E4 - Forests and Clay Tablets
Source: Crunchyroll
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[00:00] Main
[00:01] Ferdinand
Main began crafting paper as the first
step in her book-making process,
[00:05] Ferdinand
but her attempt to make
pseudo-papyrus ended in failure.
[00:10] Ferdinand
"I'll go to the forest and make
clay tablets in the spring."
[00:13] Ferdinand
Main now had her sights set on a new goal.
SIGN Ascendance of a Bookworm
SIGN Ascendance of a Bookworm
SIGN Chapter Four Forests and Clay Tablets
[01:57] Tuuli
Wow, what a feast!
[02:00] Gunther
Did you cook all of this, Main?
[02:02] Main
Yeah, since it was my turn to cook today.
[02:06] Main
Well, eat up before the food goes cold.
[02:10] Eva
I don't know... I'd never
seen anyone cook like that.
(Flashback) [02:13] Eva
What are you doing with the water
we used to boil the veggies?
(Flashback) [02:17] Main
Don't worry about it.
[02:18] Tuuli
Let's eat.
[02:25] Gunther
Delicious!
[02:27] Tuuli
This pome soup is really great!
[02:30] Main
"Pome" being the unholy lovechild
of paprika and tomato.
[02:34] Eva
You're right. This is delicious.
[02:36] Main
In this world, it's standard practice to
dump the water used to boil veggies.
[02:41] Main
Isn't it? The veggie flavors
really pack a punch, right?
[02:47] Gunther
This wine-steamed chicken is great, too.
[02:49] Tuuli
You must have a talent for cooking.
The paruecake was just as good, too.
[02:54] Gunther
Maybe you could become a
chef when you grow up.
[02:57] Eva
We'll have to find a place
that'll take her as apprentice.
SIGN Apprentice
Chef
SIGN Making Books
[03:01] Main
Crap! I won't get to make my books!
[03:05] Main
I need to go to the forest and
make clay tablets already!
SIGN Apprentice
Chef
[03:08] Main
B-But I already have a goal in mind!
[03:13] Gunther
And what is it, Main?
[03:15] Main
I want to go to the forest.
[03:22] Tuuli
"Go to the forest," she says!
[03:24] Eva
Main, we're talking about work right now.
[03:28] Main
I'm serious!
[03:30] Main
I wanna make clay tablets! That's
why I need to go to the forest!
[03:34] Gunther
Clay tablets?
[03:35] Main
Yep! I'll write on them and make a book!
[03:39] Gunther
Write...
[03:40] Tuuli
You, going to the forest? No way.
[03:43] Main
Yes way! I haven't fallen sick lately!
[03:46] Tuuli
But you can't walk as far or
as fast as the rest of us.
[03:50] Main
I'll be fine! I can go all the way to the
well without being out of breath now!
[03:54] Tuuli
And what if you're only able
to walk part of the way?
[03:57] Tuuli
You'll be a burden to everyone.
[03:59] Main
Well...
[04:03] Eva
Tuuli goes to the forest all
the time. She knows best.
[04:06] Eva
You should listen to her.
[04:11] Main
What can I do to get your permission?
[04:17] Main
Build up your stamina and
strength. No forest until then.
[04:25] Main
Got it.
[04:29] Main
With no means of going to the forest,
[04:32] Main
my desire for books could
only simmer inside.
[04:35] Main
But then, one day...
[04:38] Main
Mister Otto's assistant? Who, me?!
[04:41] Gunther
He wants your help with files
that need lots of calculations.
[04:45] Tuuli
Can she even handle that job?
[04:48] Gunther
Yeah. She has worked with him
once before, apparently.
[04:53] Gunther
He said she was a huge help.
[04:55] Tuuli
She did?
[04:57] Gunther
But it's against the law to
employ an unbaptized child,
[05:01] Gunther
so officially, you'll be going there
to learn how to read and write.
[05:05] Main
What? Really?
[05:07] Gunther
Yeah.
[05:08] Gunther
He has to teach the apprentice soldiers,
and he'll teach you with them.
[05:13] Gunther
You should learn everything
you can from him.
[05:19] Gunther
You're a frail girl, Main.
[05:21] Gunther
But Otto said you were really smart,
[05:24] Gunther
and that you could make a good scrivener.
[05:26] Main
Scrivener?
[05:28] Gunther
Someone who helps people with paperwork
to send to nobility or public officials.
[05:32] Gunther
The work pays well and isn't
too demanding physically.
[05:36] Main
Dad!
[05:37] Gunther
Otto was in the traveling trade
before he became a soldier,
[05:41] Gunther
and he still has connections with merchants.
[05:43] Gunther
The jobs your mother and I can
refer you to wouldn't suit you.
