"Welcome back, Sister!"
The first person to rush over after we used the teleportation circle to return to Ehrenfest was
"I've just returned, Charlotte."
"You earned the top grade among first-years, didn't you? That's wonderful."
Being praised by Charlotte filled me with an overwhelming sense of joy. Her words—"that's wonderful"—made every effort feel worthwhile.
"Next year, I'll aim for the top grade as well."
I kept the thought "so Charlotte will praise me" to myself and clenched my fist in declaration. Charlotte's eyes went wide for a moment before she mimicked my gesture and clenched her own fist.
"I'll aim for the top grade among first-years too. After all, I'm your little sister."
"Let's do our best together, then."
We exchanged smiles and headed to the reception room, only to find that Brother
"Brother Wilfried, please let us through. I'd like to return to my room."
"My apologies. Everyone, move along."
Wilfried and his attendants shuffled away. We, too, began moving before our own group could arrive.
"
My grandfather's voice rang out from a fair distance, and I called back, "Here!" while raising my hand. I had worried that surrounded by my attendants, my wave might go unnoticed, but Grandfather spotted me just fine.
"I heard you earned the top grade! Well done. As expected of my granddaughter!"
"Grandfather, I was also chosen as an outstanding student."
"Oh,
With a shout, Grandfather reached into the group, grabbed Brother Cornelius under the arms, and with a heave, swung him up high into the air.
"Whoa!?"
...The muscles of a grandfather capable of tossing someone nearly an adult into the air are truly something.
As I watched in awe, a pair of large hands slid under my own arms.
"You're next, Rozemyne. Up we go!"
"Grandfather, it's dangerous!"
Brother Cornelius, who had just landed, immediately leaped toward me while shouting in protest—but it was already too late. I had already been launched skyward.
Cornelius was nearly an adult and still growing in both height and weight, whereas I had barely finished my
"Aaahhh!"
"Oh no!"
Grandfather's alarmed cry came just moments before I hit the ceiling.
By the time the warning shout went up, Brother Cornelius had already used body-strengthening to leap upward and grabbed my cape, yanking me back. I just barely avoided smashing into the ceiling, but the sudden jerk around my neck made me gasp in pain.
...I almost died!
Being pulled by the cape shifted my trajectory, and this time I came plummeting down toward Brother Cornelius. Unable to even scream, I fell.
"Guah!"
The one who managed to catch me—more or less—from what was practically a collision was Father, who had also returned alongside the Lord. He pulled me into a tight embrace, quickly checked that I wasn't injured, and then handed me off to
"Father, what on earth are you suddenly doing to Lady Rozemyne!?"
Having just returned from the Noble Academy, I was completely surrounded by my own attendants. Everyone understood that Grandfather's actions stemmed from doting on his granddaughter, so all they did was glare at him reproachfully. But if anyone else had done the same, they would have been arrested on the spot for attempted murder of a member of the archduke's family.
Grandfather's eyes darted about for a moment before he clapped his hands together.
"No, well, the thing is... I was just testing whether Cornelius had the ability to protect Rozemyne. Cornelius passes. Yes, as expected of my grandson."
It was a laughably poor excuse.
"Father, please stay away from Rozemyne. She will die."
"
"You did well protecting Rozemyne from Father, Cornelius. Rozemyne, you were thrown due to transfer sickness. Rest well today."
"Yes, Father."
My head still spinning, I was carried back to my room by Rihyarda. It was a strange feeling to have my attendants trailing along behind me as I returned. From now on, they would be working in the castle as well, so things would be much livelier.
"Welcome back, Lady Rozemyne."
"I've just returned, Ottillie."
Ottillie had tidied the room and was waiting for me. I flopped down onto the neatly arranged bed. My head was still spinning and I felt a bit nauseous.
...Someone, please teach Grandfather about restraint!
That day, the attendants still had their own luggage to unpack, so they wouldn't actually begin working until the next day. After introductions, the assignment of knight duties in the castle was to be organized by
"...So that's how it went. Last time, we sorted the information and had it purchased by the appropriate departments. This time should be the same—the upper echelons of both the knights and the scholars should be in attendance."
"Then let's begin sorting through the information we've gathered."
We would be purchasing the information collected at the Noble Academy. Since the Lord's Conference was approaching and a wide variety of information would be needed, it would likely sell well.
As
"The copies everyone in the dormitory made for me will need to be paid for as well. Do you have records of who copied how much, and how much ink and paper each person used?"
"Yes. Here they are."
