Everyone's Rituals and Music

"Lady Rozemyne, which god's blessing did you receive?"

Roderich pulled out his writing tablet with an excited look and turned to me, but I wasn't sure everything I'd need to write would even fit on his tablet. On top of that, drawing everyone's attention would be a hassle. Seeing Philine, who had been concentrating so hard, suddenly raise her head and pull out her own tablet, I shook my head.

"Roderich, Philine, if you've both memorized the prayers, go perform your rituals."

"N-not yet."

"Didn't I tell you to focus on your own affairs? I'll be studying for the lectures from tomorrow onward."

Since I couldn't leave without Richarda and my guard knights coming to escort me, I decided to study while waiting for everyone else's rituals to finish.

I'd heard that receiving blessings reduced the magic power consumed when using magic, and I wanted to give it a try—but I couldn't do so while everyone else was busy memorizing their prayers. That would just be disruptive.

"I've got it memorized. I'm heading in."

"Brother Wilfried, do you have your healing potion?"

"Yeah."

Wilfried stood up with a clatter and headed for the ritual next, right after me. As expected, he'd memorized the prayers quickly since he'd already been chanting them when supplying magic power. I watched him enter the innermost room with Hirschur, both wearing tense expressions.

With the second Ehrenfest student heading in, I felt the students from other duchesses grow a little more serious.

"I did it, Rozemyne!"

After a while, Wilfried emerged from the innermost room with a beaming face. He was clearly trying not to break into a run, but he was walking remarkably fast.

"I received blessings from twelve gods in total. Even Professor Hirschur was surprised."

"Twelve gods?"

"You received blessings from quite a number of divine affinities, Wilfried."

The surrounding students began to murmur. I'd figured Wilfried would receive a fair number since he had six attributes and, unlike Angelica, wouldn't mix up the gods' names—but apparently, receiving blessings from twelve gods was enough to surprise everyone around us.

"Rozemyne, how about you? You must have received blessings from a great many divine affinities, yes?"

...It's really hard to say, "I received blessings from around forty-something gods," isn't it? Please just leave me alone.

There was no need to deflate Wilfried's good mood, and no reason to drop a bombshell while everyone was buzzing about twelve. Following Angelica's example, I smiled and deflected, tilting my head.

"I did receive blessings from several divine affinities, but is that truly so unusual? It's written in the textbooks and reference materials, and we even had to memorize the names of all the divine affinities. Besides, both Brother Wilfried and I received blessings from multiple divine affinities. Isn't it normal to receive blessings from more than one?"

Since the ritual had just begun and both people who had gone had received multiple blessings, I didn't think it was unusual at all. At my words, Hannelore smiled awkwardly.

"Normally, you receive blessings matching the number of your affinities, Lady Rozemyne. Receiving blessings beyond that requires significant past good deeds. It's not uncommon for knight apprentices or Dunkelfelger students to receive multiple blessings from the divine affinity of fire, but for an archduke candidate like Lord Wilfried, who isn't particularly specialized in martial pursuits, to receive blessings from multiple divine affinities is quite rare and truly impressive."

So Dunkelfelger had many students who received blessings from combat-type divine affinities. That explained a lot.

I'd heard that Clarissa, despite being a scholar, had high combat ability. That was Dunkelfelger for you. Perhaps Hannelore might receive blessings from combat-type divine affinities as well.

"Is there anyone else who wishes to attempt the ritual next?"

"...I'll go."

"Hirschur, tag me in. If it's Ortwin, I'll go into the inner room."

Ortwin and Gundolf entered the innermost room next. They'd gone in with eyes sparkling with anticipation, given that both Rozemyne and I had received blessings from multiple divine affinities, but they only received as many blessings as they had affinities. They returned looking somewhat disappointed.

"We didn't receive blessings from multiple divine affinities."

That wasn't just Ortwin—everyone else finished their rituals without receiving blessings beyond their affinity count either. As it became increasingly evident that blessings from multiple divine affinities were rare, Hannelore alone came out wearing an extremely conflicted expression.

