"Well done! That unexpected turn of events was tremendously entertaining!"
After the match, an excited Ruffen came rushing over. When he said my surprise attacks reminded him of
"I appreciate that. However, Ehrenfest could only win by resorting to desperate measures. I was truly impressed by
"Oh?"
Ruffen turned his gaze toward the Dunkelfelger apprentice knights. They looked at me with surprised expressions.
I looked up at the apprentice knight who had been commanding the group and gave a small smile.
"Even when the unexpected happened—being ambushed during the magical beast transport—the commander rallied everyone with a single shout, and they all reorganized and carried out their roles, didn't they? And within the surprise attack of the magical beast's enlargement and
If Ehrenfest's coordination had been as refined as Dunkelfelger's, the match would have ended with the first surprise attack.
"You truly showed us a beautiful display of teamwork. It made us realize that we need to think more carefully about our knight training if we want to even begin to catch up with Dunkelfelger. I hope Dunkelfelger will continue to maintain that standard of excellence so you can remain a model for all of us."
At my words, a Dunkelfelger apprentice knight whose expression softened considerably spoke up.
"To receive such praise from a Lord Candidate of another duchy is the highest honor. We, too, gained something from this match—something entirely different from the usual Ditter where we simply fight monsters. We look forward to the day we can face the Ehrenfest that
"...I plan to leave the matter of apprentice knight training entirely to the Knight Order, so I'll simply make that request to the Knight Commander. As for this kind of Ditter, this will be the last time, but we will work hard to improve our standing in the interduchy competitions, even if only slightly."
Planning to dump the apprentice knight training matter completely onto the Knight Order, I gave a vague smile and let Dunkelfelger's request for a rematch pass.
"Oh, it's over already? Who won?"
"Ehrenfest did, Prince
Anastasius, who had left without watching because he had lectures to attend, returned. When Ruffen excitedly began recounting the match, Anastasius casually waved his hand to cut him off, saying, "As long as there's a result, that's enough."
The sky visible from the arena was growing dark, so there was no leisure to listen to the details of the match at length.
"This was a match decided by your own challenge. You have no objections, I trust?"
"No. Since the match has been decided, I will withdraw."
At Anastasius's words,
As I let out a sigh of relief, Lestilaut glared sharply at me.
"However, I have seen with my own eyes your underhanded tactic of surprise attack after surprise attack. I will never acknowledge you as a Saint."
With that parting shot, Dunkelfelger left the scene.
Anastasius narrowed his gray eyes and looked down at me.
"...Did you do something underhanded during the Ditter?"
"I believe it was an unconventional strategy, but whether it was underhanded would depend on who is evaluating it, I think."
"I see."
As far as I was concerned, it didn't matter what Lestilaut said about me. The fact was that I couldn't afford to pick and choose my methods when it came to protecting the library, even if it meant being called underhanded. I had never called myself a Saint, so being told "I'll never acknowledge you as a Saint" only elicited a "Is that so?" from me. Besides, people had been hyping it up too much lately, so it was actually a bit of a relief.
"Rozemyne, since you have been chosen as the owner of the Magical Tool, come to my room at the third bell tomorrow. There is something
"Understood."
After the Prince's summons, everyone dispersed immediately, and
As we made our way back to the dormitory, I glanced sideways at Anastasius, whose eyes were wide with astonishment at seeing a rideable bird for the first time.
"Why did it turn into a Ditter match!? Explain, Rozemyne!"
The moment we entered the dormitory and closed the front door, a tearful
I told him about the Dunkelfelger apprentices waiting in front of the library, the sequence of events leading to the Ditter match, the result, and ultimately being summoned by Anastasius.
"Summoned by the Prince?...In a single day, you have: taking measurements, an ambush, a Ditter match, and a summons—all of which need to be reported to Father!"
"Yes, and when I report, I should ask the Knight Commander to review the apprentice knight training—"
"I'm talking about you right now. Forget the training. What exactly is this summons from Prince Anastasius about?"
I had wanted to have Father discuss the review of apprentice knight training, but Wilfried cut me off.
"It's about Schwartz and Weiss. Prince Anastasius said there was something that needed to be discussed with Solange-sensei as well."
"...I see."
After that, we ate dinner, and I listened to the apprentice knights who had participated in today's Ditter share their reflections. Some were simply happy about having beaten Dunkelfelger, while others were bewildered because it was so different from a normal Ditter. Amid all that, everyone's eyes widened slightly at the words of
"The only reason we were able to beat Dunkelfelger this time was because of Rozemyne's unconventional strategy. It wasn't because of our own abilities."
Leonore said that even in a speed-focused Ditter, there were probably many areas for improvement, and she began discussing coordination and the weaknesses of the various monsters they had compiled so far.
