Since magic stones had been prepared, I went ahead and made Yuröve right away. Today's attendants were
"Lady
"I was in my final year. Since it's not something you make over and over, I got greedy and tried to get the highest quality I could, which meant the materials barely absorbed the magic power and it was truly a nightmare."
Apparently, lower-ranking nobles had to obtain their materials as early as possible, otherwise it took a long time to soak them with magic power. Damuel grumbled that he wished he could redo his, since the Rozemyne-style magic compression method had boosted his magic power so much, and he had been too greedy during the academy lecture.
"The Yuröve made during Royal Academy lectures is generally quite low in quality. The apprentice knights soak the materials they've gathered at the academy or in their respective territories with their own magic power before using them, but since the civil officials didn't gather the materials themselves, the quality drops."
Apprentice knights gathered their own materials, so the results were somewhat better, but civil officials bought most of their materials from the apprentice knights, which meant the quality inevitably suffered.
"If you remove the miscellaneous magic from the materials beforehand, you can prevent the quality from dropping," I told everyone the method the High Priest had taught me. However, they told me it was far too difficult—the process required an extreme level of detail, and far more magic power than lower nobles could handle.
"You need enough magic power just to expel the miscellaneous magic, Lady Rozemyne. And after that, you have to soak everything back in with your own magic power. It's simply too difficult for lower nobles. They can't do it the way you can, nor do they need that level of quality."
Damuel shrugged when he said this.
"Our job is just to verify the procedure. Now, let's begin."
Damuel and my brother Cornelius, who had both made Yuröve before and remembered the steps properly, along with Angelica's magical sword Stindluk, served as assistants this time. Their master Angelica had apparently already forgotten the process, but Stindluk remembered it well. A truly helpful magical sword.
Following Stindluk's instructions—in the High Priest's voice, no less—I made the Yuröve. I endured the fatigue in my arms as I mixed in the magic stones. Last time I made it, I hadn't had my Stappe yet, so I had used a magical tool. This time I used a stirring rod transformed from my Stappe, and the difference in ease of use was overwhelming. It was practically moving.
"Next, add the amplification potion from that vessel."
At Stindluk's voice, my brother Cornelius retrieved the pitcher containing the amplification potion. He was about to hand it to me when he stopped mid-motion.
It wasn't a particularly large pitcher, so normally you would stir with one hand while pouring the potion with the other. But he must have realized I probably couldn't hold the pitcher with just one hand.
"Shall I pour it for you?"
"...Please."
Dark liquid poured in, and the contents of the cauldron swelled up with a soft whoosh. As I stirred it round and round, Stindluk's voice said, "The final touch."
Damuel picked up a small bottle sitting on the table and let a single drop plop in. The instant it landed, the surface of the potion flashed brilliantly. Yuröve was complete.
"I'll go inform
Damuel left the workshop. My brother Cornelius peered into the cauldron and murmured, "When will we use it?"
...When indeed?
Right now, I was so busy with Royal Academy preparation and temple handover work that my reading time was being slashed mercilessly. I had no leisure to spend soaking in Yuröve. If possible, I would rather not soak in it at all and put it off.
"After the High Priest leaves for
As I was discussing this with my brother Cornelius, the High Priest entered accompanied by his aide and
"Rozemyne, soak in the Yuröve immediately. There are still undissolved clumps of magic power remaining in your body. I want to dissolve them as quickly as possible. Go change while I prepare things here."
The High Priest issued instructions to those around him, efficiently preparing everything and pouring the Yuröve into a large, white, box-shaped container. The words that I would be soaking in Yuröve now made all the blood vessels in my body contract as if squeezed tight. Reflexively, I shook my head.
"I don't want to."
"Rozemyne?"
I involuntarily took a step back under the High Priest's furrowed brow and the stares from everyone around me.
"If I soak in Yuröve again and wake up, everyone will have grown even more, and I'll be left behind again... and th-this time, the High Priest might be gone too! I don't want to soak in Yuröve now!"
