Prologue

My name is Karstedt. I am thirty-seven years old.

I serve as the Knight Commander of Ehrenfest, cousin to the Lord, and his bodyguard. Normally, a man my age would have no need for a bodyguard and would have been released from duty long ago, but Sylvester still seems to find me indispensable.

After seeing off Sylvester as he returned to the Lord's Conference, Ferdinand and I removed the necessary items from the High Priest's deserted chambers—now empty of all Attendants—and sealed the room so no one could enter.

From there, Ferdinand and I spent our time hammering out the details and backstory for Rozemyne. Simply using the ad hoc, improvised story Sylvester had rattled off on the spot would have presented problems.

Sylvester had devised the following plotline: "He resolved to adopt the daughter born with high Magic Power, who resembled his late wife. By separating her from the other wives and granting her a proper status, he would protect his beloved child." However, the Lord's position was not so light that one could become an adopted daughter based on Magic Power alone. To be taken in as an adopted daughter, one needed a certain level of accomplishment.

"Hmm… Shall we use the workshop? I think we'll say she took pity on the wretched state of the orphanage and provided the orphans with work and meals. Her dedication and her new venture caught the Lord's eye."

"Listening to just that, she sounds almost like a Saint."

A girl raised in secret at the Temple, hidden from the world, whose heart aches over the plight of orphans, who gives them work and food, who possesses enormous Magic Power and receives the blessings of multiple gods—was she not practically the heroine of a story?

"Ah, a Saint. That works well enough. If we craft a few more virtuous tales along those lines, it won't seem unreasonable to appoint her as High Priestess. Besides, it's almost entirely true, isn't it? She actually did build that workshop to save the orphanage. The motive was simply so she could read her books in peace, but even now she makes toys and picture books and gives them to the orphans."

As he said this, Ferdinand gave a slight shrug. I had heard about the workshop at the orphanage, but looking at the girl in person, she hardly seemed capable of such a feat.

"As long as Rozemyne can receive blessings and doesn't say anything outside the script, she should pass well enough."

Indeed, if she just stood there silently, she might seem too young to call a Saint, but she would certainly give that impression.

Rozemyne's hair, flowing smoothly like a cascade of night, was immaculately groomed—glossier than even the daughters of high-ranking nobles rarely achieve—and curled neatly in place with unfamiliar hair ornaments. Her eyes, golden as the moon, vividly reflected her emotions. Her features were well-proportioned, a child whose growth promised to be something to look forward to.

Perhaps due to her frail constitution, or perhaps because she had been raised among Commoners, her skin was pale as though it had never known sunlight, and her small hands, completely uncalloused, were soft and unmarked by labor. Ferdinand's tutelage had lent her bearing a refinement that would never be mistaken for that of a Commoner.

"But…"

Ferdinand turned his gaze toward me.

"The justification for her becoming the Lord's adopted daughter is fine, but claiming she was hidden at the Temple out of fear of the first wife's bullying—that part seems a bit of a stretch, doesn't it?"

Ferdinand pointed this out with a troubled expression.

"The first wife, Elvira, would not find that explanation convincing. She is not so foolish as that."

"But it is a fact that Elvira resented Rosamary."

The first wife, Elvira, and the second wife, Trudeliede, both shunned and ostracized Rosamary. It was the strain of this that caused her—already sickly by nature—to collapse.

"You've only heard Rosamary's side, haven't you? Did you thoroughly investigate both parties' accounts?"

I could not help but side with Rosamary, who had been the victim, and Ferdinand fixed me with a hard stare.

"…I heard the root of it was the feud between Trudeliede and Rosamary's family. But it was because Elvira, as first wife and the most influential member of the household, took Trudeliede's side that Rosamary lost her place."

As long as Elvira had remained neutral, things were manageable. It was because Elvira had chosen a side that the situation shifted so dramatically.

"Why did Elvira side with Trudeliede?"

"…Because I had sided with Rosamary, she said. But when someone is being picked on like that, wouldn't most people step in to defend them?"

When I had defended Rosamary, Elvira had narrowed her eyes and taken Trudeliede's side. When I explained this, Ferdinand pressed his temple and let out a slow breath.

"If Elvira sided with the second wife simply because Karstedt sided with Rosamary, then wasn't Elvira merely maintaining fairness? I think you should lay everything bare with Elvira and request her cooperation. After all, it will determine Rozemyne's standing in noble women's society going forward."

With the Lord's mother having fallen from power, the women's society of the nobility would now be dominated by the faction led by the Lord's wife and Elvira. If Rozemyne wanted to live even a modicum of peace, belonging to this faction was of the utmost importance. Women's society was a world that neither the Lord, nor I, nor Ferdinand could easily enter.

