Ascendance of a Bookworm (2019) s01e11 Episode Script
Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings
1
Having learned that treating the
Devouring requires a lot of money,
Main sells some of her knowledge
from her old world to Benno.
But while discussing business with him,
she suddenly collapses
and falls unconscious.
Master, I got in touch with the guild master.
Let's go, Lutz!
Yeah!
Main's social circle comes
together in a bid to save her.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Eleven
Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings
Not again.
Stupid fever.
Stay away!
I haven't finished any books yet!
Huh? What's that ball?
It's sucking up the fever.
Whatever! Take it all away!
Huh?
Where am I?
Such a nice bed
What's this thing?
Have you come to?
Freida!
Is this your place, then?
Yes. How do you feel?
The fever's gone, and I feel
a lot better than usual.
Figures.
It's broken, after all.
You must've overloaded it with your fever.
Freida, what is this?
A magical item.
A what?
It absorbed your fever for you.
This bracelet did?
It was barely holding together,
and absorbing the fever
must've made it fall apart.
Did I only survive because of this thing?
That's right.
Remember what I said last time we met?
The Devouring can't be cured,
but it can be controlled.
Oh, this is what you meant.
I'm really gonna be okay now, huh?
Listen carefully, Main.
All this magical item did
was take away some water from a
cup that was about to overflow.
The cup's not exactly empty yet,
and it'll only fill faster as you grow.
What? You mean
It'll start overflowing again soon enough.
How soon is "soon enough"?
Answer me, Freida.
A year, at most.
Only a year?
Where can I get these magical items?
How'd you get this bracelet, then?
Magical items are the exclusive
property of nobility.
The only ones we can get our hands on are
the ones considered faulty or useless.
And Grandfather already went
around buying those up for me.
You won't find any, no matter where you look.
What?
Even if you do find one, it won't
be long before you'll need another.
Those of us with the Devouring
can't live without these items.
There's only one way to survive.
Entering into an agreement with a noble.
An agreement?
Yes. In return for having
them buy you magical items,
you will agree to work
exclusively for them
Just as I have.
I've agreed to become a noble's concubine
after my coming-of-age ceremony.
C-C-Concubine?
You mean, like, you'll be his m-mistress?
Yes.
Grandfather does frequent business
with nobles as the guild master.
Many offered to take me to form a
bond with him or gain his backing,
and he made a deal with the
person who made the best offer.
I'm amazed you could accept that.
It's the only way for a commoner
with the Devouring to survive.
What if I want no part of that?
That means choosing to die.
So, Main, think long and
hard before you decide.
Will you live life chained to a noble
or perish by your family's side?
Thank you so much for giving up one of
your precious magical items for my sake.
Excuse me?
Benno told me that you would pay for it.
He asked me to lend a magical
item if it came down to it.
Is that so?
I understand. I'll pay.
It'll be three small gold coins.
Three small golds?!
You can't afford it?
No, I can. I was just surprised by the price.
You can pay up, Main?!
Is it a problem if I can?
A huge one.
The agreement was that I could register
you as my apprentice if you couldn't.
What?
Looks like we missed out.
Thank god my past self sold the AIO Shampoo
improvements for three small golds!
Good job, me!
Main!
Dad, Mom, Tuuli!
A while later, my family and
Lutz came to check up on me.
It seems Freida had let them know.
I'm so glad you woke up!
How do you feel?
I felt my heart stop when
Lutz said you'd collapsed.
Sorry I worried you.
But I'm fine now.
That's good. Can you come home, then?
We'll watch over her tonight.
She's not completely stable yet.
But
I can tell because I have the same illness.
We're sorry for the trouble,
but please take care of her.
I'll go let Master Benno know.
Sure. Thanks for everything, Lutz.
We can rest easy if she's
in that young lady's care.
Freida had the Devouring too, huh?
Devouring?
Yep. That's what Main's illness is called.
She told me about it recently.
I've never even heard of it.
Who cares what it's called?
I'm just glad she's cured.
