Scripture Verification Conference

When the fifth bell rang the day before the meeting, the High Priest arrived at the dormitory with Justus and Eckhart in tow. He'd come to ask questions that couldn't be answered by reports alone and to coordinate plans for the conference. In the multipurpose hall where the student attendants waited nervously, the High Priest surveyed the lineup of students and began issuing instructions.

"Richtalda, prepare a room where I can speak with Mine."

"As you wish."

Richtalda and Brunhilde immediately left, and the High Priest turned his gaze to Wilfried and Charlotte standing in the center.

"Wilfried, Charlotte. This summons came about in connection with the subjugation of Ternisbefaren. It has been arranged that Ehrenfest's role in the subjugation not be made public, so my summoning here must not be broadcast either. I will take full responsibility for Mine's cleanup, so you two are to manage the dormitory and not neglect your social obligations."

"Thank you very much, Uncle."

Being summoned as a guardian was the kind of situation that couldn't be handled by children alone, as the teaching staff had told them. Wilfried, who had been trembling with anxiety over just how dire the situation had become, showed a relieved smile.

"Justus, once the room preparation is complete, get an update on the progress of the inter-dormitory competition preparations."

"Understood."

Justus turned on his heel to prepare the room where the High Priest would be staying the night. After a brief glance at him, the High Priest fixed his gaze on Hartmut.

"Apprentice civil officials, centering on Hartmut as a senior student, prepare materials so that you can report on the preparation status. Then assemble here again."

Hartmut and Philine, accustomed to the High Priest's work assignments from their time helping at the Temple, turned back immediately. But most of the other apprentice civil officials still hadn't caught up with the shift in circumstances and wore blank expressions. Hartmut, on his way back to his room, lightly tapped Roderich on the shoulder.

"Don't zone out, Roderich. Hurry up—Justus works shockingly fast."

Roderich snapped to attention and hurried after Hartmut, and the other apprentice civil officials also began scrambling about in a panic. By the time the multipurpose hall had taken on a frantic atmosphere, Richtalda returned from having finished preparing the private room.

"Mine, you come this way. Follow me."

Summoned by the High Priest, I was led by Richtalda to a small meeting room. I was told to sit across from the High Priest, and Lieseleta pulled out a chair for me.

...Ugh, he's probably going to scold me for "being summoned from the Academy—what a hassle," isn't he?

I kept sneaking glances at the High Priest's unreadable expression while quietly pressing a hand to my stomach. I hadn't done anything that terrible, but dragging the High Priest into trouble was an undeniable fact.

"What we will discuss concerns the Scripture, which only the High Priest should handle. Those of you who are not Temple personnel, leave. Only the guard knights standing watch outside the door will suffice."

The moment the High Priest tried to chase out all his attendants, Richtalda's eyes shot up.

"Lord Ferdinand, you must not hold a private meeting with a young lady! There is also an affianced princess present who could be put in a compromising situation!"

"Richtalda, stand down. This is not something others can be allowed to hear. More importantly, time is of the essence."

"Sir! We cannot allow a situation where a princess with a fiancé could be subjected to misconceptions. Please let the attendants remain."

Richtalda's reasoning was perfectly sound by noble standards. The Temple's usual habit of chasing everyone away and hiding in the workshop was the strange one. But what I needed to discuss with the High Priest also included how to handle the magic circle that had appeared in the Scripture. That was far too dangerous to let attendants hear.

The High Priest furrowed his brow deeply and considered for a moment, then said, "...Fine. Only Eckhart and Cornelius may stay. That much, I will concede." He gestured lightly for the rest to leave.

Richtalda withdrew with a murmur of understanding—"Ideally I'd leave a female guard knight, but since blood relatives would provide greater peace of mind, I suppose it can't be helped."

After confirming that Eckhart and Cornelius remained and the door was fully shut, the High Priest ordered the two guard knights.

"You two, face the door."

"Yes, sir!"

