The following morning, the carriage carrying the gray priests serving as
"
"I'll be sure to pass along Lady
After handing the soldiers their usual travel expenses and seeing the carriage off, I immediately had to depart for the next winter lodge as well.
"
"Yes, Lady Rozemyne."
Once my luggage wagon set off, I looked over the priests and shrine maidens from the small temple who had come to see me off.
"During the two years I was asleep, you worked together with the residents of
When I turned my gaze toward the fields and said this, Thull grinned proudly and promised to "set aside the most delicious-looking ones" for me. I was already looking forward to the harvest.
As everyone knelt to see me off, I climbed into Lesserbus and headed for my next destination.
After that, I received enthusiastic welcomes at each winter lodge along the way, but otherwise completed the Dedication Ritual without incident. Since the Chief Priest and I had previously visited every single territory in person, having it reduced to a quarter of the area was wonderfully easy.
With only the return to the Temple left, I stretched luxuriously. This time, I'd only used two of the medicines laced with the Chief Priest's kindness, so I didn't feel as though I'd been pushed too hard at all.
"With a smaller area, it's so much easier. I should thank
"Lady Rozemyne, you're forgetting your gratitude to the Chief Priest."
"I need to give the Chief Priest my most enormous thanks separately for making all those medicines, so that gets its own category."
"I see."
Hugo and Gil, who were traveling by carriage, would spend the entire day returning to Hasse, stay overnight at the small temple, then head back to the Temple. They wouldn't arrive until around midday tomorrow.
Those of us traveling by fey beast would head straight back to the Temple, bringing the Holy Cup ahead of everyone else.
"Ordinance."
Using the ordinance I'd borrowed from the Chief Priest, I sent word of our arrival.
"This is Rozemyne. I should be back at the Temple by the fourth bell. Could you please relay a message to Charlotte?"
Since there was only one Holy Cup — the divine instrument — the Dedication Ritual across the direct territories required the four of us to take turns. I'd gone first because I needed rest days, and Charlotte, Wilfried, and the Chief Priest would follow.
Arriving at the Temple on schedule, I found a row of carriages in front of the main entrance, and Charlotte was waiting there in her blue ritual robes. The Chief Priest stood beside her.
"I've returned."
"Welcome back, Sister. How are you feeling?"
"Thanks to Charlotte and Brother Wilfried's help, I was able to complete the Dedication Ritual without my health deteriorating at all. It must have been tough for you, Charlotte, but please take care of the rest."
I handed the Holy Cup — the divine instrument — to the Chief Priest's attendant, who would accompany him to the Dedication Ritual with Charlotte. After confirming that he'd boarded the carriage with the precious artifact, Charlotte departed as well. Today she would perform the ritual at the nearest southern winter lodge and stay overnight.
"We can't afford to be too late, so I'll be heading out now."
"Yes, do take care. Everyone, please look after Charlotte."
After watching the carriage leave, I turned to head to my room — only for the Chief Priest to grab my arm and jerk my face upward.
"Wha—!? What was that for?"
"...You've just returned from the Dedication Ritual, but your complexion looks better than I expected."
"The area was much smaller this time, so I finished without needing to take much medicine. It's so much better when everyone takes turns — the burden is spread out."
"Ah, yes. But this afternoon, you'll rest in bed."
True to the Chief Priest's orders, I spent the afternoon lounging in bed and reading books.
From the next day onward, things returned to normal. Mornings were spent on my Flute and Offering Dance practice and assisting the Chief Priest, while afternoons with nothing scheduled — such as visits to the orphanage or the workshop — were filled with the Chief Priest's special compounding lessons.
First up was the basic medicine that the knights frequently used. The goal, in his benevolent guardian wisdom, was for me to eventually be able to make my own medicine.
...Ahh, my precious free time. Unngh, I want to read...
While occasionally voicing such complaints as I practiced compounding, I eventually managed to make the most basic recovery potion. This was apparently the same potion taught at the
But it didn't work on me. Having gotten used to the Chief Priest's custom medicines, this potion had no effect. More precisely, the effect was weak, and it took far too long to kick in, making it feel completely useless.