Just one more year
After they left,
Freida and I decided to indulge
in some girly playtime.
This is Liese, our cook.
So, what are we making?
Er
Do you have sugar?
We do. And also flour, eggs, and butter.
Then we can make pound cake.
Pound cake?
It's as easy as making a mix of even
quantities of the ingredients and baking it.
Whipping the eggs and sugar
is the most important part.
I'd like to try.
Next, you mix in the sifted flour.
Main, switch.
Making sweets is harder than I thought.
After that, you put in the melted butter
and beat it all together
Please switch, Miss Liese.
You two are too frail.
Perfect. It's baked all the way through.
This is bliss!
Main!
Uh?
I somehow shook off Freida
and Liese's passionate gazes,
and girly playtime moved on to Part II.
Amazing!
Grandfather copied the bath
he'd seen in a noble's mansion.
He said I should get used to it
before entering high society.
He sure dotes on you.
It's just an investment for the future.
Deep down, you don't want to
leave your family, do you?
When I'm a concubine, I'll get to run
my own store in the nobles' district.
I'll get to run a business after I'd
given up on it due to the Devouring.
I can't wait!
Freida, you're strong.
And then I washed Freida's hair with the
AIO Shampoo I'd asked Tuuli to bring.
You're good at this, Main.
Tuuli My sister and I wash
each other's hair often.
Incredible! My hair feels so silky!
Consider it thanks for the magical item.
We were supposed to have a
nice, long chat while in bed,
but thanks to the bath,
the two of us fell asleep immediately.
Freida gets baptized tomorrow.
How marvelous!
You look like an angelic messenger,
or perhaps the Goddess of Sprouts,
bringing spring with her!
Huh? Why?
Miss Main, do you feel sick?
Oh, no.
It's just, looking at Freida suddenly
made me want to see my family.
Main, I'm sure you missed me.
I sure missed you!
You're going to put her off.
I missed you a little.
I see. You missed me, huh?
Since you're here, Grandfather would like
to invite you to join us for dinner.
I wanna eat your cooking, Mom.
It's been a few days.
Man, I wanted to eat some rich people food!
Sorry, Tuuli.
Well, Eva's cooking is the best in the world!
There he goes.
Dad's singing Mom's praises again!
That's when it hit me.
At some point, this had become my home.
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Master Benno was really worried while you
were over at the guild master's place.
He thought they might try to steal you.
I fought them off, but
But?
Not saying, because I'll get yelled at.
You can tell me!
No. Never.
Wait, Main.
Wh-What?
I was just thinking how
grateful I am to have you.
Is that so?
My second winter in this world had arrived.
Three small golds?!
That old fart! He told me it was two!
So that's why.
They were shocked when I paid up.
Really? As long as you
pulled one over on them.
Thank you for everything.
By the way, Mister Benno
I have a question.
You made a snack using sugar?!
Is sugar that rare?
It's only recently that we
started getting imports of it.
It's considerably popular among the nobles.
So they got their hands on the whole recipe.
You gave away a product
nobles would love for free.
Those people are hyenas!
Why would you poke your head out of hiding?!
I'm sorry
I'm glad you're better now.
I'm sorry I made you worry.
Just one more year, huh?
I refuse to believe it.
Main's always made the impossible possible.
I know she'll find a way again.
Business is thriving, huh, Mister Benno?
Winter is the busiest time for us.
You'd be surprised at how willing
people are to splurge on things
that'll keep them occupied
while they're snowed in.
Thinking of quick, casual games,
there's card games, karuta,
shogi, and reversi, I guess?
Can I make them by next winter?
A year, at most.
Will you live life chained to a noble
or perish by your family's side?
Time passed mercilessly by as I couldn't
bring myself to tell my family the truth.
Before long, my outfit for the
baptism ceremony was finished.
I'm home.
Welcome back, Dad!
How do I look? Ready to
take my baptism by storm?
Wow, Main!
I bet people will mistake
you for a high-class girl!
We reworked Tuuli's ceremony outfit.
I just did what Main said.
Now she looks like some kind of rich girl.
