Inter-Dominion Tournament

After properly compressing the magic power within my body and tidying everything up, I waited until I could move normally before reaching out toward the bell on the side table beside my pillow. Perhaps Rihyarda had noticed the rustling sounds, because she entered the tent before I could ring the bell.

"You're finally awake, Lady Rozemyne. You were unconscious for two whole days—I was truly worried. I asked Ferdinand—ahem, Young Master Ferdinand, who is so dreadfully slow to act, again and again before he finally came to see you…"

It seemed that after I reported Justus had collapsed from overexcitement and had an empty magic stone pressed against me, the Chief Priest had told Rihyarda to leave me be until my magic power settled down. Even so, I could only be exasperated at myself for apparently being so worked up that I'd slept for two days straight.

At the same time, I couldn't help imagining what would have happened if I'd already been awake when the Chief Priest had been summoned here against his will. The image of his thoroughly irritable face flashed through my mind, a storm of scolding followed, and the blood drained from my face.

"Rihyarda, I'd like to lose consciousness once more, please. Preferably not until Lord Ferdinand has arrived."

"What are you saying, my lady? Everyone is worried about you. They say it's fine as long as your magic power has calmed down, so let's head to the dining hall for dinner."

When I arrived at the dinner table, everyone turned to look at me in unison.

"Lady Rozemyne!"

"You're finally awake. Father said there was no need to worry, but I was concerned all the same."

"What happened with the tea party?"

Over dinner, I asked about what had happened after I collapsed.

Since Günter had been with me, Rihyarda hadn't been in the tea party room itself—she'd been directing things from behind the scenes. She said she'd been instructing the attendants to bring out additional sweets when Günter had arrived carrying my unconscious body. After handing me over to Rihyarda, Günter had rushed back to handle the aftermath, so Rihyarda didn't know exactly what had happened inside.

"The host herself collapsing like that—no one could have continued enjoying tea and conversation with a clear conscience."

The attending Lord Candidates had witnessed my frailty firsthand, and a lasting impression had been planted that I would collapse at the slightest touch. The tea party had been disbanded immediately.

"The one who suffered the most was Lady Hannelore. Make sure you apologize to her properly later. She was desperately holding it together, but she was crying."

Having held my hand and triggered my collapse, Hannelore had apparently fallen into a state of complete panic, utterly at a loss for what to do. Wilfried, who also suffered from trauma related to me and knew what panic felt like, had desperately tried to comfort Hannelore and her retainers.

He'd told her about the time we'd met for the first time at the Baptism Ceremony, held hands, and run—only for me to lose consciousness midway, sending us both tumbling, dragging her along until we were covered in blood and she nearly died. He also told her about the snowball fight, where I'd been hit by a few snowballs and passed out, causing all the students and the knights on guard to turn deathly pale. Apparently, Wilfried had said, "This is normal for Rozemyne. It's truly shocking for everyone around her, but she's always perfectly calm once she regains consciousness, so please don't worry."

Her retainers had also witnessed my sudden loss of consciousness, so they all nodded firmly at Wilfried's words and said, "It wasn't Lady Hannelore's fault at all, so please don't trouble yourself over it."

Even so, Hannelore had still been dejected, muttering, "It might have been my fault," so they'd escorted her back to the Dunkelfelger dormitory, explained the day's events, and she'd come to offer a formal apology for startling Hannelore.

"I caused everyone a great deal of trouble."

"You were unconscious for a full two days. The Inter-Dominion Tournament is tomorrow. …But still, why did you collapse this time? I don't think you were doing anything in particular…"

In response to Wilfried's question, I was about to answer, "I got too excited because Hannelore is such a lovely book-lover," when I suddenly caught myself.

…If I said that as-is, wouldn't I come across as a creep? Maybe I should dress it up a bit. Hmm—excited about making a new friend? No, no, too happy about making a friend?

As I agonized over how to phrase it nicely, a deep, beautiful voice descended from above like ice down my spine.

"I'd very much like to hear the details of why you collapsed, myself."

"F-F-Ferdinand!?"

My voice cracked involuntarily, and my heart clenched with such shock that I spun around to find the Chief Priest gazing down at me, eyes narrowed with irritation. Eckhart stood behind him. The Chief Priest's golden eyes spoke volumes: *In the middle of all this busyness, what did you go and do?* "Rihyarda told me multiple times that you hadn't woken up in two days, so I reluctantly came to check—only to find you looking perfectly lively, Rozemyne."

"My lady only regained consciousness shortly before dinner."