"Then would you come along to explain things to Elvira? Her mood changes depending on whether Ferdinand is present or not."

Ferdinand had been born as the Lord's half-brother and, precisely because he was too capable, had been resented and mistreated growing up. When he joined the Knights, I took the lead in treating Ferdinand with the respect due to the Lord's son, shielding him from ill will. After Ferdinand reached adulthood, the harassment from the Lord's maternal relatives only intensified, so he declared he had no interest in the seat of Lord and entered the Temple. Even now, however, Ferdinand continued to assist the Lord with his work and filled in whenever the Knights were short on manpower.

Elvira was always saying, "If Lord Ferdinand were not here, Ehrenfest could not stand," showering him with praise.

Because he had entered the Temple and was forbidden to marry, whenever Ferdinand occasionally attended social events in the Noble District, women greeted him with shrill cries of delight. At the front of the crowd was almost always Elvira.

"Invite him to dinner. My schedule is packed until tomorrow afternoon."

"Understood. I have Knights' interrogations to oversee as well, so that timeline works better for me."

When I returned to the Knights after finishing my conversation with Ferdinand, I found Damuel looking wretched as other members questioned him about the incident. The fact that he was sitting and talking meant that someone capable of healing magic had apparently been dispatched from the Knights.

"Once Damuel's questioning is done, we'll adjourn for the day. We'll continue the interrogations tomorrow."

"Y-yes, sir!"

Damuel looked up, startled, at the sound of my voice. Still looking miserable, he spoke in a flustered tone.

"Lord Karstedt, um, the Shrine Maiden Apprentice…"

"She's safe. Against that difference in Magic Power, she did well to protect herself."

The difference between someone with enough Magic Power to inherit a count's title and a low-ranking noble like Damuel was enormous. He had held on remarkably well. At my words of relief, Damuel's shoulders slumped as though a great weight had been lifted.

"…I am most grateful."

I took a nap in the room at the Knights' dormitory. I had interrogations scheduled from the morning. Before that, I needed to send word home that I would be returning for dinner preparations.

With a light wave of my hand, I drew my Staff and tapped the yellow magic stone gently.

"Ordonnanz."

The magic stone warped into a bird shape, and I blew my message into it: "I will be returning home today. I have invited Lord Ferdinand to dinner—please make preparations." Thinking of Elvira, I envisioned the direction of my house and swung the Staff.

The Ordonnanz that returned to me right away chirped in an excited voice, three times over: "Oh my, Lord Ferdinand is coming? I must prepare at once!" before reverting to a magic stone.

Once I had finished sending word home, I headed straight into the interrogations. The High Priest came first. Even without the Lord present, it was clear he would be executed, thanks to the list of the High Priest's misdeeds that Ferdinand had compiled. I was a little exasperated by the sheer number of charges, though knowing Ferdinand's personality, he would have investigated every last detail meticulously. But what truly wore on my patience was that the Lord's mother had shielded this man for so long.

"It's impressive she managed to protect him this long."

I had expected that once confronted with the charges, he would offer counterarguments or throw one of his usual tantrums, but the High Priest simply hung his head as though he had no spirit left.

It must have been a devastating blow that Sylvester had passed judgment on his own mother.

As for Viscount Vindabalt, he apparently maintained his silence. I would have to wait until Sylvester returned from the Lord's Conference and use a Magical Tool to search his memories.

Now then—who would be the easiest to extract magic through? I had no desire whatsoever to probe that man's memories. Let me pray my magic color was not compatible.

"Oh my, Lord Ferdinand! Welcome—how kind of you to take the time."

When Ferdinand and I returned, Elvira greeted us with her deep green hair styled more elaborately than usual and a smile three times warmer than her customary one. We ate dinner in the dining hall, and after the meal, I informed her that I had something important to discuss.

After we finished eating and had the servants dismissed, I drew a slow breath and looked Elvira in the eye.

"This summer, we will hold a Baptism Ceremony for our daughter."

"Whose daughter, pray tell?"

Elvira's dark eyes narrowed.

"My daughter and… Rosamary's daughter. Rozemyne's Baptism Ceremony."

"Oh, but Rosamary has no daughter. If she had a child, those people would never have kept quiet all this time, would they?"

I brought up the relatives of Rosamary's family—the very ones whose feud had triggered her ostracism—and Elvira shot me a sharp glare.

"Have you forgotten the fools who, emboldened by Rosamary's connection to a high-ranking noble, began making absurd demands of everyone? The feud between Trudeliede and Rosamary's family will flare up again!"