Unlike Eckhart, who immediately turned his body around at the High Priest's command, Cornelius blinked and went "Huh?" The High Priest rebuked Cornelius, who was bewildered about the guard knights taking their eyes off their charge.

"Cornelius, slow!"

"Yes, sir!"

He positioned them facing the door—meaning they had their backs to us—and the High Priest produced an eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool. It seemed he couldn't even allow them to read lips. The High Priest's strict measures only ramped up the tension.

"Lord Ferdinand, I'm terribly sorry. The, um, the summoning, and not being able to stop the Scripture comparison..."

Thinking it better to apologize before getting thoroughly chewed out, I clutched the eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool and offered my apology. The High Priest shook his head.

"My being summoned was within the range of expectations. Rather, I'm the one who instructed that my name be included in the response specifically to create grounds for the summoning. The fact that we managed to avoid having to conduct a Scripture comparison in a situation where only you were involved—I'd call that a favorable outcome."

So the guardian summoning had been expected, as far as the High Priest was concerned. He didn't seem angry, so I breathed a sigh of relief and thought about tomorrow's meeting.

"But comparing the High Priest's Scripture with ours—that's become quite a big deal, hasn't it?"

"What exactly is the big deal? I'm not quite sure I follow?"

"Huh? Well... if the magic circle were to be seen, wouldn't that be a problem?"

He had strictly ordered me never to let it slip, with a terrifying look on his face. Wouldn't something like that be extremely problematic if others saw it? The High Priest gave a slight shrug at my question.

"As long as it's invisible to us, there's no issue at all. In other words, all you need to do is not blurt anything out or accidentally say too much. That's precisely why I'm here—to prevent that."

The High Priest seemed to predict that, in addition to the conditions for seeing it—inherent aptitude, the attribute blessed by a certain god, magic power, and so on—there must be some further condition, since Justus hadn't been able to see the magic circle either. Otherwise, the fact that it had suddenly become visible to me and the High Priest would be inexplicable.

"Most likely, even among those present at the conference, almost no one will be able to see the magic circle."

"And if there happens to be someone, what should I do?"

"There's nothing to do. It's invisible to us. Whether some fool who can see it accidentally reads it aloud and gets glared at by royalty, or stays silent and secretly plots for the throne—that's their choice. It has nothing to do with me. All you need to focus on is ensuring no harm comes to Ehrenfest."

"Such a thing can be seen?"—he told me to play dumb with a surprised expression. Remembering someone who could likely see the magic circle and who, being the type to be genuinely surprised, might blurt it out, I asked the High Priest.

"At the interrogation regarding Ternisbefaren, Prince Hildebrand was present. As royalty, he'd been present for issues arising at the Academy, and there's a high chance he'll attend tomorrow's meeting as well. If Prince Hildebrand were to see that magic circle, wouldn't that be a problem?"

"What problem is there with a true king rising from among the king's own children? It's a minor matter compared to the fact that it's visible to us, who are completely uninvolved. If both Prince Sigiswald and Prince Hildebrand can see it, they simply compete for the throne fairly. If only one can see it, the one who can becomes king. And if neither can see it, nothing changes from the present."

I tilted my head at the High Priest's reasoning. If it came to light that Hildebrand, who'd been raised to be a retainer, possessed the qualities to become king, his attendants would be thrilled, and confrontation with Sigiswald—who was already half-confirmed as the next king—would become inevitable. That seemed like an extremely problematic situation to me.

"But Prince Hildebrand has been raised to become a retainer..."

"He's just finished his Baptism Ceremony and hasn't even had his official debut yet, has he? If he has the aptitude, his education from now on can shape him however he needs to be. And if his mother is from Dunkelfelger, he has backing. Should Prince Hildebrand manage to obtain Grutrissheit, the King would surely designate him as the next king. No one understands the hardship of ruling without Grutrissheit better than the King himself."

The High Priest's words struck me as very puzzling, and I couldn't help tilting my head again.

