"What exactly do you mean by that? I grew up in the
My words, just as
...Ah, so I'd just told people who'd grown up in the Temple that they "didn't know enough about the Temple." When put that way, my words really did come across as awfully snide.
"I was addressing my remark to my fellow lecturers. In your case, it's not the Temple you're ignorant about — it's the Nobility."
I looked around at Immanuel, whose brow was furrowed with displeasure, and the lecturers, who all wore equally baffled expressions.
"I am a lord candidate who topped the
Starting with Ruffen, the lecturers' eyes went wide. Most of those wide eyes held a look of understanding.
Immanuel opened and closed his mouth several times, as though wanting to offer a rebuttal but unable to find one, and I could tell he was clenching his back teeth.
"You said the ceremony would require numerous Blue Priests working for many days. But how many Blue Priests' worth of Magic Power does Lecturer Ruffen possess?"
"I can't say the exact number, but I believe I could handle supplying Magic Power for several of them."
That stood to reason. Ruffen was an accomplished noble who had transferred to the Central Academy to serve as a lecturer. Comparing him to a Blue Priest was simply absurd.
Nodding several times as though satisfied by Ruffen's answer,
"So we've established that not only Lady
"Nobles possess many things that priests do not. That's all there is to it. Of course, there is the simple difference in Magic Power, but more important than that is the availability of recovery potions."
When I gave my answer, Gundolf murmured, "Ah, recovery potions," and stroked the belt at his hip and the medicine pouch hanging from it. Nobles essentially always carried recovery potions on hand, since they could sometimes overexert themselves using Magic Power during lectures.
The Temple's priests did not attend the Academy's lectures and therefore could not make their own recovery potions. They simply had to wait until their Magic Power naturally regenerated. This difference was enormous.
The recovery potions used by the High Priest were entirely different in potency from what the Academy taught, but there was no need to mention that. What mattered was that the lecturers understood that, unlike priests who had to wait for natural recovery, nobles had means of restoration.
"So in other words, since Lady Rozemyne is a lord candidate, she possesses a great deal of Magic Power and carries recovery potions. There's no need to wait days for recovery, nor to arrange shift workers to avoid interrupting the ceremony. That's all there is to it, correct?"
When Gundolf summarized the matter so neatly, an atmosphere of "oh, of course" filled the room among the lecturers. This was going well. I just needed to let the momentum carry us.
"As Lecturer Gundolf says, the only thing that's special here is that I, a lord candidate, hold the position of High Priest. Regenerating gathering grounds requires a divine tool and a knowledge of prayers, but even you all could do it with those. There's nothing special about it whatsoever."
I was just silently exhaling in relief that everything had wrapped up so neatly when Ruffen raised his head.
"Lady Rozemyne, I've heard that you created a divine tool for the regeneration ceremony. Could you elaborate on that as well?"
"Creating counterfeit divine tools is an act of blasphemy!"
Frauram interjected, but by now everyone seemed accustomed to it — they merely glanced in her direction without much reaction. I, too, shifted my gaze briefly before turning it back to Ruffen.
"As you all know, I was raised in the Temple, so the only weapons and shields I'm familiar with are those carried by the gods on the altars. Lord
I should add that if you have a Schtappe, a Blue Priest could also produce what counts as a divine tool, I thought. For ordinary nobles, divine tools were completely outside their frame of reference, so they couldn't picture it. That was why transforming a Schtappe was also so difficult for them.
Just as the lecturers appeared satisfied with my explanation, Hildebrandt — who had been quietly observing up until now — suddenly let his bright purple eyes light up.
"Rozemyne, what kind of things are divine tools? I've never seen one before, so I'd like to take a look."
"...Huh?"
A sudden remark from a royal who had supposedly been quietly watching developments stunned the room into silence. Altur gently pressed a hand on Hildebrandt's shoulder, and Hildebrandt caught himself, covering his mouth with his hand.
"Lady Rozemyne's divine tools, you say? If it would be possible to see them, I would very much like to as well."
"The spear of
Gundolf and Ruffen quickly chimed in to smooth over Hildebrandt's blunder. I stole a glance at Hirschur beside me. After thinking for a moment, Hirschur whispered some advice in a small voice.
"Might you not show them to us? There are lecturers who doubt the very notion that you can create divine tools. If you produce one, you can demonstrate the validity of Lady Rozemyne's claims."
