My First Earthday

I finally made it back to my room. Richida told me to place the magic stone on my bed, so I did as I was told and set it there.

"I know this is unpleasant, but if you handle it too much, it could affect the magic stone..."

Sighing softly, Richida put on gloves that didn't conduct Magic Power and efficiently began to strip off my clothes.

Originally, you were supposed to bathe after finishing the infusion of Magic Power into "God's Will," but having fallen asleep against the bare rock walls, I was in no state to simply climb into bed. Richida told me a proper bath was out of the question, but she could at least wipe me down with a towel soaked in warm water, which came as a relief.

"My lady, please drink this and rest."

Richida prepared the Chief Priest's notoriously foul-tasting medicine and stepped back, watching intently as I took it.

Thanks to my body-enhancement Magical Tool, I felt capable of moving about, but the chills were terrible and my head was spinning. Fully aware that I had a high fever, I glanced between the medicine I desperately didn't want to take and Richida.

...I really don't want to drink this awful medicine when I feel like this.

As she brought out the completely flavor-blind Chief Priest's special brew and I recoiled, Richida fixed me with a smile while narrowing her eyes into triangles—a remarkably versatile expression.

"Anyone sleeping in a cave like the Innermost Sanctum during this season would catch a cold, and in the worst case, would be sent off to the heavens. Given how often you fall ill over trivial matters, isn't it practically miraculous that you're alive right now?"

"...I'm sorry for worrying you."

Of everyone at the castle, Richida had been the most panicked about my frail constitution. This time, worried that I was taking too long to return, she had revealed the full extent of my past illnesses to the professors, starting with Hirschur. As a result, their perception shifted from "a frail child who went to retrieve God's Will and collapsed from exhaustion" to "a child who nearly died."

"Now then, my lady. Please drink up."

"Yes..."

I picked up the bottle filled with the lumpy green medicine with one hand and gulped it down. There was no room for hesitation when drinking this. If I didn't down it in one go, the unpleasantness would only drag on.

"Nnngh!"

It had been a while since I'd had the Chief Priest's terrible medicine, and I clamped my hand over my mouth to keep from throwing up, tears streaming down my face. But as I suffered through it, my condition improved remarkably fast. The effects truly were potent. It just felt like being called to heaven the instant I drank it.

"Well then, please get some rest."

Richida finished tidying the room and slipped out.

"It's gotten quite small, hasn't it?"

Still lying in bed, I gazed at "God's Will," now small enough to hold in one hand. The tighter I squeezed it and the more Magic Power I flowed into it, the smaller it became. It was melting together with my Magic Power, she said, being absorbed into myself.

When I'd dozed off in the Innermost Sanctum and woken to find the magic stone had shrunk, Hirschur had told me, "That's how it works. Please flow Magic Power into it until it fully assimilates with you."

In other words, I would have to cradle the magic stone like a mother bird warming her egg until "God's Will" was fully taken into my body.

Since most of it could be completed by holding it for a day and night while flowing Magic Power into it to achieve assimilation, every year the day the students received their Stappe was determined to be the Practical, while the day off afterward on Earthday was set as the day to saturate it with Magic Power.

"Well, I'm just glad I made it back safely."

I thought back to the earlier commotion and let out a sigh. Rufen's shouting had woken me up, but everything after that had been a disaster.

The extra Magic Power I'd been unconsciously flowing into my body-enhancement Magical Tool while sleeping had returned to normal. On top of that, my muscles had already started aching, so much so that my legs trembled whenever I tried to stand. To make matters worse, I'd apparently caught a cold while sleeping—my head hurt, I had chills, yet my body was burning up.

Even so, the professors couldn't touch me and could only watch over me with anxious, worried expressions.

"Hirschur, today is my only day off. Would it be all right for me to ride my riding beast back to the dormitory?"

