"The thing is,
The night I passed all my lectures, at dinner where everyone had gathered,
"Brother Wilfried... what do you mean by 'already passed'?"
"I mean she could have taken it a bit more slowly."
At those words, the girls who had been studying so hard nodded in agreement. It seemed there were still a few who hadn't finished the written coursework.
For me, having my goal suddenly vanish was like working so hard to reach the library, only to have it close before I could get in. When I put myself in their shoes, it was an absolutely terrible situation.
...Just when we were about to pass, and the library closes? That's just not fair!
Feeling as though my chest were being crushed, I looked around at the girls.
"Regarding the measurements for
I announced that while I was definitely going to the library tomorrow, I had no plans to take measurements yet, and the girls looked somewhat relieved. But Wilfried, on the other hand, shook his head with a troubled expression.
"The measurements don't matter right now. Before Rozemyne goes off to the library and gets even more carried away, there's something we need to discuss properly."
...Hmm? Was there something to discuss?
"Now that the lectures are over, we'll be moving on to socializing. As Ehrenfest, we need to decide how much information to circulate as trends, and I think we should prepare common answers to frequently asked questions. What do you think?"
"Recently, I've been running out of answers to so many questions, so that would be a real help."
At Wilfried's words, the apprentice scribes all lit up with enthusiasm. It seemed the apprentice scribes were dealing with a lot of information exchange and had been getting bombarded with questions lately.
"For those who've already had contact with other duchies, I have questions. What were you asked? And how did you answer? Let's use that as a basis to think things through. From now on, the lower-year students will also be appearing at social gatherings."
Answers to Wilfried's questions came one after another. The effect of organizing study groups by specialization through the Academic Improvement Committee seemed to be paying off, with opinions coming in regardless of faction.
The upper-year students had already held tea parties on the last Earthday, and it was said they'd been actively exchanging information during lecture breaks as well.
As expected, the biggest topic was the secret behind Ehrenfest's grade improvement. Besides the first-years' perfect scores on written coursework, rumors were spreading that two archduke candidates were being mentioned as candidates for outstanding achievement.
"We're being asked about how our written test scores improved so dramatically. The answer to that's already been decided, right? The improvement is thanks to the Saint of Ehrenfest. Next year will be even more surprising—tell them that.
I hadn't given any such instructions, but apparently that was the official line.
"Since right now, the improvement is basically limited to written coursework, this year should be fine. Next year, when people learn about the Rozemyne Method of magic compression and see how much their magic power grows, that's when Ehrenfest's reputation will change significantly."
It sounded like next year would be even more troublesome. I was already starting to dread it.
"Regarding the winter children's room education, picture books, karuta, and playing cards, please keep that information quiet for now. We want to maintain our advantage in written test scores for the time being."
"Understood."
Wilfried nodded solemnly, saying, "That should be fine regarding academic improvement."
"I was asked about hair gloss at my tea party. I answered that Rozemyne-sama lent me the Rinshan the day before the advancement ceremony. I was asked all sorts of things—where it's sold, how it's made, and so on."
It seemed the advancement ceremony had also served to showcase the effect of using Rinshan to make girls' hair shine. I hadn't heard much about it in my own circle, so I hadn't known.
"What did you tell them?"
"I said I had merely borrowed it, so I didn't know the details. I did mention that it was starting to become a trend in Ehrenfest."
"For Rinshan, that should be sufficient."
The Noble Academy essentially operated with resources transferred from one's home duchy. There were no shops or commoners within the Academy facilities.
The students at the Noble Academy only gathered rumors and trends—actual trade deals would be handled at the Lord's Conference. If you wanted to advertise widely, you could promote it here; if you wanted to keep it under wraps, you could hide it.
"For the Rinshan, flower decorations, and quatre-quarts, it's fine to bring the actual items to tea parties or bring them up in conversation. You can say they're becoming a trend in Ehrenfest. However, please keep the name of the merchant guild selling them quiet. If someone poaches the product or steals the method before the deal is finalized at the Lord's Conference, the value will plummet overnight."
Recently, the students had been thinking hard about making money on their own, so they were a bit more sensitive to the value of information and how it fluctuated. They nodded solemnly. The strategy was to show the actual products, be coy about the information, and drive up the value.
"Rozemyne-sama, I was asked about riding beasts with a mountable form today. It seems that you and Hirschur-sensei were riding around the skies above the Noble Academy, and many of the knight apprentices witnessed it."
"Hirschur-sensei created a Schmuil-type riding beast during our riding beast creation practical."
