I had somehow managed to pass the Dedication Dance practice without letting my blessing overflow, but I was absolutely terrified of everyone's reactions afterward. I immediately guided
"...The blessing was restrained, but the entire magic stone was glowing. It was, well, the sort of scene that would make people understand why you'd be called a saint. Right, Brother?"
"Mm. Even I noticed it while I was dancing. It was extremely conspicuous."
Apparently, even Wilfried had been so distracted by the magic stone that started glowing mid-dance that he had stopped dancing altogether. I knew everyone had been left gaping at the glowing magic stones, but I hadn't even noticed that the others around me had stopped dancing.
...I had been desperately trying to keep the blessing from overflowing!
"Wh-what were the other people's reactions like?"
"Inside the smaller reception hall, everyone kept their lips sealed, so it was hard to tell their individual reactions. After you left,
"Since they're all Lord Candidates, they're skilled at hiding their expressions and inner thoughts. Whether and how they report to those around them and to the Aub after returning to their respective dormitories... we won't know until a little more time has passed," Charlotte said with a sigh as Wilfried shook his head. The Dedication Dance practice was conducted only among Lord Candidates, so unlike the music practicals attended by higher-ranking nobles, there were fewer witnesses. However, everyone present in the smaller reception hall occupied the highest positions in their territories, so it was unclear what kind of impact this would have and how it would manifest.
"I see. ...Also, this arrived from Ehrenfest. The Aub will be coming to meet with Professor
As I held out the wooden tablet, Wilfried and Charlotte exchanged worried looks.
"...I see. Father will be here?"
"If you're going to present something about the gods' blessings at the Territory Tournament, you'll need at least some assumptions and results prepared."
Their faces clouded over slightly—probably because the results of the purge would also become clear.
And before the Aub arrived, I would have everyone, including the children from the former
"Ladies, there has been contact from the teleportation circle knights. It seems the transfer will begin now."
Richarda's words caused Charlotte and me—who had already finished our afternoon practicals and theory classes, respectively—to look up. It was much earlier than dinner.
"We'll need to coordinate our talking points beforehand, of course. Richarda, is the conference room ready—?"
"It is already prepared."
Richarda had apparently arranged the conference room's preparation while instructing the lower-year apprentice Attendants who had already finished their theory classes and were in the dormitory. I hadn't noticed, since I'd been reading in the multipurpose hall.
When we headed to the teleportation circle room, three escort knights emerged. They then took up positions to receive their lord as he appeared through the circle.
"The Aub is here too!?"
Charlotte exclaimed in surprise. The person arriving at the dormitory through the teleportation circle wasn't just the Aub—I was equally surprised that my adoptive mother was with him. She looked at us with indigo eyes similar to Charlotte's, then placed a hand on her cheek and sighed.
"My discussion with Professor Hirschur is important for Ehrenfest. I must be present as well."
"I was busy with other matters this year, so Florentia was the one going through the reports that arrived from the dormitory," the Aub said, shrugging. It turned out that the one who had been reviewing the reports from the Noble Academy wasn't my adoptive father but my adoptive mother, amidst the chaos caused by the early purge prompted by
We headed to the conference room that Richarda and the others had prepared to coordinate our talking points before meeting with Hirschur. The Attendants prepared tea for us, and just as we were taking a breather, Wilfried—who had finished his practicals—joined us.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"We haven't started the discussion yet, Wilfried. It's good to see you working hard—your mother is pleased."
"I didn't expect Mother to be here too."
At Wilfried's words, my adoptive mother giggled. "Everyone keeps saying the same thing."
"On the day of the move, there was that major report, you know? That put
In the third-year class, from the very first day of lectures, it seemed that everyone connected to me had received a massive number of blessings. And because of that, my magic power regulation had gone haywire, so the next day I scattered blessings along with Feshupil during the music practical.
Then, from Hirschur, a meeting request arrived early. It was a meeting request from the dormitory supervisor—someone who would normally report "nothing noteworthy"—and it even included a consultation about publicly sharing the method of obtaining the gods' blessings.
My adoptive mother judged this to be beyond her ability to handle alone, so she consulted with the Aub, my adoptive father who was the Commander of the Knight's Order, and even my mother. When a report came in that on Earthday we had gone to the gathering sites and performed blessings as a countermeasure, she had breathed a sigh of relief—but then on Monday at noon, an urgent request came in demanding large quantities of empty magic stones, fearing that "the blessing might overflow during the Dedication Dance practice as well." It had apparently been extremely difficult for my adoptive mother.
