The Headache-Inducing Reports — Year Two, Part One

I am Sylvester. I had just seen Charlotte off as she entered the Royal Academy for her first year. Busy with social events in the winter, I entered my office—devoid of my attendants and officials—and rolled my shoulders. The winter social season, where one is constantly required to look the part of a Lord, is honestly exhausting.

"Karstedt, do you think this year will pass peacefully?"

I asked Karstedt, who served as my guard knight. He furrowed his brow with a "Hmm..."

"I'd like to think it'll be more peaceful than last year, but I'm sure some kind of trouble will arise."

"Don't say that like it's someone else's problem. The one causing all the trouble is usually your daughter."

"She's my daughter, but she's your adopted daughter."

We spent a moment shoving responsibility at each other, then fell silent. I lightly nodded and turned my gaze to Ferdinand, who was looking through documents as though the matter had nothing to do with him.

"I suppose the fault lies with how her guardian raised her. Wouldn't you agree, Ferdinand?"

"Those issues are inherent to her nature. Trouble will come, but the reports we receive should be slightly more readable than last year's."

This year, we had arranged for Wilfried, Charlotte, and Rozemyne each to have their own officials write reports. After all, there were things one could only learn by gathering perspectives from multiple people.

Sure enough, the first reports arrived the next day.

"On her first day in the dormitory, Lady Rozemyne was moved by the new bookshelves and showed her greatest gratitude and affection to Lord Wilfried, who told her she could handle them as she pleased."

This was from Ignatz, Wilfried's apprentice official. Meanwhile, Marianne, Charlotte's apprentice official, wrote: "At the freshman welcome gathering, it seems Lady Rozemyne considered instructions regarding the use of the bookshelves to be part of her introduction. Lady Charlotte was confused but corrected the situation."

"I already knew this, but Rozemyne's common sense diverges even more from noble norms than I expected."

Elvira is struggling too, Karstedt reported with a wry smile, flicking the report with his fingertip. Ferdinand let out an exaggerated sigh.

"All it took was installing bookshelves in the dormitory to earn her unprecedented gratitude and affection. ...I'm glad the engagement to Wilfried was settled before any major duchy decided to let her have free reign of their library."

"Indeed. Rozemyne is easily baited."

Rozemyne would fly headfirst at anything related to books or libraries. It was almost baffling what kind of thought process would lead someone to prioritize books to that degree. But luring Rozemyne with books appeared simple yet was in fact difficult. Her initial impulse was predictable, but the direction she flew in and where she landed were always completely off-target.

"So, what does Rozemyne's report say?"

I looked through the report from Hartmut, Rozemyne's apprentice official.

"She offered words of consolation to the children of the former Veronica faction. Several children appeared to wish to dedicate their names to Lady Rozemyne, but when Matthias told them to consider carefully given how quickly the political situation could change, none stepped forward to make the dedication then and there. Lady Rozemyne appears to feel reluctance about accepting names."

"...Someone wants to dedicate their name to Rozemyne?"

Ferdinand said this with furrowed brows as he stared at the report. Dedicating one's name was no trivial matter. As far as our plans went, it was supposed to serve as a condition for keeping the former Veronica faction children in check until they came of age.

"Even so, why would Rozemyne hesitate to accept? Isn't it an honor?"

Karstedt's murmur echoed my own thoughts. I couldn't understand why someone would hesitate after being told another person wished to dedicate their name and serve them. But Ferdinand answered nonchalantly: "...Because she lacks the resolve to take on another person's life."

"Once a name is accepted, responsibility for that person's life comes with it. When I was assigned to the Temple, didn't I consult both of you about whether Eckhart and Justus could be placed in positions other than that of my attendants?"

Only one person needed to enter the Temple. Ferdinand had said that he would return their names, and that they should find another lord instead. He asked us to look after them—though when the offer was extended to serve as Wilfried's attendants, they refused without a moment's hesitation.

"That was when I first realized that the person offering their name possessed that level of resolve. Having seen Eckhart and Justus, and knowing that Rozemyne bears the livelihood of the grey priests, she understands that the one accepting must also have resolve. She would hesitate."

After saying this, Ferdinand quietly shifted his gaze between me and Karstedt.

