Side Story: There's No Rest for Us

One day when snow had just started to fall, on my way back from the workshop, I was stopped by Gil, who had a gloomy expression on his face, and handed a letter.

"Make sure you read it somewhere where nobody who doesn't know the situation will overhear."

I didn't need anyone to explain what the situation was. Whenever Gil went out of his way to be vague like that, it was about Mine. So whenever I was entrusted with one of Mine's letters, I always made a detour to her house before going home.

Today too, I ran up the stairs with the bag containing the letter on my mind and stood in front of Mine's front door.

"Good evening. It's Lutz—is everyone here?"

"We are. ...Oh, could it be?"

At Turi's words from the doorway, I nodded and pulled the letter out of the bag to show her. Turi's blue eyes lit up with joy, and she turned around, her braids swaying behind her.

"A letter came!"

At the same moment as Turi's excited voice rang out, who came rushing out from the bedroom but Uncle Gunther. He'd probably been taking a nap before night duty and had just fallen asleep, because his face was still groggy and he was still in his nightshirt. Aunt Effa quickly wiped her hands and finished up the kitchen work too.

Seeing everyone gathered around the kitchen table, waiting for the letter with their faces practically pressed together, Cammil said "Cammil wants up too!" and demanded to be picked up as well.

When Aunt Effa picked Cammil up, I spread Mine's letter out on the table where everyone had gathered.

The letter addressed to me was written in Mine's characteristic light tone: "I'm going to use medicine to get better, so I'll probably be bedridden for about a season. While I'm out, please look after the workshop and the Gutenberg members for me." There were also detailed instructions for the Gutenberg members listed separately.

The letter to her family said, "I've made medicine so I'll get better. I'm going to become a normal girl. I'll be bedridden for a while, but please don't worry," and it contained individual messages for each family member.

"So she'll finally get better."

"I still can't believe Mine will actually get better."

"Lutz, there are more letters in here too, right? It says 'Fran' on it. I can read the letters, but I don't really understand what it says."

After Mine's letter, the next one to come out was from Fran. Fran's letter contained a lot of phrasing used for nobility, so it was a bit difficult for Turi to read. I'd been made to practice reading this kind of thing at the store too, and I'd also learned during the Ilgner trip, so I'd gotten somewhat better at it.

I picked up Fran's letter and started reading through it.

"...You've gotta be kidding me."

"What's wrong, Lutz?"

Behind Turi, who tilted her head, Uncle Gunther noticed my stiff expression and stood up with a clatter.

"What happened to Mine!?"

"...She was attacked by someone at the castle and apparently forced to drink poison. According to the Chief Priest's assessment, her life isn't in danger, but the period she needs to use the medicine has been extended to over a year..."

The letter also asked me to relay this to the Master as well, but that was irrelevant right now.

When I fell silent, Uncle Gunther snatched Fran's letter from my hands and read through it himself, as if needing to confirm it with his own eyes. But just like Turi, he couldn't understand it. He furrowed his brow and tossed the letter onto the table.

"So it's just that she'll be asleep longer, but there's no danger to her life... That's the only silver lining?"

Uncle Gunther clenched his fists tightly, pressed them against his forehead several times, and slowly exhaled as if venting his helpless anger.

"Is Mine really going to be okay?"

"She'll be fine, Turi. Mine is a strong girl. I always thought she might die while I was nursing her, but she always woke up properly. This time will be fine too. ...Yes, all we can do is believe and wait."

Even Aunt Effa's smile, which kept repeating "She'll be fine," was strained. We couldn't go visit her. We couldn't openly ask about her condition. In a situation like that, the worry must have been unbearable.

Cammil, who didn't understand the situation, looked up anxiously at his family, whose mood had turned dark and heavy. When our eyes met, he reached his hand toward me.

"Lutz, Lutz. Toy..."

"There won't be any new ones for a while, Cammil. The sister who was making them for you is sick in bed."

I lightly patted Cammil on the head, folded the letter addressed to me, and tucked it into my bag. I'd probably need to show this to the Master tomorrow.

"I'll ask Gil about how she's doing again. It's all I can do, but..."

"You're always so helpful, Lutz. Thank you. It's gotten late, so head on home. Here, this is a little something to take with you."

I took a sausage from Aunt Effa and left Mine's house. I ran down the stairs, passed through the well plaza, climbed the stairs again, and headed home.

