At the awards ceremony, the results were apparently excellent enough that at least two from Ehrenfest were called from each year. Middle-grade and lower-grade nobles are said to be unquestionably outstanding in their written studies, but their practical skills rarely reach the level needed to be recognized as outstanding performers. Since their magic power is inherently different from the start, there's already quite a gap at the starting line.
...Come to think of it,
"My brother was selected as an outstanding performer, and my sister as the top performer. I was relieved to be selected as an outstanding performer too."
"Even though he was selected as an outstanding performer, Brother Wilfried looks unhappy."
"If you think about the order in which they were called, he lost to
Ortwin, as a lord candidate from
"Next year, I will absolutely win."
After listening to everyone talk about the awards, I was listening to Mother's cheerful account of how handsome Brother
"It was absolutely the right decision to send
Those were the first words out of my adoptive father's mouth. The reason he'd returned so late was that he'd been summoned by royalty, and had apparently received a request asking whether Ehrenfest's Saint could be asked to deliver the blessing at tomorrow's coming-of-age ceremony.
Today, the intruders had claimed that "a king without the
There was no way he could respond to royalty with things like "I don't know anything about the relationship between royalty and the Central Temple" or "There's no way I could perform religious ceremonies without any preparation." He apparently declined by indirectly conveying that "the raid today was extremely burdensome for Rozemyne both physically and magically, which is why she even declined the awards ceremony."
"When she said 'if her health permits,' I pressed further and brought up the Immirdink matter as well to really drive the point home."
Before the raid in the arena, I had also been attacked by a high-ranking noble from Immirdink, and this was apparently used as additional justification. They had claimed that Immirdink's target was
"If you can avoid it, that's fine. I don't want to set a precedent where Rozemyne takes the place of the Central Temple's High Priest to give blessings. Rozemyne is the High Priestess of Ehrenfest, not of the Central Temple. Extra work is unnecessary."
I gently tugged at the sleeve of the Chief Priest, who had let out a sigh of relief.
"Chief Priest, may I go watch the offering dance and the graduation ceremony tomorrow? Will I be on guard duty again?"
This year, Brother Cornelius would be performing the sword dance and graduating. I wanted to go watch instead of sitting around on guard duty at the dormitory. As I stared up at him, the Chief Priest tapped his temple and sighed.
"If you're going to continue using 'because I'm frail' as your excuse going forward, you should limit it to either the morning or the afternoon. ...Even without such conditions, you'd likely get so excited at seeing Cornelius in his splendid moment and standing beside Leonoore that you'd collapse before half the day was even up."
The Chief Priest made an unpleasant prediction, but he never said I absolutely couldn't attend. This would be my first graduation ceremony.
Since Brother Cornelius and Leonoore would be attending the graduation ceremony, my escort knights would be reduced to just Judit alone. Feeling uneasy about that, it was decided to call
After the meeting, the Chief Priest didn't stay at the dormitory but returned to Ehrenfest. He apparently needed to make my magic tools usable again after they'd been spent, and prepare replacement magic tools for the magic circles embroidered on his mantle. Since it was obvious he'd be shut away in his workshop, I made sure he at least ate dinner at the dormitory. This way, it would be fine for him to stay holed up in the workshop until tomorrow morning.
The next day, as the students gradually gathered in the multi-purpose hall after breakfast, the time came for the graduates' parents to arrive via the transfer circle. Led by the attendant apprentices waiting in front of the transfer circle, they would be guided to their respective children's rooms.
"Rozemyne, good morning."
"
Hartmut's parents stopped by the multi-purpose hall to pay their respects before going to Hartmut's room. Hartmut's mother is Ottilie, so I know her well, but this was my first time seeing his father. I'd wondered what kind of person he was, and it turned out he was a civil official serving as my adoptive mother's aide. His facial features and demeanor bore a striking resemblance to Hartmut—like an older version of Hartmut. Our contact had only lasted as long as the lengthy noble greetings, but he had a calm air about him that you'd get if you removed Hartmut's headlong rush toward the Saint legend.
...Hmm? If you removed that part from Hartmut, wouldn't that make him someone with great interpersonal skills, who's good at information gathering, and incredibly capable? No, no—he's Hartmut's father. He must have flaws that aren't apparent at first glance, just like Hartmut.