"If Rozemyne accepts the name of a child from the former Veronica faction, then as their guardians, you two will also need the mindset to accept the child dedicating their name. They're all minors, after all. Are you prepared? The moment Rozemyne resolves herself, accepts the name, and recognizes them as one of her own, if that person is ever treated unjustly, she may lose control of her anger."

As attendants of the Archduke's family, Rozemyne was recruiting lower-ranking nobles who lacked sufficient standing and children of the former Veronica faction. Honestly, there was much I couldn't understand about what she was truly seeking. Since her baseline common sense differed so drastically from everyone else's, if someone dedicated their name to Rozemyne, the burden on our end would likely be considerable.

"But having Rozemyne accept and be able to trust more people isn't a bad thing. It's still not enough, is it?"

Ferdinand nodded solemnly at my words. He was worried that among the nobles, no one held greater importance to Rozemyne than her commoner family or the Gilberta Company, with whom she had cooperated since her early days. He was desperately trying to forge chains that would keep Rozemyne bound to Ehrenfest.

Honestly, I believed things would be fine as long as Ferdinand was around. But the Ferdinand who schemed countermeasures for Rozemyne had been showing considerably more human-like emotions and expressions than in the past, so I let him be.

After the advancement ceremony, another round of reports arrived.

The question sheet Ferdinand received from Rozemyne was a mess of panicked handwriting: "A student from Drewanchel who hasn't made any trades has glossy hair! It seems Drewanchel has their sights set on Charlotte! A new Ahrensbach bride other than Aurelia appears to be leaking information to her relatives. What should we do!? Lord Ferdinand, we need countermeasures!" Just looking at it made me want to say "Calm down."

"Rozemyne seems to see it as dangerous, but if Charlotte were approached by Drewanchel, couldn't she accept? A connection to a major duchy would be significant."

Karstedt said this while stroking his chin. It was true that having Charlotte build ties with a major duchy would be welcome, but I still didn't want to think about marrying her off to another duchy.

"Rather than worrying about an approach that hasn't even been made yet, the lingams are more of an issue, wouldn't you say? Ferdinand?"

"Indeed. Rozemyne had warned me beforehand that the lingam's manufacturing method was simple and would be copied quickly, but this is faster than expected. If they continue to steal trends from us one after another going forward, it'll hurt."

Ferdinand said this with a troubled expression, but in truth, there was no way we could supply lingams for the entire duchy anyway.

"We should think of it as Drewanchel doing the advertising for us. We can let them believe that Ehrenfest's trends are so outstanding that major duchies want to adopt them immediately. More importantly, information is apparently flowing from the bride to Ahrensbach—what do we do about that?"

"It would be convenient if Gerlach revealed himself, but that probably won't be so easy."

"Aurelia stays locked at home, but the other one moves about freely as she pleases."

Aurelia, Lamprecht's bride, preferred a life where she could relax without meeting anyone. Apparently, if left alone, she wouldn't take a single step outside. Currently, Elvira dragged her out to social gatherings. Being a high-ranking noble from a major duchy, once she appeared at social events things could be managed—but getting her there was the hard part. Aurelia wanted to avoid as much socializing as possible, which was why Elvira muttered she wasn't suited to be the first wife of an heir.

"Hey, Sylvester. I hear a member of the royal family who hasn't even made their formal debut is going to be stationed at the Royal Academy."

The reports from Ignatz and Marianne were nearly identical. Both stated: "The Third Prince, who completed his Baptism Ceremony only in autumn and has not yet made his debut at the Lord's Conference, has been decided to take up a permanent residence at the Royal Academy." The one with more detailed information was Hartmut's report: "The Third Prince is the son of the Third Wife from Dunkelfelger. He has been raised to serve as a retainer, and since his Baptism Ceremony was only recent, he reportedly has little social experience."

...How on earth did he obtain this kind of information?

Hartmut's report was peculiarly detailed, which made me tilt my head in bewilderment. Justus at Ferdinand's side, and Hartmut at Rozemyne's—it seemed that unusual masters attracted unusual subordinates.

"Even so, is a member of the royal family required to be permanently stationed at the Royal Academy? Was there ever such a rule?"

"I don't know. When I attended, there were members of the royal family there."

"Come to think of it, there was a prince and princess at the Academy during my time too. There was never a gap in attendance, was there?"

Before the purge during the civil war, there were many members of the royal family, so until now there had been no need to know about such a rule.