Within Ehrenfest Castle, I had been granted permission by the Aub Ehrenfest to ride my riding beast. Since the dormitory at the Royal Academy was also Aub Ehrenfest's property, I could ride it there under my adoptive father's permission. However, the Royal Academy was managed by the royal family. To ride a riding beast within the dormitory building, I needed permission from the person in charge. I looked around at the professors and requested it. Primverre furrowed her elegant brows and slowly shook her head.

"I could give you permission, but you won't be able to summon your riding beast while holding the magic stone."

At that, I remembered that when I'd tried to use my body-enhancement, all my Magic Power had been drained by "God's Will." But if I held the riding beast's magic stone in my hand and deliberately flowed Magic Power into it, I might still be able to summon it.

"...I'll try it, at least."

I gripped the riding beast's magic stone and channeled Magic Power into it. Half the Magic Power I sent in was taken by "God's Will," but I managed to summon a one-person Lesserbus. Clambering aboard unsteadily, I rolled "God's Will" to my feet and grabbed the handle.

I wasn't sure if Magic Power was flowing from the Lesserbus through to "God's Will," or if my Magic Power control was off because of my foggy head. The Lesserbus began moving, but at a slower pace than usual.

Even so, it was clearly functioning, and the professors seemed somewhat relieved. As the Lesserbus trundled along, the professors walked alongside it, offering their impressions.

"Oh my, so this is the one from the rumors...?"

"Hoh, this is the riding beast that made Fraularm faint? It does look quite powerful."

...It's not powerful at all! My Lesserbus is cute!

I wanted to object to Rufen's comment, but even opening my mouth felt like too much effort, so I simply pouted my lips in discontent.

"The fact that you can ride it even in a skirt is simply wonderful, isn't it? I think I shall attempt to create a riding beast in this form next."

It was Lieselota who seized on Hirschur's words. Presumably, having to change clothes every time she wanted to ride was just as much of a hassle for her.

"How do you plan to do it?"

"When Rozemyne explained it to me, I still couldn't quite grasp what a handle or an accelerator was. So I'm thinking of making a design where you sit inside, and attaching reins within, just like with the current riding beasts."

Fraularm had screamed that flying without wings was unacceptable, but according to Hirschur, once you recognized that something in front of you could fly and attempted to fly it, it should work without issue.

"Fraularm is a bit too rigid in her thinking. Surely it's perfectly fine to prioritize practicality over elegance for a riding beast."

I could picture the Chief Priest in my mind—the same person who called my Lesserbus ugly and treated it like some oddity, yet shamelessly used it to haul luggage.

...Teacher and student really do share the same personality.

And so, surrounded by the professors' eager interest and having them peer inside my riding beast the entire way, I made it to the exit aboard my one-person Lesserbus. The speed was incomparably faster than walking, and I could tell the professors breathed a sigh of relief when I arrived safely.

Richida had been waiting for me the whole time, and Wilfried tearfully told me "Thank goodness you're safe," while Hirschur commented, "If you'd died during a lecture, I wouldn't be able to do any research in peace." I was escorted back to the dormitory by all of them.

Today was Earthday—the first day off since I'd arrived at the Royal Academy, a day when there were no lectures. The first-years couldn't spend their day off as they pleased. They had to continue infusing Magic Power into the "God's Will" they'd gathered yesterday, spending the day cradling the magic stone like a mother bird.

If they wanted to produce a high-quality Stappe, it was better not to have anyone else's Magic Power mixed in. For that reason, meals were to be brought by attendants to individual rooms, and each person would eat alone.

"How do the senior students spend their days off?" I asked Richida when she brought my breakfast. The senior students went to the Library to read reference books, held tea parties with friends from other duchies, gathered intelligence, participated in apprentice knight training—each pursued their own interests.

"I'd like to go to the Library as well."

"My lady, once you've recovered and finished all your lectures, perhaps."

"I took the medicine, so I'm feeling better now. And the magic stone has gotten much smaller too."