At Rihyarda's words, the Chief Priest let out a light sigh and pointed toward the door.

"Come with me. I want to hear a detailed explanation."

"But, Lord Ferdinand. Tomorrow is the Inter-Dominion Tournament, and I have various preparations to make…"

When I tried to politely decline—hinting that I'd prefer to postpone the scolding—the Chief Priest glanced around the dining hall and shrugged.

"There's no need for concern. Your absence has already been decided."

"…Huh?"

"Rozemyne will not participate in the Inter-Dominion Tournament. This is a decision made by Aub Ehrenfest. We need to discuss that as well. Attendants wise, Rihyarda and Justus will suffice. Rozemyne's retainers should also prepare for the tournament."

Dumbfounded by the Chief Priest's declaration, I was ushered out by a push from Rihyarda and guided toward a private room for discussion. Eckhart stood guard in front of the door, and only four people entered the room: myself, the Chief Priest, Justus, and Rihyarda.

"Before we talk, please check on my lady's condition first, Young Master Ferdinand."

"I know. Come here, Rozemyne."

As I trudged over to where the Chief Priest had seated himself, he touched my neck, my wrist, and began examining me in various ways.

"Your magic power seems to have settled down. Do you have any idea what happened? Justus's report suggested you were overexcited about lending and borrowing books."

"…That's more or less accurate."

I had been excited about making my very first book-loving friend. Books were rare and expensive in this land, so few people had cultivated a reading habit. To find someone who loved books, whose family status was compatible enough for casual friendship, and who was a girl my age—I couldn't imagine ever finding another like her. Hannelore was a friend I could not afford to lose.

"I got excited about my book-loving friend and nearly started offering a prayer, but Justus stopped me. I restrained myself, thinking that offering prayers and blessings at a tea party was definitely out of line. I tried so hard to hold it in, but the magic power I'd already released deep inside went, like, swirling around through my body, and the next thing I knew, everything went black."

"You exceeded your capacity. That's about what I expected. Since your magic power has calmed down this much, there shouldn't be any further problems."

The real problem was my social connections, the Chief Priest sighed with resignation. When he asked what kind of person this friend was, I thought of Hannelore.

"She's Lady Hannelore of Dunkelfelger. She's as cute as a 'rabbit' and a book-loving lady. We've made plans to lend each other books. I can finally talk about books with a friend! Oh, I'm so excited!"

"You're overexcited again, you idiot."

He yanked me close and pressed a magic stone firmly against my forehead, then changed it for another one with a pained expression. "You might want to stay away from this friend of yours. You look like you're going to lose consciousness again."

It was clear I was in a fairly excited state. Watching the magic stone change color in an instant, I let out a small "ah," and Rihyarda shook her head with a sigh, looking like she wanted to say *hopeless*.

"Lady Hannelore must have been quite distressed when you collapsed, wasn't she? Perhaps it would be best to keep some distance for her sake as well."

"…I'll try my best not to get excited, so please don't say something so terrible. She's my first book-loving friend."

"Could it be that you haven't had any book-loving friends until now?"

In my Ehrenfest life—well, considering my time as both Myne and Rozemyne—no. Even before that, in my life as Urano, I'd had a few odd friends with intense but different hobbies, but thinking back to my time as Myne and then Rozemyne, there had been none. Even Lutz, who had been making books alongside me the whole time, saw books as merchandise, not something to be enjoyed through reading.

"She's the first book-loving friend I've made since coming to live here. Books are so expensive that even nobles rarely own many copies, don't you think?"

Philine had also become close to me through our book-making work, but a commoner-born apprentice and a Lord Candidate were different. We couldn't share things on equal footing or lend each other books. Beyond their duties as retainers, our relationship couldn't deepen further.

Philine was fond of me, but she was careful not to cause any blunders, so she watched those around her and never let herself get too close. It remained a relationship between a lady and her attendant.

"But Lady Hannelore is a Lord Candidate of Dunkelfelger. She must have a great many books. I need to make sure I have just as many to lend her, which means I have to keep producing books one after another."

"You don't look like you'll be calm for quite some time. Rihyarda—whenever Rozemyne gets excited, use the magic stones to drain her magic power before it overflows."

A leather pouch was placed on the table with a soft thud, its shape clearly outlining the magic stones inside. I could tell there were three fairly large ones.

"Setting that aside, Lord Ferdinand—why has my absence from the Inter-Dominion Tournament been decided? I'm perfectly fine now."

