The afternoon practical lesson involved receiving blessings from the gods. When one received divine blessings in addition to the aptitude they were born with, it made it that much easier to use magic of that particular attribute, making this an important practical lesson for third-year students who had already been divided into their specialized courses.
This practical lesson was conducted one student at a time before the altar of the gods, located at the back of the
"It's my first time sharing a practical lesson with Lady
As we made our way from the library to the lecture hall, Filine smiled happily. Until now, the practical lessons had been separated by rank, so Filine and I had never been in the same one. Thinking how endearing it was that she was this happy over something so simple, I watched as Filine rummaged through her things and pulled out a writing board.
"
"I also assigned tasks to Filine and Roderich, so we'd be prepared in case I receive blessings from many divine retainers."
Roderich proudly pulled out his own writing board as he said this.
...Hartmut, you ridiculous man! What exactly did you ask them to do?!
"There's no need for any of that. I'll scold Hartmut myself for making such unnecessary requests."
I had no idea what Hartmut was expecting, but fundamentally, only I needed to know which gods' blessings I received.
When we entered the lecture hall, the students who would be participating in this practical lesson were already gathered. At a glance, Dreviandel's pale green mantles and Ehrenfest's bright yellowish-brown ones dominated the crowd, with all other colors combined barely filling one hand. Fewer than twenty, perhaps. It seemed memorizing all of the gods' names was no easy task.
As I approached the cluster of green and yellowish-brown mantles, I spotted
"My apologies. It ended up looking like an ambush, I suppose. But we had circumstances beyond our control as well. Ehrenfest will continue to give it our all from here on out."
Wilfried was making excuses while simultaneously issuing a deft provocation, and though I cheered him on in my heart, I had no desire to get caught up in male bonding. I stopped my approaching steps and scanned the lecture hall. Hannalore, in her blue mantle, was standing alone off to one side. It appeared she was the only
...As expected of Lady Hannalore! A true fellow bookworm.
"Lady Hannalore, good day."
I approached her with a smile, and she turned toward me and gave a gentle smile.
"Lady Rozemyne, good day. Ehrenfest has everyone present, I see. That's truly remarkable. I myself struggled ever so much to memorize all of the gods' names."
"I struggled as well."
"Oh my, even you, Lady Rozemyne?"
Hannalore blinked in surprise as she looked at me.
"I became the High Priest almost immediately after my
"The High Priest, all the way back since the Baptism Ceremony..."
Hannalore's expression clouded over. Even in Dunkelfelger, it seemed the
...Ah, I need to correct this impression before people start calling my adoptive father a terrible Lord again.
It was probably best to clear up misconceptions starting from what was closest at hand. I hurried to add more.
"I don't know what Temples in other territories are like, but the Temple in Ehrenfest is quite a pleasant place. The Lord visits regularly, and while Wilfried and
"The Lord himself visits the Temple, and Ferdinand finds it hard to leave? ...Is that so?"
Hannalore looked at me with an expression of disbelief. The Lord who disguised himself as a Blue Priest and accompanied us into the Temple all the way to the Dedication Ritual, and Ferdinand, who loved to hole up in the Temple's workshop and conduct research—I hadn't said a single lie.
Still wearing her stunned expression, Hannalore turned to look at Filine and Roderich. Filine smiled and nodded.
"Both Roderich and I have been visiting the Temple ever since we became Lady Rozemyne's attendants, and we can confirm it's beautifully maintained down to every corner. The meals are delicious too, and the Temple attendants are educated just as well as nobles."
"With Ferdinand having departed for
When Roderich mentioned Hartmut's name, I suddenly remembered that I needed to have Brünhilde deliver a letter to
"Clarissa from Dunkelfelger is Hartmut's fiancée. Since the Temple as we see it and the Temple as outsiders see it seem to be vastly different, I'll explain everything to Clarissa in detail at a later time."
"Y-yes. Please do pass that along to Clarissa."
Hannalore continued to smile, but she was blinking so rapidly that I worried I'd thoroughly confused her. I offered a light greeting and moved away.
...If this at least weakens the bad rumors about my adoptive father within Dunkelfelger, it'll have been worth it.
After parting from Hannalore, I told Filine and Roderich to review the gods' names once more.
"You can't take this practical lesson without passing the theology exam, so memorizing the gods' names is critically important. Forget about Hartmut's requests—both of you need to focus on your own preparations."
A noble's aptitude was determined from birth. It was said that one generally had the aptitude for the season they were born in, and any additional aptitudes were influenced by their parents' traits, so siblings often shared similar attributes.
