"At the report meeting, it really was just results being reported, but how was it in actuality? I'd like to be told if there are any people or behaviors I need to be wary of in the Noble Academy."
I was already said to be worrying when it came to social skills, so it would be best to be as prepared as possible. At my words, the High Priest gave a slight shrug.
"In your case, being wary of everyone who approaches you is the most correct advice."
"...That may be so, but who in particular would I need to be especially careful of?"
"Since Ehrenfest moved up to tenth place, you've earned the envy of territories ranked slightly below. Since the rankings swapped from last year, they may maintain a deferential attitude on the surface, but the actual headwind will be harsh. If you cower before that, it emboldens them, but if you act too arrogant, the next time the rankings swap, the backlash will be even worse."
According to my adoptive father, there had been a previous political upheaval that shifted the rankings, and in the year that a territory had suddenly risen up, the territories around them that ended up ranked below Ehrenfest of all places had been incredibly jealous.
Up until then, Ehrenfest had been at the bottom, and even though they had stayed neutral during the political upheaval, their ranking alone had risen, so I thought it was only natural they would be envied.
"Even so, I hadn't expected the marriage proposals to come pouring in like that one after another. It was quite a surprise."
"It probably wasn't that bad during the Archduke Conference tournament, was it?"
I had heard that the Archduke Conference tournament was a preliminary battle before the Lord's Conference. There had been several proposals from lower-ranked territories there, but I had heard none had come from higher-ranked ones.
"I imagine that your achieving the top results and Ehrenfest's ranking jumping up so dramatically were the biggest factors. It truly was a good thing we obtained the King's approval in advance. There were some remarks made about the magical tools in the Library..."
"Did the royal family say something about Schwartz and the others?"
This might be the most important report for me. I leaned forward as I listened, and my adoptive father shook his head.
"It was the civil officials of the central upper nobility who came asking. They inquired whether the outfits for the Library's magical tools could be newly tailored, and quite kindly offered all sorts of advice."
He paused there, and when I looked at the High Priest, he grinned.
"Apparently, the outfits for the Library's magical tools are normally created by the Librarian, who is a central upper noble, with several people assisting. They expressed great concern over whether a backwater territory like Ehrenfest could produce a worthy replacement. They worried that we wouldn't even be able to gather the materials and would end up dressing them in shabby outfits."
"Oh my..."
The High Priest's expression grew ever more amused.
"Well then, I look forward to next year's evaluation.
...Wow, the High Priest has gotten serious about this.
"
"The ones you need to be cautious of are
"...Eh? Not Dunkelfelger. Lady Restaut disliked me, calling me a fake Saint and saying I was despicable."
When I brought up the interactions surrounding the Retrieve-the-Treasure Ditter, the High Priest narrowed his eyes slightly.
"The proposals are undoubtedly because of that Retrieve-the-Treasure Ditter. The Dunkelfelger Knight Commander and his nephew must have strongly pushed for you. Dunkelfelger knights greatly elevate those who are skilled at using them."
"You must have some personal experience with this? Did
When I looked up at the High Priest, he nodded lightly.
"A Knight Commander pushes up someone skilled at Ditter, and the Archduke forces a marriage on a child of the right age. If you're asking about someone I remember, it would be a princess who, despite being the most excellent candidate, nearly had a marriage pushed on her by a territory near the bottom of the rankings. She fled Dunkelfelger, became romantically involved with a royal, and married into the royal family as a third wife in the midst of the political upheaval."
"...Th-that is a very proactive princess. I basically assumed one married whomever one's parents decided."
"'Seize what you want with your own strength' seems to be the color of that territory. Since she arranged a marriage with royalty on her own, her parents apparently couldn't complain."
...Wow, Dunkelfelger's princesses are something else. Lady Hannalore didn't seem like that, but maybe she's actually incredible?
When my adoptive father heard the High Priest's story, he stroked his chin and said "Hmm."
"Was Dunkelfelger's Archduke candidate named Restaut? If he genuinely objects, there may not be a problem. If it's only those around him who are enthusiastic, then the troublesome one might be Drewanchel."
"Why is that?"
"Because they would have a male Archduke candidate in the same year, wouldn't they? And didn't you yourself just say that Rozemyne would be under her sister's care for certain during the second year?"