"Based on Justus's report, you are constantly the source of trouble, and I judged it best to isolate you before any incidents occurred. The Inter-Dominion Tournament draws not only the Aub of every territory but also royalty. You collapsed spectacularly at a tea party you yourself hosted just the other day. Staying in bed would be far less troublesome for everyone involved."

The Inter-Dominion Tournament was, to put it in terms of my school life from Urano's era, a combination of a sports festival and a cultural festival—basically, a school festival. It was the biggest event of the year. To be told I couldn't attend was harsh. My dissatisfaction must have shown on my face, because the Chief Priest sighed helplessly.

"Rozemyne, the Inter-Dominion Tournament also serves as a preliminary to the Lord's Conference. Honestly, there are too many uncertain factors, and I don't want to send someone with such anxieties about socializing. I'd like you to build up more social skills and physical stamina before then. Can you honestly say you're confident about handling an approach from the Aub of another territory smoothly? Can you maintain consciousness until the very end without suddenly collapsing, like at the tea party?"

Caught in the Chief Priest's golden gaze, I held my breath. The confidence to handle everything smoothly? I didn't have any. I'd seen Justus clutching his head in frustration just recently.

"…Is my socializing really that terrible?"

"Justus says you can manage most things. You can maintain surface-level etiquette. But apparently, you occasionally say things that leave him wondering why on earth you went in that direction. That's probably because you operate from a completely different foundation of common sense."

As always, my sense of things was out of alignment with everyone else's. But honestly, I couldn't tell where or how it was off. Since I didn't know where the discrepancies lay, I couldn't understand what I needed to be careful about.

"Young Master Ferdinand, my lady is doing her very best with this small body. She immersed herself in the Yurive for two years and still achieved remarkable results, handled the Dedication Ritual, and is managing her social obligations. What more could you possibly ask of a lady who has just recovered from illness?"

As I drooped miserably, Rihyarda stepped forward protectively. The Chief Priest watched her with his usual expressionless face and spoke.

"Rest. Before Rozemyne entered the Royal Academy, Aub Ehrenfest had been asked to meet certain expectations—and Rozemyne surpassed them effortlessly. Honestly, she exceeded our projections by far. We had no plans for her to deepen ties with royalty, nor did we predict she would forge such connections with upper territories. If tomorrow's tournament leads to further ties not only with students but also with royalty and the Aubs of other territories, we'll have a serious problem. Those around her simply can't keep up. Therefore, I am requesting that Rozemyne refrain from contact with royalty and upper-territory Aubs, and focus on resting her body."

As he spoke, the Chief Priest shifted his gaze toward me.

"Justus's report also mentioned that you may have been exhausted from preparing for the Inter-Dominion Tournament and socializing—exhausted enough to collapse at the tea party. Considering your condition, and so that you can rest properly, I've brought several books for you. So—do you want to participate in the Inter-Dominion Tournament?"

"Huh? Well, I'm still not feeling well… I truly think it would be best for me to stay quietly in the dormitory with Rihyarda."

…Yes! A full day of reading!

"Lord Ferdinand, I don't mind being absent, but what about my retainers? There's expected to be a shortage of hands, and I'd like all of them to attend the Inter-Dominion Tournament."

"Ah, I'll be staying behind in the dormitory as your supervisor, so your retainers won't be necessary. Rihyarda alone should be enough for a single day."

…Huh? Supervised by the Chief Priest? No thank you.

That sounded like it would turn into a lecture session rather than reading time. I tried to think of some way to get out of the supervision.

"Were you not planning to watch the Inter-Dominion Tournament, Lord Ferdinand? Please, go watch it without worrying about me."

"I had originally planned to attend the Inter-Dominion Tournament as your guardian and to assist with negotiations involving upper territories, but it seems things have become quite troublesome."

"Huh?"

I was given a sharp glare, and I tilted my head in puzzlement. I had no idea what was so troublesome.

"Justus told me about some bizarre legends that have sprung up regarding me—tales so concerning they gave him a headache. He said that if I showed my face at the Inter-Dominion Tournament, it could cause serious problems. What exactly did you do?"

…Ah, the Ferdinand legends.

"Please don't blame everything on me. Hirschur-sensei simply introduced me as Lord Ferdinand's apprentice, and that caused his exploits from his student days to become gossip at the Royal Academy. I won't deny that the stories have become outrageous fabrications mixed with the deeds of multiple people, but I had nothing to do with any of it."

"I heard that you specifically had people collect stories because they might come up at the tea party, though…"

"Justus, shh!"

I tried frantically to shut him up, and the Chief Priest glared at me almost simultaneously.