"The purge happened right around the time the First Prince enrolled, didn't it? Perhaps there was a brief gap and something happened?"

As I groaned, Ferdinand murmured: "Rules about the royal family don't matter right now."

"...What matters is whether this will end up involving Rozemyne."

"Don't be so ominous, Ferdinand! The prince is apparently staying in his room most of the time, so there should be no involvement. I said there won't be!"

I didn't truly believe there would be no involvement. But couldn't I at least dream of peace?

"All of them are progressing well in their coursework. Lady Rozemyne has once again been invited to the music teachers' tea party. Furthermore, a tea party with Lady Hannelore of Dunkelfelger has been arranged. She apparently invited Hannelore to join the Toshoin. What is a Toshoin? (Ignatz)"

"I can understand the tea party, since we need to return books to Dunkelfelger, but Toshoin? What is that? I want to know too! Ferdinand, what does Hartmut's report say?"

"Everyone is doing well in their coursework, and Lady Rozemyne passed her practical music examination as well—that's all. Since Rozemyne describes the lectures to him, it seems Hartmut can't grasp the detailed contents either."

"Hey, here's a report straight from Rozemyne herself."

Karstedt waved a piece of paper in the air. I snatched it and scanned its contents.

"I think Wilfried brother should handle all of Drewanchel's social engagements. Lord Ortwin of Drewanchel, who is competing with Wilfried brother, is passionately trying to uncover Ehrenfest's secret. The 'secret' is just the recipe for my tart, though. (Rozemyne)"

Every ounce of strength drained from my body. I couldn't have cared less.

"Rozemyne, are you even aware of what you're doing!? What exactly do you intend to do, dragging a Dunkelfelger lord candidate into this? Your report is insufficient! Utterly insufficient!"

Ferdinand picked up the report I had tossed aside and let out a weary sigh.

"Toshoin is apparently a group that helps the Librarian with duties in the library. Rozemyne really does have a fondness for this Dunkelfelger lord candidate."

"I can practically see Rozemyne being easily swayed by someone offering her books as bait. Dunkelfelger has many scheming women—is this going to be all right?"

Karstedt's worried words were swiftly dismissed by Ferdinand.

"All right? ...Rozemyne had said from the moment she met the Dunkelfelger lord candidate that she couldn't imagine keeping her distance from a fellow book-lover. She was already enthralled long ago."

Dunkelfelger was a land where many knights thought only of fighting, but the women were often scholars and schemers. Those who plotted apparently preferred strong, easy-to-control men. They had no need for pieces that thought for themselves and moved on their own. A simple person like Rozemyne would be easy for Dunkelfelger women to wrap around their finger, Ferdinand murmured.

"There are quite a lot of reports today."

"Library registration for the first-year students was completed. Teacher Solange said Ehrenfest was the first to apply. I saw Lady Rozemyne's passion for the library. (Marianne)"

"Lady Rozemyne insisted on accompanying us to the first-year library registration. The Schwartzes asked her to pour Magic Power into another Magical Tool as well. Teacher Hirschur wanted a Magical Tool for reminders, and Lady Rozemyne was considering whether she could make one. The books we borrowed from Lord Ferdinand proved very useful. We will be holding a tea party at the library again this year. (Hartmut)"

"Doesn't seem like much happened this time."

Reading the reports, I breathed a sigh of relief. Last year, she had gone to the library for registration and ended up becoming the owner of a royal family relic. Whenever Rozemyne and books were involved, something outrageous tended to happen, but this year it seemed nothing particularly eventful had occurred.

"I failed to have everyone pass the first day of the first-year exams. I'm going to reset my mindset and aim for high scores. I once again realized just how incredible my sister is. My riding beast is the same ride-in type as my sister's. Many around me have Schumils as their model, so I made mine a Schumil type too. Maybe because I saw the Schwartzes in the library first, a golden circle ended up on its forehead, but it was a success. Now I can go on long-distance work assignments, and the Dedication Ritual and Harvest Festival will be much easier. (Charlotte)"

Charlotte, being in a different year, seemed to get caught up less frequently in the commotions Rozemyne caused, and her reports had a warm, gentle tone. You could see the child's growth in them, and they were soothing to read.

...Unlike Wilfried, whose report was less about himself and more a log of Rozemyne's activities.