Magic capacity appeared to depend on the size of the vessel that could hold magic power. Since the amount of magic power poured in during pregnancy determined the vessel's size, differences between siblings were not uncommon. This vessel grew along with the body, and the degree to which one could compress magic power during their growth period affected their growth rate.
"Whether you can receive divine blessings or not dramatically changes the range of magic you can use and the amount of magic power required. If you truly lament having few aptitudes, then both of you should start praying devoutly now so that you might receive blessings. Understood?"
As I said this to the two of them, Wilfried—who had finished his conversation with Ortwin—came over. Tilting his head, he spoke.
"It's said that one can increase their attributes by earning divine blessings through one's own actions, but I've never heard of anyone in the lectures gaining blessings beyond their aptitudes."
I was rather uninformed about matters within the Royal Academy, so I hadn't known that.
"But since reference books state that it's possible to increase one's aptitudes, I believe it can be done. ...Well, there are cases where one doesn't receive the blessing of a god even if they have the aptitude for that attribute."
"Hah?! You can have the aptitude and still not receive the blessing?! That's a thing?! This is the first I've heard of it!"
Wilfried looked stunned. Since there was no need to spread this around, I'd never mentioned it, but
"...Actually, it's Angelica. She has wind aptitude but, from what I understand, couldn't receive the blessings of the gods. I can understand not receiving the blessings from
The Wind Goddess
The fact that there was someone so close who had failed to receive blessings seemed to genuinely frighten Filine, whose face went pale.
"Lady Rozemyne, what will I do if I can't receive blessings from the gods of my aptitude's attribute?"
"There's no need to worry about that."
It was
"Professor Hirschur, how can you say that with such certainty?"
"Because I know exactly why Angelica couldn't receive the wind blessings. I was the one stuck helping her with her make-up lessons, as the dorm supervisor."
Students who couldn't pass during winter were left behind for make-up lessons during spring, and it was the dorm supervisor's responsibility to look after them. Hirschur sighed and shook her head, saying, "It was truly awful." She'd had to deal with Angelica, whose brain simply refused to retain information no matter how many times she was taught.
"Professor Hirschur, please tell me why Angelica couldn't receive the blessing."
"She couldn't recite the names of the gods because she hadn't remembered them."
"Huh?"
...That doesn't make sense. You could only take this practical lesson after passing the theology exam, which required memorizing all of the gods' names. What was Professor Hirschur talking about?
"Just like everyone else, Angelica took this practical lesson immediately after passing her make-up exam. However, whether she'd only half-remembered the names from the start, or whether she figured she was done with the exam and stopped caring, or whether she'd spent her energy memorizing the words of the prayer instead, Angelica couldn't recite the names of the gods while standing on the magic circle. She just stood there tilting her head."
...Wow, I could practically see Angelica standing on the magic circle in her "oh no" pose.
I could also picture Hirschur clutching her head at the edge of the circle. They'd formed a "Team Raise Angelica's Grades" group and had still struggled with multiple people teaching, so I could only imagine how hard it must have been for Hirschur alone.
"So the conclusion drawn from Angelica's failure is that you can't receive the blessing if you can't accurately recite the names of the gods?"
"Clearly, the gods won't grant their blessings to someone who can't even remember their names properly. And thanks to you, Lady Rozemyne, being at the Royal Academy, Angelica was able to graduate safely. You have no idea how relieved that made me."
With that, Hirschur moved to the front to explain things to everyone. It seemed the two instructors for this practical lesson were Hirschur and
"Ah, we have fewer people today. Move up and take seats in the front."
Following the instructions of Gundolf—the elderly professor who was Hirschur's fellow researcher and rival—everyone crowded toward the front. Even so, old habits died hard. They naturally ended up sitting in order of territory. Looking at it this way, Ehrenfest, where everyone had passed, looked quite unusual.
"Please bring that over here."
A servant-looking figure brought in Hirschur's magical tools. It was the same projection magical tool used in last year's lectures. Once the setup was complete, Hirschur turned around with a brisk spin.
"Now then, I shall explain the ceremony for receiving blessings from the gods."
To summarize Hirschur's explanation: first, you had to memorize the words of the prayer. The ceremony would proceed in order of who memorized it first. Since only one person could enter the innermost chamber with the altar at a time, allowing you to concentrate on the ceremony, if you had spare time while waiting, you could study for tomorrow's lectures. Those who finished could leave.
"Here are the words of the prayer."
Hirschur projected the prayer onto the screen using the projection magical tool. I had tensed up wondering what kind of words I'd need to memorize, but upon seeing them displayed on the white cloth, I relaxed my shoulders.