"And on top of that, the magic stones were quickly returned after being filled with magic power, weren't they? That afternoon, while contacting the knight's order to gather empty magic stones, she had the attendants clear their schedules to make time for the meeting with Professor Hirschur, and had civil officials write out the wooden tablets."
While making all these arrangements and worrying about how the Dedication Dance had gone, she received the report: "We managed to prevent the blessing from overflowing, but we drew attention by lighting up an enormous number of magic stones."
...Hearing it objectively, it really does sound like a situation where nobody could tell what was going on.
"So, regarding the public disclosure of the method for obtaining the gods' blessings—what do you think, Rozemyne?"
"I think we should publish part of it. Professor Hirschur, who basically maintains a policy of non-interference, went out of her way to make this recommendation, so the situation surrounding Ehrenfest must be very dire. I heard that our bad reputation has exploded over the few years since we rapidly rose in rank."
The Aub and his wife, who had attended the Lord's Conference, along with the civil officials and attendants who gathered rumors, all stiffened their expressions slightly.
"Don't upper territories need to provide something to the lower territories? Right now, every territory is fundamentally short on magic power. If obtaining blessings makes magic power consumption far more efficient and allows more to be redirected to the territory, wouldn't our relationships with those around us improve somewhat?"
Of course, to use magic power for the sake of the territory, improving relations with the
"I've heard that
The story about
"That's right. At the nobles-only social gatherings, I don't recall Rudiger making any mention of entering the Temple to perform ceremonies or expressing gratitude to Ehrenfest."
"I've also had tea parties with lower and middle territories, but I haven't heard anything from Werkestock's nobles about their Lord Candidates performing ceremonies. It came up only briefly at the cousins' gathering hosted by Lady Dietlinde."
At Wilfried and Charlotte's words, both my adoptive father and mother exchanged looks.
"It was the same at the Lord's Conference. At a small private dinner, Konstanze-nee-sama expressed her gratitude, but in the venue where all the lords gathered, Werkestock didn't make any statement about entering the Temple."
"Since Werkestock has fallen to the bottom of the middle territories in terms of ranking, they probably want to avoid attracting any more suspicion toward their territory. But if you and the others were to speak up on that matter, it could significantly dispel the bad rumors directed at Ehrenfest."
The Ehrenfest Aub and his wife and the Werkestock Aub and his wife were siblings. The closer the relationship, the greater the impact on each other during both good and bad times. For a lower territory, it was only natural to prioritize self-preservation and not get dragged down by the bad rumors of those around them, just as Ehrenfest had done until now.
"So I think you should release information about the method for obtaining the gods' blessings as grounds for dispelling the Aub's bad reputation. Of course, we wouldn't publish everything—just the inoffensive parts should be enough."
"I see. Then, go ahead and try it."
"Lord of Ehrenfest, Professor Hirschur has arrived."
By the time we had finished our rough coordination, Hirschur had arrived. The atmosphere between the Aub and Hirschur as they faced each other seemed stiff on both sides.
"It's been a while, Lord of Ehrenfest."
"Since we rarely see each other at the Territory Tournament either."
My adoptive mother smiled and stepped between the two, as if to ease their tense expressions.
"Having Professor Hirschur request this meeting has been truly helpful. As a matter of Noble Academy principle, we cannot reach out from our side."
"Indeed. It's been a help. ...Also, I've been wanting to properly apologize to you once we met face-to-face. Mother did something inexcusable. I felt ashamed that I didn't know until
Hirschur lightly exhaled and shook her head.
"I have already received your apology by letter. An Aub should not so readily bow his head in front of others, Lord Sylvester."
"Ferdinand has gone to
Perhaps because she had no intention of forgiving? the Aub asked, and Hirschur smiled gently and shook her head.
"I may accept your apology, but I will not accept aid. I keep silent, but I do not clean up after others, so please, no more money. It seems like there will be a mountain of problems so serious that a little money could never begin to repay them. If I received no aid until now and then suddenly accepted it only when it was convenient, people would think I'm being manipulated—and I find that distasteful."
As she spoke, Hirschur looked at me. The Aub looked at me too and furrowed his brow with a "Hmm."
"How about after Rozemyne graduates?"
"Hmm. Let's think about that matter when the time comes."
...She flipped just like that!?
"Isn't that where you're supposed to say coolly, 'That does not change my principles,' Professor Hirschur!?"