"Don't compare yourself to your classmates when you have an absurd amount of Magic Power. This level is more than sufficient for an apprentice. If you sell to the apprentices that Sir
The Chief Priest smirked at the end, noting that apprentices wouldn't have the time or resources to gather ingredients and compound themselves. It sounded like an effective way to earn money at the Royal Academy.
"Wouldn't the medicines you make sell for more than a simple recovery potion like this?"
"No — they'd be too expensive to sell. The ingredient quality, rarity, and difficulty of production are all completely different. It's not a price an apprentice could easily afford."
"...What? I use them on a regular basis, and I don't think I've ever paid for them."
"You've worked enough to cover the cost, so there's no issue. You also provide Magic Power, after all."
Apparently, I was supposed to receive payment for assisting the Chief Priest as well. In fact, the blue priests who had taken on assisting roles were being paid.
But I wasn't. I truly felt like I was just helping out, so it had never even occurred to me that I wasn't being compensated.
...So all of that was being calculated as medicine costs!
All I could do was bow my head in resignation at the Chief Priest's severity — giving me medicine while making sure he got every bit of his money's worth.
Charlotte returned from her Dedication Ritual, and Wilfried departed. Once Wilfried returned, it would be the Chief Priest's turn.
I confirmed the handover of the Holy Cup, saw Wilfried off, and thanked Charlotte for her hard work. After watching Charlotte return to the castle, I headed back to my room.
"Oh, by the way — the Chief Priest also uses fey beasts and travels separately from the carriage, doesn't he? But then why is your schedule almost the same as Brother Wilfried's and Charlotte's? You're not saving any time at all."
"Traveling by fey beast isn't about shortening the schedule the way it is for you."
Rather than visiting multiple winter lodges in a single day to save time, the Chief Priest apparently planned to finish the morning ritual and then gather ingredients in the surrounding area. This year, because I was awake and Wilfried and Charlotte were helping with the Dedication Rituals, he had leeway in more ways than one.
"It's a rare opportunity for an outing. I should make the most of it."
"Chief Priest, I'd really prefer you didn't say that in front of
"...Gathering ingredients."
Angelica was watching the Chief Priest and Brother
"Before I return from my Dedication Ritual, you'll be heading to
"Yes."
Mother's letter detailed the personnel to be sent to Haldenzel along with various precautions. I, the Gutensbergs, and — to demonstrate the printing business — Wilfried and Charlotte were essential, as was Mother herself, who bore responsibility as the person in charge.
Moreover, since so many of the Lord's children were going, Father, as commander of the Knights' Order, would be bringing along roughly ten knights as escort.
"So the Chief Priest isn't coming with us? I assumed you would, since you're my guardian."
"With both
"Ah, you're right. ...It says here that because we'll be a large group, each person may bring one Attendant, one scribe, and one personal guard knight, and they should be of the same sex so they can share quarters. But I don't have any unmarried adult women serving as either Attendant or scribe. What should I do?"
Long-term travel was difficult for minors and married ladies. I hesitated to drag Richarta along on a trip to such a cold, distant location. The Chief Priest had arranged the escorts for the Royal Academy trip, but it felt wrong to keep relying on Richarta alone given her age.
"You can't appoint a new Attendant just for Haldenzel. There isn't enough time. Consult with Elvira first."
After confirming with Mother that apprentices would be acceptable, I decided to bring
Several days passed after the Chief Priest set off for his Dedication Ritual. Today was the day I would head to Haldenzel.
"Lady Rozemyne, here is the Small Holy Cup to be delivered to Haldenzel. I've compiled the words to be spoken when presenting it, so please use this as reference."
"Thank you, Fran. This is a great help."
Fran loaded the cloth-lined box containing the Small Holy Cup into Lesserbus. Since I would also be performing a Dedication Ritual to present the Small Holy Cup to Haldenzel, I would be wearing the High Priest's ritual robes for the trip.
If it were just the ritual, I would have liked to bring Fran or Monica, but bringing them along with a group consisting entirely of nobles would have been far too troublesome, so I gave up on the idea.
"Good morning, Lady Rozemyne."
I had asked to arrive at the castle by the third bell, so
"Shall we load the luggage?"