From here on, it was a discussion among the apprentice knights. I left Leonore, Cornelius-ani-ki—who couldn't go up to the third floor—and
"...Oh? Where's Richela?"
"She had some errands to attend to, so she stepped out."
Lieselota and Brünhilde, who had been preparing the bath, would help me with washing, but Richela was nowhere to be seen. It was rare for Richela to be absent. When I tilted my head in puzzlement, Lieselota explained while being a bit evasive.
"Since she was with Rozemyne the whole day today..."
She said that normally, Richela would take care of various small tasks during lectures or while I was reading in the library with the other attendants, but today she hadn't been able to do that.
...They handle everything with such composure, but attendants have so many preparations to take care of.
Nodding to myself in understanding, I promptly went to sleep.
The next day brought the Prince's summons. Richela told me to bring a small gift to improve my impression, so early in the morning I had
Anastasius had seemed to like the rumtopf, and my own little gesture was to make sure there was enough of the honey variety to share with
From the second bell to the half-bell, I practiced with
"...By the way, where exactly is Prince Anastasius's room?"
"I have never been inside, but I know the way."
Brünhilde said this and led us out the front door. We entered the corridor connecting to the lecture hall but didn't head toward it. Instead, she walked toward the row of doors leading to the lower dormitories. Even though the numbering was discontinuous, the doors continued at equal intervals. At the very end was an especially large door, and a guard stood before it.
"This is Dormitory Thirteen, Ehrenfest. Rozemyne has been summoned by Prince Anastasius for the third bell today."
"I have been informed."
The guard checked the color of our mantles and brooches, then opened the door.
Waiting inside was a elderly man who really did look like a butler. This was already Anastasius's separate palace, and the old man turned out to be Anastasius's head attendant.
"We have been expecting you, Rozemyne."
I was immediately led to the reception room.
When I arrived, Solange was already there, sipping tea with a gentle, warm smile on her face. Anastasius was seated across from her.
I handed over the quatre-quarts as a gift, exchanged greetings, and sat in the seat I was offered.
"Clear the room."
The retainers were ushered out, leaving only the three of us and Anastasius's attendants.
For a while, we exchanged small talk about tea and sweets, but then Anastasius's expression suddenly became serious.
"Regarding the Magical Tool in the library—since Ehrenfest won the struggle over it, Rozemyne will be recognized as the owner for the duration of her enrollment in the
"A struggle?...Don't tell me it was against
Solange gasped and covered her mouth in surprise. But it was her words that caught me off guard.
"Ahrensbach? The one who competed with Rozemyne was Dunkelfelger, wasn't it?"
"Oh, is that so? I kept being asked what was needed to become the owner of Schwartz and Weiss, and it was the young ladies from Ahrensbach who asked me, so I jumped to the conclusion."
Solange said this sheepishly, but I felt a stirring deep in my chest. I never expected to hear Ahrensbach's name come up in a place like this.
"Other duchies might still come forward. How troublesome....By the way, why did Rozemyne become the owner? I had it looked up, and there was no record of a student ever becoming one."
"Rozemyne's prayer reached the gods."
"...I don't understand."
Anastasius furrowed his brows and shook his head at Solange's explanation.
"When Rozemyne prayed to the Goddess of Wisdom,
"Rozemyne. Explain in detail."
Solange's explanation clearly wasn't enough for him, so Anastasius turned to me. But I didn't have much more to add.
"When you say detailed... I registered at the library, and I was so happy to be admitted to the reading room that I offered a prayer to the gods. My, uh, magic power flew out as a blessing, and before I knew it, Schwartz and Weiss had recognized me as their owner."
"Even hearing the details, I don't understand."
Anastasius shook his head once more and gave Solange a sharp look.
"Solange, how were previous owners chosen?"
"The predecessor would designate a successor, grant permission to touch Schwartz and Weiss, and the new owner would register their magic power by touching the mana stone on their forehead. To be able to register magic power through a blessing alone without even touching the mana stone on the forehead—it must have been guided by the Goddess of Wisdom, Mestionora."
"That's enough."
He seemed to have given up on trying to understand. Probably, since I had done something so extraordinary, someone who wasn't there to witness it firsthand would never get it.
"I, too, was designated by my predecessor and registered my magic power. However, Schwartz and Weiss stopped moving. I can still touch them, and I should still be supplying them with magic power. But apparently, my magic power was barely enough just to maintain the defensive barrier."
Solange explained that she had been supplying magic power to Schwartz and Weiss to protect them from being stolen, all while knowing they would not move.
"Perhaps Solange-sensei doesn't have both the Light and Dark attributes? My scholar had mentioned that both attributes might be required to become the owner."
