The day after the inter-domain tournament was the graduation ceremony. The Lord and his wife would stay in their respective rooms, but the other guardians would return to Ehrenfest for the time being.
...No wonder so few people had come to watch.
Repeatedly transferring using Magic Power was exhausting, so unless their child had a particularly notable role or they hoped to arrange a marriage with someone from another domain, middle- and lower-ranking Noble guardians generally did not attend the inter-domain tournament.
...The Angelica in that astonishingly capable Attendant family was the only one who had become a knight apprentice.
The graduation ceremony began with the third bell. In the morning, there would be performances such as offering dances and sword dances, and the High Priest from the Central
In the afternoon, the graduating students would gather in the auditorium in formal attire for the main ceremony.
"So I'll be house-sitting in the dormitory again tomorrow, correct?"
After dinner in the multi-purpose hall, I asked the Chief Priest that question. He had also said he would be staying at the Royal Academy, so I assumed he would be watching over me once more.
"The important figures attending tomorrow will be the same ones as today. There would be no point whatsoever in having you attend. ...Are you unhappy about reading books in the dormitory?"
"I'm happy to read, but I wanted to see Angelica's sword dance and Lady
I knew it was impossible to attend the graduation ceremony when I had skipped the inter-domain tournament entirely, but Angelica's sword dance was extremely intriguing since I hadn't been able to watch it during practice—the venue was different from the real thing. Knowing I would only get one chance made it all the more tantalizing.
"It would have been nice to have a 'video camera,' at least..."
"What is that?"
"Something that records the sword dance and offering dance so you can watch the footage afterward. ...Let me think. You know the Magical Tool Professor
As I pondered how best to explain, the Chief Priest simply shrugged his shoulders.
"If it's a projection Magical Tool, Hirschur should have one. I made one for her to use in lectures. It consumes Magic Power like a fool, so after using it once, it was relegated to storage. But if we used your Magic Power transferred into a magic stone to operate it, it should work for just the sword dance and offering dance."
"Really!?"
...So a Magical Tool equivalent to a video camera already existed!
Ohhh, I marveled, and as I looked up at the Chief Priest with hopeful eyes, his expression turned extremely bitter, and he picked up an ordonnans magic stone.
"The immediate problem is that Hirschur will find out I'm here at the Royal Academy, but if it keeps you obedient, I suppose there's no choice. Infuse your Magic Power into this magic stone. If it runs out, the recording will cut off midway."
With that, the Chief Priest sent an ordonnans to Hirschur, asking if she could lend him the projection Magical Tool. I eagerly volunteered for the battery job. I gripped the magic stone and began channeling my Magic Power.
...Heheh, fufu. I'd get to see the sword dance and the offering dance.
Just as I was wondering whether a reply would come soon, it wasn't an ordonnans response but Hirschur herself who came flying into the dormitory, clutching the Magical Tool and a bundle of documents.
"
"I figured that if I told you, you would have abandoned the inter-domain tournament entirely, so I deliberately didn't reach out. It's been a while, Professor Hirschur. Does this Magical Tool still appear to function?"
The Chief Priest took the Magical Tool from Hirschur's hands and began tinkering with it.
"You threw this away saying it required far too much Magic Power, and now what are you going to use it for?"
"A need has arisen to record tomorrow's sword dance and offering dance.
The Chief Priest's words seemed to wash right over her, as Hirschur immediately spread out documents all over the place.
"It's about the Magical Tool in the library, but during today's inter-domain tournament, I had discussions with many researchers, and these are the predictions that emerged. There's someone in the Central Temple who researches royal Magical Tools, and they think this section might contain a magic circle related to the Life God. They said they had seen a similar connection. However, the magic circle they remembered didn't fit quite right."
"Hmm, that's quite interesting. What kind of magic circle was it?"
The mad scientist gathering was heating up, and the attendants watched the two with keen interest—though their expressions made it clear they understood absolutely nothing.
Once I finished infusing the Magic Power into the stone, I quietly slipped away. I'd rather read the books the Chief Priest had brought than listen to incomprehensible magic circle discussions. I returned to my room, read, took a bath, and went to sleep.