"Is it that hard to govern Yurgenschmidt as king without a Grutrissheit?"

"...It's probably the same as a situation where a lord dies suddenly without having taught the heir about the Foundation's magic. A lord who hasn't mastered the Foundation's magic must simultaneously supply magic power to the supply chain for the clan while searching for the Foundation's magic. As long as magic power is continuously supplied, things can be held together. But during matters that concern the territory's welfare, they cannot intervene. Repairs, renovations—they can't lay a hand on any of it."

The renovations in the lower city's Entwickeln had been carried out involving the Foundation's magic. The small temple in Hasse had also been built with the lord's permission. A lord who hadn't obtained the Foundation's magic couldn't be called a true lord, and it seemed they were unable to perform the magic that only a lord was permitted to use.

"The High Priest knows a great deal about this."

"Regarding the Foundation's magic, it's something you'll learn in due course as a lord candidate. Whether you'll remember it is another matter, but even Sylvester knows about it."

Before tomorrow's meeting, not a trace of worry showed on the High Priest's face. There was a sense of reassurance, but I couldn't understand why he could be so composed about it.

"Lord Ferdinand, aren't you anxious about the Scripture Verification Conference?"

"All we need to prove is three things: that Ehrenfest's Scripture contains the prayer for the blessing of the Darkness God; that the incantation and the prayer for obtaining the black weapons are two different things; and that Ehrenfest's students did not violate the King's decree. Since it's written in the Scripture, all we have to do is show it."

The High Priest's words reminded me of the incident that had led to the Scripture comparison. It had devolved into a standoff between the Central Temple and the Knight Commander, and I'd been dragged into it, but it had originally started as an interrogation about Ternisbefaren.

"The current state of the Central Scripture is none of Ehrenfest's concern. Let the Central Temple and the Central Knight Commander sort it out themselves. Keeping both sides in check or stoking their conflict—that's the King's job. It's not for you to stick your nose into. Honestly, my only source of worry is you."

Being shown what I needed to do by the High Priest eased my mind a bit. The situation had been blowing up out of proportion, and I'd been wondering what to do, but it seemed tomorrow's conference would be fine if left to the High Priest.

"I'll leave everything entirely to you, Lord Ferdinand, and behave myself."

"I hope so."

After finishing various other minor discussions, the next day the conference began at the third bell. The seating arrangement was similar to the previous interrogation, but seated next to Immanuel at the front was the High Priest of the Central Temple. Since he also wore white vestments, there was no mistaking him. The title "High Priest" brought strong memories of the former High Priest to mind, but this High Priest of the Central Temple was a middle-aged gentleman.

"This is Religion, High Priest of the Central Temple. He has brought the Central Temple's Scripture."

After introductions and greetings, the conference officially began.

The Knight Commander stood and announced in a booming voice that, based on my statements during the previous interrogation, they would now verify whether the Central Temple's Scripture had any missing parts.

"Then, please show us Ehrenfest's Scripture."

"I object."

The High Priest rose with his arms around the Scripture, interrupting the Knight Commander's request to display it.

"What did you say?"

As the Knight Commander blinked in surprise, the High Priest smiled a noble's smile and spoke.

"The invitation stated that this conference was convened to prove that Ehrenfest's students did not violate the King's decree in the subjugation of Ternisbefaren. I was not summoned to investigate whether the Central Scripture has any missing parts. It appears I have walked into an entirely different conference."

...If I were the Knight Commander, I'd be saying "Have you forgotten the original purpose? What an idiot."

The High Priest stated that whether the Central Scripture had missing parts was completely irrelevant to Ehrenfest, and the two exchanged smiles while staring each other down. The High Priest's counter seemed to land, because the Knight Commander let out a soft laugh and withdrew.

"Ah, yes, that was indeed the reason for the summons. ...Very well, then—please show us the Scripture to prove that Ehrenfest did not violate the King's decree."

"With pleasure. Mine, unlock it."