"I'm home."

"Welcome back, Lutz. You're late."

"Yeah, I had a delivery to make, so I stopped by Mine's house. Here, this is from Aunt Effa."

When I handed over the sausage I'd just received, my mother accepted it with a small smile.

"It's been nearly two years since Mine died, but if Mine's house is still where Lutz heads first, I guess it does feel a bit strange."

"...It doesn't just go away. Can't be helped, right? Mom, I'm hungry. If there's nothing left, boil that sausage for me."

"There's plenty left, so hurry up and put your things away."

As I grumbled and headed to the bedroom to put my things down, I heard my mother laughing behind me. It was still "Mine's house" that came out of my mouth instinctively, so really, what could I do?

The bedroom where four growing boys had to sleep was unbearably cramped. Zasha had already decided to get married, so thinking about them starting to set up their new place, this bedroom should get a little more spacious by next summer.

...I mean, I have money too. If I really wanted to move out now, I could.

I had enough savings to rent my own room and hire someone to do the housework. If I truly resented the cramped quarters, I could rent a bigger place and move the whole family.

But doing that now would make it harder to deliver letters to Turi and the others. Plus, I already had a Duchamp contract, so once I turned ten, I'd be moving my residence to the Master's house anyway. So I wanted to stay with my family as usual until summer. Having seen Mine torn away by her circumstances made me feel that way even more strongly.

I set my bag down and headed to the table where dinner was laid out. Ralph glared at me with an irritated expression. It was unusual for him to still be at the table when dinner was already over—he was clearly here to complain. I already knew exactly what he'd be complaining about.

"Lutz. You went to see Turi again, didn't you?"

"I had a delivery to make from the workshop."

I shrugged as I answered, then pulled the plate of soup toward me and started eating. Lately, I'd been getting complaints related to Turi pretty often.

When I casually brushed it off and started my meal, Ralph looked like he wanted to say something but held it back, irritably tapping the edge of the table with his finger. Honestly, it was disrupting my meal. It was making me irritated too.

"...Hey, Ralph. If you're that bothered by it, why not just invite Turi directly?"

"If I could do that, I wouldn't be suffering!"

Turi had turned ten and become a Duchamp of the Gilberta Company, and her workplace had also moved to Corina's workshop up north. She was a promising young talent who'd risen to a level that would have been unthinkable in this neighborhood. In other words, Turi was the most beautiful girl around with no real competition. As people around them started to look ahead to their futures, more and more men had their eyes on Turi. Ralph was one of them.

"I invite her too, you know. But even when I ask her to go to the forest together on Earthday, Turi turns me down more often than not."

Ralph had been steadily improving his sewing skills, keeping himself neat, and was completely smitten with the hardworking Turi. He probably wanted to take advantage of their childhood-neighbor closeness, but they'd both turned ten and had work every day except Earthday, so apparently they could barely even meet.

"...Well, there's no time to go to the forest, obviously."

"Why not?"

First off, Mine's household was now freed from the burden of their sickly daughter and the medical expenses that came with her. And with Turi becoming a Duchamp of the Gilberta Company and taking on the special order for the Lord's adopted daughter's hair ornaments, they no longer had the financial need to go gathering in the forest. Mine didn't want to leave the house full of memories, and didn't want to change their living environment too much, so they simply hadn't moved—but they could probably afford a slightly nicer place now. Either way, someone else's household finances were none of my concern.

"Turi is working her tail off to become a top-notch tailor, not taking her eyes off her goal. On her days off, she apparently goes to the Gilberta Company and has Corina-san teach her all sorts of things. She's incredibly busy."

"Aaargh, I know it can't be helped because of her job, but it pisses me off that you know more about Turi than I do!"

"Well then, should I just stop talking about Turi?"

"...No. Tell me everything you know."

I shared a few things I'd learned through work about Turi's recent activities, while sighing at the hassle of being a lovesick man.

...Even so, he's my brother, and I do want to support Ralph—but I can't really imagine Turi, who was aiming to serve the Lord's adopted daughter, marrying someone from around here.

The next day, I headed to work at the Plantan Company. It was close to the Gilberta Company, but it was a separate shop they'd acquired. Recently, the Master and Mark had finally finished moving and were living on the second floor of the Plantan Company.