"Thank you, Philine. Please calculate these. I'll need to ask
I began working alongside Philine on calculating the payment for the copying work. It turned out that people from other duchies, not just Ehrenfest, had participated in the copying.
"...Since the amount Lady Rozemyne offered was higher than what one would normally earn from copying, some students from wealthier duchies wanted to participate as well."
"That's because I told Philine she could delegate the copying work in exchange for a referral fee."
Hartmut might have a talent for business. Philine had apparently earned quite a bit from those referral fees. She smiled happily, saying it looked like she would finally have enough saved up for Magic Power compression.
Once the sorting in the room was finished, the afternoon would be spent in negotiations with the upper echelons of the duchy. I couldn't drag all of my attendants along. I would take Rihyarda and Brünhilde as Attendants, Hartmut and Philine as scholars, and Damuel,
"When am I ever going to get assigned to Lady Rozemyne's escort detail in the castle!?"
"Training under
Eudiet, who had been left behind at the Noble Academy, let her lavender eyes glisten with tears. Damuel offered her words that were somehow both comforting and encouraging, yet neither at the same time.
After seeing off Eudiet and Leonore to their training with encouraging words, I headed to the conference room near the Lord's office. Wilfried and his attendants had been summoned as well. This was to bring us up to speed on everything that had happened during our absence.
"Now then, tell us what information you managed to gather at the Noble Academy this year."
Scholars who had collected information reported on shifts in trends, newly invented Magical Tools, and the level of vigilance maintained by each duchy. Representatives from each department asked questions about these matters, noted down progress since the previous year, and the discussion moved forward.
It was then Hartmut's turn to report.
"Through contact with the children of the former
"What!?"
The report from Hartmut made my adoptive father's eyes go wide. The Chief Priest's lips curled with interest.
"Previously, under orders from the Aub of Ehrenfest, contact had been restrained even at the Academy. However, with Wilfried's enrollment, the distance between our factions appeared to have narrowed, so we took advantage of that. ...Does this constitute an act of rebellion against Ehrenfest?"
"No. Gathering intelligence is important. If contact from our side is difficult, information gathering at the Academy is extremely valuable."
According to Hartmut's report, which the Chief Priest encouraged him to continue, Ahrensbach was currently in a state of internal turmoil.
"By piecing together multiple pieces of information, we've determined that there are almost no candidate heirs capable of becoming the next Lord, the magic power of the families supporting the Lord has drastically declined, and the duchy is in a state of disarray."
"Oh?"
"No one was willing to provide detailed descriptions of the duchy's troubles, so specifics remain unclear. However, there appear to be only two current candidates capable of becoming the next Lord, and one of them seems to be Dietlinde, the youngest daughter of Lady
This was information that the upper echelons of Ehrenfest had been entirely unaware of. Everyone's eyes went wide in astonishment.
"Only two candidates for the next Lord? There used to be children from both the first wife and the second wife, surely. And my sister should have had at least three children. What on earth happened?"
"Despite being a greater duchy, their ranking has fallen—and this may well be related. We're not yet certain whether Dietlinde is approaching Wilfried, who carries Ahrensbach blood, with the aim of becoming Aub of Ahrensbach herself, or whether she is looking for a marriage partner in order to avoid becoming Aub. But it's clear that the situation is dire."
At Hartmut's words, the Chief Priest pressed his temples and let out a long breath. He then looked at Hartmut with keen interest.
"Unexpected intelligence. A fine piece of work. What is your name?"
"I am Hartmut."
"Would you consider coming to serve under me?"
"That won't do, Ferdinand. Hartmut is my scholar. He's a vital member of my inner circle who will be shouldering the printing industry."
When I immediately vetoed this bold attempt at poaching, Hartmut laughed with genuine amusement.
"That is a most tempting offer, but I must respectfully decline. I cannot leave Lady Rozemyne's side while her research continues."
...I messed up. Maybe I should have lent him to the Chief Priest after all!
"Rozemyne's research? What on earth is there to research about Rozemyne? She is certainly an enigma..."
The Chief Priest furrowed his brow in bewilderment. Hartmut answered crisply.
"I've noticed a discrepancy in how she grants blessings compared to myself, and I'd like to investigate that."
"How far along is the research? Come show me sometime."
"I would be honored. I've been hoping to speak with Ferdinand, who knew Lady Rozemyne during her time at the
...This is bad. It feels like a terrifyingly dangerous dynamic has just been established between them.
Setting aside that particular bout of eccentricity, the information collected at the Noble Academy was assigned prices according to its value and distributed accordingly. I would also consolidate the payments for the copying work.