And then, the next morning.
After finishing breakfast and heading to the multi-purpose hall, I found the two still deep in discussion just as they had been the night before, with even more scattered documents around them.
"Good morning, Ferdinand, Professor Hirschur. You're still talking? Wouldn't it be wise to eat breakfast at least?"
"Oh, Rozemyne. Is it morning already? Professor Hirschur, today is the graduation ceremony. I believe we should wrap this up here."
"...The graduation ceremony? Just when the research was really getting somewhere."
Hearing Hirschur say this with genuine frustration, the Chief Priest shook his head with an exasperated expression.
"Please endure it for just today. You mentioned before that you'd been lamenting the absence of a successor—have you found a promising apprentice?"
"Yes. It took a while, but there's a promising student among this year's second-years. She's a middle-ranking Noble close to the lower ranks, and while it's a shame her Magic Power is limited, she's remarkably skilled when it comes to modifications."
The Chief Priest had genius-level ideas and insights, producing a great many Magical Tools, but because he had such abundant Magic Power, many of them could only be used by him. The potential new apprentice had apparently become obsessed with researching how to make the Chief Priest's Magical Tools usable with less Magic Power.
"I spend my days enjoying these discussions, having gained a new apprentice, and feeling as though those fond, pleasant times have returned. Ferdinand, you said on your graduation day that you'd be heading into a boring, dreasy life—but since returning to Ehrenfest, have you had even a little enjoyment?"
Hirschur's expression shifted from that of a research-obsessed mad scientist to that of a master concerned for her student. At her words, the Chief Priest faltered for a moment—a rare occurrence. Then his eyes softened with a deeply nostalgic look.
"My time has been anything but boring. I've had no occasion to grow tired."
"Hearing those words puts me at ease somewhat. New Magical Tools, research results, love stories—I'm waiting for everything, Ferdinand."
Hirschur gathered her documents with a rustle and headed briskly for the dining hall. She needed to eat breakfast and hurry to prepare for the graduation ceremony.
And as if trading places with Hirschur,
"Professor Hirschur is going to have breakfast. What about you, Ferdinand? Will you prioritize getting some sleep as before?"
"Yes, wake me at the second-and-a-half bell."
"Understood. Sleep well. ...Eckhart, shouldn't you get some rest too? That must have been exhausting, being with those two after so long."
Justus murmured something about how he'd slept well since
"Why did Justus come out of the dining hall?"
"Oh, I was serving Traugott, but then Professor Hirschur came in, so I thought they had finally finished."
"...So Traugott hasn't been abandoned?"
"Correct, but when you consider priorities, it can't be helped."
Justus shrugged and returned to the dining hall.
"Traugott might be the biggest victim in all of this," Judith murmured.
Around the time students who had finished breakfast began filtering into the multi-purpose hall in small groups, the graduating students' parents arrived via teleportation circle. There, they were met by waiting apprentice Attendants and escorted to their respective children's rooms. They needed help preparing for the graduation ceremony—more accurately, they needed to check with a parent's eye that nothing was amiss.
"Father, Mother."
"Lady Rozemyne, it's been too long. We must thank you for—"
Before even noticing their daughter Lieseleta, Angelica's parents spotted me first and headed straight over to offer their greetings. I lightly raised a hand to stop them.
"There's no need for lengthy pleasantries. We're short on time today. Lieseleta, please escort your parents to Angelica's room immediately. Angelica is probably cutting corners with her preparations out of sheer laziness, so all three of you need to watch her like hawks and make sure she doesn't slack off. This is my order."
Even if Angelica's sword dance preparations were flawless, she might get careless with the formal attire afterward, or fix her hairstyle for the sword dance without considering the overall elegance. There were simply too many concerns with Angelica.
With three capable Attendants added—her parents and her sister—she would have no chance to cut corners.
"Understood."
Lieseleta said this and led her parents out of the multi-purpose hall. That took care of Angelica.
As I nodded in satisfaction,
"Lady Rozemyne, I have arrived."
"Why is Damuel here?"
"Last night, I received an urgent request from Ferdinand. He said most of your attendants would be at the graduation ceremony, so he needed someone to take over guard duty."
