After the social gathering ended, we headed back to the dormitory. As we left the small hall and walked along, my thoughts were on the children of the old
"Lady Rosemine!"
"
Raimund came hurrying from the civil official course's specialized building where
Raimund's eyes widened in surprise, then he kept a slight distance and called out to me.
"Lady Rosemine, I have a message from Lord
"Did something happen!?"
"No, when I went to show him the magical tool, he had me record a message on it..."
As he spoke, Raimund produced the magical tool. It seemed to be a slightly miniaturized version of the recording magical tool. He'd been told it could be made even smaller, but in the process, he'd had a message recorded for us.
"I'll hear it. I want to hear it."
As I leaned forward eagerly, Raimund nodded and touched the magic stone portion.
"Rosemine, it's me."
The voice flowing from the magical tool was unmistakably Ferdinand's. It had only been a short while since he'd left for Arnsbach, yet it felt incredibly nostalgic. But that warm, soaking nostalgia was swept away by his next words.
"I trust you haven't been slacking on your studies the moment I left."
...This is bad! I haven't studied at all!
"Of course, I expect the highest scores from you as promised. But if the overall scores of Ehrenfest drop below last year's, I will show no mercy."
"Eeek!" I pressed my cheeks with my hands, and the voice from the magical tool softened just slightly.
"I'm not telling you to improve the scores. I'm saying don't let them drop. Last year's level is fine. That shouldn't be too difficult, should it?"
"Last year's level... Right. When you put it that way, I actually feel like I can do it."
As I clenched my fist with determination,
"But I think Big Sister already got the highest possible scores, so there's no room to improve further..."
"Shh! She's motivated, so stay quiet, Charlotte."
...Wait! That's right—there was no way I could have improved further! I've been tricked!
Even though I glared at the magical tool, it kept talking in Ferdinand's voice.
"
"Ugh!"
"But..."
For Charlotte, who hadn't achieved a full first-day pass last year, the bar had just been raised. The pressure bore down on her, and she trembled. The moment I reached out to comfort her, Ferdinand's voice called my name with "Ah, right. Rosemine."
...Why did his voice just get uncomfortably sweet?
I recognized the tone that always preceded something outrageous, and my eyes shifted from Charlotte to the magical tool in Raimund's hand.
"If your scores drop, I'll speak with
"Whaaaat! Not that, Lord Ferdinand!"
I instinctively clutched at the magical tool, but of course a mere recording wouldn't negotiate with me.
With no one to assign homework anymore and feeling miserable over the purge, I hadn't been studying—or even reading—and thinking about my library was the only thing keeping me going. If that was taken away, I'd be dead serious about dying.
"Ah, that's all the message from Lord Ferdinand. ...I was also given homework that I should still be able to improve further, so Lord Ferdinand's assignments are tough for both of us. Please do your best as well, Lady Rosemine."
Raimund gave me an indescribable look, comparing the magical tool in his hand with my expression, then hurried off as if fleeing.
"Wh-what are we going to do, Rosemine? When I think about it, we haven't studied at all since coming to the
"Same here, Big Sister."
All three of us had been so consumed by the purge that we'd completely forgotten about the Academic Achievement Improvement Committee. Father had told us to leave the purge to him, but we hadn't done a single thing we were supposed to do at the Royal Academy. This was bad. The moment we met Ferdinand during the inter-dterritory training, we'd surely be struck by lightning.
...And then, right there at the inter-dterritory training, Father and Lord Ferdinand would consult together and my library would be taken away!
"There's no time to worry like this! To protect my library, I have to give it everything!"
As I clenched my fist and steeled my resolve, Wilfried looked at me with a pale face.
"W-wait a moment, Rosemine. I have a very bad feeling about this."
"It's alright, Brother Wilfried. I'll shake off the bad feeling myself."
"That's not it! That's not what I mean!"
I patted the shoulder of Wilfried, who was clutching his head in dread of a nightmare repeating itself, and smiled to put him at ease slightly.
"You're right. The exams haven't started yet. There's still time before tomorrow's lectures begin, and everyone has been studying for a whole year."
"...Hmm, you're right. The library is at stake just as before, but the situation is different from that time."
Wilfried clapped his hands together and nodded several times to convince himself, adding, "Besides, this is an instruction from my uncle, who knows how to handle powerful medicine." What on earth was powerful medicine? I'd figure out unclear things later. First, we had to secure a first-day pass for everyone.