I explained that it had been part of the riding beast creation practical. I also described how multiple professors had come to investigate the rumors that I had attacked Frauerlum with a riding beast modeled after a magical beast.
"So the rumors about Frauerlum-sensei were debunked then. With testimony from multiple professors, it should be easy to dispel the bad rumors."
"Yes. Also, several of the first-years created mountable riding beasts."
When I relayed that the archduke candidate girls had created Schmuil-type riding beasts,
"If it's Schmuil, it might catch on. They are terribly cute."
"The great advantage of Rozemyne-sama's riding beast is that there's no need to change clothes. Since my current riding beast is already broken in, it would be a bit of trouble, but I'm thinking of changing mine too, perhaps?"
"...The magic consumption increases, but if you make it larger, you can carry luggage. It also shields you from wind and rain, which is convenient, though it's not ideal for knight apprentices who need to fight with weapons drawn. That's what my guard knights told me."
At my words, Eudlit's expression fell in disappointment. She had apparently wanted a mountable riding beast too.
"Also, if you're going for a mountable riding beast, a rounder animal is cuter than a tall, slender one like a horse... ah, no, I mean an animal with a wider mounting area is easier to make."
For now, I put in a good word so it might spread to Ehrenfest as well. Hopefully, more cute riding beasts would appear before long.
"Compared to the buzz about first-day written test scores, Rozemyne-sama being invited to the music professors' tea parties doesn't seem to have generated as much gossip."
"Maybe it's because even if Ehrenfest being invited is rare, the professors' tea parties themselves aren't that uncommon?"
Listening to the upper-year students' exchange, I turned to Brunhilde.
"Brunhilde, has the date for the tea party with the professors been decided?"
"My written coursework ended today, so I'll be consulting with Richhilda to set the date. We'll take care of the preparations here, so Rozemyne-sama, please memorize the information about the professors."
Brunhilde said it would be better to know in advance whose tea party we'd be attending.
"Understood. Also, this is something I'd like to ask everyone: please look into how much influence and how many legends
"...Ferdinand-sama?"
"From what I've heard, he apparently created all sorts of legends at the Noble Academy. Bringing him up at tea parties might please some people. ...On the other hand, it might also offend some, which is why I want you to investigate."
As the Chief Priest himself had told me, he was by no means the type of person who was naturally well-liked. He could be caring and overprotective, but only toward those he recognized as valuable. More often than not, his manner of speaking and his attitude were cold and harsh, leaving a decidedly unfavorable impression.
...He seemed like the type who'd be good at aristocratic pleasantries and verbal sparring, and he probably had as many enemies as legends.
"The music currently trending in Ehrenfest also bears Ferdinand-sama's touch on my compositions. It would help if you could compile information before heading to the music professors' tea parties."
"Understood."
While the apprentice scribes looked eager, the knight apprentices didn't seem particularly enthused.
"You knight apprentices need to research Ferdinand-sama's legends thoroughly as well. He seems to have been undefeated in the Stealth Retrieval Ditter. This year, with archduke candidates present, Ehrenfest's Ditter will be getting attention, so tighten up your training."
"...I hear that was a fleeting glory. Besides, modern Ditter is about speed, so it's different from back then."
At
"Then, shouldn't you at least be able to analyze enemies to take them down faster? The magical beasts created by the professors—there shouldn't be that many different types, right?"
"There are actually quite a few..."
"Professor Ruffen would probably say something like 'go in with fighting spirit' or 'charge in together as one,' but don't take that literally and attack all at once—that won't work."
The knight apprentices looked at each other in surprise. They had actually been doing coordinated all-out attacks, hadn't they?
"You need to be able to counter any magical beast, so of course you should know the weaknesses and attack patterns of all of them, but you also need to plan who attacks how and who defends—role assignments, at the very least. And you should be rotating those regularly to see if they really match each person's aptitude, right?"
"...Ah, well..."
"It's not just about charging in together. Someone needs to take an overview from the surrounding area, and if a fight drags on, you need to conserve fighting strength to buy recovery time. If you can't rotate, that's a problem."
"Rozemyne-sama, you're an archduke candidate—I don't think you understand knight apprentices. Fights never drag on long enough to need recovery, so it's fine to go all-out against any magical beast. If you have time to research weaknesses, you'd be better off training to improve attack power instead."
"Traugott, you're the one who can't see the bigger picture. The knight order is the one that defeats Ehrenfest's Lord of Winter every year. They may not know which beast will become the Lord of Winter each year, but no knight would say they don't study magical beasts just because they don't know."