Why? Because I'm that damn cute?
Please. It's because I'm that damn good.
Main's baptism, eh?
It was unthinkable back when she
was tiny and feverish all the time.
How you've grown, my little girl.
Dad
Seriously.
And her illness is cured, too.
What's wrong, Main?
Dad, Mom, Tuuli.
We need to talk.
It's about my illness.
What are you talking about?
Wasn't your illness cured?
The Devouring is incurable.
I just borrowed a magical item from Freida
and suppressed its fever temporarily.
Magical item?
Yeah.
Apparently, you have to keep using magical
items to control the Devouring's fever.
Main did say before that treating
it takes a lot of money.
Is that true?
How much was it, Main?
Don't worry about it. I already paid.
No keeping anything from us. Spit it out.
Three small golds.
Three small gold coins?!
How'd you have so much money?!
I sold my paper and the formula for
the AIO Shampoo to Mister Benno.
What's done is done. Forget that.
I want to know what's in store for us.
You said you only suppressed
the fever temporarily.
Does that mean it'll come back for sure?
That's why you didn't bring it up, right?
You were trying to avoid the question.
How could you tell?
Of course I can. I'm your father.
I'll only last another year at most.
No, Main! You can't die!
Never!
Tuuli I don't wanna die, either.
I don't wanna die!
Is there anything we can do other
than using those magical items?
There is, but I'd have to go
off to the nobles' district.
But then, you wouldn't
I probably wouldn't ever see you again.
No! You can't go!
Yeah, I don't wanna live
a life without you all.
I'd sooner die.
Dad.
Mom.
Tuuli.
Can I stay right here with my family?
You'll always be with us.
Of course.
Thank you!
Next Chapter
Baptisms and Divine Paradises
What about your apprenticeship with me?
Gah! I'd forgotten all about that!
I'm sorry!
Good grief.
Just how thoughtless can one lass be!
Ow!
That hurts, Mister Benno!
You'd better come up with
a solution by next episode!
I get it, so let me go already!
Illustration by Kikuyaro
Having learned that treating the
Devouring requires a lot of money,
Main sells some of her knowledge
from her old world to Benno.
But while discussing business with him,
she suddenly collapses
and falls unconscious.
Master, I got in touch with the guild master.
Let's go, Lutz!
Yeah!
Main's social circle comes
together in a bid to save her.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Eleven
Life-or-Death Choices and Family Meetings
Not again.
Stupid fever.
Stay away!
I haven't finished any books yet!
Huh? What's that ball?
It's sucking up the fever.
Whatever! Take it all away!
Huh?
Where am I?
Such a nice bed
What's this thing?
Have you come to?
Freida!
Is this your place, then?
Yes. How do you feel?
The fever's gone, and I feel
a lot better than usual.
Figures.
It's broken, after all.
You must've overloaded it with your fever.
Freida, what is this?
A magical item.
A what?
It absorbed your fever for you.
This bracelet did?
It was barely holding together,
and absorbing the fever
must've made it fall apart.
Did I only survive because of this thing?
That's right.
Remember what I said last time we met?
The Devouring can't be cured,
but it can be controlled.
Oh, this is what you meant.
I'm really gonna be okay now, huh?
Listen carefully, Main.
All this magical item did
was take away some water from a
cup that was about to overflow.
The cup's not exactly empty yet,
and it'll only fill faster as you grow.
What? You mean
It'll start overflowing again soon enough.
How soon is "soon enough"?
Answer me, Freida.
A year, at most.
Only a year?
Where can I get these magical items?
How'd you get this bracelet, then?
Magical items are the exclusive
property of nobility.
The only ones we can get our hands on are
the ones considered faulty or useless.
And Grandfather already went
around buying those up for me.
You won't find any, no matter where you look.
What?
Even if you do find one, it won't
be long before you'll need another.
Those of us with the Devouring
can't live without these items.
There's only one way to survive.
Entering into an agreement with a noble.
An agreement?
Yes. In return for having
them buy you magical items,
you will agree to work
exclusively for them
Just as I have.