"Did you not receive any divine affinity blessings, Lady Hannelore?"

"No, I did. I received blessings from Dreifangur, the Goddess of Time, and Angriff, the God of Martial Valor."

"How wonderful! Then why do you look so troubled?"

She didn't look the least bit happy. Her face was full of confusion. At my remark, Hannelore glanced around in a fluster. Her pale hair—neither quite pink nor quite purple—tied in two knots, swayed beside her ears.

"O-of course I'm happy. I am happy, but I can't understand why I received these blessings... I haven't done a single thing that would catch the eye of Dreifangur or Angriff."

Saying "It's truly a mystery," Hannelore left the room.

"Lord Wilfried, Lady Rozemyne. Please excuse me."

A superior noble from Friblytock wearing a light-blue mantle bowed to us and left the room, and after that, only Ehrenfest students remained in the lecture hall. Mid-ranking and lower-ranking nobles couldn't help but hold back due to the class disparity, so Ehrenfest's students inevitably ended up staying until the very end.

Even among the Ehrenfest students, the ritual proceeded in order of rank, and they too received only as many blessings as they had affinities, just like everyone else.

"It's just Roderich and Philine left now. Roderich, off you go."

"I'd like to see Philine's results, so I'll go after her."

"Then I'll go first."

At Roderich's words, Philine stood up. Her face was wrapped in tension as she tightly gripped the healing potion hanging at her waist.

"You'll be fine if you pray with all your heart, Philine."

I watched Philine nod and disappear into the innermost room.

After a while, Philine emerged from the ritual room. She could barely contain her joy, half-running toward us. Her cheeks flushed and her young-leaf-green eyes sparkling, Philine opened her mouth with barely contained excitement.

"Lady Rozemyne, I gained a new wind attribute! I received the blessing of Mestionora, the Goddess of Wisdom! Praise be to the gods!"

The fact that she could fluidly offer a prayer of joy showed just how deeply Philine had absorbed the Temple's customs from nearly daily visits. Unlike me, who couldn't help but smile, everyone around us stared in stunned silence.

"What!? You gained a new attribute!?"

"How did you manage that, Philine?"

At the report of a new attribute, Roderich sprang from his seat and leaned forward eagerly toward Philine.

"I don't know why I received the blessing. I simply followed Lady Rozemyne's advice—even using my healing potion to completely fill the magic circle with magic power—and then offered my prayer."

It wasn't just the Ehrenfest students who got excited at Philine's rare report. Gundolf, the supervisor, came over with gleaming eyes.

"Let me hear more details. Philine, was it? Are you a lower-ranking noble? If so, did you originally have only one affinity? What attribute was it?"

Philine's eyes swam at the barrage of questions, and Roderich, who clearly wanted to ask some questions of his own for future reference, looked troubled. Gundolf seemed to notice everyone's reactions, but he was clearly the type who deliberately ignored the room's mood when something caught his interest. He pointed at the innermost room.

"Ah, right. You there, young man. Hurry into the innermost room."

At Gundolf's words, Roderich headed for the innermost room, glancing back over his shoulder several times with a look that said he wanted to hear the conversation. We watched Roderich go, while Gundolf, wearing a kindly old man's smile, promptly resumed his questioning.

"So, what were your affinities?"

"E-earth."

"So in addition to earth, you've now gained wind as well. Hmm, hmm. If you received the blessing of Mestionora, Goddess of Wisdom, it seems your intellectual activities met with her approval. I'd like to know what kind of activities you were engaged in."

Drewanchel placed great emphasis on intellectual pursuits, yet hardly anyone there received the blessing of Mestionora, Goddess of Wisdom. Apparently, just as Dunkelfelger had many students blessed by the divine affinity of fire, Drewanchel wanted to increase the number of students who received blessings from the divine affinity of wind.

"Professor Gundolf, I understand your enthusiasm, but please save your questions until after Roderich's ritual. Once Roderich returns, I'll be heading back to the dormitory."