"We need to review everything perfectly and check for anything we've forgotten between now and tomorrow. Just passing isn't difficult."
"Yes, Lady Rosemine. We've been studying diligently all year. If we all do our best now, it'll be fine."
"If Ehrenfest's ranking drops, people from other territories will mock us, saying our success was only temporary. And Lord Ferdinand, who's in Arnsbach, would feel the pinch even more. We really must try our hardest."
Since we were going from a middle territory to a major territory, Brunhilde explained, if our ranking dropped before even the Star Binding Ceremony, we'd feel even more scrutinized than before.
"Maintaining our scores is paramount in every regard. Let's do this. There's still time."
"Right. Let's hurry back and have everyone study together."
"Yes!"
The archduke candidates and their attendants quickened their pace as they walked along the central building's corridor and threw open the door to Room Eight.
I watched Wilfried dash into the multipurpose hall and call out, "Tomorrow's exams require everyone to pass! Bring your study materials and assemble here!" then I climbed onto Lesser Bird.
"
"...Understood."
Seeing Leonore nod with a stiff expression, I urged Lesser Bird up the stairs. Then I burst straight through the door that Judith and
"Richalda, please prepare my study materials. We'll be studying in the multipurpose hall from now on."
"Yes, I'll prepare them right away. ...By the way, this is rather sudden. Did something happen, Lady?"
"I was threatened by Lord Ferdinand. He said if Ehrenfest's scores drop, he'll revoke my library."
I told Richalda about Raimund bringing the recording magical tool.
"He wants to take back something he already gave—don't you think that's terrible, Richalda?"
"I thought it was perfectly characteristic of Lord Ferdinand to pile up homework for you even after telling you to leave. How considerate."
"I don't need that kind of consideration!"
When I huffed in annoyance, Richalda chuckled and handed me my study materials, saying, "Your Ladyship says she's angry, but your face is smiling."
"It's Lord Ferdinand we're talking about. If there's a punishment for dropping scores, there must also be a reward for achieving them. Do study diligently, Lady."
"Then I'll present scores that surprise Lord Ferdinand, and make him build the magical tools my library needs."
...I'll protect my library and absolutely wrest that reward out of him!
I gathered up my study materials and climbed back onto Lesser Bird. Once we reached the multipurpose hall, I quickly put away the riding beast and had the attendants set up a study area for the archduke candidate course. Charlotte was at the second-year table, so this year it was just Wilfried and me.
"Brother Wilfried, let's study here. There are only two of us in the archduke candidate course."
"...Mm. I'm going to read this first, so you can go ahead and start studying, Rosemine."
Wilfried looked rather unenthusiastic as he cast his gaze down at the wooden tablet he was holding. Tilting my head, I addressed everyone gathering in the multipurpose hall.
"Please take your seats based on last year's group assignments. First-years, use that table over there."
As everyone assembled, the children of the old Veronica faction came in carrying their study materials with bewildered expressions. They stopped in front of the door, looking around the multipurpose hall.
"You're late! Please take your seats quickly."
"Indeed. We can't let Ehrenfest's scores drop. Tomorrow, we'll all earn a first-day pass together!"
When Wilfried and I called out, one of the children glared at us with fierce eyes.
"I can't focus on studying when my family might be killed!"
The atmosphere in the room froze. Wilfried and I, who had been looking up with determination, both faltered. The next moment, a glowing band flew from Leonore's staff as she stepped forward, wrapping around the child and binding them. Tightly bound, the child collapsed on the spot.
"What!?"
"Leonore, what are you doing so suddenly!?"
"You clearly don't understand your own position at all. Just how did
Leonore's deep blue eyes had taken on a color unlike anything I'd ever seen. Matthias looked surprised and turned to me, Leonore's lord.
"Lady Rosemine, you said you would save the innocent..."
"Yes, she did. Lady Rosemine asked the Lord to save the lives of those who had committed no crimes, and when told that children before their
Leonore was smiling, but within that smile seemed to rage a passion fierce enough to change the color of her eyes, and it was growing more intense.
"An attempted kidnapping of Lady Rosemine, being poisoned into a long sleep, and now yet another assassination attempt... They laid hands on the archduke family. Collective punishment of the entire family would be perfectly natural. If we simply followed precedent and punished them all, there would be no need to worry at all. Yet Lady Rosemine has been running around trying to find some way to save the innocent children, racking her mind and agonizing over it."