"Yes, yes. Even so, today is a bed day."

I was handed the improved version of the medicine and promptly chased back to bed.

"At the very least, could you bring me a book?"

"Today is a day for bonding with the magic stone, my lady."

I was told this, and lying in bed, I attempted to flow Magic Power into the magic stone now small enough to fit in my palm. That's when I realized something.

"If I take off the body-enhancement Magical Tool, wouldn't Magic Power flow more easily?"

Still holding the magic stone in my left hand, I removed the Magical Tool from my left arm. The magic stone shrank rapidly, and then it vanished completely.

...You should have realized that sooner!

After staring blankly at my empty palm, I let out a long sigh and gave myself a small consolation: "It's understandable, since I had a fever," before putting the body-enhancement Magical Tool back on.

The "God's Will" had been completely dissolved, but I couldn't feel any change in myself.

"Hmm, will this really turn into a Stappe?"

I recalled the shape of the Stappe that the adults carried and imagined myself holding one in my right hand, my dominant hand.

The next moment, the familiar glowing baton appeared in my hand.

"It worked! Amazing! I look like a mage!"

Excited by my very first Stappe, I waved the baton-shaped staff around from my lying position.

"...I wonder if I can make it into other shapes too?"

If I was going to have a mage's staff anyway, maybe something long and ornate like the staff of the Water Goddess Flutelrene would be nice.

I pictured Flutelrene's staff from the Temple in my mind and summoned my Stappe.

"Ohhh, it worked!"

I tried to swing it around the same way I had the baton form, then stopped. This length would be unwieldy. The way I'd seen adults use their Stappe was to tap the magic stone to create an Ordinanz. With a long staff, even swinging it to tap a stone would be difficult.

"So there was a reason the Stappe was short after all."

I thought that this length—ideal for tapping the magic stone and channeling Magic Power—was just right, and it ended up being about the same size as the Stappe the adults carried. I tried adjusting the shape to make it easier to hold, added a decorative crossguard like a sword's, then made it into the shape of a book, then into a pen—experimenting with various forms.

But none of them felt right. Changing the shape or adding decorations required a clear image in mind, which meant the form came out slightly different each time, making the results inconsistent.

A book or pen shape, if purely decorative, did give me that thrilling "this is wonderful" feeling. But could I actually use a book or pen to tap a magic stone, or wield it like the Chief Priest did when he'd tapped Jirze with a shape-changed form? I hesitated—no, I absolutely couldn't.

In the end, it settled into a shape like a pointer stick, similar to what the adults used.

"It'd be nice if there were some fun way to use it, though."

For now, the plan was for the next lecture to teach me the basics of how to use a Stappe. I'd just have to look forward to that.

"My lady, I've brought your lunch."

After lunch, Richida once again told me, "Absolutely out of the question—leaving the room and wandering around." I had told her my fever was completely gone and the magic stone had dissolved, but she wouldn't budge.

"If you're good until dinner, you may take your meal in the dining hall."

Richida left the room to put away the lunch dishes. I watched her go from my bed, and once I was certain she'd left, I quietly slipped out from under the covers.

No books, confined to bed all day—it was mind-numbingly boring. I sneaked over to my desk, pulled out the spare key, opened the book chest, grabbed a book, and dove back into bed.

"Reading time. Hehehe."

No sooner had I started reading than Richida returned. Seeing me reading in bed, she shot me an annoyed glare.

"My lady! I told you today is a day of rest!"

"That's exactly what I'm doing—resting."

"Truly, no matter how many times I tell you, you simply cannot understand when it comes to books! That stubborn streak is just like Lord Sylvester or Lord Ferdinand!"

Richida huffed indignantly, snatched the book from me, and said, "If you're feeling well enough, I have something to discuss."

"What is it?"

"You're not aiming to become the Aub Ehrenfest, are you, my lady?"

At Richida's words, I tilted my head. "Why would you ask that?" I felt like I'd been asked the same question yesterday.