Knight apprentices couldn't participate in the subjugation of the Lord of Winter. But they had to have heard about how brutal it was. Every knight apprentice looked at me in astonishment.
"The upper echelons of the knight order think every year about how to defeat the Lord of Winter as quickly as possible—not only identifying weaknesses in the magical beasts, but training so they can defeat whatever comes. Thinking ahead about how to take down a powerful enemy quickly, and fighting with that in mind—that's what gives the training meaning. Define each person's role clearly, and train while always thinking critically."
Seeing Angelica's resigned expression—she clearly didn't want to think—I smiled wryly and turned to Cornelius.
"Cornelius, what kinds of magical beasts did you face each year, how did you defeat them, and how long did it take? If we had even one year's worth of data from every duchy, we'd have information on all twenty-one magical beasts. And if we accumulated several years, there would be duchies that fought the same beast, so we'd understand weaknesses and optimal strategies even more precisely. But there's no systematic accumulation of annual data among the knight apprentices?"
"Most of it was passed on verbally. We never really wrote anything down."
During training, information was passed on orally and remained only as personal experience—none of it was preserved as documentation. I couldn't believe it.
"Then, starting this year, write it down. As for past data, pool everyone's memories and write down everything you can recall about each beast and its weaknesses. Books exist for the accumulation and transmission of knowledge. Write it down, preserve it, and pass it on—Ehrenfest will grow stronger with each generation."
Before the knight apprentices could respond, the attendant apprentices spoke up first.
"If the knight apprentices are going to preserve that kind of information, then we should also write down and share the professors' preferred tea types, sweets, and other essential information for hosting tea parties. That way, we'll immediately know what new information needs to be gathered."
"Preserving information as documents is our job. Shall the apprentice scribes also compile the oral traditions?"
It seemed there were quite a few things being passed down by word of mouth among the apprentice scribes as well. Everyone agreed to organize the oral information and share it.
"Then, shall we place bookshelves in the multipurpose hall? That way, everyone can access the documents we've created."
"...Rozemyne-sama, are you planning to build a library in the dormitory too?"
"A library room, at least. There are resources we can't show to other duchies, but there are also things we want to share within Ehrenfest."
I chuckled and affirmed
"Rozemyne, not to impose, but could you give me some advice as well?"
"What is it?"
"The tea party with
Looking at Wilfried's stiff expression, it was clear he didn't consider the tea party between cousins to be a casual affair.
"Both
According to information the apprentice scribes had gathered, Frebelturk was struggling even more with magic power now that the assistance from Ehrenfest had been cut off. One person suggested they might request the assistance be resumed.
"Magic power assistance? We were doing that?"
"Yes. Ferdinand-sama and I were filling a small holy cup with our magic power and handing it over."
Having experienced filling his own territory's magic power reserves, Wilfried murmured, "Ehrenfest probably doesn't have that kind of surplus to spare." I really wished he'd say that to his parents.
"For Frebelturk, we should wait and see. If they hint at wanting assistance, tell them that Ehrenfest is in such dire straits that the archduke candidates have to go around filling territories with their own magic power."
"Hmm?"
"If it's someone who would do the same for us, we could consider offering advice or assistance. But if it's someone who mocks the idea of an archduke candidate doing a priest's job, then I have no intention of providing assistance going forward."
Wilfried nodded firmly.
"Does anyone have anything on Ahrensbach? The Archduke of Ehrenfest has cut off interactions between nobles, so we don't have much information."
"Given that we don't want to anger the Archduke of Ehrenfest, we haven't been actively gathering information on that front either, so I'm not sure."
I asked the apprentice scribes to gather more information going forward, then looked at Wilfried.
"For now, be on guard against Ahrensbach. Even if you feel nostalgia, don't let yourself be led astray."
"I know."
"And keep a close watch on the attendants you bring along."
"Yes!"
Wilfried's attendants had been informed about the incident at the hunting tournament two years ago, and they also knew he'd been removed from the succession. They were serving him despite all that, so they should have been loyal.
As the attendants affirmed that they would follow every instruction, Wilfried smiled wryly.
"...Rozemyne-sama."
With a determined expression, Roderich opened his mouth.
"Why are you so wary of Ahrensbach?"
The question, asked in a trembling voice, drew startled looks. Those who looked at him as if to say "what are you talking about now?" were Wilfried's and my own attendants. The children from the old
Receiving everyone's gaze, Roderich clenched his trembling fist.