The High Priest stepped forward with a faint smile and placed the Scripture on the table before the Knight Commander. It was the kind of forced smile he used when dealing with nobles, but to me it looked nothing short of terrifying.

I borrowed Hirschur's help to climb down from the chair and inserted the key into the Scripture the High Priest had placed on the stand. When I opened the cover, the magic circle and text appeared just as before.

"...Is this not blank?"

The Knight Commander flipped through the pages and frowned. Hirschur, who had come along under the guise of helping me, peered into the Scripture and furrowed her brow. "Nothing is written in it at all, Lady Mine."

"Oh my! To think you'd bring a fake at this point?! How utterly absurd!"

"I see. I suspected that the quality of graduates had declined since the civil unrest, but it seems it wasn't the students' quality that declined—it was the teachers'."

The High Priest looked at Frauelarm without bothering to hide his displeasure as he said this. I agreed with the opinion, but wished he'd sugarcoat it a little. As his disciple, I was afraid I'd become even more of a target.

"Those too incompetent to hold their tongues until an explanation is given are a nuisance. Quiet down. ...The High Priest's Scripture cannot be read without the High Priest's permission, so it naturally appears blank."

"Then please grant permission to everyone present."

Hirschur said this in a bright, buoyant voice. The High Priest dismissed her request with the barest hint of a smile.

"That I cannot do. Those who are not Temple personnel have no viewing rights."

"Huh?"

"What!?"

"Oh my!"

As the Academy teachers cried out in surprise, the High Priest calmly surveyed them in a circle.

"The Scripture was not originally something to be taken from the Temple."

"But still..."

"For Prince Hildebrand, who served as witness to the subjugation of Ternisbefaren; for the Knight Commander, who was aware of the black incantation and participated in the subjugation; and for Religion, the representative of the Central Temple—showing it to these five should suffice."

"Lord Ferdinand!"

Looking at Hirschur, who seemed about to scream "How terrible!", the High Priest exhaled lightly.

"Since the prayer of the Darkness God produces an effect similar to the black weapons, casually sharing it with those who haven't received permission would be unwise. The professors' research enthusiasm is admirable, but that's a separate matter."

Only the knights of territories that required it were permitted to know the incantation for the black weapons. Hirschur, a civil official and researcher, had no business knowing it or being taught it. The reasons the High Priest enumerated left the mad-scientist professors looking as though they wanted to object but couldn't.

"Mine, grant viewing permission."

"I grant viewing permission to the Knight Commander, Prince Hildebrand, Lord Religion, Immanuel, and Lord Ferdinand."

I called each name and granted permission. Only those five: Hildebrand, the Knight Commander, Central Temple High Priest Religion, Immanuel, and the High Priest.

...Will Prince Hildebrand be all right?

I watched Hildebrand carefully. As royalty, he might be able to see the magic circle. The High Priest had said it wouldn't be a problem even if Hildebrand saw it, but I couldn't help feeling anxious.

"Oh, the text has become visible."

"Hmm, so the High Priest's Scripture is a Magical Tool after all."

My worries were unfounded—Hildebrand apparently couldn't see it. His eyes, quietly waiting as pages were turned, showed no surprise whatsoever. The Central Knight Commander's expression didn't change either. Neither of them seemed able to see the magic circle or text that floated into view.

"Please open the Central Scripture as well. And grant viewing permission, if you would."

At the High Priest's prompt, Religion placed his Scripture on the table. It looked exactly the same as Ehrenfest's. I unlocked it, opened the cover in the same manner, and viewing permission was granted. Naturally, to me as well.

...Huh? I can't see the magic circle or text.

The written content of the Scripture was the same, but there was no floating magic circle or text.

"The contents are exactly the same."

I flipped through page after page, but the content was identical. Well, Ehrenfest's Scripture had notes added here and there for the Baptism Ceremony and coming-of-age prayers, so perhaps "exactly the same" was a stretch.