"How does Rozemyne know such a thing?"
Anastasius looked at me in surprise.
"The new owner of Schwartz and Weiss must be given new outfits. That's what I was told, so I brought Schwartz and Weiss out of the library to the dormitory to take their measurements."
"...Couldn't you have taken measurements at the library?"
"I considered that as well, but Solange-sensei rejected the idea."
When I turned to Solange, she nodded slowly.
"The outfits Schwartz and Weiss wear serve as their defensive magical tools, so if we removed the outfits to take measurements, they would be left vulnerable. If the removed outfits were stolen, or if the defenseless Schwartz and Weiss were taken, that would be disastrous. For that reason, tasks like measuring and basting must be done under the owner's supervision."
Apparently, all previous owners had been the library's Librarian and had their own rooms within the library, so there had been no need to take Schwartz and Weiss outside. Solange said she would have preferred to grant permission within the library, but it hadn't been possible.
"If I were to lend a room inside the library for the measurements, many students would simply ignore the prohibition on entry from a Middle Noble. And while Rozemyne is a Lord Candidate, Ehrenfest is ranked thirteenth. When you consider that the second-ranked Dunkelfelger or the sixth-ranked Ahrensbach might force their way in, there was simply no way I could approve measurements inside the library."
At Solange's words, Anastasius nodded. "I see."
"So then, how did you find out about the attributes?"
"When we removed their outfits for measurements, we found a large number of magic circles on the stomach area. They were the same magic circles that caused Hirschur-sensei to abandon her afternoon lecture."
"...Ah."
Anastasius made a bitter face and muttered, "That may be first-rate as a researcher, but as a teacher, I have my doubts." The one who wanted to say that more than anyone was Ehrenfest, which had to deal with Hirschur as their Dormitory Supervisor.
"The magic circles embroidered on Schwartz and Weiss appeared to be quite ancient. According to Hirschur-sensei and the apprentice scholars who examined them, they said the Magical Tool might not function without both the Light and Dark attributes."
Hirschur had added that the magic circles were riddled with gaps and incomplete, so there might be additional conditions as well.
"If we had told Lestilaut that beforehand, the unnecessary conflict might have been avoided. He shouldn't have had the Dark attribute."
"The conflict might have been avoided, but the information I gained came from removing Schwartz and Weiss's outfits and examining them. I wasn't sure whether it was information the library was keeping confidential, so it was difficult to speak about."
It was best not to say more than necessary. That was the safe way to live as a noble.
"Besides, Lestilaut doesn't frequent the library, so he could never become the owner of Schwartz and Weiss. He would need to supply magic power at least once every three days, and someone who desires royal heirlooms for the sake of prestige rather than for the library wouldn't keep at it."
"Oh, Rozemyne, please don't say that. If someone with matching attributes had become a second owner, it would have helped so much..."
Solange tilted her head, wondering whether Ahrensbach might have matching attributes. The thought that it might lead to some kind of trouble crossed my mind, so I quietly hoped the Ahrensbach people wouldn't have the right attributes.
Solange looked at me with concern.
"It must be a tremendous burden for Rozemyne alone, wouldn't you say? Previously, three senior nobles from the Central Province managed the upkeep. Schwartz and Weiss are truly magical tools that consume enormous amounts of magic power."
"No wonder they needed frequent replenishment. The fact that Schwartz and Weiss were able to function for an entire year means the previous Librarians must have infused a tremendous amount of magic power. It must have been the accumulation of daily effort, but I can't even imagine how much magic power was stored."
When I said this, Solange gave a sorrowful smile and gently lowered her eyes.
"When the three of them left their posts, they had infused so much magic power that their lives were in danger."
"...Their lives were in danger?"
My eyes went wide at such an alarming statement, and Anastasius let out a quiet sigh.
"The previous Librarians were connected to upper nobles who had sided with the First and Fourth Princes during the civil war. Therefore, they could never return."
I pressed my lips together, realizing that the three people who had poured their lives' worth of magic power into Schwartz and Weiss had gone to a place far beyond my reach.
"I can submit as many requests for additional personnel as I want, but none are ever approved. So for the time being, the only way to keep Schwartz and Weiss operational is to rely on Rozemyne's goodwill."
"That's... Even if it means keeping a royal heirloom functioning, additional personnel still won't be allocated? Royal heirlooms are rare and precious, aren't they?"
When I asked, Anastasius turned away with a huff.
"How many magical tools stopped working because of the civil war... It's not just the Royal Academy library. There are other magical tools far more important."
Perhaps the number of non-functional magical tools directly corresponded to the number of nobles who had been lost. The civil war, which had been a distant event to me, felt very close at hand here.