While thinking such things, I watched the two head off to Hartmut's room, and then Brother Cornelius's family arrived. Father and Mother, Brother Lamprecht, and Angelica—quite the large group. Father wasn't serving as my adoptive father's escort knight today. The escort knights had the day off, and everything was being handled by the vice commander.
"Instead, I've been told to serve as Rozemyne's escort under the family slot."
"To be escorted by Father, who's the Knight Commander—my, I feel very important. I'm sorry for suddenly calling you and Angelica like this."
The two, who had apparently been summoned by Father and Mother when they returned last night and ordered to serve as escorts, smiled and shook their heads, saying "Without an opportunity like this, we wouldn't be able to set foot in the Noble Academy."
Father and Mother headed to Brother Cornelius's room, but the two of them remained in the multi-purpose hall at my side. When I asked about the situation in Ehrenfest, it turned out that
"He was lamenting that he wanted to go. I myself would have loved to receive instruction from
"The fact that we were called must mean something unexpected happened. What was it?"
The parents who had returned from the Noble Academy last night had apparently just given their orders and said "since tomorrow is early too," with almost no explanation. Answering Brother Lamprecht's question, I told them about the raid.
"With your escort reduced to just one knight in that situation, it must have been dangerous."
Brother Lamprecht seemed convinced, while Angelica listened with a vaguely smiling expression that suggested she didn't quite follow, standing a step back. So I decided to bring up a topic that might interest Angelica—the story of the Ditter match between the Chief Priest and Heiszhetz. As expected, Angelica got very excited and latched onto it. Her deep blue eyes sparkling reminded me somewhat of
"To react to Ditter that strongly... Angelica may have been born in the wrong territory."
Wouldn't
"No, Rozemyne. Dunkelfelger is strong in Ditter, but they also have many who excel in academics. In Dunkelfelger, I think I would have failed the apprentice knight selection, and if Rozemyne hadn't been there, I wouldn't have been able to graduate from the Noble Academy."
She said she was glad to have been born in Ehrenfest, Angelica's cheeks faintly flushed as she smiled happily. The gap between that smile and her devastatingly unfortunate assertions finally made Lamprecht realize what Angelica was really like, and he stood there with a stunned expression.
"Lamprecht, you're already here? You're escorting Rozemyne today, right?"
Wilfried arrived at the multi-purpose hall. He spotted his own escort knight, Brother Lamprecht, at my side and came over.
"I'll escort you as well, Lord Wilfried. Since you're my fiancé, you'll be sitting nearby, right?"
"Well, how about it? Charlotte and I will be seated alongside Father and Mother, but since Rozemyne has been placed in Cornelius's family slot to increase her escorts, won't she be sitting a little further away? Hasn't Father spoken to you about this?"
The seats for the Aub couple and the lord candidates currently enrolled at the Noble Academy were apparently somewhat separated from those for everyone else.
"I don't really understand the seating arrangements. However, since the Chief Priest predicted I might collapse from excitement during Brother Cornelius's sword dance, I think I'll be seated near the Chief Priest, in a seat that makes it easy to leave."
"Uncle is essentially your personal physician, after all. How are you feeling today?"
When Wilfried asked about my condition, I looked at my hands and tilted my head.
"I don't think I'm feeling bad, but collapses from emotional excitement come suddenly, so it doesn't really have much to do with whether I'm feeling well or not."
"Hmm. Since the graduation ceremony is Rozemyne's first event of this kind, she will indeed likely get excited. Lamprecht, please keep a close watch on Rozemyne."
"Understood."
Brother Lamprecht knelt on the spot to accept Wilfried's command.
"Thank you so much for generously lending me your escort knight, Brother Wilfried."
"No, I just want you to be able to participate in the event, even if only a little. To that end, you should wait at the dormitory until the third bell and enter together with your guardian. Understood?"
When the two-and-a-half bell rings, all students except the graduates and their escorts leave the dormitory to prepare the auditorium before the main characters—the graduates—make their entrance. Then, when the third bell rings, the guardians enter, and the graduates come in after them.
"If Sister collapsed during the preparations and couldn't see the sword dance she was looking forward to this year either, I would be sad too."