"In the Stab transformation practical, Rozemyne produced Divine Tools. The shield of Stenzelia and the spear of Leidenschaft. During the verification test, the uncle's talisman reacted and attacked Teacher Rufen. It was properly blocked so nothing came of it, but I believe it was extremely dangerous. Afterwards, she created strange toys with her Stab. Something called a Mizudeppou. (Wilfried)"

"Ferdinand, what do we do!? Rozemyne has done it again!"

"...The fact that Rozemyne's most familiar armaments are Divine Tools is simply the truth. She's never had real training at the knight training grounds—she's only ever walked around there, so the only weapons she's personally handled are knives."

Ferdinand's explanation made me want to clutch my head. Given her upbringing in the Temple, it was internally consistent, but creating Divine Tools during a Stab transformation lecture was unheard of.

"I'm glad we could confirm that the talisman activates without issues, but I'd like a more detailed report on the power and how it was blocked."

"If that's what you want, here's Rozemyne's report."

The report Karstedt handed to Ferdinand contained absolutely no mention of the Divine Tools or anything similar—only the part about the talisman activating was described in detail.

...Was there nothing else worth reporting, Rozemyne!?

"The Divine Tools aren't the issue here, Sylvester. You never know what Rozemyne will pick up from where."

Karstedt pressed his temples in a circular motion and handed over Hartmut's report. I read it with mixed feelings of wanting and not wanting to.

"Lady Rozemyne modified the Mizudeppou on her bed, punctured a hole in the canopy, and was scolded by Rihyarda. Testing the modified Mizudeppou's power at the collection site, the toy launched its magic power as a volley of arrows that split apart and rained down. She apparently modeled it after Lord Ferdinand's bow during the Trombe extermination. It's convenient with one-handed use, but requires a tremendous amount of Magic Power, making it a weapon difficult for others to handle. (Hartmut)"

"The toy became a weapon!? How did that happen!?"

When I shouted, utterly bewildered, Karstedt tilted his head with a confused expression.

"She modeled it after Ferdinand's bow during the Trombe hunt? It sounds simple when you say it, but it's not something that can be done easily. Especially for Rozemyne, who hasn't had any real training..."

"It must be a weapon that relies purely on overwhelming Magic Power. Depending on its destructive force, it could be dangerous. We might want to ban her from showing it to anyone until we can verify what kind of weapon it is here. We don't know what would happen if people around her tried to imitate it."

We each had different impressions, but we all shared one thought: headaches whenever Rozemyne went somewhere out of our sight. We exchanged glances and let out deep sighs. There were so many reports today that just reading them was exhausting. I pressed my fingers into the bridge of my nose.

"Ferdinand, why is Rozemyne so eccentric?"

"I don't know. Don't ask me. It seems the meaning of the word 'peaceful' is fundamentally different between Rozemyne and us. I suppose bridging that gap was necessary."

Ferdinand ran his hand through his hair and exhaled deeply, looking quite fatigued himself. Karstedt was also worn down by the daily deluge of reports.

"To think all of this could happen in less than a week—this is a talent. Not that anyone wants this kind of talent..."

Karstedt's murmur made me realize something terrifying. That's right—despite all these reports, not even a week had passed yet. No wonder there was no report from Hirschur yet.

The reports continued to pour in.

"All the second-year students passed the first-day exams. Teacher Fraularm apparently pulled out old exam questions to try to prevent first-day passes, but since Ehrenfest was already studying the old curriculum, it had absolutely no effect. (Ignatz)"

"Drewanchel invited both Lady Rozemyne and Lady Charlotte to a tea party. We need to strategize about which information to reveal and which to conceal. Lingams are easily copied, and hair ornaments can be reproduced in about a year by an experienced tailor. Plant Paper manufacturing is complex, so while they may not understand it immediately, they'll eventually realize the raw material is plant-based. (Marianne)"

"In the potion-making practical, she let slip that she wanted to make something other than a recovery potion. She had already made a recovery potion before, so apparently she hopes to craft a different Magical Tool going forward. There are four types of recovery potions, it seems. During the practical, Lady Rozemyne served as Teacher Hirschur's assistant. (Hartmut)"

"I spoke with Roderich about dedicating his name. I have decided to accept Roderich's name. Roderich appears to intend to separate from his parents. He says he doesn't want to cause me trouble. He needs a place to live. Please provide me with information to determine whether Roderich should live with his parents or be separated from them. (Rozemyne)"

They were numerous, but they were standard reports and questions.