"Sending enough personnel to the Royal Academy's library to keep magical tools running isn't feasible. If you want the Magical Tool to function, you'll just have to pour your magic power in out of pure goodwill. If you weren't a Lord Candidate, this would be simple..."
Anastasius said this and sighed.
Apparently, if I weren't a Lord Candidate, they would have simply made me a third-year apprentice scholar, transferred my registration to the Central Province as an apprentice Librarian, and that would have been the end of it.
However, Lord Candidates held duties in their respective duchy and could not transfer their registration to the Central Province. This rule had been established in ancient times to prevent promising successors from being siphoned off to the Central Province.
"Rozemyne is a Lord Candidate. Therefore, I cannot officially recognize you as a manager from our end."
Anastasius explained that if he tried to make me the official manager of Schwartz and Weiss, it would mean transferring their management to Ehrenfest, and even more demanding Lord Candidates would come forward.
"Rozemyne, you are purely a cooperating party acting out of goodwill. Understood?"
"Understood. Then, for the sake of the library's operation and to keep Schwartz and Weiss working in good health, I will provide whatever assistance I can."
I had more than enough goodwill toward the library. Supplying a bit of magic power was no trouble at all. When I pledged my cooperation, Solange smiled happily.
"I am most grateful, Rozemyne."
"Solange, you may go. Rozemyne, stay behind for a moment."
"Yes."
"Then, if you'll excuse me."
Solange knelt, bowed, and withdrew.
"What was that about?"
"...Wait a moment."
I watched Anastasius as he sat in a long silence, searching for words, while I sipped tea and ate sweets.
...This is almost certainly about Eglantine.
His face as he searched for words was no longer the face of a royal he had worn earlier. It had become the face of a man thinking about the girl he liked. Honestly, I had no desire whatsoever to discuss romance with Anastasius. I had already made the mistake of angering him once during a tea party with my music teachers. Without Eglantine here to smooth things over, I had no idea what might end up costing me my life.
I was thinking about how I wanted to go home when Anastasius finally spoke, somewhat hesitantly.
"...Rozemyne, it is likely that Eglantine will invite you to a tea party."
Eglantine was as beautiful as the Goddess of Light, with a soft and gentle aura, excellent dancing skills, and was pleasant to talk to. I would be honestly delighted to receive an invitation.
Moreover, as a Lord Candidate from
"Eglantine's invitation would make me very happy indeed."
"That's the thing. Well, could you... inquire about Eglantine's intentions for me?"
I tilted my head when Anastasius looked up, his expression saying "There, I said it."
"Intentions about what?"
"Wh-what do you mean, about what?"
Anastasius's gaze wavered as if he were flustered. I could feel him silently insisting that I should know something this obvious, but I needed clarification, or I'd end up giving a completely off-the-mark answer and anger him further.
"...I was asleep for two years, and I regret to say I am still quite inexperienced in social matters. My retainers aren't here, so I can't consult with them afterward either..."
"This must not be known to anyone! I had the room cleared specifically so my retainers wouldn't find out!"
"Then please, tell me what kind of intentions I should inquire about. It is mortifying enough that I must expose my own inadequacy before the royal family of all people."
Not being able to do something was a disgrace unbecoming of a noble. Perhaps the understanding that we were both equally embarrassed got through to him.
While thinking inwardly about whether I really had to spell this out, Anastasius glared at me with a flushed face.
"...I want you to ask about her intentions regarding her future prospects. Specifically, who will escort her at the graduation ceremony."
Come to think of it, I vaguely remembered hearing that two princes were competing to win Eglantine's heart in order to get closer to the throne.
...Having to make such a weighty choice—Eglantine must have it tough.
"Couldn't you have asked someone more perceptive, someone else?"
If you had, neither of us would have been embarrassed, I thought to myself, and Anastasius narrowed his eyes as if to say, "Do you think I didn't try?" But apparently, Eglantine had given the same answer to everyone who asked.
"Until now, she has only ever responded with, 'Please give me some time to think.' But she graduates this year, and since you have a young appearance and she apparently took quite a liking to you after just one tea party, she might let her guard down a little."
There was no way Eglantine, a Lord Candidate from a major duchy, would let her guard down because of a youthful appearance. A man in love was just way too optimistic.
"...If you are willing to accept whatever answer comes from it, I will at least ask the question."
"Good. I'm counting on you."
...Of course I couldn't refuse a prince's request, but I'd gone and gotten myself involved in something troublesome.
Do your best, Wilf-ani-ki!
And so, the Prince's summons had two purposes—the official business was about Schwartz and Weiss, but the real business was about Eglantine.
Next time, Richela's fury.