Ascendance of a Bookworm (2019) s01e14 Episode Script
Conclusions
1
The staff at the cathedral learn
that Main has the Devouring.
Main, we would like to
speak to your parents.
Benno suggests using contract magic
to protect her from the nobles,
and Main makes up her mind
to join the church.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Fourteen
Conclusions
I'm home.
Main!
So, what happened at the cathedral?
Well, I asked the high priest to
forget about my apprenticeship,
but once they found out I had the Devouring,
they said they wanted to talk to you
and gave me this invitation for you.
They want to meet at the third
bell two days from now.
What the hell did you do, Main?
They made me touch a grail.
And when it shone,
they asked to see you.
After that, I went to see Benno,
and he told me a bunch of things
about nobles and the Devouring.
Apparently, the Devouring's
fever is actually just mana.
Mana?
He said that since the shining grail
proved that I possessed mana,
I can no longer run from the
church or the nobility.
No!
But the church has magical items,
so I can live on if I join.
Is that true?
But you won't be able to
see us if you join, right?
If things stay the same, yes.
I don't want to give you up to the church.
If I sent you there alone
Hey, Dad. Do you know what's
been going on in the capital?
Have you heard that there was a purge that
drastically changed the situation with nobles?
What does that have to do with anything?
Actually, since the nobles
have dwindled in number,
it seems the church is in
desperate need of mana.
That's why they want me.
From what I've seen and heard at the gate,
the nobles certainly are
scattering in all directions.
What Benno said was true.
Then this may work out.
What do you mean, Main?
He said I was in luck.
That with careful negotiating,
I could secure treatment
close to that of a noble.
Tell me more.
First, envision the ideal
result for yourself.
What concessions do you need
from them to achieve it?
What can you offer them?
What do they want?
Figure all that out.
What I want
is permission to enter the library
and read the books there.
It's almost impressive that you
can be so single-minded now.
I-It's just the ideal result!
If I'm being greedy, you know?
What I can offer them is mana and money.
That's right.
As long as you don't sell those short,
you can secure better conditions.
If things go well, you could get accepted
as a blue-robed apprentice priestess.
To ensure this, register the Main Studio
and secure a revenue stream.
By the way,
I've heard that you can't join the church
if you're registered with the Guild.
Can I actually register
myself as studio head?
The high priest said he'd negotiate
with the guild master
Don't leave your fate in
someone else's hands!
If you can't get them to accept
that you're already registered,
throw some money around and get them
to allow your studio business!
You will be the only one in the
church who can deal with the Guild!
Right!
If needed, say you want to use the Main
Studio to provide work for the orphans,
provide them a better environment,
or some bull crap like that,
and get them to accept your ownership!
Also, sell the fact that
you're physically frail,
and try to secure the
best treatment possible.
Don't care about how it looks!
Fight to live!
I understand. I'll try.
There you have it.
So there's room to negotiate.
I think so.
That's why Benno told me to fight to live.
"Fight to live," huh?
You could say there's hope for us, right?
Right.
What we can offer is mana and money.
And then we have to emphasize my frailty
and get me treated almost like a noble.
We also have to get them to
allow me to run my studio,
and continue to live at home.
If they agree to these three demands,
I think it's safe to say we have won.
I'll give it a shot.
I became a soldier to protect my family!
What's wrong, Tuuli? Can't sleep?
What's the matter?
Can you really negotiate with nobility?
Don't they kill people just
for talking back to them?
If anything happened to you, I'd
Tuuli!
Mom!
Please come back home with Dad!
Two days later, it was time for the
negotiations at the cathedral.
Dad, fight for me, okay?
You got it.
This must be the will of the gods.
Main and her parents are here.
Hello, High Priest.
Oh, Main. Welcome.
Who are these two, Main?
My parents.
What? Your parents?
What work do they do?
My father's a soldier, and my
mother's at a textile workshop.
A soldier?