From Hirschur's gaze, I understood that the one who dismissed my words out of hand was Frauram. Hirschur added quietly that by covering for Hildebrandt's blunder, I would curry favor with the royal family — or more precisely, with his attendants.
"Very well. I'll show you how I can transform my Schtappe into a divine tool. Considering the setting, Leidenschaft's spear would be dangerous to produce here, so I'll change it into the Flutrene staff I use for the land regeneration ceremony. Will that suffice for you, Prince Hildebrandt?"
"Thank you! I'm so happy, Rozemyne!"
Hildebrandt, who had been flustered over his own blunder, smiled with visible relief.
I smiled back warmly at him, then turned and extended my hand to Hirschur beside me. Without assistance, I couldn't stand up gracefully.
After a few seconds of silence, Hirschur caught on to my intent and offered me his hand. I rose as gracefully as I could and drew out my Schtappe.
The Schtappe itself was a simple thing — not elaborate like
Feeling the weight of all those gazes, I swallowed hard. If I didn't visualize it properly in my mind, the Schtappe wouldn't transform. Failing here would be catastrophic. I closed my eyes briefly and pictured the Flutrene staff.
"Straightalben."
The next instant, the staff of Flutrene appeared in my hand, exactly as I'd imagined it. The long, ornately decorated handle. The row upon row of small magic stones set along its length. The delicate, intricate goldwork cradling a large green magic stone. The divine tools I created with my own Magic Power were always brimming with it. The large green magic stone shimmered with a wavering glow.
Immanuel suddenly stood up with a clatter. The emotion that had been absent from his gray eyes was now replaced with astonishment and rapture. His head swayed as though he were drunk, and he leaned forward, staring at the staff with unblinking intensity.
"The staff of Flutrene..."
Immanuel's dazed, hoarse murmur confirmed to everyone that the staff I held was indeed the staff of Flutrene.
A ripple of excited murmuring swept through the room, and faces shifted to expressions of surprise and excitement. Amid it all, Hildebrandt alone gazed at me with childlike admiration and sincere praise.
"Divine tools are truly beautiful, aren't they? This is the first time I've seen one. Thank you for indulging my selfish request, Rozemyne."
"You honor me, Prince Hildebrandt. ...Ryukhen."
The moment Hildebrandt appeared satisfied, I released the transformation. The staff vanished in an instant. The lecturers, who had been leaning forward, straightened up as though snapped out of a trance. Immanuel stared wide-eyed at me for a long moment before slowly settling back into his chair. Then, closing his eyes, he murmured, "So you really can create divine tools with a Schtappe."
"Now I understand completely. It's only natural that there should be a significant gap between Lady Rozemyne's Magic Power and that of Blue Priests."
As Ruffen spoke, I could feel the atmosphere of the hearing drawing to a close, and I clenched my fist tightly on my knee.
...Good, I've convinced them. Won them over. Now I can go!
Just as I thought this, Immanuel slowly opened his eyes and said, "I am still not convinced." His voice was as calm and measured as ever, but unlike before, his eyes now had an intense, almost feverish gleam.
"The difference in Magic Power may be significant when it comes to the ceremony. Drinking potions that only nobles can use would certainly allow you to shorten the time required. However, I cannot accept your explanation regarding the Blessing of the
At Immanuel's words, the lecturers perked up, their ears practically twitching. The discussion that had just been settled was reigniting. I'd already been ready to go home, and now I wanted to press my temples like the Chief Priest and say, "You just had to open your mouth."
"Lady Rozemyne claimed that the Holy Book of the Central Temple contains errors. The Holy Book was entrusted to the Central Temple by the First King, and it has been safeguarded ever since. There could be no gaps or omissions in it. Could it not be the Holy Book of Ehrenfest that has been recklessly altered?"
Immanuel's accusation left me speechless. There was indeed what appeared to be the former High Priest's graffiti scrawled in there, so my Holy Book had definitely been altered. The prayers, of course, were not among the additions.
...Ugh! That former High Priest!
"That you have no answer means it has been altered! How absurd! How utterly absurd!" Frauram screamed.
As I mentally retorted, "It was the former High Priest, you know!" Ruffen glared sharply at Frauram.
"Frauram, please keep your voice down. We're currently discussing the Temple's perspective, so this isn't the place for Academy lecturers to interject. You're being unseemly."
Reprimanded, Frauram shrieked one more "How absurd!" before tossing her head away in a huff. I could see Prince Hildebrandt across the table watching me nervously.
...Well, I could understand not wanting to acknowledge gaps in the Holy Book, since it was also a symbol of the High Priest's authority. But that argument was still flawed.
