There were hardly any proper lectures, and the discussion with my exhausted guardians ended with them saying they'd send me back to the Noble Academy around the time the Offering Ceremony concluded, because they wanted to limit my contact with royalty. It wasn't that I wanted to be scolded or anything, but it left me feeling strangely unsettled.
What was that, exactly? That feeling of wanting to ask, "Wait, you're not going to scold me?" I didn't ask, of course, because they definitely would have scolded me then.
The reason I'd be returning to the Noble Academy earlier than last year, apparently, was to build up social experience during the period when
If it were the kind of tea party where I could exchange book opinions with Lady
"Ottile, please send this letter to the Noble Academy."
"Certainly."
I asked Ottile to have the letter delivered to a knight in the teleportation room. In it, I was requesting
"How is Hartmut doing at the Noble Academy? He hasn't been causing any trouble, has he?"
"He's been working hard on information-gathering and laying the groundwork for various things, and he's been diligent about writing the reports he submits to the Aub. Even in the report I read today, he was brimming with energy. He's definitely enjoying his life at the Noble Academy."
I opened my mouth to reassure Ottile, but I couldn't bring myself to say anything more. Something like "He saw the regeneration ritual at the gathering site and was so excited that he declared Lady Rosemine truly was a Saint, and he thanked the gods"—there was no way I could say that with a straight face.
"My lady, it's nearly time for dinner. Please put down your pen."
Lischalda told me this, and I set down my pen and stood up. After this, I'd be discussing the Tarnisbefaren subjugation with Grandfather over dinner.
I'd ended up sounding like I'd performed amazingly, all thanks to Hartmut's report... What was I going to do?
Racking my brain, I took my seat at the dinner table. Grandfather's seat was next to mine, and the Chief Priest was with him. As we ate, I answered Grandfather's questions one after another.
"Then, starting from Roderich's report,
"Traugott? Hmm..."
Grandfather's mood turned dangerous, so I hastily tried to smooth things over, explaining that information about the Tarnisbefaren hadn't reached him yet. My father, the Knight Commander, who had been standing behind my adoptive father as my escort knight, grimaced as he listened to the exchange.
"The problem was his narrow perspective—not noticing that
My father, as Knight Commander, told me that this time it had only worked out because those around me had covered for me, and I could only nod without arguing back.
"Everyone received the blessing of the Darkness God and began their assault, and I fired my water gun, but it didn't hit the Tarnisbefaren at all. It dodged only my attacks with everything it had..."
"How predictable."
The Chief Priest raised one eyebrow and looked at me.
"From what you've described, your water gun fires magic power, does it not? When a weapon blessed by the Darkness God attacks, it absorbs roughly twice the magic power contained within from the enemy. It would only make sense for it to be most wary of attacks from you."
"Indeed. To the Tarnisbefaren, Rosemine was the greatest threat. And while she says she didn't land any hits, by drawing the Tarnisbefaren's attention, she created opportunities for the others to attack, didn't she?"
Grandfather praised me, saying I had contributed plenty. Whenever Grandfather—such a powerful man—praised me, I felt like I'd become much stronger. Hearing that I'd contributed even though none of my attacks had landed made me happy, and I leaned slightly toward Grandfather.
"Then, was stopping its movement with the cloak of the Darkness God also a contribution?"
"The cloak of the Darkness God?"
"Yes. The Tarnisbefaren kept watching me, which was why my attacks wouldn't hit, so I thought I'd make myself invisible and changed my water gun into the cloak of the Darkness God to cover its head. That stopped it in its tracks. ...Though I lost my weapon in the process and still couldn't land any attacks in the end."
When I said this, including my failure, my father was the first to react.
"Didn't you say you changed the weapon's form?"
"Yes. As long as the blessing of the Darkness God isn't cut off, I can change its shape, right?"
"No, that's impossible. Once a weapon has been transformed into a black weapon, it can't change shape until the blessing is undone."
Following Father's words, I turned to the Chief Priest, seeking an explanation.
"That may well be the difference between a spell and a blessing. I find it fascinating to consider how many other differences there might be, but it's exceedingly rare for circumstances to arise during a Trombe subjugation that would require changing a weapon's form. There's no need to relearn the incantations from scratch now."
The Chief Priest said that even though you could change the weapon's shape, the usefulness of converting shortened, simplified spells back into full incantations was low.
"Rosemine, do you use divine tools?"
"Yes, Grandfather. They're the most familiar thing to me, having been raised in the
"No, I simply didn't know anyone who could handle divine tools as freely as you do. I suppose there are all sorts among those raised in the Temple."