"Oh my,
"Yes. I need to bring the carriage back afterward."
Though not traveling to Haldenzel himself, Lutz had been pulled in to help with preparations. I chuckled softly at his words and opened the rear door of Lesserbus.
"Wha—!? What is this thing?!"
Johann's eyes went wide in shock as the opening yawned larger than he'd expected. The others had ridden Lesserbus before and were used to it, loading luggage with practiced calm.
"This is Lady Rozemyne's fey beast. We'll be traveling by this, so please load the luggage."
Plant Paper to sell at Haldenzel, colored inks, tools needed for the paperwork involved in changing Contract Magic — all of these were loaded into Lesserbus. Zack also piled in his own work tools and changes of clothes.
Johann eyed Lesserbus with undisguised apprehension, but Zack barked, "Hurry up — we're going to be late!" and pushed him to get his own luggage loaded.
"Hey, Johann. It rides way smoother than a carriage, so just get in. You're in the way."
Zack roughly shoved the still-hesitant Johann onto Lesserbus for his first ride, and we departed. Johann wailed and screamed as we took to the air, but everyone watching below — having gone through the same thing themselves — looked on with wry amusement, which I found a little entertaining.
We traveled to the castle first before joining the Haldenzel expedition.
Even before the third bell had rung, everyone was already assembled and ready outside the castle. I could see a group of over twenty preparing to head out. Once we joined them, Damuel peeled away from his escort duty, and Lieseleta rushed over carrying Angelica's luggage.
"Then, let us be off."
At the signal from Mother — the overall commander of this expedition — the fey beasts were released, and the group soared into the air. Charlotte could be seen riding on her Attendant's fey beast. Wilfried was mounted on his own.
Surrounded by knights on all sides, we flew toward Haldenzel. Unlike the road to the castle, the inside of Lesserbus was suddenly quiet.
"This must be around the area of Haldenzel?"
"The northernmost territory of Ehrenfest."
Benno answered from the back.
The journey that had taken the Gutensbergs several days by carriage last year — selling books along the way — was cut to less than half a day by fey beast.
Beyond a dense conifer forest lay Haldenzel. The southern side had more forest, but the northern side was still blanketed in snow, with more low-growing vegetation.
In the midst of that wide, open land stood a large castle of white stone. It served as Giebe Haldenzel's summer lodge and, in winter, as the place where the people of Haldenzel spent the cold months.
"Welcome to Haldenzel."
Giebe Haldenzel and the residents came out to greet us. After Mother, as our representative, exchanged lengthy pleasantries, I stepped forward with the Small Holy Cup.
"The Water Goddess
"Indeed — the Earth Goddess Geduldh is filled with the Magic Power of the Water Goddess Flutrane. We offer our prayers for the melting of snow and our blessings for the coming of spring."
Once the presentation of the Small Holy Cup was complete, my duties as High Priest were finished. It was my first time handing the Small Holy Cup directly to a noble, so I'd been a bit nervous, but it seemed to have gone smoothly.
The Small Holy Cup was taken by Giebe Haldenzel's Attendant and carried away. Presumably, there was a proper place to store it.
We were led to the spacious dining hall and served warm tea. It was a tea I'd never had before — slightly sweet — and both body and mind warmed to it.
Over tea, the schedule for our visit was discussed. We weren't planning to stay long, so afterward we would immediately take the group to the printing room and forge, where the craftsmen would get to work. After that, the scribes handling the printing guild's affairs would meet with us, and the Plantan Company would renew its contracts.
This trip was not only for Wilfried, Charlotte, and their Attendants to see what printing actually involved, but also to give Mother a firsthand look.
The castle of Haldenzel had its living quarters underground, with the upper levels serving as workplaces and the residences of the Giebe and others. It was like a small town.
"
"Yes. However, the printing business only started a few years ago, and I was in service to Lady Charlotte, so I don't know all the details."
Ernesta, Charlotte's guard knight, was a mid-ranking noble from Haldenzel. I listened to her explanations as we walked along the corridor. From somewhere in the dim passageway ahead came deep, booming sounds — *boom! bang!* "They're quite loud. What is that noise?"