As I put my foot down with Gundolf, Philine—the target of his interrogation—let out a small sigh of relief.

"The intellectual activities I engaged in... Perhaps it was when I collected stories for Lady Rozemyne? Or when I was copying texts? It could have been when I was studying hard to learn modern-language translations, or maybe when I was helping Lord Ferdinand with his work."

Philine went through one possibility after another. Now that I thought about it, she had really been working hard.

Gundolf listened, nodding with interest. He seemed eager to learn what kind of actions might trigger a blessing, but apparently, that level of intellectual activity was considered routine in Drewanchel.

"Collecting and writing stories for Lady Rozemyne to purchase is something even Drewanchel has done, and there should be plenty of people even more dedicated to research..."

None of Philine's activities seemed to be a clear match. Just as Gundolf was about to press further, Roderich returned.

"Lady Rozemyne, I'm done."

Roderich said this with a smile, but his eyes were darting about and he seemed oddly fidgety. He'd been so eager to hear about Philine's new attribute before going in, yet now he was hanging back, looking like he wanted to keep as much distance as possible.

"Roderich, did something happen during the ritual? You didn't fail, did you?"

When I asked Roderich, who looked like he was wrestling with something, expecting the worst, everyone's eyes focused on him at once. "No! The ritual was successful!" he quickly shook his head. Then, with a confused expression, he looked around at everyone who remained.

"It was successful. Too successful, in fact. ...For some reason, I received blessings from all attributes."

"All of them? That's incredible! Well done, Roderich."

I was surprised too, but the one who was even more shocked was Gundolf, who knew the common sense of the nobility.

"He became all-attribute through blessings from the divine affinities!? To think such a thing is possible..."

"...Professor Gundolf, this is rare, isn't it?"

"I have never heard of someone becoming all-attribute through blessings."

I would have thought that since Philine had gained a new attribute, Roderich gaining more wouldn't be that surprising—but apparently, becoming all-attribute was practically impossible.

"Why? How could such a thing...?"

Gundolf's gaze locked onto Roderich. Roderich shrank back but desperately tried to answer.

"I don't understand it myself. When I channeled my magic power through the magic circle, the symbols for every attribute lit up. It was as though I had always been all-attribute..."

He said the light was less than half the height of the wind and earth symbols that had been identified during his Baptism Ceremony, but all of the attributes had indeed glowed. Even though he was all-attribute, the quality apparently wasn't particularly high.

"Was it different during the Baptism Ceremony?"

"Yes. I was told I had affinities for wind and earth."

"What has changed significantly since your Baptism Ceremony?"

"...I don't know."

"Something must have changed. Otherwise, it's impossible for someone with only two affinities to become all-attribute."

"It's wrong for someone like me to have all attributes. But I really don't know why I received the blessings."

As Gundolf's questions piled on, Roderich's face grew more and more troubled, and he lowered his head.

"Roderich, you shouldn't speak so disparagingly of yourself. It's disrespectful to the gods who blessed you. Professor Gundolf, I understand your excitement over this rare occurrence, but if you press him like that, Roderich will only shut down. Please, restrain yourself for today."

I stepped in front of Roderich as if to shield him, facing Gundolf directly.

"Professor Gundolf, receiving blessings across all attributes is inherently cause for celebration, not something to be interrogated about. Shouldn't congratulatory words come first?"

"...Lady Rozemyne, you're quite right."

Gundolf slowly exhaled and relaxed his shoulders, then offered words of congratulation to both Roderich and Philine on their increased attributes.

"It may be rare, but all that's really changed is that your magic power has become easier to handle. Your daily lives won't be all that different. If you get complacent and lazy, your blessings might be taken away. Roderich and Philine, both of you should take comfort in the fact that your hard work has been recognized, then head back to the dormitory and study for tomorrow's lectures. All right?"

"Yes, Lady Rozemyne."

Roderich nodded with a slightly brighter expression. Just as I was relieved that things had been settled neatly, Hirschur—who must have finished tidying up the back—appeared in the lecture hall and glared at me with her purple eyes gleaming.