I did not want to experience the Urashima Taro feeling even two or three times. I had finally built up a little stamina, and that too might regress.
"This time it will only be a few days. It won't be like before."
"But... I'm scared."
He had said it would only be one season last time too, but I had actually ended up sleeping for two years. It might have been because of the poison from the attack, but I truly didn't know whether I would wake up in just a few days.
"Rozemyne, I want to dissolve everything while I can still examine you. Once the magic clumps are gone, other doctors will be able to examine you. Besides, don't you want to be able to grow?"
"I do want to grow, but it's fine to wait until after the High Priest leaves for Ahrensbach. The one thing I absolutely cannot accept is to fall asleep and wake up to find that he's gone."
"...From my perspective, I think it would be better to use it before you go to the Royal Academy, Rozemyne."
My brother Cornelius said this after a moment's thought. I noticed he was using the tone he used when speaking to me not as his lady, but as his sister, and I looked up at him.
"Why is that?"
"Ferdinand said that when Rozemyne gets excited and suddenly collapses, it's because the magic clumps make it difficult for her magic power to flow properly. So if those are dissolved, wouldn't she at least stop fainting even if she gets a little excited?"
My brother Cornelius gently stroked my head as he spoke quietly and persuasively, peering into my face.
"Watching Rozemyne suddenly collapse reminds me of that time you lost consciousness from the poison. It's truly terrible for my heart. Since I'm graduating and won't be able to keep an eye on you at the Royal Academy anymore, I want to reduce every source of anxiety I can. I understand all too well Ferdinand's feelings of wanting to dissolve even a little of it before Ahrensbach."
The only people who had personally witnessed me lose consciousness from the poison were Grandfather, my brother Cornelius, and the High Priest. Knowing how worried they were made my chest ache. I reached out and grabbed the High Priest's sleeve.
"It will definitely only be a few days, right? Everyone won't suddenly have gotten bigger, or my body won't have completely stopped working, or the High Priest won't be gone?"
"I promise. They won't."
His pale golden eyes slowly nodded. I gave one nod myself and turned on my heel.
"I'll go change."
I left the workshop and had Monica change me into thin white garments. I had to take off my stockings so that the magic lines on my hands and feet would be visible. The sensation of putting on shoes barefoot after so long felt very strange.
When I returned to the workshop with everything prepared, the setup was already complete. The large white container was filled with a light blue liquid, and beside it Fran was preparing to place the magic stones. A chair had been set near the white container, and the High Priest pointed to it.
I sat in the chair as directed and held out the cup that was offered with both hands. It contained the Yuröve. After I finished drinking, Fran removed my shoes.
"Rozemyne."
Just as last time, the High Priest lifted me in his arms and seated me inside the white container filled with Yuröve. In that instant, the magic lines on my body rose to the surface in red.
"Three to four days. You'll make it in time for the Spring Coming-of-Age Ceremony."
The High Priest traced the flow along my arms and neck with his finger as he spoke. I was familiar with the sensation—during the examination, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier.
"Please don't be gone when I wake up."
"You're persistent. Just soak already."
With a bitter smile, the High Priest's large hand covered my eyes. As consciousness slipped gently away, I could feel my body being slowly lowered into the Yuröve.
"You've awakened."
When I was lifted out of the Yuröve, finding the High Priest's face right there, I let out a breath of relief.
"How long was I asleep?"
"Just as I predicted. Four days."
Fran, Monica, and his other attendants were around the High Priest, but his face and aura were completely unchanged. The High Priest checked the magic flow in my arms, legs, and neck.
"It seems to have dissolved cleanly. ...A bath is already prepared. Clean yourself up and rest today. You'll be busy again starting tomorrow."
Fran carried me to the bath, where Monica and
"This time you could stand and sit, so it was much easier on your body. I'm glad," Monica said with a smile.
"Last time your body really couldn't move at all. I was so worried," Nicola added.