"Why are you rushing to pay so quickly? Couldn't you take your time?"
"Because I told the students that if they want to learn my method of Magic Power compression, they need to earn the money themselves. I have to complete all the payments before teaching them the compression method."
When a high-ranking noble tried to find fault with the idea of students earning money on their own, I told him I wanted them to understand the difficulty of earning money firsthand. He sighed as though exasperated, but agreed to prepare the funds.
"By the way, have you decided who you'll teach the Magic Power compression to?"
"Yes. Those who received permission have already been notified."
This time, those who would be taught Magic Power compression included Wilfried and the archduke family's attendants, as well as relatives of mine who had been granted permission: the
Grandfather, the
"What about the children of the former Veronica faction?"
"I'd like to wait and see how Ahrensbach conducts itself at the Lord's Conference, and observe the subsequent movements within the factions. My thinking is to watch the situation and then either tighten the terms of the Contract Magic and have them sign more binding contracts, or let them decide which faction to align with once they come of age. Even if they want to sever ties with their parents, we can't leave them with absolutely no restrictions."
"...If that's what everyone considers to be a fair compromise, then I think it's acceptable. All I ask is that the path for the children of the former Veronica faction not be completely closed off."
It would be pitiful if their efforts were rendered futile no matter what they did, but as long as the conditions allowed for success through hard work, I had no objections. The children of the former Veronica faction, who understood faction politics better than I did, surely wouldn't expect to have everything accepted overnight.
"I'll have the payments prepared in two days. ...Ah, yes. Rozemyne, if you want to sell books through the Plantin Company, you'll need to file a formal application."
"Understood. I'll file it right away."
Of course—at the end of winter, there would also be the book sales. I immediately jotted down "Plantin Company application" on my writing board.
I filed the application promptly, and two days later arrived the day of payment for the information. Students who had gathered intelligence at the Noble Academy were assembled in a single room, lined up with eager, excited expressions. My own attendants stood in line among them. I, as the one making the payments, sat with Rihyarda and Damuel.
Just like the previous year, I handed over the money along with words of praise and encouragement from the heads of the departments that had purchased the information.
"The Knight Commander was delighted to receive it."
"You are too kind."
When the money was handed over, even the high-born children's faces lit up at the sight of the coins they had earned themselves. Their satisfied smiles were quite endearing.
"Lady Rozemyne, it's accumulated."
"Now we can finally be taught Magic Power compression."
"Yes. Next, we'll meet again at the compression lecture."
Once the payments were complete, the very next day was set for teaching the compression method. There were hardly any days left before the feast celebrating spring, so it was going to be hectic.
"Lady Rozemyne, will you be teaching us the fourth step?"
Angelica, who already knew the compression method, was interested only in the fourth step. She had managed to finish the lecture solely for that purpose, which was perhaps only natural.
"Since Angelica passed, I'll teach her properly. However, I'm only supposed to teach my own attendants, so I'll gather just the attendants on a separate day to teach the fourth step—after everyone else has learned the compression method."
As I walked back to my room, I talked about the day's payments and praised my attendants: "Everyone worked very hard." Among all the smiling faces, Philine looked the happiest of all.
She had gathered information under Hartmut's guidance and worked diligently on the copying as well, and the compensation she received was commensurate with that effort.
"Philine seems to be in high spirits."
"Now I can be taught the Magic Power compression method just like everyone else."
Philine's cheeks flushed rose-pink as she smiled. Both Philine and her younger brother had been born into a family of lower nobility that was far from wealthy, and it seemed they had often gone without things they wanted.
Since she hadn't expected her parents to contribute money toward her Magic Power compression, being able to earn the needed amount herself had made her truly happy.
"After my mother passed away and a new mother came into our lives, things became very difficult..."
Philine and her brother, as children of the first wife, were often treated harshly. She said the stories she had heard from her own mother were precious memories from her happy childhood, and that was what had sparked her strong interest in bookmaking—preserving those tales in physical form.
"When Lady Rozemyne told me she would turn my mother's stories into books, it truly made me so happy."
However, I had slept for two years, the bookmaking project was put on hold, and she had to live by writing down the stories so she wouldn't forget them.
"The manuscripts I had written were confiscated at one point. But Father returned them. He said that the paper I held was something given to me by Lady Rozemyne."
One couldn't afford to mishandle something gifted by the Lord's daughter, for fear of how it might circle back as misfortune. So he had ordered that no one touch Philine's paper.