Grandfather had apparently never seen a knight raised from the blue-robed priests use divine tools before. I only knew of Sigikusa, who had been executed, so all I could say was, "Divine tools are quite convenient, but I wonder why no one else used them?" When I tilted my head, the Chief Priest set down his cutlery with an exasperated look.
"Ordinary nobles don't go near the Temple, so they neither see nor touch divine tools. Those raised in the Temple consider them a mark of disgrace and would never think of making a divine tool their own weapon. Above all, using one as a weapon requires a great deal of magic power, which is too heavy a burden for an ordinary knight raised from the priesthood."
"There's also the fact that they have intricate magic circles and engravings, making them unsuitable for reshaping. I've caught a glimpse of the ones on the altar, but it's difficult to visualize them clearly enough."
My adoptive father nodded along with Father's words.
"Moreover, you may be the only person alive who treats divine tools as convenient accessories. To materialize the very tools wielded by the gods for your own use is terrifyingly presumptuous."
"I don't want to hear that from you, Lord
The one who brought the Leydenschaft spear as my weapon and who taught me that I could use the cloak of the Darkness God to block enemy attacks was the Chief Priest himself. I wished he wouldn't conveniently forget his own actions.
"I told you to use the cloak of the Darkness God as a last resort or a hidden trump card. You fool, it's not something to use lightly for something as foolish as blinding yourself so your own attacks can land."
"I'm sorry."
The cloak of the Darkness God was a divine tool that could absorb an enemy's magic power and make it your own. I'd indeed been told to save it for when my magic power was depleted and I was backed into a corner, as a final measure. But when I thought of something large enough to block vision, the cloak of the Darkness God was the only thing that came to mind, so I used it.
When put that way, I suppose I was indeed the one using it as a convenient tool.
"And so, by covering the Tarnisbefaren's field of vision, I was able to defeat it with the combined attacks of Brother
I tried to steer the conversation away from the cloak and rush through the rest, but Grandfather stopped me with a stern look.
"Wait a moment, Rosemine. You bestowed the blessing of darkness on everyone's weapons, drew the Tarnisbefaren's attention, and ultimately blocked its vision and stopped it in its tracks. How could your contribution possibly be low?"
Grandfather's words made me tilt my head. At the scene, I didn't think anyone had been complaining. Cornelius's contribution had been the highest, with Wilfried second. Even considering the magic stone materials I'd received for Roderich, my contribution hadn't been that high.
"Isn't the ranking of contributions determined by the order of damage dealt?"
"Isn't the preparation to deal damage what truly matters? From what I've heard, the highest contributors were Leonore, who immediately identified the attacking black magical beast as a Tarnisbefaren, and Rosemine, who gave everyone the means to fight. When contributions are judged solely by who dealt the most damage, you get fools like Traugott who charge in recklessly."
According to Grandfather, the system for ranking contributions had been wrong. I looked to my adoptive father and my father for other opinions, and they all agreed that the method of determining contributions was flawed.
"No matter how much you teach about teamwork, if only those who attack are counted as contributing, everyone will fundamentally only think about charging in to attack. Teamwork won't take root."
"It's the downside of competing only in speed-based ditter, I suppose. Education on contributions is necessary as well. What on earth are they teaching at the Noble Academy?"
Hearing this said with irritation to those currently training the knights, I recalled my classes as a knight apprentice. There should have been notes on the criteria for determining contributions.
"We do learn about it in lectures. But there seems to be a disconnect between theory and practice, so it doesn't really sink in. That's what Leonore said last year."
"The biggest problem is that Cornelius made the judgment on contributions this time, and no one from outside objected. All of them need retraining as a group."
It seemed like the special training for the knight apprentices would continue for quite some time.
After spending several days reading the books I'd borrowed from Hannelore, the day of the tea party with Mother and my adoptive mother arrived. There were only three of us today. My adoptive mother and Mother were my socializing teachers, so in a sense, this was a very nerve-wracking tea party.
"It's such a shame you were forced to return early. You must have been looking forward to spending time with your friends."
I couldn't very well say, "I only have one friend—Lady Hannelore—so it's not a problem!" And I certainly couldn't add that if I could hole up in the library, I couldn't care less about socializing!
Feeling a cold sweat coming on, I lowered my gaze slightly, trying to look as humble as possible.
"I made various mistakes while dealing with Prince Hildebrand, so it couldn't be helped."