...I'd forgotten because Leonore was usually so quiet and unassertive, but she was a thoroughly
The children of the old Veronica faction were present. Obviously, Leisegang-lineage children were also in this room. The Leisegang children were high-ranking nobles and fundamentally attendants of the archduke family, so they'd been trying to help save the others, but deep down they apparently had their frustrations about breaking precedent.
I was so consumed by thoughts of the old Veronica faction children's feelings that I hadn't considered what my own attendants were thinking while staying by my side. Realizing this turned me pale.
...Aaah, I'm unfit to be a lord!
"Those who object to avoiding collective punishment will be sent back to Ehrenfest like this. This is the proper way to handle them."
Saying this, Leonore deftly tossed a slip of paper that read "Unable to persuade" onto the child.
As everyone swallowed hard at the fury they felt radiating from Leonore, Brunhilde glided forward with graceful steps. Lieseleta was with her behind.
"That won't do, Leonore."
"Brunhilde, please don't stop me. Having to endure watching our lord and the entire archduke family suffer for the sake of those who deserve punishment, breaking precedent to face complaints from nobles of all positions, and then having even those we're trying to save throw dissatisfaction at us—I can't take it anymore!"
"I have no intention of stopping you. We're using the teleportation circle, so magical bindings won't be effective, will they? You'll need these restraint cords instead."
Brunhilde and Lieseleta produced a pair of rather thick cords. Lieseleta tautly gripped a cord and pulled it taut, looking down at the bound child with her usual serious expression.
"Just when Lady Rosemine's spirits had lifted and she was rousing herself to unite the dormitory, there's no need for anyone to interfere. To protect the lord's mental well-being, I, as an attendant, will eliminate you."
...I never asked for that kind of excellence from Lieseleta! I'm healthy! Body and soul, completely healthy!
"Yes, Lieseleta is absolutely right. Let's eliminate them quickly. The merciful archduke family is already managing this territory under harsh conditions on every front, and here you're proposing to keep alive dozens of relatives of criminals—children though they may be. If it were to raise nobles who would live for Ehrenfest, that would be one thing, but we Leisegang have no food to spare for the kin of criminals who can't even show gratitude to the archduke family."
...Aaah, Brunhilde was Leisegang-lineage too! This is bad! My attendants are going on a rampage! Someone, stop them!
Waaah, I looked around desperately, but
I looked up with hope, but they too were gripping their staffs.
"Lord Wilfried was lured to the White Tower by the children of the old Veronica faction, and a stain was placed upon him that will never fade. He works day and night to erase even a fraction of that stain."
Wilfried's apprentice knight
"Lady Charlotte was abducted by a noble of the old Veronica faction on the very day of her Baptism Ceremony. When Lady Rosemine went to rescue her and fell into a long sleep, Lady Charlotte has been blaming herself ever since. And she has pushed herself to excessive efforts so that she can become a worthy substitute for Lady Rosemine, called the Saint of Ehrenfest."
"Reflect on what your old Veronica faction did to the archduke family. If, after that, you still object to the family's response and don't even intend to put in enough effort to pass on the first day, then we would have absolutely no objection to the standard collective punishment. Just how special do you think you are?"
It was the archduke family that wanted to save them, while the majority of nobles who opposed breaking precedent were the ones in favor of harsher treatment. Ignatz glared coldly at the old Veronica faction children as he said this.
"...No. We, well, we're grateful. But if you're going to think of us, please show mercy to our parents too."
Separating from family was painful. The voice of the first-year still bound by Leonore's cords made me instinctively clutch my chest, wishing I could give them what they wanted if I could—and Charlotte stood from her seat and spoke at nearly the same moment.
"Making such misplaced requests of us solves nothing. Was it not your families who committed the crimes? Crimes already committed cannot be undone, and if they had no part in the crimes, they wouldn't be punished. The only thing we can do is extend a hand to the innocent."
Criminals are excluded, Charlotte declared firmly, her deep blue eyes sweeping across everyone.
"We of the archduke family felt pity for you innocent ones and showed you a path to survive. The choice from here on out is not ours. It's yours."
...Ugh, Charlotte is so cool. It almost feels like I'm being protected.