Once the remaining belongings were neatly packed up, Corina-san and the others who had been living on the third floor would move to the second floor of the Gilberta Company. Once the Gilberta Company's move was settled, Turi would apparently start living there as a Duchamp as well.

"Good morning, Mark-san. I have something to discuss regarding the High Priest, and I'd like some time to speak with the Master."

Mark immediately agreed to my request and quickly arranged things with the Master, summoning me to his office. I was impressed by Mark's swift and meticulous work. I was trying to emulate it, but it was still difficult for me.

Everyone except the Master and Mark was cleared out, and I reported that Mine would be asleep for over a year.

"There's no danger to her life, correct?"

"Yes. According to Fran's letter, the Chief Priest's assessment was that she wouldn't wake for over a year. This is the letter."

The Master and Mark read the letter and murmured, "I see."

"Then there won't be any new ventures starting for a while."

"Yes, that's actually ideal."

The Master relaxed his shoulders slightly at Mark's words. Hearing Mine being out for over a year called "ideal" made me frown involuntarily. The Master pressed firmly on the space between my brows, saying "Too much emotion on your face," and let out a long breath.

"As you know, Rozemyne tends to rush things forward too quickly. With so many new developments sprouting up, there needs to be a period for them to take root. Once she wakes up, she'll go on another rampage, so we need to solidify things now."

"Take root?"

I'd assumed they'd be expanding their ventures further and further, but apparently not.

"Contact the Gutenberg members and tell them to focus on deepening what we have rather than expanding—research on Ilgner materials, developing new inks, spreading hand-press pumps, increasing the variety of books. I'll relay the same to the Durua members myself."

"Understood."

I nodded firmly and immediately sent out invitations to gather all the Gutenberg members. I sent the newly-apprenticed Durua as Gutenberg's errand runner to deliver the invitations.

"Hey, Johan. Is the Plantan Company the right place here?"

"Yeah, this is it. Sorry. Please let Lutz know I'm here. Huh? Who is it? It's Johan. Ah, from... Gutenberg's."

On the day I'd called the Gutenberg members together, I heard a familiar voice outside the room and hurried out to greet them.

"Johan, Zack. Thank you for coming through the snow. Please, come in."

"O-Oh."

I led the Gutenberg members who had arrived at the appointed time and place into the Plantan Company's meeting room.

Johan and Zack from metalworking, Ingo from woodworking, Heidi and Josef from ink research, Gil representing the Rozemyne Workshop, and three of us from the Plantan Company. Seeing us all lined up like this, I was surprised at how many of us there were. It felt like an eternity since Mine and I had been puttering around making paper by ourselves.

...Now I kind of want to eat some caramel butter.

As I recalled the flavor that had been so special to eat during the cold season, I gestured for Zack and Johan to take their seats and sat down myself.

"First, I need to let the Gutenberg members know something. It's about Rozemyne-sama."

I relayed the Master's information about Rozemyne entering long-term recuperation, then read aloud the contents of the letter I'd received from Mine.

"In other words, printing should continue as before, but she wants new inks developed to match the new paper. Also, Ingo is asked to work on the bookshelves that were discussed previously, and Johan and Zack are asked to increase the number of metal type blocks and spread the hand-press pumps."

The moment I finished reading the letter and explaining its meaning, Heidi clenched her fist, thrust it high in the air, and shot to her feet.

"New ink research! Yay! My lady, I love you!"

"Look around you. Read the room. Calm down, Heidi!"

Heidi's eyes were shining with excitement at being tasked with the new paper and ink research, while her husband Josef tried to calm her down. As Josef held Heidi back, he cast a slightly worried glance toward where Johan stood with a stunned expression, eyes wide and frozen in place.

"...Hey, Lutz."

"What is it, Johan?"

"Hand-press pumps and metal type blocks—could it be that I'm the only one who's going to be busy? What's Zack going to be doing!?"

Making small, detailed parts was always Johan's specialty. The items Mine had ordered were indeed all in Johan's domain. As I wondered whether the workload was unfair, Zack made an unpleasant face and scratched his ear as he looked at Johan.

"Hey, I've got to think about a bed using springs, and I've been asked to reduce the swaying of carriages. I've got a ton of designs to work on, and Rozemyne-sama isn't my only patron. I have other commissions too. Johan, you don't have any patrons other than Rozemyne-sama, so just do what you're told properly, okay?"