"That is…"

Even as I tried to speak, Elvira cut me off.

"If Rosamary's daughter appears now, won't everything become chaotic again just as things have finally calmed down? I don't want that. …Though, I would say that, except that Lord Ferdinand is here as well. There must be some reason for this. Depending on the circumstances, I may be persuaded to cooperate."

"Elvira truly is an astute woman. There is a reason. Your help is needed. I would very much like your cooperation."

"My, Lord Ferdinand!"

Ferdinand began to explain the situation to Elvira: that the capable child Rozemyne would undergo her Baptism Ceremony as my daughter, and that at the ceremony, she would become the Lord's adopted daughter.

For both the Lord and his half-brother to desire an adopted daughter meant that this child was already recognized as someone who would make great contributions to the future of the territory.

"Then let us say she was born from the power struggle between Trudeliede and Rosamary's family. Once her existence became known to Rosamary's relatives, you, Lord Karstedt, feared the fighting would reignite and had her hidden at the Temple."

"Hmm, not bad."

Praised by Ferdinand, Elvira smiled happily.

"And rather than publicly declaring her to be Rosamary's daughter, we shall hold the Baptism Ceremony without that information. I shall educate her as this household's daughter—as your daughter—in a manner befitting my role as mother, so she brings no shame."

The fact that her beloved Ferdinand had personally come along to make the request—as expected, far more effective than if I, her husband, had asked—had completely erased the tension from Elvira's face.

"Since Ferdinand has been providing her with some instruction at the Temple, I don't think her behavior is particularly poor, but I would like her polished to a standard befitting the Lord's mansion. If it's you, Elvira, I have no concerns."

"Oh my—Lord Ferdinand has been teaching her?"

Elvira's eyes went wide.

I understood that feeling perfectly. In the Knights, Ferdinand was known for his strict, fiery-hot-blooded teaching style. She was likely skeptical about whether such a man could properly instruct a small child.

I had been equally incredulous the first time I heard. He had absolutely made her cry. I had assumed Rozemyne was terrified of Ferdinand.

"Rozemyne is exceptional as an assistant for paperwork, and her Magic Power is abundant. Her thought processes are straightforward and easy to handle—very convenient. While she has many unconventional tendencies, she is not stupid, making her worth the effort of teaching."

Judging by her graceful movements and her skill with feystones, Rozemyne must have received rigorous instruction. Yet she trusted and clung to Ferdinand. I had never seen Ferdinand be so warmly received by a child. I would never forget the shock of seeing her hide behind Ferdinand during the Trombe subjugation.

"Her comprehension is good, but no matter what I do, I cannot teach her to be feminine."

"Leave that to me. I will ensure she is properly educated."

After that, I asked Elvira to handle all preparations leading up to the Baptism Ceremony: arranging a room for Rozemyne, and hiring the etiquette instructor she had used for her sons to tutor Rozemyne until the ceremony. Once that was done, Rozemyne would be brought from the Temple to our home in the Noble District.

"A girl's room and wardrobe—that will be wonderful."

Elvira, who had only sons, actually lit up with rare excitement. She seemed more than capable.

As our household preparations began to take shape, Ferdinand announced that he would conduct a health examination for Rozemyne. He told me to be present, so I headed to the Chief Priest's office at the Temple.

"Um, F-Father, good day."

The hesitant, halting voice of the young girl calling me by an unfamiliar title made my cheeks soften involuntarily. Having raised only sons suited for the military, the difference between boys and girls was startling. Was this what it would have been like if Rosamary had borne a daughter?

"You'll need to practice calling me that until it sounds natural, or people will get suspicious."

With a tiny gasp of "Ugh," Rozemyne murmured "Father" several more times in a serious tone, trying to get used to it even slightly. Looking down at her small frame—having thrown herself into noble society to protect her own family—I let out a quiet breath.

"…Now then. Before you go to Karstedt's household, there is something we must do. Arno, clear the room."

Once Arno had ensured we were alone, Ferdinand spread a sheet of paper inscribed with a magic circle in the center of the room. Rozemyne tilted her head, peering at it curiously.

"What is this? What are you going to do?"

"I am going to check the flow of your Magic Power. I told you before that if a steady amount of Magic Power is not maintained in your body, you become unable to move. Was that not right?"

"…Is that really possible?"

Once she entered the Royal Academy, she would be taught how to obtain a Staff to keep Magic Power circulating, and methods for compressing Magic Power inside her body. Until then, the normal practice was to channel Magic Power into Magical Tools gifted by one's parents. Moving Magic Power was exhausting and bad for growth, so it was generally considered better to keep as little residual Magic Power in the body as possible.