It seemed the plan had always been for him and Eckhart to get some rest, since the Chief Priest would be occupied with his debate with Hirschur.
"Everyone, you may go ahead and prepare for the graduation ceremony. There's no need to worry about me."
I called out to my guard apprentices, and each one began moving to make their preparations.
"Damuel, is everything all right at the castle? Is Grandfather doing well?"
"...Very much so. In fact, he came charging into the knight order and began discussing the apprentices' training with the knight officers."
"Spring will be tough for the apprentices," Damuel murmured. It was reassuring to hear that Grandfather was so motivated.
The second-and-a-half bell rang, and I immediately saw Justus go to wake the Chief Priest. Traugott's send-off was still being put off, as expected.
"Richarda, please look after Traugott—it's too pitiful even for him."
"When another attendant is with Lady Rozemyne, I might consider it, but not now when everyone is about to depart."
Richarda said this, and I gave a small nod. If she said she couldn't, there was nothing to be done.
All students except the graduates and their escort partners filed out of the dormitory. They needed to prepare the auditorium before the graduates entered.
After the students had left for a while, the Chief Priest arrived at the multi-purpose hall. Justus and Eckhart were with him. But Eckhart was dressed in formal attire I had never seen before, and I couldn't help but widen my eyes.
"...Eckhart, that's unusually formal attire for a guard duty day. Is there something special?"
"I have to serve as Angelica's escort. I can't very well show up in knight armor, can I?"
"What!? You're escorting Angelica!?"
My eyes went wide in surprise, and Eckhart looked equally taken aback.
"You didn't know? Normally, who's escorting whom would be a topic of conversation within the dormitory."
"I think Lieseleta knew, but no one else seemed to. Many people wondered who her partner would be, but Angelica just tilted her head, so the general speculation was that perhaps even she didn't know and it had been decided by her relatives without her input. When did you two get to that point?"
Yesterday, Eckhart had also been with the Chief Priest, but he hadn't exchanged any friendly conversation with Angelica or even shared a glance with her. From any angle, they hadn't looked like a romantic pairing.
"...We're not at that point. Ever since Grandfather took Angelica as his apprentice, he's been wanting to set her up with someone in the family. The partner wasn't truly decided until the very last moment. Angelica really might not have known. She said, 'I leave it to my Master,' and apparently hasn't followed up since."
...Without question, she had completely given up thinking once she left it to Grandfather.
"Getting Angelica matched with one of our family was Grandfather's wish, so this winter was quite hectic."
Having one of
Angelica's parents had desperately searched for a way to decline. But they simply did not have the power to overturn a decision made by Bonifatius.
After agonizing over the situation and considering Angelica's future, her mother had suggested that the best outcome would be for Angelica to marry as the second wife of one of Bonifatius's grandchildren whose age was appropriate.
Angelica's parents had begged for her to be made the third wife at most, but Bonifatius would not accept that, and they had managed to reach a compromise at second wife.
"But the question was: whose second wife should she become?"
Originally, the plan had been for Angelica to become Traugott's second wife. Angelica was far from thinking about marriage—she was a girl laser-focused on becoming stronger, so it was thought that a younger partner who wouldn't press her to marry soon would be better than an older one.
And since Traugott was supposed to become my guard knight, the adults had agreed it was a perfect match.
But Traugott had resigned from being my guard knight. Not only that, it was a resignation close to a dismissal, which earned Bonifatius's fury and, at the same time, caused his beloved disciple Angelica's match to be canceled.
At the family meeting, they didn't only have to deal with Traugott's fate—they also had to redo the selection of Angelica's future partner with graduation fast approaching. Eckhart said it had been incredibly stressful.
"Next, it came to the question of which of us three brothers should be her partner. In terms of age,
I thought to myself that Eckhart, who had stubbornly refused to marry until the Chief Priest tied the knot, was finally getting married, and clapped my hands together.
"As long as Angelica, who has no intention of marrying for the time being, is your partner, you'll be able to dodge both marriage and Mother's nagging for a while. There's an advantage there."
"That's exactly it."