I've agreed to become a noble's concubine
after my coming-of-age ceremony.
C-C-Concubine?
You mean, like, you'll be his m-mistress?
Yes.
Grandfather does frequent business
with nobles as the guild master.
Many offered to take me to form a
bond with him or gain his backing,
and he made a deal with the
person who made the best offer.
I'm amazed you could accept that.
It's the only way for a commoner
with the Devouring to survive.
What if I want no part of that?
That means choosing to die.
So, Main, think long and
hard before you decide.
Will you live life chained to a noble
or perish by your family's side?
Thank you so much for giving up one of
your precious magical items for my sake.
Excuse me?
Benno told me that you would pay for it.
He asked me to lend a magical
item if it came down to it.
Is that so?
I understand. I'll pay.
It'll be three small gold coins.
Three small golds?!
You can't afford it?
No, I can. I was just surprised by the price.
You can pay up, Main?!
Is it a problem if I can?
A huge one.
The agreement was that I could register
you as my apprentice if you couldn't.
What?
Looks like we missed out.
Thank god my past self sold the AIO Shampoo
improvements for three small golds!
Good job, me!
Main!
Dad, Mom, Tuuli!
A while later, my family and
Lutz came to check up on me.
It seems Freida had let them know.
I'm so glad you woke up!
How do you feel?
I felt my heart stop when
Lutz said you'd collapsed.
Sorry I worried you.
But I'm fine now.
That's good. Can you come home, then?
We'll watch over her tonight.
She's not completely stable yet.
But
I can tell because I have the same illness.
We're sorry for the trouble,
but please take care of her.
I'll go let Master Benno know.
Sure. Thanks for everything, Lutz.
We can rest easy if she's
in that young lady's care.
Freida had the Devouring too, huh?
Devouring?
Yep. That's what Main's illness is called.
She told me about it recently.
I've never even heard of it.
Who cares what it's called?
I'm just glad she's cured.
Just one more year
After they left,
Freida and I decided to indulge
in some girly playtime.
This is Liese, our cook.
So, what are we making?
Er
Do you have sugar?
We do. And also flour, eggs, and butter.
Then we can make pound cake.
Pound cake?
It's as easy as making a mix of even
quantities of the ingredients and baking it.
Whipping the eggs and sugar
is the most important part.
I'd like to try.
Next, you mix in the sifted flour.
Main, switch.
Making sweets is harder than I thought.
After that, you put in the melted butter
and beat it all together
Please switch, Miss Liese.
You two are too frail.
Perfect. It's baked all the way through.
This is bliss!
Main!
Uh?
I somehow shook off Freida
and Liese's passionate gazes,
and girly playtime moved on to Part II.
Amazing!
Grandfather copied the bath
he'd seen in a noble's mansion.
He said I should get used to it
before entering high society.
He sure dotes on you.
It's just an investment for the future.
Deep down, you don't want to
leave your family, do you?
When I'm a concubine, I'll get to run
my own store in the nobles' district.
I'll get to run a business after I'd
given up on it due to the Devouring.
I can't wait!
Freida, you're strong.
And then I washed Freida's hair with the
AIO Shampoo I'd asked Tuuli to bring.
You're good at this, Main.
Tuuli My sister and I wash
each other's hair often.
Incredible! My hair feels so silky!
Consider it thanks for the magical item.
We were supposed to have a
nice, long chat while in bed,
but thanks to the bath,
the two of us fell asleep immediately.
Freida gets baptized tomorrow.
How marvelous!
You look like an angelic messenger,
or perhaps the Goddess of Sprouts,
bringing spring with her!
Huh? Why?
Miss Main, do you feel sick?
Oh, no.
It's just, looking at Freida suddenly
made me want to see my family.
Main, I'm sure you missed me.
I sure missed you!
You're going to put her off.
I missed you a little.
I see. You missed me, huh?
Since you're here, Grandfather would like
to invite you to join us for dinner.
I wanna eat your cooking, Mom.
It's been a few days.