"Your delayed growth is almost certainly due to Magic Power constantly filling your body. However, I have never heard of anyone suffering ill effects from having too much or too little Magic Power."

"Really? That's not normal?"

As she spoke, Rozemyne looked down at her own body.

"No. In noble society, it is decidedly not normal. To confirm this, I need to examine the Magic Power flowing through your body."

"Wow, you can do that? That's amazing!"

Rozemyne peered into the magic circle with an impressed expression, nodding several times.

I knew that magic circles existed for viewing the Magic Power flowing inside a person, but those were not supposed to be something just anyone could possess. I shot Ferdinand a sharp look.

"A magic circle that examines the Magic Power flowing through a person's body—that's something a physician would use, isn't it? Why does Ferdinand have one?"

"It's a modified version of a common magic circle used when crafting Magical Tools. Whether it's the same as what physicians have, I wouldn't know."

The sheer competence of a man who simply made whatever he needed was beyond words.

Ferdinand spread the magic circle out, placed magic stones in its four corners, and turned back toward Rozemyne.

"Rozemyne, take off your clothes and shoes and stand on this."

"Yes!?"

"W-wait a moment, Ferdinand!"

I was startled that Ferdinand had just told her to strip, clothes and all. Young girl or not, that was not something you ordered a female to do.

But Ferdinand showed not the slightest bit of agitation. He merely raised an eyebrow slightly and pointed at the magic circle.

"Once the Baptism Ceremony is over and you become the Lord's adopted daughter, you won't be able to do this. Now is the time. Hurry up."

Rozemyne glanced back and forth between me and Ferdinand, her face reddening, and inched backward.

"N-no! It's embarrassing!"

"What would you have to be embarrassed about?"

Ferdinand regarded Rozemyne with a cool expression, then shrugged.

"I do!"

"You were fine with a bath, so what are you talking about?"

"A bath!?"

I could hardly believe what I heard from Ferdinand's mouth.

…She was fine with a bath? Wait—did that mean they had bathed together? Ferdinand and Rozemyne?

"Ferdinand, what exactly have you been doing to this young child…"

"D-don't misunderstand, Karstedt! That was when I was peering into her memories with that Magical Tool. I did not enter the bath with her!"

Ferdinand's eyes went wide, and he lashed back at me in a flustered manner. His usual composure cracked, revealing the real him beneath.

Well, anyone would have jumped to that conclusion. Someone unfamiliar with that Magical Tool would have taken one look and declared him a confirmed lolicon. If Sylvester had been here, he would have gleefully mocked him for it.

"Rozemyne, you weren't the slightest bit flustered then—what are you complaining about now!?"

"That's because I was all caught up in finally having 'bath salts' and 'shampoo' and 'conditioner' again, and since I couldn't see the Chief Priest at all, it felt like I was just 'talking on the phone,' and it was like a dream that wasn't real, and… anyway! I can't strip in front of someone!"

It was true that when I had glimpsed the memory, the bath scene had appeared, and Rozemyne had indeed shown very little distress at the time.

"I'm only examining your body. Surely you have less objection to that than bathing?"

"I don't! If this is supposed to be a health examination, then call a doctor!"

"Just think of me as a doctor. The procedure is the same regardless."

Because he was so capable, Ferdinand could genuinely pass for a physician. More than that, Ferdinand was the type who could not rest until he had investigated anything that caught his interest.

"You gave up after three days when 'Mine' was undressed by a man you couldn't even think of as a father—and you've been Rozemyne for more than three days now. Give up this time too."

"M-mmm, I can't do it!"

Rozemyne flailed her hands wildly, putting distance between herself and Ferdinand before darting away.

"P-please help me, Lord Karstedt!"

From where I stood, Rozemyne was on the far side of Ferdinand. She had been making a wide detour, trying to run toward me, but Ferdinand caught her without any effort.

"Kyaa! Stop it! Waaah!"

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Father instead of Lord Karstedt, you imbecile?"

Ferdinand spoke in his usual detached manner as he undressed the crying, protesting Rozemyne—untying her sash and deftly pulling the blue Shrine Maiden's robe off in one smooth motion. There was not a shred of hesitation. To an outside observer, it would have looked like nothing more than a willful little girl and a thoroughly exasperated guardian.

Rozemyne, now dressed in the pale green outfit I had seen during the Dedication Ritual, reached her hand out toward me.

"Fatherrr! The Chief Priest is a lolicon!"

"Stop saying things that make me sound like a creep, you little brat!"

Ferdinand grabbed Rozemyne's head and tightened his grip on it as she shrieked and pleaded to me for help. …Weren't they actually getting along rather well?