[05:49] Gunther
So try to maintain a good
relationship with Otto.
[05:53] Main
Thank you, Dad.
[05:56] Gunther
Oh, before I forget, these
are the terms of employment.
[06:00] Gunther
You'll be paid in slate pencils and be
allowed to take time off when sick.
[06:04] Gunther
Otto was stressing how favorable these
terms were for him, budget-wise.
[06:09] Gunther
How can he be so petty with a kid?
[06:13] Main
He'll reap all the benefits of an assistant
without burning a hole in the pocket.
[06:17] Main
Once a businessman, always a businessman.
[06:19] Gunther
Anyway, walk to the gate for a while,
[06:21] Gunther
and once you're able to keep up with the
other kids, you may go to the forest.
[06:25] Gunther
Does that sound good to you?
[06:27] Main
Yep! I'll do my best!
[06:37] Gunther
Don't force yourself, okay? Take your time.
[06:39] Main
Yeah, I know.
[06:46] Main
Ultimately, Dad had to carry
me to the gate from midway.
[06:51] Otto
Let me introduce your new classmate.
[06:54] Otto
This is Main, the chief's daughter.
[06:56] Otto
Don't you boys dare mess with her.
[06:59] All
Yes, sir!
[07:00] Otto
Okay, let's begin.
[07:03] Otto
The basic alphabet consists of 35 letters.
[07:06] Otto
Let's start with practicing
how to write them.
[07:21] Otto
You really do learn these letters quick.
[07:24] Main
I much prefer this to physical activities.
[07:28] Main
That aside, Mister Otto,
[07:30] Main
I think it's time to move
on from the alphabet.
[07:34] Otto
What? Already?
[07:35] Main
Look, they're starting to fidget.
[07:38] Main
It shows that they've lost focus.
[07:41] Main
You should switch to a different subject.
[07:44] Otto
Oh, but...
[07:47] Main
That does it for the alphabet.
[07:49] Main
Next up is numbers.
[07:55] Main
That's all for today.
[07:57] Main
Be sure to memorize all the letters and
numbers you've learned today by next time.
[08:02] Main
If you come unprepared, you won't be going
home until you get everything down pat.
[08:05] All
Okay!
[08:10] Main
They got out of here fast.
Boys will be boys, I guess.
[08:14] Otto
Main, they won't learn anything
if I make it easy for them.
[08:19] Main
Oh, it's not that easy.
[08:21] Main
If they don't do their homework,
they won't get to go home at all.
[08:25] Otto
Yeah, but...
[08:26] Main
Mister Otto, you shouldn't
compare them to me.
[08:32] Otto
That's right.
[08:33] Otto
Guess I'll do things your way for
a while and see how it goes.
[08:38] Main
Thank you.
[08:41] Otto
Now, it's your turn.
[08:46] Otto
You should learn how the
alphabet works in practice.
[08:51] Main
Yahoo! Letra!
[08:54] Main
So many new things to learn!
[08:57] Main
New words!
[09:01] Main
I meet up with Tuuli and gang on the way back
from the forest and head home with them.
[09:06] Lutz
What are you even doing at the gate?
[09:08] Main
Paperwo... I mean, learning
how to read and write.
[09:12] Lutz
What? You can write?!
[09:15] Main
Only my own name so far, but yeah.
[09:19] Lutz
You're awesome! You can write your own name!
[09:22] Main
You think?
[09:24] Lutz
There are so many letters, right?
[09:25] Main
In this world, just knowing
how to write is a big deal.
[09:26] Lutz
Must've been hard to figure
out how "Main" is spelled!
[09:29] Main
Of course Otto would want
me for an assistant.
[09:30] Lutz
Do you know how to write "Lutz," too?
[09:41] Main
You guys... walk too fast.
[09:43] Lutz
You can take your time.
[09:46] Main
But...
[09:47] Lutz
Your father and Tuuli asked
me to take care of you.
[09:51] Lutz
I'll walk you all the way
home, so don't worry.
[09:53] Main
Thanks.
[10:00] Main
Why am I so tired when
I've only come this far?
[10:06] Lutz
I'm here with you.
[10:09] Main
Lutz...
[10:10] Lutz
Hang in there.
[10:13] Main
'Kay.
[10:18] Main
And so, my days of commuting
to the gate began.
[10:25] Main
At first, I would go one day and
spend the next three in bed,
[10:31] Main
but later, I could go three days
and only take one day off.
[10:38] Main
And finally...
[10:40] Main
I went to the gate on five
straight days this week!
[10:43] Main
Dad, may I go to the forest now?
[10:46] Gunther
Yeah.
[10:49] Main
Yay!
[10:51] Eva
She's on cloud nine.