Man, I wanted to eat some rich people food!
Sorry, Tuuli.
Well, Eva's cooking is the best in the world!
There he goes.
Dad's singing Mom's praises again!
That's when it hit me.
At some point, this had become my home.
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Master Benno was really worried while you
were over at the guild master's place.
He thought they might try to steal you.
I fought them off, but
But?
Not saying, because I'll get yelled at.
You can tell me!
No. Never.
Wait, Main.
Wh-What?
I was just thinking how
grateful I am to have you.
Is that so?
My second winter in this world had arrived.
Three small golds?!
That old fart! He told me it was two!
So that's why.
They were shocked when I paid up.
Really? As long as you
pulled one over on them.
Thank you for everything.
By the way, Mister Benno
I have a question.
You made a snack using sugar?!
Is sugar that rare?
It's only recently that we
started getting imports of it.
It's considerably popular among the nobles.
So they got their hands on the whole recipe.
You gave away a product
nobles would love for free.
Those people are hyenas!
Why would you poke your head out of hiding?!
I'm sorry
I'm glad you're better now.
I'm sorry I made you worry.
Just one more year, huh?
I refuse to believe it.
Main's always made the impossible possible.
I know she'll find a way again.
Business is thriving, huh, Mister Benno?
Winter is the busiest time for us.
You'd be surprised at how willing
people are to splurge on things
that'll keep them occupied
while they're snowed in.
Thinking of quick, casual games,
there's card games, karuta,
shogi, and reversi, I guess?
Can I make them by next winter?
A year, at most.
Will you live life chained to a noble
or perish by your family's side?
Time passed mercilessly by as I couldn't
bring myself to tell my family the truth.
Before long, my outfit for the
baptism ceremony was finished.
I'm home.
Welcome back, Dad!
How do I look? Ready to
take my baptism by storm?
Wow, Main!
I bet people will mistake
you for a high-class girl!
We reworked Tuuli's ceremony outfit.
I just did what Main said.
Now she looks like some kind of rich girl.
Why? Because I'm that damn cute?
Please. It's because I'm that damn good.
Main's baptism, eh?
It was unthinkable back when she
was tiny and feverish all the time.
How you've grown, my little girl.
Dad
Seriously.
And her illness is cured, too.
What's wrong, Main?
Dad, Mom, Tuuli.
We need to talk.
It's about my illness.
What are you talking about?
Wasn't your illness cured?
The Devouring is incurable.
I just borrowed a magical item from Freida
and suppressed its fever temporarily.
Magical item?
Yeah.
Apparently, you have to keep using magical
items to control the Devouring's fever.
Main did say before that treating
it takes a lot of money.
Is that true?
How much was it, Main?
Don't worry about it. I already paid.
No keeping anything from us. Spit it out.
Three small golds.
Three small gold coins?!
How'd you have so much money?!
I sold my paper and the formula for
the AIO Shampoo to Mister Benno.
What's done is done. Forget that.
I want to know what's in store for us.
You said you only suppressed
the fever temporarily.
Does that mean it'll come back for sure?
That's why you didn't bring it up, right?
You were trying to avoid the question.
How could you tell?
Of course I can. I'm your father.
I'll only last another year at most.
No, Main! You can't die!
Never!
Tuuli I don't wanna die, either.
I don't wanna die!
Is there anything we can do other
than using those magical items?
There is, but I'd have to go
off to the nobles' district.
But then, you wouldn't
I probably wouldn't ever see you again.
No! You can't go!
Yeah, I don't wanna live
a life without you all.
I'd sooner die.
Dad.
Mom.
Tuuli.
Can I stay right here with my family?
You'll always be with us.
Of course.
Thank you!
Next Chapter
Baptisms and Divine Paradises
What about your apprenticeship with me?
Gah! I'd forgotten all about that!
I'm sorry!
Good grief.
Just how thoughtless can one lass be!
Ow!
That hurts, Mister Benno!
You'd better come up with
a solution by next episode!
I get it, so let me go already!
Illustration by Kikuyaro