...It's not that different from the usual prayers.
"I offer my prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world. Ruling over the lofty, majestic heavens above, the Supreme Gods are a married couple of darkness and light. Ruling over the vast, expansive earth below stand the five great gods: Fluträne, Goddess of Water;
Since the Dedication Ritual and the magic power supply prayers for the Staves omitted the names of the divine retainers, I simply needed to add all of their names here, and then conclude with "If you deem my prayers worthy, I humbly ask for your divine blessings."
"That's surprisingly simple."
"It sounds similar to the words used during magic power supply. But I wouldn't go so far as to call it simple, would I? You have to recite this without a single mistake."
Just as Wilfried said, when I looked around, everyone was mumbling to themselves as they tried to memorize the words. Surprisingly, even Hannalore and Ortwin—who as members of lordly families should have been performing magic power supplies—were staring at the projection with troubled expressions.
"Professor Hirschur, I've memorized it."
When I stood up, everyone turned to look at me simultaneously. Hirschur let out an exasperated sigh.
"Lady Rozemyne, isn't that a bit too fast, even for you?"
"But I'm the High Priest, you know? There's just a bit added on, and it's almost identical to the prayers I offer at the Temple every day."
"Is that so?"
Hoping this might at least shift people's impression of the Temple slightly, I smiled and nodded at the stunned faces around me.
"Also, it's quite similar to the prayer used during magic power supply to the Staves, so it shouldn't be that surprising that a lord candidate picks it up quickly."
"The prayer used during magic power supply? There's no such thing. I've never heard of it."
I could tell Ortwin was nodding in agreement with those words, and Wilfried and I couldn't help but exchange a look.
"In Ehrenfest, the Lord, myself, and even my younger sister all recite words of prayer while performing magic power supply. Is it different in Dunkelfelger or Dreviandel?"
"There are many adult members of lordly families, so magic power supply is rarely needed. You simply place your hand on the supply magic circle and let the magic power flow. We've never recited any prayer."
"Please don't take it any further than that."
Hirschur clapped her hands together, cutting off the conversation between Ortwin and Wilfried, which was threatening to become a heated debate.
"Perhaps it was a practice that died out over the long course of history. We can discuss whether it's worth researching after this practical lesson. For now, please memorize the words of the prayer."
...Nobody had been talking about research value, had they?
As I tilted my head in confusion, Hirschur and Gundolf exchanged a knowing grin. A faint sense of unease crept over me as Hirschur beckoned me forward.
"Now then, Lady Rozemyne, please head inside."
Having entrusted the lecture hall supervision to Gundolf, Hirschur made her way toward the passage leading to the back. I followed Hirschur into the innermost chamber where the altar stood.
The altar was larger than the one in the Temple's prayer room, but it was arranged in the same way. In addition to the statues of the gods, a red carpet similar to those used in the Dedication Rituals was laid out. Offerings of flowers and incense to the gods had been prepared as well, and apart from the absence of the small holy cups, it was nearly identical to a Dedication Ritual.
The one major difference was that a large carpet embroidered with magic circles of all attributes was spread out before the altar of the gods. Presumably, if one prayed at the center, magic power would flow through the red cloth up toward the altar.
"I simply need to kneel at the center of the magic circle and offer my prayers, correct?"
"Yes. It saves me the trouble of explaining."
Standing at the center of the magic circle facing the altar, just as I would for a Dedication Ritual, I first looked up at the towering altar, then knelt. I placed my hand on the magic circle and slowly began pouring in my magic power.
"I offer my prayers and gratitude to the gods who created this world."
Then, with heartfelt sincerity, I recited the names of the Supreme Gods and the five great gods. One by one, lights began to rise from the magic circle, and pillars of noble-colored light stood tall at the spots marked with each attribute's symbol.
"Lights for every attribute... Could it be..."
The room was so quiet that even Hirschur's startled murmur could be heard.
As I channeled magic power through the magic circle and carefully, methodically recited each god's name with focus, about half of the divine retainers' names elicited a response. With each one, the lights grew incrementally brighter, and the pillars of each attribute rose higher.
Having finished reciting all of the gods' names, I spoke the concluding words.
"If you deem my prayers worthy, I humbly ask for your divine blessings."
Seven-colored pillars of light rose upward, swirling and dancing before converging into a vortex of light that cascaded down upon me. Then, as a stream of light, it traveled along the red cloth up to the altar, where it was absorbed into each god's statue. As I gazed, entranced by this sight that was far more beautiful and mystical than I had anticipated, the statues of the gods atop the altar suddenly began to move.
