Ascendance of a Bookworm

The next day of the family meeting, we were all somewhat shaky. My father's smile seemed somewhat lonely, my mother hugged me many times, and Touri suddenly cried out.

However, as the day passes, it gradually returns to a normal life that is not particularly different from before the family meeting.

"You don't have to do mine. Because I'll do it."

"Huh? I'll do it too. Touri told me I had to do it."

I am sure that Touri, who was encouraging my help for his independence, thought it would work except that he tried to take up his work and became even more overprotective against me.

"Wow, it's clear! I have to go pick Paru today!

I was woken up by such a Thuri voice this morning.

It's still a dim sky, but they have very few clouds. Seeing the light coming in slightly, the cold air outside came in all at once as Touri opened the window to check the weather.

"Touri, it's cold"

"Oh, sorry, sorry"

Close the window and Thuri gets to breakfast quickly. I also had breakfast in a bumpy and hasty family.

My father and mother, who have just finished their breakfast, are caged and ready for firewood. My father, who began to line up all sorts of things on the doorstep, waved back at me chewing shapes and bread.

"What about Mine? Are you waiting at the gate?

"Um, shall I go pick Paru, too?

From Thuri's story, a tree called Paru seems to be a beautiful wonder plant. I didn't really understand the expression glittering around and very pretty, so I'd like to take a look at the actual thing.

The whole family caught their eyes on my words spoken out of such pure interest.

"No! Mine either leaves a message at home or assistants at the gate."

"Paru picking is tough, so Mine can't do it. I'll definitely get the fever."

"That's right! I'm a bad tree climber, and I can't walk in the snow."

The accompaniment to the Paru picking entering the winter forest was rejected by the entire family. Surely, I cannot walk in the snow to the gate, and there is no way I can collect it in the snow forest.

"... ok. Paru picking isn't till lunch, is it? Then I'll be waiting for you at the gate."

Prepare the tote bag, I prepare to go to the gate.

If my father is off, I thought Otto might be off too, but at this time of year Otto seems to face the gate almost every day.

On a slightly larger sleigh, with the luggage to be used for picking Paru and me, the family set off.

It's no mistake that people all over the city are saying to pick Paru. So many people go for the South Gate and pull the sleigh.

Although the air is cold enough to sting my skin, the atmosphere of the people who are inflating their breasts in anticipation of Paru picking is festive exhilarating and exciting to me.

"I'm sorry, but I need mine. Helping Otto till noon."

"Ha!"

"Guys, good luck picking up the paru"

When I was brought down at the gate to escort my family to the woods, I greeted the familiar gatekeeper and headed to the inn.

"Good morning, Otto"

"Is that it, Mine? The squad leader's off, isn't he?

I nodded with a small laugh at Otto blinking in wonder.

"Yes, it's sunny today, so I went to pick Paru. I will help you as I leave you at the gate."

"Oh, I see. Until lunch, then."

Apparently, he immediately guessed the situation. Otto laughed nicely and began piling up material to confirm his calculations beside him.

I thank Otto for the other day's consultation, who is clearing a place for me to work.

"Thank you, Otto, for the other day"

"What?"

"Uh, that's what I got you on for a job consultation. I also talked to my family about eating myself and decided to look for a job at home. In the spring, I thought I'd talk to Mr. Benno too..."

"Yeah. Well, Mine's health matters, and if you don't know who Benno is, you can always ask me to work from home over here, so tell me"

"Yes!"

I'm still concerned about the smile that makes me feel a little black, but I was able to thank you properly, so I felt refreshed and went into the calculations.

My family came home from the woods after lunch, so I ride home again in sleigh. The three of us picked it today, so they picked as many as six Paru. Unlike last year, it is also worth using to squeeze, so it is the result of my mother straining it.

We squeeze paru while my mother prepares for lunch.

Touri set the fireplace on fire on the thinnest dead branch out of the firewood and pressed a tung on Paru. The next moment, just that part, the petite skin breaks.

"Mine, come out!

"Yes."

Remove to the vessel to avoid spilling thick white fruit juice. Glumping at the sweet smell, when I finished picking Paru juice, Touri gave my father Paru, who finished picking juice.

My father crushes the fruit, takes the oil. I can use the weight for pressing, so if I leave it to my father, the oil will squeeze in no time.