"Lady Rozemyne, I can't have you brushing aside such a rare occurrence so easily."

"Oh my, Professor Hirschur."

"While it is certainly cause for celebration, it is also a serious matter. Someone with only two affinities gaining all attributes through blessings would only cause confusion among those around you, so I must ask you all not to speak of this to anyone."

Having witnessed the students who hadn't received blessings beyond their affinity count, as well as Gundolf's excitement, I could see how Roderich becoming all-attribute would be a source of confusion. Everyone remaining was an Ehrenfest student. We swore not to speak of it.

"I'll also be researching the increase in attributes on my end. I'd like to hear more in detail, so please allow me to join you for dinner tomorrow."

"Very well."

...So gaining new attributes isn't simply a good thing. How troublesome. Sigh.

Even after returning to the dormitory, Roderich's increased attributes remained a secret. Dinner was extremely lively thanks to Wilfried's multiple divine affinity blessings and Philine's new attribute. Roderich ate with a frustrated expression, unable to join the conversation. I imagined he was bursting to brag.

The next day, everyone passed the common morning lectures, and in the afternoon came music class. Expecting the music teacher to ask for a new piece again this year, I'd prepared with Rosina in advance. If nothing was requested, I'd keep it in reserve.

"Now then, here is this year's assigned piece."

It seemed that, once again, we would be performing both an assigned piece and a free-choice piece. When the assigned piece was revealed, I let out a quiet sigh.

...This was a piece from nearly two years ago. How nostalgic. ...But really, how high had Ferdinand set the bar? Rosina just kept making me practice without ever saying "You've already reached a sufficient level." Both of my music teachers were demons.

While I was reviewing the assigned piece, a senior noble from Ahrensbach began playing a familiar melody. It had been arranged and was a bit harder to recognize, but I was sure it was the piece I had given to Ferdinand.

...If I recalled correctly, it was "Love Song Dedicated to Gedulih."

It must have spread through Ahrensbach after Ferdinand performed it at winter social gatherings. He'd probably been asked to play the new piece many times at social events. Unlike Ehrenfest, Ahrensbach was new to him, and he likely couldn't refuse outright—ending up playing it over and over.

Curious to hear how it had been rearranged, I was listening closely when the Ahrensbach senior noble smiled with a hint of smugness.

"This is a new Ahrensbach piece composed by Lord Ferdinand. It is neither an Ehrenfest new piece nor Lady Rozemyne's composition."

...Well, technically I was the one who gave him the main melody, but fine, whatever.

There was no need to interfere with Ferdinand, who was clearly forcing a bitter expression beneath his smile as he struggled to win allies.

"I simply adore Lord Ferdinand's compositions. If it's a new piece, I'd love to hear it. I imagine only those from Ahrensbach can play it?"

"I'm still practicing myself, but if that would suffice..."

When I confirmed that it was an Ahrensbach piece, she let out a sigh of relief, positioned her fespiel, and performed it with vocals.

...This wasn't a love song. It was a nostalgia song.

It was a song of longing for Gedulih, whose brief winter honeymoon had passed and who was now far away. Sung in Ahrensbach, it would surely be mistaken for a song about a fiancé departing for the Royal Academy. If you knew Ferdinand's parting words and promises, you'd understand it was nostalgia—but to the uninitiated, being mistaken for a love song was perfectly understandable.

...Perhaps the plan was to let the misunderstanding stand?

In my mind's eye, I could see Ferdinand coolly responding to Dietlinde's accusation of "You deceived me!" with "You're the one who misunderstood on your own." If that scenario played out, Ferdinand's treatment would certainly worsen. I wanted to keep Dietlinde in good spirits for as long as possible, so that she might improve Ferdinand's standing.

...At least until the Star Binding ceremony was complete and his position as spouse was secured!

He was a husband-to-be from a lower-middle territory. Until the wedding, he'd be treated as an outsider, and his treatment would be determined by Dietlinde and Georgine. I wanted to do everything in my power to make his situation at least a little more bearable.