I smiled and nodded at their words. They were telling me that since the magic clumps had dissolved, episodes of suddenly collapsing should decrease. However, I was given a reminder that this was only the case if I wore the necklace the High Priest had given me to absorb excess magic. Since I had originally compressed so much that I had too much magic power, even if I didn't lose consciousness from blockage, pushing myself too hard was still just as bad for my body.
"I still need to train my body too, don't I? I don't feel like things have improved much."
"I think it will take time to truly feel the improvement. You say you don't feel much better, but compared to when you couldn't move at all, you've gotten much, much better."
Monica smiled brightly and encouraged exercise. I told her I would consider it positively.
Even after using the Yuröve, I didn't feel any dramatic change in my condition, but the High Priest immediately set me to studying for the Royal Academy with a vengeance. It had been decided that the duties of High Bishop would be passed on to
I practiced Entwicken by creating miniature garden dioramas, adjusted the strength of the barriers around them, poked holes in barriers to create boundary gates—one assignment after another was heaped upon me.
"When I think about it like this, the Foundation's magic must be an enormous magic stone with a huge number of magic circles carved into it."
"Yes. A colossal magical tool with stones of all attributes embedded in it. There should be a diagram in here somewhere."
The specialized studies that were basically only taught to archduke candidates took place in my workshop with the attendants excluded. Occasionally, my brother
"High Priest, you've been sleeping less, haven't you?"
"...A little."
"It's not 'a little less sleep,' it's 'a little sleep,' isn't it?"
I was thinking I should warn
"Could it be that Justus and my brother Eckhart are busy too?"
"Since your attendants are here, I've given them work that only the two of them can do."
Seeing the High Priest delegating work to both knights and attendants, I pursed my lips slightly.
"High Priest, I complained about you using Laimunt like that, so please don't use my attendants for convenience either."
"You're the one using Laimunt for convenience, so don't complain. I'm training your attendants."
It was all in how you phrased it. Put that way, it was hard to argue.
"Then, review everything thoroughly. Next is practice dividing land within the territory. It's a necessary skill for granting land to Giebes."
As he spoke, the High Priest pulled out materials needed for the next lesson from a teleportation circle, tossing them out in a flurry. The supplies for each lesson kept being brought into my workshop one after another, and the space was gradually getting cramped.
And so the days passed until the Spring Coming-of-Age Ceremony drew near—
"Come to think of it, what will Hartmut's ceremonial robes be? Even if you ordered them, they won't be ready in time, will they?"
When I had asked
"Unlike you, Lady Rozemyne, there are ceremonial robes left behind by former blue-robed priests in the temple. I'll be borrowing those until my ordered robes arrive."
Apparently, the temple had several sets of ceremonial robes on hand. Normally, you were expected to prepare your own, but when circumstances didn't permit—as with Hartmut this time—they would lend them out. Since I had been a commoner and there were no robes that fit me, I apparently hadn't been eligible for the lending program.
"I'm looking forward to the temple ceremony."
On the day before the divine rite, Hartmut stayed in the room prepared for the knights' attendants, ate breakfast with me, and then moved to the High Priest's room. He would then have his future attendant—the High Priest's attendant—help him arrange his robes.
While I was waiting after changing into my High Bishop ceremonial robes, Fran came to fetch me.
"The prayer room is ready. Shall we head over?"
The blue-robed priests were already inside the prayer room. Spotting my brother Eckhart standing near the door, I asked about Hartmut.
"Brother Eckhart, so you came to the temple today. It's Hartmut's first divine rite—wasn't he nervous?"
"He seemed extremely excited. He said he wanted to see your blessing."
Despite it being his first divine rite, Hartmut seemed his usual self today.
"But he's quite capable. He memorized the flow of the ceremony and his duties right away, and Ferdinand seems to find him easy to work with. You've gained a fine retainer, Rozemyne."
...The standard for whether a retainer was "fine" being how convenient they were for the High Priest—that was pretty eccentric of Eckhart too. In a way, I thought Hartmut and my brother Eckhart were very alike.
"High Bishop, you may enter."