Ah I never thought they'd be poor.
What a waste of time.
Please take your seats.
No need! They can stand!
What's with his sudden change in attitude?
Let's just get this over with.
I believe you're aware that Main
wants to be an apprentice priestess,
and that you're against it?
That's right.
I don't feel like giving my daughter
up to live like an orphan.
But she has the Devouring.
She can't live on without
access to magical items.
The church is graciously taking
her in to save her life.
Main's body is too frail to survive if
she's forced to live like an orphan.
I would like you not to put her to
work as a gray-robed priestess.
That's right!
She's a very frail girl even
without the Devouring!
She can't survive at the cathedral!
Please Please let her live at home.
Insolent knaves!
You dare complain about
our compassionate offer?!
Shut up and hand over your daughter!
What? This is a noble?
I must refuse.
I will never throw my
child into an orphanage.
That's right! Please, have a heart!
How dare you!
Hold these insolent parents
down and lock Main up!
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Hold these insolent parents
down and lock Main up!
Stand back.
Oh? You want to resist?
If you dare raise a hand against a priest,
I'll have you executed in the name of the gods!
I was ready to die the moment
I decided to fight for Main!
Curses! Get Main!
Let's hold the man down first.
Why, you!
You could take down a couple,
but how long will you last against so many?
A mere commoner thinks
he can defy the church?
To the guillotine with you!
You will die a dog's death.
Get him!
Enough.
Main?
Don't you dare lay a hand on my mom and dad.
You invited us here to have a discussion.
Is this what you call a discussion?
H-Help!
Main! Your mana's leaking out!
Control your emotions!
How am I supposed to?
Like I'm sure you always do.
How am I supposed to quell my rage toward
a man who wants to execute my father?
S-Stay away!
Hold it! If you keep going,
you'll crush his heart!
He was ready to kill a person.
I'm sure he was ready to
risk his own life, too.
Main!
Move.
Calm down! Let's talk things out!
"Talk things out"?
Using force? Or
Using mana?
You mustn't kill him.
If you kill the high priest,
your parents will be accessories
to the murder of a noble.
I know you wouldn't want that.
Even my family will get hurt because of me?
I see you've returned to your senses.
Let's have the exact
discussion you came to have.
You mean you'll accept all our demands?
Yes.
But before that, you must get
your raging mana under control.
Can you do that?
I have to trap it inside, like I always do.
Main!
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
I'm used to it, and I'm
in control of myself now.
You're used to it?
You mean it's happened before?
Not to that extent, no,
but it used to happen pretty often.
I didn't know.
Um, are you okay, Head Priest?
This is my punishment.
I had this coming for not stopping the
high priest from antagonizing you.
I didn't expect your commoner
parents to defy a noble's orders.
Main's my daughter.
I've said so countless times.
Main.
I envy you for having such loving parents.
Be they orphans or nobles,
everyone in the church was
cast aside by their parents.
After that, we moved to the head
priest's room to talk things out.
What was that thing Main did earlier?
Do you mean the Crushing?
It's called the Crushing?
Main's eyes turned rainbowy,
and her body was emanating some kind of aura.
What the heck? I didn't know I'd
turned into some kind of oddity!
It happens when one with the Devouring
lets their emotions go out of control.
Their mana activates,
courses through their body,
and "crushes" their enemy.
It happens often to kids since
they can't control their emotions.
Haven't you seen it before?
I did notice her eye color
change a bunch of times.
It always happened during
tantrums, but it'd go away soon.
Oh yeah, now that you mention it
Really?!
I'm amazed they raised such a
bizarre girl with so much love.
I'd heard that those with the
Devouring have lots of mana,
but I never foresaw that you could push
the high priest to the brink of death.
This might be a strange question,
but how are you even still alive?
The stronger your mana, the stronger
your will needs to be to control it.
It makes no sense that you're still
alive given how much mana you possess.