Since squeezing after squeezing the oil would help the dish, I decided to leave the four minutes with us and take the other two to Lutz's house and have them swapped for eggs.

After lunch, I also take the new Paru recipe with me when I squeeze it. At the very least, with an oven, there are limited dishes that can be done with gratin or pizza, but only with iron plates and pans.

"Hello, Lutz. Trade them for eggs. Finally, do you have a new recipe?

"Oh, Mine. I'm happy with the new one, but I don't have the manpower, so you can't make it right away. Come in and wait."

I brought a new recipe because of it, but it seems the ladies aren't here.

"Where did you guys go? It's sunny, and you play sleigh?

"Those kids went to the pocket money snowflake."

Though I do not know because I have never participated, it seems that heavy labored snowflakes are also a good place to make money for the children.

"Why is Lutz here?

"You have to squeeze the paru, if you leave it like this, it'll melt, right?

Sure, I can't leave Paru alone either, but it just looks like I pushed Lutz to help me with the house where I can't get a dime, and I feel a little bored. If Lutz and his aunt say nothing, though it is not for me, the outsider, to speak out.

At the very least, I want to help you squeeze Paru, but squeezing Paru is basically a strength job, and it's not my turn. All I can do is watch Rutz crush it with Dundan and a hammer and Aunt Carla squeeze it.

Watching the blurry work, I remembered that I had not presented Rutz with a report on the family meeting. The decision not to enter Benno's store is something I have to report to Lutz.

"You know, Lutz. I decided to stop Mr. Benno from entering his shop."

"Huh!? Why not!?

With the hammer shaking up, Lutz turned to me with his eyes open. Aunt Carla looked at me lightly, too.

"Um, your mother said that, didn't she? He said it would be a clump of Lutz's feet. Besides, my strength, it doesn't matter what you think. I talked to Otto and he pointed out everything else."

"What's all this stuff?

Lutz urged him to continue with his gaze as he moved Dandan and Hammer again.

"Yeah. What does it seem to those around us who work together that just in apprenticeships get fever and rest?

"... ah. That's..."

Lutz slaps Paru with a little convincing voice. Aunt Carla narrowed her eyes as she narrowed her tight palu.

"It's annoying around you when you get a lot of rest, and you're the one who's having trouble resting when you're educated."

"Really?... Besides, I'm still going to make all sorts of products, so if I had benefited from it, it would be a lot of money, wouldn't it? Even though I have a lot of time off, I think an apprentice who gets paid a lot is going to break the relationship in the store."

"... right"

Lutz frowned and nodded as he was convinced, but his aunt looked at him a little surprised.

"Well, regarding this salary, I think it has something to do with Lutz, but if he's serious about his job, I think he's somewhat different. I think you should talk to Mr. Benno for more information."

"Oh, when it's spring, let's talk about it properly"

I think we can do enough to keep our salaries and profits separate and get sneaky. Even now, you can just match your guild cards and get paid.

"If you're gonna stop going to the store, what's Mine gonna do after the christening?

"In my case, I don't know what will happen to me, so I talked to my family about making merchandise and helping with gates while I substituted letters and paperwork at home… trying to make my life not much different than before"

"Oh well. That might be better for Mine's body."

Lutz agreed with me, so I exhaled a ho and a relief. At the same time, Aunt Carla's expression brightens up.

"Oh, well. If Mine doesn't go, Rutz doesn't have to go either. Now you can be an artisan."

What does it have to do with stopping me from going to Benno's and Lutz from stopping me? Unlike me, who tilted his neck, Lutz hung a kick and frown in the voice of his aunt, who had just said he was heartbroken.

"Ha!? What are you talking about, mother!?

"What is it?

Lutz yelled at Aunt Carla with a slightly tongue-in-cheek expression that she had no idea why.

"I want to be a merchant! Mine has nothing to do with this! Instead, I was involved!

My aunt looks a little at Rutz's words and stares at Rutz just because she can't believe it.

"What!? So you're still gonna be a merchant?

"You bet! I really wanted to be a traveler, but when I heard about citizenship from travelers, I decided to be a city merchant."

"Lutz, you didn't say that!

"I told you! You didn't hear me, you don't remember!?

Looks like we really didn't make sense. Aunt Carla looks at Lutz as if she had never heard the story before.