"Ehrenfest's Scripture has quite a lot of additional notes, doesn't it?" Immanuel said, squinting.

To prevent me from opening my mouth carelessly, the High Priest immediately spoke.

"These were likely written by the previous High Priest. Since the wording was difficult for the common folk to understand, much of it has been rewritten in modern language."

...Notes, or cheat sheets, if you will.

"Then where is the prayer for the Blessing of the Darkness God?"

At the Knight Commander's voice, I flipped through the Scripture to the relevant page. The prayer for the Darkness God, being rarely used, was located quite far toward the back.

"Here. This section is the prayer of the Darkness God."

"...Where? There's nothing written here."

When I pointed, Immanuel made a skeptical face. The two from the Central Temple squinted at the page, but they apparently couldn't see any text.

"No, it's visible. The language is archaic so it's not immediately decipherable, but the text itself is there."

"Yes, I can see it too. ...Though reading it is difficult."

The Knight Commander and Hildebrand could apparently see it. The two from the Central Temple blinked repeatedly and leaned in close to peer at the Scripture.

"How far into the Scripture can the two of you from the Central Temple read?"

At the High Priest's question, the two from the Central Temple flipped through the pages back to roughly the middle. That was approximately where the notes began to increase.

"This Scripture is a Magical Tool, so if one's magic power or attribute is insufficient, it may not be readable. The Central Temple's Scripture may not be missing content at all—it could simply be a result of insufficient magic power or attribute. Compared to Mine, a lord candidate, it would be a natural result."

"I see."

Saying this, the Knight Commander flipped through the Central High Priest's Scripture in the same way. But midway through, the pages turned completely blank and his hand stopped. I could no longer see any text beyond the point where the Knight Commander's hand had paused either.

"The fact that everyone lost visibility at the same page suggests that the viewable limit may be determined by the managing High Priest's attribute and magic power. If we were to gather and verify all the Scriptures, we'd likely learn much more."

The High Priest's murmur was completely in researcher mode. I tugged lightly on his sleeve and pointed at Hirschur.

...High Priest, have you forgotten the original purpose too? This isn't Scripture verification—it's supposed to be proving Ehrenfest's innocence! You're becoming just like Professor Hirschur!

Perhaps my silent message got through, because the High Priest cleared his throat with a cough. He came back to his senses, but those who could see the Scripture were absorbed in comparing them.

"As far as I can see, Mine's Scripture cuts off here. Hmm? But this side is visible. How curious."

"I also have a blank section here, but from here onward it seems readable again. It stops here."

Hildebrand and the Knight Commander were discussing how far they could read in my Scripture. It seemed the Knight Commander could see a few pages further, but both had pages where the text cut off.

...Maybe they don't have an affinity for life?

While I was inferring their attributes from the content of the pages where both reported blanks, Hildebrand smiled and looked at me.

"How far can you read, Mine?"

...All the way to the end.

If I said that out loud, it would surely cause more trouble. I rested one hand against my cheek, slowly tilted my head, and took a step back. The High Priest stepped forward in my place.

"What Mine and I can read extends to roughly the same point as the Knight Commander, so it may be that the Knight Commander isn't the limiting factor—Mine's own limit simply lies there."

"Oh?" The Knight Commander raised one eyebrow and compared me with the High Priest.

My intention to dump all difficult questions onto the High Priest might have been exposed. Unlike me, who was nervously fluttering inside, the High Priest calmly turned the Scripture back to the prayer of the Darkness God.

"As we have now compared the two Scriptures, I believe we have proven that the absence of the prayer in the Central Scripture is not due to missing content but rather to the managing High Priest's attribute and magic power; and that the Prayer of the Darkness God exists in Ehrenfest's Scripture because a lord candidate serves as the High Priest there."

The Knight Commander slowly shook his head at the High Priest's words.

"Unfortunately, the text is written in an archaic form, and we cannot immediately determine how it differs from the incantations and prayers we normally use."