I should already be dead, actually.
But some kind people let me
use a dying magical item.
Didn't you try to form an agreement
with a noble through them?
Living life chained to a
noble would be pointless.
I wanted to stay with my family.
I wanted to make my books.
If I can't live my life the way I want,
then there's no point to living.
I fail to comprehend that mindset.
Main, I want you to join the church.
This is a request, not an order.
I'm the one in charge of the
daily affairs around here.
I'll provide you the best
environment possible.
Of course, the events of today
will be forgotten as well.
The head priest kept his word and
accepted all of our demands,
and I was to become a blue-robed
apprentice priestess.
It's over.
Yeah.
Dad, Mom. Thanks for fighting for me.
Hey, you're the one who saved our
lives with that Crushing thing.
My fever just went out of
control because I was so angry.
Honestly, I don't remember
much of what happened.
But the real battle has yet to come.
Yeah.
Still, I'm a little relieved now.
So long as the head priest is there,
I think you'll be just fine at the cathedral.
The head priest? Why?
I mean, he stopped you, remember?
It's important that you have someone to
stop and scold you when you lose control.
Yikes! I get the feeling
he'll be scolding me a lot!
Main will definitely be fine.
She's got your dad and mom with her.
Yeah
Tuuli!
Tuuli!
You guys!
Main!
Main Welcome back.
I'm home
Tuuli!
Next Chapter
Apprentice Priestess
Woohoo!
Part One Complete
We've hit the grand finale of Part One!
The negotiations were a great success,
and I can keep living with my family!
Head Priest, you'll be seeing me
at the cathedral soon!
I can finally read some books! Yahoo!
The way you're celebrating
only makes me worry.
You seem to be thinking of nothing but books.
Nag Nag
Do you realize you're joining the church
as an apprentice priestess?
You'll have so much to do and learn.
Poke Poke
Also, you've been made a blue robe
despitebeingacommoner
No! It's too soon for all this!
Illustration by Tobe Sunaho
The staff at the cathedral learn
that Main has the Devouring.
Main, we would like to
speak to your parents.
Benno suggests using contract magic
to protect her from the nobles,
and Main makes up her mind
to join the church.
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Chapter Fourteen
Conclusions
I'm home.
Main!
So, what happened at the cathedral?
Well, I asked the high priest to
forget about my apprenticeship,
but once they found out I had the Devouring,
they said they wanted to talk to you
and gave me this invitation for you.
They want to meet at the third
bell two days from now.
What the hell did you do, Main?
They made me touch a grail.
And when it shone,
they asked to see you.
After that, I went to see Benno,
and he told me a bunch of things
about nobles and the Devouring.
Apparently, the Devouring's
fever is actually just mana.
Mana?
He said that since the shining grail
proved that I possessed mana,
I can no longer run from the
church or the nobility.
No!
But the church has magical items,
so I can live on if I join.
Is that true?
But you won't be able to
see us if you join, right?
If things stay the same, yes.
I don't want to give you up to the church.
If I sent you there alone
Hey, Dad. Do you know what's
been going on in the capital?
Have you heard that there was a purge that
drastically changed the situation with nobles?
What does that have to do with anything?
Actually, since the nobles
have dwindled in number,
it seems the church is in
desperate need of mana.
That's why they want me.
From what I've seen and heard at the gate,
the nobles certainly are
scattering in all directions.
What Benno said was true.
Then this may work out.
What do you mean, Main?
He said I was in luck.
That with careful negotiating,
I could secure treatment
close to that of a noble.
Tell me more.
First, envision the ideal
result for yourself.
What concessions do you need
from them to achieve it?
What can you offer them?
What do they want?
Figure all that out.
What I want
is permission to enter the library
and read the books there.
It's almost impressive that you
can be so single-minded now.
I-It's just the ideal result!
If I'm being greedy, you know?
What I can offer them is mana and money.
That's right.