"I had asked Lord
I had been thinking I wouldn't get scolded this year, but it turned out my adoptive mother had actually scolded my adoptive father, who had been planning to give me a thorough lecture. She had apparently told him that it was bad for a child's education to scold her without acknowledging the achievements she'd made—raising the Noble Academy's reputation overnight, setting new trends, and building connections with upper-ranked territories that had never existed before.
"Of course, I'm not saying Rosemine's social skills are without problems. There are many things she needs to learn. But that's separate from refusing to acknowledge her efforts. Since she was raised in the Temple and lacks the common sense expected of nobles, bridging that gap should come first—that's what I told him."
She said this with a gentle smile. Apparently, the Chief Priest had also given him a stern warning: "If you haven't properly taught her what she needs to know, then scolding is perfectly appropriate. But if the root cause was a gap in common sense that you failed to communicate clearly, then you need to reflect on your own inadequacy as educators."
"Compared to this time last year, her social skills have improved considerably. Rosemine is the type of child who will work hard for Ehrenfest, so I'm not particularly worried."
Ohhh, my adoptive mother looked like a saint!
I was deeply moved by the words of encouragement that my guardians had never given me, and I looked at my adoptive mother. She maintained that saintly smile and deepened it further.
"You must make lots of friends at the Noble Academy. Close friends become priceless treasures."
"Y-Yes."
...Adoptive mother, that's an incredibly difficult request for me.
I was saved from the wrathful lectures of my guardians, and I knew the advice to "make friends" came from a place of genuine kindness. Which made it all the harder to say that I'd rather read books than make friends.
Ohhhh, my adoptive mother's smile and expectations weigh so heavily on me!
I tried to cover my discomfort by sipping my tea, but inside, I was screaming.
My Mother, who had been quietly watching the exchange between my adoptive mother and me, set down her cup and let out a sigh. It seemed a round of complaints was about to begin—a habit I'd noticed when she'd dragged me to tea before the
Let's see—today's complaints would be about her husband or her son.
"Rosemine is still fine because her efforts are visible. The problem is my daughters-in-law."
...Daughters-in-law!
Mother looked up at
"Angelica is only focused on becoming stronger—even more so than
"I don't think Angelica would change at all. I couldn't even imagine her actively attending social events and taking charge of them. Her parents knew this, which is why they tried to decline the marriage to Brother Eckhart, isn't it? I think it's wrong to have expectations in the first place."
Mother let out a resigned sigh, saying, "I know, but still..." Angelica, who was the subject of discussion, actually looked happy and spoke in a cheerful voice.
"Just as I'd expect from Lady Rosemine. You understand me perfectly. As Lady Rosemine says, I can't change myself that easily."
"You don't have to answer so crisply only at times like these, Angelica."
Angelica had absolutely zero interest in marriage, so Mother had apparently told Brother Eckhart to take a first wife before her. But he had apparently refused, saying, "It would look bad to take another fiancée while Angelica is still my betrothed. I'll consider taking a first wife about three years after my wedding with Angelica."
...The wedding to Angelica was scheduled around when she hit twenty—the age when she'd start being called a late bride—and he'd "consider" a first wife three more years after that. Brother Eckhart clearly had no intention of taking one at all.
"Eckhart has dedicated his name to Lord Ferdinand, hasn't he? So he can't become Knight Commander, nor does he intend to become the heir to our family. The fact that he's willing to marry at all is something I can be grateful for, but...
Mother shook her head slowly.
"She's the niece of the Aub Arensbach, so it's not that she can't socialize, but getting her to actually appear at social gatherings is a struggle. Well, for the time being, I can accept that and move on."
"Um, Mother. Did something happen with Aurelia?"
When I expressed concern for Aurelia, Mother exchanged a glance with my adoptive mother, then let out a small laugh and lowered her voice.
"She's pregnant."
"Huh?"
"She's expecting a child, Rosemine."
I stared wide-eyed in surprise and nodded repeatedly without a word.
"Is it a boy? A girl? I should prepare congratulatory books. And toys too. I've made various things before..."
"Rosemine, calm down. It's only been confirmed recently, and there's no guarantee the baby will be born smoothly."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
According to Mother's explanation, the difficult part was gradually injecting magic power into the baby over time. If you didn't flow magic power into the baby, the child would be born with low magic power. But if you invested too much expectation and poured in too much at the beginning, it could easily lead to miscarriage and was harmful to the mother's body. This was yet another culture shock, and I was left stunned.
Even being born was such a struggle, and after birth, how you were treated would depend on your magic power levels. Being a noble was really tough.