"Huh? ...W-whoa?!"
With a deep rumbling sound, the statues began to move. As though performing a dedication dance, they slowly rotated and began parting to the left and right across the altar.
"Professor Hirschur, what is this?"
I turned to look at the supervising Hirschur, who was gazing up at the altar with an expression impossible to read—whether it was astonishment or not.
"It's exactly the same as it was for Ferdinand. I had a feeling it might happen, but to think it actually would..."
"It was like this when Ferdinand did it as well?"
"Yes. He gazed up at it with great interest, saying this might be one of the mysterious tales passed down at the Royal Academy. After that, Ferdinand began researching mysterious tales."
...Both Ferdinand and Professor Hirschur are far too composed about all this!
I envied their ability to calmly think about research even when faced with such an extraordinary situation.
"It will be ending soon."
Hirschur pointed at the altar. It looked to me as though the statues had parted to create a path through the center. After the Supreme Gods—a married couple positioned at the very top—had split to the left and right, an opening resembling a doorway was visible in the mosaic-tiled wall behind them.
"Lady Rozemyne, off you go."
"Go where?"
"To the far heights to which the Supreme Gods beckon, of course."
That phrasing made it sound exactly like the afterlife. Please don't say something so ominous.
"If you don't go quickly, that opening won't close and it will inconvenience the next person. You may use your riding beast, so please hurry."
Prodded along by Hirschur, I summoned my riding beast and headed toward the Supreme Gods at the very top. I certainly didn't have the stamina to climb all those stairs on my own.
Racing up to the highest tier on my riding beast, I dismounted. When the Supreme Gods were simply decorating the altar, they had appeared to be standing hand in hand like a loving couple, but once they had split apart and faced each other, their hands seemed to gesture toward something beyond.
The square opening looked just like the passage to the magic power supply chamber. It shimmered as though coated with an oil film, and I couldn't see what lay beyond.
Steeling myself with the same tension I'd felt when I first entered the supply chamber, I stepped through.
"...I-I'm coming in."
The moment I passed through the oil-film-like entrance, the scenery changed instantly. I was standing on a floor of pure white stone.
The white floor was circular, and at its center stood an enormous tree of the same white material, like a sculpture. Its trunk extended upward toward the ceiling, its branches spreading wide, and sunlight filtered down through the gaps in its leaves. This scene was familiar.
"This is..."
It was the white plaza where I had gathered "God's Will." Since I already possessed a Staf, there was nothing particularly new here. The white tree simply continued to spread its branches as it always had.
"...Come to think of it, back in the day, you obtained the Staf at graduation, so maybe you also received your blessings right before graduating?"
Perhaps students had studied and prayed to reach God's Will right up until they came of age and stopped growing, at which point they received their blessings and then their Stafs.
"Well, I already have one, so it doesn't matter to me. So this is where Ferdinand got his Staf too?"
Tilting my head, I left the white garden behind and passed back through the oil-film entrance to the altar. I couldn't help but feel a twinge of dissatisfaction—back when I had gathered "God's Will," it would have been nice if it had sent me back here instead of making me walk all that way.
...I really did walk a long way that time.
I looked down from the top of the altar. I could see Hirschur and the magic circle.
...If I were to sketch out that magic circle, could I redo Angelica's ceremony back in Ehrenfest?
If she memorized only the name of the Goddess of Speed, or recited only the name of the god whose blessing she wanted, with a bit of ingenuity, Angelica might be able to receive the wind blessing after all.
Thinking this, I took out my writing board, sketched the magic circle, and then descended on my riding beast.
The moment I stepped off the magic circle, the opening sealed shut and the statues of the gods began returning to their original positions, moving slowly as they did so.
"Still, what a wondrous sight. I don't imagine this happens for everyone who performs the ceremony?"
"The only ones I know of are Ferdinand and Lady Rozemyne. Truly, both of you are beyond all standards."
I had no right to hear that from Hirschur, who didn't seem the least bit surprised.
"Now then, Lady Rozemyne. Ferdinand refused to tell me, so do please tell me what was in there."
It seemed that once you had offered your prayers, only you could ascend to the altar, and Hirschur hadn't been able to go up during Ferdinand's time and had been terribly frustrated by it. Moreover, Ferdinand had maintained complete silence and hadn't told her a single thing.
I glared back at the purple eyes peering at me with boundless curiosity.
"Do you really think I would blab about something Ferdinand decided not even to tell you, Professor Hirschur?"
...Well, time for the disappearing ink to make its appearance. It's only the first day of lectures, but isn't its debut a bit too soon?