Ascendance of a Bookworm Chapter 135

The next morning I put the failed print and my own drawing in my bag, intending to show them to Wilma. Of course, I didn't forget to take the penknife and soot pencil that I was going to give her.

“Good morning, Lutz. What do you think of such a picture?”

I took out the G.o.ddess picture I had drew yesterday and showed it to Lutz, who had come to pick me up. He had been looking uneasy, but when he saw the picture, he stared at it for a long time, then breathed in relief.

“Not bad. I think it looks more comfortable than print.”

“Great, I'm going to ask Wilma if she can draw in this style.”

After the temple work, I was ready to leave for the orphanage. As Wilma was very afraid of men, I was accompanied by Rosina every time I went to see her.

“Welcome, Master Maine.”

I put the print on the table in the canteen and pushed it towards Wilma. Her expression darkened at the sight of it. This print must be different from what she imagined.

“Your drawing is very delicate, but making a print has to go through the engraving process, so this is the result. There is an amazing beauty in your drawing, but it can't be rendered as a print. So I'm wondering if you can draw the ill.u.s.trations in a different way.”

As I spoke, I took out my own drawing. I had b.u.t.terflies in my stomach about showing it to an expert, but that was the only way to proceed.

“I think it would be easier to print. I just don't know if it's acceptable. You're very good at drawing, so I'd like to ask your opinion…”

Wilma looked at my drawing and took a breath.

“… is this your work?”

“I referred to your drawing when I drew this picture. With black and white, it looks something like this. What do you think? It's very different from normal drawings. Can you get the feeling?”

I watched Wilma's reaction. She stared at my drawing in silence for a while, then suddenly looked up, her brown eyes glowing with joy.

“I can draw in this way. I want to challenge myself to see how far I can go.”

“Here is the penknife and the soot pencil for you. Draw and practice on the paper I gave you before. Also, this is the thick paper for picture books. When the first ill.u.s.tration is finished, we'll print it out to see how it looks.”

Wilma's eyes shone and she looked at my drawing with fascination. I gave her the tools and explained to her what to do when using them. She was an excellent artist, and she could certainly draw better than I could.

Around the same time that Wilma was trying to draw in a new way, I started writing on thick paper to make templates. To my surprise, John soon brought the penknives and the rollers, so Lutz and I began to cut carefully with the penknives. It's a patient job, but I was happy to keep going when I thought about how these templates would turn into picture books.

In addition, the net for Lutz was also completed. So I went to Lutz's house and asked Ralph and Seig to make a wooden worktable and frame for the stencil.

“What do you want?”

“I just want a wooden frame! Lutz's hands won't get dirty with it. Please!”

I held up the detailed design in front of them. Because of their work, they often look at the design, so it didn't take them long to figure out how to make the wooden frame. As they discussed with me, they brought boards and nails.

“Hmm… is this all right?”

“You are awesome! This is just right!”

They were worthy of the name of apprentice carpenter, the wooden frame had no deviation in size. It felt like they had finished it in the blink of an eye. Upon hearing my compliment, Ralph looked at Lutz and said with a chuckle, “Lutz looks like a merchant now, so we need to look like carpenters.”

“All right, carpenters, it's time for you to make a worktable.”

Lutz said, puffing his cheeks petulantly, Ralph and Seig shrugged with a smile and went back to work.

“Oh, not this one. Lutz, fetch that board over there.”

“Make it smooth. This worktable is for you, isn't it? If there are any burrs left, you'll get hurt.”

“I can't stand you any more. You are such good bosses.”

Luz was being bossed around as usual, but I could feel the old tension completely gone, and I secretly relieved.

“Seig, please install this, so you can fasten the net to the wooden frame.”

I asked Seig to install teardrop-shaped metal buckles on the wooden frame, which were used to secure the net to the wooden frame, as well as the board on the back of the frame. The next step was to connect the wooden frame with the worktable by hinges. Finally, I asked Ralph to install a board about 0.5 centimeters thick on the worktable so Lutz could line up the paper. At this point, the worktable was completed, taking less time than expected.

“… brothers, thank you. Er… you've been very helpful.”

Presumably embarra.s.sed to thank his family, Lutz turned his head to the side. Ralph and Seig also looked away when they heard their little brother thank them.

“It's nothing.”

“Yeah, yeah, just to earn some pocket money.”

If that was me, I would have jumped on Turi and given her a big hug to show my grat.i.tude. But for the Lutz brothers, this kind of communication was probably the limit. But considering that they didn't even talk to each other before, I felt that they had made great progress, so I could not help looking at them with tender eyes. Their faces froze as they caught my eye.

“Maine, why do you keep looking at us!”

At this time they became one heart, they really were brothers. I looked at them more tenderly.

“Lutz, take Maine home!”

“Yeah, we'll clean this place up!”

“Maine, let's go!”

Lutz and his two brothers were suddenly united, and with their cooperation, I was taken outside the house in the blink of an eye. I wished I could see a little more brotherly interaction. What a pity.

