything
fall into place deep inside of me.
It may have only been a tiny piece,
but it was the final piece of the puzzle
that is my life here.
And as the river grew colder,
and paper-making became that much harder
Mister Benno, we've brought
prototypes of the paper.
Oh?
We've made three samples of varying
thickness each from two plants.
Let me see for myself how good it is.
Wow, it works.
It's easier to write on than parchment,
but it does blot the ink a little.
It's not that big a problem, I suppose
So, do we pass?
Can Lutz be your apprentice?
You pass.
Yay!
We did it, Lutz!
Yeah!
This one is higher quality.
We made those from trombe.
What? Trombe?!
Hmm It'd be nice if we could
mass-produce paper from it.
No way! Not with something that dangerous!
Do you want to turn the forest
into a wasteland?!
Huh? We can't use it?
Next Chapter
The Guild Master's Granddaughter
How do you like that, Head Priest?
I went and finished my paper!
Good. Now you can finally
start making books.
U-Uh, no. There's a lot left to do yet.
Apparently, you need some kind
of license to sell paper.
And the next step in the book-making
process will need even more capital
I see you still have a long, long way to go.
Illustration by Hachikawa Kyu