Even after being told this by Charlotte, who had finished her departure preparations, I thanked my thoughtful, dear sister and saw the students off.
The Chief Priest arrived at the dormitory after everyone had already left. His mantle, which had been torn by the Ternisbefaren's claws, was brand new.
"Rozemyne, extend your arm."
The slight furrow between his brows was probably from lack of sleep, but he looked considerably ill-tempered. I could feel Brother Lamprecht flinch.
When I extended my arm to the Chief Priest, who looked extremely grumpy, he put the magic tool bracelet on me. Then, the Chief Priest took out his staff, chanted "Stilo," and began fiddling with the magic circles. I could feel my magic power being gradually drained.
"That should do it. Now, have you decided whether to attend in the morning or the afternoon?"
"The morning. I want to see the sword dance and the offering dance."
"...The offering dance, huh."
The Chief Priest muttered this with a difficult expression and slowly let out a breath.
When the third bell approached, the graduates who had finished their preparations descended to the multi-purpose hall. The guardians headed to the auditorium, while those escorting people from other territories had to go to their respective dormitories.
Brother Cornelius was wearing his costume for the sword dance, but Hartmut was in charge of music, so he was in the formal attire he could wear directly to the graduation ceremony.
"Hartmut is going to pick up Clarissa, right?"
"Yes. The tea room where people from other territories are allowed in has been set as the meeting place."
Apparently, the women wait in their dormitory's tea room, and the men go there to escort them.
"How heart-fluttering it must be, waiting for the gentleman who comes to pick you up. I've always wanted to experience it at least once."
Mother seemed to absolutely love the graduation ceremony as the event that concludes the romantic stories of the Noble Academy. She was in extremely high spirits since morning.
"What,
"Oh my, Lord
Whether they'll really come to pick you up, whether they'll wait for you. Whether you can progress all the way to marriage, or whether this escort is where it ends and things don't continue. There are various anxieties, which is why the joy becomes even greater, Mother said.
"The flutter is what makes stories enjoyable, but in my own life, I prefer things to be stable without any wobbling."
...Getting involved in the printing business, creating books that have to be hidden from the Chief Priest—none of that is anywhere near stable, and it's full of thrills.
Maybe I should ask the Chief Priest the meaning of "stability" once and confirm whether my sense of normal is off.
I headed to the auditorium in a large group: Father and Mother, Brother Lamprecht, and Angelica from the family, plus Richtharda and the Chief Priest's party. To accommodate my walking speed, which would be difficult for everyone else, Father picked me up and carried me, with the pretense that "our beloved daughter is in poor health but desperately wishes to attend the graduation ceremony, and we're indulging her."
The auditorium was already packed with people. The walls that had been visible during regular lecture hours had been removed, and the auditorium now had tiered viewing seats, like a colosseum. At the center of the auditorium, there wasn't a single desk or chair like those used when the entire year gathered for lectures—instead, a white cylindrical stage had been set up for the offering dance and sword dance.
What made it completely different from a colosseum was that it connected to the chapel at the back. The chapel with the altar was a room I'd entered only once, to divine the will of the gods, and I think it was shaped like a keyhole tomb when viewed from above. Having never expected the auditorium to transform like this, I was stunned as I looked around.
"...This auditorium is different from what I know."
"Interesting, isn't it? With the tiered seating like this, it's easier to watch the sword dance and offering dance."
Today, I was attending the graduation ceremony not as a lord candidate but in the position of Brother Cornelius's sister. Therefore, I was seated in the guardians' section. It was somewhat separated from where the Aub couple sat, but as a high-ranking noble, I had a good seat toward the front.
My seat had the Chief Priest to my right and Angelica to my left, with Father and Mother seated in front, and Brother Lamprecht and Richtharda behind. I was thoroughly surrounded.
"Rozemyne, take this."
"An anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool?"
"...I don't think you'll be able to stay quiet, so this is just in case."
He told me to keep holding it since it would be a problem if I let out shrieks, so I held it in my hand as instructed.
The third bell echoed out, and after a while, the graduates entered and lined up in a row on the stage. Once the escorts from different years moved to their designated seats, royalty entered, and the Central Temple's High Priest approached the altar.