As long as you don't sell those short,
you can secure better conditions.
If things go well, you could get accepted
as a blue-robed apprentice priestess.
To ensure this, register the Main Studio
and secure a revenue stream.
By the way,
I've heard that you can't join the church
if you're registered with the Guild.
Can I actually register
myself as studio head?
The high priest said he'd negotiate
with the guild master
Don't leave your fate in
someone else's hands!
If you can't get them to accept
that you're already registered,
throw some money around and get them
to allow your studio business!
You will be the only one in the
church who can deal with the Guild!
Right!
If needed, say you want to use the Main
Studio to provide work for the orphans,
provide them a better environment,
or some bull crap like that,
and get them to accept your ownership!
Also, sell the fact that
you're physically frail,
and try to secure the
best treatment possible.
Don't care about how it looks!
Fight to live!
I understand. I'll try.
There you have it.
So there's room to negotiate.
I think so.
That's why Benno told me to fight to live.
"Fight to live," huh?
You could say there's hope for us, right?
Right.
What we can offer is mana and money.
And then we have to emphasize my frailty
and get me treated almost like a noble.
We also have to get them to
allow me to run my studio,
and continue to live at home.
If they agree to these three demands,
I think it's safe to say we have won.
I'll give it a shot.
I became a soldier to protect my family!
What's wrong, Tuuli? Can't sleep?
What's the matter?
Can you really negotiate with nobility?
Don't they kill people just
for talking back to them?
If anything happened to you, I'd
Tuuli!
Mom!
Please come back home with Dad!
Two days later, it was time for the
negotiations at the cathedral.
Dad, fight for me, okay?
You got it.
This must be the will of the gods.
Main and her parents are here.
Hello, High Priest.
Oh, Main. Welcome.
Who are these two, Main?
My parents.
What? Your parents?
What work do they do?
My father's a soldier, and my
mother's at a textile workshop.
A soldier?
Ah I never thought they'd be poor.
What a waste of time.
Please take your seats.
No need! They can stand!
What's with his sudden change in attitude?
Let's just get this over with.
I believe you're aware that Main
wants to be an apprentice priestess,
and that you're against it?
That's right.
I don't feel like giving my daughter
up to live like an orphan.
But she has the Devouring.
She can't live on without
access to magical items.
The church is graciously taking
her in to save her life.
Main's body is too frail to survive if
she's forced to live like an orphan.
I would like you not to put her to
work as a gray-robed priestess.
That's right!
She's a very frail girl even
without the Devouring!
She can't survive at the cathedral!
Please Please let her live at home.
Insolent knaves!
You dare complain about
our compassionate offer?!
Shut up and hand over your daughter!
What? This is a noble?
I must refuse.
I will never throw my
child into an orphanage.
That's right! Please, have a heart!
How dare you!
Hold these insolent parents
down and lock Main up!
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Ascendance of a
Bookworm
Hold these insolent parents
down and lock Main up!
Stand back.
Oh? You want to resist?
If you dare raise a hand against a priest,
I'll have you executed in the name of the gods!
I was ready to die the moment
I decided to fight for Main!
Curses! Get Main!
Let's hold the man down first.
Why, you!
You could take down a couple,
but how long will you last against so many?
A mere commoner thinks
he can defy the church?
To the guillotine with you!
You will die a dog's death.
Get him!
Enough.
Main?
Don't you dare lay a hand on my mom and dad.
You invited us here to have a discussion.
Is this what you call a discussion?
H-Help!
Main! Your mana's leaking out!
Control your emotions!
How am I supposed to?
Like I'm sure you always do.
How am I supposed to quell my rage toward
a man who wants to execute my father?
S-Stay away!
Hold it! If you keep going,
you'll crush his heart!
He was ready to kill a person.
I'm sure he was ready to
risk his own life, too.
Main!
Move.
Calm down! Let's talk things out!
"Talk things out"?
Using force? Or
Using mana?
