"Why do you desire magic compression so badly?"
When I asked,
"I'm always told to gather everyone's perspectives before making judgments, so rather than dismissing him based solely on Richida and
When I added that it would simply mean adopting Richida and Hartmut's opinions, Traugott raised his face.
"I want to learn the magic compression method because I want to become stronger."
His expression screamed that I was asking the obvious, and the gazes of those around us—who shouldn't have been able to hear the conversation—grew increasingly sharp. Noticing the tension in the air, I let out a soft sigh.
"…Traugott, you really ought to at least fix your expression. You'll have to face Richida's anger later, you know."
Traugott sucked in a sharp breath, let it out slowly, and schooled his face into a serious expression. I likewise composed my own features before facing him.
Traugott wasn't the only one under everyone's watchful eyes. My retainers were observing how I, as their lord, would handle him.
…First, I need to hear Traugott's opinion and then make my decision based on that…
Honestly, whether Traugott stayed on as an attendant or stepped down, I couldn't care less. As a guard knight of the opposite sex, I'd had little interaction with him, and Brother
He'd been recommended as a retainer because he was Richida's grandson, but we hadn't built much of a connection, and I held no particular positive impression of him. My only real desire was to keep the punishment mild enough that it wouldn't implicate Richida and Grandfather. I hadn't really considered being personally invested in Traugott's well-being.
…But just because I don't care doesn't mean I can brush this off.
When I looked at Traugott, he was staring back at me with probing eyes. Then he spoke.
"I'll ask again. Why do you want to become stronger?"
"Because I saw that Brother Cornelius and
"Because you want to beat Cornelius and Angelica?"
"…Yes."
Now that I thought about it, Traugott had always been fixated on Angelica and Brother Cornelius. Why was he so obsessed with those two specifically?
"Why do you want to become stronger, Traugott? Brother Cornelius and Angelica regretted putting me in danger and sought strength so they could serve properly as my guard knights. What exactly are you trying to achieve with that strength? What do you hope to find beyond it? As Hartmut suggested, do you want to serve Brother
Wilfried's retainers had stayed with him even after his succession nomination was revoked, and they were fiercely unified. Anyone new would need to consider faction politics carefully. I didn't think someone who'd resigned from my service could simply waltz in.
When I said this, Traugott clenched his back teeth hard.
"…I don't want to serve anyone. I want to become a Knight Commander like Grandfather."
"You mean Lord
I was mildly surprised that he said "a Knight Commander like Bonifatius" rather than
…Or had those early impressions been so powerful that they'd only grown more idealized over time?
In any case, I now understood that Traugott's goal was Grandfather. I could sense the thick concentration of the brainless-brawn family lineage that pursued strength above all.
"I want to become a Knight Commander like Grandfather—leading the knights, hunting dangerous magical beasts, and protecting the territory. That's why I want to be stronger than anyone in Ehrenfest."
"If you want to become a Knight Commander, then certainly strength is necessary."
I affirmed Traugott's words, then tilted my head in puzzlement. Ehrenfest's knights existed to protect the Lord and his family, and Ehrenfest itself. The Knight Commander was supposed to essentially work as the Lord's guard knight.
"Traugott, wouldn't it be impossible to become a Knight Commander without serving anyone? The Knight Commander is supposed to serve as the Lord's guard knight."
"Grandfather served as Knight Commander without serving anyone. I want the same."
…Grandfather had been able to reign as Knight Commander without serving anyone because he was the Lord's son.
I'd heard Grandfather's dubious old stories at the dinner gathering shortly after I'd awoken from my stint in Yurive. There were all sorts of episodes, but if even half of them were true, his life had been every bit as turbulent as the Chief Priest's—just in a different way. The knight order had been the perfect arena for Grandfather to flex his considerable strength, so he'd presumably served as the Knight Commander while assisting the previous Lord.
Though he held the title of Knight Commander, Grandfather also had duties as the Lord's advisor, so he hadn't worked as the Lord's guard knight. The same had been true when the Chief Priest held a seat in the knight order. The Lord's children did not become retainers.
That was only natural, but it certainly wouldn't apply to Traugott, a high-ranking noble.
"Um, Traugott. That's…"
"You may think it's impossible, Lady Rozemyne, but between Cornelius and me, I used to be stronger. Grandfather even said I had talent. If I had known the magic compression method, I would have been stronger than him for real!"
Saying this, Traugott clenched his fist in frustration.
But I tilted my head at his words. Even though Brother Cornelius and Traugott were close in age, they were two years apart. Two years was a significant gap in childhood, and even before learning my magic compression method, Brother Cornelius had been strong enough to be selected as a guard knight.
…Could it be that Grandfather had been trying to instill a sense of competition by saying something like "Well, sure. Traugott does have more talent," and Traugott had taken it at face value? Still, had Traugott really been stronger than Brother Cornelius back then?