Right after I made this resolve, I noticed Wilfried tilting his head in puzzlement. He seemed to recognize the chorus.

"That must be Uncle's composition, but this is Ro..."

I tapped Wilfried's shoulder as he was about to say too much, smiling sweetly at him to shut him up. My silent message of "Don't say anything unnecessary" seemed to get through. He nodded repeatedly.

I thanked her after the performance.

"Thank you so much for playing that for me. Please tell Lord Ferdinand—the composer—that it was truly a beautiful piece. And if he composes anything else, I'd love to hear it again."

"With pleasure."

For now, I'd keep reiterating that it was Ferdinand who composed the piece, drilling it into everyone's memory. I felt like a campaign bus songbird.

...Lord Ferdinand, please take care of Lord Ferdinand. Grant Ferdinand a peaceful life! I wholeheartedly pray for better treatment for him.

I truly wished I could go around telling Ahrensbach's nobles exactly that. The real Ferdinand would probably give me the dirtiest look imaginable, though.

As I was thinking this, the noble who had just finished her performance looked at me and let a slightly mischievous smile play across her lips.

"Lady Rozemyne, you aren't going to debut a new piece this year, are you? It's not as though you can't compose a new piece just because your tutor Lord Ferdinand isn't here, is it? I've been eagerly looking forward to your new work."

When provoked like that, there was nothing to do but accept the challenge. I was being told to demonstrate that Ehrenfest could manage without Ferdinand.

...And I had to pass on the first try, of course. Lord Ferdinand, you really are a demon king!

"I'm flattered that you're looking forward to it so much. In that case, I'll play my free-choice piece."

I smiled back sweetly, picked up my fespiel, and went to the teacher to request grading. Then I sat down and positioned the instrument.

I took a slow breath and plucked the strings. This year's assigned piece was classified as a love song. It seemed to be a necessary piece for those of us reaching the age where we started seeking dance partners. Since I already had a fiancé, it had absolutely no relevance to me. Having practiced it nearly two years ago, I finished playing without any particular problems.

Then came my free-choice piece: a song dedicated to Schutzaria, Goddess of Wind. It was a song imbued with the wish that those precious to us be protected. It was meant not only for Ferdinand, who had gone to Ahrensbach, but also for the children who would lose their families to the purge.

As I played and sang, I felt magic power being drawn from my ring. The magic power turned into a blessing, and light began to overflow—yellow light, the noble color of Schutzaria. Surprised by a situation reminiscent of my debut, I tried to stop the flow of magic power.

...Huh? It won't stop?

Normally I should have been able to stop it, but the flow of magic power wouldn't cease. Screaming internally about what to do, but unable to risk failing the first-day exam, I continued playing.

The blessing continued to flow without stopping—right until the performance ended.

What was different from before was that the magic power couldn't be stopped, and I barely felt any consumption of magic power at all.

...Could this be the result of yesterday's ritual!?

I could see everyone's stunned faces filling my peripheral vision, and all I wanted to do was run. The music teacher blinked repeatedly as she looked at me.

"Lady Rozemyne, what in the world..."

"...Er, that's the blessing of the Goddess of Wind. It seems that yesterday's ritual has made the blessing overflow a bit more easily. Hoho-ho."

I wasn't sure if smiling could really cover for this, but I smiled anyway.

I received my passing grade in music, but this was bad. I needed to re-practice magic control, or blessings would overflow everywhere, worse than before.

...I'm sorry for calling you a demon king. What am I supposed to do in a situation like this, Ferdinand!?

Without my guardian, I sat there clutching my fespiel, completely at a loss.

This was about everyone's blessing rituals besides Rozemyne.

Wilfried received blessings from many divine affinities, Philine gained a new wind attribute, and Roderich became all-attribute.

And Rozemyne experienced the benefits (?) of the ritual during music practice.

Next time: a discussion with Hirschur about attribute increases.