However, the questions regarding tea parties and social engagements had not only reached me but apparently also Florentia, Ferdinand, and Elvira.

"I received a question like this, but surely this isn't a mistake?"

Elvira came with a tilted head, holding a question sheet from Rozemyne. Florentia happened to be arriving with one from Charlotte at that very moment. Florentia showed Elvira hers and smiled: "I received one as well."

"I have one from Rozemyne too. Just as we had all of the children write reports so we could gather information from multiple sources, the children must have wanted to do the same—gather information from multiple sources."

"Growing up—that's all we can ask for."

I showed Florentia and Elvira the reports from the Royal Academy and worked together on crafting responses to the social questions. The perspectives of men and women differed, and I think the answers ended up being somewhat more useful as a result. The rank increase had brought changes to the social circles we moved in—exhausting for the adults, but it seemed the children were having their own difficulties.

"She has been very well trained by Lord Ferdinand. I would like to have Lady Rozemyne as my assistant. There was nothing else of particular note. (Hirschur)"

"My sister was being extremely reluctant about social engagements with Drewanchel, so I thought I'd lock her in the library and take over all social duties myself—but then she suddenly rallied. I'm not sure why? At the dedication dance, Lady Dietlinde of Ahrensbach proposed a cousin's gathering, but it seemed like she was deliberately avoiding my sister. (Charlotte)"

"Rozemyne was assisting with the potion-making practical to get her hands on Teacher Hirschur's new reference materials. She insists she's not his disciple, but I think it's only a matter of time. (Wilfried)"

"At the music teachers' tea party, I was able to gather a great deal of information. Along with the news that Prince Anastasius and Lady Eglantine are to be wed, it seems the songs Lady Rozemyne composed are beginning to spread in the Central District. Additionally, Lady Adolphine is to become the First Wife of Prince Sigiswald. Also, the Holy Book fundamentalists in the Central District's Temple appear to be drawing attention and caution. If you know anything in detail, please inform me. (Hartmut)"

Amidst the trivial reports, important ones had been mixed in. Rozemyne's actions often gave me a headache as she continually forged connections with important figures, but the harvest was plentiful. Last year, I had thought Wilfried's reports alone were sufficient, but having Justus report from Rozemyne's side revealed an abundance of crucial information. She herself barely reported anything, but this year too, Rozemyne appeared to be gathering large amounts of intelligence.

"Information from the Central District is hard to come by, so this is a relief."

"Hmm, so the First Wife will come from Drewanchel, not Klassenberg..."

"Now that Lady Eglantine has agreed to wed Prince Anastasius, that's probably the natural outcome. As the current king, Sigiswald would have preferred Lady Eglantine for himself, but..."

According to last year's information from Rozemyne, Eglantine was the daughter of the Third Prince who died during the civil war. That meant she was undoubtedly the one who had inherited the most royal blood and magic power among the current royal family.

The current king had an extremely weak political foundation. He had been born as the son of the Third Wife—a woman from a mid-ranking duchy—and raised to serve as a retainer. Both the First and Second Wives, while higher in rank, also hailed from mid-ranking duchies. Despite winning the civil war, the king might not even have participated had not Klassenberg, furious over the slaughter of his blood relatives, thrown its support behind him.

By marrying the Dunkelfelger princess during the civil war, the situation had changed entirely, and he emerged victorious. But despite whatever contract existed, the king had not made the Dunkelfelger princess his First Wife. Dunkelfelger's princess had apparently refused, but the truth was unclear.

"If she's to become the next king's First Wife, then our social engagement with Drewanchel takes on even greater weight. ...I'd rather not send Rozemyne out there."

"You can't exactly refuse. But I desperately want to call her back first, have a careful discussion about what information can be shared and what topics to limit, and then send her out with a strategy in place."

As Ferdinand and I discussed social engagements with Drewanchel, Karstedt tapped the report with his finger.

"I'm not well-versed in this, but what are these Holy Book fundamentalists in the Central District's Temple? Won't Rozemyne end up getting involved?"

It wasn't over...

There were too many people writing reports, and Rozemyne had done too many things.

And she hasn't even encountered the prince in the library yet. Sigh.