I couldn't believe Traugott was stronger back then. It was more likely that Brother Cornelius had been holding back during training.
I could feel my interest in Traugott steadily fading.
…Ahh, I really want to wrap this up and go read the books I borrowed from the library.
I wanted to bring the conversation to a close quickly, but Traugott seemed to have warmed to the environment where he could finally say what he wanted, and his speech grew more rapid.
"I was stronger, but the moment those people learned Lady Rozemyne's magic compression method, they shot ahead. Grandfather stopped training me and instead poured all his effort into training only the Lord's family's guard knights!"
Bitterness seeped into his words. Traugott might be pitiable for losing Grandfather's attention, but given the circumstances, it couldn't be helped.
Intruders backed by nobles had broken into the Lord's estate,
"I'd always been the closest to Grandfather among all the grandchildren, but before I knew it, Angelica was being called his star disciple, and Cornelius was being called the one with the most magic power and the strongest among the grandchildren."
He murmured that, originally, he should have been the one in that position.
Apparently, Grandfather had focused his training on the guard knights assigned to protect the Lord's family and had neglected everyone else. "To protect the Lord's family, the guard knights must be strong," had been his priority.
"Well, naturally. Lord Bonifatius has already retired from the knight order. Wouldn't training other knights be the responsibility of the knight order's upper echelons?"
"That's exactly why I wanted to become a guard knight!"
Traugott thought only about being acknowledged by Grandfather. That was precisely why he hadn't wanted to become a retainer for Wilfried, whose succession nomination had been revoked.
"Why did you choose to become my guard knight? If you'd become Charlotte's guard knight, Grandfather would have trained you as one of the Lord family's guard knights while I was asleep, wouldn't he?"
"Lady Charlotte is female, so her guard knights are mostly women. Opposite-sex guard knights are naturally fewer, and I had weak connections."
Even though they were in the same faction, Traugott had little relationship with Charlotte's attendants or her wet nurse. Moreover, Traugott had tended to spend more time playing and socializing with Wilfried's group, so he'd been judged a poor fit for Charlotte.
As a result, he'd targeted my attendant position after I'd spent two years asleep and my pool of candidate retainors had been temporarily dissolved. Richida was my Head Attendant, and there was also the relationship of being grandchildren of the same grandfather. Furthermore, as my guard knight, he'd calculated that he'd be the first to learn the magic compression method upon my awakening.
"Father, who used to praise me, has been nothing but harsh ever since Cornelius surpassed me. I want to raise my magic power quickly. I want to become stronger."
"Traugott's father… would be Father—ah, no—Lord Karstedt's younger brother, correct?"
According to Richida's information, Traugott's father was the son of Grandfather's second wife. And he'd married Richida's daughter.
"That's right."
Based on what Traugott told me afterward, his father had apparently grown up being constantly compared to Karstedt. I imagined there had been some rivalry between their mothers as well. I didn't know the details of how he'd felt watching his elder brother—the first wife's son—become the Knight Commander.
However, when Bonifatius, who had been training both the similarly-aged Cornelius and Traugott, had declared that Traugott had talent, it must have been extraordinarily welcome news for Traugott's father. Hoping to earn Bonifatius's favor, he'd pushed Traugott toward strength. That desire had led to the current situation.
"Even a lower-ranked knight like
…Excuse me?
Traugott's words dismissing Damuel's efforts made my blood boil, and any sympathy I'd been developing for him evaporated in an instant.
True, Damuel was a lower-ranked knight who had always lamented his low magic power. It had even led to the woman he loved considering him out of her league.
But to me, his importance was incomparable to Traugott's. Damuel was my oldest and most trusted guard knight. He'd tried to protect me from
Even after learning the magic compression method, he'd steadily and earnestly worked to increase his power. He'd always been thinking about how to fight more efficiently, and his skill in handling magic power had earned praise from Grandfather himself. Unlike the current apprentice knights who charged in on raw magic power and physical strength alone, Damuel could fight with his head.
"Damuel's growth in magic power came from his own efforts. During your growth period, as a high-ranking noble, you certainly have the advantage, Traugott, but someone with that level of earnest dedication is truly rare."
"When a low-ranking noble works hard, it only goes so far."
…Oh? Ah, I see.
The moment Traugott sneered at Damuel's sincere efforts, I'd made my decision. I didn't want tense friction between my guard knights, and I had no room for anyone who couldn't respect others.
I didn't want someone like Traugott—who couldn't see others' strengths and looked down on low-ranking nobles—anywhere near me.
…Resignation really is the best option here.
Dismissing him would cause damage not just to him but to his relatives as well. I wanted to avoid having Richida and Grandfather suffer any disadvantage because of someone like Traugott.