At my father's words, I clapped my hands together. Next year I would indeed be under
"The Archduke of Drewanchel said he doted on Rozemyne like a little sister. And they have a strong interest in magical tools. There's no way they wouldn't take notice of someone Ferdinand has taught all sorts of things."
I protested that we weren't actually that close, but if an upper territory said so, then during the second year, that was apparently how it would be.
To my adoptive father's concerns, the High Priest gave a light shake of his head.
"Drewanchel knows when to cut their losses. They won't meddle with a marriage that has the King's approval, nor will they scheme to dissolve it. They'll just pester you with questions about magical tools. It will likely amount to Rozemyne and
The High Priest said that Drewanchel's civil officials were fervently curious about research, so conversations with them would be enjoyable. Unfortunately, I had no interest in research unrelated to books or libraries. Even if they asked me all sorts of questions about magical tools, I would basically have no idea what they were talking about.
"In any case, at the Lord's Conference, the Rinshan was of course a hit, but the dishes served at the banquets also attracted considerable interest from many territories. The large territories kept inviting us to banquets one after another, and we had to extend invitations in return, making things extremely difficult. The next session at the Noble Academy will be just as difficult, I imagine."
"It would be exactly the same situation that Wilfried experienced at the Noble Academy."
Ehrenfest, which had previously had almost no dealings with the great territories, suddenly finding itself in a position of exchange—and no one having any know-how for it—was an experience we had already gone through at the Noble Academy.
"We called even
"The recipe collection has already begun circulating in Ehrenfest, so it wouldn't be strange for it to spread through the hands of merchants who came in summer. I plan to quietly expand its reach at the next session of the Noble Academy as well. Is it still too early for printed copies?"
As for myself, I wanted to start spreading things like cooking recipes and sheet music—things that had little to do with academic grades. At my words, my adoptive father said it was fine.
"If you're going to lead the expansion with consideration for the scale of the printing industry, isn't that a good thing? You understand better than anyone the burden on commoners and the scale at which distribution can work, don't you?"
I thought about this seriously. I wanted to cultivate civil officials while coordinating with the commoner district to move forward on this. I needed a little time to think.
"You're right. We'll need to increase the number of printing workshops by next summer or it won't be feasible."
"Make sure you don't act too hastily."
"Perhaps changing too quickly would cause a strong backlash, but if we don't change now, Ehrenfest will never break free from being a lower-ranked territory. I think this is a good opportunity to learn how great territories like Klassenberg, Dunkelfelger, and Drewanchel work with commoners and manage their territories. We can't keep the same mindset forever."
As this trend had shown, if you didn't use commoners effectively, you couldn't spread trends or specialty products. I suspected that Ehrenfest was terribly inept when it came to utilizing commoners.
"If only at least the faction conflicts would improve... Once
The factions that had been starting to come together thanks to my mother's efforts had been shattered once by
"Why does the old Veronica faction keep getting manipulated by Ahrensbach like this?"
"Because the entrenched old Veronica faction was originally from Ahrensbach."
"Eh?"
At these unexpected words, I looked up, and the High Priest pressed his temple while muttering, "Why don't you understand something so simple?"
"It was a marriage into the family from Ahrensbach's princess. She wouldn't come alone, obviously. Her attendants and guard knights would naturally accompany her."
Because spies were a concern, it was said that civil officials were rarely permitted to accompany the bridal procession. However, the most familiar personal attendants and same-gender guard knights who protected them from danger would come along. These close attendants' marriages would, of course, be to someone from Ehrenfest.
The princess's close attendants and their relatives naturally became the backing for the princess and her daughter Veronica. Of course, when Veronica became the Archduke's wife, she had drawn even more into the faction, but the core apparently remained the relatives of the attendants who had come from Ahrensbach.
"I see. So the old Veronica faction's movements are dictated by Ahrensbach."
"In the old Veronica faction, there are many who supported my elder sister rather than me as the next Archduke. Right now, I'm the only Archduke who carries Ahrensbach's blood, so they follow me, but there are quite a few who would be delighted if my elder sister became the First Wife and gained influence in Ehrenfest."
...The old Veronica faction and Lady Georgine had all sorts of troublesome connections.
"Among them, the nobles who were most devoted to my elder sister are concentrated in the south. Viscount
My adoptive father pressed his hand against his stomach and sighed.