I let out a slow breath, rested my cheek against my hand, and tilted my head as I looked at Immanuel.
"That's a very novel suggestion. Are you saying that in Ehrenfest, one can receive the Blessing of the God of Darkness simply by adding random prayers?"
"I— I didn't mean it quite like that..."
This time it was Immanuel who was at a loss for words. At that exact moment, the Knight Commander let out a snort of barely contained laughter. He, who hadn't spoken until now, looked at the Immanuel beside him, his mouth twisting with amusement.
"If simply stringing together random prayers were enough to receive a blessing from the gods, wouldn't that make the Temple of Ehrenfest superior to the Central Temple?"
I'd mentally grouped them together since they were both from the Central region and sitting side by side, but apparently they were not on friendly terms. The Knight Commander looked at Immanuel with a provocative grin.
"The Central Temple claims its Holy Book points to the correct king. If there's a possibility that this Holy Book has gaps, then could the king selected by such a Holy Book truly be legitimate?"
...Wait. Could it be that this Knight Commander was fed up with Holy Book fundamentalism?
"The Holy Book of the Central Temple is the correct one. I would ask that you refrain from such rude remarks."
"Oh, is that so? But the Saint of Ehrenfest said nothing of the sort."
It seemed my words had scattered sparks into a rather unexpected place. By suggesting the Holy Book might have gaps, I had essentially thrown fuel into the fire between the current royal faction and the Holy Book fundamentalists. If they said "too late now," then yes, it was too late — and I silently bowed my head to the Chief Priest in my mind.
...I'm sorry, Chief Priest! This might have turned into a huge mess! But I'm really not that much at fault. I was the first to say I received the Blessing of the God of Darkness, so I can't exactly lie about where the prayer came from, and our Holy Book doesn't have any gaps!
As I watched the Knight Commander and Immanuel glowering at each other while simultaneously trying to come up with excuses for the Chief Priest, Gundolf spoke up. "Might I suggest you both calm down a little?" he said with a gentle smile. The kindly old teacher served as mediator, and both men fell silent, turning to face me — that is, in my direction.
Immanuel stared at me with a look that said he still had much to say, while the Knight Commander watched me with amusement. I wanted to flee immediately. Gundolf looked between the two of them and me, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.
"Hmm, perhaps the best course of action would be for both the Central Temple and Ehrenfest to bring their respective Holy Books and compare them side by side? Since we have no connection to the Temple and have never seen either Holy Book, we are in no position to judge which side is correct."
He framed it as mediation, but Gundolf's eyes betrayed that he simply wanted to see the Holy Books in person. His scholarly curiosity had been ignited. He didn't seem interested in the Holy Book fundamentalism, the king's legitimacy, or my argument in the slightest.
"That's a wonderful idea, Lecturer Gundolf. Placing the two Holy Books side by side would certainly make it clear which account is correct."
Hirschur, standing beside me, chimed in enthusiastically in agreement with Gundolf. His excitement was evident from his animated voice. These mad scientists were Temple matters — could they please just stay quiet for once?
Because that proposal was extremely problematic. Our Holy Book had strange magic circles and floating text within it. The Chief Priest had told me to pretend I couldn't see them, but I was likely to give away something odd, and if anyone else could see it, it would constitute a challenge to the current king. What was I supposed to do?
"It would be difficult to bring the Holy Book of Ehrenfest here. Isn't it kept at each respective Temple? A copy could perhaps be brought, however."
"Oh my? ...Well then. Perhaps we should conduct a thorough investigation into whether the Holy Book of Ehrenfest has been altered. Lady Rozemyne's reaction just now was quite suspicious!"
"I— I have nothing to feel guilty about!"
The moment I retorted against Frauram's voice, Immanuel's eyes lit up with a sharp gleam.
"We should each ask our respective High Priests to bring their Holy Books and compare them. Let's request it."
His expression barely changed, but Immanuel was now fully committed. This was extremely bad. It was rapidly shaping up to be a situation where the Chief Priest would be furious with me — and even I could understand that. I had to find some way to avoid it. If the Holy Book was brought here and things didn't end smoothly, there was a very real chance my reading time would be cut.
...Hmm, what if I said, "Our Holy Book can't be brought here, so let's just agree that the Central one is correct, even if it doesn't contain the prayer"? ...No good. That would sound like I was picking another fight, and they'd absolutely insist on bringing it. Come on, come on, think of something!