Unless someone made detailed orders the way Mine did, you couldn't appreciate Johan's true value. Johan would just have to resign himself to making the small parts.

"Johan, if you hate making the same parts over and over, why not train a successor who can do the same things you can? Once Rozemyne-sama wakes up, the new commissions will come pouring in again."

At Zack's words, Johan went pale and shuddered, muttering, "No, no, surely not that..." to himself, but I agreed with Zack's assessment.

Mine had said, "When I wake up, I'll be healthy." Unlike before, she wouldn't have to stop because of her condition—she'd just keep on charging ahead.

...Wow, just thinking about it gives me a headache.

As I held my head at the thought of what was to come, the Master turned his gaze to Ingo.

"Ingo's bookshelves? What are those? Something new again?"

"Yeah, pretty unconventional bookshelves. Movable bookshelves with shelves that shift. And something called a compact archive—I think? I've already received some preliminary designs for the bookshelves. I'll work on those while handling other commissions. There will be some small metal components, so Johan will need to handle those... but, you know. Don't ask."

Ingo said this while looking apologetically at Johan. Johan's face grew worse and worse as the requests piled up.

"Huh? Does that mean... my workload just increased?"

"Isn't that great, Johan? You get to do different work from metal type blocks."

"New work is exciting, right? Let's all do our best!"

"I don't want to!"

Everyone laughed at tearful Johan as he received encouragement from Zack and Heidi, and the Gutenberg gathering was brought to a close by the Master.

"With that said, until Rozemyne-sama wakes up, each of you should focus on your respective work. Rozemyne-sama's funds are being held by the Chief Priest. We're prepared to cover expenses on our end as well, so please continue your activities as before."

"Yes, sir!"

And so, as winter—which had been longer than last year's blizzard—came to an end and spring was halfway past, I received a consultation from Gil. Apparently, there was almost no material left for the picture books that Mine had prepared for printing.

"I checked with Fran about it, and she gave me the stories the Chief Priest had gathered from the noble children at the castle during winter, but they were all written in children's spoken language and hard to read. Rozemyne-sama apparently planned to rewrite them into prose suitable for books. I'm not sure what to do..."

Without stories to print, there was no printing. I furrowed my brow at Gil's predicament too. Picture books sold to nobles were our flagship product. We'd even started selling them to wealthy merchants based on the noble clientele connection. We couldn't afford to stop printing.

"...Oh! I think Turi received a hand-copied book. Why don't we ask if we can borrow it?"

"Yeah. Please do. If we make lots of books, Rozemyne-sama might get so eager to read them that she'll wake up early. That's what I'm hoping."

"True. She might jump right up if we pile enough books in front of her."

After talking with Gil like this, I went to see Turi, who was now living at the Gilberta Company, and asked if she'd lend me the book.

"Gil and the others would probably handle it carefully, so lending it is fine... but this was something Mine wrote for her family, so I don't think it's really suited for business."

Saying this, Turi brought out "Mother's Bedtime Story Collection." It contained all the stories Mine had accumulated since the days she used to write on clay tablets. Flipping through it, I found several stories I'd heard on the way to the forest, and I felt so nostalgic for those days that I nearly cried.

"I know it's completely different from the picture books we've done so far, but can I borrow it anyway?"

"Sure, but will you do something for me in return?"

It was rare for Turi to offer a trade like this. When I blinked in surprise, Turi lifted her blue eyes with a look of determination.

"I want to learn proper etiquette and manners. Lutz, you were taught by a Gray Priest at Ilgner, and your movements became so much smoother, plus you can read the difficult letter phrasing used by nobles, right? Corina-san told me that if I learn etiquette and manners, she'll take me to a noble's mansion, but I don't know how to go about learning. In exchange for lending this book, I want you to introduce me to a Gray Priest who can teach me etiquette and manners."

I'd studied etiquette alongside the workers at the Ilgner mansion with the Gray Priests. I didn't feel it particularly myself, but both the Master and Mark praised me, and my movements had apparently become refined enough that even Turi noticed right away. I understood the urgency Turi felt, coming from the same slum neighborhood.

Before Mine entered the Temple and started the workshop, both Turi and I had looked down on Gray Priests and Gray Shrine Maidens somewhat, thinking of them as orphans. Everyone in the lower city probably shared the same sentiment, except for Mine, who said things like "Just being allowed into the Library earns my respect."