I should be the older sister—I shouldn't be protected by Charlotte; I should be stepping forward to protect Charlotte and the others. It was backwards.
This couldn't continue. When I stood up, Leonore reached out with a worried expression. I pressed down her hand and smiled to show her it was fine.
"What I can save is not your families, but your future. If you lose your family in this purge, you'll have to live on your own strength alone. If that happens, your academic performance becomes a crucial weapon for finding a new patron. Ever since I was raised in the
Thanks to Ferdinand constantly looking after me, telling me to acquire an education and study to secure a better environment, I was able to become the lord's adopted daughter rather than being killed as a commoner by Viscount Bindewald.
"Also, please think carefully about what happens if your families receive lighter punishments. If your performance causes Ehrenfest's overall scores to plummet, can you face your family? Won't they ask whether you couldn't even trust that your family would never commit a crime? Even with a lighter sentence, you'll be viewed harshly as relatives of criminals, and if you want to earn enough to support your family in that situation, good scores are essential."
As the old Veronica faction children exchanged bewildered glances, Matthias's expression turned stern.
"Lady Rosemine, I'm concerned about information leaks. Even if it's for Ehrenfest's scores, I cannot agree to sending them out of the dormitory."
"Don't worry, Matthias. We just received the first report from Ehrenfest. The purge appears to be mostly finished. The specific details of punishments and such will come later, so even if information is sent somewhere during tomorrow's exam, it would be meaningless now."
Wilfried lightly waved the wooden tablet. Astonished eyes turned toward it.
It was faster than I'd expected. Father and the others had opted for a speed play.
"The purge is finished. Now then, please choose. Will you study from now on and earn a pass in tomorrow's exams, or will you return to Ehrenfest bound like this? I will respect your choice."
With just that said, I immediately turned my gaze away from the old Veronica faction children and returned to my seat. There was genuinely no time to waste if we wanted to keep our scores up.
"Brunhilde, Lieseleta, please begin your studies as well. You're aiming to be top performers this year, aren't you?"
"Yes, this year is the perfect opportunity."
As the attendants turned to begin studying, Matthias and Laurentz immediately followed. The old Veronica faction children eyed each other warily, then one by one joined the circle of those studying.
"Untie me! I want to study too!"
The only one left standing alone at the door was the boy who had been bound by Leonore. Once everyone started studying, he thrashed about like a fish flopping on a cutting board.
"Don't you want to go back to your family in Ehrenfest?"
"My family would never commit a crime! I believe in them!"
When Leonore released him, he grabbed his study materials and ran to the first-year table.
"Not a single failure is permitted, if I am to protect my library."
The next day, at the first day of lectures, every single Ehrenfest student attended, and every one of them passed the written examination.
"All the first-years passed!"
"But you know, Theodore, the third-years didn't just all pass—they all got perfect scores. Hehehe."
"Huh?"
The third-years also had a common written exam, but it consisted of writing out all the gods' names. Having grown up playing card games and reading the Holy Book picture books, it was so easy we found it boring.
"If that's the case, I could get a perfect score too. I want to be a third-year quickly!"
"Judith, the fourth-years have their written exam in the afternoon."
"Yes. We've been studying all year, after all. Today's common exam, we'll all pass."
Theodore teased Judith's reliable smile, warning her, "Be careful not to make any careless mistakes." Just then, an ordonnance flew in.
"Lady Rosemine, it's
Solange's gentle voice, brimming with joy, echoed three times. Having a new Librarian sent from the central temple was something Solange had wanted for a long time. Now she would no longer have to spend the seasons from spring to autumn alone in the library, nor bear all the work by herself.
I looked up at Richalda, who was serving me, and she nodded with a smile.
"If it's just registration, it would be fine to go after the meal. If Schwarz and Weiss aren't registered, the Librarian will have trouble with her work. However, Your Ladyship won't have time to read. Is that alright?"
"...J-just a little, perhaps?"
Thinking about the time it took to register
"When the signal to leave is given, I will close the book without discussion."
"Understood."
...Yay! The library, the library!
The archduke candidates, spurred into action by Ferdinand's threat.
And the attendants, who had been serving while harboring frustrations toward the old Veronica faction children.
Each had their own feelings, but the duty of a student that was necessary for the future was, above all, to study.
Next was the new Librarian and the registration.