"I will take responsibility for verifying the difference between the incantation and the prayer. Mine is a lord candidate, not a knight. She must not be made aware of the black incantation."

The High Priest said this and handed the Knight Commander an eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool. Each gripped the Magical Tool in one hand, drew their staff with the other, and transformed it into a knife. Then, ensuring their lips couldn't be read, they transformed it into a black weapon.

"Oh my, so this is what a black weapon looks like? I've never seen one before."

The fact that such a voice rose from among the professors showed that even Academy instructors were among those who didn't know the incantation.

After some discussion between the Knight Commander and the High Priest, and once the blessing had been dispelled, the Knight Commander declared, "The prayer of Ehrenfest and the black incantation are two different things." Later, when I asked the High Priest, I learned that a black weapon transformed by incantation didn't offer the stolen magic to the gods—it could be made one's own.

The Knight Commander's declaration meant that neither I nor Ehrenfest's apprentice knights would be held accountable for using black weapons. I revoked the viewing permissions, closed the Scripture, and locked it again.

...Good. It's over.

The conference concluded without incident, and I let out a sigh of relief. The moment I looked up, I locked eyes with Immanuel's gleaming gray gaze. His eyes, burning with an eerie heat, were fixed on me and the Scripture.

"Lady Mine, would you not be better suited as High Priest of the Central Temple rather than remaining in Ehrenfest? Ehrenfest does not need those blue-robed priests—it should have transferred Lady Mine to the Central Temple instead!"

Terrified of Immanuel's eyes, I immediately turned around, grabbed the High Priest's sleeve, and tried to pull him in front of me as a shield. The High Priest stepped forward to protect me from Immanuel's gaze and looked down at him with an icy stare.

"Mine is a lord candidate. She cannot transfer to the Central. A priest who doesn't even know basic noble-society common sense should keep his mouth shut."

When the High Priest said this sharply, Immanuel murmured regretfully, "So lord candidates cannot transfer to the Central Temple?" and quietly lowered his eyes.

At Immanuel's sudden outburst, Religion—the High Priest who had effectively been told to vacate his seat—wore a disgruntled expression, and the Academy professors regarded Immanuel with unmistakably foreigner-watching eyes. The Knight Commander was also studying me, the High Priest, and Immanuel as if mulling something over. In the midst that prickling atmosphere, I was quietly letting out a sigh of relief behind the shadow of the High Priest's sleeve.

...Ugh, thank goodness the High Priest was here. That Immanuel just now was kind of scary. Like, super scary.

While I kept hold of the High Priest's sleeve so I could duck behind him at any time, the Knight Commander and Luegen briefly discussed the differences between incantations and prayers, and with Hildebrand's approval, the meeting concluded.

"We're heading back immediately, Mine."

"Yes."

The High Priest, Scripture in his arms, turned on his heel. I was fully on board with returning to the dormitory as quickly as possible. I started to follow the High Priest.

"Just one moment, Lord Ferdinand. Regarding Lady Mine's enrollment in the Knight Course, I have a request—"

"Rejected."

Before Luegen could finish, the High Priest—her guardian—shot him down.

"To ensure that Angelica would graduate, Mine ended up studying nearly all of the Knight Course's classroom curriculum on her own. There is no point in enrolling."

"But the Ditter..."

The next instant, the High Priest flicked the eavesdropping-prevention Magical Tool with his finger, sending it flying toward Luegen. He said something to Luegen, who caught it, then held out his hand and said, "Give it back." Luegen, looking at me with an expression of shock, returned the Magical Tool to the High Priest.

"That can't be... Is that really true?"

"Would I have any reason to lie? Never speak of this. And never again try to recruit her for the Knight Course. Ehrenfest will absolutely not grant permission."

I don't know what the High Priest whispered, but from that point on, Luegen never tried to recruit me for the Knight Course again.

We lined up the Scriptures and verified them.

Since I left everything to the High Priest, it ended without any particular problems.

Never trust it to Mine. (lol) Next is the tea party.