But once you got to know them deeper, they had refined their manners and etiquette so they wouldn't be embarrassed in front of nobles—they were educated people who did it all to survive. They possessed knowledge you'd want even if you had to pay for it.

"Got it. I'll talk to Gil and Fritz about it."

The Rozemyne Workshop, where the orphans did the printing, had come under the Plantan Company's jurisdiction from the Gilberta Company. So without an invitation from Rozemyne, Turi—who was a Duchamp of the Gilberta Company, a clothing-related business—could no longer come and go freely. I'd have to arrange things with the Temple first.

When I went to the workshop, I handed over the book I'd borrowed from Turi and made my request to Gil.

"So, about Turi learning etiquette and manners—can something be arranged? Please, Gil."

"If Turi wants to learn, she'd probably be better off learning from a Gray Shrine Maiden rather than a Gray Priest. Turi's done a lot for us over the years. I'll ask Wilma and Fran."

Up until now, Turi had taught the orphanage children sewing and cooking, taken them to the forest, and gone out of her way for them in various ways. She'd also shown up at the winter Temple classes numerous times, so she was familiar with the orphanage. So as a form of repayment, Fran and Wilma approved of teaching her etiquette and manners. However, the condition was that I, who was allowed entry, had to bring Turi in.

I also informed the Master about studying etiquette at the Temple. Since I had to go with Turi, I planned to get some instruction myself. Even though I'd learned various things at Ilgner, there was quite a gap between me and Gil, who served as an Attendant. I needed to work harder too.

"Master, for that reason, I'll be going to the orphanage on Earthdays for a while to study etiquette."

"Just you and Turi? Can't anyone else join?"

The Master seemed to want to drill etiquette into the Duchamp members of the Plantan Company and Gilberta Company as well, but without Mine's permission—she was asleep, after all—he couldn't force anyone else in.

"I don't think that would be possible. Turi has always done so much for the orphanage, so Fran and Wilma only gave permission because of that."

"At times like this, you really wish that headstrong girl would wake up," the Master said with a bitter smile before composing his expression.

"Lutz, study hard. You and Turi both have ties to the Lord's adopted daughter—ties that could be severed at any moment. Don't be lazy about making the most of that precious connection."

"Yes, sir!"

"Also, this is something Rozemyne once told me..."

After receiving several pieces of advice from the Master along with shopping permission, I headed to Corina-san's workshop. I showed the Master's invitation letter at the workshop and called Turi out.

"Turi, you've got permission. They'll teach you etiquette and manners."

"Thank you, Lutz! I have to do my best!"

Turi clenched her fist with a look full of motivation. She'd only learned a few basic things about handling objects from Mine before, and hadn't received much formal education. The etiquette Corina-san taught was mainly to help her blend in at the workshop, and the majority of it was actually about sewing rather than manners.

"Anyway, let's go shopping. The Master says to buy a long-sleeved outfit—even secondhand is fine. Apparently you need it to practice proper deportment."

"Huh?! I don't have that kind of extra money!"

Since joining the Gilberta Company, Turi had her own guild card, and as a Duchamp she'd taken on the responsibility of making the hair ornaments for the Lord's adopted daughter, so her salary was considerably higher than others her age. But apparently, she still didn't have enough money to casually buy a frilly lady's outfit.

I glanced at my own guild card. I had money. I was too busy to spend it, so it just kept piling up.

"I'll buy it for you today."

"That's too kind. I can't let you do that."

"Turi, don't worry about it. When Mine wakes up, I'll have her pay me back from Mine's savings, so don't stress about it."

Turi tried to refuse, just as I'd predicted, and I waved my hand dismissively.

"...Lutz, what's Mine's savings?"

"Money Mine saved up before she died, to be used for her family. She said it was for paper and ink so the family could write letters, and for Turi and Cammil's education—so if it's used for study materials this time, Mine wouldn't complain."

"Study materials? But long-sleeved outfits are expensive! To use that as study materials..."

"It's wasteful," Turi shook her head, but wealthy merchants would pay far more than that to learn the etiquette that would be recognized by nobility.

"It's a necessary expense. Without the sleeves, you can't get a feel for the movements. If this still feels wasteful to you, you might as well give up on learning etiquette altogether. This time, the orphanage is teaching you as a way of repaying Turi's past kindness, but normally, you'd have to pay a fortune to hire someone to teach you."

