Ferdinand

Ferdinand (フェルディナンド Ferudinando ) is the high priest of the Ehrenfest temple, as well as the guardian and educator of Myne in the temple. Ferdinand teaches and guides her to become a 'proper' blue-robed apprentice shrine maiden and noblewoman. He becomes a main character in Ascendance of a Bookworm at the start of Part 2.

Personality
Ferdinand is described as a sharp-minded, calm, and dignified individual, so he comes across as a lot older than he really is, leading many people to be surprised by his real age.

He has a bit of a fussy personality, leading him to take on all sorts of responsibilities, including Myne's education. Ferdinand is meritocratic in spite of his social status, despising incompetence and laziness the most, and earning him the reputation of a harsh disciplinarian who would cut off anyone who couldn't meet his standard. The same trait leads him to favor Myne ever since their first interaction, calling her worthwhile to educate but nonetheless having high standards for her as for anyone else.

Due to his harsh past, Ferdinand tends to be secretive and distant to anyone, especially women, and even to his companions. He is also poor at showing his emotions, and interacting with Myne helps him to be more expressive and human at times. He reasons his actions to always be for his benefits when he helps others.

Although he seems to have a cold nature, he actually yearns for a warm and open relationship like he sees Myne's family practice even developing a feeling of jealousy.

History
Driven into a corner feeling that his life is threatened, Ferdinand joined the temple following the suggestion of his older half brother Sylvester to escape the terrible bullying of his stepmother. He had very little to do and requested Sylvester send him books to read and items to construct magic tools. After the purge of the nobility, many blue priests and shrine maidens were summoned back to their families. This causes the main temple in the country to summon any blue priests and shrine maidens with mana. This lead Ferdinand to become the High Priest due to his social rank and handling almost all of the temple's affairs due to his ability.

Story
 See Ferdinand/Story 

Trivia

 * He serves as the narrator for the anime.
 * His principle is to only start a fight he can win.
 * He is a research nut and workaholic.
 * His ring has a green feystone which indicates he was born in spring.
 * He returns debts at least two times the amount he received.
 * He doesn't like to lose and re-matches until he wins.
 * He is the only one in Ehrenfest wearing a blue cape.
 * His favorite cookies are the ones made with tea leaves.
 * He is the 2nd most popular light novel male character from 2020.