I decided to keep an eye on things, without making any extra remarks, that it would be better not to interrupt my parents' and children's conversations.

"... I heard you wanted to be a traveler."

Aunt Carla frowned like she was in trouble and shook her head weakly. It looks like there's truth and confusion in something different from what I expected.

"But isn't that child bullshit? There's no way you can be with a dream story, it's a totally unrealistic story. I didn't think Rutz was really going for it. In time, I thought I'd start seeing reality properly."

I don't think Aunt Carla's words are impossible either. Apart from going to forests and the nearest countryside, it is the city's inhabitants who rarely even leave the city.

A traveler is a wandering Gentile, not the kind of object to make a future goal. It's kid bullshit. The thought of Aunt Carla, who thought to see reality quickly, would be a normal way of thinking here.

"... I really wanted to be a traveler. I want to get out of this city and go to a city I don't know. I actually wanted to see things with my own eyes that I'd only heard about, and I still do. My dreams haven't changed yet."

"Lutz, you..."

Aunt Carla floated her sitting ass and tried to say something. Something to criticize even if you think from the look on your face.

But Lutz said before his aunt opened her mouth.

"But I was told by someone who was a traveler. He said it was foolish to abandon citizenship. I can't do it because I don't have an apprenticeship for a traveler."

"I'm sure it is."

Aunt Carla exhales like a little relieved and re-sits with Dosun.

Well, it seems that a traveler is an abominable profession. I still don't seem to have enough common sense here for me to swallow that I can go to all sorts of places.

"Mine told me when I was thinking about becoming a traveler from scratch, not becoming a traveler's apprentice. Even if you can't be a traveler, you can be a city merchant. He said he might be able to be a merchant and go shopping elsewhere. It was a more realistic and feasible future than becoming a traveller"

"Well, more than a traveler..."

Aunt Carla said so in a tired voice, clapping her shoulders. He didn't really seem to think his son was going to be a traveler, and he seems lightly shocked.

"That's why I asked the merchant to make me an apprentice. I almost got turned down at first because I know someone who knows Mine."

"I guess..."

Given the city's apprenticeship system, there was little chance that Lutz could become a merchant apprentice.

So, maybe, even if I said I wanted to be a merchant, my aunt only listened appropriately. If I was bad, I probably only heard half the conversation when Lutz reported that I could be a merchant apprentice.

"But he promised me that if conditions were given and if conditions were achieved, he would make me an apprentice. I've already fulfilled my terms with Mine, and I've been given permission to become an apprentice. Mine or not, I'm gonna be a merchant."

Realizing Lutz, who had begun to make his own way, Aunt Carla finally looked at Lutz properly with a slightly harsher eye.

"... Lutz, you, I just got your permission to apprentice, push off the opposite of your parents, you really think you can be a merchant?

"Worst of all, I've decided to become a merchant, even if I'm a resident apprentice. Let me tell you something, they gave me the conditions to become an apprentice, and I finally paved the way to become an apprentice. I'm not giving up."

"An apprentice to dwell...?

Living apprenticeships can be the worst living environment. First of all, I'm an apprentice, and I only get half the week's work, so I'm underpaid. And there's no family I can count on. It is quite difficult physically and temporally for a child to suddenly live alone and do household chores in general.

Where you live it will be the attic on the top floor, hot in summer and cold in winter. It's not uncommon to leak rain. It's hard to carry luggage, it's hard to carry water. It's not uncommon to have birds in an attic space like Rutz's house, so the smell is terrible.

Unlike a room to rent for the family, there is no place to cook, ask the store people to rent it or eat out as a basis.

Naturally, there's no way that money stays on hand in such a life, and I borrow it up front and save all my debts. Although the store will take care of you to the extent that you don't die, it is mostly a habitation apprentice that will just work until you are alone.

"Lutz, think about it! There is no way you can live like that!?

No decent parent would want his son to have such a tough life. Aunt Carla raised her voice like a scream. But Rutz just glanced lightly over his shoulder.

"I can. I'm starting to get ready for it."

In the case of Lutz, money can be saved in the spring with paper making. If you use the white or black skins you've been saving in the warehouse, you'll save a good amount of money by the baptismal ceremony. Even if you have all the clothes and stuff to prepare you to become a merchant apprentice, some extra money is calculated.