"...You're right. I'll leave it to you, Lutz."

I went shopping with Turi to buy the practice outfit with fluttering sleeves, and while at it, picked up several sets of regular clothes she could wear to the workshop. At the sight of the pile of women's clothing, Turi let out a shriek.

"Lutz, I don't need this much!"

"The Master told me that since Corina-san's workshop and the Plantan Company have a lot of wealthy apprentices, Turi and I might stick out. Mine was apparently always particular about when and how many clothes to buy, worried that we'd look out of place. Now that Mine isn't here, the Master said I need to pay attention to these things myself. ...So, this half is mine."

I added my own clothes to the pile too. If the Master hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't care at all about my appearance, so I really did need to be more mindful.

Turi murmured that she hadn't known, staring at the growing pile of clothes. Then her expression softened into a happy one, her eyes glistening as she reached out to touch the garments.

"...I thought it was like getting paid back for helping buy clothes for the Attendants, but Mine was actually thinking about us and giving instructions all along. She never would have told us directly—you'd never know otherwise. I was starting to think Mine had forgotten all about us with how busy she was over there... I feel like an idiot."

"You and Turi can't talk to each other directly, so you wouldn't know—but you two are way too fond of each other. My family isn't terrible, but compared to you two, my siblings are night and day."

And so, on Earthdays when work gave us a break, Turi and I went to the orphanage to learn etiquette. At the orphanage, I studied under Fritz, and Turi under Wilma.

Since we'd be going out together every time Turi had a day off, Ralph had started giving me increasingly intense looks. Anything I said seemed pointless, so I decided to probe Turi a bit on Ralph's behalf.

"Hey, Turi, are you going to start thinking about romance anytime soon? People around you must be talking about it more and more, right?"

"Everyone around me is, but honestly, I can't even think about that right now."

I knew she'd reached the age where people around her were getting stirred up, but it seemed to have absolutely no relevance to her—more like she wished people wouldn't drag her into it. Having felt the same way before, I understood Turi's feelings perfectly.

"Ah, I know that feeling."

"Right? If you want to keep up with Mine, you've got your hands full, so you'd rather people not bother you with romance stuff, right?"

"Exactly."

Surrounded by the daughters of Ilgner's residents at the manor, unable to refuse them and thinking the exact same thing, I silently apologized to Ralph.

...Sorry, Ralph. Romance isn't happening for Turi anytime soon.

Then, near the end of autumn—about a year after Mine fell asleep—the Master assembled all the Gutenberg members with a pale face.

"We're in the middle of Winter Preparations," one of them grumbled, but even the complaining Gutenberg members straightened up at the Master's expression.

"Rozemyne-sama's mother has apparently stated that she wants her own printing workshop. She plans to conduct a large-scale operation in her home territory of Haundenzel. The Chief Priest told me that she'll build a Plant Paper workshop, an in-house ink workshop, and a printing workshop. According to them, it is the mother's duty to expand the printing business in Rozemyne-sama's place."

"Um, what does that mean exactly?"

Heidi tilted her head, not understanding.

"Starting from next spring through autumn, all Gutenberg members will be making a mass relocation. Prepare during the winter so the workshop and shop can keep running even during an extended absence. Make arrangements with your respective guilds as well. I'll handle the commercial guild."

The unexpected major operation that would mobilize all the Gutenberg members changed everyone's complexion.

"They wanted us to go to Haundenzel immediately, but we managed to push it back to spring by pointing out that there were no cooperating workshops there to support us, and that papermaking couldn't be done in winter when the rivers were frozen."

At first, they'd been told to go right away, but the Master had somehow managed to buy time by agreeing to let them print their desired materials at the Rozemyne Workshop first. That was our Master, all right.

"Lady Elvira is a born upper noble. Unlike Rozemyne-sama, who was raised in the Temple, she won't consider the circumstances of commoners. The only one who could stop her is Rozemyne-sama, and she's resting. Don't slack off on your preparations—spring could come at any time."

When Mine fell asleep, her family had started running wild. And the opponent was an upper noble we couldn't possibly hold back.

There was apparently no rest for the Gutenberg. Looking thoroughly drained, the Gutenberg members filed out of the meeting room one after another.

It's been a while since I wrote about the lower city.

I took snippets of the interactions with family and the Gutenberg members.

And here too, Mother plays a big role.

Next will be from Fran's perspective.