[10:53] Tuuli
Well, she deserves it for her efforts.
[11:01] Fey
Found some over here!
[11:03] Kid
Same here!
[11:03] Kid
What? Where?
[11:04] Kid
You're right!
[11:05] Kid
We found a lot!
[11:10] Main
I wanna go... to the forest...
[11:13] Eva
You won't get any better if you don't sleep.
[11:16] Eva
Let me tell you a bedtime story.
[11:20] Eva
A long, long time ago, there lived
some little stars in the sky.
[11:26] Eva
Those little stars...
[11:28] Main
I remember this.
[11:30] Main
Mom told me this story soon
after I became Main.
[11:35] Eva
They liked coming down to the earth.
[11:39] Eva
On land, they met all kinds of people.
[11:44] Main
When I finally got to go the forest,
it was the end of the spring:
[11:48] Main
three months after I started
commuting to the gate.
SIGN Ascendance of a
Bookworm
SIGN Ascendance of a
Bookworm
[12:05] Main
It's the forest!
[12:06] Lutz
We're gonna gather firewood.
You rest up here.
[12:10] Main
Got it.
[12:14] Main
I finally made it.
SIGN Clay Tablets
[12:17] Main
I can finally make clay tablets now!
[12:19] Main
Yahoo!
[12:23] Main
As if I'd come all this way
to go home empty-handed.
[12:26] Main
Show yourself, clay soil!
[12:30] Main
Rock hard!
[12:34] Main
I'm not giving up!
[12:43] Main
I'm not finding anything.
[12:45] Lutz
What do you think you're doing, Main?!
[12:51] Lutz
Did you forget the promise
you made your father?
(Flashback) [12:54] Gunther
The only goal today is to make
it to the forest and back.
(Flashback) [12:57] Gunther
When you get there, rest up and
aim to come back with the others.
(Flashback) [13:01] Gunther
Got that?
(Flashback) [13:02] Main
Yeah!
(Flashback) [13:03] Main
My goal for today will be to go to
the forest, rest up, and come home.
[13:09] Main
I-I know, but uh...
[13:12] Lutz
Bringing that thing means you never had any
intention of keeping your word, did you?
[13:17] Main
You see, I finally got to the
come to the forest, so I just...
[13:22] Lutz
You just?
[13:24] Main
...planned this.
[13:26] Lutz
So you lied, then?
[13:29] Lutz
Mister Gunther said that out
of concern for your health!
[13:33] Lutz
But look at you.
[13:35] Lutz
I never knew you could be so untrustworthy.
[13:39] Main
Sorry...
[13:43] Lutz
So what were you trying to do, anyway?
[13:48] Main
When I told Lutz I wanted clay soil,
[13:51] Main
he took me to a spot with very
little vegetation or drainage.
[13:59] Main
Why are you helping me out?
[14:03] Lutz
You made me those paruecakes
when I was starving, remember?
[14:08] Lutz
I made up my mind to help you then.
[14:12] Main
That's it?
[14:13] Lutz
Yeah. I said I'd be there for you, didn't I?
[14:17] Lutz
But you need to tell me
what you're trying to do.
[14:20] Lutz
Just trust me.
[14:22] Main
Okay. Thanks.
[14:26] Lutz
Here. Is this what you wanted?
[14:30] Main
Yeah, this is it!
[14:32] Main
Amazing, Lutz. This would've taken me days.
[14:37] Lutz
No boy could ever be weaker than you.
[14:40] Lutz
So, what will you do with all this?
[14:43] Main
Make a book.
[14:45] Lutz
A book?
[14:50] Main
Watch this.
[14:57] Lutz
Are these letters?
[14:59] Main
That's right.
[15:00] Main
When you write things down,
[15:02] Main
you can turn moments—words, thoughts,
[15:05] Main
and events that you'd forget—
into permanent ones,
[15:09] Main
and read them over all you want.
[15:12] Lutz
Huh...
[15:13] Lutz
A book is something that's
full of writing like that.
[15:17] Lutz
Books, huh...
[15:18] Main
Yeah.
[15:20] Main
With books, you can learn what
people in the past were thinking,
[15:26] Main
and experience so much more than you
normally could in an average lifespan.
[15:33] Main
Aren't books amazing?
[15:41] Lutz
Well, I gotta get back to firewood.
[15:43] Main
Okay. Thank you so much, Lutz.
[15:47] Lutz
Sure!
[15:54] Main
I did it.
[15:56] Main
Long live Mesopotamia!
[16:00] Main
I made more than I thought.
Wonder if they've dried yet.
[16:03] Kid
Hurry up!
[16:05] Fey
Hold up!
[16:08] Fey
Whoa, what are these?