"Oh my. My principle is 'everything is for the sake of research,' you know, Rozemyne."
Hirschur's purple eyes sparkled, and seeing that she was completely unchanged, I relaxed my shoulders. The Aub chuckled and lightly patted my shoulder.
"The problems get bigger every single year, Rozemyne. Even you should be able to understand Professor Hirschur's position, shouldn't you?"
"Eh? Has it really gotten that much worse every year?"
I had no shortage of things to report each year, but I hadn't realized the difficulties had grown that much. At my words, everyone around me looked dumbfounded, and Wilfried shook my shoulder, asking, "Are you serious?"
"Rozemyne, when you were a first-year, it may have seemed like problems were everywhere, but there was no guardian summoning. In your second year, there was a halfway summoning. In your third year, it's a meeting request within one week. Don't you think the scale of the problems is growing at an accelerating rate?"
At Wilfried's appeal, I conceded that he might have a point. However, there were some things I wanted to counter.
"I don't go looking for trouble on purpose, and as for this year, I think it was entirely unavoidable. The reason I gave so many blessings during the ceremonies was because I was serving as High Priest; the reason blessings burst out during the music practical was because I lost control of my magic power after my Stab; and the reason I stood out during the Dedication Dance practice was because I was trying so hard to hold back my blessings, wasn't it? ...If anything, the person who arbitrarily changed the curriculum is at fault!"
I clenched my fists and made my case with full force, and Hirschur pressed her temple just like Ferdinand did.
"There are only family members present, but you shouldn't criticize the King so openly, Rozemyne."
"Eh? So you're saying that all the trouble I'm going through right now is the King's fault!?"
When I turned back to Hirschur, Wilfried shook his head with a sigh.
"I told you to shut your mouth, Rozemyne."
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry."
...Criticism of the King stays in my mind only. That stupid, stupid King!
After the apology to Hirschur settled down, it was dinner. The detailed discussion would be held afterward. Since the Aub and his wife were present, the dining times were separated today between the Aub's family and the other students.
"This isn't criticism but a request, but..."
After making that clear introduction, I looked at Hirschur.
"I believe that since obtaining a Stab causes major changes in the flow of magic power and magic power consumption, as it did for me, magic power regulation becomes extremely difficult. I think the practical training for obtaining Stabs and the gods' blessings should be moved back to before graduation, as it used to be."
"Students like you, Rozemyne, are extremely rare, you know..."
Hirschur went on to list the benefits of obtaining a Stab early. Without a Stab, you'd have to prepare many Magical Tools to serve as substitutes, and magic power consumption would be greater.
Having a Stab improved magic power efficiency and greatly expanded what you could do, meaning even minors could contribute to their territory. When the noble population had plummeted, obtaining Stabs early had apparently been highly advantageous.
This was especially important during the era when students who had been Blue Priests or Shrine Maidens from various regions entered the Noble Academy as special cases.
"But things will be different going forward. In Ehrenfest, the method of compressing magic power has changed as well, and the number of blessings you can receive varies based on your conduct and prayers. I think that before long, there will be more students who run into trouble if they obtain a Stab before the end of their growth period."
The most dangerous case was Roderich. Due to the effects of dedicating himself to me, he had ended up with all attributes, and he was still in the thick of his growth period. Depending on how much his magic power grew, his current Stab might not be sufficient for control.
"If you expand your magic power and the number of divine affinities you can receive blessings from before the end of your growth period, you might be able to obtain a higher-quality Stab. Above all, a person can only obtain a Stab once in their life, so being stuck with one that doesn't suit you is a lifetime burden."
There were still lecture contents being taught without Stabs, and there were teachers who knew the old methods of instruction. But as generational turnover progressed, this information would be easily lost. And once that happened, we wouldn't be able to go back even if we wanted to.
"I can still do potion-making without a Stab, since Ferdinand taught me the method before I obtained one. But not only Wilfried and Charlotte—even
"...I will make sure to convey those words to the royal family as a request rather than a demand."
Dinner ended with that request-disguised-as-a-criticism, and we gathered in the conference room again for further discussion. The main topics were confirming the situation Ehrenfest found itself in and the public disclosure of the method for obtaining blessings.
Hirschur spoke about how Ehrenfest was viewed at the Noble Academy and in the central region, and what she had to say was quite harsh.
"It was a long and fierce struggle, after all. Both the winners and the losers bore great wounds. Ehrenfest had almost no damage comparatively, so people's eyes are inevitably harsh."