"Even after the baby is born, we won't publicize it widely until the Baptism Ceremony, so you must absolutely not spread the word."
I picked up on the unspoken meaning behind Mother's words—that the baby's fate was uncertain depending on its magic power—and nodded slowly.
"Before we even get to whether she can or can't have children, Aurelia doesn't like socializing either, so
My adoptive mother shifted the topic from Aurelia to Leonore. I couldn't immediately grasp the significance of Leonore's name coming up at this point, and I blinked several times.
"Huh? Leonore?"
"Cornelius's partner is Leonore, isn't it? I heard they've been keeping it quiet so it doesn't interfere with their work, but did you not notice, Rosemine?"
"No. Not at all..."
I'd sensed that Leonore harbored feelings for Brother Cornelius, but I hadn't realized it had actually gone somewhere. Neither of them had shown any sign of it, as far as I could tell.
"Oh, but now that I think about it more carefully, the two of them had been getting more paired escort assignments lately...? Could it be that I was the only one who didn't know? Mother, did you know about how they got together?"
"I don't know the details either. Whenever I try to ask, he just says he absolutely refuses to become a character in a book like
I could understand Brother Cornelius's feelings. But hiding it wouldn't make the situation go away.
"Doesn't Leonore's family know either? They need to exchange greetings, right?"
"They already know. The moment they started having clothes tailored for him to attend her graduation ceremony, it became known. The parents have already spoken several times. They've apparently had a light meeting already."
It turned out Brother Cornelius had been laying the groundwork quite thoroughly. Since I spent so much time at the Temple, he'd had plenty of time to move about.
"I'd heard he was keeping it hidden from Rosemine, but he's certainly thorough about it. He's Elvira's son all right—very dependable."
My adoptive mother chuckled as she told me this. Brother Cornelius knew that Mother, who had been getting information from Brother Eckhart and the Chief Priest, could gather various intelligence—and I, being in a position to receive information from them, was the one he was most wary of.
"According to Cornelius's letter, he plans to formally visit Leonore's parents during the time when her lectures end and Rosemine is performing the Offering Ceremony. He intends to hear the detailed story then. He's extremely wary of you, so it'll be difficult, I imagine."
"Why is he so wary of me?"
I could understand him being wary of someone in my position to gather information, but wasn't this going a bit too far?
"He said that if you found out he'd chosen Leonore as his partner, you'd find ways to assign them to the same escort missions, make sure they sat next to each other at meals, and tease and mock them about it at every opportunity."
I couldn't honestly say I wouldn't do exactly that. I quietly averted my gaze. It seemed Brother Cornelius planned to keep it hidden until right before graduation, since once he graduated, half the material for teasing would disappear.
"Cornelius is more worried about Leonore, who still has a year left, feeling uncomfortable than about his own graduation. Please be considerate, Rosemine."
"I'll be very careful."
When I nodded, my adoptive mother turned to Mother.
"You too, Elvira. I know the romance stories from the Noble Academy are popular, but at least wait until both parties have graduated. It would be cruel for them to feel uncomfortable in the dormitory with no way to escape."
My adoptive mother smiled gently, narrowing her indigo eyes. "The day will come when they bloom into fond memories shared at tea parties, told from Leonore's own lips."
"You're right. We've already collected quite a few romance stories, so there's no need to rush. Let's wait patiently."
While saying she'd wait, her jet-black eyes burned with the determination to extract the story the moment an opportunity arose.
"Speaking of which, the romance-focused knight stories were also well-received by Lady Hannelore, a
"Wonderful, Rosemine."
Mother's eyes sparkled with delight. To get stories from other territories, the Noble Academy really was the best place. And if stories from many different generations were collected, it would become harder to identify whose story was in the books. Mother said that the more anonymity there was, the easier it would be to obtain stories.
"The romance stories from the Noble Academy are Hardenzel Printing's best-selling publications, so writing these books is my way of contributing to Hardenzel."
It seemed Hardenzel had essentially become a printing press specializing in romance stories. Giebe Hardenzel always looked so stern—I was amazed he'd actually approved it. He'd said it was a harsh territory, so I understood the need for sales revenue, but I just couldn't picture Giebe Hardenzel together with romance stories.
"Oh, that reminds me. Speaking of Hardenzel, 'the Miracle of Hardenzel' has been all the talk at this winter's social season."
My adoptive mother clapped her hands together as she said this.
"What's the Miracle of Hardenzel?"
"It's about you reviving an ancient ritual."
...Huh? A hot topic?