Wilfried tilted his head at the nearly rhythmic sounds that grew louder with each step. I could see the surrounding knights growing wary at the reverberating thuds echoing through the corridor.
"That's the sound of the printing press. Only one is running right now, but when all three operate simultaneously, it's even more tremendous."
Giebe Haldenzel chuckled as she explained.
When the printing room door was opened, the sound of printing grew even louder. Brawny, broad-shouldered men gripped long poles and heaved with all their strength — *DONK!* These men, who apparently spent their summers hunting, were now working in clothes stained with black ink. Those raised in the Noble District looked on with wide, astonished eyes.
Among them, a scribe involved in the printing business began explaining the printing press.
Currently, Haldenzel's printing room had three presses — one that
"This is the type case containing the metal type. Typesetting and proofreading are, for now, the work of the scribes. I was quite surprised to hear that at Lady Rozemyne's workshop, the gray priests handle this."
"The people in my orphanage are quite capable."
The craftsmen extracted printed sheets, applied ink, and set the next sheet in place. Though they'd only been working for about two years, their movements were practiced and efficient.
"In Haldenzel, printing is winter work. In summer, the south focuses on farming and the north on hunting, so everyone is occupied and printing stops. It's a job for the long winter months."
As the scribe explained the printing process, everyone listened intently, and the scribes took notes. I already knew all of this, so I found myself more interested in Haldenzel's way of life than in the printing procedure.
"Do you hunt here in Haldenzel?"
At my question, Giebe Haldenzel nodded slowly, wearing the expression of a man proud of his work.
"Our important duty is to hunt as many feybeasts as possible."
"By hunting the magical creatures in the cold northern regions, we weaken the power of the Lord of Winter."
Father, as commander of the Knights' Order, added this explanation. The feybeasts of the north fought each other for power, and eventually the strongest became the Lord of Winter. Haldenzel hunted them to suppress this, and since ancient times had been the territory with the most knights. Even the commoners there had to be strong enough to defeat feybeasts, so the region was full of powerful individuals.
"Our hunting of feybeasts isn't solely for the reason Lord Karstedt mentioned. It's also to protect our food supply."
They had to prevent precious budding crops from being destroyed.
The southern residents of Haldenzel lived similarly to the farmers around Ehrenfest, but the northern residents were divided into multiple hunting tribes, spending summer roaming across Haldenzel and winter living in the castle.
"Several tribes have already finished preparing for departure. Once tonight's Dedication Ritual is complete, they'll head out to hunt."
"This is my first time participating in a Dedication Ritual in a territory governed by a noble. I'm looking forward to it."
After the printing room tour, the next stop was the forge. There, craftsmen waited with tense expressions for Johann's arrival.
They faced each other with stiff expressions. I could practically hear Johann gulp.
"Now then, let's have the Ehrenfest craftsmen take a look at our winter work."
At Giebe Haldenzel's words, a Haldenzel blacksmith stepped forward carrying a wooden box. Johann accepted the box filled with metal type and, at the table he'd been directed to, began sorting them on the metal surface.
The space fell silent, charged with taut tension. Several blacksmiths watched Johann's hands with expressions so severe they were almost frightening.
Whether or not he noticed the atmosphere around him, Johann examined each piece of metal type with a gaze of pure concentration. The Johann who had been cowed by Lesserbus, surrounded by nobles, and reduced to silent, nervous glancing was nowhere to be seen.
As a scribe explained to Wilfried and Charlotte how the metal type was made and what parts were produced for the printing press, Johann sorted through the pieces in silence. *Click, clink* — the metal type was sorted into piles.
"This batch passes. This batch doesn't. They don't match the design specifications. Rejected."
Having thrown himself entirely into the work, Johann wiped his brow with his sleeve once he finished sorting.
Where Johann exhaled a satisfied breath of a job well done, the craftsmen who'd received a failing grade stared in outrage.
"We made them to match the specifications! What do you mean, rejected! Don't mess with us!"
"What's wrong with them!?"
"What do you mean, 'what'... They don't match the specifications. They're unusable as-is."
"What did you say!?"
The young craftsmen pushed back resentfully, and the others glared at Johann with open hostility.
The atmosphere turned dangerous in an instant, and the nobles turned in alarm.