While I was desperately racking my brain, Ruffen — who had been considering for a moment — spoke up.
"The Holy Book of the Central Temple is brought to the Royal Academy along with the High Priest during the Star Binding Ceremony and royal coming-of-age presentations. It's not as though it can never leave the Temple grounds."
"That's quite right."
...No, no, no — it would be a huge problem if it could be brought here! The Chief Priest would get angry at me!
I tried to think of some way to sidestep this, but nothing came to mind immediately. As my thoughts went in circles, the discussion pressed forward without me.
...Wait. Hold on. Give me a second to think.
But ruthlessly, while I was still desperately searching for an out, the date for the Holy Book verification conference was decided. The lecturers began to stand, saying, "We'll meet again another day."
"Well then, Lady Rozemyne. Is that agreeable to you?"
"I don't see any need to go through the trouble of comparing them. I'm perfectly happy to accept that the Central Temple's Holy Book is correct. I don't want to waste everyone's precious ti—"
Before I could finish asking them to call off this verification conference, Frauram screamed, "Just as I thought — you do have something to hide!" Ruffen held her back and flashed a broad grin.
"Don't worry. We don't believe Lady Rozemyne is lying. If you've received the Blessing of the God of Darkness, the prayer must exist in the Holy Book. We simply want you to prove that."
"I don't see why proof is necessary. Can't we just accept that the Central Temple's Holy Book is correct?"
I appeared to be the only one who didn't think proof was needed. The lecturers, their research instincts thoroughly stimulated, were all enthusiastic about the verification conference. Most enthusiastic of all was the Knight Commander, who looked down at Immanuel with a provocative expression.
"Without an opportunity like this, we'd never know whether the Central Temple's Holy Book is truly correct. I want to examine it thoroughly. The king would surely wish the same. I would ask for your full cooperation, Lady Rozemyne of Ehrenfest."
...So you're saying it doesn't matter whether I want to cooperate or not, because you'll just order me to?
I slumped my shoulders and answered, "Understood." There was a world of difference between cooperating willingly and having an order forced upon me against my will — something the supervisors would feel quite differently about.
"Well then, Lady Rozemyne. We would like Lord Ferdinand — who can understand the perspectives of both the Nobility and the Temple — to bring the Holy Book."
...Huh? Lord Ferdinand? Why did his name suddenly come up?
As I blinked in confusion, Ruffen handed me a wooden invitation slip with a cheerful smile.
"In everything we've heard from Lady Rozemyne today, Lord Ferdinand's words and actions have come up repeatedly. I believe we also need to hear from him about the difference between the Black Hex and prayers. ...Besides, I'd very much like to discuss Lady Rozemyne's enrollment in the Knight Course during this opportunity as well."
...That last part has absolutely nothing to do with anything!
I'd thought I'd won everyone over and wrapped things up, but before I knew it, I was the one who'd been swept along.
...This isn't right. This isn't how it was supposed to go.
Clutching the invitation slip, I left the small hall in a state of half-dread.
The moment I returned to my dormitory, Wilfried ordered me to report on the investigation, so I explained the entire sequence of events while surrounded by my attendants.
"Wha— A guardian summons?! What on earth did you have to do to end up in a situation like this?! Being called in as a guardian is something that only happens if you've caused a serious enough incident to be expelled from the Academy!"
This matter went far beyond something that personal. It was surely something even more serious. But just to ease their shock slightly, I spoke up.
"...They want to verify the Holy Book of Ehrenfest, so while they do call it a guardian summons, the person being summoned isn't my adoptive father — it's Lord Ferdinand. I won't be expelled from the Academy or anything like that."
"That's not what I'm talking about! The fact that a guardian is being summoned at all is extraordinary!"
"Well, yes, that's true, but..."
It wasn't as though I'd wanted to be summoned either. I'd tried every way I could think of to avoid it. I simply couldn't come up with one.
"Make sure you write a thorough report for your uncle. His scrutiny will be harsh."
"I'm aware."
Along with the report on today's investigation, I had Ruffen's invitation slip forwarded to Ehrenfest. The summons was for three days from now, in the morning.
...Ah, my reading time is slipping away. Those really were some fleeting moments of happiness.
And so I became the first lord candidate in the history of Ehrenfest to receive a guardian summons.
Prince Hildebrandt's words led to me having to demonstrate a divine tool.
And the situation only grew more troublesome from there.
This time, even the Chief Priest was summoned.
Next was the Holy Book Verification Conference.