Eckhart nodded with a wry smile. He apparently had no plans to marry for several more years. In a sense, it might be a good match.
However, while Eckhart had thought it through and found the advantages agreeable, Angelica didn't appear to have considered anything at all, which was the more worrying part.
"I've kept you waiting, Eckhart."
Angelica's parents entered the multi-purpose hall with the fully prepared Angelica. She was clad in Leydonshaft blue, the color of strength. The outfit resembled a riding uniform—with a skirt-like appearance, it was actually culottes. Now that she had come of age, the hem was long enough to hide her shoes.
I was momentarily confused by her hair, now done up in the style of a grown woman. With light makeup applied, Angelica was so beautiful that even I, who was accustomed to seeing her daily, couldn't help but stare.
"Oh, this is splendidly done. I look forward to your sword dance."
"I intend to put on the finest sword dance I can."
Eckhart took Angelica's hand, and she smiled softly—at a glance, it looked like a reliable knight and a delicate princess standing side by side.
"Are you all right with Eckhart as your partner, Angelica?"
That was the first thing I asked Angelica, who was dressed in her sword dance attire. She nodded without a shred of hesitation.
"I told my Master that I would leave it to him. Since it's my Master's recommendation, I have absolutely no complaints. I do feel sorry for Eckhart, though. As long as I can continue serving Lady Rozemyne, I don't mind who my partner is."
...What a perfectly Angelica response.
While I was thinking this, Angelica's parents immediately scolded her—"'Don't mind who' is not an appropriate way to speak! That's incredibly rude to Eckhart!" Then they pleaded with Eckhart, "If you'd like to withdraw from escorting our daughter from now on, you certainly may..."
"That would get me scolded by Grandfather. Besides, having a partner who has this little interest in romance and marriage is more convenient for me."
When the third bell rang, Eckhart escorted Angelica out of the dormitory. They carried the projection Magical Tool the Chief Priest had made, along with the magic stone brimming with my Magic Power.
"Be sure to capture Angelica and the offering dance's goddess of light, Lady Eglantine, for me, Eckhart!"
Today, I was back to my reading marathon. Damuel was being put to work by the Chief Priest, organizing documents.
In the afternoon, everyone returned to have lunch. After that, the graduates changed and checked their attire for any irregularities before waiting. Angelica, who had performed the sword dance, needed to change into her formal wear.
Once changed, they would depart immediately.
"Eckhart, now—let me see the sword dance and the offering dance!"
When I pleaded, Eckhart handed the Magical Tool to the Chief Priest. Recording required Magic Power, and apparently projecting the image also consumed a great deal. Eckhart said he couldn't record because he still needed to escort Angelica to the graduation ceremony afterward.
"So I'm cut off?"
"No, Eckhart's Magic Power isn't needed. Rozemyne, if you want to watch, record it yourself. Just infuse Magic Power into this stone."
"Yes!"
The Chief Priest fiddled with the Magical Tool and began preparations. Apparently, quite a bit of setup was needed for projection.
While the Chief Priest was getting ready, the graduates set off in groups, one after another, for the graduation ceremony.
When students from other domains served as escorts, the Attendants apparently waited in the tea party room. When their partner's Attendant came to announce the escort's arrival, they would exit through the front entrance, where their partner would be waiting.
"Angelica, congratulations on your graduation."
"I was able to graduate from the Royal Academy because of you, Lady Rozemyne. If anything, I should be the one expressing my gratitude. I am deeply thankful."
Angelica knelt and bowed her head, and her parents and Lieseleta did the same.
"Our entire family, our entire clan, is profoundly grateful to you, Lady Rozemyne. Angelica was able to see this graduation ceremony today only because of your efforts. We truly cannot thank you enough."
Angelica's parents seemed overcome with indescribable emotion at their daughter's graduation, having previously resigned themselves to her being held back or expelled.
"Eckhart, please take care of Angelica for me. I think you're a wonderful support. Please make sure Angelica's usual... clumsiness doesn't show..."
"There's no need to worry that much. I will fulfill my role."
Eckhart patted my head gently to reassure me, took Angelica's hand, and headed out.