You mustn't kill him.
If you kill the high priest,
your parents will be accessories
to the murder of a noble.
I know you wouldn't want that.
Even my family will get hurt because of me?
I see you've returned to your senses.
Let's have the exact
discussion you came to have.
You mean you'll accept all our demands?
Yes.
But before that, you must get
your raging mana under control.
Can you do that?
I have to trap it inside, like I always do.
Main!
Are you okay?
I'm fine.
I'm used to it, and I'm
in control of myself now.
You're used to it?
You mean it's happened before?
Not to that extent, no,
but it used to happen pretty often.
I didn't know.
Um, are you okay, Head Priest?
This is my punishment.
I had this coming for not stopping the
high priest from antagonizing you.
I didn't expect your commoner
parents to defy a noble's orders.
Main's my daughter.
I've said so countless times.
Main.
I envy you for having such loving parents.
Be they orphans or nobles,
everyone in the church was
cast aside by their parents.
After that, we moved to the head
priest's room to talk things out.
What was that thing Main did earlier?
Do you mean the Crushing?
It's called the Crushing?
Main's eyes turned rainbowy,
and her body was emanating some kind of aura.
What the heck? I didn't know I'd
turned into some kind of oddity!
It happens when one with the Devouring
lets their emotions go out of control.
Their mana activates,
courses through their body,
and "crushes" their enemy.
It happens often to kids since
they can't control their emotions.
Haven't you seen it before?
I did notice her eye color
change a bunch of times.
It always happened during
tantrums, but it'd go away soon.
Oh yeah, now that you mention it
Really?!
I'm amazed they raised such a
bizarre girl with so much love.
I'd heard that those with the
Devouring have lots of mana,
but I never foresaw that you could push
the high priest to the brink of death.
This might be a strange question,
but how are you even still alive?
The stronger your mana, the stronger
your will needs to be to control it.
It makes no sense that you're still
alive given how much mana you possess.
I should already be dead, actually.
But some kind people let me
use a dying magical item.
Didn't you try to form an agreement
with a noble through them?
Living life chained to a
noble would be pointless.
I wanted to stay with my family.
I wanted to make my books.
If I can't live my life the way I want,
then there's no point to living.
I fail to comprehend that mindset.
Main, I want you to join the church.
This is a request, not an order.
I'm the one in charge of the
daily affairs around here.
I'll provide you the best
environment possible.
Of course, the events of today
will be forgotten as well.
The head priest kept his word and
accepted all of our demands,
and I was to become a blue-robed
apprentice priestess.
It's over.
Yeah.
Dad, Mom. Thanks for fighting for me.
Hey, you're the one who saved our
lives with that Crushing thing.
My fever just went out of
control because I was so angry.
Honestly, I don't remember
much of what happened.
But the real battle has yet to come.
Yeah.
Still, I'm a little relieved now.
So long as the head priest is there,
I think you'll be just fine at the cathedral.
The head priest? Why?
I mean, he stopped you, remember?
It's important that you have someone to
stop and scold you when you lose control.
Yikes! I get the feeling
he'll be scolding me a lot!
Main will definitely be fine.
She's got your dad and mom with her.
Yeah
Tuuli!
Tuuli!
You guys!
Main!
Main Welcome back.
I'm home
Tuuli!
Next Chapter
Apprentice Priestess
Woohoo!
Part One Complete
We've hit the grand finale of Part One!
The negotiations were a great success,
and I can keep living with my family!
Head Priest, you'll be seeing me
at the cathedral soon!
I can finally read some books! Yahoo!
The way you're celebrating
only makes me worry.
You seem to be thinking of nothing but books.
Nag Nag
Do you realize you're joining the church
as an apprentice priestess?
You'll have so much to do and learn.
Poke Poke
Also, you've been made a blue robe
despitebeingacommoner
No! It's too soon for all this!
Illustration by Tobe Sunaho