Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke

Episode 14

Isekai series regularly deal with the main characters getting lost in the sauce of the systems of the worlds they've found themselves in. It varies by degrees, with some of the most common instances being the leads deciding that, say, slavery is just an element of the realm they're in, and they've got no choice but to accept (and even participate!) in it. Ascendance of a Bookworm has always differentiated itself by taking a more balanced tack—Myne recognized that the world she now inhabited was an unfair, stratified, medieval-style system, but couldn't immediately do anything about it on account of being born into one of the lowest levels of it. As such, Bookworm has been the story of someone slowly gaining power and influence in a world like this while still looking at it with societal mores inherited from her past life, and how that bears out her possibility to revolutionize such a world.

All that's to say that this week's episode of Bookworm is about Rosemyne confronting the realities of how things are done in this world head-on. Powerful as she is now (sainthood, and all that), she's still not in a position to fully counter it, much as she wants to. It's one more part of the runway of her deciding who she wants to be and where she wants to go, and a reminder that in any real world, compromise is always necessary to deal with issues on a macro scale.

The said issue is the matter with the town of Hasse and their uprising against the monastery at the behest of their slighted Mayor. The rumors spread have helped get most of the town on the side of Rosemyne and the church, but the rules and structure still demand that punishment be meted out. Pragmatism is all over this episode as a theme, even in the bits less related to the Hasse situation. It opens with Sylvester resolving that, popular and effective as they are, Rosemyne's educational materials must not be sold outside their own duchy, so as to increase Ehrenfest's academic standing. It makes apparent just how far Rosemyne's influence could go, while reinforcing the importance of those macro policies and geopolitics that also inform what happens with Hasse.

Rosemyne's advocacy for the town has helped some. At first, it's not clear just how lenient denying only one season of spring prayer to them is, but the crowd's relieved reaction at the announcement makes it apparent. It also expresses the sheer power the church has over the lives of these outlying people. Viewers are used to seeing Rosemyne interacting with this organization on an internal level, so this other angle is a reminder of how much bigger than her it is. Rosemyne's doing her best to play the good cop for these folks, and they're still terrified of her influence.

It's even more apparent why that is once Ferdinand steps in to play bad cop. Having magical moral enforcement on their side means it's very difficult to oppose the authority of the church, even if these people wanted to. Their deference to needing to go through the ominous Gate of Judgment makes it clear, even if there's something so Minority Report about this supposedly sorcerous standard for screening intent. Sure, it technically seems to work as far as absolving most of the townspeople, save for the Mayor, his wife, and the folks that actually attacked the monastery. But must it always be used in place of a fair, sympathetic trial, especially when the punishment is so unilateral?

This is the heaviest element of this world's justice as depicted in Bookworm. The series, for all its acceptance of these old-world-style realities, has always worked to keep an upbeat, optimistic tone as viewed through Rosemyne's effortful eyes. But this storyline, as she's regularly been reminded of with talk of "disposing of" her opposition, has been about making clear the darker necessities that hope is built upon. It's hardly subtle, bringing back the invocation of the God of Darkness for Ferdinand to punish the guilty parties. But it's arguably a terrifying power too great: the punishment is instantaneous death, and with the blood-sealed registration tokens of the people on hand, it's a death the leadership can inflict on them anytime they see fit. It's brutal, medieval authoritarianism, and it's hard for Rosemyne to watch as she reconciles it with her efforts to do what's best for all these people who are now her subjects. She has to exist and operate within these systems—for now.

Will this push Rosemyne further toward revolution? It highlights the differences between her and Ferdinand and how circumstances have brought them together, but might not have them working in harmony forever when it comes to running this show. Rosemyne can still find comfort in her father's cloak, which she's allowed to receive. It might just remind her that everyone she's overseeing the punishment of are themselves people with families, exemplified in the Mayor's wife viciously blaming Rosemyne for the horror that befalls her. There's a hard contrast in all the natives of the world accepting it matter-of-factly (especially Eustachius' gleeful reaction, I trust that guy less and less) compared to Rosemyne's disturbances. It's strongly, calculatedly done, and it demonstrates that Rosemyne can still have the resolve to change this world's systems instead of letting herself get lost in it.

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Ascendance of a Bookworm Part 3: Adopted Daughter of an Archduke is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris is back to hit the books. You can see him posting about anime, transforming robots, and other quality reading material over on his BlueSky.