After that, I was thoroughly scolded by the Chief Priest, after which Justus dutifully took on the role of the Chief Priest's attendant and looked after various matters, Traugott was left unattended, the Chief Priest did a check on the Inter-Dominion Tournament preparations and pointed out various weak spots, and before I knew it, the dormitory was in a flurry of activity—and then bedtime arrived.

Dawn broke, and the day of the Inter-Dominion Tournament arrived. For me, it was a long-awaited day of reading.

Everyone finished an early breakfast and bustled about with their preparations. The kitchen had been wafting sweet aromas for days now. Large quantities of sliced quatre-quarts were being prepared.

Most of the shipments arriving from Ehrenfest were for the Inter-Dominion Tournament, and the boxes of quatre-quarts gave off an incredibly delicious, sweet fragrance. The attendant apprentices checked the deliveries and issued orders, while the workers carried the goods away.

Wilfried had already left for the arena where the Inter-Dominion Tournament would be held and was apparently issuing instructions on-site.

The scholar apprentices received last-minute instructions from the Chief Priest and Justus regarding their presentations and were writing everything down with serious expressions. The Chief Priest's most important instruction was: "She will almost certainly abandon her presentation and come running to the dormitory to talk about her research—make sure you tell Hirschur not to mention my existence."

The knight apprentices reviewed the weaknesses and attack methods of magical beasts, then exited the dormitory through a different door than the main entrance, where Eckhart was waiting to give them some additional lectures as part of their newcomer training.

Eckhart had said with satisfaction that students who were self-aware of how poorly they coordinated together were easier to handle than newcomers who lacked such awareness, because they accepted instruction readily. If they trained with Grandfather starting in the spring, they'd improve significantly by next year.

Amid all this bustling preparation, Aub Ehrenfest and his wife arrived, followed by a stream of parents of graduates. Dressed in their dazzling social attire, they passed through the dormitory without lingering, heading straight for the arena. Since all of them were graduates of the Royal Academy, they didn't even need a guide.

"Rozemyne, you're finally awake. Stay in the dormitory and rest for the whole day today. You still don't look well."

"Thank you for your concern, Father."

I was actually quite pleased about my reading plans and probably looked better than usual, but if Aub Ehrenfest said I "didn't look well," then I didn't look well. I was on holiday.

"Ferdinand, I'm entrusting Rozemyne to you. Neither of you is to leave the dormitory."

"Understood."

Just when things had quieted down after the last of the spectators had passed through, the knight apprentices returned to the dormitory. They said they needed to head to the arena immediately.

"Lady Rozemyne, may I ask for your blessing?"

"Everyone, please kneel. I shall bestow the blessing of Angriff, God of War."

The knight apprentices lined up neatly and knelt, lowering their heads in silence.

"Please take care of us, Lady Rozemyne."

The one who spoke was Angelica, the senior-most among them.

I gave a slight nod, infused magic power into my right hand, and summoned my Staff. Raising my right hand, I began infusing it with magic power as usual.

"May the blessing of Angriff, God of War and divine servant of Leidenschaft, God of Fire, be upon all of you."

Blue light burst from the Staff and rained down upon the knight apprentices.

"I pray that you will be able to apply even a fraction of what you've learned, that you will look to those around you, cooperate with one another, and achieve the best possible results for Ehrenfest."

"Yes!"

After everyone left, I settled into the multi-purpose hall on the first floor, leisurely reading the books the Chief Priest had brought me.

Other than the occasional scholar apprentice or Justus popping in and out to receive instructions from the Chief Priest, it was peaceful and quiet.

The Chief Priest was reviewing the report Justus was compiling, as well as the materials prepared by the scholar apprentices working under Wilfried and Charlotte, and by Hartmut and the others. It seemed there had been assignments issued through Justus as part of scholar training.

When the third bell rang, the delicious smell of lunch began to drift from the dining hall. Before long, scholars and attendants started taking turns coming back to eat. They explained that they had to rotate in order for everyone to get a meal.

"It's been really busy this year, Lady Rozemyne."

"I've never seen this many guests at Ehrenfest before!"

Students returning from lunch told me about the Inter-Dominion Tournament in excited tones. Apparently, central researchers were gathering around Schwartz and the others' research displays with gleaming eyes, and Hirschur was explaining everything with delight while predicting what the remaining gaps might lead to.

In addition, the Schmil-type riding beast—the new riding beast I had designed—was also on display. Its selling point was that you could ride it without changing into riding clothes, and it was apparently attracting the attention of many women.