After the Trombe subjugation, when Sylvester had learned of Rozemyne's powerful Magic Power, the two of us had jokingly tossed around the idea of "Wouldn't she make a good wife for Ferdinand?"—and that might not have been entirely a joke.

As I was lost in these thoughts, I noticed Rozemyne's movements growing sluggish.

"Ferdinand, you're overdoing it. Rozemyne is out of breath."

Ferdinand released his hold as if startled, and Rozemyne seized the opening to plunge into my arms. She circled behind me, let out a low growl, and glared at Ferdinand from beneath the shadow of my cloak.

Her resemblance to a small animal desperately trying to appear threatening drew a laugh from me. Just as Sylvester had said, she was like a Shumil. If she went "pihi!" it would be perfect.

Ferdinand narrowed his eyes at this display of intimidation, crossed his arms, and glared at both of us. He was likely furious that things were not proceeding according to plan.

"Karstedt, as her father, what do you think of Rozemyne's frailty?"

Ferdinand was making it clear between the lines that I should cooperate without delay, and I compared Rozemyne and Ferdinand with my gaze.

Ferdinand's heavy-handed approach was not ideal, but if there was even a chance of improving her health—of making her less likely to drop dead at any moment—then it was better to let him do it.

"Rozemyne, Ferdinand is exceptional when it comes to Magic Power. Why not let him examine you, and if there is an effective medicine, have him prepare it for you?"

"Well, that's true, but…"

When I lifted Rozemyne up to eye level and tried to persuade her, she stopped glaring and calmed down.

Even though this was a different world, she technically had the memories of an adult, so unlike other children, she would not suddenly burst into tears or grow restless and agitated. If I just continued talking to her calmly, she would come around.

Or so I thought, until someone ruined it.

"Karstedt, hold Rozemyne still!"

He issued the command in the same tone he used when giving orders in the Knights, and I reflexively restrained her. Ferdinand strode over in large steps and, with nimble fingers, began unbuttoning the row of small buttons running down her back.

"Kyaa! The Chief Priest is a pervert! So you really are a lolicon!?"

"I have no idea what you're saying, but we don't have much time. Hurry up."

Ferdinand finished unbuttoning to the very last button, then pointed beneath the curtain of his bed.

"Go behind there and take off your socks. I'll be watching from behind, so as long as your upper body is bare, that's sufficient."

"Ugh…"

"What's with that defiant look? Would you rather have me strip you all the way down right here?"

He was far too cold toward a modest girl. This was exactly why Ferdinand could never sustain a relationship with women.

"Fine! I'll go! Is that what you want!?"

"Yes. Just do it without making a fuss."

Wiping her eyes as she glared at Ferdinand, Rozemyne shuffled behind the bed curtain.

"Ferdinand, I've told you before—you should be a little gentler with women."

"It's a waste of time."

Having grown up being harassed by the Lord's mother with no protection from his own, Ferdinand fundamentally distrusted women. Unless he judged that being gentle was the more efficient approach, he remained relentlessly harsh. I could not suppress a sigh.

"You and Sylvester are exactly alike—stubborn no matter what anyone says."

"Don't say unpleasant things."

Behind the scowling Ferdinand, Rozemyne appeared, barefoot, holding her discarded clothes in front of her to hide her embarrassment.

"Stand on top of this."

The magic circle spread before us was apparently a modified version of one Ferdinand had tinkered with—one originally used to verify whether Magic Power flowed properly during Magical Tool crafting.

Timidly, Rozemyne's toes touched the magic circle as she turned her back to Ferdinand.

Ferdinand drew his Staff with a wave of his hand, knelt, and tapped the magic circle lightly with it, infusing it with Magic Power.

The magic circle, now filled, rose in a red glow. The light traveled from Rozemyne's feet upward toward her head, and the flow of Magic Power within her body became visible as red lines. Though her lower half was hidden by her undergarments, the red lines on her back and arms were clearly visible.

"Whoa! What is this?"

"I told you it would let you see the flow of Magic Power. Rozemyne—your hair is in the way."

"Ah, yes."

With her long hair moved aside, Ferdinand studied her small back with a furrowed brow.

Being able to see the flow of Magic Power was something both I and Rozemyne could do. But reading those red lines and diagnosing where the flow was abnormal—only Ferdinand could do that.

After staring at her back for a time, Ferdinand exhaled heavily and rose to his feet. He pressed his temple with a troubled expression and looked down at Rozemyne.

"You have died once before, haven't you?"

"Eh?"

"There is a concentration of Magic Power near your core."