"You couldn't refuse, could you?"
"If I could have, I would have. I made every effort possible."
Ahrensbach had apparently appealed to familial bonds at the Lord's Conference, requesting trade. In the polite, roundabout way of nobles, they had suggested something to the effect of whether Ahrensbach, a large territory and relative, shouldn't be prioritized.
My adoptive father said he had dismissed Ahrensbach's proposal by explaining that this year's trading partners were already decided, and if things continued as they were, next year they would be increasing trade with Dunkelfelger and Drewanchel.
"Even if they appeal to family ties, of course you would prioritize Klassenberg, ranked first, over Ahrensbach, ranked sixth, wouldn't you? Come to think of it, what rank was Ahrensbach?"
"The upper rankings haven't changed in particular. They remain as they were."
When my adoptive father subtly mentioned that a territory where nobles attacked the Archduke's family could not be viewed favorably, no matter how close the kinship, the Archduke of Ahrensbach apparently proposed marriages for Lamprecht and the others.
"'In a time when all of
"The Archduke of Ahrensbach truly grieves the rift that has formed between our territories. Living next door in such hostility, unable even to visit my own homeland—it is unbearably lonely. You understand, don't you, Sylvester?"
So saying, Georgine apparently backed the Archduke of Ahrensbach's proposal as well.
Unable to honestly say that I would least like Georgine to be brought into Ehrenfest, I was apparently told in a roundabout manner, "You're not so foolish that you can't even see that we, the upper territory, are making concessions, are you?"
At the same time, my father was apparently asked sharply by the Archduke of Ahrensbach, "Your niece still harbors her feelings and laments, but your son has surely not already had a change of heart and found a new match, has he?" It was a power play, essentially demanding that even if he had someone else, he prioritize Ahrensbach, and my father could only respond, "My son is not the sort of shallow-minded person to think such things."
"As a guard knight who accompanied the delegation, being stared down and questioned directly by another territory's Archduke—this is something I've never experienced before. My head aches."
...What incredible pressure.
Incidentally, regarding the engagement between Wilfried and me, it seemed Florentzia had been confronted about it at a ladies' tea party.
"I heard you've engaged Wilfried and Rozemyne... Rozemyne was raised in the
While expressing that she had wanted Wilfried as Dietlinde's groom, Georgine had supposedly said with a bewitching smile on her lips, "Wilfried is an excellent Archduke candidate who also carries Ahrensbach's blood, but he would find it difficult to become the next Archduke in Ehrenfest, wouldn't he?"
This meant she knew that Wilfried had entered the White Tower and been punished as an Archduke candidate in Ehrenfest.
"Just hearing about it makes me furious. That among Ehrenfest's Archduke candidates, Wilfried was the best match in age for Dietlinde, or that if Rozemyne was to be kept within Ehrenfest, she could have been married off to a high-ranking noble instead—saying such roundabout things to Florentzia!"
My adoptive mother, who had smilingly deflected all of Georgine's words with "It was decided by the Archduke of Ehrenfest and the King," truly deserved praise.
"Lord Ludiga of Frewabelterk is also an Archduke candidate carrying Ahrensbach's blood, isn't he? Wouldn't Lord Ludiga be a better age match for Lady Dietlinde?"
When I tilted my head, my adoptive father gave a slight shrug.
"If Frewabelterk weren't ranked fifteenth, it might be worth considering, but at their current ranking, they wouldn't marry into Ahrensbach."
"Ehrenfest isn't exactly ranked high either, though..."
Our current ranking was tenth. Honestly, we were still in the middle, and couldn't exactly be called highly ranked. Of course, I intended to keep climbing.
"By the time Wilfried and you graduate, it will have risen further—anyone with a discerning eye should be able to see that."
"Anyone with a discerning eye... or perhaps it's because Sylvester goaded them into seeing for themselves whether it was just a passing fad?" said my father with a shrug, since he had been acting as a guard knight.
Those from territories whose rankings rarely changed had said things like "passing fad" and "just Ehrenfest in the end," and my competitive adoptive father had risen to the challenge.
"...You lecture me constantly about not making a fuss or causing problems, and yet you went and picked a fight yourself?"