"Ahrensbach is a major territory, and the First Wife, Lady
With that, Roderich bowed his head.
As for the hunting tournament where Wilfried had been set up, Roderich had been given the role of guiding Wilfried to the white tower without being told the details—and as a result, Wilfried had distanced himself from him.
I imagined he'd been manipulated by the adults around him. But for a weak mid- or lower-ranking noble caught up with the powerful, this was an irrecoverable blunder. Roderich had committed his mistake the year after his
There might also be children who, like Roderich, were told by their parents to cozy up to Ahrensbach and share information with them. I wanted to keep things neat within the dormitory, but that was going to be difficult.
Even so, I spoke up, knowing that Roderich would not be satisfied without understanding the full picture.
"Roderich, you weren't yet baptized at the time, so you may not know, but while I was hidden away and raised in the
The younger children who hadn't known about my difficult childhood looked at me in shock.
"...I had no idea such things had happened."
"Moreover, the criminal who kidnapped Charlotte and the criminal who poisoned me are two different people. Having been close to both, I can say with certainty they are not the same. The other criminal has still not been captured. Who can say they're not in league with Ahrensbach? When there's even a slight danger, it's only natural that we, who were attacked, should be on our guard, don't you think?"
"I think so."
Judging from how pale the children's faces were, it was clear they hadn't even been given the information needed to form a judgment.
"I, too, would like to get along with other duchies if we could. However, given the current situation where the Archduke of Ehrenfest is wary due to various incidents, I'm afraid it's difficult to establish a cooperative relationship with Ahrensbach."
"...Yes."
That seemed to convince them, and the old Veronica faction children nodded in understanding, their heads bowed.
"There are so many things you can't understand without knowing the facts. So, Roderich—as an apprentice scribe, you should cultivate yourself to gather information from various sources. Fortunately, there are many reliable upper-year students at the Noble Academy."
Roderich looked up as if struck by realization, then slowly looked around at everyone.
"Gather information from all territories, then carefully consider how much benefit a relationship with Ahrensbach would bring to Ehrenfest, and whether there might be other territories that offer greater benefits."
"I'll do my best."
Roderich's face brightened as he answered, and the old Veronica faction children nodded silently in agreement.
I dismissed everyone and headed back to my room. Wilfried stopped me on the way and invited me to a small room where we could talk privately—small, though it was large enough to fit all of both our attendants.
"...Rozemyne, you're too soft. You should keep the old Veronica faction members under control."
"I know I'm told I'm soft—it comes up quite often. But Brother Wilfried, just as I gave you an opportunity for atonement and growth, I want to give them the same chance."
Wilfried and those around him were left speechless.
"What's strange about a young child freshly baptized swallowing their parents' words whole? The sin they committed is the same as yours, Brother Wilfried. Don't you understand how they felt, committing a sin they didn't know about?"
"That's..."
"You must understand, right? Or perhaps it's been two years, so you've forgotten? For you, Brother Wilfried, it may have been two years ago, but in my perception, not even a full season has passed. I clearly remember the expression of regret and the words of remorse from that time."
Wilfried slumped as if throwing his hands up in defeat.
"I can't trust all the old Veronica faction children right away. But if they hear various perspectives at the Noble Academy, where their parents' influence is limited, and build their own way of thinking and information networks, couldn't we change our relationship with them at least a little? Cutting off the old Veronica faction entirely won't serve us in the future. ...To be bluntly honest, even if we cut off the parents, I want to bring the children into our camp and make our faction a little larger for the future."
I thought bringing in the parent generation would be difficult. It wouldn't be easy to change the thinking of those set in their ways. But the children might still be workable.
"Stay vigilant, but absorb what we can, huh? That's tough."
"Yes, I think so. But cultivating the retainers who will support you and the territory—that's the duty of the next archduke. And since I'm definitely not going to be the next archduke, it's not my job."
I declared flatly to Wilfried and our respective attendants that I would not become the archduke. Lately, it seemed like everyone around me was getting excited about it, so a firm counter was the best approach.
"Then, what is the role of someone who won't become archduke?"
"I am the High Priest, so my most important duty is performing religious rites without issue and managing the Temple. Beyond that, as the child of the archduke, I suppose it would be organizing the castle's library to support the next archduke."
"...Organizing the library and supporting the archduke are separate tasks, aren't they?"
At Wilfried's comment, accompanied by a shrug, laughter of agreement rippled from those around us.
We moved toward sharing information about various matters.
Wilfried is anxious about how the old Veronica faction will develop from here.
Next, we head to the library.