The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Ascendance of a Bookworm Season 3, “The Beginning of Winter,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.

The slice-of-life isekai series Ascendance of a Bookworm has returned for its third season. After accidentally dying by being crushed by a pile of books, Urano Motosu is reincarnated as five-year-old girl named Myne, who is suffering from the Devouring, an illness caused by excess mana. Myne is shocked to discover that the world she is arrived in has very few books, as they are extremely rare and only available to the wealthy and the nobility. After struggling in vain to find books, Myne decides that she'll make her own books instead.

Myne's endeavors eventually lead her to cross paths with the merchant Benno, who takes an interest in her unusual knowledge of various inventions and recipes. However, her illness threatens her life again, and in a bid to save it, she becomes a part of the church, where she can put her excess mana to use. While Myne's various struggles continue to pile up, she continues headstrong in her desire to create affordable books for the public.

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"The Beginning Of Winter"

Bookworm 3 Myne talking with Ferdinand with Fran behind her

Since winter is coming, Myne has been ordered to stay at the cathedral to avoid a situation where she cannot come to the church when she is needed. Her preparations require her to make a lot of clothes, so in order to pay for the materials, Myne agrees to allow Benno to sell her newly made books. While dealing with the necessary paperwork to do so, Myne and Benno meet with Johann, a young blacksmith who wants Myne to become his patron now that he is almost an adult. Since she wants Johann to make metal letter types in order to mass produce her books, Myne agrees to become his patron, with Benno acting as co-signer.

As time passes and Myne's preparations for her winter stay continue, her books begin to sell in the city among the wealthy. They draw the attention of the Ink Guild, who are curious about the ink used to make those books. Benno advises Myne to sell the method of ink production to avoid trouble, and Myne agrees. However, the Ink Guild master wants more than just that, and tries to kidnap Lutz. Thankfully, he manages to escape, but seeing as trouble is clearly to brew, Benno tells Myne that she should start staying at the cathedral earlier than planned. As the episode ends, the Ink Guild master meets with a mysterious man who pays him to perform an unmentioned duty.

As Life Continues, Trouble Brews

Bookworm 3 Ink Guild Master accepting a bribe of money

The first episode of Season 3 continues where the last season left off, with Myne continuing to get used to life as a priestess while working towards her goal of mass-producing books for the public. In this episode, she makes a decision to sell her first self-made book, and while her books are still too expensive for most people to buy, it is a step towards her dream. If Johann is able to create the metal letter types she wishes for, she should be able to cut down the costs of labor and production considerably.

This episode also marks the start of Myne's winter stay at the cathedral. Myne's winter stay was a troubling subject during the second season since it meant that she wouldn't be able to see her family as often, something she has accepted but still struggles with emotionally. While Myne has made many friends and allies in the church, it is still a place where she is looked down upon by many of the blue-robed priests, and the high priest continues to bear a grudge against her. In addition, Delia, one of Myne's closest retainers, is still in touch with the high priest, though only because it would make her position in the church difficult otherwise. While the cathedral is meant to be a safe place for Myne, it has its own share of troubles for Myne.

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Finally, the introduction of the Ink Guild as a new antagonistic force brings a lot of intrigue to the third season. They've already shown how threatening they can be by attempting to kidnap Lutz, but no one knows how far they'll go. The Ink Guild master is described as being in bed with some shady folk, which is demonstrated in his mysterious meeting with an unknown person. This person's goals are currently unknown, but it's certain that they'll have something to do with Myne.

The first episode of the new season of Ascendance of a Bookworm is quite low-tension, but new conflicts and tensions are starting to develop. Myne will have to deal with a lot as she continues to live as both a priestess and a bookmaker. The third season is getting off to a great start, and the second episode can't come soon enough.

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