"You are the official adopted daughter of the Lord and Lady, so you could become the Aub Ehrenfest. It's different from back when Wilfried was named the next Lord. If you so desired, Lady Rozemyne, you could obtain the position."

She said that as Karstedt's daughter, I was descended from the previous Aub's blood, so there was no particular issue with lineage either.

...Everyone just doesn't know, but there is an issue.

"It has long been thought that the strongest person becomes the Lord. While a male is preferred over a female, my lady, you hold the title of Saint of Ehrenfest. That is why some of the retainers are considering making Lady Rozemyne the Lord. I wanted to confirm your wishes before you get boxed in by those around you."

...Ah, so Hartmut had been saying something. Even so soon after his arrival, he was already making moves. Presumably pushing in the direction of accelerating my Saint legend.

"I have absolutely no intention of becoming the Aub Ehrenfest myself. I plan to assist the future Aub Ehrenfest while managing the Library."

"My, how very like you, my lady."

Richida giggled and relaxed her shoulders.

"Very well. I shall follow the wishes of the lady who says she has no intention of becoming Aub Ehrenfest."

Richida left the room looking relieved. She would likely do her part to keep others from boxing me in.

I waited until her footsteps faded, then pulled another book from the chest and slipped back into bed.

"My lady!"

I'd intended to hide it under the covers by the time Richida came back, but I'd fallen asleep reading and got scolded again. Failure, failure.

But I'd slept well and made a full recovery. Furious Richida told me it would be better to go to the dining hall and socialize with others rather than sneaking books in bed, and after she had me change clothes, I left the room.

Having slept for two years, I had virtually no social interaction with the nobility of my own duchy, let alone other duchies. With the first-years, I'd built some rapport through the shared trial of passing the written exam in one shot and through teaching them to study, but with the senior students, I was still woefully lacking.

Truthfully, I didn't even have proper interactions with my own retainers.

With my aching muscles, I climbed onto the Lesserbus and headed for the multipurpose hall together with Richida and Angelica, who had been standing guard outside the room. Since it was approaching dinner time, students who had been out were returning, and everyone was spending the time as they pleased.

"Angelica, what did you do all day today?"

"In the morning, I was invited by Cornelius, Leonore, and Traugott to practice Ditter. Eudlit wanted to come too, but she was on guard duty, so perhaps another time."

As we talked, we found Traugott waiting on the second floor. He joined our group, and we headed for the multipurpose hall.

"What kind of competition is Ditter?"

I remembered Eckhart once telling me it was a game that apprentice knights often played at the Royal Academy. Angelica gave me a concise answer.

"Monster hunting."

"Angelica, that won't mean anything to Lady Rozemyne."

Traugott grimaced and, after correcting Angelica, explained it to me in detail.

"There are several types of Ditter. Sometimes you compete on the strength of the monsters you've hunted, sometimes on the number, and sometimes on speed—the victory conditions change depending on the event."

The most large-scale version, he said, was Treasure Stealing Ditter, which began with each knights' order hunting monsters under their protection. In this Ditter, played between apprentice knights from every duchy, each group set up camp near their dormitory. They went out and hunted monsters to serve as treasures that must not be stolen by other duchies. The key point was that these monsters were to be weakened, not turned into magic stones.

Then, while defending their own monsters from other duchies' attacks and watching for attacks on themselves, they stole monsters from other duchies. Apparently, when stealing from other duchies, it was perfectly fine to turn them into magic stones.

"In the past, Treasure Stealing Ditter was the star event of the Interduchy Tournament, but since overall numbers have declined and Treasure Stealing Ditter became impractical, they now use a format where teams compete on how quickly they can defeat monsters created by the professors for training."

"Then the Interduchy Tournament sounds exciting."

"I'll work hard so I can show Lady Rozemyne something worth watching."