From Ehrenfest's perspective, we wanted to complain that we'd been doing what the central region demanded and that it was hard on us too—but the surrounding territories were even worse off.
"I would like you to prioritize improving relations with your neighbors, but there is another matter I'm worried about."
"What is it?"
"The Commander of the central knights seems to have quite the grudge against Ferdinand."
Hirschur worriedly let out a soft sigh. Everyone looked puzzled—not because Ehrenfest was mentioned, but because Ferdinand's name came up specifically.
"Was there some kind of encounter between Ferdinand and the central knight commander?"
At the Aub's question, I kept my mouth shut. The Aub didn't know that Ferdinand was of
"I don't know the reason. The others who try to probe me about Ehrenfest ask about trends, expanded trade quotas, the secret behind our improved grades, whether the rumors are true, and so on—but the knight commander alone asks questions specifically about Ferdinand and Rozemyne. I think you should be careful."
I remembered the knight commander I had met in the library. He was the one who had told me Ferdinand was of Adalgisa's blood and should go to Ahrensbach. And now he was sending his first wife to the Noble Academy library as a senior Librarian, trying to gather information about me.
"Exactly because you're surrounded by enemies, you should publish the method for obtaining the gods' blessings and use it to improve your standing in society as much as possible. This is also a directive from Prince
Ehrenfest's social practices were those of a lower territory, apparently unfit for our new high-ranking position. We were expected to behave like an upper territory.
"The prayers used in Temple ceremonies and when infusing the Foundation's Magical Tools with magic power are things Ehrenfest has developed independently. It's appropriate for High Priest Rozemyne's research, and if presented well, it can significantly boost Ehrenfest's reputation. However, presenting it as coming solely from Ehrenfest might not lend it credibility. I've already spoken to Luevlen about the large number of people in
Hirschur said that framing part of it as joint research with Dunkelfelger would increase the credibility of the research itself.
"Professor Hirschur, I'm grateful for your many pieces of advice."
"...If you're not careful, Dunkelfelger might end up taking the research entirely. Be a little suspicious, will you? You're not a student—you're an Aub. Don't swallow the words of a central noble like me whole."
Hirschur's teacher-like tone made the Aub smile wryly.
"How could I not trust you, when you've continued to protect Ferdinand and now continue to protect Rozemyne? We're family, after all."
The Aub's words left Hirschur looking taken aback. She relaxed her shoulders and let out a small laugh.
"That's exactly where you're soft, though... It's good to know that even after graduation, your essence hasn't changed. Lady Florentia, Lord Sylvester—I'll be counting on you. He really has always been one to do the most unpredictable things."
Hirschur began recounting stories from the Aub's student days, and the Aub desperately tried to stop her with a "Won't you stop?!" The two of them looked for all the world like a teacher and her former student, and Wilfried and Charlotte were covering their mouths, struggling to hold back their laughter.
"Professor Hirschur, Sylvester is now running around cleaning up after children who are even more unpredictable than he was. Surely you've come to appreciate the hardships you teachers endured."
"Florentia..."
"Oh my!"
Hirschur laughed happily, saying "As always, I'm no match for Lady Florentia," before her expression turned serious.
"By performing the blessing ceremony and receiving even more blessings than Wilfried, and demonstrating the magic power to easily perform blessings—Rozemyne's value has been made visible to the eyes of other territories' Lord Candidates. The likelihood of Wilfried being targeted has also increased. If her counterpart were to disappear, the engagement would be dissolved whether he liked it or not."
The conversation had jumped to an unexpected place, and everyone held their breath and looked at Wilfried. He received their gazes and smiled, shaking his head.
"I'm fine. I received this warning from my uncle as well as protective charms. Besides, without Rozemyne, I might not have been here as a Lord Candidate at all. I can certainly protect myself."
Seeing Wilfried declare with a smile that "Rozemyne also received plenty of charms from uncle, so she'll be fine too," Hirschur and my adoptive mother both held their heads.
"Wilfried, you only truly become an adult when you can protect your fiancée Rozemyne with your own strength."
"That's right," I nodded, and Hirschur turned her gaze to the Aub.
"Protecting your territory's treasure is the Aub's duty. I'm counting on your skill, Sylvester."
My relationship with Hirschur has improved somewhat.
Going forward, I'll do my best to clear Ehrenfest's bad reputation.
Next, the Aub will speak about the results of the purge.