"Even though I wasn't there, I got the sense that Lady Rozemyne's name was being spread all around."

"The Dunkelfelger Knight Commander was there too. He was asking, 'Where is this Lord Candidate who is Ferdinand's beloved apprentice?'"

I wasn't the only one who went "Ugh." The Chief Priest, who had been listening alongside me, made an ambiguous expression, as if he had a suspicion. Perhaps it was someone from his generation whom he'd defeated with a particularly underhanded tactic.

"It seems it was the right call not to attend."

"Since they heard that Lady Rozemyne was still bedridden, the Lord Candidates from Klassenberg and Dunkelfelger each came to visit with get-well gifts from their guardians. Aub Ehrenfest has been desperately handling the situation."

…Wow, Father, hang in there!

While all this was going on, the knight apprentices filed in together. Their battles were over. All of them except Angelica wore expressions far from triumphant—they looked at me with uncertain faces. Had the blessing I gave them not been enough?

"Brother Cornelius, how did you do in the Dieter?"

"By ranking, we're still far behind, but compared to our practice bouts, we defeated our opponents faster than ever."

"Even so, you don't exactly look happy about it."

At my words, Brother Cornelius exchanged glances with the knight apprentices, then slowly let out a sigh.

"Our opponent brought out a Grün, and knowing that you're using one as your riding beast, it felt a bit… off."

"What kind of magical beast was it?"

"A truly ferocious and smelly magical beast."

"…Smelly?"

That was a bit off-putting, and I grimaced along with them. Then the Chief Priest's voice rang out.

"Save the talk about Grün for later. Once you've finished lunch, go assist the attendants. Reports are coming in that there are so many guests they can't even decline requests."

The knight apprentices started moving as if jolted awake, then rushed out as soon as they finished eating.

The dining hall had calmed down a bit, so the Chief Priest and I also had lunch, served by Rihyarda. As we ate, the Chief Priest murmured softly.

"…I feel I've done you a disservice."

"How so?"

"By forbidding you from attending today's Inter-Dominion Tournament. You won't be able to attend the award ceremony either."

According to the Chief Priest, the tournament events themselves would wrap up by the fifth bell, and after that, the outstanding students of the year would be announced.

"Hirschur's letter said you would likely be the top first-year. In principle, you would have received personal praise from the King and basking in everyone's admiration. But because of our circumstances, I've had you absent."

"…I'm glad I'm absent. Speaking with the King is something I simply cannot do right now."

With all the Aubs and their wives from every territory present, royalty in attendance, being honored as the top student, and having a direct conversation with the King—I shuddered just imagining what kind of blunder I might commit this time.

"I hope you'll be able to participate in next year's Inter-Dominion Tournament, but I'm at my wits' end trying to figure out how to educate you. I don't know what to do about the fact that your common sense and fundamental thinking differ from ours. After all, I thought I had been teaching you properly."

"My lady was raised in the Temple, so there are areas where she's unfamiliar with noble common sense, but the only remedy for that is experience. The accumulation of time is what matters."

Rihyarda, who was serving us, smiled gently as she spoke.

"She completed her Baptism Ceremony and spent a year and a half as the Lord's daughter. Then she spent two years asleep, followed by her enrollment in the Royal Academy? Considering her time in the Temple, my lady has probably spent only about half a year as a noble. The real work starts now."

The Chief Priest, who never forgot even the smallest details, began counting on his fingers the number of days Rozemyne had spent in the castle as a noble.

"It does exceed half a year, but it's true that her time spent as a noble has been remarkably short. She did receive an education in the Temple as well, so it didn't feel that short to me, but…"

"The castle, where only nobles reside, is different from the Temple, which, strictly speaking, is populated by non-nobles. You won't pick up noble ways of thinking at the Temple. Besides, the Temple only had boys."

"I see."

"Young Master Ferdinand, you demand results too quickly. People need time to grow. Please be a little more patient."

When the fifth bell rang and some time had passed, everyone returned. Just as the Chief Priest had said, I had apparently won the top first-year award. Wilfried had accepted it on my behalf. Wilfried himself had also been selected as an outstanding student.

A few outstanding students had emerged from other years as well, but it seemed that many had finished their exams with barely passing grades. Ehrenfest was advised not only to consider the speed at which lectures were completed, but also to take test scores into account. That would be a challenge for next year.

Woke up to the Inter-Dominion Tournament. But stayed home as a lookout. Got to read books, so for Rozemyne, it was a happy day.

For those who participated in the Inter-Dominion Tournament, it was anything but.

Next up: the graduation ceremony.