The scale was completely different, but it wasn't very different from the coming-of-age ceremony I'd experienced many times. Myths about adulthood were read, and blessings were given. Since people from all birth seasons were gathered, the chanting of the blessings took quite a long time, but as I already knew the blessings, I was familiar with them.
"...Just like the former High Priest, there's no particular light of blessing."
"Unlike you, he presumably has enough magic power to bless everyone gathered here."
Since I was holding the anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool, the only person I could converse with was the Chief Priest. After the blessing of adulthood was completed, they thanked the gods for their blessings to date and offered music, sword dances, and dances to the gods.
Everyone stepped down from the stage at once, and those performing music took their instruments and ascended the stage. Those without instruments sang instead. I'd only ever practiced the fesspiel, but I could see that various instruments existed—flutes, drums, and more.
Everyone lined up facing the altar, instruments at the ready.
"I offer prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
Along with those prayer words, music played and songs were sung. It was a song celebrating the joy of spring, healing wounded Gedulhirich and praying for the budding of life.
When the song ended, the musicians stepped down from the stage and moved to positions surrounding it. Taking their place on the stage were the sword dancers clad in blue—twenty of them ascended.
"That's Brother Cornelius."
"I can tell. Calm yourself."
Brother Cornelius took up his stance with the sword produced from his staff. Music began to play, and in sync with it, the blade flashed as it reflected the light. Unlike Angelica's elegant sword dance—perhaps because he was male—every swing of his sword was tremendously powerful. Angelica's movements had been fluid, but Brother Cornelius's movements were sharp and precise with each and every motion.
Since the sword dance selected outstanding performers, everyone's skill was remarkable. As the music gradually increased in tempo, the sword-swinging movements sped up along with it. The sheer force was incomparably greater than watching it on a video Magical Tool.
"Is that really Cornelius?"
"Yes, it is. Compared to how he was when Lord Lamprecht knew him, he's grown enormously, hasn't he?"
"Oh my, I'm amazed."
Angelica, who had been listening to Brother Lamprecht and Richtharda's conversation, nodded several times.
"Cornelius has really improved."
At Angelica's murmur—they had practiced sword dances together until last year—Mother turned around with a smile.
"He wants to show his best side to his beloved Leonoore. Angelica, if you want to show your best side to
"To show my best side to Lord Eckhart and become stronger... Rozemyne, what is my best quality?"
The one who answered Angelica's question—which had completely brushed past Mother's suggestion—with a smile wasn't me, but Brother Eckhart, sitting next to the Chief Priest.
"That she doesn't rush the marriage and sincerely fulfills her duties as Rozemyne's escort—that is Angelica's virtue."
"I understand. I won't rush the marriage, and I'll become stronger."
...Brother Eckhart!
At this exchange, which didn't sound like a conversation between fiancés at all, Mother sighed and shook her head. The path to marriage for these two seemed very long indeed.
Once the sword dance ended, the offering dance came next.
Fluttering their long sleeves, the lord candidates ascended the stage. I could see
Just like with the music and sword dance, the lord candidates lined up facing the altar, each in their position, and knelt to touch the stage.
"I offer prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
The instant the lord candidates' voices rose, magic circles appeared on the offering dance stage, which had been completely white until then. A magic circle containing all attributes, with the lord candidates positioned at each attribute's location, offering prayers to their respective gods.
"Chief Priest, that magic circle is the same as the one that appeared in the Holy Book..."
"Rozemyne, you shouldn't know anything about this. Or do you?"
The Chief Priest quietly murmured that it was a good thing he'd given me the anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool.
"That's right. I can't see anything."
"Good."
I had also seen last year's offering dance through a video-like Magical Tool. But it hadn't been visible at the time. Had it become visible through the same principle as how I could now see the Holy Book's magic circles? What kind of magic circle was it? Were other people unable to see it? Why could the Chief Priest see it?
Numerous questions welled up in my heart.
I looked up at the Chief Priest's profile—I knew he would absolutely never give me answers even if he had them—and quietly let out a breath.
*** It's been a while since Lamprecht and Angelica made an appearance.
Even though they were called as escorts, they didn't really do anything special—I just wanted to gather the family for Cornelius's graduation ceremony.
Of course, it would have been too much for the pregnant
Next time, I'll be visiting the library and heading home.