"I didn't pick a fight. Rather, I bought one. A lord needs to show they won't be looked down upon by lower-ranked territories."
My adoptive father snorted, and the High Priest warned me, "He's not wrong, but you must absolutely never copy someone who can't read the situation."
"I'm basically gentle by nature. I don't pick fights or buy them. Not unless books or family are involved."
"When books or family are involved, you charge ahead without thinking of the consequences whatsoever—and in your case, that's the scariest thing about you."
...I'm sorry about that. But I don't think I can change.
At the High Priest's observation, I averted my gaze and took a step back.
"In any case, Ahrensbach requires the most caution. The elder sister's attitude changes depending on whether the Archduke of Ahrensbach is present or not, and Dietlinde's reported words and actions to Wilfried and
The High Priest nodded at my adoptive father's words.
"I suspect that because they've given two brides, they'll try to impose unreasonable demands at next year's Lord's Conference. Or perhaps the brides have been assigned roles, and the act of sending them is the objective itself... At this point, it's impossible to tell."
Either way, this was a marriage arrangement that left one in anything but a cheerful mood.
"Lord Lamprecht finally gets to marry someone he likes, but with things like this, there's no way to feel happy about it."
"He himself must understand his position. He had a troubled look on his face."
My father also wore a bitter smile. She was the niece of the Archduke of Ahrensbach. Being a second wife, she couldn't simply be tucked away in a separate wing. She would become the First Wife of Wilfried's head guard knight and take charge of the household. It was a position from which information could be easily obtained.
"Rozemyne, you, as the High Priest, will be conducting the star-binding ceremony for Lamprecht and the others. Personally, I'd rather not put you in front of Ahrensbach, but as an Archduke candidate, you are the highest-ranking High Priest. The implicit understanding is that the highest-ranking High Priest conducts the ceremony when both territories' Archdukes are gathered."
And to make sure I didn't make a mistake on my own, the High Priest would be assigned as my assistant and supervisor.
"Practice giving blessings equally. If you give blessings based on your emotions, they'll be skewed, won't they?"
"...Ugh, I'll do my best."
If I gave blessings based on my feelings, it would indeed be terrible. I would need to consciously control them.
"I'll leave the ceremony details to you two. I have many things to consider—how to defend the castle, whether there might be attacks during transit or lodging, and so on."
"An attack? During a bridal procession?"
On such a joyous occasion, these were terrifyingly alarming words, and my eyes went wide.
"Both Archdukes will be gathered together. The castle will be short-staffed, and important figures will all be moving at once. Caution is absolutely necessary. ...Rozemyne, you should also make yourself some armor from Magic Power."
My father said this suddenly. We needed to fortify our defenses against a sudden attack. He told me to make armor from magic stones and wear it beneath my High Priest's ceremonial robes like a bulletproof vest.
When I looked up at the High Priest to ask if such defenses were truly necessary, he slowly nodded in confirmation.
"Probably so. If you're bringing your attendants, they'll need armor they can carry. Leave everyone else to guard the base."
"I'm heading to the ceremony as the High Priest, so do I really need to bring attendants?"
"You need to bring people from both sides so you can act in both your roles—as Archduke candidate and as High Priest. ...I'm in the same position."
It seemed I would be bringing attendants from both the Temple and the castle. If I brought
"I'll need magic stones again, then."
"I'll give you whatever you need, so focus on securing your own protection. The border is dangerous. It would be troublesome if we ended up looking like we were on the offensive. The key is to remain strictly on defense."
"That's right. We don't want you suddenly launching a Magic Power attack like during that last assault. Even a lord's border magic has its limits. Be careful."
My adoptive father grumbled about how difficult it had been to reinforce the border barrier after I had lost control of my Magic Power during the Prayer Ceremony where I had been disguised as a Blue Priest and an attack had occurred.
"It makes me very uneasy to teach you offensive magic, but it might be wise to teach you magic for protecting yourself and those around you."
"If you have the means to defend, you're less likely to turn to offense," the High Priest murmured, and I ended up being taught various types of defensive magic.
And so concluded the Lord's Conference debriefing and the strategy meeting regarding Ahrensbach.
The High Priest has begun demanding perfection for Schwartz and the others' outfits.
And everyone is on high alert for the wedding at the end of summer.
Next is the meeting with the commoner district.