"A new brother was born this past summer. He seems to have more Magic Power than me, and they want to make him the heir instead. My younger brother has started being treated poorly, and now that I've gone to the Academy, I'm terribly worried about how he's being treated."
Since Philine had become my Attendant, she could have a room prepared in the castle if she wished. But her brother, who hadn't even completed his Baptism Ceremony, was another matter entirely.
"I'm sure Philine's brother will have the protection of the gods as well."
"You are very kind."
The next day—the day of the Magic Power compression lecture—Philine took the day off. Her parent had sent an ordinance via a messenger bird claiming she was unwell, but it also carried the sound of Philine's voice shouting from a distance, "Give me back my money!"
"I need to go help Philine..."
"Lady Rozemyne, a great number of nobles have already gathered to learn Magic Power compression. There is no time to go to Philine."
Hartmut pressed down on my shoulder as I started to rise.
"Are you saying I should just abandon Philine?"
"I'm not saying you should abandon her. Nor do I believe you could. But today, at the very least, this must be put aside. I know Lady Rozemyne is compassionate, but abandoning your agreement with a large number of high-ranking nobles for the sake of one lower noble cannot be permitted."
The other attendants nodded at Hartmut's words.
"What will the nobles say to Philine later, since she was the cause..."
"Lady Rozemyne's handling of this situation will affect Philine's reputation as well."
"Besides, she's only lost her money—it's not a matter of life and death. This is not an emergency."
"If all she needs is to learn the compression method, we can teach her when we teach the fourth step to the attendants. Please hold off for now."
Told by everyone not to go, I clenched my fists tight and swallowed the words "but I still want to help Philine."
"I will go teach the nobles Magic Power compression."
Surrounded by my attendants so that I wouldn't run off or lose control, I made my way to the room where the lecture would be held. A large number of nobles were already gathered there. Since I had already taught Magic Power compression to the archduke family's escort knights (excluding Wilfried), those present now were mostly scholars and Attendants.
When considering Magic Power growth, children tended to have better potential for increase. And since the cost was far from cheap, there were parents who declined to take the course themselves while sending only their children, so the attendees skewed young.
The exceptions were mostly Grandfather, who had claimed the front row seat, and the married couple from the Gilberta Company who were attending under the family quota. I was startled to see an elderly gentleman even older than Grandfather. Was he really planning to increase his Magic Power at his age?
...If Magic Power compression puts too much strain on the body, he might just keel over and die, and that scares me.
"Please permit me to pray for a blessing upon this rare encounter, forged through the strict selection of the Life God
"I permit it."
Nobles I had never met before came forward one after another to greet me. When I thought of Philine, an indescribable anxiety welled up inside me, but I couldn't let it show. I accepted each greeting with a fixed, pleasant smile plastered on my face.
The oldest gentleman shuffled forward, needing assistance from a caretaker, and knelt before me.
"Please permit me to pray for a blessing upon this rare encounter, forged through the strict selection of the Life God Ewigeliebe."
"I permit it."
"I am the former Gilberta, Leisegang. Having the chance to meet Lady Rozemyne in person, this old man has no regrets even if he dies tomorrow."
...The greeting that suddenly turned tearful and heavy was almost suffocating! His very life was on the line.
According to information Rihyarda had whispered to me, this teary-eyed, trembling old man was Great-Grandfather to Father Karstedt—and at his advanced age, he truly could pass away at any moment. He had long since retired from social life and was known to rarely leave the family estate.
"He apparently insisted on coming to the Leisegang estate and demanded to see his great-granddaughter, Lady Rozemyne, no matter what."
...So he's my great-grandfather!?
I had never encountered such a person even during my time as Motosu. It felt like a miracle that I could meet him while he was still alive.
"It makes me very happy to meet you as well, Great-Grandfather. ...Wha—!?"
The moment I offered the blessing of light as part of my greeting, the old man closed his eyes and collapsed on the spot, falling with a thud.
The room went silent for a split second before erupting into commotion. They hurriedly carried my great-grandfather out.
"Could it be because I gave him the blessing's magic power?"
"It's all right, My Lady. This happens quite often."
It was my first time experiencing someone collapsing right in front of me, and I sincerely apologized to everyone around me—for all the trauma I had been inadvertently inflicting on them all this time.
Once again, I couldn't make it to the preview announcement.
Hartmut and Grandfather were just way too lively...
Rozemyne, who traumatized her own great-grandfather. Currently reflecting on her past behavior.
Next time, she'll finally teach Magic Power compression and go find Philine.