[16:09] Main
Oh, they're...
[16:11] Fey
Hup!
[16:12] Kid
Me, too!
[16:16] Main
No...
[16:17] Main
Stop!
[16:21] Fey
What's wrong, Main?
[16:29] Main
My clay tablets...
[16:32] Main
Fey and him ruined them.
[16:33] Fey
What? Those were important?
[16:46] Kid
Hey, something's up with her.
[16:49] Main
Do you have any idea what
it took me to get here?
[16:53] Main
I went to the gate so many times,
had Lutz and Tuuli help me...
[16:58] Main
And yet... How could you do this, Fey?!
[17:01] Fey
I'm sorry. I didn't know.
[17:05] Main
I'll never forgive you!
[17:10] Lutz
Calm down, Main.
[17:12] Tuuli
You know they didn't do it on purpose.
[17:23] Lutz
I can see why you're upset.
[17:25] Lutz
You worked so hard to get here.
[17:32] Lutz
Main...
[17:40] Lutz
Let's dig up the soil and make these again.
[17:43] All
O-Okay...
[17:49] All
Do the rest tomorrow and finish it off.
[17:54] Main
Yeah...
[17:56] Main
However, I was bedridden with another fever,
[18:00] Main
and it continued to rain
for a few days straight.
[18:06] Fey
Th-The rain did this, all right?
[18:09] Main
I know that.
[18:14] Fey
If you have the time to cry, you have
the time to give it another try.
[18:18] Main
Yeah.
[18:25] Main
The rest of them went to gather firewood,
[18:28] Main
but Lutz stayed behind
to help the whole way.
[18:32] Lutz
Say, Main, is this what you wanna do in life?
[18:37] Main
Well, what I really want is to
live a life surrounded by books.
[18:41] Lutz
Surrounded by this stuff?
[18:44] Main
Wrong.
[18:45] Main
Real books are too expensive to buy,
so I'm using these as a substitute.
[18:50] Main
What do you want to do in life, Lutz?
[18:52] Lutz
Me?
[18:53] Main
Yeah. I'm sure you have a goal in mind, too.
[18:58] Lutz
I...
[19:02] Lutz
I...
[19:05] Lutz
I want to travel to other cities.
[19:08] Main
Other cities?
[19:10] Lutz
I wanna become a traveling trader
and see the world for myself.
[19:14] Main
A journey sounds good.
[19:16] Lutz
What? Do you really think so?
[19:19] Lutz
It'd mean leaving the city, y'know?
[19:21] Main
Yeah. It sounds fun.
[19:24] Main
You see, my dream at one point was
to visit libraries across the world.
[19:28] Lutz
Libraries?
[19:29] Main
Yeah. Places with lots of books.
[19:33] Main
That dream can never come true now, though.
[19:37] Lutz
Whatever it is, I'm sure you'll
do what you want to.
[19:42] Main
You should just do that, too.
[19:52] Main
All done.
[19:56] Main
It's a book.
[19:58] Main
At first, I thought I wasn't meant
to live in a world without books.
[20:05] Main
But... I've found things
I hold dear here, too.
[20:10] Main
Now if I have my books, I'll be fine.
[20:13] Main
I feel like I've finally found a path
of life for myself in this world.
[20:19] Tuuli
Main, what did you write?
[20:22] Tuuli
It's the story about the little stars.
[20:25] Tuuli
The story Mom told me on the first night.
[20:28] Tuuli
The first night?
[20:31] Main
Yeah. The earliest story I can remember.
[20:35] Main
Unable to accept that I was now Main,
[20:39] Main
I found Mom's affection all too oppressive.
[20:42] Main
Even then, when I decided to make a book,
[20:45] Main
this story was the first
thing to came to mind.
[20:49] Main
I wanna turn all of Mom's stories
into books so I never forget.
[20:56] Main
That way, I'll be able to
read them whenever I want.
[21:02] Main
I feel like this is the first time I've
been able to smile genuinely as Main.
[21:10] Main
Now if I bake and harden
them, they'll be done!
SIGN Clay Tablets Explosion
[21:24] Eva
Main?!
[21:27] Main
No!
SIGN Next Chapter
Baptisms and Strange Fevers
[23:07] Main
Clay tablets were a dead end, too, but
that's not enough to make me give up!
[23:11] Tuuli
What will you do next?
[23:13] Main
Next? Next...
[23:17] Main
O-Oh, right. Next up is your baptism.
[23:21] Ferdinand
If we're speaking of baptism,
it's my time to shine.
[23:27] Main
Sorry, Head Priest. No screen time for you.
[23:31] Tuuli
Main! You shouldn't talk to weird strangers!
SIGN Illustration by Iida Seriko