The graduates left, the guardians and the Lord and his wife departed, and only students with no connection to the graduation ceremony remained in the dormitory.
"Ferdinand, are the preparations complete?"
When I returned to the multi-purpose hall, the Chief Priest gave a light nod. Students interested in the Magical Tool were gazing at the projection device.
"The image appears on this plate. Position it like this so that it's easy for you to see. Once you've settled on a position, flow Magic Power into it."
"Yes."
There was a smooth metal plate roughly A4 in size, like a guild card, that shimmered with iridescent colors when it caught the light. I adjusted its position as the Chief Priest instructed me to channel Magic Power.
As I cheerfully flowed Magic Power into it, the metal plate began displaying the image. Ohhh, exclamations rose from those around me.
"It's the sword dance. Amazing!"
"I never knew there was a Magical Tool like this."
"Rozemyne, let me see too!"
Honestly, the projection Magical Tool's image quality wasn't that great. It was technically in color, but the resolution was grainy, and there was no sound. It was just the visuals.
Still, being able to watch the sword dance and offering ceremony that I couldn't attend in person made me incredibly happy.
"Is that
"Yes. Angelica dances her sword dance with Stenluke. With every swing, a faint amount of Magic Power scatters from the blade, making it glow a soft blue—it's absolutely beautiful."
Judith, who deeply admired and adored Angelica, told me this with a beaming smile. Apparently, those who wielded magic swords were quite rare even in the Royal Academy. Since both growing and wielding them required Magic Power, virtually no middle-ranking Noble possessed one.
Other female knights had also participated in the sword dance alongside Angelica, but she clearly stood out above the rest. A beautiful girl skillfully wielding Stenluke, its blade glowing blue, had an irresistible charm that captivated all eyes.
"It's magnificent."
As I let out an admiring sigh, the offering dance began almost immediately. It seemed Eckhart had tried to conserve as much Magic Power as possible. There was no lingering afterimage, but I simply continued watching the offering dance.
Eglantine's hands moved in graceful arcs as the offering dance commenced. Since I had been practicing the offering dance myself, I understood the music. Humming along, I watched—and
I had once thought they didn't match as a divine couple in the offering dance, but it seemed he had been practicing seriously, because he looked quite presentable now.
...Prince Anastasius had improved.
I'd been a little bothered that they didn't match as a married divine couple, so I was truly delighted that he had improved enough to look the part.
Watching the two exchange glances and share soft smiles in the middle of the dance, I felt so happy for them that I wanted to offer my blessing.
...I'd bless them both. Something like, "May this happy smile last forever."
"Rozemyne, take your hands off the magic stone!"
"Huh?"
I looked up, and the Chief Priest, his face drained of color, rushed toward me almost simultaneously.
He seized my wrist and raised my arm above my head as if in a cheer. At the same time, light from my ring shot out as a blessing and flew off somewhere.
"...What were you thinking?"
"I-I was just wishing that Prince Anastasius and Lady Eglantine's happiness would last forever. Oh, and I thought about sending a blessing too."
The blessing light had certainly shot off toward the graduation ceremony venue. I could imagine the scene: a sudden burst of blessing light raining down on Anastasius and Eglantine. I had a feeling some commotion was erupting in the auditorium right about now.
"...Ferdinand, can the blessing be taken back?"
"Of course not, you fool."
"I figured. Will there be... a commotion?"
"I don't know. But whatever anyone asks you, look as if you know absolutely nothing. ...Everyone here—what just happened with the blessing is to be kept absolutely secret. If anyone leaks so much as a word, I will make them wish they were dead."
His expression was completely devoid of warmth or humor—the deadly serious threat left the students, who had barely any acquaintance with the Chief Priest, trembling as they nodded repeatedly over and over.
"Even with you on house-sitting duty, this still manages to happen... Honestly."
The Chief Priest pressed his fingers to his temples and let out the deepest, heaviest sigh.
...Sorry, Chief Priest. But I didn't do it on purpose.
The partner everyone had been wondering about for Angelica turned out to be Eckhart.
Angelica had intended to leave the matter of her escort to Lord Bonifatius, so she was actually a little disappointed inside.
Next is the end of Year One.