And half of the week will be off during the apprenticeship period, but if you use that break to develop new products with me, you will get that share of profit. That would undoubtedly make you more profitable than your apprenticeship salary.

You won't be able to afford a life, but it shouldn't be so much a life of extreme poverty. Although I don't think I can afford a room for one person, I can't do anything about the severity of the living environment.

"... you're starting to get ready, are you serious?

"I mean it."

After a moment of silence, Aunt Carla exhaled a deep sigh. Drop your shoulders with such a complicated face that you still can't give up, like you gave up knowing what Lutz meant.

"I think I'm more stable than a floating merchant."

"... if I became an artisan as my father said, I'd stay like this forever"

Aunt Carla narrowed her eyes to Lutz, who pointed her lips in dissatisfaction. The same way they told me I was unhappy with my current life, and the atmosphere was pointy.

"What do you mean, just like that?

"They used it to be good for my brothers, and I felt like they were taking everything away from me, and I didn't have anything left."

"Well... brothers, sometimes they take it, but there's something you can get, right?

Aunt Carla frowned like she was in trouble. Lutz kicks ass at such an aunt's claims.

"If you can eat food, you won't come back, and what you can get is just about to break down. It's a terrible drop, so if you get something new once in a while, you can take it right away."

I'm my youngest son, so it's the same with me that everything goes down. But I only ask Thuri to help me, and Lutz will be ruled more than the fate of his male brothers or help each other. This difference is huge.

"I saw the merchant's work, and I worked a lot harder with Mine to find out that my accomplishments would remain in my hands. I want to test my powers without being disturbed like this. I don't want to be an artisan at all."

Rutz, who had been held on to his head for a long time, had found an environment that was not controlled by his family. I was able to secure a place where my dreams were likely to come true.

Aunt Carla shrugs in dismay.

"I didn't think Lutz meant it that much. He just said he was swinging by Mine..."

I'm not gonna decide what to do for the rest of my life.

"That's what I was thinking, so I was against it, I was"

Ha, and with a deep sigh, Aunt Carla lays her eyes down. The aunt, who had been thinking about it for a while, slowly raised her head and smiled as if she had no choice.

"The more you think about it and even get ready to leave the house for real, the more you want to do, the more you can try. Dad will disagree, but I'll be on your side."

"Are you serious?!? Thank you, Mother!

Ba and Lutz's face sparkled. Lutz, who had given up being understood by his family, is just happy to jump up as incredible.

I loosened my cheeks to Lutz's year-worthy childish appearance, which I was striving to look just ahead. If there was one person in my family who would take my side, I would feel completely different.

Rutz remained in a good mood even after the ladies came home. Everyone is going to make my new recipe with soothing comfort.

"I'm in Zasha. The ladies warm the iron plate. Lutz adds plenty of Paru squeezed grated cheese. Then will Ralph chop the leaves of the rage into small pieces?

As I divided the work into each, I added Paru oil and salt to the bowl where Lutz was mowing the cheese.

After adding the basil-like herbs Ralph chopped for me, I just mix and cook well.

The iron plate is warming up.

"Then burn this. Like a paru cake."

Cook and eat well until melted cheese is crisp. It looks okonomiyaki, but the grated cheese is very sharp and tastes western.

This is a surplus utilisation recipe that was well made by chopping small pieces of surplus samenya spaghetti from the Reino era boiled.

"It's easy, and don't get stuck in your belly"

"Small chopped ham or vegetables are delicious."

"That's going to be rice, unlike Paru Cake."

Everyone laughs deliciously and eats the same dish. In the meantime, Ralph ate his fist bones from Aunt Carla in an attempt to take the replacement Lutz's share from the side.

"Don't take someone else's stuff. You're mean. You could cook another one, right?

Both Ralph and Lutz, who ate fist bones, round their eyes a bit. Ralph then started baking himself and saw Lutz start eating like he was relieved and his aunt loosened her cheeks.

Rutz's family problems also seemed to calm down for a moment when he had a powerful understanding of his mother.

The pull life continues afterwards.

I repeat my hand work, Lutz tutoring and help with the gates and pulling a cold to sleep, Lutz repeats his life of transporting the “ part ” to us to study and occasionally taking the finished hair decorations to Benno ’ s shop.

In time, the snowstorm weakened slightly and the winter, which was a pulling life, marked the end.