Besides, I didn't want to deal with some twisted grudge, so I wanted to arrange things so that Traugott appeared to have stepped down of his own free will.
"In any case, I've understood Traugott's position. You want to become like Grandfather, you want your father's approval. You want to surpass Cornelius and show everyone up. And you're desperate to learn my magic compression method to achieve that."
He was quite a bit larger than I was, but at heart, he was just a child seeking his parents' love. He'd pursued strength so desperately for that affection that he'd lost sight of everything around him. But even understanding that, I felt absolutely no surge of caring that would make me want to help Traugott grow.
"Traugott, please resign as my attendant immediately. In exchange, I will teach you the magic compression method."
"Really!?"
Traugott's face lit up with joy, and his eyes went wide.
"Yes. When I teach everyone at the end of winter, I'll include you among the group. However, you must earn your own money and refrain from any problematic behavior. These are basic requirements that have nothing to do with being an attendant or faction politics."
When I added that these were rules my retainers—and Wilfried's as well—had to follow, Traugott nodded emphatically. He was trembling with delight at getting what he wished for.
"Then, please set down your Magical Tool and make a declaration before everyone."
I set the Magical Tool I'd been holding down with a clunk, and Traugott placed his down as well. Then, with a bright, clear expression, he looked around at the assembled retainors and declared in a loud voice: "I, Traugott, hereby resign as Lady Rozemyne's guard knight."
What had been framed as a dismissal had become a resignation. I felt accusatory gazes directed at me. The looks from my fellow guard knights were particularly sharp. The fiercest and most cutting of all was Richida's stare.
Meeting those gazes without flinching, I tilted my head.
"Richida, is there some sort of procedure for a resignation?"
"Your Ladyship—"
While Richida had spoken in a reproachful tone, Hartmut calmly offered a wooden tablet and ink.
"Lady Rozemyne, wouldn't it suffice for him to simply write his intention to resign on this tablet?"
"Thank you, Hartmut. Then, Traugott, please write here that you are resigning of your own free will as my guard knight. That will be all."
Traugott wrote on the tablet with obvious delight.
Looking at the ink-written text, I nodded once.
"This will do. From now on, Traugott is merely one apprentice knight. He is no longer my guard knight."
"Yes."
"Traugott, you may return to your room now. I'll handle the remaining explanations."
When I said this, Traugott hurriedly left the room, fleeing from Richida's piercing glare.
The moment Traugott was gone, Richida's fury erupted.
"Your Ladyship, what are you thinking!? From that boy's expression, it's clear you promised to teach him the magic compression method! Otherwise, he would never have agreed to resign so easily!"
"That's correct."
At my answer, the assembled retainers murmured in surprise. "Why the magic compression method?" voices of confusion arose, and Richida's eyes narrowed into triangles.
"Your Ladyship, if you give such lenient treatment to Traugott, who has committed such misconduct, the other retainors will be unhappy!"
"…Lenient? I thought this was the best way to settle everything smoothly."
"How could it be!?"
When Richida and everyone else said this in unison, I tilted my head.
"First, there's something I need to make clear. I did listen to Traugott's reasons, but I genuinely could not bring myself to care about him. I couldn't feel any desire for him to grow or to reform himself or anything of the sort."
"Then you should have been stricter—"
"That's exactly why I didn't want Traugott to bother me any further."
At my words, the retainors blinked in surprise. Hartmut watched me with great interest. Looking around at everyone, I explained my reasoning.
"Dismissing Traugott would have been simple. The reason alone would have justified it. But dismissing him could have damaged Richida's and Lord Bonifatius's reputations. I don't care about Traugott himself, but I hate the idea of those around me being hurt. If I was being lenient toward anyone, it was toward Richida."
"Your Ladyship…"
It wasn't just Richida. I didn't want the Knight Commander—Grandfather—to be punished as well, the way it had happened with Shikikoza, under the pretext that Traugott's knight training was insufficient. Since I didn't know the full scope of repercussions a dismissal would cause, I wanted the damage limited to Traugott alone through a resignation.
"Then why did you decide to teach him the magic compression method? Wasn't that something you only teach to those you trust?"
Brother Cornelius's eyes—so like Mother's, in their deep black—had hardened. Meeting his gaze head-on, I countered: "What do you think will happen to Traugott after his resignation? He won't be able to become Brother Wilfried's guard knight—he couldn't even do that while I was asleep. He won't become Charlotte's guard knight either. And if Richida reports what happened here, he won't be able to become
"That's true. He was let off lightly with a resignation rather than a dismissal, so that level of consequence is only natural."
"Right now, he's probably only focused on the magic compression method itself, but reality will set in soon. His future prospects have darkened considerably, and his daily life here will be mentally grueling as well."
