Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 1 Volume 3

Making Cake with Freida

The next morning, I left the bed for the first time and looked at the room I was using. Wooow... It's like a hotel.

The canopy bed was in the corner of a decently sized, simple bedroom with just a table, three chairs, and a fireplace. But the floor had a thick carpet covering it, and there were curtains over the wavy glass window for privacy. The room may have looked simple, but it was clear that a lot of money had been spent on it.

Also, there was a servant girl standing by the chairs near the door. "Good morning. You may wash your face here. I will guide you to the dining room when you are ready."

"O-Okay."

She handed me a clean cloth and showed me where warm water had been prepared for me to wash my face with. The perfect hospitality honestly made me a little nervous.

"Forgive my rudeness, but as your normal clothes would look improper in this home, we have prepared a different outfit for you to wear." She took out an outfit that seemed to be one of Freida's hand-me-downs. My heart raced at the opportunity to wear clean clothing not made of patchwork for the first time in a long time. Then she brushed my hair for me, but I put my hair stick in myself. The servant looked at the stick curiously, but said nothing and promptly finished getting me ready.

By the time we reached the dining room, Freida and the guildmaster were already waiting for me. I first had to thank the guildmaster for all he had done for me. "Thank you very much, guildmaster. I appreciate your kindness and hospitality."

He responded to my gratitude with a nod. Freida briskly walked up to me and touched my forehead, then my neck. Her cold hands sent a chill through my body that made me flinch, but Freida ignored that. "Good morning, Myne. I see that your fever has gone down."

"Morning, Freida. I feel great. Like, so much better than I did before." Oh, she was checking my temperature. I thanked her with a smile and she returned a happy one of her own.

We walked to the table together and the guildmaster let out a hmph. "It's good that you're well again, but don't expect us to sell another magic tool. We're saving them for Freida in case something happens to her."

"Grandfather!"

"He's not wrong, Freida. He bought all of them for your sake. I'm just thankful that he let me use even a single one of them." The guildmaster had obtained the tools by using all of his connections and his wealth. I had paid for them, sure, but the fact that I was even given the chance to do so at all was nothing short of a miracle.

"Myne, you would do well to think hard about your future." He gave me a sharp look that felt like it pierced right through me and I nodded with a tiny gulp.

"In any case, we need to report this to your family," said Freida. "Is there anything you want to tell the messenger before we send him?"

The word "messenger" threw me for a loop, but then I realized that of course the guildmaster and Freida wouldn't go to my place themselves. Sending a messenger was normal for them. I turned to face said messenger.

"I want to thank Freida for all her help, so could you tell them to bring some (simple all-in-one shampoo) with them?" We still called the rinsham by its full name at my place, but it wasn't an easy phrase to memorize. The messenger's face kinda scrunched up as he struggled to remember.

"All sinble what...? Erm, forgive me, but could you state that once more?"

"Ummm, it's a hair-cleaning liquid. They should understand you if you just say rinsham. Thank you for doing this."

"Hair-cleaning liquid, rinsham. Understood."

I saw the messenger off after making sure he knew where I lived, then noticed the guildmaster looking at me while stroking his beard. I got the feeling I had seen a similar foreboding smile in the past.