I'd never seen it, so it was hard to imagine, but I was looking forward to the Interduchy Tournament. I'd yet to see Cornelius or Angelica in action, even though they were supposed to be getting stronger.

"This year, with Angelica and Cornelius both here, I think we could do quite well in the Interduchy Tournament."

Traugott said this in a low voice, his expression looking anything but happy.

"You say you could do well, but your expression doesn't look the least bit happy about it."

"Honestly, it's frustrating. Next year, I want to learn Lady Rozemyne's compression method, increase my Magic Power, and come back even stronger."

When we arrived at the multipurpose hall, I spotted Lieselota and Brunhilde surrounded by a group of girls who had their heads together, writing something.

"What are you all doing?"

"Lady Rozemyne!?"

The instant I spoke up, they cried out "Eep!" and frantically tried to hide what they were doing. I tilted my head in confusion.

"Is there something you don't want me to see?"

"No, it's just... We were getting excited without considering that our lady Rozemyne was absent, and it felt rather poor form. There was nothing improper about it."

Brunhilde offered an apologetic smile, and Lieselota and the surrounding girls nodded vigorously.

"Schwartz and Weiss were simply so adorable... We were discussing what kind of fashion trends to incorporate when you prepared outfits for them, Lady Rozemyne. We got ahead of ourselves without you here, and we're terribly sorry."

"I don't mind at all. Could you show me the outfit designs?"

Eagerly, I reached out, and Lieselota gently handed over some paper. Schwartz and Weiss were drawn beautifully in black ink.

Unlike their current appearance in matching dresses of different colors, the design showed them dressed in boy's and girl's clothing.

"We'd like flower ornaments, and if possible, we were thinking it might be nice to dress them in boy's and girl's outfits..."

I looked over the various outfit proposals that had been sketched out.

For Weiss, there was a suggestion to make her cute with lace, and for Schwartz, to make him look sharp and cool. If using flower ornaments, they'd considered what size and how to use them, down to quite fine details.

"The skirt portion of the dress you wore at the celebration banquet at the start of the year was so terribly adorable, so we were thinking about whether we could incorporate that into the design," Lieselota said, her eyes sparkling as she described the balloon skirt I'd adopted to disguise the length. I hadn't heard much about how it was received, but apparently it had gotten a reputation for being elaborate and cute.

Not only Brigitte's dress from two years ago, but my own outfit was credited with producing something new. It was the first I'd heard of it.

Watching Lieselota, who was more talkative than usual, with a bit of surprise, Angelica let out a small laugh.

"Lieselota has always loved cute things. She even makes outfits herself for the Schmil at home and dresses them up."

"Sister!"

Lieselota puffed out her cheeks at Angelica's revelation. It was a charmingly age-appropriate reaction.

"...Once I finish all my lectures, I'll be allowed into the Library. By that time, if Lieselota has finished her written coursework as well, would you like to accompany me for measurements?"

"Would that really be all right!?"

"It's fun to think of things together. Are there any others who would like to join?"

Lieselota's face lit up with joy, and the other girls who hadn't accompanied us to the Library last time said they wanted to join for the measurements as well.

"It really does help to see Schwartz and Weiss in person and take their measurements. Then you'd know what kind of outfits would suit them."

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Then please, everyone, finish your written coursework before I finish my lectures. Once we start something fun, studying tends to fall by the wayside."

"Yes! We'll do our best!"

Watching the girls excitedly rally to finish their studies together, I smiled.

To protect the adorable Schwartz and Weiss, the best approach would be to bring someone who could actually stop Hirschur. And ideally, someone who held Schwartz and Weiss in high regard.

...I don't know the first thing about measuring a giant Schmil, and I'll absolutely need extra hands to stop Hirschur if she goes off the rails. I definitely can't do it alone. I'm glad I found so many perfect candidates.

My first Earthday was mostly spent sleeping.

But the Stappe seems like it'll work out.

Next is the Dedication Dance.