Hartmut slowly nodded, stroking his chin at my words.
"Looking at the current situation, I doubt any of Lady Rozemyne's retainors would treat Traugott warmly after his resignation. Wilfried's retainors, the former
Everyone seemed to find this easy to imagine and nodded. Traugott's life going forward would be far from comfortable. This appeared to be a shared understanding.
"Someone from another territory… like
"I don't quite understand how that connects to teaching him the magic compression method."
Brünhilde tilted her head with a puzzled expression.
"Because he needs bait in the short term. In order to obtain the magic compression method, Traugott will endeavor to behave himself until the end of his time at the Noble Academy. Earning his own money and avoiding problematic behavior are the basic conditions for me to teach him."
I smiled, and Hartmut looked at me with his amber eyes gleaming.
"There's a high chance he'll turn on you after getting what he wants. What are your thoughts on that?"
"I have absolutely no intention of teaching the magic compression method to someone who might become my enemy. That's precisely why everyone is required to sign a Contract Magic agreement with a clause promising not to become my enemy before I teach them."
With that, Brother Cornelius quickly grasped my intention.
"So you're planning to bind Traugott with Contract Magic by teaching him the magic compression method?"
"Exactly. I don't want to teach him the magic compression method. I want to bind him with Contract Magic so he can't become my enemy."
A resignation meant no one besides Traugott would be harmed. Teaching him the magic compression method would allow me to restrict any grudge or hostile action through Contract Magic. Increasing the number of nobles with more magic power was, in itself, desirable for Ehrenfest. Especially if there was no hostility involved.
Traugott got to learn the compression method he'd been curious about, and he could step down from being my attendant—which he'd never wanted to serve.
"I think everything settled quite nicely."
"Your Ladyship, but that means Traugott receives no punishment at all!"
Richida shook her head sternly. But right now, it wasn't good to push Traugott too far. The atmosphere at the Noble Academy, where factions were starting to show a degree of unity, would be ruined.
"Traugott said he wanted to learn the compression method, become strong, and become a Knight Commander. That wish of his will never be fulfilled, no matter how hard he works. Isn't that punishment enough? Think about the despair he'll feel when he realizes he's shut the door on his own future with his own hands—I think there could be no greater punishment."
Traugott's punishment wouldn't come now. It was one he'd carry in the future.
At my words, Richida said that the punishment should be something others could understand.
"Perhaps it would be better to strip him of his noble status and send him to the Temple to reflect."
"…Richida, are you really that angry with me?"
Looking at Richida with a desire to cry, she blinked in surprise.
"I think your response was lenient, but I'm not angry with you, Your Ladyship."
"Then please, anything but sending him to the Temple. The Temple is my domain as the High Priest. I just got rid of him as my attendant—I really don't want to have to deal with Traugott showing up as a blue priest. Please, spare me that."
When I emphatically shook my head, Brother Cornelius let out a small laugh.
It was no laughing matter. The Temple was my territory. I had no idea what kind of attitude Traugott—the same one who'd so casually dismissed a lower-ranking knight like Damuel—would take if he had to deal with Gray Priests and Gray Priestesses. If he took out his frustration from being sent there on them, the Gray Priests serving as attendants would be the ones to suffer.
"And then, teaching him to be a proper blue priest would eat into my time and
At my words, Richida lowered her gaze slightly and murmured, "You're right."
"While it may look lenient on the surface, you cut him off quite cleanly. That decisiveness is admirable."
Hartmut laughed cheerfully. It was the satisfied smile of someone who'd gotten exactly what they wanted.
Seeing that smile, I narrowed my eyes ever so slightly. It wasn't that I had no complaints about Hartmut either.
"While we're at it, let me say something, Hartmut."
"What might that be?"
Staring down the composed Hartmut, I spoke: "If you claim that providing me with information is your duty, then before publishing any information you've obtained on your own, come tell me first."
"Lady Rozemyne?"
"I won't ask where you got the information. The skill required to obtain that much intelligence is impressive in its own right. However, every other scholar I know reports all obtained information to their superiors first. How to use that information is left to the superior's discretion."
Compared to Eustachius, who left everything to the Chief Priest, Hartmut handled information in ways that didn't align with my wishes.
"If the information was obtained for my sake, then I will decide how to use it and when to release it. If you're only going to publish whatever suits you at whatever time suits you, then don't use words like 'for your sake' or 'a retainer's duty.'"
Hartmut's expression shifted to one of sudden realization. He stood, knelt on the spot, and bowed his head.
"I will engrave this upon my heart."
And so, with one fewer retainer and a significant reduction in my post-meal reading time, the discussion came to an end.
Traugott was no longer my guard knight.
The one most saddened by the loss of reading time was Rozemyne.
Next is the tea party with