At the High Priest's voice, the gray-robed priests opened the doors. The blue-robed priests lined up before the altar raised the rods they held, and the sound of countless bells ringing resounded through the prayer room.
Hartmut stood among the blue-robed priests. I could tell he was watching me with concern from the corner of his eyes. As always, I borrowed the High Priest's hand and slowly ascended to the podium. Hartmut watched me intently the entire time.
The High Priest recited the mythology, prayers were offered, and blessings were bestowed. The Coming-of-Age Ceremony itself concluded without incident.
My father and mother were standing near the door, watching me with worried expressions. They had probably heard from Turi that Ahrensbach was going to start an exchange. With Hartmut right there, I couldn't very well wave and make obvious contact. I clenched my right hand into a fist and tapped my left chest twice, making it look like part of the ceremony. Other than that, I simply stood watching the two of them until the gray-robed priests closed the door after the other coming-of-age adults had filed out.
After the ceremony ended, the High Priest helped me down from the podium. I then went to stand beside Hartmut.
"Hartmut, did you understand the High Priest's role?"
"He assists with ascending to the podium, reads the Holy Book on behalf of the High Bishop, stays until the very end when the doors close, and then helps you descend from the podium... It's taking care of you, Lady Rozemyne."
"That's not it. The High Priest has other duties too, doesn't he?"
He also did things like registering medals. When I said this, the High Priest replied, "That's not just the High Priest's job—it's the duty of all blue-robed priests."
"Actually, when the previous High Bishop was here, this kind of assistance wasn't necessary. The majority of my ceremonial duties are simply helping you so that you don't make a mistake."
"I believe I can perform it perfectly next time and onward," Hartmut said proudly, puffing out his chest. The High Priest nodded with a serious expression. "You probably can."
...I really didn't need to know that the High Priest's role during the ceremony was being my caretaker.
"W-were there any other observations you had about the Coming-of-Age Ceremony?"
"There were."
Hartmut answered immediately, clenching his fists and twisting his face in frustration.
"The commoners' Coming-of-Age Ceremony gets more blessings than the nobles' one at the Royal Academy, doesn't it? I wish I had received a blessing from you at my Coming-of-Age too."
Hartmut started grumbling that Ehrenfest's commoners had it unfair. It wasn't my fault they thought it was unfair. Would it have been better if I'd been more even-handed?
"Hartmut, you've been working hard with all the tasks I've given you, and if giving you a blessing will put your mind at ease, then I'll give you one. What is your birth season?"
"Really!? Please, I beg you. My birth season is winter."
Hartmut looked at me with eyes full of hope, then knelt on the spot, crossing both hands before his chest.
"O
When I poured magic power into my ring, it descended upon Hartmut as a cascade of red light. It's done, I thought, and was about to move, but Hartmut remained kneeling.
"Hartmut, what's wrong?"
"I'm moved."
"Huh?"
"To think that I could be granted the good fortune of having Lady Rozemyne's blessing all to myself."
He said this with the most radiant smile I had ever seen on his face. Then he took my hand and pressed my knuckles to his forehead. I had only offered the blessing to defuse his complaint, but receiving such heartfelt gratitude and joy left me thoroughly bewildered.
"High Priest..."
I called out for help, and the High Priest let out a quiet breath before averting his gaze.
"He's your retainer. His loyalty is beyond question, so as long as you don't misuse him, he'll be a powerful ally."
"...What happens if I misuse him?"
"It'll be terrible. I know from experience with Eckhart."
...Brother Eckhart!?
And so Hartmut's first divine rite came to an end. While continuing my Royal Academy preparation, I also got through the Summer
"The next divine rite is the Star Binding Ceremony, isn't it?"
When I said this, the High Priest's face twisted in displeasure.
"Apparently
"Eh?"
"They want to build some relationship before the marriage."
I used Yuröve to remove the magic clumps.
I've gotten stronger on a magical level. Physically, I'll just have to keep training from here.
And that was Hartmut's first divine rite, along with the coming-of-age blessing.
Next up is the summer visitor.