“Maine, don't giggle, use your brain quickly! Have you got everything? Is there only Wilma's drawing left?”

Lutz forced a change of subject, apparently not wanting me to bring up his interactions with his brothers. I chuckled as I went over the tools needed to make a picture book. Paper, pigment, text template, roller, worktable were all ready. Now as soon as Wilma had finished the ill.u.s.tration, the inner pages of the picture book could be printed. However, if the cover was blank, it looked too lonely.

“Lutz, if you have time, make some paper with petals. I want it for the cover.”

“Oh, you mean flower paper. It's very beautiful. I'll take the children to the forest tomorrow.”

All the preparations were done, I just needed to wait for Wilma to finish the ill.u.s.tration. So for a few afternoons, I could enjoy the world of reading. Today, after lunch, I was in high spirits to read a book when Gil, having received a notice from the children of the orphanage that Wilma had finished her ill.u.s.tration, came into the Dean's Office.

“Master Maine, I heard Wilma has finished her ill.u.s.tration template. The kids also said Wilma had something to ask for you, so please go to the orphanage in person.”

Hearing Gil's message, my world suddenly brightened. Having an ill.u.s.tration template meant I could start printing.

“Gil, please go to the workshop after lunch and get ready for printing. Rosina, let's go to the orphanage!”

“Please calm down, Master Maine. The grace of G.o.d has not yet reached the orphanage.”

Then I remembered that my lunch hour was different from the orphanage, so I sat down again.

Gil chuckled and said: “I'll let you know when the kids come to the workshop. You can memorize the prayer in the meantime.”

His words reminded me of the a.s.signment the Head Priest had given me.

I followed Gil's advice, waiting restlessly while trying to memorize the prayer. I had heard that this was a prayer that I would use when the knights ask for blessings in the autumn. Because we didn't know when we were going to be asked suddenly, so the Head Priest wanted me to memorize it now.

… Oh, I didn't know how the ceremonial dress was going, I would have to ask about it.

After receiving the announcement that the children had finished lunch, I walked briskly to the orphanage with Rosina. The canteen was not far from the gate of the orphanage, and we soon met Wilma. Instead of her usual quiet smile, she looked nervous. There was a piece of paper on the table in front of her.

“Please look at it, Master Maine.”

“Oh dear! ”

Rosina looked over my shoulder at the paper and let out a cry of admiration.

It was a beautifully cut template. Wilma's work had retained her delicate features, but the lines were more concise than before. This work showed the encounter between the G.o.d of darkness and the G.o.ddess of light. The lines of the G.o.d of darkness were more complicated than those of the G.o.ddess of light. However, although there was a lot of white s.p.a.ce in the part of the G.o.ddess of light, Wilma still vividly showed the shadow of her hair and the folds of her clothes. I couldn't wait to see it in a picture book!

“Great! We're going to print it right now! I've told Gil to get ready.”

I asked Rosina to take the template and immediately got up to go to the workshop.

“Master Maine, please wait!”

Wilma stared at me with an expression of great determination. Several times her lips parted slightly; her hands clasped so hard that the tips of her fingers turned white. Finally she asked me in a trembling voice:

“May I accompany you to the workshop?”

“Of course it's fine with me, but is it okay with you?”

Because of the fear of male contact, Wilma had refused to leave the orphanage. I heard she never showed up at the workshop. She said she was concerned about the children but was still too scared to move her feet.

“I'm still afraid of meeting men… but I'm too curious to do anything about what this picture looks like when it's printed. The previous print has not produced the effect I've imagined, and this time it's a new way of drawing. I have no idea what it's going to look like…”

I just thought the print was weird, but for Wilma, the result seemed like a blow. This time, instead of using black pigment to draw a delicate and beautiful picture, she cut the paper and made a simple silhouette. This was her first attempt, so I could understand her concern about the result.

But once she went to the workshop, she was sure to meet the gray-robed priests. Could she bear the fear of men?

“If I go with Master Maine, I can summon up courage…”

Hearing Wilma say so, my worry flew out of the sky in an instant. Instead, I felt a sense of mission to protect her.

“I will never let a man come near you! Let's go!”

“Master Maine, it was supposed to be that the attendants would never let a man near their master, was it?”

Rosina interjected in disapproval, but I didn't care! Wilma finally had the idea of wanting to step out of the orphanage, this was very rare, and she now regarded me as her support, this was the most important!

Wilma put a hand on her chest and smiled uneasily, so I gently took her hand and walked down the steps at the back door of the canteen.

… Wilma is protected by me! I must show my reliability!

But no sooner had I set my sights on it than I nearly fell down the stairs. Luckily Wilma caught me in time to prevent a tragedy.

“Master Maine, are you okay?!”

“Yeah, yeah. ”

“… Master Maine, it's all right to be so active, but please don't forget to be steady.”

Rosina's gentle reprimand stabbed me in the chest like a dagger.